Crossroads Guitar Festival Q&A with Jonny Lang

With Jason Henke

Grammy Award-winner Jonny Lang brings his astoundingly soulful electric guitar prowess and electrifying live performances to the Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010 stage where he'll exchange eye-opening riffs with good friend, Buddy Guy, and hopes to jam for the first time on stage with Eric Clapton. Lang, whose Live At The Ryman (Concord) is available now, recently spent some quality time with Jason Henke via phone from Saratoga, California, to talk Crossroads, dream jams, music and life.

JH: How did it feel to you to have Eric ask you to play his first Crossroads Guitar Festival (held in Dallas in 2004)?

JL: Man, it was flattering. To be asked by him is just an obvious honor. I know the festival and its cause is something that's really important to him. To be able to be a part of that, and to be asked, knowing the importance he places on it, is really an honor.

JH: What is your favorite memory from the inaugural Crossroads fest?

JL: The whole thing was pretty awesome. I remember seeing Robert Randolph for the first time there. He was blowing my mind. I've gotten to know him since, but that was my first time seeing him and he was out of control.

JH: Crossroads raises funds for Crossroads Centre Antiqua, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center founded by Eric – a cause that is very important to him and many others. Why do you feel it's a good thing to support fellow artists and lend your talents to events such as Crossroads?

JL: It's neat when somebody of Eric's caliber puts something together like this. Because of his name, he can do a lot for whatever cause he would choose. But to make the vessel of kind of promoting and helping the cause a festival or series of concerts that involves other musicians and including some of the music community to be a part of it is an extra cool thing. He always comes off to me as somebody who includes the musicians who have kind of inspired him and wants people to know about them. You always see Buddy Guy or someone like that jamming with him on TV. I think that's really neat, you know? I think the music community could use more people with that mindset.

JH: What is your "dream jam" (including living guitarists and guitarists who have passed)? What song would you choose for it?

JL: If I named all my dream guitar players, there would be way too many on stage. I'd probably end up naming about every guitar player I know of. I would say Albert Collins, B.B. King and Jeff Beck. Those would be three of them at least. I would like to go in not knowing what song would be played.

JH: Can you tell me a little bit about how in the world you accomplished what you did skill-wise from the time you were age 12, when you first started playing guitar, to age 16 when Lie To Me was released to great acclaim? Given your amazing guitar playing ability, I think most guitar enthusiasts and music critics would peg you as someone who was born with a guitar in his hands... someone who may have been playing at age 4 or 5. How did you pull that off?

JL: I don't know. I guess I don't know what happened (laughing). All I know is that I always loved to be able to play music. Here's the deal... there are so many great musicians – amazing, phenomenal young musicians in the world – and nobody will ever hear about them. I feel like I'm just fortunate to have been discovered by a record label, to have them sign me and support my career and to have parents and friends who supported me. Having all those things come together leaves me with very little credit that I can actually give myself other than just loving what I do and trying to do it the best I can.

JH: It seems you grew up quickly and by all accounts, likely didn't have a "regular" childhood. Do you have any regrets about what you may have missed out on or do you come from more of the "this is how it was supposed to be" mindset?

JL: Both. I feel like it was how it was supposed to be, but in certain ways, I also feel older than I am, and yet at other times, I also still feel like a little kid. I'm just starting now to find out about having family and the responsibilities along those lines. There are so many things from not living maybe a standard childhood that have been just kind of compartmentalized and compressed and are now starting to catch up to me. I heard somebody saying this... I can't remember which show it was... but it was this quote someone said while they were talking to their son: "You know, you don't realize you become a man until three years after you become a man and you've made all these bad decisions you're responsible for," and I kind of feel like that.  I don't know, man.  It's still a challenge. It still feels new. There are definitely areas that feel unexplored to me.

JH: I imagine it's quite an honor to perform with some of your guitar heroes, who very well may now consider you one of theirs. Who would you say is your biggest influence, and what have you learned from them?

JL: As far as guitar players that I've tried to study, probably B.B. King and Albert Collins are my two biggest, but I think the guy who has probably influenced me the most just because I've spent the most time with him is Buddy (Guy). I love his philosophy of guitar playing... or probably his lack of philosophy (laughing). He's so reckless with it. It seems like if he's not feeling necessarily inspired that day, he's not going to try to force it. He's going to give you the best of what he's got that day, but then when he gets inspired, there's nobody that can hold the stage with him. I love how honest he is about it.

JH: Have a favorite blues song?

JL: Man, that is tough. I guess  if I had to pick one right now and if it was strictly for guitar, it would probably be Albert King's "Blues Power."

JH: Since we've been talking some Crossroads, and you're playing the festival, is there a song from Eric Clapton's catalog that you especially dig?

JL: I'm a Derek and the Dominos kind of fan. I love that stuff. That's really tough actually. I'm gonna say right now just because it's on my mind... I love "Bell Bottom Blues."

JH: Your Live At The Ryman CD is fantastic. I know your electrifying live performances are a huge part of what you do. Did it feel good to so successfully capture that passion and energy in a recording with the release of this live record?

JL: It really was a lot of fun.  We've tried to do that over the years, but it just never really worked. I think because you're like, "OK, guys, we're recording tonight" and everybody feels like they need to play this perfect show and then you're thinking about it too much and it doesn't really work out. But there was none of that on this one. I'm happy with it. There's always things you nitpick and wish you could do over, but I guess that's part of the charm of a live record.

JH: Tell me about your "Live By Request" tour. Cool Concept. Are you having fun out there?

JL: Absolutely. Yeah, it's kind of a cool thing. People write in, tell us which show they're going to be at and what song they'd like to hear, then we kind of tally up the votes and do several of the top requested songs. We like to change it up, you know?

JH: Your last album, Turn Around, seemed to be your most personal to date. Was making a Gospel record a natural progression for you at that point?

JL: I guess I didn't really consider it or go into it trying to make an album that would be recognized as a spiritual or Gospel record, but I'm glad that it was. (Producers/songwriters/musicians) Shannon Sanders and Drew Ramsey were just amazing to work with. They really helped me say what I wanted to say. Shannon and Drew are beasts as we say. They are amazing.

JH: A better question may be, "How does it feel to win a Grammy?"

JL: Pretty incredible, man.  Like I said, I never expected to be nominated in a category like Gospel, but I will take a Grammy in any category (laughing). Amazing. Just flattering, you know? Incredibly.

JH: What's next? Have you started work on your next album? What can fans expect?

JL: It's been a bit of a longer process with this next one. I've never written so many songs before, which is really good, but there are all these songs and they go in so many different directions stylistically so I'm still trying to figure out what it's going to be and the direction it's going to go so it has some continuity. I really don't have an idea of when the next thing would be out, but I'm really excited about it. Even though it's still in the beginning stages, I feel like it could be an album where I really am able to get across what I want to say in the best way I know how better than past albums.

JH: Has parenthood changed your perception of rock and roll and what you do?

JL: Yeah, absolutely. For a touring musician, there's a certain way you're used to living. The brakes come on the "just kind of come and go as you please" thing when you have kids. It's taught me how selfish I am really, and how much more is required of you. You come second, and all of that. It was a huge life-changer for me. I think my goals in music shifted a little bit because of that more toward it not being so much about me and trying to help people with music rather than it being something that is just fun for me to do.

JH: What do you enjoy most about what you do for a living?

JL: The thing I really like most is probably connecting with people. Truly connecting with people on a heart level, whether it's at a concert or just talking to folks. Seeing what we do help somebody is my favorite thing.

JH: What is the ultimate legacy you would like to create with your music? With your life?

JL: At this point, the whole thing of wanting to leave a legacy with my name attached to it... you know, "Jonny did this and this and this..." all of that is really not that important to me. But in the sense of the influence that I would like to have on the world in general, I really hope that the music that I do can relate to people and help people.  Whether it be something in their life they're going through that the music helps them trough, or whatever it is. I just want to be a blessing to people and have what I do be something that has a positive effect on the world.