may 21, 2012

hey.

so i’m home and hanging around. we had stetson’s 4th birthday party yesterday. i have a 4 year old. technically his birthday is on the 27th, but i’m leaving for brazil on wednesday so we had the party early. we rented a bounce house. so…

i’ve been doing some musical things. i played guitar on the upcoming elevation worship album. it was fun getting to do that. i’ve played with them at church for years now and have played a little on the previous records, but this was the first time where i played on just about every song. good guys, those elevation people.

jon, jacob and i are scheming to get the new all the bright lights record finished. we have some good opportunities in front of us and we are excited to see how the songs turn out. as you probably don’t know, we recorded for a week in february. we had some stuff written before hand, but we basically just played together and wrote all in the room together. we never even got to the pre-written stuff. so we are going to try to wrap up the next record soon. we are excited about it.

jon moved back to jacksonville a couple of weeks ago. while i don’t like not living in the same city, i’m glad for him and his family.  i think it will actually make us more productive.

i’m going to brazil on wednesday.

see ya.

break

i’m home for a break. the tour has gone lovely. new york was especially fun this time. mainly because it didn’t rain buckets while we loaded out. it’s been fun playing some new jams for the people. 

i’ll post some pictures and write something completely non-musical soon.

i promise.

bye

tête-à-tête: frodo

i met matt “frodo” kidd a couple years ago when we went out on tour supporting robbie seay. frodo plays guitar. quite well, i might add. i still remember the first show we did. he started playing and i immediately got jealous. for real. he’s good.

frodo really understands how a guitar should sound and how a part should be played. and he’s funny. if you haven’t gotten a chance to see him play with the robbie seay band, i suggest doing so. he will also be playing guitar for ben rector this spring. they are opening for some band called needtobreathe. so i’m sure some of you will be seeing him play soon enough. enjoy.

________________

Hi Frodo.

Hullo.

What are you doing.

Typin’

The new Robbie Seay Band just came out.

ANOTHER band?!?!

Don’t start, Frodo. Are you happy with the record?

This album represents a culmination of two and a half years of finding my identity as a guitarist and an individual in this band. I’m happy with how we, as a group, gelled and yet had our own voices. What? Too braggy? I’m happy with the parts that came naturally. I’m unhappy with the things I over thought. I’m glad Rich and Poor is what it is. It has a “face”. I’d do things different next time though.

Do you play a solo on it?

Well as is, I play a few little ditties. I actually played a few things that didn’t end up making the cut. (sweeps… okay, no sweeps… some gnarly slide and slapback though)

Why Frodo?

Because I wanted to see some Youtube versions of them. I was hoping we could do some guitarmony sometime too.

I actually meant why did you chose to go by the name “frodo”?

‘Cos people think I look like Elijah Wood and call me Frodo. I actually didn’t choose it originally but I now embrace it.

Guitar solos are weird and hard to write. Right?

Guitar solos are a strange thing. People love them or hate them it seems. Why do so many songs have them? Was there another period in history that a single instrument needed to get noodled on to dazzle the listener. Some people are more fun to watch solo than hear solo. I’m not good at solos in the studio. I prefer parts. I prefer unity over a “hero”…. Unless it’s you. Then I’m like *HEAVEN* YES! PTL… Or if it’s Jerry Douglas (DOBRO). Then i silently smile and jump up and down.

Yeah They are hard to write. Let’s called them GuitHARD solos.

GuitHard. I like that. Remember that big beard you had?

I have a mini beard now.

You are probably my favorite guitar player in our little island/area/part of the music world. You have amazing sounds and are super solid all the time. I hate you for that. What’s your secret?

PUHLEEESE! (I’m smiling and jumping up and down right now)
I appreciate when you say that to me. I feel undeserving. People probably google your name WAY more than mine. You are JamesTHEduke. (I took “thejamesduke” and rearranged it… also I just called you a duke because it’s your name AND your title)

I don’t know man. I think Frodo probably gets googled way more than James Duke. 

He’s probably not usually playing in a christian rock band though, right?

I wouldn’t presume to know or understand what Frodo does with his free time.

I was home schooled. When I first started playing, my mom yelled at me constantly to “do my work” instead of playing the guitar I borrowed from my friend. I would play for like 8 hours a day at first. I would go to my friends houses under the guise that I wanted to spend time with them, secretly knowing that in their parents closet, an out of tune Yamaha guitar could be found lying between luggage (and a box of Halloween costumes?).  I played 90’s rock and Metallica… STP, bro. Don’t even ACT like you don’t know.

Don’t tell me about the 90’s. I’ll tell you about the 90’s. I was home schooled too. Gross.

Gross? Bad experience for you? There are surprisingly a lot of us in this “industry”.I think maybe it’s wasn’t a great idea. But who knows.

I learned a lot from playing in church. Worship teams… Hillsong… you know….?

Yes. I know all about both of those. I got started playing in the Jr High Youth Band! There was really no difference between the Jr High and High School youth group. We all went to the same place. But the JHYB as we called it (we didn’t call it that) was where they stuck the little kids that couldn’t play but wouldn’t shut up about wanting to play in the YOUTH BAND! We played every 8 weeks probably. But it was my life. We practiced Sunday afternoons at the church, and it was my favorite thing in the world. My poor parents had to drive me because I was 14. Which meant they drove to church 3 times on Sundays. I would cry (literally) if I thought for one second I wasn’t going to be able to go to Jr High Youth Band (JHYB) rehearsal. That’s where I got my start. JHYB FOREVER!

I steal others’ secrets when I can. I stole how you use your feet. You turn pedal knobs with your feet. *light comes on* BRILLIANT. You have a fantastic knack for filling a room or a track with like… ONE AWESOME GUITAR PART and a kick ass haircut.I do turn knobs with my feet, bro. I also tend to steal secrets… I played with Hillsong once. Way back in the 1900’s. The guitar player (forgot his name) told me he had a compressor (Carl Martin. It was super popular then) on all the time. He said it was important and that I should get one. I went the next week and bought a (much cheaper) MXR Dyna Comp. I didn’t even know what it did. It’s still on my board and never gets turned off.

I’ve learned a lot (like many who may read this) from Taylor Johnson, RSB’S old guitarist. He is an extremely melodic player with a keen ear and more grease in his fingers than a Raising Cane’s in Kentucky. I learned a lot about the sacred relationship between the amp and a guitars volume knob from that man. (Hi Taylor)

Hi Taylor.

I learned some theory stuff and how to phrase things not stupidly from a guy named Jimmy Ingram of the band SPUR58 (now Aaron Ivy Band)

Joel and Jonathan Camey. They play guitar and drums at Lakewood church. They taught me about pocket and feel.

When I got over ESP guitars, I listened to Eric Johnson quite a bit.
TRUE STORY. I Sold him an ac30. His first one from what he said!
I have a video of him playing on my old amp in a guitar shop in Austin… Just crazy to sit there and watch….

There are several local guys I’ve picked up things from… YOUTUBE…

Going back to phrasing guitar parts. Can you talk a little more about that? What is your approach when you are writing parts. What did Jimmy Ingram teach you exactly?

Hmm… He opened my eyes to chord theory which leads into all that mode/scale junk, which can be very useful. It’s all heady at first but soon enough you forget it and really does become , as they say, “colors”. Before beginning to learn the “palette”, I was just guessing in the dark across the fretboard. Snobs can say what they want about theory; It’s just the grammar of what I believe music is, a language. He also showed me some stuff about note expression. So much “tone” can come from attitude. I good, well placed, nasty vibrato, just makes a Telecaster sing. RIGHT?!

I agree. One thing I notice about a lot of guitar players is that there isn’t enough attention spent on very basic things like vibrato. That’s such an important element to playing guitar.

Lately, I’ve been recording my own little “sound sketches” and putting them on Soundcloud. I call them sketches because I approach recording them like you’d approach a pencil and paper, only, my paper is a list of tracks. You know in those art school books where they show you how to sketch a face proportionately? They start with shapes, then they draw guide lines for the features. Soon enough lines become a nose, ears, eyes, a mouth… . Now I’m sure after many years of doing this a good artist no longer uses this method. Also my process isn’t always so linear so maybe it’s a bad comparison. Anyway, I often lay down my parts in order of how I feel lead creatively. I’ll start with some basic ideas. It could be specific melodies that are not totally refined but get my creative juices flowing. Sometimes I start with a simple bass line. Sometimes a drum groove. I may add something at the very end and skip back to the beginning. Sometimes I do it more “start to finish”.

When people send me tracks to play on remotely I approach it the same way. Most sessions, however, I don’t always have the luxury of solitude and time. I guess It really is a luxury too. Sometimes it’s a group of people sitting in the room with you and a totally different type of collaborative creative energy is floating around. The ARTIST in me wants to own every little note but… I’ve learned is best to compromise instead wanting to be “the hero”…  In fact it can be much better. The RSB guys had a lot of great input on this record. For one track on the new album, Chase Jenkins (Our keys guys) and I tracked together. That was very rewarding.

Sometimes, however, the guy producing just tells you things that are abstract and discouraging about a take. Some people won’t just let ideas bloom. It’s funny how the same reference can mean something totally different to anyone.  (More poppy, more bluesgrassy, less bluesgrassy. more nasty, more black)…. Please tell me you’ve experienced this…

I definitely have. I remember recording the new JMM album Economy and I thought I was playing so wonderful and after the take the Producer said, “Cool. That’s pretty Nascar.” That was cool to hear. I also love it when Producers use words like “Swirly”. For example, “let’s use a different DI. That bass tone is a little Swirly”. I usually tell a producer that I haven’t worked with before that I work a little slow sometimes. I used to be insecure about it taking me a while to come up with parts, but I don’t care anymore. It’s not easy. If it takes me a while, it takes me a while. Sometimes I knock something out quick. But I’ve learned it never works the same way twice. I’d rather be happy and take an extra hour.

You have a pretty interesting pedal board. You use blenders and have all sorts of interesting little things/secrets you do. You seem really thought out and deliberate. Which is exactly the opposite of me. I can’t even remember to make sure my pedals are on the right settings before we play. What’s the process? Can you explain your board a little?

My board is a perpetual work in progress. I started small. Went big. Went smaller. Went bigger. went really small. Big. Medium. etc… etc… Do you do that, or just make a lot of boards?I really don’t change a whole lot for my live board. I am typically always running a Tube Screamer and a Compressor (usually a Dyna Comp). I stack other overdrives like a JHS Morning Glory and a Timmy.  I’ve been using some pedals from Walrus Audio and really like them a lot. Then I run a few Delays and crap. I don’t know… Lately I hate the way I sound. Anyways… Back to you. GO ON FRODO.

My main board typically works under three basic principles.
1. 50lbs or less (airline fees and I’m weak)
2. Lowest noise floor possible. I don’t like a lot of hiss or hum (so clean power too)
3. Get a lot of sound when needed and completely clean tone when needed

Though I may do weird things that seem complicated. I actually prefer simplicity. I want my “effects off” guitar tone to sound as much like I’m just plugging it in directly to the amp with just a single clean boost as possible… But I also want omnisphere at my feet. I want Dean Deleo to meet Mark Byrd; Daniel Lanois to meet Blake Mills.A for instance on “complex simplicity” (complexiplicity?) is blending. I’d blend my DL4 with an Xotic blender because the pedal alters tone when plugged directly into. Even a Keeley or JHS modded one will change tone. Yeah I’d say it alters/changes it more than “sucks” it. It also adds hiss. The blender fixes these things very well without a fancy sparkly paint job. Turn the mix to 100% on the DL4 and you have two signals, a completely pure DL4 one and a completely pure guitar one. Well, at least more pure than through the DL4. Once thrown in the blender you can true bypass it with the switch and control the mix with the big knob. JAMES DUKE STYLE.

Here’s my “extra board” with the DL4 in an Xotic stereo blender I had custom made (COOL)

Also when you use blenders you can put more than one effect in “wet” side. I have the RV-5 in the loop with the DL4.The yellow thing is a Lehle D-loop. Lehle makes amazing true bypass boxes that are STEREO. (COOL)

Here’s my current board (kinda)

I’m blend crazy right now. I blend an RC booster. Clean tone and wacky eq tone. Gets some great results.

I compress with the Tone Press. Blending is built into the circuit. “Parallel compression” as they call it. I compress more with single coils or for slide junk. The Sparkle drive has a blend built in (COOL) but is pretty much always blended clean. It really just adds some MOJO. The POG2 is blended for several reasons. No tone altering, less hiss, EQing options, and mix control on the fly for a wider range of “presets” The three pedal on top are all made by the same people: Strymon. Well… The Glass Nexus is Damage Control… which is a company that basically renamed itself Strymon.I guess I should say this. The one way I feel we are very different… and I really love your tone…. is that I can’t stand stacking overdrives. I literally NEVER do it these days. In fact… I rarely use pedal overdrive. I push the amp…. I just always prefer it… Are you mad????

No. I’m not mad.

Also underneath is a Lehle Sunday driver (an amazing buffer) and two power supplies. Pedal Power 2 and a CIOKS DC10.

What is the best pedal?

Strymon pedal. ??? Oh hey… back to pedal overdrives… what OVERDRIVE PEDAL should I get?

You hate overdrive pedals. Remember?

Oh yeah…. Guess I’ll get another delay….

I first heard Robbie Seay when the Thoughts of You album came out. That was such a beautiful, fresh sounding album. Really different for the time. It is still is one of my favorites. So when we toured with you guys it was really cool for me to get to meet him. How did you meet Robbie and start playing in the band?

Texas is a unique and magical place, a lot of Christian artists came from it. A few came from Houston or Dallas. I think they’re still coming actually. We’ve got Lakewood and Woodlands church, both nationally known or whatever. Chris Tomlin used to lead at a United Methodist church in a suburb just 30 minutes north of Houston back in the day. So did Todd Agnew. Crowder used to live not very far in Waco. Shane and Shane live in Dallas. This area has quite a pool of churches that pay money to musicians. You basically have a culture of guys growing up playing in front of people every week and getting paid alot to do it, at least in the grand scheme of making money playing music (which is beautiful and terrible at the same time but that’s a different convo)… So, the Houston Christian music scene is small. When I meet a new person we usually have at least a few friends in common.

I heard about Robbie Seay in like… 2005? Or something… He was a “local christian celeb” of sorts. I played his songs here and there at churches. I’d met Taylor Johnson years before I meet Robbie. I chatted with him about gear or music a few times. I worked with Ryan Owens on a project. Harold Rubens, our sound engineer for the past few years, had engineered for some studio sessions I played for. Also, my wife (girlfriend at the time) works for the RSB so I had that “in” as well.

Though, Robbie leads worship at his brother Chris’s church often so sometimes other guitarists play for him on Saturdays/Sundays. They could easily be the next player if  I break my hands off or something. There is a large community of talent here.

How long have you been playing the axe, man? When did it get serious?

I’ve been playing since I was 16 and I’m 28…. so…. 12 years-ish. I got serious about 5 years ago when I quit my other jobs I guess.

What were those other jobs?

The local library in my hometown.
Jack In The Box.
Kroger.
I also taught guitar lessons for a small music store for a couple of years.

Do you listen to christian/worship music?

MUSIC CAN’T BE CHRISTIAN… kidding… I listen to some I guess. I just listen to stuff I like. I certainly never search for new christian artists just because they are Christians. I feel no obligation or alignment to any side. Music is universal.I don’t like a lot of what’s popular but I’m sure I sound like a snob/hipster. Oh well. It’s just true. I gotta ask though… am I the only one confused by Christians who constantly feel they need to publicly complain about how “uncreative or dishonest” Christian music is? I’m sure you could argue that things won’t change until people speak up but I just don’t know if that’s true… It seems like we, as artists, not as “Christians” should just create from an honest place and not worry about what group is doing the most unique or “real” stuff. I dunno…

I love JMM though. Carbon ribs is brilliant poetry. Lordy.

I really like your ATBL stuff. It makes me think. That music is saved right?

Probably.

I dig this new Sarah Groves record actually.
I like Audrey Assad.
Always love me some Derek Webb and/or Sandra Mccracken.
How’m I doin?

You are doing brilliant, Frodo. Good job, Buddy.

I love Jon Foreman.
I love Thad Cockrell’s “To Be Loved”
I dunno some others. What christian stuff do you like besides yourself?

Oh. Well, as far as Worship style stuff I love this group out in Kentucky called The Embers. I love Jonathan Helser. I love Kevin Prosch, Delirious, Brian Doerksen. I don’t listen to a lot of the more current stuff… not for any particular reason… I just don’t. I do love the new album my friends at Elevation Church just put out. It’s totes good.

What’s the hardest thing about  your job as a guitar player?

Being original. Also not completely defining my life with it. Also having consistent income.

Is there any music you are super freaked out about right now!?!?

I really like this singer song writer from Nashville…

http://www.youtube.com/user/marcscibilia
(hey marc)

I can always listen to Hammock.I love and am freaked about by Andrew Bird.

David Grey’s “A new day at midnight” has been goin’

My wife and I wear out the Cardigans “Long Gone Before Daylight”

Union Station.

Oasis’s “Dig out your soul”

There’s this band called “Brian Lee and His Orcestra” That is great

The band Greylag and the lead singer Andrew Stonestreet

Man… I know you are gonna think I’m a  freak but I am so fascinated by this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByfbYNc9Pvc

Yeah… it’s TOOL… The frontman of the band, Maynard, wrote this song from the perspective of angels watching us humans, with our gift of higher thinking and free will, squander it with fighting and killing. Obviously this guy would butt heads with my beliefs but man is this an intriguing piece of art…

My favorite is Bobby (Dylan)

Thanks for being so specific.

You’re welcome.

Bye Frodo.

Bye James… I’ll leave you with something my wife showed me that I have to pause and listen to from time to time… (Thanks Lindsey)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0OdNY8Aybw

tête-à-tête: Daniel Carson

in honor of the new year i have a new convo for your reading pleasure.

daniel carson is the guitar player for chris tomlin. if you play guitar in a church on sundays, chances are you’ve played some of his guitar parts.

i run into daniel a couple times a year and he’s always so great to talk to. he’s a really sweet guy. very humble and kind, and he always sounds and plays great. he, along with the rest of the chris tomlin band have made a huge contribution to the church. it’s pretty amazing to think about.  he says some really thoughtful things and gives us some great advice.

enjoy.

____________________________________

Hi Daniel.

Hi James!

Hi Daniel! What are you doing?

At the moment, I am sitting on our tour bus in Charleston, West Virginia. We are on a tour w/our Pastor, Louie Giglio, and Christy Nockels.

How’s it been going? Been busy?

It was a really great, but pretty busy Summer, and now we are in the middle of a Fall tour. We took about a 7 or 8 week break after the Summer. Chris and his wife, Lauren, were having a baby so we had some time off! As you know, you get kind of used to the swing of things on the road…kind of get into rhythm where you almost never fully unpack your suitcase! It’s definitely not a normal lifestyle, but I wouldn’t trade it! I like the ebb and flow of traveling and being home. We are making significant efforts to be home in Atlanta for Sundays at Passion City Church.

Does the band practice/rehearse?

More than we used to! It sounds like a funny thing to say… I’ve been in the band for 11 years now and I feel like we practice more now than ever. I think we used to travel SO much that all of our rehearsal time was spent at soundchecks. That probably sounds familiar?

Yes. Definitely. We never practice. Well not never… but we never practice.

But now that our schedule is a little more manageable, we practice more. Also, we have a studio space now so that really helps us. Mostly we rehearse when we have new songs to learn for an album or for Passion/Church. Also, we always rehearse before every tour.

Your guitar playing has made a really big impact on the church and the worship movement as a whole. You’ve written dozens of guitar lines that are played every single Sunday in churches all over the world! That’s pretty cool to think about! One thing I’ve noticed about your playing is that your guitar parts are very concise and sing-alongable (I just made that word up). What is your process for coming up with your guitar parts when you are in the writing/recording phase of an album?

Wow, those are some nice things to say! I’m not sure how to respond exactly… If I can, I try to approach writing parts from a songwriting standpoint. I don’t want to play anything that will mess up the song! I must say, I have one major advantage when it comes to writing parts for songs, and that is that Chris an amazing songwriter. But it’s still a process that you always wrestle with… or at least for me it is. Sometimes, you get the sense that God has really marked a specific song with something special and so I want to be careful not to mess up what is already great about the song, if that makes sense? Like when Chris plays us a song on the acoustic or piano and you hear it for the first time and it really moves you… THAT is what I want it to feel like even when we start to arrange the song. As far as guitar parts being concise and “sing-alongable” (I’m okay with made up words. Makes me feel better about my grammar.) I try and keep in mind that at this particular moment in time, God has given Chris a lot of favor in the worldwide Church. So as a result of that, one reality is that guitar players of all ages and skill levels might be playing these songs in their Church. It’s a crazy thing to think about, but we all try and keep that in mind. Also, it’s a preference thing… I usually think if I am worshipping to this music at a Church/Conference/Concert, etc…what melody would pump me up? What would I want to hear!? I would also say that most of my favorite guitar players and guitar parts/solos are usually something I can sing when I hear the song, you know? I never considered myself much of a “solo” guy…never much of a shredder haha, but I love it when I see a band and the musicians play their parts with conviction! That’s what fires me up! I don’t want anyone to ever see us lead worship and think to themselves, “that guy looks bored.” My posture and approach to leading should mirror what we are singing about!

What is the dynamic like when you are in the studio recording a record? What’s the process for recording and coming up with parts and hooks and all that?

Sometimes the songs already have some parts that we have come up with along the way. So if we have been leading it at church or something then maybe some parts have already made their way into the songs. I try not to stay married to any of the parts we initially come up with because it’s all subject to change. That being said, sometimes your first instinct is the best one! One example would be the song Our God. We were working on some demos in the studio getting ready for Passion 2010 in Atlanta. Chris had put together a team of writers and we had all written and written and were finally demoing a bunch of those songs. So when were working on that one, Nathan Nockels and I were both on electric and I just started playing the first thing that came to me when we were running the song for the first time as a band. Nathan joined in with a lower guitar part, and the combination of both electrics seemed exciting to all of us and it just kinda stuck! haha… Seems too simple, but that was how it happened. We just played what felt natural to the song and the song just kinda took on a life of it’s own! It’s weird to think about now, since we have played it so much in the last 2 years, but it was a relatively simple process. That definitely is not always the case. This last year we were working on a song called All My Fountains while getting ready for Passion, and that was one that we wrestled with for a long time before it finally had the right personality. So sometimes it takes a while! Once again though, as far as parts go, it’s usually the simple parts that seem to win. They are the ones that fire up my bandmates the most. I try and watch their responses to guitar parts. They have great instincts so I try and trust those around me as much as I can!

How did you get to where you are today? How did you meet Chris?

I started playing guitar when I was about 14. My Dad is a guitar player and a Worship Leader as well. He was always leading somewhere and playing guitar around the house, but I never really cared until was in Junior High. That happened to be the same time that Chris started leading every summer at the youth camp that I went to with my youth group. My Dad, who was a former Youth Pastor, knew a lot of the different worship leaders and youth pastors at that camp. Chris and I grew up only a few hours from each other in East Texas, and in those parts a lot of the musicians, speakers, etc kind of all knew each other. So Chris continued to lead every Summer that I was in school. So when I got into High School I was getting more serious about guitar and had bought an electric and started playing non-stop in my bedroom. I taught guitar lessons to kids in my youth group and used the money to buy better and better gear! haha… Of course! So by the time I was going into my senior year of high school i had a decent guitar rig and was practicing all the time. About 2 weeks into my Senior year of High School, Chris called my parents (I didn’t have a cell phone then. Yes, I graduated High School without a cell phone…it was 2000. That’s how we did it then!) and asked if I could come out on the road with the band! It was crazy. I had gotten to know Chris and some of the band guys over the years at that youth camp, but it was still very unexpected since I was only just starting my Senior year! So, I hit the road with the guys and when I graduated, I moved to Houston where they were living at the time. I must say quickly that a lot times younger guitar players will ask me, “how do I do what you do?” And it’s not that it’s a bad question, but I would say that over the years I have been very encouraged by some people around me to “run in my own lane.”

 Who is the best guitar player in the world, and why?

Haha! How in the world do you answer that!?

As truthfully as you can!

I guess it’s a preference thing, huh?

I mean… I guess so…

I’ve never been too interested in speed guys… I like players who lean more towards melody and tone. So I would be tempted to say The Edge. His influence is so massive that it seems too obvious of an answer, but I don’t know how not to mention him. One of my favorite players to watch at the moment is Keith Urban. Whether you like his music or not, that guy OWNS the guitar when he plays. He plays with a lot of passion and plays very memorable solos with great tone. Pretty amazing.

What was your first guitar? What is your favorite guitar that you own?

My first guitar was a ’95 Fender Strat Plus. It has the Lace Sensor pickups in it. Great guitar! I had a friend who had one and I really looked up to him so I bought an exact copy of everything he owned! haha… I bought the exact same strat…same year, same color, same everything. I bought all of the pedals he had…  Ernie Ball volume pedal, tube screamer, blues driver, Boss dd-5, and some others. He also introduced me to the BBE Sonic Maximizer. It was a small half rack unit thing that he bought for his acoustic but then ended up on his pedalboard. I tried his and bought one of those as well! Ever since then, I have had one on my board. Can’t seem to get rid of that pedal! My favorite guitar that I own is my ’74 Fender Telecaster. It’s just a simple single coil straight up Tele, but it’s kind of home base for me. I use it as a control. I know exactly how it should sound so any pedal/amp, etc all get the Tele test. Also, it seems to be the first thing i grab in the studio. That thing is all over all of Chris’s records. It records really well.

What is the first thing you want to do when you get home from a long tour?

Well, being a Texan, I am passionate about my Mexican food! So I try and make it to my favorite Mexican place Nuevo Loredo in Atlanta as much as I can! One thing that I think Atlanta does really well is Breakfast, so I always hit up my breakfast spots! Flying Biscuit, Highland Bakery, etc…

 You stay really busy playing for Chris Tomlin. Do you do other gigs/session stuff when you aren’t on the road or recording?

I do some recording for projects here and there. I do a lot more of that in Atlanta than I did back in Austin. Nathan Nockels produces a lot of stuff here in Atlanta so I end up getting called in to work on stuff for him from time to time. I always love any opportunity to record in the studio. I feel like it makes you so much better as an overall musician. I like seeing how different producers work too. It teaches you that there really are so many approaches that get great results. It’s fascinating.

Have you met anybody super famous or influential to your life that made you freak out and act all nervous and weird?

You’re going to make me sound like a name dropper! But since you did ask, because of an unusual set of circumstances, I got to be in the same very crowded room that Coldplay happened to be in. So there was a tiny window of opportunity to talk to Jonny Buckland and so I spoke to him! I kind of surprised myself, actually, haha. That band has played an important role in my musical journey. Parachutes came along at a time when my ears were in need of a refreshing sound and it was love at first listen for me. So because he had a massive impact on my guitar playing I felt like i had the right to tell him so!

Me – “Hey Jonny. I just wanted to meet you. My name is Daniel. I love your guitar playing. The way you play has changed the way I think about guitar. You’ve been a big inspiration!”

Jonny – “Wow, man… thanks a lot. That really means a lot.”

Me – “I don’t want to take up any of your time. Just wanted to say ‘Thanks’ for all you do. Have a great night!”

That was pretty much the whole conversation. He was really nice. And much taller than me.

That’s a good one!

I think everyone has the concert or album that totally blows his/her mind and changed the way they play and think about music. What was that for you? (it can be more than one)  

Well, I sort of jumped the gun a little on this one by talking about Parachutes in the previous question. I think Delirious’ Cutting Edge album was a huge revelation moment for me.

Do you practice the guitar? If so, what kind of stuff do you work on?

The time I spend on my own with a guitar in hand is usually spent rehearsing/writing for new songs or trying out new sounds and combinations at home. I try to write a lot so most of my practice time is spent writing songs! I guess if I was going to work on something else I would pull out a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers dvd and learn some Mike Campbell licks or something. Then next time we’re at soundcheck I’ll act like I’ve always known how to play You Wreck Me.

Have you ever messed up so bad on stage that you wanted to crawl under the drum riser and cry and/or die? Any really great trainwreck/we just ruined that song stories?

Of course! It happens all the time. It’s the worst when you mess up a guitar part you have played hundreds (maybe thousands?) of times in your  life. It happens though. It will occur to me sometimes in the middle of a song that I’m not thinking about what my hands are doing. And the very thought that I’m NOT thinking about what I’m doing freaks me out and I usually will short circuit for a second and mess up. One time when we were walking on stage at a conference the monitor engineer handed us all the wrong packs. So we all had each other’s mixes. It was awful. It was in Houston at a Worship Together Conference. I remember thinking of course this would happen when there are a room full of musicians listening. If you ask anyone in our band what was our worst night ever, they will all tell you about that night. Nothing blew up or caught on fire…. it’s not even a cool story. We just sounded really bad that night! REALLY bad.

What is your most favorite city?

I love New York. It’s an obvious answer, but it’s always a favorite. I love the diversity and the seemingly endless options. I also love Austin. We lived there for a number of years and it will always be a favorite for me. Especially if it’s not June, July or August.

Does your pedal board change a lot?  Do you have any new exciting things on there?

It doesn’t change drastically. I am pretty much always running my Fulltone Fulldrive 2 as my main overdrive. I like having a boost option and a compressor option which right now are the Box of Rock and Diamond Compressor. I am always trying out a second overdrive. I have used the Rat, AC Booster, Hot Cake and most recently a Tube Screamer to try and fill that position. I always seem to come back to the Fulldrive though. Just feels like home for me. One thing that I have on there that is somewhat new for me (in the last 2 years) is the Line 6 Echo Park. I had been using the DL4′s for years, but I got tired of them constantly breaking on the road (and they take up so much space!) so I went out and bought the echo park and I can’t stop using it now! I love the sound it gets. I leave it on probably 80% of the time now! It has a great mod to it, and the repeats are nice and warm. I use it more like a subtle, underneath everything else kinda texture. It’s never my main delay for anything rhythmic really.

Do you love it when you are playing on stage and your signal dies and you frantically (while still trying to act casual) try to figure out which stupid pedal or cable is messed up?

Doesn’t everyone!? It’s the worst! I ALWAYS use 2 amps for this very reason! I like to know if my signal dies in both amps that I can immediately eliminate the amp as a possible suspect. I have been using a true bypass looper which i feel like keeps your problems a little more isolated. This way you can troubleshoot a little easier and bypass the bad pedal/connector. However, you can never fully be safe I guess. The worst is when a camera guy trips over the power supply to your amps/pedalboard and you lose signal and everyone in the band looks at you like “there he goes again with more pedalboard problems!” haha. There was this one time when we were playing a song at a church in Houston and the fire alarm went off in the building and IMMEDIATELY Chris shot me this glare on stage as if to say, “whatever just happened with your pedals, FIX IT!” haha… I had no way to explain to him from across the stage that it wasn’t me so I just kept playing. It was on a really soft, quiet song too. As if I would choose that moment to reach down on my board and try a cool new trick and make a really loud wacky noise! haha He looked so confused! I was young though, so the chances of me choosing the wrong moment to try a new pedal trick were a little more likely.

Lately i have been thinking of just having a couple of custom length cables just sitting loose on my board at all times stretched from my volume pedal over to my overdrive and then to a delay and that’s it. That way if something goes bad I could quickly make a tiny pedalboard. Even then it’s never fully fail proof.

What amps are you using now?

Vox AC30 TB/6 and a Matchless SC-30

Do you ever touch the volume or tone knobs on your guitars?

I almost never mess with the volume knob. I use my volume pedal to clean my signal up instead. In fact, I do this a lot! I almost never turn my overdrive off. I just pull the volume pedal down to clean it up as much as I want to in that moment. I run my volume pedal first in the chain which allows me to do that. As far as the tone knob, I actually do mess with that a lot! I almost never run my tele all the way bright on the tone. It’s such a bright guitar already so I run the tone knob pretty low to keep it from being too piercing. But it’s a tele so it’s gotta have SOME bite, right!?

Do you read? What’s your favorite book?

Not as much as I should! I usually listen to what the people around me are talking about. If they all really like a certain book then that’s how I make my decisions for reading material. I like real life books. Biography, Autobiography, etc. Johnny Cash’s autobiography CASH was amazing. I also really liked a book called Same Kind of Different As Me. That book will make you wanna buy 20 copies and hand them to everyone you know. And I also like any kind of Devotional books…I have a Tozer one that I really like.

Going back to what you said earlier about “running in your own lane”, What kind of advise can you give to musicians that feel like they are called to play music full time but don’t know how to get to the next level or even get started in that direction at all?

I guess I would say be patient! It’s important to not miss what’s right in front of you because you are looking forward to something that you think is going to be better. God has perfect timing. He’s never late on anything. I think it’s really important to be obedient with what opportunities you have no matter how “small” you think they are. Being faithful with those things is important for your overall growth and maturity. I know I always need a gut check on that one! Also I think it’s important to run in your own lane. I heard Beth Moore give a talk at Passion about that and that was how she worded it. I was totally convicted. It’s so easy to start comparing yourself to other people! We all do it. It’s a human condition to be insecure and it’s not a bad thing to look at someone else and let it drive you to work harder or become better. But you have to know that God already has one of that person. Now he’s looking at you with a different idea in mind. Your role is a unique one, whatever it is. All that being said, I do think it’s okay to put yourself out there. Take risks and opportunities. Write songs, make a band, put a demo or record together and play it for people. Just make sure you know why you are doing it! If you make it about Jesus, you’re going to be fine. It’s always a worthy investment. He is always relevant, and no matter what level player you are, He can always use your gifts. Make it about Him and He will direct your steps. Proverbs 3:5-6

Bye Daniel.

Bye James.

tête-à-tête: jonathan berlin

I’d like you people to meet my friend, Jonathan Berlin. I’ve known Jonathan for a long time. We both grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and hung out in some of the same places. We played together at church sometimes. We ate at the same indi-asian vegan hotspots. we read the same poetry… the usual. Then I moved away and he turned into one of the most talented producer/singer/songwriter/musicians that I know. What a jerk. He currently fronts the lovely psychedelic rock band, Sunbears! as well as a whole lot of other things that we will talk about later. His music has been a big inspiration to me. And he’s a nice fellow. And makes Jacksonville proud, I’m sure.

______________________________

Hi, Jonathan.

Hi, James. How are you??

I’m fine, thanks. What are you doing?

At the moment, I’m listening to Sea Change by Beck and editing new album artwork for the new SUNBEARS! record. Ha ha! How about you??

I’m listening to Elton John sing Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and watching my 3 year old, Stetson, sit and watch the LP spin around. He loves Elton John. Although he calls him Uncle Jon. which is cute and adorable.

I love the first SUNBEARS! record. A lot. You’ve just finished up your new LP, which I’ve heard and also love. It is a bit of a departure from the first. What was the process like for making the new record?

Yeah! You’re right about it being a bit different. One thing that really contributed to that was that I wrote everything on guitar this time around. In the past I’ve usually sat at my computer with a midi controller and a couple synths/drum machines, writing as I’m “producing.” This time, I just tried to write songs, songs that I could play on an acoustic guitar and not need a bunch of crazy technology stuff to pull them off.

You are tall. How tall are you?

I’m like, 6’2½… Not too tall, I don’t think. But yeah, I guess I’m taller than you, huh? Ha ha! How’s it feel to be shorter than your younger brother, Jon Duke? Or wait, is he older??? I can never remember.

Jon is a little taller. And younger. Yes. Thanks.

I think you can play every instrument.

Ha ha! Not true! I’m really not very good at any one thing. I just sort of hack away a bit at everything… you know? How many different kinds of instruments do you play, James?

I can play the electric guitar and the acoustic guitar. and the electric acoustic guitar. And lapsteel. And I pretend to play pedal steel. The electric bass guitar. And piano when I was 12. I played that weird looking thing that you slap with you hand and it makes it… a vibraslap… on the new JMM record. That counts. I can play other stuff too.

Did you grow up in a musical family? What was your first instrument?

I did! My Mother and Father both play guitar and sing. My Father plays bass really really well too. He taught me everything that I needed to know about music. I remember being about 3 or 4 years old, listening to my Father play “Pipeline” by the Ventures and “Michelle” by The Beatles on guitar, and always wanted to play. But my first instrument was the violin, which I started at 4. I didn’t stick with it long. I switched to piano right after that. I still have my violin, though… it’s cool!

How about you, James? At what age did you start chopping away at the guitar??

I began shredding around 13. But I started on the recorder when I was 9. I jammed on the recorder and then started taking piano lessons which, you know, I hated. I took lessons from my next door neighbor who just happened to be the harpist (is that a word?) at the big First Baptist Church in downtown Jacksonville. The one with the escalators. Anyways. I took lessons for a while. I learned everything she taught me by ear when I was supposed to be reading the music. I’d just play it and stare at the sheet music like I was actually reading it! I lost interest sometime after, or maybe during, my second piano recital. I have this really vivid memory of sitting in the front row waiting for my turn to go up as my neighborhood pal, Perry, was playing a rousing rendition of Lavender Blue, and being so bored and miserable. I started skipping my lessons after that and acting like “oh man! I totes’ forgot, mom!” when my parents would come find me playing with my friends. I wish I had taken it seriously. I can still pick chords out and play a little, but nothing great. I wish I could play for real.

Your music is very layered with lots of different parts and instruments. How do you approach writing parts for your music?

For our latest record, I approached things from a very simple beginning. Everything was all about wanting to write a good song. Something easy to sing! I sort of ignored a lot of the other stuff until it was time to really sit down and do that. In the past, I’ve focus a lot on “the sound” and have always pictured an end result, from the very beginning. I’ve written melodies to sounds in the past. This time I wanted to make sounds from the melodies.

You know, I’ve always been curious how you come up with your guitar sounds, can you tell me a little bit about your style??

When I’m in the studio I try to listen to the song and see what I hear. Sometimes I’ll hear a melody. I start playing it and changing it and figuring out where exactly it fits. I try to figure out where it should sit, timing wise. In some cases all you have to do is change what beat a line comes in on and it blows your mind. An okay part will become an amazing part. Sometimes I’ll see something in my mind that makes me think of a way to play the guitar. For example, on the new JMM record there is a song called “Sheet Of Night”. On the choruses I play a double stop bend part on the guitar. When we were doing pre-production that was the first time I had heard that song so I was listening through and immediately saw in my mind my fingers doing that. Way before I had any notes in my head. So I knew I wanted to do some kind of bendy thing. That sounds weird. Another cool thing was we were all standing in a circle in the tracking room and my brother, Jon, was next to me. He was giving some ideas and he said, “and then on the chorus James should just go off”. So I said “okay I have an idea”. So I started figuring out what I saw in my head. It came together in really quick and I had my part. Other times I hear a sound that is sort of unrelated to particular notes and more about atmosphere. So I start turning on pedals and turning knobs. Changing guitars, different amps… I try not to make it a difficult thing. If it’s not fun and interesting then what’s the point? On one song I told Jeremy Griffith I wanted my guitar to sound like stars! He didn’t even laugh at me. He just said, “Oh, then we need to do stereo guitars on this one and use the amp’s tremolo”.  It’s kind of hard for me to verbalize what I do, because I see shapes, colors, pictures, lasers… and stars apparently. but that’s how it happens for me most of the time. I just try to play what I see and/or hear in my head.

You do a lot of producing as well. What is your approach when working with an artist? Do you do a lot of pre-production or are you more spontaneous, in the moment?

Depends on the project, I suppose. Usually the more ROCK or ELECTRONIC projects are more thought out from the beginning. I’ve even taken people’s demos and redemo’d them with all the production ideas in place, and then we’d just go in and lay down guitar, bass, vox, etc… Then there’s records that have been more, I guess some people would call them “bluegrass.” There wasn’t much to think out before hand. I just kind of went with it. Wrote parts as I went, you know??

Yeah, Jonathan. I know! You are friends and work with the Jesus Culture guys. How did you get connected with them?

I’ve been friends with the JC crew for a few years now. We often make (other) records together. I probably talk to Jeffrey and Brandon the most often these days. They are awesome awesome people! I got to know them through a friend of mine, Jeremy Edwardson of The Myriad fame, and we’ve been making music ever since. Brandon and I play online video games together often. Ha ha!

I like you with long hair.

Thanks man! I’ve seen your hair go through a few transformations through the years. Is your current hairstyle your favorite yet??

I don’t know. You also have a beard. I am completely unable to grow a beard. did you know that? I can’t do it. I end up looking like a 13 year old boy trying to grow a mustache. It’s sad but I’ve come to terms with it. I mean, I’d at least like the option, you know? But whatever. I mean John Mark McMillan could shave and have a full beard again a day later… but whatever. It’s the card I was dealt. I’m fine with it.

I’m glad you’re content about it.

I wouldn’t say I’m content. I’m resigned to the fact.

You are also a Worship Leader at Beaches United Methodist in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. You just came out with a new worship record. What is it called?

Yeah, the latest recorded we did there is called “The Reason.” It came out mid August. It was a quick turn around!

Where are you playing these days?

We’ll I’ve been busy with John Mark. We had our first Raucous Tour that stretched about 3 months. We weren’t out the whole time, but we did 4 different legs of that tour. Pretty much played the whole country.  We are currently out on tour with David Crowder, Gungor, and Chris August. When I’m home I do all sorts of different musical things. Studio stuff sometimes. I play at a church in town called Elevation. I also play at John Mark’s church called Queen City Church every now and then. Jon and I are going to start the next All The Bright Lights record soon. We are excited about that.

You make music in and out of the church. What is it like being a musician in two different areas of music? I think some people, right or wrong, struggle to justify doing both. Often times because they are being asked to do so. Do you feel the pressure to defend yourself? Do you run into any criticism?

I’m always rethinking how I feel about this sort of thing… No, rather… how to handle it with other people. I know how I feel… I just don’t know how honest to be with people, when it comes down to it (even though, I’m pretty honest).

Sometimes it is very difficult. On a personal level, I have no qualms with playing anywhere, as long as it’s not for something that is causing real bad in the world. I’m a pretty tolerant person too. The only thing I’m probably intolerant about is… Intolerance. Ha!. Anyway… The irony here is that often times, I find the people that I most feel are loving and kind hearted are indeed outside of the Church. Oof.

The hard part is that some people don’t understand that good intentions and treating people right is really what matters most, on a practical level. So they worry about things like “playing in bars” or “drinking” or… I mean, pick your poison… But I just know that as long as you’re a good person, with a good attitude, you’re probably doing the right thing. Things will be okay.

Also, You know, I don’t really try to differentiate the “music” as one thing or another. If I can tap my feet to it and I’m having a good time playing it, I’ll play it. End of story!!

(trying real hard not to rant here) haha!

I’ve known Jared Bowser (the other half of SUNBEARS!) since he was born. He’s one of my favorite drummers ever. He’s good!

I’m lucky to have Jared in my life, even to this day, I’m not sure how he’s stuck with me for so long! I’ve definitely put him through some drama through the years, but I think it’s a testament to our friendship, you know. Jared blows my mind every time we play together.

What’s your favorite memory with Jared Bowser??

My favorite good memory?

Ohh… Good question… your favorite BAD memory!!

Let’s just drop it, Shall we, Jonny?  You guys create quite a spectacle in your live shows. You are switching between multiple instruments and singing, Jared is ruling on the drums, there are flowers everywhere, the video screens are playing all sorts of crazy things which you create, correct?.  How do you two come up with all the ideas for what you do as far as the stage show is concerned?  

Jared and I do a lot of talking. That’s where it all comes from. We are also HUGE music fans and go to a lot of shows. I don’t like to take credit for anything that we’ve ever done, because, you know, it’s probably all been done before. From Coldplay to Lady GaGa to The Flaming Lips, we sure as hell aren’t covering any new territory. But we do make it our own. It’s our interpretation of what has been done throughout music history, so yeah, it can feel fresh to some people… everyone is different!

But the stuff that plays on the video screen behind you guys is great! Do you create that all yourself? Is it hard? Does it take you a long time? I don’t think I have the necessary brain power to do that.

Yeah, I make all of that stuff. It’s not really hard, but it is time consuming. I usually spend a couple days per song. Or if I’m doing a little intro video, like my Yuki video from last year, that could take a week!! It also depends on what I’m animating. Oof.

click to watch the Sunbears! Yuki video

I like the little dances you do on stage while playing guitar… is it a routine or is it completely spontaneous?

I’d say it’s a combination of being completely spontaneous and loving Keith Richards.

Very cool!!

What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened on stage?

We’ve had hoola-hoopers on stage with us, which was pretty wild. The stages we play are not very big and so Jared and I were constantly dodging hoops for a few songs. It was cool though! The hoopers had neons lights in their hoops. Real cool! Jared has also broken his drum throne after doing a massive fill. We were in boston and he just full on ate it!! Ha ha!

click here to watch Jared eat it!

How about you??

A few years ago I was playing at the big christian conference in Canada. We had just finished playing and went off the stage. The guy I was playing with came up and whispered “Hey I’m gonna go talk to this guy” and I said “But we have to play one more song”, to which he replied “Oh you guys just play. It’ll be fine”, To which I said, “But… you are the singer…”. Then He left! So I gathered the guys and we sort of talked about what we were doing. The bass player and the only one who had a microphone said “I’m not singing”. Great! So I decided we would just jam out on some U2 ripoff thing and laugh and at least it will be funny to us. This was on live satelite tv, by the way. All over the world. Anyways, So we went back onstage but right as I started to rule with some dotted 8th notes this guy walks up on stage.  So he starts talking. And talking. And talking. About all sorts of ridiculous things. Everybody in the crowd is just staring at him probably thinking the same thing I was. I think he was taking up the offering. So after about 10 minutes of this the stage manager walks up to the edge of the stage and starts waving his arms around in the air and mouthing “PLAY! JUST PLAY!!!!” then he started doing that thing when you use your thumb to act like you are slicing your throat. He wanted this guy to be done. So I started to mouth back something like “hey you are the one that let him up here…” but then I’d be on camera looking like I was talking to myself so I just decided to play. What the heck, right? So we start playing this really loud U2 wanna-be thing. It wasn’t very good. I, and the stage manager, thought that would get this guy to stop. It didn’t. He just started singing! He started trying to sing one liners and get the crowd to sing it back. Like Bono or something. But they didn’t. They were still staring at him. All on live tv. It was really not fun. But funny!

How in the world did you meet (Flaming Lips singer) Wayne Coyne? Are y’all friends? Do you text him and stuff?

We started going a little back and forth on twitter. I randomly found him on there, I’m pretty sure on day one of his twitter career. He had something like 60 followers. Our friendship beyond that is pretty slim, we bump into each other a couple times a year, we have a chat here and there. He’s a pretty cool guy, from what I can tell, you know, very easy to talk to. Aside from meeting him though, I’ve actually made some very very cool friends that are a part of his OKC posse. We talk often! All good good people…!!!

Are you currently working on any projects? What do you have going on now?

Right now, Jared and I are just trying to get our new record out. It’s called “You Will Live Forever.” A lot of work getting releases out on your own, you know…!!! Going to be shooting a video for one of the tracks soon. It’s called “Together Forever.” And we also just finished up a video for the first single, “Give Love A Try.” Real feel good thing…

I can’t wait to see it! I really loved your video for Little Baby Pines. So good. What a beautiful song, Little Baby Pines.

Ha ha! Well, I got to hear some of your new record with John Mark McMillan while I was in New York last spring. You recorded with Jeremy Griffith (one of my favorite humans), just as Jared and I did. Did you have a blast?? Tell me about it!

Yes. I love Jeremy Griffith. He also mixed the ATBL record. He is great. We started out with a week of pre-production. Jeremy came down for it. Then we moved to Atlanta for a couple weeks and recorded at Glow In The Dark Studios. It was great working with Jeremy because he really made us think about the music differently. He’d come in to the live room, plug a guitar in and start jamming out with us. He would take each section of the song, one at a time, and really hash it out with us. We had never done anything like that before. He brought some great energy. And he’s a genius and gets amazing sounds. And he’s so funny.

What do you do for fun when you aren’t playing or working on music?

I hang out with my wife, Maria, all the time. She is the coolest person I’ve ever known aside from my family and Jared. I also play some world of warcraft a couple nights a week. I have my own guild that I run with a friend. Nerd Speak. However, if anyone reading this wants to come play with me and Brandon Aaronson from Jesus Culture, we play on the Shadowmoon server, Horde, guild name: <Intense>…!!! Ha!

I’ve never played World of Warcraft. I love Super Mario Brothers. Have you ever played Super Mario Brothers?

Aside from “Karate”, “Pac-Man”, and “Pole Position”, I think that was the first console game I ever played…

Oh. “Console game”. You know your stuff. You sounded so pro right there. What advice can you give to aspiring musicians and producers that are looking for ways to do music full time.

It’s sort of a tough question to answer. Honestly, music sort of fell into my lap without me asking for it. I had a job as an engineer here in Jacksonville, FL and I thought I was going to make a career out of it. And then the economy crashed, and the company that I worked for let 300 people go. All I had at that point was music… and also around then, people started paying attention to what I was doing. It just kind of worked out for me in a weird way… I don’t think it would happen the same way if I had it to do over again, it was just too perfect. But my advice? Just do what feels natural. I feel like as soon as anyone really starts TRYING to do anything, it becomes silly. Be yourself. People will like you.

That’s the key. Be yourself. It also helps to be a musical genius. What’s that like?

Shut up, James.

Let’s not fight.

I also think a lot of musicians are playing with the wrong people, or playing the wrong music for that matter, because it’s the only opportunity they think is available. There isn’t even anything wrong with that, necessarily. Music can be a JOB just like anything else. Lot’s of people hate their jobs, haha. But if you find yourself really frustrated with where you are at, musically unfulfilled, in a rut, hating the people you play with AND you are also not seeing any forward motion and that’s frustrating you to death… well maybe you need to look at where you are at. I’m not talking about paying your dues. I’m not talking about putting in the time and working your butt off. There’s a difference and I think people excuse one for the other. I have been all of those things at different times of my life, and it was always more about  me not being where I needed to be. Before I moved to Charlotte I was definitely all of those things.  I can’t even begin to tell you how much everything changed once I moved here and was where I was supposed to be. Everything was different.  In my case, where I was supposed to be was a different state. Sometimes it’s just a different attitude you need to have. Sometimes it’s a different church. Sometimes it’s a different group of musicians. Change can be scary, but it’s worth it in the end.

Any new gear you are excited about?

There is this cool new pedal called a POG, heard of it??

Yeah man. Octaves rule!!!!

Octaves are the new Power Chord!

Lets see… new gear. I did just got a new overdrive pedal AND a new guitar recently. The OD pedal is an old DOD Juice Box. It’s pretty rad, transparent. I like it. Took the place of my old modded Ibanez TS. I also got a 1990 Jap Jazzmaster, which I absolutely love. That’s about it for new stuff though!

Where do you keep your old PRS locked up?

Ah, Rosemary. Well it went into retirement a few years ago. Then I sold it. I thought somebody should be playing it. I used the money and bought Jacki some things for the house. And a 1966 Fender Mustang. It was a little sad, actually. I played that guitar all over the world. The guy that bought it sent me an email a couple of months later with “progress pics”. He had it repainted purple… PURPLE. Purple? I was a little heartbroken and felt guilty. Then I realized guitars are inanimate objects and have no feelings and can’t love or talk or anything. I sold it.

How’s Jacksonville?

Jacksonville is home, Jacksonville is great!!! I used to want to move, you know, head up to New York City or something, but then I got over it. “Home” has become something of great value to me lately, so I’d rather not uproot it and relocate!!! Besides, Jacksonville has everything I need.

You’re from Jacksonville! That’s how we know each other… but why did YOU leave??

I already told you that. You never listen to me.

Bye, Jonathan.

Bye, James. I love you?

 

bored/board changes

i’ve changed a little. so i thought i’d make note of it.

my TS9 is dead. i think. so i got a Hand Wired Ibanez TS808. i like it. i might fix my ts9 and use that too.

i am, for the moment, using the new, and already discontinued i believe, EH Deluxe Memory Man w/ Tap Tempo. It rules. so strong. my old Memory Man pedals just won’t hold up on the road. no matter what i do. it pretty much sounds the exact same as the original and it’s smaller and more durable. i think. hopefully. aside from the tap tempo, which is perfect, you can choose subdivisions. you can also use an expression pedal on it to control any of the knobs. it also has an effects loop and you can use  a separate tap if you want. i added a couple little mini expression pedals to the board to use with the memory man.

i also went to a PT3 pedalboard.

i’m gonna put my DD5 back on as well.

the tour is going great and is almost done PTL

bye

check in

load in at the crystal ballroom. portland, oregon.

hey y’all

still beating

ALL THE BRIGHT LIGHTS has returned with a new single. It’s called Still Beating and it’s available now.

click here to go to iTunes

ATBL has returned

we recorded a new song last week. it is called STILL BEATING and it’s going to be out soon.

we met in Jacob’s house last week. we set his drums up in his kitchen, put my guitar amp in the living room and set up shop in the guest room. we went over our ideas, combined them and started recording. as usual, we started with guitars then added drums. jon sang next and then he played bass. it took 3 days and we had our song.

we sent the files up to New York City. our friend and musical confidant, jeremy sh griffith mixed the track and the talented drew lavyne handled the mastering.

below is some photographic evidence of our doings.