{"id":24093,"date":"2022-12-06T05:30:23","date_gmt":"2022-12-06T10:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=24093"},"modified":"2022-12-06T15:38:31","modified_gmt":"2022-12-06T20:38:31","slug":"traveling-in-time-with-pat-travers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2022\/12\/06\/traveling-in-time-with-pat-travers\/","title":{"rendered":"Traveling in Time with Pat Travers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Pat Travers first came to fame in the late 1970s. After a string of solid but under-appreciated studio albums, the Toronto-born guitarist released Live! Go For What You Know<\/i>, an audio document that captured the fire and passion of his live show. That pointedly-titled set brought him the higher profile he deserved, and with it came more widespread critical recognition of his work. Yet as fine as Travers\u2019 original songs could often be, it would be his showstopping reading of the blues chestnut \u201cBoom Boom (Out Go the Lights)\u201d that earned him his album chart position and eventual Platinum status for the release.<\/p>\n

Still, for reasons completely beyond Travers\u2019 control, popular tastes underwent a seismic shift as the 1980s began. Seemingly overnight, MTV-oriented material crowded out other styles including blues-based rock. And though Travers\u2019 next album included a minor hit single in \u201cSnortin\u2019 Whiskey,\u201d its title \u2013 Crash and Burn<\/i> \u2013 seemed both prescient and apropos. Even though subsequent releases would receive good critical notices, Pat Travers\u2019 days of significant chart action were behind him.<\/p>\n

But he didn\u2019t give up. A 1990 release, School of Hard Knocks<\/i>, followed on with Pat Travers\u2019 predilection for on-the-nose album titles. The same would be true for several subsequent releases: his dogged optimism shone through when titling 1995\u2019s Halfway to Somewhere<\/i> and Lookin\u2019 Up<\/i> from 1996. And the title of another well-regarded live set from 2007 demonstrated both Travers\u2019 commitment and his self-effacing sense of humor: that record was called Stick With What You Know: Live in Europe<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Coupled with his high-energy musical approach, the guitarist’s foundation in the blues helped keep Travers in the public eye, albeit with a much lower profile than his late \u201870s salad days. And intriguing albums like 2019\u2019s superb Swing!<\/i> showcased his ability to recast classic material \u2013 in this case, pre-rock and roll music \u2013 into his signature style.<\/p>\n

August 2022 saw the release of the latest studio album from Pat Travers. And once again the guitarist has crafted a title that telegraphs what the music is about. The Art of Time Travel<\/i> is a collection of new songs, many of which sound like sure-fire chart-toppers\u2026 if one could pilot a time machine back to 1979. When that\u2019s pointed out to him, Travers laughs heartily and agrees. \u201cThis would be a hit in 1978 or \u201879, for sure,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

While Travers is focused upon the here-and-now, he readily weighs in on what he believes made guitar heroes a popular phenomenon in the late \u201870s, and offers his perspective on why they\u2019re less of a force on today\u2019s musical landscape.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s just something about a confident guy onstage with a guitar,\u201d he says. \u201cI don’t know why, but it’s true.\u201d And he believes that the distinctive sound and style of some of that era\u2019s axe-wielders played a part in their success. \u201cYou could identify who was playing within just a few notes,\u201d Travers says. \u201cThey all came up with these signature sounds that were really exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, Travers believes, that\u2019s no longer the case. \u201cThere just seem to be so many guitar players, and you can’t tell one from another,\u201d he says. \u201cThey really all kind of sound the same.\u201d He cites the recent example of hearing a well-known guitarist guest on a track by an equally high-profile singer. \u201cIt just sounded like [the vocalist’s] music and any<\/i> good rock guitar player,\u201d Travers says.<\/p>\n

Against that backdrop, Travers felt that his approach to making what would become The Art of Time Travel<\/i> should look to the past. \u201cThere really was an intent to make an album like I used to make an album,\u201d he says. Noting that in today\u2019s musical world, new records can be put together and released very quickly, Travers says that he took his time.<\/p>\n

He says that in the old days, he could take a few months to create a new album. And while the global pandemic has been tragic in many ways, it had a few select good qualities. Travers, who would typically have a full touring schedule, found himself at home in Florida. \u201cThe pandemic gave us lots of time to work on the album,\u201d he says. \u201cSo I was able to go back and forth and make sure that I was really happy with the songs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"One of those songs is the single \u201cRonnie,\u201d Travers\u2019 heartfelt tribute to Ronnie Montrose. The San Francisco-born guitarist inspired a generation of electric guitar players, Travers among them. Travers was still a teenager when he heard Montrose\u2019s recorded debut, the eponymous 1973 debut from his band. \u201cThey sort of captured an American version of what Led Zeppelin were originally doing,\u201d Travers says. \u201cSammy [Hagar] and his high vocals, and Ronnie with his rough and ready guitar riffs: I loved them!\u201d<\/p>\n

Travers would eventually meet Montrose; the pair hit it off and became friends. They would eventually play some live dates together. And Travers\u2019 tribute to his friend \u2013 who died in 2012 \u2013 makes his admiration plain with lyrics praising Montrose\u2019s \u201cvicious licks.\u201d<\/p>\n

The core of the music on The Art of Time Travel<\/i> is Travers\u2019 power trio: him on guitar and lead vocals plus drummer Alex Petrosky and bassist David Pastorius (nephew of jazz great Jaco Pastorius). The three musicians create a powerful yet always-melodic sound for the ten cuts on the record. \u201cWhen you have just a three-piece,\u201d Travers enthuses, \u201cwe can come down to a whisper, get loud and blow the roof off the place, and everywhere in between.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those dynamics and the compact versatility that comes from the trio configuration are keys to what makes Travers\u2019 music work. But on several of the tracks on The Art of Time Travel<\/i>, Travers builds on that foundation, adding other sonic elements that take the music beyond the power trio format.<\/p>\n

\u201cPush Yourself\u201d is one of the new tracks that features a four-piece horn section augmenting the trio. While it\u2019s a hard rock tune, its use of brass connects it to Swing!<\/i> and its focus upon songs from the big band era of the 1930s and \u201840s. \u201cThe sax and trumpet players of those days were like rock guitar hotshots,\u201d Travers says. \u201cThat was the hard rock of the day. Instead of having four Marshall [amplifiers], they had four saxes.\u201d<\/p>\n

That tune and other also benefit from massed vocal overdubs that thicken and add texture to the arrangements. \u201cThat\u2019s my wife Monica,\u201d Travers says. \u201cShe\u2019s my secret weapon. I\u2019ll have her sing four notes in a chord where I may not play that [chord] on the guitar itself.\u201d The added voicing provides a musical contrast as well.<\/p>\n

Depending on how one counts, The Art of Time Travel<\/i> is something like the 40th<\/sup> album from Pat Travers. Yet despite the 68 year old guitarist\u2019s prodigious output \u2013 nearly an album a year since his self-titled 1976 debut LP \u2013 it\u2019s onstage where Travers and his band shine brightest. These days, their gigs are a mix of festivals and smaller venues. And while some artists approach different venues with a different kind of onstage delivery, Travers brings his good-natured, high energy vibe to every show. \u201cI might be a little quieter when I talk on a mic in a theater,\u201d he says with a chuckle, \u201cbut everything else is pretty much the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

You may also enjoy my previous conversation with Pat Travers, found here<\/a> and here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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