• RickB
  • RickB
  • BONAMEGAMETAL
  • Offline
  • From: San Diego
  • Registered: 2009-10-30
  • Posts: 12,198

Re: A Healthy Discomfort: Kevin Shirley Interview

pat6put6man wrote:

I would have to say that Joe's work in RCFP is way outside his "comfort zone" and personally, RCFP is some of the best stuff Joe has done...I will buy it all and listen to it all because it is all so extremely good it doesn't make any sense to me to try to classify one as better than another...sit back and enjoy....

Joe is all over the map musically now. I think his success has given him the financial safety net to go out on a limb without risking it all and do what he feels like doing, not worrying about the rent. We all know he can play anything he tries and is a master at multiple genres within guitar playing. Kevin provides the impetus and direction for the stuff that sells from the studio, Joe does his fun side projects (Tal Bergman produced RCFP), collaborates with many other artists,  and tours. I think if he turned sideways, he'd disappear he's spread so thin. I get tired just thinking about it.

Free download from Vienna! http://mbsy.co/bNLR
Lots of unique videos of Joe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwd5vL8fXTw
Buy Joe's merchandise here. http://www.jbonamassa.com/affiliates/id … hp?id=1381

RickB's Website

  • gary
  • BONAMETAL
  • Offline
  • From: Palatine Illinois by Chicago
  • Registered: 2006-08-25
  • Posts: 4,767

Re: A Healthy Discomfort: Kevin Shirley Interview

RickB wrote:
pat6put6man wrote:

I would have to say that Joe's work in RCFP is way outside his "comfort zone" and personally, RCFP is some of the best stuff Joe has done...I will buy it all and listen to it all because it is all so extremely good it doesn't make any sense to me to try to classify one as better than another...sit back and enjoy....

Joe is all over the map musically now. I think his success has given him the financial safety net to go out on a limb without risking it all and do what he feels like doing, not worrying about the rent. We all know he can play anything he tries and is a master at multiple genres within guitar playing. Kevin provides the impetus and direction for the stuff that sells from the studio, Joe does his fun side projects (Tal Bergman produced RCFP), collaborates with many other artists,  and tours. I think if he turned sideways, he'd disappear he's spread so thin. I get tired just thinking about it.

Ya.And it is ridiculous how good all those side projects have been.Mind boggling.

Your rock candy baby
Your hard sweet and sticky

gary's Website

21 Reply by Ian916 (edited by Ian916 2016-04-16 05:53:18)

  • From: Sussex UK
  • Registered: 2009-07-12
  • Posts: 1,465

Re: A Healthy Discomfort: Kevin Shirley Interview

bobkatmsu wrote:

J&R Ventures has not hesitated to replace popular band members, to keep things fresh, will they be reticent when it comes to a producer?  I have no quarrel with anything that KS has done to this point.  Joe has become more popular than ever with Kevin.  I think many of the buttons he has pushed, have been great.  For me, Tour De Force has been his shining moment.

- I have winced a few times at replacing band members, - more recently Arlan and certainly Carmine, but seeing Joe live with the replacements I then understood and appreciate the new setup. I loved seeing the interaction between Joe and Michael, - and whilst I think Jane maybe about to disagree with me, - the growl of Michael’s bass live is great.

Not sure if you were there seeing any of the Tour de Force shows, - but yes on paper they were was a stand out moment for Joe, but not sure it was for his fans, - without opening up old wounds, Borderline was largely out of reach, financially, - Shepherds Bush was over sold so was a very negative experience, and RAH I felt Joe looked really tense until “Just Got Paid”. Certainly seeing Joe last year in Brighton I was very pleasantly surprised what a brilliant experience it was.


RickB wrote:

go out on a limb without risking it all and do what he feels like doing, not worrying about the rent. We all know he can play anything he tries and is a master at multiple genres within guitar playing. Kevin provides the impetus and direction for the stuff that sells from the studio

- in the context of the new album, I would be interested to know if you think it a risk, or out of Joe’s comfort zone Rick? - Granted RCFP is a left turn for Joe, but again this is not musical development, it is an interpretation of something that has been done a million times before, - again not knocking it but it was/is a no risk for Joe. - Please don’t take this as argument, - I am looking for discussion here.

My YouTube channel with plenty of my Joe's videos dating from 2009 inc his first Hammersmith Odeon ones:
http://www.youtube.com/ian916fun

Ian916's Website

  • From: Maryland
  • Registered: 2012-05-13
  • Posts: 2,790

Re: A Healthy Discomfort: Kevin Shirley Interview

pat6put6man wrote:

I would have to say that Joe's work in RCFP is way outside his "comfort zone" and personally, RCFP is some of the best stuff Joe has done...I will buy it all and listen to it all because it is all so extremely good it doesn't make any sense to me to try to classify one as better than another...sit back and enjoy....

I believe RCFP is very much Joe's comfort zone. He told us it's what he plays at home because it's what brings him the most joy. Even in the article Kevin Shirley mentions Joe "loves the experimental rock-jazz fusion of the early 70's and would love to just play that stuff". And I think that's why RCFP is so darn good because Joe feels so at ease with it. There is no pressure and he can really relax and feel free to just experiment and go off on very different unique solos. Something he doesn't feel as comfortable with doing in his regular shows because there the pressure is all on him to deliver a certain type of expected performance.

I think it's good he has different genres he works in. Kevin pushes him to do things he might normally not do, like the acoustic shows he did recently, and it causes Joe to actually develop more as an artist. I don't see the current album as something new and different though. It's blues/rock which is something Joe has done a number of times before. It may be his best album so far for the masses, but as far as being cutting edge and his best ever, I don't think so. But that's just my personal opinion, I'll always prefer the live stuff over the studio albums.

23 Reply by pat6put6man (edited by pat6put6man 2016-04-16 12:18:14)

  • From: stockton, ca.
  • Registered: 2015-06-04
  • Posts: 275

Re: A Healthy Discomfort: Kevin Shirley Interview

nmagcorn wrote:
pat6put6man wrote:

I would have to say that Joe's work in RCFP is way outside his "comfort zone" and personally, RCFP is some of the best stuff Joe has done...I will buy it all and listen to it all because it is all so extremely good it doesn't make any sense to me to try to classify one as better than another...sit back and enjoy....

I believe RCFP is very much Joe's comfort zone. He told us it's what he plays at home because it's what brings him the most joy. Even in the article Kevin Shirley mentions Joe "loves the experimental rock-jazz fusion of the early 70's and would love to just play that stuff". And I think that's why RCFP is so darn good because Joe feels so at ease with it. There is no pressure and he can really relax and feel free to just experiment and go off on very different unique solos. Something he doesn't feel as comfortable with doing in his regular shows because there the pressure is all on him to deliver a certain type of expected performance.

I think it's good he has different genres he works in. Kevin pushes him to do things he might normally not do, like the acoustic shows he did recently, and it causes Joe to actually develop more as an artist. I don't see the current album as something new and different though. It's blues/rock which is something Joe has done a number of times before. It may be his best album so far for the masses, but as far as being cutting edge and his best ever, I don't think so. But that's just my personal opinion, I'll always prefer the live stuff over the studio albums.

My reference to "comfort zone" may not have been the best choice of words but what I meant is that his work in RCFP is completely different than the Blues/Rock music he has based his career on...to really get out of his comfort zone would require him to play some other instrument than a guitar (like a tuba) because I believe he can play anything on the guitar....

  • Registered: 2007-11-22
  • Posts: 358

Re: A Healthy Discomfort: Kevin Shirley Interview

pat6put6man wrote:

My reference to "comfort zone" may not have been the best choice of words but what I meant is that his work in RCFP is completely different than the Blues/Rock music he has based his career on...

In reality it reminds me a lot of his first release New Day Yesterday the studio version. He played with enormous freedom on that studio album and it would be great to get away from the comfort zone stuff or 'the stuff everyone expects to hear at a show' and let him roam the fretboard like the early days. I think the next step for Joe is let him go... do what he wants to do not what is expected of him. Once an artist is 'predictable' it gets pretty boring pretty fast.

25 Reply by RickB (edited by RickB 2016-04-17 12:18:03)

  • RickB
  • RickB
  • BONAMEGAMETAL
  • Offline
  • From: San Diego
  • Registered: 2009-10-30
  • Posts: 12,198

Re: A Healthy Discomfort: Kevin Shirley Interview

Ian916 wrote:
bobkatmsu wrote:

J&R Ventures has not hesitated to replace popular band members, to keep things fresh, will they be reticent when it comes to a producer?  I have no quarrel with anything that KS has done to this point.  Joe has become more popular than ever with Kevin.  I think many of the buttons he has pushed, have been great.  For me, Tour De Force has been his shining moment.

- I have winced a few times at replacing band members, - more recently Arlan and certainly Carmine, but seeing Joe live with the replacements I then understood and appreciate the new setup. I loved seeing the interaction between Joe and Michael, - and whilst I think Jane maybe about to disagree with me, - the growl of Michael’s bass live is great.

Not sure if you were there seeing any of the Tour de Force shows, - but yes on paper they were was a stand out moment for Joe, but not sure it was for his fans, - without opening up old wounds, Borderline was largely out of reach, financially, - Shepherds Bush was over sold so was a very negative experience, and RAH I felt Joe looked really tense until “Just Got Paid”. Certainly seeing Joe last year in Brighton I was very pleasantly surprised what a brilliant experience it was.


RickB wrote:

go out on a limb without risking it all and do what he feels like doing, not worrying about the rent. We all know he can play anything he tries and is a master at multiple genres within guitar playing. Kevin provides the impetus and direction for the stuff that sells from the studio

- in the context of the new album, I would be interested to know if you think it a risk, or out of Joe’s comfort zone Rick? - Granted RCFP is a left turn for Joe, but again this is not musical development, it is an interpretation of something that has been done a million times before, - again not knocking it but it was/is a no risk for Joe. - Please don’t take this as argument, - I am looking for discussion here.

My comment was based on an article in Forbes this month that was enlightening. It called him "One of music's most savvy entrepreneurs" while looking into his financial success and how he's done it. I don't think it is out of his comfort zone to go further in the rockier direction and away from the traditional Blues that fueled his early success. I was thinking of the inclusion of artists way out of the traditional sense of Blues music in his acoustic performances. It is still Blues in every sense but in a totally new light. He has room to move in any direction he wants now that he has funds to survive a move away from that which has payed the bills. Whether he will or not is up to him, but I wouldn't be surprised to see more very different stuff in the future.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/millystilin … d3119c5141

Free download from Vienna! http://mbsy.co/bNLR
Lots of unique videos of Joe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwd5vL8fXTw
Buy Joe's merchandise here. http://www.jbonamassa.com/affiliates/id … hp?id=1381

RickB's Website

26 Reply by RoadcaseBoy (edited by RoadcaseBoy 2016-04-17 15:59:55)

  • From: Seymour Duncan's Hometown, NJ
  • Registered: 2012-03-05
  • Posts: 2,309

Re: A Healthy Discomfort: Kevin Shirley Interview

RickB wrote:

My comment was based on an article in Forbes this month that was enlightening. It called him "One of music's most savvy entrepreneurs" while looking into his financial success and how he's done it.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/millystilin … d3119c5141

Thanks for the article link RickB..  Idiot me didn't see the arrow to get back to page 1 of the article (from page 3) until I had googled back to the article and cut the link ... so since the mouse has it all loaded up ready to paste ... smile

http://www.forbes.com/sites/millystilin … 3e3ad07002

"I was in Space for less than 2 weeks … and suddenly Jeaniene’s back … half the Band is off the gd wagon … we have comedians opening for us … and the nice kid that ran our website is now a kleptof’nmaniac.  Boy ... did you guys miss me!!"  Phil Valentine - Road Manager - Staton House Band

JBLP#251 (unaged) ... thank you Ron.