NRG Podcast | Joe Bonamassa

No [Music] [Music] everybody norm over here and welcome to the norms our guitars podcast I'm here with my good friend who I always try to refer to as my nephew I've known Joe Bonamassa since he was 12 years old and we'll get into that in a few minutes and I love the guy I love his family I think he's the greatest blues guitar player and rock and blues guitar player that ever lived at this point and I'm not saying this no no no I mean it I've heard you and I don't think there's anybody that could really hear hollering at arkett I'm not saying this Hill you know I'm not trying to blow smoke I mean my guy he can prove it and if you go see him live he does it every time he plays live so it's just astounding the band is great and my buddy Nick Dyess over here so that's my sidekick hi I've never actually heard blushing on a podcast I just know you know speaking that this this notion of a lot of times now people go come up to me just randomly and say I just I just saw your uncle I'm like we're theoretically related but but yeah it's not a blood relative but exactly for so long so long Joe how did I meet you tell them tell the story real quick I think it's kind of cool I came out here around 1990 to do a show on ABC television was called into the night with Rick Dees and for those not familiar Rick Dees Rick Dean's very famous radio personality and they gave him a late-night talk show and the house band was Billy Vera and the beaters look cool band I know Billy and part of this thing they brought me out to be part of a skit which was somehow Rick Dees was hard up for a guitar player and there was no quote-unquote guitar players so they had very good though they had to go into the audience and everybody raised their hand one of their shot on television of course they picked me and they had my guitar there and we did this rousing version of Johnny be good and a couple things the first there's a lot of first on that trip first time to California first time in Los Angeles first time I figured out what what Union scale was so I $589 for my appearance because I spoke a word and I think they gave me more that's why I'm chatty especially on there you go and it was the first time we did the guitar shops and and where we were told you have if you're gonna go to any guitar shop in town you have to go out to I believe that you you were in a different location receipt receipt it and we went out to receive it and we went to norms rare guitars for the very first time and me being a kid full of ego and nothing's changed in 30 years somehow we had eight-by-tens with us little smokin Joe Bonamassa I still have that good job you signed I signed a picture teen and it was just it was just one of the things like you know I was from upstate New York and we had a couple local music shops but I never I never saw black you know the black guard telly or any of this stuff you know I was so into tweed am so so into fender strats and Gibson old Gibson Les Paul another that little store they were just piled up in piles yeah and and it was like this and you were very generous I remember very dressed because I'm just a kid you know and I'm poking around very expensive guitars they were expensive back then and and and they've ever been cheap and you were just I guess pay whatever you want and it was the first it was the first experience I had actually a tactile experience that I had playing the stuff and and but I know that those those formative years and that experience kind of here would subsequently cost me millions and not exaggerate now yeah maybe not but it's but you know I mean it that's where one of the things always like about your videos that you do at the store is you you're happy to hand a six-figure guitar to a 12 year old kid because what it does is it plants that seed in them go and you go I want to be around this I want to I want to you know and it's just the guitar and they they're playing it and I'm just here to tell you a 30 years later you remember those those moments and it seems very it just seems like matter of fact at the time but at least for a guy like me the fact that I was able to play him and plug them into something it planted to see that I'm still operating the same way today right and that was actually something that just happened off camera we were talking about you the fact that you will take out your bursts and play them in open water you know all the way I got it I gotta tell this story yeah I don't wanna Joe Bonamassa blues groans and and Joe plays out on stage middle of the ocean it's one of the most beautiful experiences ever it really is and you always manage to have some of the greatest talent along with you on that there's like 20 acts every one of them is fantastic because you have your finger on all of it but meantime we're standing outside and under the stars and the boats rocking a bit and Joe's plan a sunburst Les Paul you know a robot yes but probably a quarter of a million or more yeah so it starts to rain and I'm looking at Joe and I'm going I can't believe he's still playing this are we nuts and go did the whole set and with with the guitar and he came off and I'm standing by the side of the stage I said Joe are you crazy you're playing a real sunburst Les Paul in the rain and Joe goes see all these people they've paid to see me I want to give me the best that I and you know I was monitoring that because Mike had the spare and it was it wasn't like a it was it wasn't pouring it was kind of just sprinkling as it does in and the in the sometimes on these cruises and it was it was why I just I kept looking down and you see a few water droplets in his back that's fine it one of the things about carrying old guitars on the road is you know we're never haphazard or reckless with them but you also can't you have to play them they can't play you know you can't look down and go oh my god you know I remember the first the very first summers Les Paul I bought I mean it was I thought it was crazy I just was a guy and I have this thing and and my friend Elliott let me pay it off on time I'm like I'm absolutely not and somebody told me he said hey listen you know I know I see you're playing that but every scratch that you put on that guitar takes a thousand dollars from the value and I'm like oh my god I'm freaking out and then I look down and I go I put a hundred and sixty-five scratches on this guitar it's free nothing you know and then I then I said you know what I've never broken a reissue I've never really scratched I'm I'm kind of easy on guitars in this sense I don't I don't you're not gonna start mysteries I go I haven't mistreated the stuff I used to play why would I start mistreating him now and it totally relaxed me because up at that point I felt that the burst was or the guitar itself was playing me and I wasn't playing it yeah and then once you get your head around it like you know there's a guitar I showed you today I bought from Martha Reed gorgeous incredible Maurice my mother no no no Martha Reed and and you know I showed you take no that's a guitar as a responsible collector that doesn't need to see any road use the color is perfect this it's generally mid - condition there's only one little ding a lot and like if I brought that out and more the studded belt and you know then the whole concept of custodianship gets thrown out the window you know and it's like I don't have that ego as a player to go well it's my guitar I can do whatever I want I have I have a responsibility when you agree to buy something that preserved to hopefully the next generation to have it keep it in that can keep it in that condition out do I enjoy it while I play it in the studio absolutely when mess around with it at home absolutely but as far as it that doesn't need to be played there's no that's the thing you struggle both worlds because you are a collector but you're a player as well and you know your audience deserves to hear these fantastic guitars that you there's a caretaker there's a few guitars I'm scared of like like like III don't even break break him out the black burst which is the factory black 60 standard the the the brown 55 Les Paul that was made for CMI in Chicago for a trade show it's listed in the ledger is as Viceroy Brown or there's one that was listed there was five guitars they made copper myths so it's either the compromised one or the white backdrop and the the one that you wouldn't go okay those are those are one-off custom color Gibson's which are rare the other guitar that that I cannot I just I'm scared of it because it's so mint and perfect is the other guitar that I bought from you the day I got Amos yep which is a 1966 tuxedo Fender Telecaster Olympic white with black behind and every time I break that thing out cuz it's beautiful I just find myself I get uptight and nervous because it's so MIT and it's so rare to find those I just put it back in the case it literally scared of the guitar and not a lot of people know that the there's a famous picture now of I'm sitting there was the day a couple days after we played the Greek with the three kings to her and we went out to your your secret stash and we got Amos and there's a there's another case ivory always yes what's in the other case and it's that tuxedo yeah that's Ellie yeah because I figured you were like it was one of those modes like what's in here you're like oh I don't know the tuxedo great you know and it was one of those days it was just you know so those are the three that I'm fearful you know and then some of the men's stuff I don't really play a lot but you know I plan to bring the famous goes on the road bring out of your collection what percentage would you calm and I would say at this point 85 yeah he's a connoisseur he's got very good things nice buying art III basically have 35 what I would call in road guitars and rotation yeah it's a Whitman sampler strats Kelly's three three fives you have to draw on two keys yeah and what I try to do is I try to rotate in and out every tour just so the fans get it you know yeah different job they love to see the Scarab early keep yourself interested as well yeah and any bring something else on you they love to see the Skinner burst the fans like guitar now Johnny B which is a 60 Les Paul it has a plaque that says Johnny beat the Joanie baby my favorite question about that guitar is hot it how'd you get the name Johnny being like anyway so I have about 35 out of the 400 guitars that I have approximately 400 I have 35 in rotation and I have I would say 85 and 90% of it is is what I would consider mint I know but now they here's the other thing is there's definitions of the word meant there's a norm mint which means new yeah then there's other people's definition of mint and they go it's mint for its age mint is MIT and it's one of those things where it's like everybody grades their guitar yeah I tend to like downgrade my guitars in the sense just in my own personal life we do because it's if on the rare occasion something I have to I sell off a few just to fund behavior like I showed you because it's a lot of money for these things I always tell people who this is it's a it's an 8.5 and they'll go and they get it's a lot cleaner than I thought I go that's my 8.5 yeah that others will be 9.5 well then they're not disappointed they're not disappointed and and one of the things about guitar Club collecting of anything is is I had a instance where I I rushed in and I bought what I thought was an original sparkle P bass and I remember speaking to you about it but it was trying to authenticate photos and Valen I had it in hand and I don't know much about Sparkle finishing yeah and nobody does it's very unless you have a picture of an old man in black and white yeah and I remember so I paid I think good money for this thing and I found I took it down to songbirds Museum which they have a lot of sparkle stuff I said well we're gonna go see 10 15 of them at the same time these guys got so what down that's showed Dave Davidson and I said Davy I couldn't hurt my feelings either way I said I said do I have a fifteen thousand dollar base or do I have a $5 he goes Joe let me buy a lunch we can talk about your $5,000 base oh no fair enough yeah so I was gonna hang it on the wall and as like lesson learned I hung it on the wall in Nashville I'm looking at it and it's like the tell-tale heart that's all I can think about is this damn bass take it off the wall stick it in the case put it in the closet and then I go what am I gonna do it a bass I'm not a bass player so I sold the bass to a guy and I the first the first thing I said reefing it's an old refinish and I kept repeating the narrative it's a refinish refinish and he goes oh I think it's right it's a refinish tell yourself now because you're gonna find out there yeah so he bought it and now he loves it because he has he bought it for what it is and he can look at it and he can reconcile it and he you know and he knows what he bought when I'm the problem I had with it was knowing that I made boat it is this yeah and I rarely make mistakes cuz I'm a pretty shrewd buyer and I know him look I know an old guitar when I see barkal is difficult it's difficult and I don't think anybody dealer or collector gets out of this thing alive without making a few mistakes I know everything and that was one but the point of the story was is everything in my collection has a good vibe about it remember argued over price I never you know I certainly would I don't you know if somebody offers me a guitar for $250 it's worth 25 grand they're gonna get a fair price but yeah I have that stuff in the collection knowing that I ripped somebody off you don't want to in your karma thank in and one of the things is is if you do it with the right intentions you can look at your collection and be proud of it and yeah and you just you can pull it out and show people go this is got a great story behind it you know I remember a story not to be long-winded but of a guy who a fan of mine in in Rockford Illinois drove from Iowa he was gonna sell me his uncle's laughs deal and I said okay 600 bucks for the laughs deals old fender thing with a tweed case I love them yeah yeah and he shows up for 30 and my tour manager clay says hey your friend is here with the laughs deal and he's got a buddy I'm like okay come downstairs and the buddy was holding on to the quote-unquote speaker which was a museum grade with the tag still on it fender tweed deluxe that went with ya and he goes I figured I had the speaker I figure I throw it in I said timeout so long story short he said I bought them lunch yeah he got $3,500 for his speaker and he threw in the letting me yeah you'll be happy about it every time you see it everybody yeah you know since we're talking about this geeky stuff with guitars I just want to bring up a few other things I'm friendly with you mom and dad and I love your family and your dad had to get to our store yeah in Utica you didn't that was version of my sword yeah it was it was it was a used and vintage shop and when he started the first story he hit twice when he started the first store it was in a time where things would show up things would walk in the front door things would show up in the Pennysaver or the swashy and you could stock a store go into a guitar show with $10,000 could fill up a truck with 10,000 notes I'm old enough to release your doubt a pro musician before he did they sir he was a he semi-pro a weakened player headbands and whatever any worked you know day job and then when I had my career started he kind of like you know had to could have you know kind of fork in the road yeah exactly and he had the guitar shop and it was one of those things where you like I remember the Joan it's extract Joan Itzik was in his 90s and in 1954 he went to four Jettas music in Utica New York and bought the first Fender Strat ever brought to Utica the to what bought it new and it walked in the front door of my father's shop and if my father offered him $500 he would have had the guitar yeah the fact that he offered him $1,500 told you score the guy off hold Joe that and at that point in time we're talking about a guitar with me worth seventy five hundred eight grand whatever we talk about early 90s okay thirty-nine and so I'm like okay so I watched the whole thing go down and Joe in his 90s take the guitar and go back to his house but even back in those days he had a phone book local six months later call him up I go mr. Nick would you which I'm not got a kid it would be selling no really not finally I just I just drove over and knocked on the front door now in 2019 they would probably get you shot 1991 it was a little bit more tame in the time knocked on the door I'm missing getting I really want you get target is beautiful it was and I never owned a maple neck strap and so I go listen I have forty five hundred dollars on me all the money in the world and he lets me in the front door and a good sign and he goes out to the garage because I just need to get a hand can you give me a hand getting the guitar in the six months since since we'd seen the guitar he took it back and he put it in the garage and he stacked his tires from his car so I move the tires uh and he then called his brother because he couldn't count the money couldn't see very well call his brother and I sat there for three hours and his brother and he started singing playing like like old-timey yeah like polka music and I'm sitting I'm like okay this is this is this is weird this is getting weirder by the minute he finally goes if you're gonna give that guitar a good home you could have it so I gave him the money and I walked out I walked out the door and what that started was that was the deal was that was the original guitar so far because I didn't buy the guitar that day I bought the story yeah yeah and that's what that's what I love about in collecting stories ever since I got one for you talking about 50 forest rats I mean you know and I've never used this line yeah I was gonna say just to wrap that up I do love that he nicknames all these great guitars and there's always a story with your story the story yeah so tell yours No so this guy comes into my store and he's got a minty fifty-four strat now this was probably in the late 70s or early 80s and as soon as he walked in I looked at the guitar and I kind of was like drooling and I just said I've got to have this thing at the time probably the best one in the world would have went for sixty-five hundred bucks and I just said I'm just gonna punish myself what the hell and I offered him 7,500 bucks right pay it forward right and the guy said to me 7,500 bucks some guy offered me 7,500 bucks just for the neck and so I had to use his line which cost me that guitar I never got it but I said you know the guy that offered you 7,500 for the neck that was a second stupidest guy in the world you know the first stupidest guy is you for not taking it of course I didn't get the guitar but you know you're out at hello I mean I yeah I knew I wasn't gonna get anywhere and I could have taken his number maybe call him back but I thought that was the end of that but anyhow I couldn't resist because I mean I've had that in the back of my head a friend of mine told me that a long time ago my buddy dander and said you know that's the second stupidest guy and you're the first I had to say that to him and then I kind of went boy am i I'm probably yeah at least the third yeah well you know one of my favorite lines because I always tell people like you know because people know I collect stuff I have a lot of lot of amps a lot of guitars more than a hundred even in a lifetime there are some people that that fancy themselves wheeler dealers and they I always something if you're gonna come pokin around the museum be prepared to set a record because there's there's a fine line between like I would be crazy to turn this down yeah and you know because one of the things is is that you know my stuff comes in sets you know the Tweed amps it's probably it's not probably it's the best assembly of mint there's 2065 mint narrow panel tweed apps Cleveland in the whole set I've seen some of those and my second that and some of me got for me and I got for you there's actually one in the store that needs rescuing but but what I'm saying is is the thing about it is when you're when you go you might you know like if you're gonna sell something to someone now cuz I'm not a guitar dealer you I go I have to vet you in the sense that I want to make sure that a this thing doesn't end up at eBay or or be you're actually gonna take care of it and not just throw it in a pile and because it's my job to preserve this thing you're the custodian you're the custodian and I've done that for a while yeah and and you know and a lot of times you know I'll throw out a number and they're like wow and I go well I paid too much [Music] [Music] [Music] you [Music] hey that's the great Joe Bonamassa I'm here with my buddy Nick Dyess and Joe and I just want to talk a little bit about Joe himself because I mean I've known Joe for so many years and again I've told you about his playing what I think and I'm not blowing smoke I really do believe he's just an unbelievable player possibly the greatest that ever lived and but we won't don't know but but as a person I just want to tell people what kind of guy Joe is Joe knows that I'm involved with a place called the midnight mission that's right and it's very dear to my heart and it's helping the homeless and Joe and I and Nick all know that musicians are people that could be one step away from being homeless whether it's drugs alcohol bad financial decisions there's so many Glee activities and you know when I asked Joe I mentioned to him actually you were my buddy Richie Sambora in Barcelona but the first guy that I asked to play for the midnight mission was Richie Sambora and I went down one year and I bought a bunch of toys to the kids and one of the guys Orlando Ward who is a pro basketball player who ran into some hard times and became a patient or a person from the midnight mission ended up working for the midnight mission Orlando said why don't you go in there and hand out these toys and I was so moved and it really tore me up that kids have to come down to get a hot meal and a free toy on Christmas Day in a city that's probably one of the most wealthy places yeah yeah well you know one of the things you know we've we've done these gigs for the midnight mission and I always believe that charity starts at home you know we've been a los Angelino for 17 years and you know it's it's you know our cruise is weak we do a lot we raise a lot of money for the foundation and and that gives we give away instruments and we give away to school in the blues away yeah but but truth be told you know when all when you take the suit off and glasses and strip away I'm a resident you know and what you guys do with the midnight mission here is fantastic in this sense because you know it's it you could see where you you know we'll do a concert or you donate some money it dollar for a dollar goes right it directly to the people who need it and every 90 cents is a balanced meal for the homeless because they buy the food in bulk yeah and they serve over a million meals a year and they food and clothes and rehabilitate people but I was saying in this you know what happened was after I gave out the toys the first person I went to knew and he's one of my best friends and he's also one of the great guys was Richie Sambora and I said to Richie I said you know and at the time he was playing with Bon Jovi and I knew he was very very busy and I said Richard what would you think about doing a gig you know to raise some money for the homeless for the midnight mission and I was waiting for Richard to go you know I'm so busy I'd love to do it but I can't do it and Richard was immediately like yeah let's do it man we could we could raise a lot of money from the homeless and I was kind of thrown back I went really yeah is it yeah man let's do it so I talked to some of my other friends who are my customers Jackson Browne Los Lobos these n cruisers which is the late Doug fieger and Elliot Easton who has done one of our podcasts and yeah and Laurence Juber and his daughter Elsie and you know we don't like maybe we can make a difference I mean you can't really attack the entire problem but at least we're doing something that was a fair show you did write a melody yeah yeah it was fantastic you know it's one of those things where you just go well if you know if anything I always say anything either worth doing is not easy it has to start somewhere it has yeah you have to start with 96 cents you know what I mean and and and the one of the things is for us to play a gig or anybody to do it King it's what we do anyway you know and the fact that it it it directly it directly goes to people who need it and and one of the most moving things was we had this midnight mission put on this this event and we went there and the people who got up that they had helped and spoke mm-hmm so eloquently about being at the very bottom and so movingly and and and rising up and and getting themselves out of this out of this situation and they couldn't have done that without at least you know hell it's basically a social tourniquet you know you have to stop the bleeding you have to you have to stop the spiral yeah you know to bottom out so you can rise up again and it's and it's in it was so moving I just remember being so inspired by the simplest things and you just go you just one of the things I took from that evening was you don't have any real problems Joe Bonamassa you don't have any real problems the things you get spun up about whether you know where they do an X Y or Z and and you know to me it's the end of the world because I'm Italian and you don't have any real problems you know and its perspective building in the the truest everything's perspective but I think if if it's someone that's in a position where you are able to help and you can do that I think it's good for everybody all around specialize musicians because you know if you look at their gigs you're put here to play music people that pay money that goes to feed the people are there to listen to music it's a beautiful big circle really the best the best one was Donny bond for those who he's a friend of ours the very generously donates the midnight mission the best the best midnight mission event though was sunny baby daddy be a great big sorry I haven't miss label in my phone and and he's a great guy and we we did this a gig at his house yeah and it was with Rick Vito and it was obvious great and Rick Rick and donated Rick had donated a guitar or Reverend guitar signature his signature model and they were auctioning it off for the charity and it and I I don't know the the the bidding kind of stalled next thing you know Donny grabs the mic and any any calls out his richest friends my name from this day yeah going you're not leaving this house until you pony up I'm not talking to you you play starting point and I think he got like they went from like 3000 bucks to 40 grand like a minute and I go you are the greatest auctioneer of all yeah absolutely well yeah who's his audience was he was bright and that was the III will always remember that I go he it was at the Lebanon everybody's good they're about to say so we're not doing this you yeah you it was great it was a you know and again it was like you know that 40 grand is or whatever was raised at night I mean 40 thousand meal meals so well done Donnie so yeah so that was really cool and you know I've been so blessed to know so many of these guys that really you know some people can kind of look at a problem and pretend like it's not there but you know when you see people actually stepping up and doing something I mean again whatever little thing that you could do that's one person that you could help or that's ten people or forty thousand people ya know I think one of the sound overly pontificates one of the one of the things I think is lacking in society just in general is the concept of selflessness is is giving rather than receiving we live in a very just by the nature of technology and our phones are it's easy to to kind of collapse into your own little bubble and the only things that matter to you are the things that either inconvenience you or or give you that dopamine shot when you look at your Instagram like okay it's this concept of selflessness is is giving back you to people that need it and actually need it and actually appreciate it yeah you know and it's it's a it's something that's a little bit lost and you're starting to see less and less of it so you know anytime I can be involved in giving back you know I'm a blues guitar player with a wonky last name and the pressure questionable chin okay so so at the end of the day I've I've done very well in in in this life playing music that I love and having a great fan base that's gone with me but but it's not lost I mean how how incredibly he I am to be in this position and and I'm grateful and like you said you're one twist and turn away in your early 20s from making the wrong decision yeah in your life you could be in that you could be on the other side of the line not handing out too easily you could it's it's it's there's there's a only a couple of chess moves away from from utter devastation and it's it's not lost there's been Forks in the road for me and for everybody or one wrong move and it's a whole different story absolutely it's giant fork up that's right so you know I I just wanted I'm sorry no ice all right go I just wanted you to know what kind of guy Joe is because I mean to me being a great musician is fantastic it would be a great person in a hundred years from now you know we'll see what anything means but you know Joe is very approachable people can come up to Joe and talk to him and say hey Joe I'm a big fan and you know I always see Joe you know taking pictures with people and signing an autograph or talking to people and you know you should be grateful that people actually want that from me absolutely I'm especially if I'm in your store and Smee asked me for a picture or I've never seen you refuse or or or autograph a CD and chances are I'm either holding a guitar case or an amp and I make the direct correlation I didn't pay for this well I just seen you dance paid for they because they buy the records they might assume you do that with a teenager that was actually trying to hit are out next door in our store and and those kids sort of looking at Joe and looking around and good what do i do Joe goes sorry guitar for him played so amazing like how many bikes and yeah that sounds good you should buy that I would be good on the sales floor oh yeah you harden all guitar dealer from way back my father raised me right and that's my default position I'll come work for Norman as my career ends but I don't know if I can afford you but the job well one of the things about one of the things about guitar buying is is the industry in general it's the it's the search for the Holy Grail it's the search of but if I only had this oh if I only had that but I had this what would a lot of times with a lot of people don't realize is that is is if I handed this guitar to Eric Clapton he would sound like Eric Clapton you know I handed this guitar to you you'd sounded like you yeah sorry what I'm saying is is is the the sound in the tone and the player it starts with in yeah and and these are these are conduits and tools like like you need a like everybody should have a Fender Strat in their arsenal it's their electric guitar play everybody should have a telly everybody should have a Les Paul thing that's a 335 thing an arch top thing because though because when a carpenter needs a hammer a Phillips head screwdriver my flat head screwdriver a saw and and that that's the direct correlation so you know that's how you got the finished product but but we we deal in the addiction business yeah okay we're in the addiction business I'm the guitar addict and you're servicing the guitar addict and that the thing is you know you don't need all this stuff but it's great it's nice to have it and there's always that question of you know I say this with people ago I've only I had that 57 straw I'd sound fantastic I'd sound like Eric Clapton well as bad as driving they know it was something that you can kind of aim at and work towards everything one of those commonly asked questions is why old guitar Joe you know it's like I was like listen you can be a squire strat oh yeah well I don't know who plays a squire strat and it kills it Jack Pearson you know a speaking you know me about the Blues cruisers you know that we did before Joe has introduced a lot of these people trying to give a lot of these people a leg up and get them known to the guitar fanatic public and all that and I was I you know I've been on the cruise and there's like 20 acts on there and I'm dad you know ready to go to sleep I could barely walk and I want by this one venue on the ship and this guy is just playing I'm going who the hell is this guy and I had never really heard of him you know and my my bad and I am listening to him Anissa great player and singer and you know one of my buddies leans over to me and says you see what he's playing I go yeah strap I know we were standing kind of a little far back he goes that's a squire strap it's like 150 $200 guitar and I'm going well that pretty much blows everything that I've ever stood for my whole life you know but you told everybody that story when you can but he wouldn't stop going on about his kind he goes and he was playing a squire he sat in with us two nights at the Ryman yeah because he said one night it's like Jackie want to come back for the next time yeah sure so he brought both of his guitars he brought the squire strap on the Friday and he bought this brought the squire telly on the test and when we're doing Reese's record he played on Reese's record and I just for show and tell I brought down where the Epiphone a mice's yeah great guitars though that I know today of all days cause a little bit of controversy I don't I had to remind some boutique guitar maker to shut the [ __ ] up yeah sorry to swear on this thing but but but it bears repeating yeah anyway doesn't matter I brought the guitar I'm just headed in the room and he was he was on it yeah and he goes with this and he goes man this is this would be great for my jazz gig can I give and I said Jack you know what how about this take it I said I said up you could take it and and and i won on one condition I said I want a video and a picture of you playing a Flying V at a jazz gig so next next week I get a picture he's he's rocking the the Epiphone playing straight up bebop really with the V with my goomah that's worth that of course a picture's worth a thousand words I love this guy or and he he's one of those once-in-a-lifetime towns I mean like it Jack also play with the Allman Brothers now turd Dickie left in 95 you know jack is a national treasure I'll tell you who else comes on our crews on a regular basis you head on on the podcast is Josh Smith gosh we did a podcast with Josh now again of all the guitar players you always say there's one guitar player scares the hell out of me right be Josh and Fletcher is another one and you know it so I you know on our boat you know a lot of some artists like I think it rubbed the wrong way or whatever they always ask so that they see me go yeah you always have Joshua Kirk and and and and stuff like that how do how do you get invited on the boat I go well it's nepotism these are my friends these are guys you hang with charity sides at home I mean like I know the whole excuse of the bow above and beyond the the charity event and getting together and just doing it is I get to for at least four or five days at a time I get to hang with my friends which I never get to do she's nice yeah and we've had I mean I tell you some of the standouts Larkin Poe is always great okay Christine I'll tell you that buddy had never heard Chris play I heard his name a few times it was everybody in the boat was talking about Chris Kanyon and he's just he's just a monster and have you got Eric gales unless we oh ever got our tails and he's another month oh he's another guy like Joe I can just sit and watch for hours mesmerizing we had this past cruise me at Peter Frampton who was fantastic really and singing is better than he's ever I mean it was the best Peter Frampton show I've ever seen I used to tour with newer humble - humble pie huh and Peter Frampton was great Kenny Wayne Shepherd was great lar compose great I mean Eric gales killed it so it was a really you know it's a good Sarah Rose arrow goes on spring you know it's one of those things it's it's if you you know to me it's like it's always good to put people out there in front of an audience that that you know obviously if you're gonna come to a Joe Bonamassa blues cruise and you're not a Joe Bonamassa fan it doesn't make any sense to me okay because you gonna get a free bobblehead like it enough so a thing is it's like the concept is room for everybody and and you know I know my fans like they they like guitar and they like it loud and they like it electric you know so you know if you can you know help some of these artists at least expose them when he's never under people and it cracked exposing that everybody everybody should hear just nobody is inedible incarnate and all these guys are we thought there's one thing that I just wanted to talk about because I thought it was rather funny you had James Hunter played to James Hunter is like one of my favorites what do you mind you know came up to me who knows me real well and said yeah yeah check this out oh you know I'm not that crazy about a lot of the new music he says no you need because this is how James Hunter is his tunes are incredible it's sort of like early sixties arm the pre Beatles the guy is phenomenal but he's such a nut and a funny character character yeah he's setting up in the atrium to play and they're doing a sound check and he's got the you know they're working on the vocal mics and stuff like that and Joe kind of hears that there's like a little too much high end or something like that and Joe walks up to the sound guy and says hey mint could you kind of roll the eyes off back a little bit things hundred didn't even know who Joe was no and he goes hey who you telling the sound guys it this is the guy that put on the cruise right here this is a guy you're working for but he didn't get it but he James Hunter was so fantastic him yeah he didn't recognize me in the green jumper and I actually had a good rap with him one time about just you know where's this come from James he's British and I used to see him in London when he was called Howlin wolf yeah and he and he always plays this reissue Les Paul specialist balls are special and it's been react and I said I said wow because it was I played it this was in San Jose we did it festival can you show me the guitar and and and I go I go how did what happened to the original neck just making conversation because oh I did hit somebody over the head with it yeah I make sense you know I mean I think you know so but he he's on our next one and I'm glad and you know the thing about James is is anything I do to help I really think he's a superstar and waiting it's just it to me that guy should be packing out performing arts centers and theaters all over the movies the real thing has gone bananas and loves him I had one couple that went on the cruise as soon as I saw him James Hunter was on yeah we're on you know let me make the phone call and you know the guy and the thing is is like his guitar sound is the anti everything that most young people are looking for for guitars it's a very clean sound because it violet yeah very wide and his rhythm playing is incredible yeah and but the thing about James Hunter is is that when you hear him playing one measure you know it's James Hunter I mean you know there's so many guys that you go well you know it sounds like you know 200 other guys this guy sounds like himself or Reetha Franklin so yeah we're John Lee Hooker playing it's a it's the same thing he's a real thing well that's one of the nice things about your crews and the way you pick the artists and mentioning people at Larkin Poe who if you haven't they are phenomenal to really get too big to be in our boat because he's like he's like about to explode really he's always thinking I go dude dude you know you're the heir apparent man you're you're the future of this thing what do you think about kingfish I think he's great you know I think you know both of the him and Marcus you know that represents the future of this in this room who you know all right he wanted a green jumper yeah guitar blues contest that Guitar Center I don't discriminate against any other stores they put on and he won the contest and yesterday he was in the store we were talking and he told me he won the contest and somehow Joe's name came up and I said Joe's going to be here and Rob said his name is Rob Gehringer and Rob is playing with a lot of the top about that artists from Eminem to cardd to Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar you know I mean just on and on he's the young guy and this guy can really play but you know when I told him Joe Bonamassa was coming in he Oh can I come in and meet though I said you come in you can listen in on this podcast and this kid can really play yeah you heard this video we yeah one of the things most encouraging is is I think at this point I mean there's always a conversation like guitars dead guitar saying it's really not the the nowhere near nowhere near and and the the the amount of young people under the age of 25 that are out there shredding I mean like in all genres yeah playing kill a rhythm stuff playing I mean and the depth of knowledge that they have did you are surpassed they did hear the video with the Stanley Brothers the two teens yeah those kids can really play I mean they came in when they were 13 when there were 14 were they recently now they're 15 and they're really playing I mean they're playing voicings they're playing you know all kinds of cool stuff I mean these kids are not just you know phoning it in they're doing what was it one of the things though is in my opinion when I when I began my solo career 25 years ago you know 30 years but I really as a soul has dropped the smoke and yeah and there was a farm system in place aka places to play all around the country you know where if you drew 25 30 40 people look kind of felt full and there's some tables and and and and you were able to go out unnoticed like your proving ground well it's also it's also you know it financially you can you could work yourself from Los Angeles to New York and do 40 shows all through the country in this farm system what I'm seeing now it's a little bit disturbing is one of those places that I used to play in the late 90s and early 2000 are gone they close or they just you know now they're sephora's or Starbucks and you know and and the younger generation out now what's becoming big they're actually they're throwing like you know gigs and houses like because there's no other places to hide yeah house party gigs and I worry sometimes that there's not a farm system in place to really nurture young talent to wear it because you need a place to play yeah everybody Greek Theater well yeah yeah good before you people there but yeah you could play if it's a 6-inch stage it gives you a sense of what you're supposed to one of the things is is is theory and reality it's practical application of the things that you learn in your bedroom now there are a lot of Instagram guitar players and they do they do or you to buy drums guitars very wear whatever they but one of the one of the things is not talked about in in any of those applications is practical applying it in terms of a band now you can sit there and play with a drum machine or a track all day long and then you get there with a live drummer and and and it's like it's like it's like it's once it starts for real with a live drummer and a live band and it comes fast and furious in front of the audience your chops get honed and you get a different perspective of and you you improve as a play that's where amazing leaders and and and that's one of the things that worries me is like it's like having this having the opportunity to to woodshed for the younger generation because it's it's that's a critical step and allowing them to get to this second third fourth tier and ultimately you know fulfilling what they the goals you know right back in the day i don't know i mean you i'm sure you experienced this but you know when guys tell me now i got a gig yeah it's one set it's like a showcase i go man one we used to play when I was younger it was five or six sets of the night and you had to repeat tunes and you know within a week the band would get tight because I mean you were like a John Mohr now they're doing one set and they think there you go man I'm so beat that was such a great you know alright but didn't go good you're on again in 15 minutes how do you think things got so beat up yeah yeah wore the neck out because you're playing two three set tonight well one of the one of the one of the critical steps in in in in any career trajectory is is understanding pacing of a show yeah now I can write a setlist i we generally we do an evening with all our shows are evening with and we start at 8 o'clock and generally by 10 10 done yeah now I can write a set list we play straight through no break I can write a set list that makes those two hours and ten minutes feel like 45 minutes I've seen you do it I can also write a set list and have written set lists that make it seem like a perpetual march through the jungle you know without any sign of food water or shelter and that's you know it's it's a very it's a it's a skill and it's a show and it's a and it's you could take a lot by watching a movie everything he has an act 1 and act 2 and a finale you know like like how do you know you act 1 James Bond Aston Martin pretty girl act 2 villain eyepatch Monte Carlo Rizzi doesn't react bag 3 girl Aston Martin now in here or some sort of oil slick apply waste yeah you know or some you know he's in a cage now it looks like he's done it it's all it's all it's there's one of the technology-based shows I've seen was your last one of the the Hollywood Bowl thank with with the top I mean your band is phenomenal with house on sound earners I mean the the band were just such fantastic musicians in their own right but the way you've obviously done that with all those players in mind and it just worked so beautifully and that was one of those shows that just I was like where the hell did that's who I spread the love around play yeah yeah I'm with the same musicians over and over is there's such a communication that you guys have yeah with the band he's got the finest players in the world they're all great guys I mean everybody your organization for your manager Roy - Mike - you know everybody you know I mean really cool but using the same guys I mean that's quite a concept because most bands these days or whatever every time you see them it's a different right thing I mean you have other setups but you have your main band that you use all the time very lucky I mean this band has over 550 shows on it since 2015 yeah when we 14 2014 when the concept of a big band started and so you know 500 gigs now now one of the things about it is a band like that of the cat musicians is not cheap it's incredibly expensive the tour of the way I do I mean it's it's incredible I mean I might know online I get a lot about a crap about ticket prices and and you know and we try to keep him as reasonable as we can you're carrying those giant trucks and trucks big trucks for bosses and the buses are full but you know what that band sounds expense but in Pauley sorry - morelia Barnes you know what I mean I owe it to the fans to serve up the best game yeah start to finish and and you know I like also surrounding myself with players and musicians that are better than me and and and because I think it forces you to raise your game you know if you're the weak link you're gonna you're gonna tighten up quick you know and that's that's that's been the methodology I mean and you know I learned that from watching guys like Eric Clapton me Clapton always had dad or Steve Ferrone II Nathan East top players and you know what it it you know one of the things is it's a self-fulfilling prophecy but you come away from a show like that saying you've not just seen Eric Clapton you just seen absolutely one of the best bands as an ensemble you'll ever see which is the thing you get at your shows as well what's really nice I mean I try to do it I try really trying to do they're waving us off a little bit for time so listen I did want to talk way more about your live shows and about your vocals in particular which is one of my favorite things and a lot of musical stuff that we don't ever get from where can we I know you've got a plane to catch I'm gonna do a part when you're back in town well Biggs right the hardest thing I do just to keep it short the hardest thing I do on a weekly basis when I'm on tour is singing yeah it's it's it's so predicated on your general energy level you know what you're feeling you know we've got four beside called you know it it it's the hardest thing to maintain because of its really indelibly linked to how your body's feeling now yeah five shows in now if I'm feeling good I sing all day long it doesn't matter if you're feeling bad that's when it that's when you earn your money because at the end of the day you if you're tired well most of you feeling sick or it affects your your head voice it affects your seniors and what you try to do is you just go I just need to maintain this thing and you you learn how to sing yeah it's singing should be no different than talking only in pitch and and if you do it correctly and you channel the head voice like when I was 28 I used to be able to gargle Jack Daniels smoked cigars you know chase women and even knock it out in the evening and and and play a gig and I started to lose my voice and and I went to a vocal coach called his name is Ronnie Anderson here in town and and Ron basically said okay here's what here's here's what I can tell you you don't know anything about singing dude I said well I was trained as a kid it's like you don't know anything about seeing dude so for the next three or four years thank over there religiously and I'm just doing the same scales every day and all of a sudden it just clicked and I go I get it and he was he he helped me find what you call head voice and now the difference between 28 and 42 now I'm supposed to be able singing oh now you now is reading start sucking the melodies and he can't hit diets I sing almost an octave higher now really I did when I was 28 Wow which is which is insane because it aids should catch up to you and it and it hasn't and I like 100% oh oh it all - Ronnie Anderson is a great doctor here in town named Joe Sugarman dr. Joseph Sugarman who was Frank Sinatra's ear nose and throat guy and and and he was the one because I had nodule because I'm not gonna operate I don't learn how to sing and come back in six months and I came back in six months and and it was going because see now you owe me $170 copay well they did a fantastic thing because one of the things talking about a last last time I saw you and especially a lot footage from the Beacon Theater your singing is getting so good it also makes you forget about the guitar play hey listen that's why I got all those flashing lights smoke machine hey girls I got a distract that's it's a whole it's a whole cosmos well one thing that I do is that I always wanted Joe and Richie Sambora to get together and I know that we're both in Barcelona Randall you guys got a chance to really get to know each other Richie's are great guy great guy you know and fellow guitar geeks so we just kind of geeked out about gear and and you know so I you know but you were smoking cigar I was seen that many a times so I'm gonna be for you my thing is is if I can't hit the high note the next day that cigars go so luckily since I've picked up that the bad habit I can hit the high notes between the diet coke I got to kill myself somehow yeah thank you for having me buddy well let me tell you that thank you so much and it's great hearing all these things for me I just wanted to throw one little anecdote in is that Nicky's the see when I used to play and when I was playing you know people would tell me Norma if I was in jail and I had like they were giving me like one day to the electric chair I'd want to see it with you playing and they would say that to me because I said because every minute will seem like it that's my buddy Kenny salt and so but anyhow my honor we're yeah and we're gonna I gotta go I'm gonna do a guitar the date I know and I know then you've got to get on a plane right so we got a part to this please yeah next time here in town when you got a little bit of time because there's so much best part all these other people another song yeah so guys have to stay tuned remember that the podcast will be every Tuesday starting September 17th and it will go on and the one week following the video will air exclusively on the all guitar Network so you know they're both free go to the wherever you get your podcasts Apple or wherever you do that you can get signed up for that and the all guitar network is free also just go to the App Store and sign up for that so it's really a cool thing and I'm so honored to have my buddy Joe yeah I mean I really feel like it's family on you and I'm sorry my nephew and I'm sorry that I always bug in say Joe would you do this would you do that there's always a comment the best so it and if you're out and you see that Joe Bonamassa is playing someplace if you don't go to see him you're missing the greatest maybe that ever lived might be you know and and his that's gonna make you the best career sorry about the you know blowing smoke but it I really believe it's true I don't really think anybody can touch you and so you really need to go see Joe and if he can make it on one of those blues cruises it's a million it's fun greatest so till next time thank you guys love you guys for listening and watching thank you so much thanks Joe thanks I will see you for part two [Music]

Channel: All Guitar Network

Views: 36,705

Keywords: Guitar, Joe Bonamassa, nerdville, live from nerdville, joe bonamassa guitar, joe bonamassa live, joe bonamassa interview, joe bonamassa podcast, norman's rare guitars podcast, nrg podcast, podcast, norman's rare guitars, Norman's Rare Guitars, Joe Bonamassa Norman's Rare Guitars, guitar collection, joe bonamassa guitar collection, joebonamassatv, joe bonamassa performance, joe bonamassa stratocaster, fender, gibson, gibsontv, joe bonamassa blues, joe bonamassa studio, joe, bonamassa, Joe

Id: 7gXYC1uciCY

Length: 60min 43sec (3643 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 29 2020