Conference napalm::guitar

At Lechmere I bought some CDs and was given a free Landreth CD (with one song
and a coupon to buy the full CD for 9.98).  The playing was good, the singing
was average and the song was so-so.  Bottom line for me - I won't be buying the
Landreth CD and you can have the one-song CD if you want it.

Jim

    -< Sonny Landreth >-

    YES!

    Brian,

    What about Cray's latest tour? Landreth was on it? Don't tell me that I
    not only missed Robert Cray but Sonny Landreth too? I'm bummin' Brian.
    The guy is the best slide player I've ever heard and/or seen and I seen
    and heard a bunch! Saw him with Hiatt a couple years ago. He (and Hiatt)
    tore the roof off the house. A barn-burner of a show. And I've stood
    seven feet in front of Duane Allman for about 90 minutes of his slide
    playing. But Sonny's playin'll make the hair on the back of your neck
    stand up.

    Tell me, was he on Robert Cray's latest tour?

    --Ron

This Sonny Landreth, he was the opening act for Robert Cray, right?  He was not
actually *in* Cray's band.  If this is the case, then I do remember him.  His
band was him, a bassist, and a drummer (no keys if I remember correctly).  He
was one of the best opening acts I've ever seen (which ain't much when you
consider most opening acts, but I don't mean to downplay the quality of his
band).

Great slide, which he utilized almost constantly.  I believe he used a Super
Reverb (definitely a 2x12 Fender combo).

adam_10th_row_at_the_Orpheum!

    Young Adam dude!
    
    >>...he used a Super Reverb (definitiely a 2x12 Fender combo).
    
    Only because I been pretty quiet lately (slaying IBM dragons) will I
    say that a Super Reverb has 4x10's. If he was using a box with 2x12's
    then it most likely was a twin of one vintage or another. The super is
    a bit squarer and a twin is more rectangular in shape.
    
    "sakman" ...also known as "fenderman"

re:                    <<< Note 2615.4 by CHEEKO::SAKELARIS >>>

>    Young Adam dude!
>    
>    Only because I been pretty quiet lately (slaying IBM dragons) will I
>    say that a Super Reverb has 4x10's. If he was using a box with 2x12's
>    then it most likely was a twin of one vintage or another. The super is
>    a bit squarer and a twin is more rectangular in shape.

Thanks for the correction! (hanging my head in shame)

Yeah, it was probably a Twin.  I don't think it was a 4xanything.  It had a
silver grille cloth and black Tolex.

adam_who_owns_a_Concert

    young adam,

    "The revolution wil not be televised"

    That Gil Scott Heron? Trying to remember.

    old Ron

    Old Ron,
    
    You sir are correct: The revolution will not be televised is Gil Scott
    Heron.

>    You sir are correct: The revolution will not be televised is Gil Scott
>    Heron.

BTW, the missing second 'l' in 'will' in my p-name is due to lack of p-name
characters, not lack of grammar school!  Just thought I'd get that out of the
way.

The first time I heard that line was in a TV show called "The 90's", which I
believe still runs, on PBS.  It was not GSH who was singing the song, but
someone covering it (I assume).  The song was very monotone, with a reggae-ish
beat behind it.  The black singer was talking about the impending revolution,
and how, despite all the media around us, it would not be televised. And every
verse ended with the 'revolution will not be televised' line.  Great idea and
song!

adam

    Just bought his album. I really, really like it. Its got some real gems
    on it. The rhythm section is basically The Goners that toured with Hiatt
    and did such an outstanding job backing him on the Slow Turning album.
    Boy I love this sound! Slide playing like nobody else can do it. Hiatt
    sings backup on 2 tracks. But its plain to see where the sound of the
    Slow Turning album came from.

    This album is a must for any bottle neck enthusiaists and any really any
    guitar player for that matter.

    --Ron

    Well, CBS/Sony in its usual wisdom (and thanks to its huge vaults) has
    reissued Sonny's 1985 solo for Epic.  It's now called "Down in
    Louisiana" and is labeled "contains previously released material" so I
    guess it's not in its original form (which I never could find anyway).
    
    The band is Sonny and Dave Ranson plus a drummer and harp player.  The
    material ranges from Clifton Chenier zydeco covers to some blues, it's
    well played but not as exciting as "Outward Bound".  For fans only.
    
    							Brian

	To my ears, Sonny Landreth's tone on "Outward Bound" is the
    best I've heard anywhere.  His main weapon on this album is the 
    reversed Firebird III. I've read that he uses Fender, *Demeter* 
    and Boogie amps, with virtually no efx, however, he is pictured
    on one album with some kind of Ross tape delay or some such.

	Talk about 100 pound violin tone, he makes his guitar sound 
    exactly like a violin on some tunes (ie: New Landlord). How does
    he do it? He also plays a lot of Cajun Accordian licks as well
    (Bayou Tech, Common Law Love). If that's him singing the lead on 
    "New Landlord" and "Common Law Love" he's got quite the voice. I 
    try singing along, but run out of breath towards the end of some 
    of those lines. It's tough to get old!!

	When you've got tone like this, you don't mess with it !!
    I hope he blesses us with a new release soon. Anyone heard any
    rumours?

	Mark

    Sonny's latest, "South of I-10" has hit the stores.  Incredibly,
    Sonny's tone sounds even bigger than on "Outward Bound"!  There's
    yet another version of "Congo Square", more of a spooky bayou vibe
    this time.  If you liked Sonny's last, you won't be disappointed.
    As Dr Ron Burati says, "it'll have you cravin' a plate of hot and
    spicy jumbo gulf shrimp".
    
    /rick
    

    I was going to enter a note about the new Landreth disk, but Rick
    beat me to the punch. His tone on "South Of I-10" is great, but I'm 
    still waiting for the tunes to grow on me. 
    
    Outward Bound is a really tough act to follow. Every tune on that
    disk is perfect. In any event, I'm really psyched that Landreth 
    released a new disk. Can't get enough of this guys music.
    
    Mark
    

    Picked up a recent Dimarzio flyer with several artist interviews,
    including one with Sonny.  Despite all those shots of Sonny and his
    trusty Firebird, he claims he cut "Outward Bound" with a Les Paul
    equipped with Dimarzio PAF and Super Distortion pickups and on "South
    of I-90" he's using Strats with Fastrack 1s.  There's a picture of one
    of these, just a normal American Standard with maple neck and the
    Fastracks.
    
    Although he doesn't actually specify how much the Dimarzios were used
    on Outward, you are led to believe quite a bit.  Then again, it *is* a
    Dimarzio ad.  But for South he specifically says the Fastracks are on
    "most" of the album.
    
    /rick
    

    Interesting stuff, Rick! 
    
    Sonny is overdue for a new release. I wonder what's in the works.
    BTW, the latest album is Called "South of I10". I don't hear much
    Strat tone on that album. Perhaps it's the pickups that make the
    Strat sound like something other than a Strat. 
    
    Now that I think of it, Sonny's tone is very distinct, but it
    really does not scream of Strat, LP, or any other standard tone
    that I am familiar with. It's just Sonny!
    
	I've read a few articles where he talked about using the 
    Firebird and Strat. No mention of a LP, but the guitar on the
    cover of South of I10 appears to be a modified LP with some
    kind of engraved metal plate covering the top. 
    
    	Sonny is still my favorite player, although I really only
    enjoy the last 2 albums. Everything previous to Outward Bound
    sounds like straight Cajun Blues and could have been played by
    any one of several Cajun players. The last 2 albums are very
    unique and sets Sonny apart from run of the mill Cajun Blues
    players. 
    
    	Mark
    

    The Fastrack 1s are dual rail Strat replacements that are supposed to
    be slightly hotter than the stock Strat single coils.
    
    If you're in the mood to do a little tone homework, compare the tracks
    "Native Step Son" and "Turning Wheel" on South.  The first he
    specifically mentions as being "indicative of what the Fastracks are
    capable of".  On the second tune, although a similar style tone, I hear
    a distinct difference.  I'm guessing he used something else here.
    
    The fancy engraved metal front LP on the cover of South was built by
    Frenchman James Trussart.  He's done a number of guitars for various
    famous players, and they're supposed to be very nice.  It's a similar
    idea to the guitars John Zemaitis built for the Keith Richards, Ron
    Wood, etc.  At least up until recently, you could have Trussart build
    you a guitar for a relatively reasonable cost, around $3k.  Haven't
    checked the prices lately, but that may have been a real bargain.
    Similar Zemaitis's go for well beyond $10k these days, with no shortage
    of buyers.
    
    /rick