{"id":16797,"date":"2019-07-12T05:30:47","date_gmt":"2019-07-12T09:30:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=16797"},"modified":"2019-06-07T17:01:47","modified_gmt":"2019-06-07T21:01:47","slug":"eric-gales-beyond-the-blues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2019\/07\/12\/eric-gales-beyond-the-blues\/","title":{"rendered":"Eric Gales: Beyond the Blues"},"content":{"rendered":"

A respected electric blues guitarist who first made a name for himself almost three decades ago, Eric Gales has cultivated a career that pushes well past the boundaries of the blues. Once lauded for his technical capability on his instrument, today Gales has a more nuanced approach that shows the depth of his talent and creativity. He’s currently touring in support of his 16th studio album, The Bookends<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Blues can be a creatively constricting idiom for some musicians; they operate within the rigid parameters of the form, creating enjoyable but not especially groundbreaking music. But from an early age, Eric Gales\u2019 exposure to a wider variety of music meant that even when he started playing guitar at age four, his developing style drew upon all sorts of music. \u201cI grew up listening to all kinds of music,\u201d Gales says. His older brothers \u2013 musicians themselves \u2013 introduced him to blues, rock, jazz, gospel, folk and country. \u201cMy brothers were playing everything around the house,\u201d he says. \u201cI would soak it in, and it definitely made an impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aside from the most obvious influences upon his style \u2013 Albert, B.B. and Freddie King, Jimi Hendrix \u2013 Gales says that he learned a lot from the musicianship of country guitarists Jerry Reed and Chet Atkins as well as jazz giants Wes Montgomery and Kenny Burrell.<\/p>\n

Gales doesn\u2019t consciously alter his approach when he\u2019s playing a song that\u2019s outside the blues idiom; it\u2019s a more natural process. \u201cI just hear what\u2019s in front of me and automatically get in that position,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s no really big thought process. I feel where the music is going and I follow it. And in between following it, there will be other \u2018pit stops\u2019 that I\u2019ll make on my own. There\u2019s no really preparation for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like most of Gales\u2019 albums, his early 2000s releases received positive critical notices. But more than a few critics identified a tendency for the guitarist to overplay. Displaying candor and self-awareness, Gales doesn\u2019t dispute that characterization. Instead, he offers an explanation. \u201cI was with Shrapnel, which is a guitar-oriented label,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd I was produced by a predominantly guitar-infatuated producer. So of course they would encourage me to play more than less.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Gales still stands behind those recordings. \u201cAt the end of the day, I\u2019m still not upset with how [the music] came out. It came out as it was supposed to.\u201d His playing today is still full of fire, but it\u2019s noticeably more mature. \u201cI guess I\u2019ve got a more reserved approach about things now,\u201d he offers.<\/p>\n

He pauses a beat, and then amends the statement: \u201cBut when it\u2019s time to press the gas, press the gas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking back upon his career so far, Gales can identify a specific point at which he feels his style became distinctive, more than the sum total of his influences. He points to 2000\u2019s That\u2019s What I Am<\/em> as the turning point, and critics tended to agree. Allmusic<\/em>\u2019s Liana Jones calls the album \u201cfresh, exciting and hip,\u201d words not often used to describe blues albums.<\/p>\n

But Gales considers himself a work in progress, suggesting that at least three albums released after That\u2019s What I Am<\/em> represent significant development as well. \u201cAnd you know what?\u201d he says. \u201cI believe it has happened again on The Bookends.<\/p>\n

Having cut an all-instrumental set (2013\u2019s Ghost Notes<\/em>), for The Bookends<\/em> Gales decided to focus on song craft and vocals. \u201cI want the world to know that there\u2019s far to me than just the \u2018blues rock guitar player\u2019 label,\u201d he says. The album includes several tracks featuring guest artists; a highlight is Gales\u2019 duet with blues powerhouse Beth Hart, a reading of the Beatles\u2019 \u201cWith a Little Help from My Friends\u201d that builds upon Joe Cocker\u2019s 1969 arrangement.<\/p>\n

Gales acknowledges the talent of select artists with whom he has worked. He singles out Asheville bassist Cody Wright \u2013 with whom he has toure extensively \u2013 for special praise. \u201cHe\u2019s an amazing player, and I think he\u2019s going to go very far,\u201d Gales says. Wright even subbed for Gales\u2019 regular bassist at a recent perfomrance.<\/p>\n

Eric Gales has come quite far himself. After a promising start, the guitarist began an extended struggle with addiction. Today\u2019s he\u2019s clean and sober, and he\u2019s convinced it shows in his music. \u201cIf you had no idea of my back story and you just saw my show, I think you could sense for yourself, \u2018This guy has been through some things.\u201d<\/p>\n

He says having a clear head has opened him up musically. \u201cThe end result,\u201d Gales concludes, \u201cis somebody standing there saying, \u2018Wow, I don\u2019t know what I just saw, but it was very moving.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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