I’ve been a fan of legendary blues guitarist, Eric Gales, since he exploded onto the music scene in 1991. He was just 17 years old at the time but he played well beyond his years. Sign of the Storm was the song by The Eric Gales Band that captured so much attention. Many people still remember his showcase on the Arsenio Hall Show. In fact, as I was getting ready to sit down with Eric to talk about his new album, someone walked up and remarked the he remembered seeing Gales on that particular episode. I remember being exited to watch as well. I just couldn’t get enough of his guitar tone – crunchy but not so much that you couldn’t hear each accented note and the sweet-spot sound of his guitar being pushed through red hot tubes in his amplifier.
Eighteen albums later, Eric Gales is still putting that signature guitar sound out on recorded music tracks. His latest release, The Bookends, not only demonstrates his stellar guitar play but also shows his growth as a songwriter and vocalist. Being familiar with his entire catalog, I can tell you that Eric has clearly taken both to another level. There are the straight up rockers like Whatcha Gon’ Do and Reaching For A Change. Then there are some subtle but serious songs like Southpaw Serenade and How Do I Get You. You also get some terrific acoustic guitar infused songs like the deep thinking Something’s Gotta Give.
As I mentioned earlier I was able to catch up with Gales right after his sound check for a concert later that night. We talked about The Bookends and broke down the song Southpaw Serenade that features Doyle Bramhall II. Gales explains about the writing process, “I was thinking about how it was growing up as a left handed guitarist in a right handed world. I think it’s a really deep tune.” We also talked about some of the great artists he’s had the chance to work with on his last couple of albums. People like Lauryn Hill, Gary Clark Jr and Beth Hart, who duets with Gales on his latest album with a cover of the Beatles song, With A Little Help From My Friends.
As his legend continues to grow I asked Gales what it felt like having so many great guitarists mention his name as one of the greatest guitar players alive. Guitar players like Mark Tremonti, Dave Navarro and Joe Bonamassa, Gales replied, “It’s very humbling to have those types of thoughts verbalized by very inspiring peers.. the feeling is very mutual.”
You can hear my entire conversation with Eric Gales by clicking one of the link below to your favorite podcast.
-Tommy Marz
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