Interview

This interview was in our local newspaper last week prior to Joe's Davenport show.
I'm happy Joe prefers the smaller venues and staying out of the mainstream...

Joe Bonamassa relishes old guitars, old style
By David Burke | Thursday, September 06, 2007
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At age 30, Joe Bonamassa is a blues wunderkind.

He first picked up a guitar at age 4, was the opening act for B.B. King by age 8 and was touring on his own by the time he was 12.

He’s out on the road now, plugging his new album, “Sloe Gin,” which was released last month. That includes a date at the Redstone Room in the River Music Experience, downtown Davenport, on Sunday night.

From a road stop in Indiana, Bonamassa talked about his music:

Q: Tell me about the new album, “Sloe Gin.”

A: The album’s doing great. It came out two weeks ago and it debuted at No. 1 (on the blues charts), by far my biggest-selling album debut to date. It’s probably the most diverse (album), but it makes the most sense stylistically. I’m very proud of it.

I think the song “Sloe Gin” is one I’ll be playing for the rest of my career. I didn’t have a whole lot to do on it. I just played on it. I have to give a lot of credit to (producer) Kevin Shirley. It’s his vision and he helped me a lot. ... It was a cool collaborative effort, and I really trust him a lot. He takes me farther than I ever would.

Q: Was this the album you were hoping to do when you started?

A: A lot of it I had in my head in the beginning, we just didn’t know how we were going to achieve it. I wanted to make an album like Rod Stewart’s first album, where it was a lot of heavy blues, yet some acoustic music. And it all made sense at the end.

I wanted something that was a whole — something that is listened to from start to finish and not iTune-d out, taking one track or two tracks.

Q: Everything I see talks about how much of a penchant you have for the old instruments and the old standard sound. Why is that?

A: I’m an old-school kind of guy. I like the sounds. I’m not one of those purist vintage guys who can only use old instruments. I like the old guitar plugged into an old amp. You can rule the world, you know. ... Some people use old instruments to look hip, but if it’s in tune and it sounds good, by all means let’s use it.

Q: What do you get out of the old ones that you don’t get out of a new guitar?

A: Some of the old ones have a lot of sound that have run through them. Fifty-year-old Stratocasters that have been played since 1956, ‘57 still have a lot of notes in them. They tend to have a warmer sound. The edges are worn off. They’re ready to be retired but still have a few good licks left in them ...

The reason I started collecting guitars to begin with was I just liked the story. ... How many Hank Williams songs were played on this Martin? How many juke joints has this thing been in? How many Holiday Inn lounges, God forbid, has it played? To me, the story is what makes it for me.

Q: You’ve also got a lot of respect for the people who came before you, right?

A: I do. To me, history is a big part of the whole thing. I see these players now and their experience goes back 10 years, maybe 10 years and some Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. But (the young players) don’t know where they got that stuff. Do you have to go back to John Philip Sousa? Sure, to understand the roots of an orchestra or a modern jazz band. Go back to Louis Armstrong, W.C. Handy, figure out the roots of modern blues — Leadbelly, Robert Johnson. You have this music in your head and it’s a giant pool of stuff. I don’t pretend to be a musicologist, I just like what I like ...

Q: What’s the next step for you, the next career achievement?

A: We’re starting to play the big theaters now, which is cool. I know this place we’re playing, the Redstone Room, is smaller, but that’s OK. We’re starting to get these 1,200-, 1,500-seat theaters, and that’s where I’d like to stay, just run that gamut. Those are my favorite gigs.

Q: Do you ever see yourself crossing over into mainstream music?

A: No. I think it would be the
worst thing that ever happened to me. Just ask our good friends in Blues Traveler. They had a beautiful following, a great underground, loyal fan base. They had a couple of hits and it faded away. I love (Blues Traveler lead singer) John Popper,  but that’s where a hit is a bad thing.

Q: Your first band, Bloodline, included the sons of jazz great Miles Davis, the Doors’ Robby Krieger and Allman Brothers bassist Berry Oakley. Your opening act now is Crosby Loggins, Kenny Loggins’ son. Coincidence?

A: I’m the second-generation king. Crosby’s name could be Pennybaker, but he’s damned good. He respects his dad, but he’s willing to pay his dues.

Q: Do you notice any kind of a thread in these second-generation performers?

A: They’re all different. They’re nice and talented to (freakin’) crazy. There’s no rhyme or reason.

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