Alternating thumb - a country/blues crossover.

Practicing with fingerpicks and a thumbpick today, going through some books of folk and blues songs. Lately I've been consumed with writing songs for the upcoming Fraser Daley CD, and delving into some old-time guitar styles for ideas. I was playing along with this earlier:

I'm not sure that I'm convinced by the harmonica imitation, but a great record nonetheless. I love when country musicians play blues, and vice versa. Sam McGee (1894-1975) was an old-time country musician from Franklin, Tennessee. His style has been (rather anachronistically) called "Travis picking" after Merle Travis. But it's clearly much older than Travis, and seems to have been adapted to folk purposes from 19th century parlor guitar styles.


Parlor guitar wasn't far from 'classical' banjo of the late 19th century.


And all of this is not too far from prototypical blues guitar.

"One question....why a Squier?"

Dedicated GC readers may remember my tribulations a few months back regarding my substandard Fender Highway One Strat, bought in Strat-desperation for a Pink Floyd cover gig, with regret slowly creeping up thereafter.
It's gone.
I traded it down to a Squier Classic Vibe Strat, the 50s version. Looks like this and sells for $330 CDN plus tax at Canada's own version of Guitar Center, Long and McQuade.

 It was a bit of a journey to get here, and for now I'm very happy with this guitar. It wasn't long ago that I wouldn't even deign to touch a Chinese-made guitar; there was no point. Dull, weak tone, out-of-tune and cheap-feeling necks and a generally plastic feel top the list of reasons 'why not.' Yet here I am, a cheap Chinese Strat my main rock guitar and me proudly testifying on its behalf when asked the question at the top of this post.
It started with seeing Kevin Breit (see my email interview with Kevin here) playing one at the Orbit Room in Toronto and him commenting on its surprising excellence. From there it was to the online forums and finally to my local big box guitar dealer, where only the 60s version was to be found. Coveting a maple board Strat, I special-ordered the 50s guitar, something I've never done before. When it arrived it was perfectly set up, with an expensive-feeling neck and a nice clear Strat-y tone. I've heard and played better, certainly, but there's something psychologically gratifying for me about my guitar being easily replaceable; there's also something cool about not paying $4000 for what was designed to be the Model T of electric guitars, a populist plank. There's something just wrong about the idea of the Custom Shop for me, and relicing? I just can't get with it. So I strike a blow for the common man, and for offshore CNC machines, with my Squier scepter boldly in hand.
Nice two-colour sunburst, too.

Earning my "Badge"

Working today on some of Eric Clapton's music. I was only a casual Clapton fan up to about six months ago, when I bought the Complete Clapton set. I've been working out of the excellent transcriptions in the accompanying book Complete Clapton (Guitar Recorded Versions) from Hal Leonard. I've found Hal Leonard's guitar stuff to be of consistently high quality.  Unfortunately some of the eighties songs are reprints of transcriptions done back then, and they're not as nice. I guess that comes with the territory when you're dealing with a career retrospective.
I remember seeing published note-for-note Clapton transcriptions quite early in that 'movement,' probably the book (Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3) that matched the boxed set. Incidentally, that boxed set, released in 1990, was one of the first really successful CD boxed sets as I remember.
So work continues on "Badge." I'll keep you posted.

Experience Hendrix tour - Sony Centre, Toronto, Oct. 28, 2010 Part 3

Better late than never, here's the final bit of my sort-of review of the Experience Hendrix show last week in Toronto. After Kenny Wayne Shepherd had kind of torn up the house with full-on blasting and swagger, the duo of David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas seemed to be something of a low-key letdown.  But as I settled into their short set, I appreciated the burnished tones, effortless interplay and classy licks of these two Los Lobos veterans.  After running through "Can You See Me" and "Little Wing" Hidalgo and Rosas were joined by the Slide Brothers and Robert Randolph. Rob Quail worried aloud that three steel guitars would sound like a swarm of mosquitos, and he was not far wrong, despite the obvious talent of the musicians. A total of five guitars jamming on "Them Changes"? Not for the weak of heart.

The steel players stayed on stage to be joined by Living Colour for "Purple Haze," and then Steve Vai took the stage for his mini-set, which I found quite enjoyable despite his shredder tone and quirky phrasing. His sense of humour came through strongly on "Midnight" (from War Heroes), "May This Be Love," "Love or Confusion" and "Foxy Lady." The final song featured Billy Cox on lead vocals; he announced "Red House" as Jimi's favourite song, and admirably finished the night with Brad Whitford and Mato Nanji. There was no encore.

I was pretty impressed with the concert overall; it was certainly a great value for the money - we paid just over $100 per ticket, and that was the top price.  Not bad for no less than thirteen fine lead guitarists playing some of the greatest songs of Jimi Hendrix's career and paying tribute to his singular guitar style.

Experience Hendrix tour - Sony Centre, Toronto, Oct. 28, 2010 Part 2

Next out was former teenage blues phenom Jonny Lang, now 27. His was one of only two Teles seen that night - almost all of the guitars played were Strats. No one sported a Flying V, and in fact Gibsons were completely absent from the show; no wonder, since the tour is sponsored in part by Fender. Lang has a high-intensity style both on the guitar and vocally - he evinced a grittiness in the latter that was reminiscent of a young Steve Winwood. His very musical solos were largely executed with his right-hand thumb, a la Wes Montgomery.

Joining Lang, and looking three times as old, was the Aerosmith rhythm guitarist Brad Whitford. Whitford has played second banana to Joe Perry for at least two dogs' ages and judging by his performance this night, he has been hiding a solid blues-rock virtuosity. I've always loved the playing of "old guys" the best, especially when it comes to root-based music like blues and country. Brad Whitford had the assured style and tone that only comes from a few thousand one-nighters.

Lang and Whitford traded off on "Fire" and "The Wind Cries Mary," then were joined by Mato Nanji of Indigenous for "Spanish Castle Magic". Indigenous is a Native blues-rock band of some renown I gather, although I have not heard of them. I mentioned Nanji's brutal stage volume in the last post, and his relative inexperience was showing alongside Whitford, especially.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd and singer Noah Hunt were next out, and KWS evinced all of the charisma that Eric Johnson lacked. His blues-rock guitar style lies at the edge of hard rock, and his frequent cock-rock posing harkened back to a better time for guitarists of that stripe. Noah Hunt was hilariously pretentious, with a stentorian vocal style and dramatic gestures that would be masterfully parodied by a Will Ferrell or even a Jimmy Fallon. Kenny and Noah performed "Come On," "Voodoo Child" and "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)". I'm not sure that I can even hear "Slight Return" anymore - it's been run into the ground by too many bar bands.  But the slow, mysterious "Voodoo Child" was a highlight. Rob Quail noted with hilarity that I yawned during KWS's set, and I don't doubt it, though I must say that I respect his commitment to a somewhat discredited performing approach.

Part 3 soon to come.

Experience Hendrix tour - Sony Centre, Toronto, Oct. 28, 2010

I don't go to a lot of concerts these days - I work most evenings and it's hard to justify taking one of my rare nights off to spend $100+ on a show. But when I saw this concert advertised I was so impressed by the lineup that I decided to round up a couple of guitar freak friends and check it out.
The Sony Centre, formerly the Hummingbird Centre, formerly the O'Keefe Centre, is an acoustically excellent concert hall in downtown Toronto. Janie Hendrix, Jimi's half-sister and the administrator of the Hendrix estate, started the evening with a short speech, which we missed because we were in line to get beers. I regaled my friends, Rob Quail and John Davis, with stories of Experience Hendrix merchandising gaffes of the past, such as the Jimi Hendrix golf balls and the Jimi Hendrix red wine (one of the substances that killed Jimi in 1970).
We settled into our seats in the centre of the orchestra section, midway between the soundboard and the stage in the middle of Ernie Isley's three-song set. He was backed by Billy Cox (Band of Gypsys, Jimi Hendrix Experience) and Chris Layton (Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble). Isley played some Hendrix-like guitar and told a quick story about Jimi staying at his house in the early sixties when he was an Isley Brothers sideman. Isley played "Stone Free" and "Message To Love" with a nice touch but a ratty tone to my ears.
I believe that Living Colour was next - their second lineup with Doug Wimbish on bass. They did very good versions of "Power of Soul" and "Crosstown Traffic" - some of the best-rehearsed music of the evening. It was nice to see black musicians well represented in this show; it could easily have gone the other way, but curator John McDermott should be commended for a well-balanced and interesting lineup. Living Colour was not much changed from their late-80s heyday, though Corey Glover has put on a few pounds and his plaid sweater and cap ensemble brought the "Rerun" character from the 70s series "What's Happening" to mind for me. Vernon Reid played his trademark flurries of fast notes in every solo; Rob Quail commented something to the effect that when it comes to phrasing, VR just doesn't. It's a love-or-hate thing. I happen to enjoy what he does - there's a modernism to his playing that appeals to me.
Eric Johnson, the Texas guitar god, performed "House Burning Down," "Drifting," "Burning of the Midnight Lamp," and "Are You Experienced?" very faithfully in terms of arrangement and tones. When he let loose on his trademark wide-interval solos, the crowd of mostly male, ponytailed and mulleted baby boomers shouted their approval, along with entreaties for him to "turn it up." Johnson's guitar was not as audible as it could be; the sound crew had a hard time balancing the various guitar rigs on stage at times.  With some of the players, the amps were so loud on stage so as to obviate the need for the PA altogether, as was the case with Mato Nanji from Indigenous, a subpar player whose Marshall cabinet was hurting our ears right off the stage. In spite of his stiff image and hard-to-hear guitar, Eric Johnson made an excellent impression with his impeccable execution and musicianship. I especially appreciated his astounding reproduction of the backwards solo in "Are You Experienced?"

part 2 to come...

Walking in Toronto Part 2: More guitar iconography.

Part of the window display for a condo.

College Street lamppost

Queen Video, College Street. Nice Rickenbacker 4001 bass.

Amp-themed coffee cup. Gift shop, College Street

Magazine store, College Street

Lamppost, College Street

There's a guitar in there, I swear! Soundscapes display window.

Another poster in the window of Soundscapes.

Soundscapes window.

Soundscapes ukelele-themed window display, advertising the documentary film The Mighty Uke.