That’s why I love hunting for covers. If an artist I know covers a tune I’m unfamiliar with, it means I get to discover a new song that helped form their musical DNA. If it’s a song I’m familiar with, I get to go “Huh, no kidding. X listens to Y. Who would’ve thunk?” It’s like discovering a shared secret between the band and me. Or, sometimes, an artist I don’t know at all covers a song I love, and I find a great new band to obsess over. The best of these covers unlock new meaning within the song by interpreting it in a fresh way.

Since I love hearing new versions of songs I dig, I thought it would be fun to put together a list of cover songs where I think the artist took that sort of ownership of the song by presenting it in a different light. These songs aren’t necessarily better than the originals, but I like them just as much. Since I’m always on a quest for new tunes, please drop your favorite cover songs in the comments! So, without further adieu, here are my picks, in no particular order.

Fu Manchu: “Godzilla” (1997):

I’m a sucker for doomy, slow, sludgy heavy metal, so it should come as no surprise that I love Fu Manchu (I also love Fu Manchu guitarist Bob Balch’s signature Reverend–in my opinion, it’s one of the best guitars out there for heavy music, regardless of price). Though Blue Oyster Cult’s original cut of this tune is plenty mean, this version cranks the heaviness to 11 as it lumbers along like a massive sea monster that just woke up from a century-long nap. It’s also really cool to hear Bob Balch pay tribute to Blue Oyster Cult guitarist Buck Dharma by copping some of his signature mixolydian-flavored licks. All in all, it sounds like a Blue Oyster Cult 45 played at 33rpm, and its plodding tempo hammers home a sense of eldritch dread.

Green Sky Bluegrass “Stop That Train/Salt Creek” (2004):

There are several Green Sky Bluegrass tracks that could make this list (see also their incredible live cover of Pink Floyd’s “Time”, but my favorite is their medley of Bob Marley’s “Stop That Train” and Bill Monroe’s “Salt Creek.” The first time I heard this song, I wasn’t paying close attention, and about halfway through, I said to myself “Wait, I know this song–Bob Marley does this tune.” But, the boys in Greensky made it sound so authentic that I actually had to google who wrote it because I sincerely thought Marley might have adapted a traditional bluegrass tune (not my finest hour)! After a couple times around, they seamlessly transition into the traditional Bill Monroe tune and do their very best to melt the fingerboards clean off their instruments before jumping back into another chorus of the Marley song. In the hands of lesser performers, this might have been the equivalent of a musical parlor trick. But, because of Green Sky’s considerable chops and respect for both traditions, it becomes something more: a meditation on the commonalities of music across time and culture.

“Wild World” by Jimmy Cliff (1976):

Let’s head in the opposite direction and examine a reggae legend putting his spin on a folk classic. I like Cat Stevens’s version of this song, but here’s my hot take of the day: this version is artistically superior. In 1971, the critic Ellen Willis wrote that Stevens’s version, while “gentle and sympathetic,” was ultimately condescending to the point of being a liiiitle bit infantilizing. Personally, I would find myself more than a little peeved if I broke up with someone only to have them lecture me about how the mean ‘ol world was going to crush my gentle little spirit without a relationship to protect me! But, Cliff’s version, with its bouncy reggae groove, joyous vocal performances, and gospel-tinged backing vocals, flips the lyrics on their head and lends them a new layer of emotional nuance. “Go on,” he seems to be saying. “I’ll miss you, and be careful, but enjoy that wild world out there.”

“If It Makes You Happy” by Screaming Females (2018):

Screaming Females are easily one of the best modern guitar bands out there, and I could have just as easily included their awesome take on Neil Young’s “Cortez the Killer” here, but I love this snarling interpretation of a nineties classic because it is a testament to Sheryl Crow’s songwriting brilliance. She’s one of the best songwriters of the past two decades (and a dedicated bass player to boot!), and that is a hill I am willing to die on. This cover version is a testament to her prowess. I’ve always thought that the test of a great song is whether or not it sounds good when you strip away all the layers of production. Here, played live in a room by a raw, punky power trio, the song absolutely rips, and the punchline to the chorus (“If it makes you happy/then why the hell are you so sad?”) hits with even more force. Also, guitarist Marissa Paternoster absolutely shreds!

“Kiss the Bottle” by Lucero (2000):

The original version of “Kiss the Bottle” is a punk rock classic and one of my favorite songs of all time, but I also love this cover by alt-country heroes Lucero. Though the Jawbreaker version is a roaring rock rager, it works beautifully as a stripped-down country song. The sparse arrangement puts Blake Schwarzenbach’s vivid story of heartbreak and addiction front and center, and Lucero frontman Ben Nichols’s ragged voice lends the words a sense of brokenness. He sounds like he’s on the verge of either tears or a torn vocal cord (or both) for the whole performance, which imbues the song with a powerful sense of regret. This cover is proof that, while punk rockers and country musicians might look different, their songs are made of the same stuff: a handful of well-worn chords and the truth.

“Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” by Jerry Reed (1971):

Speaking of country, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Jerry Reed’s irreverent take on Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.” Now, I love Bob Dylan, but I also believe it’s healthy to poke fun at legends every once in a while so that we don’t deify them, and this tongue-in-cheek cover walks the line between goof and homage perfectly. Who but Jerry Reed would dare alter the words of America’s most venerated singer-poet and substitute jokes for literary aspirations? Ya gotta love it. This cover is also a perfect example of Jerry’s transcendent fingerstyle playing and the…ah, interesting tone he got by playing his cheap nylon-stringed guitar with a thumbpick–proof that you don’t have to sound pretty to sound good!

“Where Do Broken Hearts Go?” by Me First and the Gimmes Gimmes (2003):

It was hard to choose just one tune by all-star punk rock outfit Me First and the Gimme Gimmes for this list (I hemmed and hawed between this and their nitrous oxide-fueled cover of “Eastbound and Down”), but I love how perfectly the heartache from this beautiful Whitney Houston ballad translates in this bare-bones punk rock arrangement. Because I’m a perpetually caffeine-addled musician that grew up on punk and hardcore music, I sometimes find myself alienated by the dated production values and languorous tempos on classic pop songs even though I find the performances and melodies utterly captivating. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes have a real gift for stripping these songs down to their essence and supercharging them. Frontman Spike Slawson might not have Whitney Houston’s pipes, but this muscular cover is still a fitting tribute to her incandescent talent. Fun fact: Chris Shiflett of the Foo Fighters is on lead guitar!

“No One’s Gonna Love You” by Cee-Lo Green (2010):

Indie rock darlings Band of Horses and soulful weirdo Cee-Lo Green might seem like strange bedfellows, but they actually released a split seven-inch about a decade ago where they covered one another’s songs (Band of Horses’ take on Cee-Lo’s “Georgia” is killer, too–they enlisted the University of Georgia’s marching band to lend some brassy bounce to it). Cee-Lo transforms the original from a wispy, pretty indie rock ballad into a gorgeous soul odyssey. It sounds like what would happen if some music-loving NASA radio tech beamed a bunch of Philly soul and hip-hop into space and aliens intercepted it and then tried to make a torch song to express the depths of intergalactic heartache.

“In Bloom” by Sturgill Simpson (2016):

I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard an artist flip a song on its head as well as Sturgill Simpson did when he cut this soul-drenched version of Nirvana’s grunge classic. Who on earth thinks to arrange a grunge tune into a horn-led ballad that sounds like it could be a forgotten B-side from a seventies Stax single? We almost didn’t even get to hear this incredible cover because of a lyrical mix-up on Sturgill’s part. Tracking live with his band, Sturgill didn’t look up the lyrics before hitting record, and he misheard the last line of the chorus as “to love someone” rather than “when I say”–an understandable mistake, given Kurt Cobain’s sometimes-unclear delivery. That lyrical tweak significantly changes the meaning of the song, so there was some trouble clearing the cover (Sturgill didn’t catch his mistake until he’d turned the master in to his label), but he sent a hand-written letter to the Cobain estate that smoothed things over.

Regardless, I’m glad this cover saw the light of day, because, with that accidental lyrical tweak, it works even better within the context of the album, “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth.” Sturgill addressed the record to his son with hopes that he’d one day understand his father better, and “In Bloom” is a piece of fatherly advice for those tumultuous, angry teenage years that young boys often suffer through. According to an interview Sturgill did with Rolling Stone Country, “it tells a young boy that he can be sensitive and compassionate—he doesn’t have to be tough or cold to be a man.” With its straight-outta-Memphis horns and Sturgill’s impassioned vocal performance, this cover expresses a powerful sentiment: that the measure of a man’s strength lies in his capacity for kindness.

There you have it! I hope you enjoyed checking out some of these covers that are near and dear to my heart. Please, return the favor and drop me some covers you love in the comments below so I can hear all your favorites, too!

The post Cover Me Up: Nine Cool Covers You Probably Haven’t Heard appeared first on Wildwood Guitars.

Plenty of guitar players have put a ring on their number one, but of those partnerships, there are none more iconic than that of Bruce Springsteen and the Tele-Esquire hybrid he posed with on the cover of Born to Run. Bruce even put a line about his betrothed in Thunder Road. When he sings “See, I got this guitar and I learned how to make it talk,” he is talking about that specific guitar.

The hearts never stopped dancing in Bruce’s eyes, and it remained his main guitar for an astonishing four decades until he had to retire it in 2005. Its story is as fascinating as the man who wielded it, and it has become one of the most valuable instruments in the world. It was recently appraised for over a million dollars, but good luck getting Bruce to part with it—he once told the Los Angeles Times that he plans to be buried wearing it!
But, we’re getting ahead of ourselves here. Let’s zip back in time to Phil Petillo’s guitar shop. The year is 1973, and a young Bruce Springsteen is looking to swap out his Les Paul for something more suitable for the funky, soul-inflected rock noises he’s making with his E Street Band, and he didn’t have a whole lot of cash. Mr. Petillo, a widely-respected builder and repairman, had just the thing: a Frankenstein guitar with a fifties Telecaster body and a fifties Esquire neck. It was love at first sight, and Bruce walked out the door with the guitar for a hundred and eighty-five bucks.

Bruce got a honey of a deal on his number one because, well, it had been mangled. In the sixties, an unscrupulous session musician had routed it for four pickups with four different outputs. He’d bring the Tele to the sessions and play the solo once with each pickup going to a separate amp, then bill the record company for four slightly different-sounding “takes” of the same solo.
Mr. Petillo had removed all of the superfluous pickups and output jacks, but the guitar was still missing huge chunks of wood under the pickguard. Bruce didn’t care, though. The hollow area made the guitar significantly lighter and gave it acoustic-like resonance and responsiveness. For a person who frequently plays for more than three hours, shaving off a pound is a big deal, and that’s part of the reason why it remained his main stage guitar for so long.

Though Bruce cherished the guitar, he was never particularly precious with it, and he asked Petillo to modify it many times over the years. Over the years, it received hotter single-coil pickups, titanium and stainless steel hardware, silicon gaskets, and Petrillo’s patented triangular Precision Frets. He also never babied his it, and his habit of throwing it to his roadies certainly contributed to its worn appearance!
Speaking of which, it’s easy to see why Springsteen posed with the guitar on three of his album covers: Born to Run, Wrecking Ball, and my personal favorite Springsteen album of all time, Live 1975-1985. Few guitars are more iconic than a butterscotch fifties Tele that’s been worn down to bare wood in several places. It’s the six-string equivalent of an old GTO, and it’s as American as cold beer, yet it doesn’t scream machismo, and it has a certain rustic, weathered elegance to its appearance.

For evidence of this guitar’s titanic sound, you don’t need to look far—he’s played it on almost every single one of his recordings. But, my favorite example is the intro to this live version of Prove It All Night:

Listen to that thing scream! From the way Bruce plays, you can see and hear how dynamic the guitar is—it’s so lively that it practically talks back to him! It almost makes me understand guitar monogamy.

Sadly, Bruce had to retire his old standby in 2005 because it was starting to fall apart under the stress of constant touring, and he plays replicas live now. But, he still plays it on records, and he brings it out for special occasions like his iconic Super Bowl halftime performance:

Bruce Springsteen – Superbowl Halftime Show HD 2009 XLIII NFL

My favorite part is when he tosses his beloved guitar to his tech right at the beginning. It almost seems like he throws it at a weird angle on purpose just to mess with his tech, who is clearly sweating bullets at the prospect of dropping one of the most valuable instruments in the world during the most-watched televised event of the year. He makes the best grab of Super Bowl XLIII, and Bruce cracks up at his nervousness. That utter nonchalance is why Bruce and his Tele are so cool. After all, there’s nothing more rock and roll than flirting with disaster!

Bruce has every right to be buried with his iconic Tele, but I hope he changes his mind, because it belongs in the Smithsonian so that future generations will know what the apex of cool looks like. The story of Springsteen and his Tele is proof that you can forge a special relationship with your instrument if you invest the time and effort. Springsteen said it best in his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame interview: “when I put it on, I don’t feel like I have a guitar on. It’s such an integral part of me.” The moral of the story is that if you play your guitar regularly enough, you can form such a strong bond that it feels like an extension of you.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go make my guitar talk.

The post Behind the Guitar: The Story of Bruce Springsteen and His Tele appeared first on Wildwood Guitars.

I think the reason this record sounds so fresh and exciting is that it springs from a somewhat left-field pairing between artist and producer. Slash sought out Nashville guru Dave Cobb to work the board for this one, and that may seem like a strange choice at first; after all, Cobb is best-known for producing country artists like Jason Isbell, Yola, Chris Stapleton, and John Prine. But Cobb knows a thing or two about rock and roll, and he has a real knack for bringing honest, authentic performances out of whoever he works with.

Perhaps that is what led Slash, Myles Kennedy, and the Conspirators (Todd Kerns on bass, Brent Fitz on drums, and Frank Sidoris on rhythm guitar) to record much of this album live together in a room. This recording strategy gives the whole record an organic feel–it really sounds like five world-class musicians having an absolute blast together. Slash and the gang are too good of musicians to sound anything but tight (so much so that it’s easy to forget they’re tracking live), but their performances feel spontaneous, and you can feel how much fun they’re having when you listen.

Of course, all the vibes in the world don’t matter if you don’t have great songs. Thankfully, the compositions here are all excellent. In general, the record strikes a beautiful harmony between grungy blues that call to mind some of the best bands from the nineties Seattle scene and glorious pop hooks with clever chord progressions. Myles Kennedy is a master melody crafter capable of flipping between low-down, blues-soaked rock and roll to soaring, anthemic choruses laden with lush vocal harmonies at the drop of a hat. His vocal talent is staggering, so much so that I jotted down Chris Cornell and Bruce Dickinson as points of reference during my initial listen-through.

Kennedy’s performances are so dynamic that they almost threaten to steal the show from Slash, and the interplay between the two is thrilling. Slash’s gift for sick riffage is on full display here, and just about every guitar part here is clever and catchy while serving the song.
For instance, “C’Est La Vie” has a beautiful melancholic guiar refrain that underscores lyrics about leaving a bad relationship, while the groovy riff on “The River is Rising” makes me want to break things with my face, the heaviness complementing the apocalyptic imagery in the words.

It’s awfullly difficult to make a rock record without any cliches these days, but there are few to be found here. In particular, I was impressed by the track “The Path Less Followed,” which has a tasty chordal riff that breaks free from the power chord paradigm with lots of tasty harmonic movement juxtaposed with a swaggering rhythm that wouldn’t have sounded out of place coming out of a dive bar jukebox in the seventies. And, it has sick harmonized lead parts, so it winds up sounding kind of like a proggified Thin Lizzy track–a delightfully unexpected fusion of rock genres.

Of course, Slash’s solos are legendary for a reason, and he lets loose some of his greatest fretboard pyrotechnics on this album. From a technical standpoint, the solos are (to use a highly scientific term) completely nutso insane-o-riffic. I rewound almost every one on my first listen-through because they blew my mind so thoroughly that I had to hear them again immediately. Even though his playing is quite virtuosic, Slash never plays a bunch of notes for the sake of playing a bunch of notes. You get the sense that every note is meaningful, and each solo is cleverly composed with hooky melodic lines, bluesy licks, tasty note choices, and (of course) moments of facemelting shredulation.

It goes without saying that the tones are all perfect.

Though Myles Kennedy and Slash are the ones driving this V12-equipped rock and roll party bus, the Conspirators are no mere backing band. Their playing is full of personality and fire, and they are an absolutely rock-solid rhythm section with groove for days. Drummer Brent Fitz is equally adept at kicking out Bonham-esque stomp, heavy-footed funk, and rock beats that make you want to drive faster while pounding your steering wheel. On bass, Todd Kerns locks with the drums like nobody’s business, and he plays clever lines that enhance and support the songs beautifully. Finally, rhythm guitarist extraordinaire Frank Sidoris plays with a pocket and swagger that makes every riff feel good, sort of like the Young brothers from AC/DC.

The musical talents of the members all coalesce perfectly on the climax of the album, closing track “Fall Back to Earth.” It opens with a gorgeous, dramatic guitar melody inspired by a view of the night sky Slash glimpsed on a trip to Africa, then drops down to a subdued chorus that allows Kennedy’s melody to shine. From there, it grows bigger and bigger as the rhythm section expertly ratchets up the intensity until it explodes into an epic last chorus that features Slash and Kennedy dueling, Kennedy’s voice climbing as Slash circles it with blistering guitar lines until the ending rallentando. It all sounds so cinematic that I wrote down “sounds like a theme for a James Bond movie that hasn’t been made yet” after my first listen.

All in all, “4” by Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators is a killer record. With producer Dave Cobb, they manage to strike a beautiful marriage between impressive instrumental prowess and the raw, elemental essence of rock and roll. It’s fun, clever, and (most importantly) it rocks! But don’t take my word for it–you can hear it on a number of music services that you can check out here: https://slash.lnk.to/4AlbumGR. Let us know what you thought of it in the comments, and keep on rockin’ in the free world, Wildwoodians!

The post Five Stars for 4: A Review of Slash and Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators New Album appeared first on Wildwood Guitars.

Like many musicians who are in isolation because of the coronavirus, I’ve been playing guitar more than ever, but I’ve had to adapt my rig to my circumstances. I normally play through a 100-watt half-stack, but, in the interest of maintaining friendly relations with my neighbors, I’ve switched to a five-watt combo for the time being. Honestly, I’ve come to love it just as much as my gig rig. As a bonus, I can still get killer tone without receiving any death glares when I step out to get the mail. But, small amps don’t just appeal to me because they’re practical: they’re also extraordinarily useful as creative tools and secret weapons for recording. And, since most venues prefer to mic up amps and let the PA system do the heavy lifting, you might even find that they work well live! Though big, beefy amps will always be awesome, small amps provide a different but equally-inspiring sonic flavor that can push players to reach new creative heights.

No company knows the power of a small amp better than Fender. Ever since they released the Champion 800 in 1948, their fun-sized rock and roll machines have helped countless players capture the tone in their head on dozens of classic recordings. So, we thought it would be fun to give all you wonderful Wildwoodians a guided tour of some of our favorite low-wattage Fender amps so you can find one that speaks to you. But first, let’s have a quick primer on how to get the most out of a small amp to maximize your tube-driven enjoyment.

Breaking Down the Magic of Small Amps

To understand the appeal of a low-wattage amp, you have to understand headroom. Every guitar amplifier reaches a point on the volume dial where it stops getting louder. Once you go past this point, the amplifier’s power section begins to compress the signal, which produces the distortion that forms the backbone of rock and roll. It also boosts the volume of harmonic overtones, which adds fullness and depth to chords and single notes.

But, to get that crunch, you have to trade some dynamic range, as compression evens out the peaks and valleys of sound waves, keeping your volume at a more consistent level. Before you reach that point of compression on the volume dial, the amp sounds more open, and it has a bit more range. If you play a big chord with Pete Townsend-style right-hand technique, then play the same chord softly with your thumb, there will be a considerable difference in volume.

Ideally, you want your amplifier to sit in the “sweet spot” on the volume knob: the point where you get a sweet, open tone when you play softly and a crunchier, more compressed sound with natural power tube overdrive when you dig in. Most amps with higher wattage have more headroom, so you really have to crank it if you want that organic distorted sound. Now, there is certainly a time and place for that (remember, I’m a half-stack guy), but sometimes you want to play guitar without having to put in earplugs or check to make sure the structural foundation of your house is sound after playing an E chord. That’s where small amps come in.

With a small amp, you can find the sweet spot on the volume knob with much greater ease, and you can get that rich, sweet tube saturation with plenty of touch-sensitivity at reasonable volume levels. Or, if you’re like me, you’ll enjoy turning the volume all the way up for an explosive, nasty, fuzzed-out tone. And, if you’re using a small amp to record, it’s easier to get a good capture of a dirty guitar tone because you don’t have to worry about clipping the input the way you would if you were tracking with a JCM800 on top of a 4×12.

Now that we’ve got a solid understanding of the low-wattage tube amp’s merits, let’s run down our seven favorite low-wattage Fender amplifiers.

’57 Custom Champ

Before we dive into technical specs, let it be said that the ’57 Custom Champ is so much fun to play through that it might cause you to neglect important responsibilities like feeding yourself. It’s a five-watt hand-wired reissue of a tweed Fender champ from the fifties with a specially-designed eight-inch speaker and vintage-style capacitors, and it does a marvelous job of recreating the classic tone of the original. Low on the volume dial, it’s all classic round Fender cleans, with plenty of midrange warmth and high-end sweetness. Around noon on the volume knob, you’ll find the sweet spot for fat classic-rock drive sounds. And, if you dime it out, you get a gloriously thick, hairy, rich, fuzzy tone. If you’re seeking vintage vibe in a low-wattage amp, the ’57 Custom Champ will likely win your heart.

Super Champ X2

And now for something completely different! The Super Champ X2 is a supremely versatile combo amp that fuses modern digital circuitry with good ‘ol-fashioned tube power to produce a wide variety of cool tones. I play through one all the time because my roommate has one, and I am always astounded at how well it recreates so many tones. It has a single 12ax7 preamp, a solid-state rectifier, and two 6v6 power tubes that produce 15 watts of power though a 10-inch speaker.

That setup would sound cool on its own, but it also integrates Fender’s state-of-the-art digital modeling technology into the circuit. You can choose between 16 killer voicings that cover everything from Beatles-esque chime to metal madness to crunchy classic rock, and you can add in digital reverb, delay, chorus, and tremolo to taste. For some guitar players, “digital” is a dirty word, but this amp will make even the most diehard analog purist reconsider, because its tube power section makes each voicing sound organic and dynamic. But, if that plethora of modeling choices gives you option overload, you can flip to the Super Champ’s other channel, where it becomes a simple, pure analog tube amp with minimal controls. If you’re looking for lots of tones in a small package at a player-friendly price, the Super Champ X2 may be the tube combo for you!

Pro Junior

First things first: the volume knob on the Fender Pro Junior goes to twelve, and that is inarguably cool, because it is more than ten AND eleven—take that, Spinal Tap! However, it has much more to offer than a reference to Christopher Guest’s mock-rockumentary—it has a profoundly powerful voice thanks to its re-imagined circuitry and its simple, clean signal path. It has two 12ax7 preamp tubes and two EL84s in the power section, and it has a volume and tone knob for control. It’s remarkably touch-sensitive, and it is voiced to maintain tight low-end, excellent clarity, and that signature Fender chime and sparkle in the high-end even when you turn the volume all the way up. If you’re looking for a workhorse amp with a heaping helping of attitude that will handle rock, blues, country, and everything in-between, you’ll want to take the Pro Junior all the way up to 12.

Blues Junior

I write this particular blurb with a heavy heart, because there is a Blues Junior out there that I miss very much. I write all the copy on Wildwood’s website, and I am responsible for describing the sound of each guitar in our inventory. To do that, I have to play guitar (rough life, huh?) and I have a Blues Junior next to my desk at the ready at all times. But, I’ve been working from home for almost two months, so I am beginning to have separation anxiety from my favorite tweed terror.

The reason I chose the Blues Junior as my tool to evaluate the tone for thousands of guitars is simple: it gets the job done. It has full frequency response thanks to its 12-inch speaker, and you can tweak its tone considerably by fiddling with its 3-band EQ. It also has that classic, inimitable Fender spring reverb and a FAT switch that adds plenty of girth. Most importantly, it has a gain knob and a volume knob, which allows you to get super-dirty sounds at radio-level volumes—a must for late-night practice sessions (and a way to keep my coworkers from shooting me dirty looks while they’re on the phone). I always try to evaluate guitars based on their strengths, so if a guitar screams hard rock to me, I try to dial in that sort of sound. Same goes for blues, country, and jazz. The Blues Junior has never failed to give me a solid sound no matter what I need from it, and I miss the one sitting next to my desk terribly.

I’m not crying. Shut up. It’s just my allergies.

Bassbreaker 15

What if you took the circuit for a Fender Bassman—a classic American circuit—and dropped in British tubes? The answer, of course, is the Fender Bassbreaker 15, a versatile combo amp with a 12-inch speaker that blends American power with British crunch. Two El-84 power tubes and three 12ax7 preamp tubes give it beefy low-end, rich midrange response, and beautiful crisp, chiming highs. It also has Fender’s signature sweet-sounding reverb, a powerful 3-band EQ, and a “structure” control that allows you to switch between high-, low-, and medium-gain settings. And, it also has a master volume, so you can crank it and get screaming heavy tones at low volumes. If you’re looking for a fresh take on a classic sound to invigorate your playing, chances are you’ll love the Bassbreaker 15.

‘65 and ‘68 Princeton

The Fender Princeton is a perpetual favorite among Wildwood staff members because it works in almost any musical context. At lower volumes, it has a beautiful clean sound with sweet chiming highs, punchy mids, and tight, round low-end. When you crank it, you get a beautiful combination of sparkle and punch with just the right amount of overtone presence; in other words, the sort of sound that makes you grin from ear to ear when you play a big E chord. Because the Princeton doesn’t break up as early on the volume dial, it’s a great choice for players looking for a small amp to use as a pedal platform, too.

The difference between the ‘65 Princeton reissue and the ‘68 Princeton reissue is kind of like the difference between chocolate chip ice cream and mint chocolate chip ice cream. Both are delicious flavors with similar ingredients, but they provide different experiences. The ‘65 is more of a straight-up recreation of a vintage blackface Princeton, while the ‘68 has been hot-rodded to have a bit more modern flavor. The ‘68 has a Bassman tone stack circuit, which gives it more low-midrange and helps it achieve natural overdrive earlier on the volume dial (though it still has plenty of headroom). It also doesn’t have a “bright cap” in the circuit, which makes it more pedal-friendly. On the other hand, the ‘65 does, and it gives you awesome-sounding breakup when you crank it—no pedals required.

There’s no wrong choice when it comes to Fender Princetons, but if you’re looking for a clean-sounding small amp to use as a springboard for pedal-fueled sonic madness, the ‘68 Custom works beautifully. If you want classic tube breakup and sweet, chiming cleans at low volumes, the ‘65 will make big ‘ol hearts dance in your eyes.

Two months ago, I’d have been aghast at the thought of my half-stack gathering dust, but I’ve had so much fun playing through my little amp that I don’t mind at all. Though I’ll always love cranking up a tube-driven behemoth, I’ve learned that big tone sometimes comes in small packages, and that there are many paths leading to Tone Valhalla. Though at first I was mainly concerned with being a considerate neighbor, I’ve found small amps to be a tremendous boon to my creativity. They respond differently than my high-wattage beast, and that has inspired me to approach my instrument differently. As a result, the recording app on my phone is overflowing with new ideas for riffs and songs.

I hope that some of you wonderful Wildwoodians get a similar amount of inspiration out of the fun-sized amps on this list, and I’d like to cordially invite you to browse our selection of Fender amps so you can find one that enriches your music-making experience. I have no doubt that they will all compel you to embark upon many exciting new fretboard adventures!

The post Seven of our Favorite Fender Amps for Recording and Couch Jams appeared first on Wildwood Guitars.

Wildwoodians, we have to be honest: we are suffering from severe Wildwood Select Withdrawal. Our Wildwood-exclusive run of Les Pauls was such a massive hit that we are fresh out of them for the moment. To be sure, this is a good problem to have, and we want to thank all you incredible Wildwoodians for the support that made them a runaway hit. But, absence makes the heart grow fonder, so we wanted to do something to keep the blues away while we wait for the next batch to arrive. So, our resident Guitar Scribe, Trevor, sat down with Wildwood’s resident Les Paul fanatic in hopes of understanding why these guitars capture the hearts of players so easily. As always, if you’d like to snag a guitar from the next shipment of Wildwood Selects that we receive, you can email sales@wildwoodguitars.com for more information about pre-ordering. Wildwood Selects always fly out the door at the speed of light immediately after they arrive, so make sure you don’t miss out! We will receive our next shipment after Gibson re-opens its factory. Though we’re not sure when that will be, we will keep you updated on the timeline as we get more information. Now, read on as we dive into the magic behind the Wildwood Select Les Paul!

After spending a day playing one of our new Wildwood Select Les Paul Standards, one thing became immediately apparent to me: these guitars are greater than the sum of their parts. Yes, they have hand-picked tops, exclusive pickups, and special finishes. But those factors alone don’t account for the magic that seems to live beneath their maple tops. They possess a certain “it” factor that seems to push anyone who plays them to reach new heights of creativity. I watched every member of the Wildwood staff get carried away by the prototype when I arrived.

Observing this process made me intensely curious, because I am a tad skeptical of things like “mojo.” Yet, I was unable to deny that there was something extra in the Wildwood Select, because when I tested it out, it definitely carried me off to fretboard nirvana and kept me there for long enough to seriously annoy everyone who shares a wall with my office. I wanted to understand why it’s so easy to get lost in Wildwood Select Les Paul’s fretboard, so I sat down with Wildwood’s resident Les Paul fanatic Steve Stuart to ask him a few questions in hopes of discovering what the secret ingredient is. It turns out that it’s something called “man glitter.”

Apart from being an excellent band name (“Coming to the stage…Man Glitter!”), man glitter is what Gibson employees call the sawdust that seems to cover your entire body after you get done sifting through piles of wood. It gets on your shoes, in your coat, in your nose, and in your hair. While it may be a bit less glamorous than fairy dust, being covered head-to-toe in sawdust as you dig through pieces of maple is still a magical experience for a Gibson fan.

No one at Wildwood is more familiar with man glitter than Steve Stuart. As our Gibson brand manager, he has made dozens of trips to the Gibson Custom Shop and sifted countless piles of maple to pick tops for our Custom Shop Wildwood Spec Les Pauls. But, until recently, he’d never gotten the man glitter treatment from Gibson USA. That changed when our friends at Gibson agreed to build a run of Wildwood-Exclusive USA Les Pauls—a first for Wildwood and Gibson!

It’s hard to imagine anyone better suited to head up such a task than Steve, because he has loved Les Pauls for his entire musical life. They first stole his heart when he was just getting started on the guitar. Someone put an Epiphone Les Paul in his hands and, according to him, it “immediately felt like home.” From that day on, the Les Paul was his weapon of choice for the stage and the studio as his band toured with acts like Switchfoot and The Used.

Once Steve’s touring days were over, he moved to Colorado to work for Wildwood. He was already a long-time Wildwood customer, so it seemed natural to make him Wildwood’s Gibson brand manager. Ever since, his passion and enthusiasm for Les Pauls have shone through every day, and he brings that energy with him whenever he visits Gibson.

Before we dive into the wood selection process, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the real heroes of the Wildwood Select story: the fine folks at Gibson USA. They’re the ones who made this dream a reality with their boundless creativity, their impeccable craftsmanship, and their obsessive drive for six-string perfection. The men and women of the Gibson USA plant are responsible for making these guitars sound great and play easily with their skills, but their passion is responsible for giving Wildwood Selects the things you can’t see. Call it mojo, call it vibe, call it whatever you want, but it exists because our friends at Gibson pour their heart and soul into each guitar. We may sprinkle a little Wildwood fairy dust on top by picking tops and asking for special pickups, but they make the real magic happen.

One perfect image gives us a significant clue about the source of the Wildwood Select’s powers, though. Dig, if you will, a picture: Steve Stuart, a Gibson expert who has spent most of his life either playing and selling Les Pauls, covered in man glitter as he leafs through stack after stack of maple to find the perfect pieces that will make beautiful instruments. It’s not rocket science: when a talented person is willing to get their hands dirty to help make something they are passionate about, something awesome happens.

When Steve rolls up his sleeves and sifts through stacks of maple, he’s not necessarily looking for one particular type of top. Like many other guitar players, Steve loves the fact that each and every Les Paul has a distinct personality. Steve tries to get as many unique grain patterns as possible so that each guitar has a unique style and swagger. All are jaw-dropping, but in their own individual way.

For Steve, going through these tops and finding the ones that tell the most compelling story is a process that inspires him profoundly because of his reverence for his surroundings. As he puts it, “You can smell the nitro, you can smell the sawdust, you can smell the maple. You’re immersed in it. You’re picking a top that will tell a story that will connect with someone on a personal level and bring them joy. They may sound flowery or syrupy-sweet, but it’s true.”

Anyone who really loves Les Pauls knows that Steve isn’t being syrupy-sweet at all here, because when your guitar looks cool to you, you feel more connected to it. It’s another way of helping players bond with their instruments, which is what we’re all about here at Wildwood.

Of course, the other way an instrument can win your heart is with its voice. After all, who cares how beautiful a guitar is if it doesn’t sing? To that end, Steve worked with our friends at Gibson to tweak one of their existing pickups to enhance the instrument’s expressiveness. Basically, Steve asked Gibson to wind us an underwound version of a classic PAF, and the electronic wizards at Gibson came up with a pickup that puts the player’s personality on full display.

How can a pickup make you play more like yourself? Well, like a remedy for a swollen ankle, the answer has a lot to do with heat and compression. To put it simply, the hotter a pickup is, the more it compresses the signal, which makes for less dynamic range but a more consistent sound.

However, when you underwind a pickup, the opposite happens. The guitar sounds more open and expansive, and it has a wide dynamic range, which makes for a remarkably expressive playing experience. The Wildwood Select ’59 Tribute humbuckers allow you to affect the sound of the instrument considerably with just your technique, giving you a wide palette of sonic colors to express yourself with. It still sounds like a Les Paul with PAF-inspired pickups, but your personality as a player helps shape the voice of the instrument.

Personality. That word came up more than any other during my chat with Steve, and I think it is the key to understanding the magic of the Wildwood Select Les Paul Standard. Visually, his aim was to give each guitar a strong personality that tells a story. Sonically, his goal was to give these guitars a voice that amplifies the player’s personality. The end result is a guitar that is distinctive, and also distinctively you. It’s hard not to fall in love with an instrument like that.

Passion was another word that came up a lot, and here is where we leave the realm of the empirical. The last important ingredient is the passion Steve and the masterful craftsmen at Gibson have for these instruments. As Steve put it, “If you’re passionate about something, and you really care, it imbues the instrument with a creative energy that is impossible to explain.” In other words, the Wildwood Select Les Paul will inspire you because it’s a passion project for everyone involved at Wildwood and Gibson, and you can feel that energy the moment you plug in.

At one point in our conversation, I asked Steve why he thought so many people become Les Paul collectors. “When you find one that speaks to you, it’s like finding an old friend,” he replied. With that in mind, our friends at Gibson did everything in their power to make sure that the Wildwood Select Les Paul Standard feels like a long-lost pal from the moment you take it out of its case, and that is why these guitars resonated with all of us so deeply. We have no doubt that they will make your heartstrings ring out, too.

The post Man Glitter, Maple, and Magic: The Story Behind the Wildwood Select Les Paul appeared first on Wildwood Guitars.

A Moment of Consideration

When I was a lad, I used to have a conflicted relationship with pop music. People often use it as an umbrella term for a vast collection of music meant to appeal to a broad audience. That doesn’t really describe what pop music sounds like, though. I used to criticize it for what I believed was a lack of originality. I thought that the most authentic form of music was underground guitar-driven rock with odd time signatures, aggressive vocals, and poetic lyricism rich with relatable storytelling. But still, I secretly hoped my band would one day have a song on the radio. Did that make me a sell-out? Hard to say. Such is the plight of a reformed emo kid, I guess. But, with age came growth and maturity, and a few years ago I found a pop band that drew me in with their undeniable sound: The 1975.

A Clever Disguise

Released in 2013, The 1975’s self-titled album spread slowly across the blog-o-sphere. The tasty guitar riffs, the cleanly-polished aesthetic, the classic British sex appeal…what’s not to love? On my first listen-through of the album I thought, “Eh, this is okay—kind of basic…but those riffs are like sweet berry wine, and I think I’ll take another sip.” On the second listen-through, I got stuck on a few things, like that “Chocolate” song—it was so catchy, but what was it really about? I did a little digging and I found that “chocolate” is British slang for hash, and the line “…guns hidden under our petticoats” is a reference to the singer’s personal family history with heroin abuse. Dark. And then there was the song “The City:” anthemic, huge drums, slick hi-hat lines, and an infectious hook that went “If you wanna find love then you know where the city is.” More digging revealed that it was a song about bad trips and hospital visits.

Years later, as I continue to listen and understand the depth of The 1975’s music, I’m reminded of how The Rolling Stones must have come across when they first blessed the scene in the late ‘60s. The themes on ‘Sticky Fingers’ are just as raw and unabashed. Mix that with the clean-cut look and accessibility of early Beatles and you have the 1975’s formula for success. The music video for “Girls,” for example, is bright and provocative, and the guitarists are playing a relic’d Fano JM6 and a Fender Mustang – not your run-of-the-mill axes if you ask me.

As I continued to absorb the music, I quickly realized that The 1975 were wearing a mask. Not every song was about drugs; some were about tired love affairs with betrothed women, some the dangers of femme fatales, and others the somber regret of family estrangement. Yet still, behind the confidence and swagger there was a quiet air of self-loathing and a desire for self-betterment—which, though painted in extremes, is a relatable, universal feeling.

The Story Continues

That self-titled album stayed on repeat until their next release came out three years later. “i like when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it” was the follow-up that further defined the brilliance of The 1975. The band’s black and white aesthetic exploded into color. An intro track that shared a name and sound to its precursor had evolved into a choir-epic. Tales of drug abuse faded into a more mature melancholy, showcased notably in the album’s fourth track, “A Change of Heart.” Lyrics, themes, and melodic variations found in the first album revealed themselves in fun and mysterious ways on the new one. And most importantly, the guitar work, the drum work, and the subtle bass lines worked together fabulously. Songs like “Love Me” allowed The 1975 to poke fun at their new-found fame. With tracks like “If I Believe You”—a beautiful gospel record about questioning one’s faith—and “Nana”—a soft tear-jerker about singer/guitarist Matthew Healy’s deceased grandmother—the album encompassed a wide range of emotion, subject, and sound.

A Sign of The Times

The 1975’s 2018 release ‘A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships’ was a striking change in tone. Again, there were familiar melodies, upbeat dance numbers, and modern flavors of tone, but there were also underlying socio-political themes inspired by world events that the band felt couldn’t be ignored. Born in the early days of Brexit & America’s 2016 Presidential election, the band’s eye turned toward the complexities of the modern world. The provocative song “Love It If We Made It” opens in a very self-referential way, lifting any confusion as to what their earlier hit “Chocolate” was about.

It hits on police brutality, immigration, Donald Trump, and the dangers of isolating technology —all of which are a turn off to some, but I’ll be damned if that Michael Jackson-esque chorus isn’t the smoothest thing I’ve heard in years. There’s also the track “The Man Who Married A Robot / Love Theme,” an uncomfortable interlude about our relationship with the internet. The song, “I Like America And America Likes Me” isn’t my favorite, but it is notable. On first  listen, it sounds like the band’s taking a crack at a pop/hip-hop crossover. But, there’s more going on with it than meets the eye, as evidenced by the title, which refers to a 1974 Dada performance piece by German artist Joseph Beuys where Beuys lived in a Manhattan loft with a coyote for three days to embrace the wild spirit of America.

I could write about The 1975 for days. As I write this in March of 2020, their new singles continue to impress me as they expand upon the ideas expressed in …Online Relationships. Activist Greta Thunberg delivers a passionate forward on what’s I assume is the next album’s intro track and “People” takes their sound back to some very aggressive fuzz-rock akin to Blur or Jet. And, if you’re a musician, chances are that you’ll relate to the pre-chorus lyrics:

“I’m just gonna get girls, food, gear.  I don’t like going outside, so bring me everything here”

I don’t know what will happen in the year 2020 and beyond, but I do know that I’m excited to see how The 1975’s upcoming release addresses our contemporary experience. If I were to guess, its sound will be an evolution of what we’ve already come to know and love. I imagine, too, that its thematic content will continue to challenge their fan base and showcase the potential for sophistication in pop music production. I will say that if the new album sounds anything like the video below, the punk rock emo kid in me will be very satisfied. The proof is in the pudding: that rich lyricism and aggressive rock are alive and well.

The 1975 Music Video Links / References:

“Chocolate” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHk5SWVO4p8

“The City” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuihJInaeN4

“Girls” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkubQCI4Fxo

“A Change of Heart” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trbwqF0d7NA

“If I Believe You” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx3DonCyCmc

“Nana” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4JFRnUlAHM

“Love It If We Made It” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Wl1B7DPegc

“The Man Who Married a Robot / Love Theme” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6tSpCXBazk

“I Like America & America Likes Me” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtKJXFqEtPM

“The 1975 (ft. Greta Thundberg)” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zq4eCQCgQw8

“People” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKdPxXWm7Jg

The post The 1975: A Look Inside The Mind of Modern Pop Genius appeared first on Wildwood Guitars.

Hello, Wildwoodians! My name is Trevor, and if you’ve read anything on our website in the last two-and-a-half years, I wrote it! As Wildwood’s resident Guitar Scribe, I am often delighted by the linguistic powers of the Grand Gristlemaster General, Sir Gregory Kochery. Since we’re all in need of some levity, I thought it would be fun to ask him some silly questions to see if I could catch a glimpse of what makes the Mansquatch tick.

Greg, you’re a fan of all kinds of guitars, but you seem to gravitate towards Tele-style axes like your signature Reverend. Since you’re someone who wrings grisly amounts of gristle out of Teles on a regular basis, can you tell me who your top five favorite Tele ticklers are and why?

The five Tele wielders that come to mind, in no particular order:

Roy Buchanan—the one that probably most utilized every aspect of the Tele to coax a wide range of uber-emotive outbursts.

Danny Gatton—took many pages from the Roy cookbook and added several more addendums of technical mayhem to offer up an unparalleled Tele Soufflé.

Albert Collins—a totally unique approach that I personally can never get enough of. Succulence in the extreme!

Steve Cropper—one could learn everything there is to know about tasteful rhythm guitar from this majestic gentleman.

James Burton—the one who really started the whole chicken’ pickin’, hot country guitar style.

Those are five but we can’t forget about Jimmy Bryant, Clarence White, Albert Lee, Ray Flacke, Brent Mason, Red Volkaert, Bill Kirchen and many, many more…

Speaking of your signature Reverend, it’s a blast watching you and Reverend owner Ken Haas trade licks and quips in our videos. If you had to team up with Ken to fight crime, what would your respective superhero names and powers be?

Ken would be “K’Pow” and fight evil using a Reverend guitar as a combination of Thor’s Hammer and Cupid’s Lyre. I would be “Dreophicles” a long-lost immortal from antiquity who has emerged in times of crisis to fight evil by confusing the perpetrators by singing extemporized songs utilizing their names just long enough to disarm and apprehend…what?

It must be pretty cool to have a signature instrument as Gristlicious as the Gristlemaster. What was the process of designing the guitar with the folks at Reverend like?

It was easy-peasy. I said, “This is what I’m thinking,” they said, “Cool, what if we did this too?” and I said “I can dig it.” I got the prototype and I said, “Our work here is done.” Then we all said, “We ride!”

What do you think the best Thin Lizzy song about the boys being back in town is?

All I know is that the first place I want to go when I get back in town is Dino’s.

Who are some up-and-coming players that inspire you?

There are a whole slew of young ax-slingers that can really wield with great aplomb. I really like that Mateus Asato…great melodic player with really cool chops.

What does your daily practice routine look like? I’m assuming that you start by drinking demon blood from the skull of one of your enemies to fuel up on electrolytes, but where do you go from there? Do you have any tried-and-true warm-ups or exercises, or do you just pick up the guitar and see where it takes you?

I have no set regimen other than the ingestion of the blood of the inane, but my practicing usually involves a combination of maintaining repertoire, expanding repertoire, writing songs, developing improvisatory ideas and chops, playing along with recordings for inspiration.

You’ve probably played a zillion guitars in your lifetime, but are there any that slipped through your fingers that you kick yourself for not snagging? Mine’s a refinished Travis Bean TB1000s that Wildwood sold right after I started working here. Tell me about The Ones That Got Away.

Well, certainly there have been vintage instruments that have come and gone that I wish I could have afforded at the time, but recently I got rid of a few Custom Shop Les Pauls so that I could afford to buy my ‘53 Tele. I now have a hankering to get a Wildwood Spec Tom Murphy-painted burst of some sort. I’ve played many great ones but every time I come back to Wildwood there are always more so I’ve been able to employ a “catch and release” policy during my visits to commune with these guitars, knowing that next month there will be another one waiting for me to defile.

If you’re the Gristlemaster, is there a Gristle Apprentice? If so, is it a Palpatine/Darth Vader-type relationship? What sort of challenges must prospective students complete to prove their worthiness?

Many are called, none are chosen. When they get too close to the Gristle Flame their Soul’s Eyebrows are singed and they spend the rest of their days branded and confused…what?

If you’re packing a lunch, what’s your go-to sandwich?

Papusa.

Metal Poppins was an all-time great moment in Wildwood history, so I have to ask: what’s your favorite metal band?

Air Supply.

A runaway train is approaching a station at 85 mph. Five people are tied to the main track, and they will surely die if the train is not diverted. You are close enough to the switching station that you can flip a lever a send the train down a different track where only one person is tied up. Do you flip the lever and sacrifice one life for five, or do nothing and allow the train to continue?

I jump to the next question.

Would you rather fight a hundred snake-sized worms or one (poisonous) worm-sized snake? Obviously, the snake-sized worms would be gross, but a worm-sized snake would be quite stealthy and therefore deadly.

I would convert them all to the Ways of Gristle and send them out into the world to spread the Ways of the Night.

Tag-team cage match against two professional wrestlers, winner gets a real ’59 Les Paul burst. What guitar player do you choose as your partner and why?

Jimmy Page…because they wouldn’t dare.

The post A Wildwood interview with the Grand Gristlemaster, Greg Koch. appeared first on Wildwood Guitars.

As I sit down to write this, quarantined from the world and from Wildwood Guitars, I have an original pressing of The Band’s seminal 1969 self-titled record spinning on my turntable. During these chaotic times, I need something warming, something that feels like sitting on a porch surrounded by tall trees and soft sunshine, something that inspires you to pick up a guitar, and for that something, I always turn to The Band.

You know them, or at least you know their music. “The Weight,” “Up On Cripple Creek” and “The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down” are staples that any music lover should know, but the history of their rise and fall is the stuff of music legend. From their humble beginnings touring circuits in North America to private jets and sold out arenas all the way back to dirty clubs, the story of The Band is something everyone should know.

I write this in the early spring of 2020, 43 years after The Band performed their farewell concert at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, on Thanksgiving Day 1976. It was an event for the ages. They had a full turkey dinner, ballroom dancing, and one of the finest lineups Rock ‘n’ Roll had ever seen. Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Dr. John, Muddy Waters, Ringo Starr, Paul Butterfield, Bob Dylan, and many other friends joined The Band onstage for their final goodbye. The original lineup of The Band ended that night, but it began 15 years earlier with the man who opened up the concert, Ronnie Hawkins.

Ronnie Hawkins was a pioneer of rock ‘n’ roll in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. His band Ronnie and the Hawks played every night at clubs across the Mississippi Delta, tearing the roofs off of every single one. At one stop in Helena, Arkansas, Ronnie met a young man by the name of Levon Helm. Ronnie quickly hired Levon on as a drummer and they took The Hawks all over the south. Ronnie and The Hawks got the opportunity to tour the Canadian circuit as well, traveling from Quebec through Toronto onto Detroit and back. The group met a kid who kept hanging out at the shows, Robbie Robertson, and soon he was playing bass and eventually guitar for The Hawks. Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson all eventually signed on, and all the pieces were in place.

The five men who would eventually become The Band were together, and with Ronnie Hawkins leading them, they sharpened their musical swords all over North America. The constant grind of touring honed them into polished and collaborative musicians. Ronnie was several years older than the rest of the group, and after years of endless touring, he was getting tired. Levon, Robbie, Rick, Garth, and Richard, “quit” and went off on their own.

They kept playing the same circuits they had been, but now they split singing duties between Richard, Levon, and Rick. Occasionally, they’d find themselves playing gigs in one place for weeks or months. That all changed when they got a call from Bob Dylan asking them to back him up on his first electric tour.

Folk purists hated Bob Dylan with a backup band, and audiences rained boos on them across the US and England. This affected Levon so much that he quit for nearly a year and went off to the Gulf of Mexico to work on an oil rig. The Dylan tour ended with the rest of The Band, and eventually the group reconnected and moved to Woodstock.

In 1967, Bob Dylan and The Band recorded The Basement Tapes in their shared home and studio affectionately called “Big Pink.” A year later, The Band’s first record, Music From Big Pink, changed the landscape of music. Compared to what was popular at the time, it was a refreshing roots-driven record that was masterful without being pretentious. Their second self-titled album continued down the same path as they focused on songwriting and storytelling, with no single musician taking the spotlight.

That was what was so unique and special about The Band, and why so many artists wanted to learn from them and play with them. Each member played an equal and essential part in making The Band what it was. Levon’s vicious backbeat and hearty southern voice, Rick’s groove and high lonesome harmonies, Robbie’s ripping rhythm and perfectly placed lead lines, Richard’s hammering keys and rough riveting voice, and Garth’s musical mastery of multiple instruments gave The Band a lineup of talent that few could match. Their live performances were legendary because all five members, after years of practice, trial, and error, were well-oiled musical machines. Their second performance under the moniker The Band was Woodstock, and their peak fame and popularity saw them play the largest venues in the world.

I’ll paraphrase one of my favorite stories from Levon’s gritty autobiography This Wheels on Fire (an excellent read if you want a first-hand perspective on the birth of rock ‘n’ roll). The Band played the legendary “Summer Jam at Watkins Glen,” where The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers, and The Band played for 600,000 people. At the time, it was considered the largest attended concert ever. A torrential downpour ripped through the area halfway through The Band’s two-hour set. While the rest of the group retreated to shelter, Garth Hudson remained. He continued to launch the whimsical and gospel-like chords of “The Genetic Method” out across the drenched fans. Minutes passed with the rain still falling and Garth still playing, until he launched into the unforgettable chords of “Chest Fever” and, like a story of biblical proportions, the rain ceased and the blue sky opened up above. Now I’m sure it didn’t happen exactly this way, but what a wonderful image! Thinking of Garth Hudson in that moment gives me chills. Alone in front of 600,000 fans, he fought back against nature, and music won.

The Band was a live show that had an obligation to a record company to produce a certain number of records. Their first two, Music From Big Pink and The Band, are pure perfection and utterly changed the formula of rock ‘n’ roll. Stage Fright and Cahoots were fantastic, with darker undertones that were omens of what would come. Rock of Ages and Before The Flood (with Bob Dylan in 1974) are magical live performances captured on tape for posterity.

For all their greatness, there are several records that fall short of the mark. Due to growing artistic tensions in the group and substance abuse issues, records like Moondog Matinee and Islands feel like a departure from the working-class style that made The Band so appealing. Islands would be the last record released by The Band with songs performed by all the original members.

Now if you are reading this and are a big fan of The Band like I am, you may be asking “How do you feel about Robbie Robertson?” The major rifts caused by Robbie Robertson are an essential part of The Band’s story, but I don’t like talking about it because it makes me sad. It makes me sad to think about the music that could have been made and the animosity that grew between these men who were brothers in arms for so long. Anyway, emotions aside, here’s the story of The Band’s downfall.

As I’ve said before, these were working-class musicians. Guys who lived and died on the road, night after night, just trying to make their living. They got lucky and they struck it big. Really big. They had dabbled with recording before the official debut of The Band, but nothing ever found any commercial success. From the beginning, Robbie was the business mind, negotiating contracts and making sure they got paid, and when record deals started arriving at the doorstep, Robbie learned how to get the best deal and have the most control.

He found out that the money wasn’t in the record deal itself, and definitely not in touring, but in the royalties that would be paid for songwriting credits. That was real money, money that would roll in for decades. As a result, you’ll notice on the back of records and on inner sleeves that Robbie Robertson has sole songwriting credits for the vast majority of the songs The Band ever released. Squabbles over credits–and by extension, money–are what ultimately undid the brotherhood of The Band.

It is this humble writer’s opinion that Robbie Robertson could not have written all those songs alone. Listening to their music, you can hear them collaborating, and that’s what made them so special in the first place. With songwriting credits going to Robbie, that meant Richard got no money for songs he helped shape, Garth got nothing for the melodies and bits of hidden musical magic he put into every record, and Levon got nothing for setting the groove and singing his heart out.

Later on, this ruined some of their lives. Garth lost his farm when things got rough, and Levon almost lost his famous home and studio when he got throat cancer. That puts a sour taste in my mouth to say the least.

The darkest chapter in The Band’s history happened about a decade after The Last Waltz. The Band had reformed with only Levon, Rick, Richard, and Garth, and they began to tour around the US. They were years out of the spotlight though, so they were playing small clubs in strange cities that were hundreds of miles apart from each other.

In March of 1986, the new group was in Florida, and had just finished a show in Winter Park. Levon and Richard spent much of the night talking, and Richard thanked Garth for all the great years before retiring for the night. In the morning, Richard Manuel was dead. He had hung himself in his hotel room after finishing a bottle of Grand Marnier. Richard’s funeral was filled with friends and songs and deep sadness, and Robbie wasn’t there.

I don’t hate Robbie Robertson. He helped shape the music I hold so dearly. His guitar solos are forever etched into my mind and I want his lyrics played at my funeral. I wasn’t in the room, and I have no direct knowledge of the situation–only hours of time spent reading and listening–but I can’t easily forget the part Robbie played in the downfall of The Band.

They continued on after Richard’s death. Until Rick Danko’s death in 1999, Levon, Garth, and Rick continued to record and tour. Their 1993 record Jericho has a cover of Springsteen’s “Atlantic City” that is better than the original, but nothing could replicate the energy of those early years.

The Band is the epitome of what I want music to be. I haven’t been able to find anything that scratches the itch like they do. Their songs have no frills, and every note and lyric is essential, like it has always been there. As musicians, they are masterful without being virtuosic. Nobody shows off, and no one takes the spotlight without passing the torch. It was always all about the music. Even when their fame was gone and the hundreds of thousands of concertgoers had diminished to just hundreds, they were still playing music with each other because their bones told them they had to. I’m no real musician, but I dabble in plenty of artistic adventures, and what The Band captured is the essence of what I want from art. Unapologetic and wholly unique, it exists for itself and the success is a fortunate byproduct. Four Canadian boys and a kid from Arkansas connected to the heart of what it meant to work and to live. They weren’t flashy, they weren’t fancy, they weren’t gods among men–they were just The Band.

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Effective Monday, April 27th, the governor has allowed us to offer curbside pickup on local orders and we are honored to offer this service to local customers for instruments and accessories. For curbside instrument orders, we will need 72 hours to properly set up and disinfect your purchase prior to pickup. The health and safety of our customers is our priority, and the Wildwood Staff will take all necessary precautions to ensure a safe experience.
 

We would like to extend a hearty thank you to all our friends for their incredible support. We are eternally grateful to all you wonderful Wildwoodians, and since we are fortunate enough to have most of our team working remotely, we are ready to take your calls.

Stay safe everyone,

The Wildwood Team

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The post A message to our Wildwood family concerning COVID-19 appeared first on Wildwood Guitars.