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We saw you at the big PRS press conference announcing the new models for 2008, including your own DGT. What was it like standing between Paul Reed Smith and Santana?
It was a total honor; ultimately thatās what it feels like. Iāve had such a wonderful friendship with Paul ā going on 22 years now ā and I really feel like the PRS people are family to me. If you really think about it, itās kind of surreal when Iām standing up there with Carlos Santana, but itās what Iāve been doing for quite some time.
You made some comments about how big of a deal it is that youāre putting your name behind the DGT.
Actually, Paul made those comments, but I would totally agree with him. Yesterday, as Santana walked on stage to talk, Paul joked with me that Santana is just as tough as I am about quality control and those types of things. That really is my reputation, and I donāt think we compromised at all. It was extremely important to me that the guitar would be something I could really get behind 110 percent and feel that I could recommend to anybody. Itās a lot of money ā itās a big commitment for any player to spend that much on a guitar, so I wanted to make sure that it was exactly how I felt it should be and they definitely delivered.
Have you put your name behind any other products?
No, this was the first. Iāve let equipment companies whose products I used and believed in put my name on their artistsā lists, but this is the first product with my name on it. This is a big deal for me.
If my research is correct, your first solo album, Loud Music, just dropped. Howās that going for you?
Itās going great. Weāre in this new era of independent releases, so itās available at CD Baby and iTunes.
Have you gotten onboard with the digital lifestyle?
Yeah, itās here and there are a lot of advantages for an independent artist like me ā I financed the entire record myself. I have international distribution automatically with iTunes and CD Baby, plus I can make the record I really want to make without having to please anybody but myself. It feels great; itās a situation where youāre not going to hit a homerun out of the box, but itāll have legs.
Do those advantages give you a little more freedom to follow your artistic side in the studio?
I feel like I have total freedom to do my thing. There are songs on my new record that are two-chord rockabilly instrumentals and then there is a dark ballad with acoustic guitars. I feel like I can exercise whatever Iām feeling that day.
Your early work provided somewhat of a foundation for the current roots, alt-country thing and youāve worked with a lot of people who went on to become icons in that scene. How does the current popularity of that kind of music make you feel? Do you take some pride in that? Well, Iām a fan, first and foremost, so I guess, yeah, Iām proud of the stuff Iāve worked on. Iām proud of working with people like Joe Ely and Lucinda Williams. I think itās really cool that we have a whole world down here in Texas of young bands that kind of exist in their own universe ā bands like Cross Canadian Ragweed, Randy Rogers, Kevin Fowler ā and are kind of undefinable in terms of whether theyāre really rock or really country. I get to play on a lot of that stuff and itās cool to see these guys doing well. Iām not sure how to answer that question, other than Iāve always loved to play guitar on great songs and Iāve been lucky to play with some great songwriters and be a part of some really good music. Iām still able to do that, and Iām very thankful for that.
Youāve landed all these great gigs; if thereās a young kid out there that would like to go that direction, what kind of advice, aside from the obvious need for talent and chops, would you dole out?
I asked Pat Metheny 20 years ago, āWhatās the secret, man? How do I get as good as you are?ā And he just said to me, āPlay gigs.ā Thatās all he said, and now I know what he means and it really gets to the heart of the matter; youāre gonna learn more on a gig or a session in one day than you would in a month of practice at home. I mean, youāve still got to put in the time at home and do the ground work, but the real experience ā knowing how to interact, knowing how to react to a situation ā comes from being in the moment. So I would say, there was a long period in my life when I never turned a gig down. I took every gig, and it didnāt matter what kind of music it was, I always learned something.
| Davidās ASGN Gearbox Hereās what David plugged in for his live performance:
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David Grissom
davidgrissom.com
Huge shocker incoming: Zach Broyles made a Tube Screamer. The Mythos Envy Pro Overdrive is Zachās take on the green apple of his eye, with some special tweaks including increased output, more drive sounds, and a low-end boost option. Does this mean he can clear out his collection of TS-9s? Of course not.
This time on Dipped in Tone, Rhett and Zach welcome Tyler Bryant, the Texas-bred and Nashville-based rocker who has made waves with his band the Shakedown, who Rhett credits as one of his favorite groups. Bryant, it turns out, is a TS-head himself, having learned to love the pedal thanks to its being found everywhere in Texas guitar circles.Bryant shares how he scraped together a band after dropping out of high school and moving to Nashville, including the rigors of 15-hour drives for 30-minute sets in a trusty Ford Expedition. Heās lived the dream (or nightmare, depending on the day) and has the wisdom to show it.
Throughout the chat, the gang covers modeling amps and why modern rock bands still need amps on stage; the ins and outs of recording-gear rabbit holes and getting great sounds; and the differences between American and European audiences. Tune in to hear it all.
Get 10% off your order at stewmac.com/dippedintone
Hats off to Carmen Vandenberg of Bones UK, our celebrity Question of the Month respondent.
Guest Picker - Carmen Vandenberg, Bones UK
The cover of Soft, Bones UKās new album, due in mid-September.
A: My favorite method these days (and to be honest, from when I started playing) is to put on my favorite blues records, listen with my eyes closed, and, at the end, see what my brain compartmentalizes and keeps stored away. Then, I try and play back what I heard and what my fingers or brain decided they liked!
Bone UKās labelmade, Des Rocks.
Obsession: Right now, I am into anyone trying to create sounds that havenāt been made beforeābands like Queens of the Stone Age, Jack White, and our labelmate, Des Rocs! Thereās a Colombian band called DiamantĆ© Electrico who Iāve been really into recently. Really anyone whoās trying to create innovative and inspiring sounds.
Reader of the Month - Sam C. Schiff.
Sam spent endless hours trying to learn the solo Leslie West played on āLong Red,ā off of The Road Goes Ever On.
A: The best way to learn guitar is to listen to some good guitar playing! Put on a record, hear something tasty, and play on repeat until it comes out of your fingers. For me, it was Leslie West playing āLong Redā on the Mountain album, The Road Goes Ever On. I stayed up all night listening to that track until I could match Leslieās phrasing. I still canāt, no one can, but I learned a lot!
Smithās own low-wattage amp build.
Obsession: My latest musical obsession is low-wattage tube amps like the 5-watt Fender Champ heard on the Laylaalbum. Crank it up all the way for great tube distortion and sustain, and itās still not loud enough to wake up the neighbors!
Gear Editor - Charles Saufley
Charles Saufley takes to gear like a duck to water!
A: Learning by ear and feel is most fun for me. I write and free-form jam more than I learn other peopleās licks. When I do want to learn something specific, Iāll poke around on YouTube for a demo or a lesson or watch films of a player I like, and then typically mangle that in my own āspecialā way that yields something else. But I rarely have patience for tabs or notation.
The Grateful Deadās 1967 debut album.
Obsession: Distorted and overdriven sounds with very little sustaināKeith Richardsā Between the Buttons tones, for example. Jerry Garciaās plonky tones on the first Grateful Dead LP are another cool, less-fuzzy version of that texture.
Publisher - Jon Levy
A: Iām a primitive beast: The only way I can learn new music is by ear, so itās a good thing I find that method enjoyable. Iām entirely illiterate with staff notation. Put sheet music in front of me and Iāll stare at it with twitchy, fearful incomprehension like an ape gaping at the monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Iām almost as clueless with tab, but I can follow along with chord charts if Iām under duress.
The two-hit wonders behind the early ā70s soft-rock hits, āFallinā in Loveā and āDon't Pull Your Love.ā
Obsession: Revisiting and learning AM-radio pop hits circa 1966ā1972. The Grass Roots, Edison Lighthouse, the Association, the Archies, and Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynoldsānothing is too cheesy for me to dissect and savor. Yes, I admit I have a serious problem.
