Rick Beato-Joe Bonamassa interview

PhilW1 · February 29

Don’t know if this has been mentioned before but if so I think it’s worth highlighting again.

I know Joe polarises opinion on here but I thought this was a great watch, great playing with a great sound and he comes across as as nice guy who loves what he does. As good as the TPS Noel Gallagher interview
https://youtu.be/kUbo8mreVWA?si=JCFo15yu6OfHuvK1

guitars4you · March 1

Browsing thru' it bit by bit - As far as his playing is concerned the jury has always been out as far as I'm concerned - As a guy there is not a lot to dislike - We'd all love to tour the world playing guitar, collecting guitars and talking guitar all day - Nothing wrong with that and I certainly don't knock that and indeed the JoBo corporate business machine

But I just don't 'feel' anything when he plays - The only 2/3 albums of his that I've got into are the collaborations with Beth Hart - Is that because the songs are covers - She sings and he can just pull off a few tasty licks that support the songs and as an overview everything is more 'laid back'

But this Beato chat, coupled with his playing/demos, has for some reason made me think about him and his playing and that is 'is he to good a player to be playing rock/blues ?' - I'm talking about his excellent technique - When we look/listen to all before him, be it Clapton, Bloomfield, Kossoff, Green etc etc, they have nothing like his technique - But they are loaded with tone and emotion - Maybe it is hard to explain but in short it is all a bit to much - Form of overkill for a rock/blues based player - I just imagine that if he had recorded the original 'all right now' we'd have heard far more notes

I like the guy - i will listen to the rest of the video over the next few days - But his playing just doesn't inspire me at all

EricTheWeary · March 1

I watched it when it came out. Rick has some fairly specific musical tastes so I don't think he was all that interested really. But Joe is a good interviewee so turns it on and if you aspire to his kind of playing there are some interesting/useful ideas.
JoBo elicits some very predictable responses on guitar forums so I'll sit back and play Joe Bonamassa Bingo.

wrinkleygit · March 1

For me JB is at his best when he collaborates with others, check out some of the stuff with Warren Haynes on YouTube, or better still watch this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE2ltZll9B0

Also, having seen him live at Plymouth a few years ago, he was simply stunning, taking the role of band leader, every musician on stage was given a chance to shine, probably the best gig I’ve ever seen.

MikeP · March 1

Massive Peter Green fan admittedly but could JB really play as tight and clean as watch out from the original fleetwood mac album for example? ( not the slower blues jam in Chicago version) Can't say JBs playing does anything for me but there isn't a modern blues player who does sadly.

mo6020 · March 1

guitars4you said:

Browsing thru' it bit by bit - As far as his playing is concerned the jury has always been out as far as I'm concerned - As a guy there is not a lot to dislike - We'd all love to tour the world playing guitar, collecting guitars and talking guitar all day - Nothing wrong with that and I certainly don't knock that and indeed the JoBo corporate business machine

But I just don't 'feel' anything when he plays - The only 2/3 albums of his that I've got into are the collaborations with Beth Hart - Is that because the songs are covers - She sings and he can just pull off a few tasty licks that support the songs and as an overview everything is more 'laid back'

But this Beato chat, coupled with his playing/demos, has for some reason made me think about him and his playing and that is 'is he to good a player to be playing rock/blues ?' - I'm talking about his excellent technique - When we look/listen to all before him, be it Clapton, Bloomfield, Kossoff, Green etc etc, they have nothing like his technique - But they are loaded with tone and emotion - Maybe it is hard to explain but in short it is all a bit to much - Form of overkill for a rock/blues based player - I just imagine that if he had recorded the original 'all right now' we'd have heard far more notes

I like the guy - i will listen to the rest of the video over the next few days - But his playing just doesn't inspire me at all

This is pretty much how I feel. He seems a top bloke, and is an excellent guitarist, but his playing leaves me cold.

MikeP · March 1

I do actually like JDSimo s playing but don't listen to his actual music.

Bennyboy-UK · March 1

I'm in the camp where I agree he's an absolutely first class player but comes across to me as a dick.

I recall his nasty tirade at a fan on one of the Gibson forums about vintage guitars, and it was really awful and aggressively condescending.

Anyone remember that?

Seeing that was enough for me.

Great player but I don't like him and I'll not really give him time of day (not that he or anyone else should care).

CaseOfAce · March 1

It was an ok interview - the false modesty get's a bit tiresome at times.

I do like his live version of Clapton's Mainline Florida and the stuff he's done with Black Country Communion - but the grandfather blues stuff leaves me cold. He's playing all the right notes, in the right order with the right technique but ... there's nothing I can pin down and say "oh...that's Bonamassa...".

HOUSE!!!!

GuyBoden · March 1

The 1960/70's British Blues Rock era has had such a huge influence on guitar playing,

Roundwound · March 1

I like him as a live player- have seen him 3 times now albeit most recent was least inspiring despite having Josh Smith in the band.

To me he’s undoubtedly one of the best guitar players on the planet. I think his original songs let him down and he perhaps overplays to compensate. He has no real stand out signature tune of his own. My favourite live sets of his are the covers sets where he tributes Muddy Wolf/ British Blues and 3 Kings respectively.

Tbf I think he knowledges this and I’ve heard him say that he’d happily trade half his playing talent for McCartneys song writing ability.

The collecting is a bit OTT but at least he’s playing them live rather than locking them in a vault.

guitars4you · March 1

Roundwound said:

I like him as a live player- have seen him 3 times now albeit most recent was least inspiring despite having Josh Smith in the band.

To me he’s undoubtedly one of the best guitar players on the planet. I think his original songs let him down and he perhaps overplays to compensate. He has no real stand out signature tune of his own. My favourite live sets of his are the covers sets where he tributes Muddy Wolf/ British Blues and 3 Kings respectively.

Tbf I think he knowledges this and I’ve heard him say that he’d happily trade half his playing talent for McCartneys song writing ability.

The collecting is a bit OTT but at least he’s playing them live rather than locking them in a vault.

Won’t be the first great guitar player who writes mediocre songs - Yet there many mediocre guitar players who write great songs

I firmly put Larry Carlton at #1 as the finest guitar player, worse song writer

But I know where you are coming from - He mentions in the above interview about great songs, solos and tone and within that he mentions the likes of Deep Purple and Toto - Both have a ‘team’ who help write the songs - I dare say he is on his own a lot to write- We can’t all be Cole Porter

CaseOfAce · March 1

guitars4you said:

Roundwound said:

I like him as a live player- have seen him 3 times now albeit most recent was least inspiring despite having Josh Smith in the band.

To me he’s undoubtedly one of the best guitar players on the planet. I think his original songs let him down and he perhaps overplays to compensate. He has no real stand out signature tune of his own. My favourite live sets of his are the covers sets where he tributes Muddy Wolf/ British Blues and 3 Kings respectively.

Tbf I think he knowledges this and I’ve heard him say that he’d happily trade half his playing talent for McCartneys song writing ability.

The collecting is a bit OTT but at least he’s playing them live rather than locking them in a vault.

Won’t be the first great guitar player who writes mediocre songs - Yet there many mediocre guitar players who write great songs

I firmly put Larry Carlton at #1 as the finest guitar player, worse song writer

But I know where you are coming from - He mentions in the above interview about great songs, solos and tone and within that he mentions the likes of Deep Purple and Toto - Both have a ‘team’ who help write the songs - I dare say he is on his own a lot to write- We can’t all be Cole Porter

you don't even have to be Cole Porter.

Take for instance Ace Frehley - comically wide vibrato (makes Malmsteen's look subtle), rudimentary chords and pentatonics, rushed feel this side of Joe Perry and Jimmy Page - and yet he wrote, played and sang on 2 of the biggest songs in Kiss's catalogue (Cold Gin and Shock Me) - and crafted many of their memorable solos that your milkman could hum. Instantly recognisable tone and style on record.

Add the costumes, stutter effect and custom 3 pickup Les Pauls and Marshalls and you've got the whole package.

Nerine · March 1

I'm a fan of him and especially his guitar playing. He is absolutely one of my biggest influences.

His technique is frightening, and I don't think people actually realise just HOW GOOD he is.
His playing has a quality and expression to it that is VERY difficult to imitate. So many microtonal and quarter-bent notes going on that lend that almost delta bottleneck vibe to pretty much everything he plays.
It's far more detailed/nuanced and has far more expression than all the other blues noodlers.
His accuracy is baffling. I don't think I've EVER seen/heard him make a glaring mistake or error. I've been working on his licks, runs, phrases etc for years and I'm starting to piece it together and get relatively good at it, but in the beginning it's very difficult to nail the sound of the individual notes in terms of how they are executed, vibbed, bent etc. when all of it also goes by at lightning speed sometimes.
Absolutely monster player. For me, he makes the guitar sound how I hear it in my head. What he plays personifies how a guitar solo should sound to my ear.

His song writing can leave me wanting a bit, but some of the "song songs" he's written that aren't a 12-bar, are really good IMO.

Not sure why he polarises people so much. He comes across as a thoroughly decent, passionate, humble and humourous/self deprecating dude 99% of the time.

YourArsenal87 · March 1

Oh yay, another JoBo thread.

goldtop · March 1

YourArsenal87 said:

Oh yay, another JoBo thread.

And like moths to a flame, they come...

Philly_Q · March 1

CaseOfAce said:
Take for instance Ace Frehley - comically wide vibrato (makes Malmsteen's look subtle), rudimentary chords and pentatonics, rushed feel this side of Joe Perry and Jimmy Page - and yet he wrote, played and sang on 2 of the biggest songs in Kiss's catalogue (Cold Gin and Shock Me) - and crafted many of their memorable solos that your milkman could hum. Instantly recognisable tone and style on record.

Add the costumes, stutter effect and custom 3 pickup Les Pauls and Marshalls and you've got the whole package.

Also responsible for what is almost universally agreed to be the best of the four Kiss solo albums.

Sorry, I know that's off topic but I haven't got anything new to say about JoBo.

goldtop · March 1

Couldn't watch the Mclaughlin video - too much of that ultra-lame "is it my turn or yours" rubbish.

But I like JoBo.

timmypix · March 1

I think Beato is an excellent interviewer - he gets guitarists talking in detail about technique and the instrument with far less of the sycophantic fluff that you get from, say, TPS or Andertons.

I understand that not everyone likes Joe, but as @Nerine ; says above, you don't have to like him to appreciate that his technique and understanding of the guitar and of the blues is truly frightening. I don't want to literally retype Nerine's comment but man, Joe's picking, phrasing, inflections etc are genuine mastery of his craft. Which I suppose could come across to some as lacking character, I get it. But still, this interview demonstrates his mastery brilliantly. Really enjoyed it even if I don't particularly like the music Joe's put out in more recent years.

guitars4you · March 1

timmypix said:

I think Beato is an excellent interviewer - he gets guitarists talking in detail about technique and the instrument with far less of the sycophantic fluff that you get from, say, TPS or Andertons.

I understand that not everyone likes Joe, but as @Nerine ;; says above, you don't have to like him to appreciate that his technique and understanding of the guitar and of the blues is truly frightening. I don't want to literally retype Nerine's comment but man, Joe's picking, phrasing, inflections etc are genuine mastery of his craft. Which I suppose could come across to some as lacking character, I get it. But still, this interview demonstrates his mastery brilliantly. Really enjoyed it even if I don't particularly like the music Joe's put out in more recent years.

I enjoyed the interview and I love the guys enthusiasm - he has done nothing but good for the guitar and its history to many players today - I certainly am not part of the let's knock Joe brigade - But I don't like his playing - His technique is phenomenal - But I do wonder if such technique is at the expense of everything else that matters - The song, the groove, the feel, the soul and can I say the emotion - For the type of music he plays I wonder if the technique is to good - I certainly learn little from his playing to influence me - That doesn't make me a JoBo knocker - It doesn't make me hate the guy

I can't play like Robben Ford, but as good as he is, I can pick up snippets and drop them into my playing - I can't do that with Joe

Because he doesn't influence me it doesn't mean he is crap - I don't like Man U - But I'm sure I've never said they are crap and like it or loathe it, under Fergie they were successful

I'd rather be part of his 'journey' than not - I'd love to have a beer with the guy and chat guitars/music etc - But I just can't find his songs, music, licks making me feel wow

Octavio · March 1

Not into his music but love Joe. There seems like there's an 'ism' at play but cut the guy a break. I don't understand while people are so keen to pile in.

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Rick Beato-Joe Bonamassa interview

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