After spending nearly a decade with harp ace Jason Ricci, guitarist Shawn Starski has stepped out with a self-titled album that establishes him as a triple threat, not simply a guitar ace.

It’s a position he’s not altogether comfortable with, mostly because, prior to composing its songs, Starski had never written lyrics.

“I wrote a lot of the music with Jason, but I don’t think of myself as a songwriter or singer; I always just thought of myself as a guy who writes music and had other people write lyrics for it. But I’m studying lyrics more now, and finding out why certain people are so relevant because of their lyrics!”

After leaving Ricci’s band a couple years ago, Starski toured with roots singer Kelly Hunt. And he recently joined Otis Taylor’s band. “Otis is great to work with – and funny. At a gig one night, he told me, ‘I’ll give you a lot of freedom. You can do whatever you want. I’ll give you so much freedom you can hang yourself!’ I think I did an okay job that night.”

Starski says Taylor’s music fits his style. “He’s going for that trance thing, and I’ve always been into one-chord blues with the drone note you play on top of to make something happen. We have a kick-ass drummer, great bass player, great fiddle player, and Otis just grooving in that pulse. They throw it in your court and you make it exciting.”

Joining the band of the veteran blues man prompted a change of instruments, too. With Ricci and Hunt, his main axe was a Fender ’62 reissue Strat. “With Otis, I wanted to go for a different sound all together, so I’m using a 2001 Gibson Les Paul. With Jason and Kelly, I always had that clear tone. The Les Paul gives me a bit of a more saturated tone that fits with Otis’ music.” He’s also a fan of Jeff Clements’ instruments.

On the road, he has been running the Les Paul through a blackface Fender Deluxe Reverb borrowed from a friend. He owns a ’65 Fender Super Reverb that he used on the album, along with a Category 5. And while the disc is predominantly blues, R&B, and soul (with help from singer Elle on two cuts), there’s a definite lean toward jazz on “Hallows Eve.” Though Starski grew up on Hendrix and old blues, he listens to his share of the form.

“I listen to the old cats like Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, and George Benson. I love Django. And I really like stuff from more-modern guys like John Scofield, Larry Carlton, and Robben Ford. I listen to all of that music regularly.”

While he’s mostly known as a sideman, he hopes a gig that’s a little more high-profile, like the one with Taylor, will help his solo career grow. “With Jason, we built that up from nothing,” he laughs. “But now I’m with Otis, and he’s got a lot of great people coming to see him, a lot of good contacts. So, to have my own release right now is a good thing. I’m trying to create a presence with this record so I’m not a complete unknown. So, if I’m trying to sell myself to a club or festival, at least I know my record has some activity and word is getting out. Six months from now, we’ll see where I am and see what kind of gigs I get. I just want to be able to stay out there.”

As for the new album, he’s obviously happy to see his initial solo project come to fruition.

“It’s something I started almost two years ago,” Starski said. “I made a demo just to see what was working, and it was supposed to be released, but the record company kind of fell apart. So I put it out myself. It took a while to make it sound the way I wanted, but I found the right guy – Michael Saint-Leon – and he did a fantastic job.”

---

This article originally appeared in VG September 2012 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

---

In addition to touring and recording with the legendary English band, Moody Blues lead guitarist/vocalist Hayward released his most recent solo album, Spirits of the Western Sky, in February. Such work affords him the option of writing songs in a different style. One of numerous aspiring musicians who as a youngster listened to Radio Luxembourg “on a homemade transistor radio,” his first guitar was from Headquarter and General Supplies. “I don’t think it had a brand name,” he said. “But all the guitars I had until my first Gibson ES-335, in 1963, were unsatisfactory and I had to modify them.”

An ES-335 has been Hayward’s guitar of choice for decades, and he has relied on a Cherry Red ’63 with a factory Bigsby vibrato for most of that time.

“The first time I played that 335, I knew it was for me,” he remembered. “I had one before I joined the Moodies, but had to sell it because I was broke. [The red 335] came from the factory exactly like that. When I first came to the U.S., I met the guys who made it in Kalamazoo.”

As for acoustics, Hayward relies primarily on Martin and Collings instruments in the studio. “I love both; one is not better or preferable to the other,” he said. Live, he stages a handful of Guild models. Other touring instruments include the red ES-335, a ’65 Fender Telecaster (used on “Ride My See-Saw”), plus a Collings. One of the acoustics has two pickguards, but again, Hayward’s playing style has nothing to do with the mod.

“I put the other pickguard on because the wood above the hole was badly scratched in an accident,” he said.

While he has written many of the Moody Blues’ hits as well as other memorable songs recorded and performed by the band, he’s still compelled to compose material outside of the band. “I am a songwriter, I enjoy recording, and it’s great, so I had a lot of unrecorded songs,” he said. “I can say things that are more personal.” Hayward played all guitars.

While some songs have orchestral accompaniment, the strings are supplemental. Songs that reference specific genres are grouped, for example, three country/bluegrass style tunes appear in sequence, as do the techno/dance-mix songs toward the end. “It seemed to sound right when [co-producer) Alberto Parodi and I were compiling the tracks,” Hayward said. The country song “It’s Cold Outside of Your Heart” appeared on Moody Bluegrass Two, an anthology of countrified versions of Moody songs on which Hayward and other band members participated along with Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Sam Bush, and other country-music veterans. On the new version, the only change is in the mastering. While he is constantly focused on his songwriting and playing crafts, Hayward doesn’t have a particular favorite guitar passage or passages on the new album.

“I just enjoy playing,” he said, adding that he plans to continue his primary duty with the Moody Blues, but also more solo albums. Not surprisingly, he eschews examinations of how his solo albums compare to each other. “I don’t compare things. I enjoyed every one, and each has been my whole life while I was recording it.”

---

This article originally appeared in VG July 2013 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

---

Fans of Wishbone Ash will consider the group’s newest release, Elegant Stealth, the type of innovative guitar music they’ve grown to expect.

Since 2004, guitarist/vocalist Andy Powell and his V-shaped instruments have been accompanied by Finnish guitarist Jyrki “Muddy” Manninen.

In the liner notes for Elegant Stealth , Powell cites himself as a singer first.

“That must have been a subconscious thing,” Powell observed. “But yes, singing is very much my role in the band now. It’s a workout every night, and I’m developing as a singer, which has helped with the songwriting.”

The album contains numerous examples of Wishbone Ash double-/harmony lead guitar passages in interesting segments. “Man With No Name” has note-for-note riffing by guitar and bass.

“You can blame me for those lines,” Manninen chuckled. “But on some stuff, like the ascending passage in ‘Big Issues’, we worked together while writing. Doubling the lines in certain places creates a bit more orchestrated feel.”

Other instruments include a fiddle on “Can’t Go It Alone” as well as a Hammond organ played by Don Airey on the instrumental “Mud-Slide”

One of the longer tracks is “Heavy Weather,” which has a tick-tock/cowbell groove that lends itself to jamming.

“The song came out of a jam initiated by the rhythm section, (bassist) Bob Skeat and (drummer) Joe Crabtree,” Powell explained. “Because the groove was so strong, Muddy and I didn’t have to do much other than embellish. Its psychedelic section was one of several occasions where we spontaneously lapsed into that mindset, and we were definitely not taking drugs. ‘Man With No Name’ was really out there in one version, but we decided it was a little too ‘Sergeant-Pepper-meets-the-Lemon-Pipers’ and eventually cooled a little on the psychedelia.”

In the studio, Powell used a John Suhr Classic, a Music Man Silhouette, his ’52 Fender Telecaster, a Chilcott Angel Flying V, and a Duesenberg TV model.

“I’m a Les Paul man,” Manninen noted. “My main guitar is a Custom Shop ’58 reissue with Kloppman pickups. They have the open sound of ’58s, but with a little more mid bite. For slide, I usually use a lap steel. I have an ancient Arioso lap that I used with the Gringos Locos in the ’80s. It’s got a DiMarzio Hot P-90 pickup on it and is held together with a lot of gaffer tape! I used a Firebird V on ‘Migrant Worker,’ and the slide bit at the end was done with a Tokai Les Paul copy that just happened to be in the studio; I raised the action a bit.”

He used a Yamaha 12-string acoustic on “Man With No Name” and a Burns 12-string electric on “Searching for Satellites.” As for the increase in slide guitar heard on the album, Manninen noted, “Slide guitar has always been a part of the Wishbone Ash sound. Ted (Turner) used to play it, and later on, he played some nice lap-steel, as well. I haven’t introduced anything new to the sound. In general, we just go by what serves the song. Obviously, you have a different kind of vibrato when playing slide; mine is wide and low, and I’m not able to do fast runs. It creates a kind of lazy, laid back feel, which is great for songs like ‘Migrant Worker.’”

“Simple, melodic lines often sound better or more concrete with slide guitar, because it’s a more square-wave-sounding instrument,” Powell added. “Also, rock guitarists often shy away from clean, undistorted guitar sounds, but we don’t. We’re happy to go there.”

As for working out the harmony-guitar lines (which may or may not ultimately include slide), Powell noted, “Sometimes, I’ll have an idea, and can’t wait to work it out on my actual instrument, so I’ll sing it, then figure it out later. Sometimes, the guitar gets in the way and ideas can come out sounding clichéd, and you don’t always want that. In short, we’ll use different means and approaches. An idea can be riffed or jammed together in real time, or carefully worked out in a compositional way. No rules.”

Powell is “very satisfied” with Elegant Stealth , saying it’s an “honest, total group effort that shows people where Wishbone Ash has evolved to at this moment in time.”

Future projects may include an album of covers, but, Powell says, “Wishbone Ash is still a work in progress, and there is no creative need to look outside the band. That’s not to say we’re blind to what’s going on around us. We are very much stimulated by the scene right now, but we’re also comfortable in our own skin.”

---

This article originally appeared in VG September 2012 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

---

Eric Johnson’s latest release, Up Close, is his most lively studio project to date. With a looser vibe and the luxurious tones we’ve come to expect from Johnson, it gets closer to that happy place between immaculate execution and spontaneity.

Johnson invited Steve Miller to sing and Jimmie Vaughan to play guitar on a cover of the Electric Flag song “Texas,” and the results are fiery, to say the least. Vocalist Malford Milligan, Jonny Lang, and slide master Sonny Landreth also lent soulful contributions.

Did you have a concept in mind before you started recording Up Close?
I was going about business as usual. Then, as I got into it, things started changing. I started trying to cut stuff a little more live, and decided to bring people in to sing and play, just to open up a little.

Do you think imposing more spontaneity added something?
I wish there was more. There’s definitely more than the last record, and I think realizing it toward the last part… I would like to keep going on that track – open up a little and get a little more of that going on.

Are you hard on yourself?
I think I am. I always hear things I don’t like. I have a habit of doing things over and over, trying to get it where I hear it in my head. But sometimes, when you get it to where you hear it in your head, it loses some of the spark. It’s a balance between capturing that spark and getting it to where you want it to be. It’s really tough for me to get comfortable in the studio. It sort of feels like you’re in a petrie dish.

It’s tough to capture that blend of lively playing with perfect execution, but the record sounds like you were able to.
Yeah. Going for a performance-type situation, even if I was over dubbing, then opening it up and getting other people get involved. I basically sang all the songs. On three that I sang, I thought, “Yeah, pretty cool.” One was always meant for Steve Miller (“Texas”), but there was a couple where I didn’t feel my voice was appropriate. On one, I got Malford Milligan to sing (“Brilliant Room”), and another one, Jonny Lang (“Austin”). It just worked better.

Your guitar playing is always stellar but I’m really enjoying your lyrics, particularly on “Brilliant Room.”
Thank you. I think the lyrics show progress – they’re more personal, rather than from the third person. That’s kind of why I called it Up Close. It’s kind of a generic, but says it simply. It’s trying to show a little more of myself.

What was your primary guitar?
I used my ’62 Strat – which I don’t have anymore – a lot. I used my ’57 Strat a bit, and my signature Strats. I also used some Gibsons, like I always do, but probably more than usual. I used some Les Pauls I don’t own any more (laughs).

So you got rid of a bunch of guitars before the record came out. Why?
I wanted to have the pieces I use and make music on, that really hit a mark that works for me, musically. If they don’t really hit that high-water mark, I want to simplify. I own one vintage Strat now, (laughs) – a ’57 – and I want to find a second vintage Strat. I just want one I used to have, because that worked for me and made the kind of music I want to make.

Rather than owning five or six old Strats, I figure, if you gotta couple that are killer, that’s all I’d ever need. I can only play one at a time! After many years of trying it all, I know what works and what doesn’t. Coming to that conclusion… I’d rather just simplify.

A guitar’s age isn’t everything…
And even when they’re vintage, I like to put in a different bridge pickup and big frets. I’m not a dedicated collector – I’ve gone through periods where I’ve probably have more old amps than I need, but my thing is I want to sail on the music. I want to go into the skies. I love the old Strats, but as much as I love them, I can’t use the bridge pickup for most of my music – it’s too weak.

I finally came to terms with the fact that I’d rather have one or two. I’ll put big frets on them, put a bridge pickup I like in them, and I can play the music I want to play. I can’t very well quarantine myself to something because it’s original. Then you’re kind of putting a governor on your musicality.

Are you still using the multi-amp Marshall/Fender configuration?
Yeah. I’ve been experimenting in the studio, and I’m putting together an alternate rig using different amplifiers that I’m really digging on. For the most part, it’s the same old thing – either the 50-watt Marshalls or the 100-watt Marshalls, then Twin Reverbs. I thought about bringing out a super-simple setup for the Experience Hendrix tour, but the songs I’m doing kind of require that I jump around to different sounds, so I ended up bringing my whole rig.

What’s in your Experience Hendrix tour setlist?
“House Burning Down,” “Drifting,” “Burning Of The Midnight Lamp,” and “Are You Experienced?” A couple were tunes I always wanted to do – “Drifting” and “Burning Of The Midnight Lamp” – so I learned them for this tour.

---

This article originally appeared in VG February 2011 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

---

We’re saddened to hear of the passing of “Fast Eddie” Clarke, guitarist in the classic lineup of Motörhead with Lemmy Kilmister and “Philthy” Phil Taylor, both of whom died in 2015. In 1982, Clarke formed Fastway with UFO bassists Pete Way, which recorded seven albums. You can read our 2012 interview with Clarke below.

---

Eddie Clarke

Ex-Motorhead guitarist Fast Eddie Clarke is back with his first Fastway album in more than two decades. It’s called Eat Dog, Eat and it’s a hard-hitting heavy-duty rock record with the kind of blazing guitar tones that brought Clarke to prominence.

The current lineup of Fastway has been playing Europe and Japan, and has lost none of its power. With the help of vocalist Toby Jepson and drummer Matt Eldridge, the band took their time crafting some of Fastway’s most melodic yet powerful music to date. Clarke took time to discuss the band, his gear, and his plans for the future.

The new record is classic Fast Eddie, with fresh tunes.
I kept it pretty much as is. I used the same amp as on the original Fastway recordings – the same old Les Paul I used on a lot of it, a Strat on a couple of songs, and a Telecaster on a rhythm track. I was fiddling a little bit, but I get that thing where I prefer the sound of the original. I’m one of those people who don’t like experimenting.

You find what works and you stick to it.
Right. For some people, that’s a bit boring but it makes me feel more secure.

How did this new record come together?
Somebody invited us to do some shows in 2007. We did some in Japan and it was all going down rather well. So in 2008, we said, “Let’s write some songs.” So Toby and I sat down and wrote an album’s worth of tunes. They weren’t finished but we had the outlines of 11 tracks. Then things started to go wrong. Toby had an offer to do some work somewhere else. He has a family and that.

I didn’t see him for the whole of 2009, and in 2010 we got together and I said, “Why don’t we record these songs.” I was listening to them and I thought they were actually good little songs. He knew a drummer because he’d been doing production work. We had an engineer and we used a studio that I’d used before. We had a day of jamming to get the sounds right. It was done old school. We had big amps in different rooms for everything, and it was sounding really good, even though it was recorded with ProTools – but we had a lot of analog stuff going on.
It kept going down very well, like it was meant to be. It was perfect. We came home after about three weeks, had a week off, and then went back up and mixed it. We spent just over a week mixing it, and we come away thinking, “This is bloody marvelous!”

It’s tougher sounding than the other Fastway records, but there’s more dynamics.
I just kinda do what I do best, really. I didn’t try anything new or fancy, so it’s got that same kind of feel. It’s a straight-ahead, take-it-as-you-find-it kind of record.

Did you have to shift gears as a guitarist, playing in both Motorhead and Fastway?
I did for Motorhead. I had to sort of get to grips with it. We all had to, a bit. Lemmy didn’t. Lemmy was just Lemmy. Phil Taylor and I sort of had to mold ourselves around what we had to play with, which was Lemmy’s bass playing. We had to adjust to that sort of sound because it’s a very difficult sound to play with, as a guitarist. He plays a Rickenbacker bass through a Marshall lead amp with all the treble on and all the bass off. So you can imagine there’s not a lot of bass going on. As a lead player going into a solo, it was like there was nothing going on underneath me. There was no real bottom-end. When I went to Fastway, I had Pete Way, who had a big fat Thunderbird bass. I was in heaven.

Would you re-join Motorhead if the situation was right?
I think I would. I’m pretty sure it’s not going to happen, so I can say, “Yeah I would!” By the same token, I often think about Lemmy because we were like brothers – me, Phil, and Lemmy. We created some great music and those were probably the best years of my life.

What’s your number-one guitar right now?
My main guitar is the Les Paul Deluxe I used with Fastway in the ’80s. I paid 230 quid for it brand new in 1972. It had the small DeArmond pickups in it. Of course I took those out and put DiMarzios in. With Motorhead, I used a Stratocaster because it gave me a little bit of edge.

I’m using both now; I used a Les Paul mainly on the record. Live, these days, I’ve been enjoying the Stratocaster. It’s got a little more versatility. The Les Paul can be a bit of a one-trick pony. My Stratocaster had a DiMarzio X2N in the bridge, a DiMarzio SDS-1 in the front, and a Fender pickup in the middle. I just added a DiMarzio Super Distortion in the bridge. It gives me a tad more edge.

How about effects?
I have a late-’70s Boss OD-1 overdrive, Boss Flanger, Boss Delay, Crybaby wah, and a nice delay pedal by The Mad Professor. He’s a Finnish guy who makes these little pedals. It’s a delay, but it sounds like the old Echoplex [Deep Blue Delay]. For amps, I use the master-volume 100-watt Marshall JCM 800 – the one I used with Fastway – and a Jubilee.

What’s next for you?
I’d really like to get to America just one more time. We had some fabulous f***ing times. I don’t know what it is about you guys, but you’re crazy!

---

This article originally appeared in VG September 2012 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

---

For someone who has been a professional musician for more than 30 years, Ronnie Earl is going through a remarkable production period in his career. In just the last three years, he released his first live DVD and companion CD, 2008’s Hope Radio, followed by the CD Living in the Light in ’09 and now, a little more than a year later, comes Spread the Love – an encyclopedia of the many ways musical power can be built with tone, taste and restraint.

What was the spark that ignited the new CD?
We had made an album with vocals and I just felt it was time to make one without vocals. Once we were in the studio, it took just two days, and we did no more than two takes for each of the cuts.

Did you have everything charted before you went in?
No, it’s a band effort. I was in another room at the studio and heard this beautiful keyboard music. It turned out it was our drummer, Lorne Entress, and he came up with all the complicated chord changes that became the song “Patience.” I love playing rhythm and letting the other musicians stretch out.

They’re also reissuing some of your older albums.
Without talking to me about it (laughs)! Nobody’s going to get rich on any of it, anyway.

Have you ever thought of singing on your CDs?
Oh, God… Then you wouldn’t be talking to me right now! For me, there really aren’t that many great blues singers – Bobby Bland, Kim Wilson, Muddy Waters, B.B. and Freddie King, Otis Rush, and John Lee Hooker. I let the guitar be my voice – it’s so easy to do for me.

In the interview on the DVD you talk about developing your style because you had trouble emulating your heroes.
It’s definitely true. That’s part of the miracle for me. I just started out and all of the sudden I was backing up Otis Rush and Big Walter Horton all over the country. I still can’t believe it except that my Higher Power has this path worked out for me. When people started accepting my music for what it was, I found that being me was everything.

Are there any touring plans coming up?
We just got with a very well-known international agency and are going to play live more. Over the last 10 years, I’ve probably only played live once a month, but I really love playing more than ever. We’ve been playing small theatres and art centers in the Northeast. Maybe we’ll even come to California. Who knows?

What guitars and amps do you use?
I’m not much of a gear guy, and I believe strongly that the music comes from your soul. But I have four old Stratocasters, and they’re my babies. I got one at a pawn shop in Houston for $150. I went in and the guy said, “It’s old, but it still works.” I have a blond ’57 and a ’60 sunburst and my sponsor gave me a Fiesta Red ’62, and that’s my favorite. I’ve used it on almost every album.

I’ve always used Super Reverb amps, but I’m going to be playing Juke amps. And I’ve been playing Nash guitars because I get nervous taking the old ones out. I use whatever guitar is clean and the strings aren’t rusted, and I buy whatever strings are on sale.

Are there any guitarists that you really like to listen to?
Chris Cain and Dave Gonzalez. And I love Lurie Bell, whom I played with one night in Rhode Island. I’ve always liked Anson Funderburgh, and, of course, Jimmie Vaughan. In Boston, there’s a man named Frankie Blandino. And also, Jason James who plays on Living in the Light.

At this point, do you feel the young Ronnie Horvath playing at The Speakeasy achieved his musical goals?
When I was that person, my goal was to play with Big Walter Horton, and I got that very early on. All I ever wanted to do was play with my mentors, and I got to do that, and everything else has been gravy. Making a living playing music wasn’t easy, but I’m glad I did.

Is there anything you would tell that young man about life?
I would tell him to be humble, that talent is a gift from God. I would tell him that his greatest accomplishments in life will be sobriety, being married and having a family life.

---

This article originally appeared in VG December 2010 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

---