The solo on “Blue Sky” – I’m assuming that’s you. What were you playing for a guitar?

Yeah, it’s me. I gave my son my ’62 Tele for a wedding gift and we each flew with one guitar on the record: Elijah brought that one and I had my Asher. I think I was playing the Tele on that solo.

Elijah let you touch it, even though it’s his now?

Yeah. (laughs) He loaned it back to me for a second.

That’s a good son, right there. (laughter) The guitar break on “Dancing Shoes” soars over top of a wordless vocal chorus … it sounds like angels.

Cool – thank you.

I can’t tell if that’s a lap steel or someone playing slide on a six-string … with a touch of wah pedal.

That’s me playing slide with a wah.

There’s something about it against those voices …

There were a lot of happy accidents on the record like that. I didn’t know what I was going to play.

My friend who makes BMF pedals came over from the US. He brought this new wah pedal he’d just made; I told him, “Plug it in. Let’s hit ‘record’ and see what happens.”

I grabbed a slide … and it worked out.

And who’s playing the pedal steel that’s woven through the album?

That’s Stew. It came out really nice.

“Dream #26” is a whole lot of things: a confession; a reflection; a thank you; a look ahead … it’s another big song that’s not trying to be a big song.

Thank you. I’ve got to the point in my life where I can be as honest as I want to be. I’m not hiding anything or trying to be anything … it just is, you know? It’s just … I don’t know if I was necessarily trying get any point across.

I just kind of blurted a lot of these songs out on paper … and there they were.

It’s personal, but not so much that you have to look away. The same thing with “In You”: it’s a beautiful love song … and it makes me smile to know that’s you and your wife singing it together. I don’t want to embarrass you, but I could imagine that being hard to do.

No, you’re right: some of these songs are a little tough to sing because they are so personal and honest.

I guess that’s a good sign that they’re working. (laughs)

Right on. Dan’s keys are a beautiful touch on that.

Yeah – that three-note solo … it’s just right.

Those guys are all phenomenal players – but the great thing to me is what they don’t play, you know? They know how to play to the song and for the song … and not for themselves.

Dan was playing this beautiful grand piano that was in the studio. It’s the same piano that Freddie Mercury recorded “Bohemian Rhapsody” on.

Really?

Yeah … an incredible sound. There are a couple songs where you hear that final piano chord, just sustaining and ringing out.

You know it’s not an electric piano trying to fake it.

Naw – it’s like an eight-foot or nine-foot piano.

It sounds like it’s a quarter-mile wide.

Yeah! (laughs)

I was driving with my wife the first time I listened to “I’m Free”. She made me hit “repeat” as soon as it was over – seat-dancing like two kids on a Saturday night. That’s your doo-wop tune on the album.

Yeah: that was Stew, putting all those vocals together. He did a great job.

And a massive-sounding slide solo on top of everything else. With the vibe of that song, it could’ve just as easily been a horn break – but the slide guitar is perfect.

Cool – thank you. That was actually the third guitar that we used – an Airliner. They were like a catalog guitar back in the late 50s and 60s … kind of art deco-looking – like a Silvertone … that sort of thing. They’re making them again and Stew’s roommate had one. I just picked it up and gave it a go.

“Just A Girl” is the most California-sounding song on the album.

I can see that. (laughs)

Fictional character or old memories?

A little of both … I can start with somebody or some situation in mind, but you usually end up protecting yourself or someone else. To make a good, interesting story you mix both fiction and truth.

I love the tumble-along rhythm of “You Know What I Mean” that’s set up by the chord changes. There’s a banjo tucked in there somewhere – who was that?

Yeah, on there and on “Dancing Shoes”. That’s Stew’s roommate – Louis Lewis-Smith. L-O-U-I-S and then L-E-W-I-S … and then a dash … and then Smith.

Thank you for spelling it out.

I had to ask twice in the studio myself. (laughter)

We talked about the harmonies on “Turquoise Blue”; there’s great texture as well. Acoustic guitar; the keys; the electric guitar hanging just on the outskirts until it’s time for the break. It’s one of those arrangements that you can pick something different out of every time you hear it.

Some of that Stew did after we left. I think that’s actually him playing the electric rhythm guitar; he did that in a couple of places where he thought it could use a little bit of help. And I agreed.

There’s a lot going on without it being cluttered – and that’s just great choices. It says a lot about the players: nobody’s going, “Look at me! Look at me!”

“Sometimes” has some grit and grease, but the keyboard keeps it from being a guitar song. It kind of holds everything at bay.

Yeah – that was a Rhodes. I had this melody that was basically the tune. I didn’t want it to be the piano; didn’t want it to be an organ … and I asked, “Do you guys have a Rhodes here?”

And they said, “Yeah – hang on.”

10 minutes later, we had this beautiful old suitcase Rhodes. Again, it’s Dan being his tasteful self, not doing anything more than is absolutely needed.

The guitar break on “Sometimes” has moments that almost sound like Hendrix-style backwards-suck to the tone … but I don’t think it’s a reversed loop.

No, no. (laughs) Part of it is, you know, loving Hendrix; and part of it has to do with the BMF fuzz pedal I was using – when you hit it hard enough, it starts to cave in on itself a little bit. That and bending the notes the right way, you get kind of a backwards effect. I think it was all one pass – “Turn it on and let’s do this.”

Stew said, “What are you doing?” (laughter) “That’s that weird Marc Ford backwards-forwards guitar thing.”

I said, “Yeah, well … I got that going for me …” (laughter)

Big harmonies again on “Badge of Descension”. I love how the acoustic guitar hands it off to the organ … and then it sounds like a 6-string electric right on the wingtip of a pedal steel at the same time, weaving with each other.

That’s what I thought, too – but Stew said it was two pedal steel tracks. I think he’s lying to me, but … whatever. (laughter)

“Call Me Faithful” had to be the closer – it couldn’t be anywhere else except the last track on this album. It’s funny; I think it’s the least amount of guitar on any of the album, but at the same time, it’s the most you.

Thanks. That’s one of the older songs; I wrote it on tour in Europe years ago. My wife and I were about to be separated at the time and it’s just basically just me going, “Sorry … I’m sorry …”

I love that song; so does my wife – every time she hears it, she bawls.

When we played it, Dan did that outro thing – and the first time I heard the playback, I said, “That’s the end of the record, right there.”

I knew “If I’d Waited” needed to start and “Call Me Faithful” needed to end – and the rest I didn’t care. I told Stew to decide.

So you’re heading out on tour over across?

We fly to England and meet up with the band to rehearse. First show’s in London; then we go to Europe for almost six weeks; then we’re back in the UK for a week.

The coolest part is, Elijah’s going with me. He’s going to open up the shows with an acoustic set – and then he jumps in with the Phantom Limb guys and they’re my band.

Oh, man – to do that with your son is such a great thing, Marc.

Yeah – he played with me when I had Fuzz Machine. I think he turned 18 on the road … we had to sneak him into most of the clubs. (laughter) He’s amazing; he blows me away as a player and as a person. It’s really wonderful to get to spend 6 weeks road-tripping around Europe with him.

And then come home and tour the states with this music?

Yeah, I’d like to. The Phantom Limb guys, all they ever wanted to do was come tour the States. And I’ve told them, “Well, I’d rather go to Europe …” (laughter) But yeah: if it made sense financially, I’d love to have them over here.

Marc, I wish you all the luck in the world. It’s been great talking with you. You’re not only a survivor – you’re proving that there’s plenty of room for family in rock ‘n’ roll.

I appreciate that; thanks, man.

*****

Brian Robbins flies on the wingtip of a pedal steel with his buddies in The Horseshoe Crabs over at www.brian-robbins.com

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