Super-picker Joe Robinson explains why he went electric on Let Me Introduce You, and describes his journey from hotshot instrumentalist to singer-songwriter.
Photo by Andy Ellis
Once in a great while, a young guitarist captures the attention of music lovers early in his career and manages to sustain this interest as he matures creatively and sheds the “prodigy” label. Joe Robinson is one of these rare talents: At 21, Robinson has been building a buzz for almost 10 years, first in his native Australia, then in Europe and the UK, and now in the US.
For those who’ve been following Robinson’s career, stories of the flattop-wielding teenager winning first place in major televised talent competitions are old hat. More relevant to PG readers is that fingerstyle master Tommy Emmanuel has mentored Robinson for years, often bringing him onstage for fiery duets. Though Robinson only began playing guitar a decade ago, he’s already a seasoned veteran, having done thousands of shows all over the world. He developed his jaw-dropping chops by getting up at 4 a.m. every day to put in a four-hour practice session before going to school. After school, he’d grab another four hours of guitar time. Dedication? Robinson has it in spades. This nearly freakish drive allowed him to hit the road at an age when most kids are thumbing through comic books or absorbed in video games.
“When I was 12,” he says, “I went on tour with an Australian country artist named Texas Rose. He lent me an electric guitar, which I didn’t have at the time. It was a Yamaha SG-700 and I borrowed it for two years.”
Robinson’s 2009 US debut—the all-acoustic and instrumental Time Jumpin’— earned him immediate respect from the thumbstyle guitar community, and now he regularly performs at the annual Chet Atkins Appreciation Society convention alongside such top-tier fingerstyle players as Emmanuel, Thom Bresh, Martin Taylor, Doyle Dykes, Muriel Anderson, and Steve Wariner. And consider this: Time Jumpin’ was produced by Frank Rogers, who, as Brad Paisley’s producer, knows a hot picker when he sees one.
With Let Me Introduce You—Robinson’s latest album, which was also produced by Rogers—the soft-spoken Aussie recasts himself as a singer-songwriter. The album features plenty of blazing guitar (both fingerstyle and flatpick), but the poppy vocals and carefully crafted production may leave some ardent fans of Robinson’s solo acoustic fretwork scratching their heads.
“I’d never done a commercial- sounding electric guitar album before,” he says. “So it was a huge learning experience making this CD. I got to work in some great studios with first-class musicians, producers, and engineers, and now I feel like I just graduated from college.”
Recently we spent a rainy afternoon with Robinson at his manager’s Nashville office, discussing this crash course in studio craft, as well as his creative process, favorite gear, and what he sees as the next step in his musical odyssey.
Where did you track Let Me
Introduce You and how long
did you work on it?
We started tracking in March
last year and ended in October.
It took a while because we did it
in sections. We recorded the bass
and drum tracks over a weekend
in a studio called The Castle, just
outside of Nashville. Then I went
on tour and when I got back to
Nashville, I started recording my
guitar overdubs in various local
studios. Frank Rogers, the producer,
had to work on another
project at one point, so he was
out for a month. We kind of
piecemealed it until everything
came together.
Did you cut your rhythm guitar
with the bass and drums?
We recorded as a trio to get really
good drum and bass performances,
but we replaced my tracks
later. And before we went into
the studio we had three days of
rehearsals because I wanted us to
feel like a band when we started
recording. I wanted to avoid
learning songs in the studio.
Keith Carlock on drums and
Michael Rhodes on bass—
what a rhythm section! How
did you connect with them?
I’ve been a fan of Keith’s drumming
for years—all the stuff
he has recorded with Wayne
Krantz, Oz Noy, and the whole
55 Bar community in New
York. He was the guy I dreamed
of having play on my album, so
it was really cool that he said yes
when we reached out. I knew
he’d played with Michael before,
so we asked him to play bass
and he was really excited about
it. Hanging out with those guys
and hearing them play my songs
was like a fantasy come true.
Were you intimidated at all?
These guys have played with
James Taylor, Steely Dan, Sting,
Vince Gill, John Mayer, Keith
Urban—the list goes on and on.
I wasn’t nervous about playing
with them—that was the fun part
to me—but I was nervous that
my charts were wrong. I knew
what I wanted on pretty much
all the songs, so articulating that
to Michael and Keith in a way
they could understand was really
important to me. Otherwise I
would have walked away with
something that was different
from what I wanted. But it was
really easy to work with such
high-caliber players. You can
make one little suggestion and
they take it onboard so quickly
and easily. I gave them charts
when we first dug into the music
in those rehearsals, and that’s
when we all got a sense of what
the project would sound like.
Give us an example of the
kind of direction you offered.
Well, it was really quite
detailed. For instance, I knew
the exact feel I wanted on the
hi-hat and often I wrote out the
bass lines. I handed Michael
some notation at one point
and he was like, really? But on
“Lethal Injection,” I had to. It’s
a part—not just chords—so I
had to show him that. He liked
a lot of the lines I came up
with, which was cool, though
he felt he needed to de-literalize
some of the parts to make it
more of a feel thing and less of
a mechanical performance.
What were some of your
biggest challenges making
this album?
A big part of it for me was learning
how to sing and play at the
same time. On the acoustic
songs, I wanted it to sound like a
fingerstyle guitarist accompanying
a singer, so I had to learn to
play the guitar with a good feel
and execute the parts I wanted to
hear, yet also sing without thinking
about the guitar playing.
I used James Taylor as a model because I love the way he plays and sings. His phrasing is so good on both the guitar and vocals—the two fit so well together. I wanted the guitar to play an integral role in the song, so I essentially took the same approach with counterpoint that I use in my solo acoustic guitar pieces and applied it to the context of singing and interacting with other musicians. My instrumental concept involves a constantly moving harmonic structure—a bass part going one way and a melody part moving on top of it. The challenge was to add vocals to that underlying structure.
Robinson’s Gretsch Country Gentleman is one of his main stage guitars, but he mostly played a ’60s Gibson E-335 on Let Me Introduce You. Photo by Ethan James Photography
Did you record home demos
to work out your parts?
I did guitar-and-vocal demos
of all the songs. I played all the
songs on acoustic—even the
ones I knew would be electric on
the album—just to hear them in
their most basic form. I demoed
a lot of songs to determine
which ones felt right for this
album. I lived with the demos
for about a month, so by the
time I was at rehearsals, I had
a grasp of the material. I really
focused on these work tapes,
trying to hear if the lyrics were
solid and if they were communicating
what I wanted to say.
I was nervous that I’d never really sung on a record before. And, although I’ve written a lot of songs, I’d never really written any for myself as an artist. So once I knew I wanted to do an album of vocal-based songs with a band, I decided I needed more experience in this area. I went through a process of co-writing songs with people on Music Row [the historical area on 16th and 17th Avenues in Nashville that’s home to dozens of music publishing companies]. Five days a week for six weeks, I churned out a song each day. Each week I’d get a better handle on the songwriting process and write better stuff. It was interesting to explore that world—some of those writers are just geniuses.
What did you take away from
those songwriting sessions?
One of the dangerous things
about being a skilled musician
is you can basically play any
song and make it sound okay.
Sometimes when working with
other songwriters I’d play a
cool guitar lick and they’d say,
“I love that.” And we’d write a
song that was kind of neat, but
what held it together as a song
was the guitar lick. I’ve really
tried not to rely on that.
Sometimes I’d show up for a Music Row session and the first thing they’d say is “what format are you in?” I’d be at a loss— I’m definitely not writing songs for country or even pop radio. I just want to write music that inspires me.
And how would you describe
that music?
I love people who have a unique
melodic sense—that’s exciting to
me. When I watch The Voice or
American Idol, I see some great
singers but they all sound similar.
It’s the same when I see blues-rock
guitarists—they all play the
same licks. The musicians I like
are those who take their talent
and technique and use them to
make something interesting and
original. That’s why I love writing
with piano players—they
always have nice harmonic ideas
that guitarists might not think
of. I really try to incorporate
piano voicings in my guitar parts.
Are all the songs on Introduce
from this recent writing period?
I wrote most of the songs on
the album a few months before
going into the studio. The
instrumentals are a bit older.
I’ve had “Lethal Injection” for a
year, and I wrote “Uli’s Jump”
when I was 17. That’s the oldest
song on the CD.
“Uli’s Jump” reminds me of
Jimmy Bryant. Did you ever
get into him?
Oh yes, Jimmy Bryant is crazy
amazing! You know the albums
he made with [steel guitarist]
Speedy West? I can play several
of those songs by heart. A
friend from Sydney and I used
to play all the parts in harmony.
I wrote “Uli’s Jump” with Pat Bergeson, a Nashville guitarist whose playing I love. I was opening a show for him in Germany and staying with a guy named Uli, and Pat and I jammed on that theme. I was basically trying to steal as many licks from Pat as I could.
What gear did you use on
Introduce and what did you
learn from these sessions about
capturing great guitar tones?
I was lucky—I tracked a lot of
my electric guitar overdubs at
Frank’s home studio, and he has
a really great guitar collection.
That’s important because each
electric guitar sits in a different
sonic spot in the mix, and if
you find the right guitar, it can
really make all the difference.
For “Barely Hanging On,” I played a Strat I’ve had since 2003. It was the first electric guitar I ever bought. When I was a kid, I broke the neck by cranking the truss rod too far, so I recently got the neck replaced. It has pickups wound by Mick Brierley in Adelaide, South Australia. He does great stuff—his pickups are reasonably priced and a lot of Australian guitarists use them. I have Brierley pickups in two Strats and one Tele.
We didn’t use my Gretsch Country Gentleman—one of my main stage guitars—that much, as it turned out. In “Adelaide,” my Gretsch is rocking out somewhere in the mix, and it appears in spots on “One Heart at a Time.” But mostly I played Frank’s ’60s Gibson ES-335 through a Laboga Alligator 30—a Polish class A 30-watt 2x12 combo. I love it. It sounds a little like a Vox AC30, but way creamier.
How did you discover the
Laboga?
There are probably only about
five in the US. What happened
was Tommy Emmanuel had
one here in Nashville. I borrowed
it once, and it changed
my life. Certain amps just don’t
work for me with my Gretsch.
I like AC30s with the Gretsch,
but I don’t much like blackface
Fenders with that guitar. When
I played the Gretsch through
the Laboga, I was in heaven.
So I went out on a limb and asked Laboga to send me one. I managed to get one here, though it was quite difficult with international shipping and customs. For this album I used the Laboga with a Dr. Z Carmen Ghia 1x12 combo and they just worked together so well.
You tracked through both
amps simultaneously?
Yes. And we discovered that if
we turned one off we’d miss it,
so the amp chain stayed pretty
consistent. I also used an old
vintage Tube Screamer and a
T-Rex Octavius. As far as nondistortion
effects like delay or
reverb, I’d record dry and add
them in the mix using plug-ins.
What about acoustics?
On some of the acoustic songs
I used Frank’s Gibson J-45. I
also played an Everett, which
is a small-bodied acoustic, as
well as my Matons, which I
strung with impossibly heavy
strings and mic’d really close.
We used ribbon mics on certain
tracks, and on every song
we used a different mic-and-guitar
combination.
Robinson rocks his Custom Shop Strat—the first electric he ever bought—at the Let Me Introduce You release party at Nashville’s 12th & Porter on February 22, 2012. Photo by Andy Ellis
Define “impossibly heavy”
strings.
I use 80/20 bronze Elixir .012
sets on my acoustics, but with a
.016 for the 1st string. And on
some tracks, like “Hurricane,”
for example, I couldn’t get the
notes to speak properly, so I put
on a .013 set with an .018 for
the top E string. For that song,
I played my Maton, capoed at
the 1st fret. My fingers were sore
afterward! Since then, that guitar
was broken in a flight. Maybe
the airline did it or maybe the
heavy strings did it in.
Do you put comparably heavy
strings on your electrics too?
On the Gretsch, I usually use an
.011–.049 set, but with a .012
or sometimes a .014 on top. My
Strats have a .010 set, but with a
.012 on top—it just feels more
balanced to me. I use Elixir
Nanoweb strings on my electrics.
What gear do you use onstage?
For my acoustic, it’s a Maton
with a stock undersaddle pickup,
onboard mic, and Maton
electronics. As far as electric
guitars, I usually travel with a
Strat and my Gretsch.
When I carry an electric guitar amp, it’s the Laboga. But even when I backline my electric guitar amp, I always take an AER Compact 60 acoustic amp. I find it hard to rely on monitors for acoustic guitar—they never feel quite right. For me, the combination of the Maton’s preamp and the Compact 60 sounds incredible. I also carry a Peterson StroboStomp2 tuner. It has a DI output, so if I’m sitting in with someone, I just use the pedal as my DI. That’s pretty much it.
You’re known for your intense
live performances. How did
you develop your stage chops?
When I go onstage, I feel like
a boxer stepping into the ring.
I try to project my playing as
if I’m slapping you in the face
with my guitar. [Laughs.] I try
to have—it’s hard to explain—a
certain confidence, a certain attitude,
a certain attack. It’s almost
like you’re trying to make your
solo smack into the back wall at
the end of the room.
All the players who have affected me the most, the ones I’m most awestruck by, have that quality. Listen to Stevie Wonder play harmonica—it just hits you right between the eyes. The guitarist who sits there playing every note perfectly with his head down ... that music has never really jumped out at me. And that’s not the way I’ve ever done it. Of course, I have a respect for people who can play a ballad—I’m terrible at playing ballads—but I try to put on a good show.
Do you remember when it
first dawned on you as a
young musician that this was
how you wanted to play?
Absolutely. As a kid when I
played on the street or at a bar,
I wanted to sell my CDs and
make some money, so I’d try to
make it as epic as I could. I’d
play as fast as I could and try
to leave the biggest impression
possible. And it worked for
me—I sold a lot of CDs. Those
experiences stick with you, and
when I play now, I still want to
make the audience go crazy.
You mention Stevie Wonder.
Who else inspires you musically?
I’ve been listening to a lot of
Dylan lately, for the lyrics. I
have an appreciation for modern
bands like Bon Iver and
the Black Keys. The scene over
in the UK is quite strong right
now, too.
As far as giving me a foundation in guitar, when I was starting off in Australia, seeing Tommy Emmanuel for the first time hit me like a ton of bricks. I thought, “I have to learn how he does that.” I was so compelled to absorb his approach that I spent the next three or four years watching all his videos. Not that I wanted to copy him, but I wanted to use his techniques to make my own music.
There were local players where I grew up who inspired me, too. Someone who affected me in a big way was Alan Morgan, a guitarist who played a mixture of R&B, blues, and bluegrass—all with a great feel. I’d go wherever he was playing and stare at him from side stage. When I’d ask how to do this or that, he’d show me.
Now that you’re performing
some of the songs from the
new album live, what has the
reaction been from your fans?
Do people come expecting Joethe-
instrumentalist from Time
Jumpin’ or are they familiar
with this record and willing to
accept you as a singer, too?
The last two times I’ve been
to Europe I’ve taken a trio, so
the audience there has gotten
a taste of my electric sound.
And I’ve already arranged the
album’s songs to work onstage
with just me and an acoustic
guitar, so with the exception of
“Lethal Injection,” “Out Alive,”
and “Uli’s Jump,” I can perform
all of them as a soloist.
In Europe, the acoustic guitar thing really flies, but after 90 minutes of instrumental music, I can sense a little fatigue in some crowds. For me, I’m a guitar player first, but the vocals make the show more interesting, especially for non-musicians.
Introduce sounds carefully
manicured and very polished.
What’s your take on that?
We started recording a year
ago and now that the album
is out, I can look back with a
real perspective on that music.
There’s not a lot of improvisation
on the album—it’s
pretty much all written and
composed. I’m really proud
of Introduce, but I’m also
really excited for the future.
This was an important transitional
moment for me and a
stepping-stone for what I want
to do next.
And what’s that?
I’d like my next project to be a
lot more raw and have a certain
grit to it. I feel I’ve made my
statement with this album and
now it’s a matter of relaxing
with who I am and really trying
to create stuff I love. There are
thousands of albums released
every year, and I feel to stand
out in the crowd, you have to
capture a real energy and an
authentic performance. And the
rawer and more real the music,
the more powerful it is.
I like the Black Keys for that reason. Adele’s latest record is raw in a lot of ways, with alternative aspects in the production, and it’s pretty cool to see people gravitate towards that. The other day I was listening to Disraeli Gears, the old Cream album. There are so many imperfections in it, but that’s what makes it an amazing record. Down the road I’d like to do an album that’s totally feel and not written, one that offers a lot of improvisation. That will be liberating— just go in and do it.
Joe Robinson's Gear
Guitars:
Gretsch G6122-1962 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman with
Tru-Arc bridge, Fender Custom Shop ’60s Strat with Brierley pickups,
’60s Gibson ES-335 (borrowed from producer Frank Rogers), Maton
808TE acoustic, Maton Custom Shop acoustic.
Amps:
Laboga Alligator 30, AER Compact 60, Dr. Z Carmen Ghia.
Effects:
Eventide TimeFactor, Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory
Man, T-Rex Tremster, T-Rex Octavius, Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer,
Peterson StroboStomp2 tuner/DI , T-Rex Room-Mate, T-Rex Alberta,
Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive, Radial Tonebone, Jim Dunlop Cry Baby
wah.
Strings, Picks, and Accessories:
Elixir 80/20 bronze .012 set with
a .016 or .018 1st string, Elixir Nanoweb electric .011 set with .012 or
.014 1st string (Gretsch Country Gentleman), Elixir Nanoweb electric
.010 set with .012 1st string (Fender Strat and Tele), Wegen flatpicks.
YouTube It
To appreciate Joe Robinson’s fretboard wizardry, you need
to see him perform. These videos illustrate his awesome
command of both acoustic and electric 6-string.
Wielding his Gretsch in a rocking
trio, Robinson performs one of
his originals at The Basement,
an intimate Nashville club.
Tearing up his Tele, Robinson
pays tribute to Jeff Beck with
an original instrumental.
Robinson displays his fingerstyle
chops in this solo acoustic
instrumental. Dig the Lenny
Breau-inspired harmonics!
Robinson plays a solo acoustic
piece from Time Jumpin’—his 2009
US debut— onstage in Germany.