Tag: features

After six decades as a session musician, guitarist Reggie Young has released his first solo album, Forever Young. A showcase of the soulful Memphis-style guitar playing, from its opening track, it offers the chord melodies, sliding sixths, bends, and amazing tone that made him one of the most revered and imitated guitarists in Memphis, Nashville, and Muscle Shoals.

Though he began working on the album in his mid ’70s, it’s a showcase of his untarnished playing and taste that further cements his status as one of the most important guitarists of all time.

What took this so long?

People have been asking me for years to make an album, but I was too busy. I would be in the studio, and I started making up pieces of songs to use as warm-ups. Other players would ask me, “What is that?” and I’d respond that it was something I was messing around with. That really was where this all started. Then, I finally got all of the ideas together and decided to put them on tape.

You spent the last four decades recording in Nashville. So why did you do the album at Muscle Shoals?

I recorded down there quite a bit at Fame in the ’60s, and on other projects through the years. I also liked the LaLaLand studio down there because they have a Neve console. I also like the laid-back feel. Nobody is busy at their phone, wondering where they have to be next.

Tell us about the players.

Chad Cromwell played drums, David Hood played bass, and Clayton Ivey was on keyboards. They’re all guys I’ve played with for years, and we know each other real well. When we recorded the tracks, I was so busy producing the session that I was not happy with my guitar parts, so I ended up replacing them here at home with a recording engineer and my Deluxe Reverb in the next room. Then, I sent the tracks off to Jim Horn to add saxophone and flute.

“Memphis Grease” features your bluesy playing in the A section and the Memphis-style double stops and then, in the B section, sliding sixths that you helped popularize. Did you intentionally quote part of your intro to “Son of a Preacher Man” at the end of the B-section?

It wasn’t intentional; I guess it’s just part of my playing.

Speaking of those flowery R&B double stops, where did that style originate? 

I’m not sure. Not many people do that anymore. Even Steve Cropper doesn’t really do it anymore, and that’s why I wanted to do it. Years ago, I felt like I was copying Bobby Womack, but Don Was said I was doing that style before Womack was. Bobby was certainly a big influence on me, though. 

Talk a bit about the gear you used on the album.

My main guitars are a ’69 bound Tele and a ’57 Strat. The Tele has benders that Joe Glaser installed, a Bill Lawrence Strat pickup in the neck, Duncan Stack in the middle, and a Ron Ellis Tele in the rear. The Strat has Bill Lawrence noiseless pickups. My amp on the album was a ’65 Deluxe Reverb with a Celestion V30, or a Little Walter with an Ernie Ball volume pedal, a GE-7 to smooth things and add a bit of bass, and a Boss DD-6 for delay. I also used a TC Chorus and a Voodoo Lab tremolo and Sparkle Drive. 

“Jennifer” features your work on volume pedal. When did you start using the volume pedal? 

In the ’60s, I used to play instrumentals with steel guitarist John Hughey, in Memphis, and I liked the way he could drag notes out. None of the guitarist I knew of in Memphis or Nashville were using one at that time, so I decided to. “Jennifer” is dedicated to my wife, Jenny, who also played cello on the album.

Are there personal favorites among the tracks you’ve played on?

There are a handful, yes. Little Milton’s “Whenever You Come Around,” the Highwaymen’s “The Highwaymen,” Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away,” Merle Haggard’s “That’s the Way Love Goes” and “Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink,” and I especially liked my solo on “It Always Will Be” from Merle’s album, Chicago Wind. It was overdubbed with Merle, Lee Sklar, Mike Post, and Jimmy Bowen watching me. I told them, “I don’t have a clue what I am going to play,” and then I played the solo heard on the album.

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This article originally appeared in VG August 2017 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

For more than 40 years, Glenn Phillips has been an underground hero of the guitar. His solo albums, unusual choices of gear, radical effects usage, and wild live shows broke the mold of guitar heroics. Phillips’ At the Rainbow, taped live in London in 1977, has just been released, and it’s a brilliant document of his instrumental acrobatics. We recently checked in with the Atlanta-based axe legend.

What do you remember about the ’77 UK tour?

I was a opening for Steve Hillage, and the Rainbow was the last date. The album was recorded on the Rolling Stones’s mobile studio, which was also used to cut Exile on Main Street and most of Led Zeppelin’s III, the fourth album, and Physical Graffiti. Before the tour, I did a couple of warm-up dates in London, one with the Troggs, who did “Wild Thing” and also an infamous bootleg tape of them bitching and moaning in the studio. That tape went on to inspire the movie Spinal Tap, and I got to hear some of their grousing in-person when we shared a dressing room.

How did you find a following in the U.K.?

When my first group, the Hampton Grease Band, broke up in ’73, I started working on solo material and sitting in with Little Feat when they played Atlanta. Lowell took a tape of my solo material to Warner Brothers and they decided to sign me. Unfortunately, I was still signed to Frank Zappa’s manager, Herb Cohen, who was suing Frank and the label. When Herb discovered Warner Brothers wanted to sign me, he demanded $100,000 for my contract and that was the end of my deal. Instead, I recorded Lost at Sea and somehow, DJ John Peel started playing it on BBC radio, and when Melody Maker held a reader’s poll, Lost at Sea finished second. This led Richard Branson to fly over from England and sign me to Virgin Records.

Who’s your primary guitar influence?

Although Mike Bloomfield isn’t as widely known as Hendrix today, in his heyday he was considered the most influential guitarist of his generation. Mike’s work on the first Paul Butterfield Blues Band album spurred white kids across the country to play the blues, and the improvisational 13-minute title cut on East West was the blueprint for the entire jam-rock movement. Go back and listen to the debut album of just about any California psychedelic band of the ’60s, and you’ll hear Bloomfield’s influence.

Mike even drove the guitar market. When he played a Telecaster on the first Butterfield album, everyone wanted one, including me. When he played a goldtop with P-90s, it suddenly became the sought-after guitar. And when he switched to a sunburst ’59 Les Paul on the Electric Flag album, those values shot through the roof.

Over the years, you’ve shared the stage with the Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers, and Zappa.

I’ve had the good fortune to play with many iconic acts. One weekend, we played with Zappa and the Mothers at the Fillmore East, and John and Yoko sat in with them; I was in Frank’s dressing room, jamming with him, when they arrived. I did shows with Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, B.B. King, toured with Captain Beefheart and Roy Buchanan, and done a week’s worth of dates with Muddy Waters. I even got to back some of my early heroes like Bo Diddley and Albert King.

Your choice of gear is pretty unusual.

I was drawn to the Gibson L-6S because it felt good in my hands, though I ended up modding it extensively. As for the MXR Pitch Transposer, I got one when they first came out in the late ’70s and used it regularly through the ’90s. I’ve been told I’m the first guitarist to use a pitch shifter for up-and-down pitch jumps.

How is the L-6S modded?

I stripped it of every part then re-built it from the ground up. I had the fretboard flattened and re-fretted, replaced the tuners and pots, and put in an original Gibson PAF in the neck and a Fender Telecaster bridge pickup that I recently switched to a G&L pickup. I also installed a Jazzmaster vibrato, which required drilling a hole all the way through the body. But the first two guitars I ever owned were a ’50s Tele and a ’61 SG, and since then I’ve wanted a guitar that was a combination of my favorite aspects of the two. To me, that’s my L-6S.

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This article originally appeared in VG August 2017 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Every musician aspires to create music that will resonate through the ages and Abandon All Hope, by Zepparella guitarist Gretchen Menn, is an ambitious effort based on Dante’s Alighieri’s Inferno. Rich in melody and concept, the album weaves her melodic sensibilities amidst violin, cello, and viola via beautiful scores composed by Menn and joining nylon-string polyphony with soaring rock guitar.

The disc tells the story of the journey through Dante’s underworld, led by Menn’s exceptional guitar playing.

How did this come together?

I’d been thinking about combining music and literature when Michael Molenda (editor of Guitar Player) pitched the concept to me. One of the challenges with instrumental music is that it’s so abstract it can be isolating. I’ve often thought that by giving people something more visual, directly or through concept, it ends up being less abstract.

When I sat with Mike, I assumed he was going to say what everybody says, “Why don’t you sing and make a pop record?” But he laid this sheet in front of me: “Proposal Idea. Gretchen Menn – Dante’s Inferno: Journey in Eleven Different Musical Modes.” I was like, “I’m in (laughs)! You don’t have to tell me anything else!” It was coincidentally along the lines of what I’d been thinking. I was a music major, but literature goes just as far back for me. The idea of combining the two was obvious, but what Mike came up with was a slam-dunk. I looked at the concept and knew exactly what I was going to do. It was going to take a long time, and I had to get my orchestral and orchestration chops beyond what I had, even though I’ve been studying with a composition teacher. It took me about three years to compose everything between gigs and normal day-to-day stuff.

How did producer/guitarist Daniele Gottardo come into the picture?

I met him through a mutual friend. I’d heard his cover of the “Simpsons Theme” and stuff from his album, Non Temperato, and it blew my mind. It’s one of the best guitar records I’ve ever heard, especially for the sophistication and harmonic depth. It’s no wonder Steve Vai said he’s his favorite up-and-coming guitar player. We worked on my scores and producing a string quartet in Italy. Half the album was done in Italy.

The relationship between violin and distorted electric guitar is beautiful.

I have to credit Daniele for a lot of it. He was elevated from string co-producer to co-artistic producer because he was the only person I knew who had done an entire album blending electric guitar with classical instruments. There are tonal considerations, orchestration considerations… it’s a unique world. Having his experience was incredibly helpful.

“Tombs” is a great example.

I’d get tracks I was really happy with, and adjust guitar parts. I spent a lot of time trying to do complimentary vibrato, which is a great lesson. If you want to learn about vibrato, try to emulate classical string players.

“Grace” has so much emotion.

It was the last thing I wrote, so I got to do something different. It didn’t have to be infused with darkness; I wanted something with a different philosophical message. At that point, I was also four years more experienced as a composer. Some pieces have an easier flow, and that was one where I knew what I wanted.

Which guitars did you use?

My Ernie Ball Music Man Silhouette Special, a Les Paul on “Beast” and “Hounds Of Hades.” For the classical parts, a Kenny Hill Ruck guitar – it’s the one on “Lake Of Ice” and “Grace.” Except for “Limbo,” I tracked everything at my house and re-amped it. I used my Engl SE 670 with EL34s. It’s the best amp ever. 

What’s next?

I have a lot of ideas and it’s always a question of where to focus the energy. I’d love to play Abandon All Hope live, but I want to do it properly. Zepparella is booked until the end of the year, so I’ll be fighting for time to write.

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This article originally appeared in VG August 2017 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

In the 1970s, glam-rockers Angel carved a niche with five albums of arena-rock anthems and an image that stood in antithesis to their Casablanca label mates, Kiss. After retiring from the music business in the ’80s, guitarist Punky Meadows returned last year with his first solo album, Fallen Angel.

What have you been up to since Angel?

After Angel, Gregg [Giuffria] and I put together variations of the band and shopped deals, but things didn’t pan out. So I went back East, opened some businesses that did really well, got into the stock market and had some properties. After selling them and my businesses, I went completely into the stock market, then retired from everything and lived in North Carolina. 

Two years ago, I did an interview with Keith Roth’s “Electric Ballroom” show on WRAT radio, and it crashed their website! Keith said, “In 17 years interviewing everybody from Jimmy Page and Robert Plant to Keith Richards, I’ve never seen that happen.” I was dumbfounded – and I started getting record offers. I signed with Mainman and recorded Fallen Angel. Danny Farrow and I started writing, and we had great chemistry. I’m really a blues guitar player – I grew up on all the English blues players – Beck, Clapton, Page, Gary Moore, David Gilmour, and Hendrix, who of course wasn’t English but went to England to make it. But I love pop music, heavy rock, and country music, too. My tastes are pretty varied. 

What gear do you use?

I have a hybrid I put together. I love Carvin guitars, and I think they make the best single-coil pickups ever – really nice wet, Stevie Ray/Hendrix tone with the neck pickup. So, it has a Carvin neck and I carved the headstock like a Tele. It has a Strat body and Super-Vee vibrato, which is great, and a Mag-Lok that’s great because I’m into country, and love doing double-stop bends. When you bend strings, it holds the bar steady. But when you push it down, the magnets come apart and you can use the bar and it stays in tune. 

I also have an actaul Carvin guitar that’s all over the record, and an old Yamaha DG100, which is a great-sounding amp that sounds like a tube amp. I used that in the studio for everything. 

What are your thoughts on Frank Zappa’s song, “Punky’s Whips,” which was inspired by a publicity photo of you? 

That was actually very cool. If people take it the wrong way and think it’s a put-down or an insult, well, Frank has always been a satirical writer. Growing up, I had a friend who was a big Zappa fan. We used to go to his house after I played a club, smoke a joint, listen to Zappa, and go, “Man, the dude is a genius. He’s amazing.” So, one day, we’re sitting in my manager’s office in L.A., and my manager goes, “Listen, Terry Bozzio – the drummer for Frank – wants to write a song about you.” I said, “Sure, man. I have friends who are crazy about Frank Zappa.” 

So, they wrote the song and sent us a tape. We listen and I go, “Wow… That’s cool!” They said, “Frank is playing at Pauley Pavilion and would like you to come up onstage in full outfit and play the last song with him.” 

That song was actually called “Punky’s Lips” because our first publicity photos for Casablanca showed me biting the inside of my lip, but it looked like I was puckering up. It started a little firestorm, and Zappa decided to write a song about that. So, Zappa wanted me to play, and I said, “Yeah. I’ll do it.” But the other guys in the band got jealous, so Zappa invited us to the show and put us in the front row. We’re watching, and there’s this big black scrim up behind the stage. Two flashpots go off, the scrim drops, and there’s that huge picture of me up there! We go backstage, and he says, “Hey, you’re a really good sport. You should come over to my house sometime, and we’ll write some songs.”

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This article originally appeared in VG August 2017 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Steve Hillage has followed his muse through 40 years making music as a member of the psychedelic band Gong, a solo career, and a partnership with Miquette Giraudy as the dance band System 7. 

His style includes extensive use of echo, which he “stumbled across” while messing about with his home tape recorder.

“My older cousin was an electronics freak and showed me a way to do tape echo,” he said. “I resolved to get an echo box; in 1968 there were just two on the market in London – the Watkins Copicat and the Binson Echorec. I opted for the Copicat and enjoyed setting it at the slowest settings and working out rhythmic riffs in time with the echo.” 

Echo gave him “…instant sense of space and psychedelic dreamscape adventure,” he added. “It became an inseparable part of my own sound, and remains so. But my style is also about scales, modes, and phrasing.”

Hillage hooked up with Gong in the early ’70s and the band recorded for Virgin. He also played on a 1973 live rendition of “Tubular Bells” by label mate Mike Oldfield. “I was his replacement in the Kevin Ayers band before I joined Gong. He’d left Kevin to work on the album that became Tubular Bells.”

Hillage’s guitars at the time included a few Gibsons and a Stratocaster.

“The first top electric guitar I owned was a Strat I acquired in ’67, when I was 15,” he said. “It was white, but I took the paint off and left it natural. 

“In ’74, I got Les Paul and an SG. The Les Paul was black, but again I had the paint taken off. I got the Gibsons while preparing my Fish Rising album while I was in Gong. For the next few years, I switched guitars depending on the sound I was going for.”

Hillage left Gong after the release of Fish Rising, which also resulted in his becoming a producer. 

Since the early ’80s, he has relied on a Steinberger.

“I was aware of Steinberger basses and eagerly anticipated their six-string. When I eventually picked one up and started playing, I bought it on the spot. At that time, I was concentrating on producing, and the Steinberger opened new vistas. I became so committed that I eventually sold my other solidbody electrics.”

Hillage’s boxed set, Searching For The Spark, is a career-spanning collection. It includes 22 discs, a coffee table book with hundreds of photos, poster reproductions, and other memorabilia. Among the discs are recordings in early bands Uriel and Khan, all eight solo albums, recordings for other labels, four discs of live performances, and four of previously unreleased alternate takes, demos, etc.

“I wanted to tell my whole story – how I developed from teenage psychedelic guitarist to record producer and eventually dance music in the late ’80s.

“Whether this will lead to live Steve Hillage Band shows in 2018, I’m not sure yet,” he said. “My current plans involve System 7, which has a new album in the works, as well as remix projects and a stack of live shows this year, including many festivals.”

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This article originally appeared in VG August 2017 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

For 30-plus years, Marty Stuart has blended traditional country, rockabilly, and honky-tonk into a potent mix. Following stints as a sideman with Lester Flatt, Vassar Clements, and Roland White, he was a breath of fresh air in Nashville in the late 1980s. 

These days, Stuart is on a roll, fronting The Fabulous Superlatives, releasing well-received albums, touring, and hosting “The Marty Stuart Show” on RFD-TV. Stuart has also built a phenomenal collection of country music memorabilia, including Clarence White’s sunburst Telecaster, the first guitar equipped with a B Bender (VG, April ’04). Stuart’s latest album is Way Out West. 

Beyond Clarence White’s Tele, you use other guitars formerly owned by well-known pickers.

Yes, my go-tos are Johnny Cash’s ’39 Martin D-45 and Pops Staples’ rosewood Tele.

You’ve also earned praise for your collection of country-music memorabilia.

I started that from my bedroom at my parents’ home in Philadelphia, Mississippi. I’d buy records and get autographs, buy autographed 8x10s, and ask band members for guitar picks. Later, when I was in Lester Flatt’s band, they’d throw away set lists or neckties with too much makeup after too many TV shows, and I’d ask for them. In the ’80s, the treasures of old-time country music were being thrown away in thrift shops and yard sales around Nashville. To me, it was a sin, so I started buying, trading, and swapping. The Marty Stuart Center and Congress of Country Music Hall is now being designed, and funds are being raised for a permanent display there. We have over 20,000 items, including Johnny Cash’s first black performance suit and Hank Williams’ hand-written lyrics to “I Saw The Light.”

What’s in your current rig – amp and pedals?

I play a silverface Fender Deluxe I bought from Studio Instrument Rentals (SIR) in Los Angeles. It’s a dream amp – the finest I’ve ever owned. I have a power boost pedal, and that’s all I use. 

What was the motivation for a concept album about the Mojave Desert?

Way Out West is a cosmic journey through the Mojave, set to a “twangified” end of rock-and-roll and country music. It’s a very cinematic record, and the Mojave seemed like the perfect setting. The sky’s the limit out there. If you can think up a good song and story line, the Mojave is a great location to place it.

The Fabulous Superlatives is full of great players. Obviously, you love working with them

It’s a dream band, hands down. We’re 17 years old now, and it’s the most fun I’ve ever had playing music, period. I originally saw Kenny Vaughan playing with Lucinda Williams on “Austin City Limits” and loved his playing. I’d been working with Harry Stinson on drums, so we got him. I knew from the first rehearsal that this was a divinely ordained band. I’m not smart enough to have put this together!

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This article originally appeared in VG August 2017 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.