MUSIC MAKER
MAGAZINE
ISSUE 95 - JULY/AUGUST 2006
MICHAEL MESSER INTERVIEW / COVER FEATURE
BY LARS MULLEN & CANDI CHARLTON
While we are
thankfully still graced with the presence of many original blues giants, they
often fish the same licks from the same pond, based on the same 12 bar, so it’s
a refreshing change to have a new approach and concept in the aged blues arena.
Whilst the Cooking Vinyl label re releases his back catalogue, including
the award winning album Second Mind, voted Best Blues Guitar Album by The
International Guitar Federation, and the well received new album ‘Lucky
Charms’, I wouldn’t say Michael Messer is on a roll within his duties, he
just never seems to hold up and sit on his laurels, life for him, is a constant
roll, as he explains....“Well you know, whilst my slide playing is predominantly
blues based, I’ve been studying every aspect of the slide territory and its
origins for around 30 years now, including blues, country and Hawaiian from the
early 20’s and 30’s, jazz and world influences, rock and classic electric
Chicago style. People love to hear old blues records from the 20’s, 30’s 40’s
and 50’s, simply for the way they are. So much of beauty is not just in the
music; it is in the sound of those old records and the way they were recorded.
And it’s from this area we decided to take our studio and live set to new
levels, by incorporating samples and loops from old blues and gospel records.”
Hardened blues aficionados may raise an eyebrow or two at the thought of decks
scratching within a blues band, but as Michael Messer eagerly describes, “The
reactions from the audience have been amazing, they actually hear those old
sounds that they love, incorporated within our contemporary music. It kind of
works in both directions for us…as much as the music is contemporary, the
addition of the DJ immediately puts us in that territory, and it is also very
traditional. It evolved way back around ’95 when Louie Genis played on the
MOONbeat album, where he scratched old blues records on a couple of tracks.
Around this time it became a little bit fashionable, when Skip McDonald and Moby
came along, sort of doing a similar thing but with computers, so we left it
alone until ’02 when we recorded ‘Second Mind’.
The turntable
has been part of the music now for several years and we’ve learnt the craft of
it, although two major problems slowly appeared. For a start, my valuable old
blues records were getting eaten like tyres on a motorway. And secondly, the
situation with copyrights limited us with material. I’m not a total fan of
digital technology by any means, but I started
talking to people and they said nobody uses records these days, they all use CD
or MP3…er do they? I mean I don’t know about all this stuff. So I thought, hang
on a minute, I can make a sampled CD using my own voice & guitar playing, as
well as finding old recordings that are in the public domain. This opened up a
whole new direction for us and formed the basis of the new album, Lucky Charms”.
Messer is obviously a master at his craft, as a player-singer-writer-arranger,
he’s right on the money, and for the new album ‘Lucky Charms’, along with
songwriting partner Terry Clarke, he has created a superb collection of songs.
He continues, “I’m really pleased with Lucky Charms, we
recorded it at BigSqueak studio in Kent. It took 10 days to complete from
recording to mastering. Most of the album was recorded as a live band all
playing at the same time, this is different to the way most modern recordings
are done.
Lucky Charms,
is also the single, with Ford Capris,
James Bond speedboats and lucky charms as the theme, although still heavily
within the blues concept and a fine example of Louie’s sampling.”
RECORDING AND VIEWS ON RECORDING
For this latest album,
Michael Messer has been fortunate to work once again with recording engineer and
co-producer Keith James, as he enthuses, “Yes, Keith’s a total analogue fanatic;
he has no problem capturing the true spirit of my music. He also recorded and
co-produced Second Mind and Play the Blues. All the material is more or less
captured in one take, again for the live feel, sometimes we’ll go around again
with the same song just for a comparison and maybe a second choice, but there’s
hardly an overdub anywhere, hence we can perform the same material live with
ease.
To me, when
you are recording, whatever the style of music, not just blues, the vibe is just
as important as anything else in the equation. I think too many musicians listen
to the sound engineer’s opinion and not their own ears. There’s just a little
too much emphasis on the technical approach in the modern digital studio. I’ve
noticed this a lot with engineers, they seem to want to achieve the ultimate
clean, clear and isolated approach, but where’s the vibe in that, I don’t care
what the numbers on the screen read, I’m more interested in how it sounds, if
it’s shaking the desk and sounds good - that’s great by me!
I’m not against digital recording by any means, but you know, just before
digital appeared in the late ‘70’s analogue reached its peak. There were some
really incredible recordings; I mean, look what the Electric Light Orchestra did
with a reel of tape…just as an example. You can hear the difference as we headed
into the ‘80’s, something was lost when digital recording started.
WRITING
I can actually say some of my best friends are involved within creating my
music; I have to pay homage to my long term writing partner Terry Clarke. We
don’t really have a formula, unlike some writers who may hire a cottage in
Wales, wear pink socks and in three weeks come out with an album. For example
when we did Lucky Charms, we just swapped ideas via e-mail. I can send Terry a
hook and he comes back with the most superb lyrics. Again, as we are such old
friends, I can tell him stories about my life and he’ll hit me with a verse and
chorus. On another occasion for example, the track Sunflower River on the album,
transpired after talking for years to Terry about the mythology of WC Handy
sitting on Tutwiler railway station in 1912 hearing primitive delta blues played
with a slide on a guitar for the first time, and Terry just turned it around
into a song. But then, Knife Song on the album was written as we recorded it,
totally unprepared.”
BAND MEMBERS
Michael
Messer doesn't make any big deal out of his status, with no need to temper his
act to suit the occasion, as he explains,
“I’ve been doing this now for a long time, so I don’t go out to show off slide
guitar playing that maybe only slide players would be interested in. Sure,
that’s my instrument, but I go out to entertain, and I’d rather make a great
record for people to listen to, rather than just hear a slide guitar player.
Ed Genis has been with me now in the
Second Mind Band and also as a partner in our duo outfit, for 23 years, not just
as strong rhythm player, but also as a very strong writing influence. He is also
Louie’s father by the way.
As a band, we are a tight knit outfit;
Simon Price
is superb on drums, he’s been with me since ’91 on all albums and gigs.
Jerry Soffe is such a strong bass
player, together they form the perfect rhythm section. With the addition of
Louie Genis on the turntable, that is the Second Mind Band. On the two albums,
Lucky Charms & Second Mind, we included one or two extra musicians to add a
little extra spice: Richard Causon on keyboards on both albums, and Ruby Turner
on backup vocals on Second Mind.
We are at a level that I’ve always wanted, where you hear a band and you know
they’re all great musicians, but they’re just simply holding down a groove that
they can do in their sleep, but every now and again, they just let it out.”
GUITAR TALK/ COLLECTION
Messer is proud to be old school when it comes to gadgets, but thankfully, is up
to date with his computer skills, as he continues, “Well I do have my computer;
I run my own website & also host a forum that readers are welcome to visit and
join in. I have acquired several guitars over the internet. I recently got
a call from a friend who recognised an old Dobro I used to own some 21 years
ago, I knew straight away it was mine as it was blue, it was just sat there with
no bids at all. I bought it in ’82, it was a 1938 fiddle-edged metal bodied
Dobro, but in such a bad state that I decided to give it a new lease of life. I
fitted a new neck, and for some crazy reason I decided to have the body stove
enamelled in blue and grey, as it was dented and rusty. Back then I didn’t know
anyone who would do the repairs, so I took it down to a metal shop in Reading
and they beat out the dents like you would on a car and did the enamel job. It
turned out to be a really nice instrument, even though it looked like a metal
tool box in that hammerite finish. I traded it in at George Gruhn’s shop when I
was in Nashville in ’85. But it’s back with me now, for sentimental value really
- seems a guy bought it a couple of weeks after I was in the shop. It’s as clean
as the day I parted with it 21 years ago.
But you know, it’s fine to have shiny metal guitars, but there’s no doubt when it comes to musical instruments, wood is a tried and tested material for tone and that little extra warmth.” Whilst there are enough bib drooling guitars in the Messer collection, only the sacred few are ear marked for touring. He says, “My main stage and recording guitar is a wooden bodied single cone resophonic, from the Fine Resophonic Company, built by Mike Lewis in Paris. Mike uses maple and koa woods within the laminate construction. Some manufactures build these models with solid tone woods, rather than the original laminate design, but there’s no point really, as the body is a speaker cabinet, not a guitar. It’s more like building an enclosure to voice the aluminium speaker within the body. Mike Lewis builds all his own parts, including the resonators, which are hand spun as close as possible to the original National ones when John Dopyera and his bothers were knocking them out in a small workshop before it all went to mass production. Although I must say back then in the 1920’s, mass production still meant quality, with lots of guys in brown overalls and pens in their pockets. I also have a wooden bodied Mike Lewis Fine Resophonic square-neck Tricone for playing lap style, this is generally known as a Michael Messer model, another beautiful instrument, this also comes on tour, along with the Ondrez Holoubek guitar, my favourite for Dobro playing, and the 1937 National Havana 12 string is a really rare one-off, and gets well looked after.
My main stage electric guitar is also available as a Michael Messer signature model, built by Dave King. This is based on a semi acoustic Telecaster body, fitted with a 50’s style lap steel pickup at the bridge, and a lipstick re pro in the neck position, Dave also makes fine small-bodied acoustics, I also have a couple of these. I’m also very fond of my 1934 cast aluminium lap steel, such a fine example of what would pretty much be the first mass produced model for this style of playing. It’s hollow, but the density of the aluminium gives superb sustain. Inside, it’s a bit like an old science project, very agricultural, but man, what a tone, this one also came from George Gruhn’s shop in Nashville.
For live and studio work I use a custom valve Champ Amp. Built by Amp Dr John it is the loudest six watter you’ll ever hear, it screams, it’s also available as a Michael Messer signature amp. For years I used my old 50’s National amp, up until recently it had been on every tour and album, but it’s so tired now, so I use the Champ Amp, which I actually prefer.
GUITAR ACCESSORIES/TUNINGS
I’m a pretty hard player so I generally have a new set of strings for every show, which are incidentally my own Michael Messer Newtone National and Electric slide Classic guitar strings.
For bottleneck on resophonic guitars I use a hefty 4oz metal steel tube, but for electric bottleneck I use a lightweight glass slide. For both electric and acoustic lap steel playing I use a Hawaiian bullet; a solid chromed rod rounded at the end like a bullet no less. I always wear plastic finger picks whatever the style, as the fingernails just don’t hold up.” So far, Michael Messer is pretty much in depth with his own formula and style, so does he enter the world of complex guitar tunings? He describes, “No not really, as I only play six string and 12 string guitars it tends to be basic G and D tunings and the standard variations within minors, majors, sixths and sevenths. For example on the track Havana Blues on Lucky Charms, it’s a minor tuning, whereas on the same guitar, Sunflower River, is a major tuning.”
NEW PROJECTS
As a player, Michael Messer is always in demand, as arguably the UK’s most hardworking slide player with on going projects running alongside the Second Mind band, as he excitedly explains, “I’m writing an album with the UK’s finest pedal steel guitar player BJ Cole, such a superb player. I first heard him on Elton John’s Madman Across The Water, he’s played with them all, from Shania Twain to Robbie Williams. We’ve written and arranged some instrumentals together, combining the pedal steel and 8 string world from BJ and the 6 & 12 string world of bottleneck and lap style slide from myself. We have Ed Genis on rhythm guitar and Chris Clarke on bass.
Another project I am involved with is a band with singer/songwriter Ron Smith, we’re called National Debt. Country & folk lap-style Dobro is something I have been playing for over 25 years but am not known for it. I guess I have been a closet-Dobro player….and now I’m coming out! I play mostly lap-style Dobro with National Debt. I’m also enjoying the concept of playing outside the business area of the Michael Messer band, and for this…I’m just Mike on guitar.”
For the few who have yet to be Messer-merised >Visit www.michaelmesser.co.uk
LARS MULLEN
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