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Vintage Guitar Magazine
EC: "...I started wondering if we would benefit by even thinking about trying to do something like 'Hellhound on My Trail.' Because to me, some of those songs are incredibly difficult - or just appear to be undoable. And that was the chief one that I thought, well, I'll never ever ... And we actually had to work on that one. We had to listen to his version over and over again, and figure out, well ... there are a couple of things where he adds an extra bar, and we've got to change that. And there's an odd note there ... And we learned it as a band. We actually learned his piece as a band, and dissected it, and put it back together again." EC: "...we did everything live, and there are only a couple of songs where I overdubbed the vocal. I was amazed that we pulled it off." VG: Had you spent considerable time referring to the original Robert Johnson recordings? EC: Each time. You see, the real story of the album was that I was actually in the middle of another project. I had started an album of original compositions with my partner, Simon Climie, and we'd half-written a lot of stuff. I said to him "Let's try a little experiment. We've got the band here. When it gets difficult with our own stuff, let's kind of have a break, and go and do a version of a Robert Johnson song - just so we could clear our heads and come back to our stuff from that perspective." And that's the way it started. It was really just going to be an escape clause, and it actually became the powerful venture, and the one that had the most feeling.. Mark again - commenting on the album, in light of recent discussion, it's apparent that it's a fine line to travel. You can do a perfect note-for-note tribute (much like Jeff Beck's "Crazy Legs") or interpret the songs completely in your own way - which may lose the feel you are trying to capture. It seems that EC was really trying hard to capture both ideas! VG: How do you use different instruments to achieve particular tones and emotions? And how do they bring out different attributes in your playing? EC: It depends on what I'm trying to evoke. If I'm trying to evoke something from the '50s, I'll use an old Gibson. They're quite tricky to play because I use fairly thick strings on them, so they're louder and fatter. Bur it means that when I go to bend a note, I'm not going to be able to do exactly what I want. It's pretty resistant. So I end up playing - or attempting to play - a little like T-Bone Walker would play, with that kind of sound. So it's more of an implied bend than a full bend. ... I love those Alnicos [Mark here, most pickups use alnico magnets but in this case EC is referring to the special pickups Gibson used 1954-1957 on certain models, and NOT to humbucking pickups which also coincidentally use alnico magnets] but I have to dicker a lot with pickups so the bottom end isn't overwhelming, because they're really rich bass pickups. ... ... And I play with my fingers, too, which adds a whole other dimension to the way it's going to sound. And in fact, on most of that album, even with the Strat, I didn't use a pick at all. When you play live, I think there's something about using your fingers that gives it more intimacy. It's all an intuitive thing. If I play with a pick, it's a stage approach. I'm going for maximum attack and volume. And I really don't follow that thinking when I'm in the studio and when we're playing as an ensemble. I want to get inside the mix and so I'll use my fingers. When I'm using my fingers, I've got much more control about how subtle it could be. VG: How have your choices in gear evolved over the years? What are the most essential characteristics you need to hear when you're selecting an instrument? EC: Well, I think everything has got to have a very healthy midrange. I'm very suspicious of too much top end or too much bottom. I mean, I respect and love all of the brands, but I always found it most difficult to, for instance, get on with Gretsch because I'm not quite sure what they sound like.... ... And it's important that any of the guitars I play have healthy attack. What I've gotten used to - and I suppose I've become spoiled by - is those Lace Sensor pickups that Fender kind of evolved. And the problem is, of course, that they're really loud, and once you get used to that, it's difficult to go back to the old single coil. My old Strats are beautiful things, but when I plug them up, I think, where is it? [Mark's note: DeltaNick just had a seizure] ... But I still like to go back to the Gibson Alnicos or the humbuckers to get that richness. VG: Do you prefer newer guitars? EC: I think that Fender is doing pretty well with their contemporary stuff. They're the ones I would turn to for a contemporary guitar. [Mark's note: what would EC know, of course he loves 'em, they send him Masterbuilt stuff not the stuff off the production floor!!!]. But for a vintage guitar, I think Gibsons are unmatched, especially L-5s and Byrdlands. VG: Let's discuss the upcoming ... Auction .... EC: ...well, the ones I didn't want to sell the first time around! The 'A' team! ... VG: Are there any instruments you would absolutely never consider selling? EC: I think the Crash guitar I've used over the last five years will be mine forever. It's the multicolored Strat that's probably the one that's most recognized now. That was like the first of its kind. .... but I'd never part with the original. VG: What about amplifiers? Are there any amps you'd never part with? EC: My Tweed Twin. I love that thing, but every time I use it, it blows up! When it's sounding good, that's the time to watch out! VG: What will you be playing on the upcoming tour? EC: The new Crash guitar, and I think I'll probably be using the Fender Twin - the copy Twin. [Mark: EC has apparently ditched the Cornell EC Amp] VG: What advice would you give to musicians on developing their own style and sound? EC: Listen. Really learn to listen. This most important thing is to listen, and enjoy listening, too. But it's not as easy as it sounds to listen without other stuff going on in your head. You know, just shut down the agendas and listen to what you hear. Listen to music all the time and enjoy it. VG: What do you listen to for enjoyment? EC: Anything. Anything. I love to listen to the blues, but I love to listen to jazz, too. I like 60s jazz a lot. It's where I go to relax. We're talking Clifford Brown and people like that, like Thelonious Monk. I listen to that a lot because it is refreshing and it feeds the other kinds of music that I play in a very indirect way. VG: Are you more inspired by listening to musicians who aren't guitar players? EC: Yes, very much. The people that I tried to emulate were actually players like King Curtis and Little Walter, who played with the same kind of attitude towards music, but their instruments were different - tenor sax and harmonica. And I was also inspired to play by Junior Walker. To play guitar like Junior Walker played saxophone is good fun.
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