We get the full scoop on how she got the gig with Beck and her experience recording and touring as musical director for 1999’s Who Else! and 2001’s You Had It Coming.
There has never been a list of greatest guitar players without the mighty Jeff Beck. From his work with the Yardbirds in the ’60s to his solo work starting with 1968’s Truth, Beck changed the game, constantly redefining the vocabulary and sound of guitar music.
On this episode, we’ve brought in Jennifer Batten, who grew up as a massive Beck fan, met him while on Michael Jackson’s Dangerous tour, and ended up in his band! Batten, not only as master of the guitar but an insightful educator, delivers loads of insight straight from the studio and stage. We get the full scoop on how she got the gig with Beck and her experience recording and touring as musical director for 1999’s Who Else! and 2001’s You Had It Coming. “He was just like a 6-year-old in a sandbox and just wanted to play,” says Batten. Plus, what are her favorite Jeff Beck jams?
Join us as we get all the inside stories on one of the highest-level masters of our instrument.
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Dakota Dave Hull plays a cozy set in Japan with Takasi Hamada on his right, and Xavier Ohmura on his left.
A chance glance at a Stefan Grossman LP led our columnist to discover the acoustic connections between the U.S. and Japan.
When acoustic guitarists like myself hear an album that just sounds so good, we might fuss less about gear and home in more on performance and atmosphere. Indeed, those were the things that blew me away on country-blues guru Stefan Grossman’s album from the late ’70s, Acoustic Guitar. Dynamic playing with a healthy big-room sound, the production was a far cry from a lot of Grossman’s late-’60s output, some of which was recorded in closets on budget reel-to-reel decks.
The back cover of this particular LP offers some important clues, including one that turned out to be the jumping-off point for this column: Acoustic Guitar appeared on Japanese EMI subsidiary East World, and was recorded at the EMI studios in Toshiba, Japan, by an entirely Japanese crew. Stefan reveals some more details to help me understand why I found the sound of this record so striking:
“At EMI at the time, the big thing for audiophiles was direct-to-disc recording, which is funny, because that’s the way that all the old records from the 1920s were recorded. You would have to do a non-stop performance, while the masters were cut in real time. It was like a concert. Play a song, wait 3-5 seconds before playing the next song. You couldn’t stop. You would do two sets right through, one for each side. Then you would do it twice more, because the masters for direct-to-disc were then only good for a certain number of copies. If the label sold out of the first pressing, they couldn’t go back to the first master, they would go to the second, then the third. So, each set was ever so slightly different: the same music, but different changes and licks.”
I’ve discovered that in the world of fingerpicking acoustic guitar, there has been a long and fruitful exchange of ideas and experiences between players from the U.S. and Japan. I spoke to several amazing guitarists from these countries, and one name that came up often was Tokio Uchida.
As it happens, Uchida got turned on to fingerstyle guitar when he read about Grossman during one of Grossman’s earliest tours of Japan in the late ’70s. Uchida became a student of Grossman through correspondence and study, visiting the U.S. for the first time in 1987. Uchida’s playing impressed Grossman, and he appeared on stage with his hero at a concert in California. The two became fast friends. Uchida later appeared at a festival marking Robert Johnson’s 100th birthday in Greenwood, Mississippi, and recorded a duet album with Grossman. Back in Japan, Uchida has followed in the footsteps of his mentor, writing his own original music and also starting the TAB Guitar School, which offers instructional materials for acoustic styles. Uchida has also promoted concerts and tours for many fingerpicking heavyweights, including Duck Baker, Ernie Hawkins, Pat Donahue, and Woody Mann.
“Every single venue owner that I’ve worked with over there knows how to run sound. They’re listening rooms, and everything works!”
One of the players that Uchida brought to Japan for their first visit was Minneapolis ragtime guitar legend Dakota Dave Hull. Hull has since toured Japan multiple times, and just this year did a five-week, 33-date run that resulted in his new CD, Live in Japan. Hull offers some insights on differences between the American and Japanese acoustic scenes: “A lot of the venues are tiny. It’s pretty insular, not a lot of crossover between old time, bluegrass, blues, trad jazz. We end up playing in small rooms; some might be as small as a dozen people! But these rooms are built around the idea of live music; the stage and the sound system went in first. Every single venue owner that I’ve worked with over there knows how to run sound. They’re listening rooms, and everything works!”
During an early tour of Japan, Hull was paired on bills with a humble ragtime guitar wizard named Takasi Hamada, and the two hit it off in a big way, collaborating on all of Hull’s Japanese excursions ever since. Hamada is, in my opinion, one of the finest ever purveyors of ragtime on the acoustic guitar. His playing is very sophisticated, but never sounds dusty or academic. It has a joyous bounce, and he makes turning 88 piano keys into 6 strings seem almost easy!
Hamada’s signature sound is a combination of his amazing arranging and playing ability, but also a tuning that he devised himself. “I really wanted to arrange Tom Shea’s piano piece ‘Little Wabash Special’ for guitar, so I devised an irregular tuning based on C as C–Ab–C–F–C–Eb,” Hamada explains. “In 1995, I changed the 6th string to Eb so that I could play beautiful alternating bass: Eb–Ab–C–F–C–Eb. It seemed to suit me, and I later named it ‘Otarunay Tuning’ after the Ainu name of my hometown, Otaru.” Since to this day ragtime is predominantly played and taught on piano, its a testament to Hamada’s mastery of the form that he was one of the only guitar players invited to appear at the 2023 Scott Joplin International Ragtime Festival in Sedalia, Missouri.
Watch the livestream of "Concert for Carolina" featuring Luke Combs, Eric Church, Billy Strings, and James Taylor on October 26. Free access for Hurricane Helene-impacted areas, $24.99 for others. All proceeds go to hurricane relief efforts.
Due to overwhelming demand, Luke Combs, Eric Church, Billy Strings and James Taylor have partnered with Veeps to livestream “Concert for Carolina” on Saturday, October 26. The livestream was added to ensure that all fans would be able to see the show after tickets immediately sold-out this past Thursday. The stream will provide an additional opportunity to raise as much money as possible for Hurricane Helene relief efforts. Link to livestream HERE.
The livestream will be available worldwide with free access for those impacted by Hurricane Helene, as “Concert for Carolina” and Veeps have used geotargeting to ensure that those in the affected areas will not be charged. For those not directly impacted, the livestream will cost $24.99 with an option for additional donations available. All proceeds from the stream will go to the same organizations that Combs and Church selected for ticket sales to benefit: Samaritan’s Purse, Manna Food Bank, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC, Eblen Charities and the organizations supported by Chief Cares.
As noted above, North Carolina natives The Avett Brothers, Scotty McCreery, Chase Rice and Parmalee have all now joined the line-up.
Presented by Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, “Concert for Carolina” will take place at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium and also feature performances from Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban and Bailey Zimmerman. The event will be hosted by ESPN’s Marty Smith and Barstool Sports’ Caleb Pressley. Full details can be found at concertforcarolina.com.
“Concert for Carolina” is made possible due to the support and generosity of David and Nicole Tepper and Tepper Sports & Entertainment, Explore Asheville, Biltmore Estate, T-Mobile, Jack Daniel’s, Whataburger, Miller Lite, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Belk, Lowe’s, Atrium Health, Tractor Supply Company, Bank of America, American Airlines, Food Lion, Duke’s Mayo, GE Aerospace, Harris Teeter, Pinnacle Financial Partners, United Healthcare, Bud Light, Preferred Parking and Gildan.
Born outside of Charlotte and raised in Asheville, Combs is a proud North Carolinian. Growing up singing at school, it wasn’t until he attended Boone’s Appalachian State University that Combs first performed his own songs at a beloved local bar, leading him to his now historic country music career. Since moving to Nashville in 2014, Combs continually returns to North Carolina for landmark moments including his first-ever headline stadium show at Appalachian State’s Kidd Brewer Stadium in 2021 as well as sold-out, back-to-back nights at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium last summer.
Church, a native of Granite Falls, also began his musical journey in Western North Carolina, playing gigs locally throughout high school and into his time at Appalachian State University before chasing his dream to Nashville. He continues to split time between Tennessee and North Carolina with his family, even returning to the Appalachian Mountains to record his most recent project, the three-part Heart & Soul, in Banner Elk. In 2016, he was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame and in 2022, he was awarded the North Carolina Award, the state’s highest civilian honor. Most recently, he released the song “Darkest Hour” in response to the recent devastation, with all publishing royalties being donated.
Although he is a Michigan native, Strings’ life and career has been deeply impacted by the state of North Carolina both personally and professionally, as it is home to some of his most passionate and supportive fans. Over the past few years, Strings has performed at major venues across the state including an upcoming six-night run at Asheville’s ExploreAsheville.com Arena this winter.
Singer-songwriter Taylor moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina with his family when he was just three years old. Taylor’s father served as the Dean of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Medical School from 1964 to 1971. Taylor’s childhood home was on Morgan Creek Road in Chapel Hill-Carrboro. In April 2003, a bridge over Morgan Creek was dedicated to the musician and renamed the James Taylor Bridge. Taylor’s childhood experiences in North Carolina influenced many of his most popular songs including “Copperline” as well as the beloved “Carolina in My Mind.” As a recording and touring artist, Taylor has touched people with his warm baritone voice and distinctive style of guitar-playing for more than 50 years. Over the course of his celebrated career, he has sold more than 100 million albums, has won multiple Grammy Awards and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, as well as the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2009.
For more information, please visit concertforcarolina.com.
D'Addario celebrates the Beatles' 60th Anniversary with exclusive gear commemorating their iconic 1964 US Tour. Limited-edition picks and straps feature designs inspired by their legendary Ed Sullivan show performance and U.S. tour ticket stubs.
On the night of February 9th, 1964, 73 million people tuned in to the Ed Sullivan show and met four lads from Liverpool. D’Addario is commemorating this incredible time in music history with an exclusive Beatles 60th Anniversary collection. These limited-edition picks and straps come in two designs: the “Arrows” design features the TV backdrop from their performance on the EdSullivan show; the “1964 Ticket” design showcases a collage of ticket stubs from the U.S. tour which followed the iconic performance.
D'Addario is also releasing its first-ever John Lennon picks and straps in two collections: “Live” and “Mind Games.” The Live collection celebrates the legend’s solo performances with two meticulous replicas of straps he wore on stage, as well as Rooftop picks, featuring the pattern seen on John’s strap during the Beatles final live performance. “Mind Games” highlights the artwork from the album and single of the same name, on a strap and pick, respectively.
For more information, please visit daddario.com.
A 15-watt, Class-A 1×10 combo designed to be compact yet offer extraordinary tone.
The Montauk is a 15-watt, Class A 1x10 combo amp featuring a tube-driven spring reverb with Dwell and Level controls. This all-tube amplifier sports independent gain and master volume knobs, along with a 2-band EQ to provide a wide range of tones from chiming clean to saturated overdrive.
A trio of line outputs optimized for feeding another amplifier or recording console are driven by the preamp tubes before the master volume, allowing the player to tame the on-board speaker from rock gig to bedroom rig, as well as easily utilize the all-tube outboard gain/reverb as an effects unit or direct recording preamp. The Montauk is dressed with Supro's signature Blue Rhino hide cosmetic and comes loaded with a custom-built Supro BD10 speaker made by Celestion.
A trio of line outputs optimized for feeding another amplifier or recording console are driven by the preamp tubes before the master volume.
Supro's custom, high-power 10-inch BD10 speaker features an oversized ceramic magnet, top of the line suspension and a special British cone, resulting in rich, full articulation.
Price: $999.00.