A CONVERSATION WITH KELLY JOE PHELPS (continued)
PM: The two crews that you used for tracking were so different that it really expanded the sonic range of the record dramatically. The two-crew thing, was that conceived from the top, or did it just kind of take place organically?
KJP: No, Lee and I kind of put that together before we started. I had recorded all the songs solo so that everybody could listen to them, but Lee was the first one to get it and become involved with the project. We started talking about possible treatments. And we decided, "Okay, I'll draw up a treatment that I'm thinking about, you draw one up that you're thinking about, and then we'll compare notes and see what it looks like." And after we did that, then we kind of hashed out a few more things, and decided then that those two songs would be beautiful to play with Bill. And we were already sure that we wanted to do a bunch of it with Zubot and Dawson, too. So on that level, it was more a matter of what instruments to use, et cetera. But then, once we got in the studio, we actually had one day of rehearsal out in Toronto, too, with the band, because there were a few songs where we were thinking, "Maybe not drums on this one, maybe not bass on this one." But once we started playing, that was the organic part--it was like, "Hell, let's just all play."
PM: Right, yeah. [Scott] Amendola, his grooves were beautiful.
KJP: Oh, God, yeah.
PM: I always liked him on the Charlie Hunter stuff and different records. I mean, he's just a great drummer.
KJP: Yeah, he's cool. The thing he does on "Knock Louder," it's great. I think it's "Knock Louder." He does this funny thing where it almost sounds like a straight-ahead shuffle, but he's doing a high hat thing where he's kicking it in the off-off beat. Check it out. Listen to the hat.
PM: Cool. So you're playing straight guitar through the whole record.
KJP: Yes. As far as the record is concerned, all the slide stuff is Steve Dawson.
PM: Playing a Weissenborn.
KJP: Yeah.
PM: Your playing sounded like regular tuning, most or all of it, right?
KJP: There's a good portion of it that is. I think there are a couple of songs where I drop both E strings down to D. There are two songs in G tuning, open G. And then the rest of it's standard.
PM: There's a great sound that sets up with a finger picked guitar and an accordion.
KJP: Yeah, man.
PM: I was just blown away. That texture just goes together so beautifully.
KJP: Isn't that great?
PM: What kind of instrument is Chris Gestrin playing there? It's not a TexMex button thing, or something, it's just a regular--what do you call it, an Italian-style accordion?
KJP: It's a plain old accordion, yeah.
PM: And who is Petra Haden, who sings beautifully on those two tracks.
KJP: Lee has been working with her on the record that she's doing. And he sent a copy to me when we were trying to figure out whom to use.
PM: Is she related to Charlie? [renowned jazz bassist]
KJP: She's Charlie's daughter.
PM: Wow, that's something. What was she like?
KJP: Oh, she's beautiful, man.
PM: She's in her twenties or something?
KJP: I think maybe she's twenty-six or seven, something like that. And she's part of triplets, also, which is curious.
PM: Wow. Are either of the other two musical?
KJP: Yeah, they're actually working on a group together.
PM: You don't happen to know the name of that, do you?
KJP: No, I don't. But she's wonderful.
PM: And you said you heard recordings of hers?
KJP: Yeah. She's been working on--actually, it's done now. It's a beautiful thing, although nobody's picked it up yet, so she's kind of sitting on it. But maybe Lee would send you a copy. It's just her and Bill Frisell.
PM: Oh, Lord!
KJP: Yeah.
PM: Oh, I bet that doesn't sound too damn good, does it?
KJP: [laughs]
PM: Holy geez...
KJP: That was the deal when I got the record and listened to it. I said, "Oh, she's the one for sure." continue
