"I hope people never forget about the Blues as the 'root' of it all, and I hope people continue to 'grow' within the Blues, and use it for their own creativity, not just to copy…."

Arlen Roth: Playing Out the String

Arlen Roth is a true guitar legend; part of the list of who he's recorded and toured with contains folks like Simon & Garfunkel (together and individually), John Prine, Phoebe Snow, Bob Dylan, Bee Gees, Don McLean, Levon Helm, Ry Cooder, Duane Eddy, Danny Gatton, Janis Ian, Dusty Springfield, John Sebastian, Johnny Winter and countless more. He also appeared with Ramblin' Jack Elliot and Patti Smith in the Martin Scorcese Rolling Thunder film, created the guitar parts and was consultant and teacher to Ralph Macchio for the legendary blues film, Crossroads. In 2016, he wrote and performed an acoustic guitar piece with Daveed Diggs and Leslie Odom, Jr. of Hamilton for ESPN. Arlen was voted in the Top 100 most Influential guitarists of all time by Vintage Guitar Magazine and top 50 all-time acoustic guitarists by Gibson.com. Now, on Arlen Roth's 20th solo album and his fifth all-acoustic offering, he’s bringing rootsy acoustic music to new heights on Playing Out the String, will be released on September 27 by Aquinnah Records.                                                               (Arlen Roth / Photo © by Diana Dickinson)

The new album was recorded, mixed and mastered by Alex Salzman, who also contributes keyboards to the mix. Arlen’s previous album, Super Soul Session, with bass legend Jerry Jemmott, sat atop the Blues and Soul charts for 22 straight weeks, and was in the Top 5 for 55 straight weeks this past year. Arlen has also been at the forefront of guitar and music education, with 10 best-selling books, and he was the first-ever to offer video instruction with the giants of the music industry through his “Hot Licks” company, which he started in 1979, and has had millions of students worldwide. His column for Guitar Player magazine was voted #1 by the largest margin of readers from 1982 to 1992, and was also turned into a best-selling book, Hot Guitar. On Playing Out the String, this all-acoustic, mostly solo album is very personal to Arlen and is really like getting an up-close "at home" concert in your living room. On it, he paints with broad strokes across several genres of music he loves. From "Old Timey" Norman Blake material to country blues from Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee and Tampa Red; he even makes you feel at home with Nilsson's "Everybody's Talkin'" and gives his 12-string guitar a workout on the archetypical, "Walk Right In."

Interview by  Michael Limnios      Special Thanks: Arlen Roth & Mark Pucci Media

What do you learn about yourself from the blues and what does the blues mean to you?

I learned to express myself very deeply at a very young age with the Blues, but also with ALL guitar playing! The Blues means the foundation of almost all American music, and the foundation any player should have.

How do you describe Arlen Roth sound and songbook? What characterize your music philosophy?

Arlen Roth sound is totally eclectic, yet rooted in traditional Blues, Country, R&B and everything else I’ve ever heard! My philosophy is simple: no matter what anyone shows you, you are always teaching yourself….in other words, we are all self-taught in the end!

How has the Blues and Roots music influenced your views of the world and the journeys you’ve taken?

Well, I’ve always played that way, and played by ear, so I certainly can tell when it’s “real” and when it’s not. it has certainly been a great catalyst in bringing me together with other players in other countries, all who appreciate the blues and American music.

"Well, I have certainly grown as an artist since I started, for sure. Being a "self-taught" musician, it's always been based on a very personal growth within my own style and technique. I find that I always go in 2 directions: deeper into the roots, and further into my own future! For me, it's all soul/emotions, but the technique also follows!" (Arlen Roth / Photo © by Diana Dickinson)

Currently you’ve one more (your 5th) release with rootsy acoustic music. How did that relationship (with acoustic guitar) come about? What do you love most about the sound of acoustic guitar?

Well, acoustic music is always "there" for me....I started as a kid playing Classical guitar, so that "soloistic" has always stayed with me, and I love the opportunity to show other folks what this very personal style holds for me.

Do you have any interesting stories about the making of the new album “Playing Out the String”? Why is it important that we preserve and spread the blues?

It's a very personal album, and it exhibits the very long-term relationship I have with my engineer and co-producer, Alex Salzman, who has worked on at least 10 albums with me. The Blues really goes on and on, and I feel it's really at the root of all American music!

How do you think that you have grown as an artist since you first started and what has remained the same? What's the balance in music between technique (skills) and soul/emotions?

Well, I have certainly grown as an artist since I started, for sure. Being a "self-taught" musician, it's always been based on a very personal growth within my own style and technique. I find that I always go in 2 directions: deeper into the roots, and further into my own future! For me, it's all soul/emotions, but the technique also follows!

What moment changed your music life the most? What is the role of music in today’s society?

Hard to say...so much has changed my life, especially when my wife and daughter were killed....I didn't pick up a guitar for over 4 months after that tragedy and trauma; so of course, it "changed" my life and my music. I think music still has a very important role in society, with really the same role...but society has changed so much!

"I learned to express myself very deeply at a very young age with the Blues, but also with ALL guitar playing! The Blues means the foundation of almost all American music, and the foundation any player should have." (Arlen Roth and his Tele / Photo © by Alan Mayes)

Why did you think that the sound of Telecaster continues to generate such a devoted following? What are the secrets of?

I think with the Tele, “they got it right the first time!” it’s a true “form as function” work of art, and in hands of the right guitarist, it can say anything!

Are there any memories from previous album "Tele Masters" (2019) studio sessions which you’d like to share with us?

Yes, very funny when Steve Cropper was interviewed and he said “I guess he was busy while I was busy, because I don’t have any Arlen Roth stories!” but I jumped in and said, “but I have lots of Steve Cropper stories!” (from the year, 1975, when I was touring w/John Prine, and Cropper was producing him).

Loved how Jack Pearson, as always was singing and playing at the same time, and always did everything in one take! It was such an honor to finally record with Jerry Donahue, after years of knowing him, and he was so excited to go to New York to visit his new grand-daughter. I told Vince Gill, I wanted to do something slow and soulful with him, instead of all the other tunes with a million notes, and he said “Arlen, if you’re looking for soulful, I’m your man!”

What touched you from Albert Collins, Danny Gatton, Mike Bloomfield, and Roy Buchanan's music?

Collins was his stinging tone, and great attack and phrasing, plus he did two audio tapes for my old company, hot licks. Gatton was my best friend, and we cared much more about family and cars then guitar, but he showed me new ideas when he would “Layer” 2 or 3 chords at once in his improvisation, especially when we recorded “Tequila” on my toolin’ around album! With Bloomfield, I had never heard a guitar player with such “fire” as he played with Butterfield, and then with Dylan, I loved his phrasing and it still influences me to this day! with Buchanan, I loved his 2-dimensional, hard-edged approach, and his bend phrasing, which was already like mine.

Why did you think that the great slide players continues to generate such a devoted following?

Because to many guitarists, slide is a mystery, so therefore they gravitate to the greats!

"I miss that “1st Generation” kind of spontaneity and “reality.” But that goes for ALL music for me! I hope people never forget about the Blues as the “root” of it all, and I hope people continue to “grow” within the Blues, and use it for their own creativity, not just to copy…." (Arlen Roth / Photo © by Alan Mayes)

Do you know why the sound of slide guitar is connected to the blues? What are the secrets of slide?

Slide has a distinctly “vocal” sound that really accentuates the “crying” aspect of the blues, and the mournful tones. The secrets lie within the right hand!!! (And much more, too, of course!)

Which meetings have been the most important experiences for you? What is the best advice ever given you?

Best advice was when my father said “YOU play the guitar! I can just picture it!” Meeting: When I asked James Taylor backstage at a gig, why he didn’t do a certain song ever, and he then played and sang the entire song just for me! Meeting Pres. Clinton and Hillary when I performed for them…so exciting, and they were so nice to me!

Are there any memories from Martin Scorsese "Rolling Thunder" film which you’d like to share with us?

Oh, SO many...and I have a perfect memory! I sure remember the end of it, when I was backing up Phil Ochs, and this guy in the audience grabbed a knife from the birthday cake in front of the stage and tried to stab Ochs! At the moment Eric Andersen, who told me to come to the show, tackled the guy, and he fell face-down into the cake! Meanwhile, Dylan was walking out, and Ochs begged him to stay from the stage!

How started the thought of the International Guitar Hall of Fame and Museum and what is the mission?

I always felt the guitar needed a real “home”. It has been my dream for over 20 years, since even having Hot Licks. The mission is true and real education about the guitar. The kind of place we’d never want to leave! I want the kind of Museum where a dad and his child may go in looking for Eric Clapton, but will end up just as excited about players like Blind Willie McTell or Hank Garland!

What do you miss most nowadays from the blues of past? What are your hopes and fears for the future of?

I miss that “1st Generation” kind of spontaneity and “reality.” But that goes for ALL music for me! I hope people never forget about the Blues as the “root” of it all, and I hope people continue to “grow” within the Blues, and use it for their own creativity, not just to copy….

"I think it’s a very specific “Americana” form of music from basically 5 full decades in the 20^th century, which turned “into” a kind of movement, thanks to others trying to emulate it. it’s a “foundation” too, of much other music, such as jazz." (Arlen Roth and his guitars / Photo © by Alan Mayes)

If you could change one thing in the musical world and it would become a reality, what would that be?

I’d pretty much eliminate “auto-tuning”!

What has made you laugh lately and what touched (emotionally) you from the music circuits?

Working with the Slide Summit friends I have has made me laugh so much, and the Roy Buchanan tributes I played really touched me emotionally, especially letting myself “go” with Hey Joe! Also recording Vaya Con Dios with my daughter Lexie Roth on the Les Paul Tribute album…that was VERY emotional!

Do you consider the Blues a specific music genre and artistic movement or do you think it’s a state of mind?

I think it’s a very specific “Americana” form of music from basically 5 full decades in the 20^th century, which turned “into” a kind of movement, thanks to others trying to emulate it. it’s a “foundation” too, of much other music, such as jazz.

What is the impact of Roots music and culture to the racial, political, and socio-cultural implications? 

I certainly hope it brings people together, racially, politically and in other ways. it’s a very powerful force in the world!

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your paths in music industry?

That music and guitar are my best communication skills, and that it’s a tough road that never ends. also, if you’re recording me, “never miss my first take!”

What would you like to ask the Devil at the crossroads? What would you like to say to Leo Fender?                          (Photo: Arlen Roth & Ralph Macchio at "Crossroads", 1985)

I’d ask the devil, “who stole my credits in the film, Crossroads!!?”

I’d like to thank Leo Fender for doing it so right that it’s hard to imagine the world without a Tele or a Strat! I’d also like to know how long it took him to develop his first final guitar ideas, and what if anything, he took from Paul Bigsby??

Life is more than just music, is there any other field that has influence on your life and music?

Not too much.....I try to keep my relationship to music very personal, and not to let too many outside influences affect it. My personal life yes, and my daughter, Lexie's love and music affects me, of course, but other than that I keep the influences to a minimum.

Let’s take a trip with a time machine, so where and why would you really wanna go for a whole day..?

I’d like to be in Brooklyn, NY the day in 1955 when The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the NY Yankees in the World Series!

Arlen Roth - official website