How many guitars are you holding these days? Any cool new additions to your collection?
It’s been a while since I counted. I’ve got about 20 or 30. I’ve let a couple go over the years. I have a bunch of older American made instruments. I like the way they look, feel and sound. I don’t so much have top of the line collectible guitars, but more what are referred to as “player guitars.” I do have some nice older ones, but I’m not a collector per se. I buy stuff that’s been refinished and re-fretted as well as heartbreaks that have been repaired and thus aren’t technically something collectors might want. My guitars are beat up because they’ve been loved. I got a cool Kay guitar (1960 Barney Kessel “pro” model) a few years ago that was a fun addition.
Can you tell me a little about the envelope filter guitar pedal that you helped create a few years back?
Sure, my friend Theo Hartman’s company (Hartman Electronics) makes the pedal. It was a really cool project that we got together on. Filter pedals held a real appeal to me. I thought the envelope filter was a great pedal to work on as the market isn’t completely crowded with them. I’ve always really dug certain things about certain pedals and envelope filters have always had a few drawbacks. So, we took a couple of features from the Electro-Harmonix Qtron that were different from the original Mutron, which was what Jerry used, and we to took the basic circuit of the original Mutron and put some of the feature sets from the Qtron on it and modded some of those feature sets to be more functional for me. For example the filters usually open up or down on the old Mutron. There’s a switch, and you have to learn over and redo the controls depending on which position the switch is in. One of the cool things about this pedal is that we put the switch for up or down on a foot switch, so you don’t have to reach down and flip the switch on the pedal, and we designed the controls such that they change direction if it’s opening or closing. They work for either position. So you don’t have to reach down an change all the settings — which is unusual.
Where can these pedals be purchased?
Hartman sells them online at www.hartmanpedals.com and they can be bought through my website, www.markkaran.com. I offer a special deal for people who buy through my site.
You’ve had the opportunity to play with some of the absolute greats, including Pinetop Perkins, Dickey Betts and Warren Haynes. Are there any specific artists that really blew you away when you played with them?
Well, all of those opportunities were blessings frankly. The fact that I played with Delaney (Bramlett) was huge for me. I was a monstrous Delaney and Bonnie fan growing up. Not to compare myself, but the people who were in that guitar chair before me included Duane Allman, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Dave Mason and George Harrison, to name just a few. Delaney had some pretty good guitar players in that band (laughs), so I was flattered that he included me. And you mentioned Pinetop. I was on stage with Pinetop Perkins at the Great American Music Hall in 2010 with Willie “Big Eyes” Smith and Hubert Sumlin [from Howlin’ Wolf’s band]. These were three of the greatest bluesman in history. I got to share a stage with them and I got to sing “Wang Dang Doodle” with them. And a year later they were all dead. I feel so blessed to have met them and privileged to have actually played music with them. That was a huge standout for me. And obviously first meeting the guys from the Dead was a thrill for me. Getting to play with them on and off for the past 14 or 15 years has been a joy. Some of the people who have sat in with RatDog over the years have been amazing. You mentioned Dickey Betts, that was awesome. And Warren (Haynes) and I did some serious playing together during our RatDog and Gov’t Mule run. We became appreciative and respectful of each other’s playing. I’ve gotten to do a lot of stuff. Dave Mason was one of my childhood heroes. Touring with him was incredible. I’ve been really blessed in that way. I’ve played with a lot of people who mean a lot to me.
You have had some profound, and what might appear to be almost life-changing, moments on stage. What do you take away from that? Has it changed you?
It would be hard not to change you. Like a lot of people in the world, I have had some personal bugaboos in my life, including self-esteem issues, and other stuff that I have struggled with. Having given my entire life, from the age of about 10, to pursuing music and then, in my 40s, stepping into The Other Ones and RatDog — that was an incredibly validating experience. I had gotten to a point in my life where I was like, “Well I’ll always play music and this is a lot of fun but it’s time to let go of my dream of becoming a rock star.” And then all of a sudden the guys from the Grateful Dead said come play with us and I was like,“Uh maybe it’s not so much time to let go of that dream.” (laughs). These experiences give me a lot of hope and faith in life.
Do you have a life philosophy?
Do you have a few hours (laughs)?! For the last eight or nine years I’ve been focused on spirit and energy, work and personal growth. Of course my bout with (oral) cancer ramped that up and gave me some pretty amazing insights. And truth be told RatDog going away did the same thing. Also, a year and a half ago, my wife and I split. I’ve had a few things happen where there has been an option to rail against the universe or God, or whatever, and say it was unfair and get angry and get hurt and curl up in a little ball and disappear. But I’ve decided to take these events as growth opportunities. The things that I learned from cancer serve me well. To begin with: what is is what is. You can bitch and moan and complain, but that won’t change things. Whereas, if you can accept life on its own terms then you are empowered. I try not to lament and live in fear around things. I just try to say oh that’s what is, now what? And the other thing is that it’s all about self love. It’s trite, but you can’t love anyone else until you love yourself. We as humans project our true beliefs about ourselves in all kind of ways. So if you don’t love yourself, it’s hard for the for the universe and the people in it to love you.
How did you develop your vocal style? Who were some of your influences?
When I was a kid I was in the San Francisco Boys Chorus. I’m not sure that experience had a direct impact on what I do now in terms of singing, but it provided a starting point for using my voice. I sort of wear my influences on my sleeve — singers like Ray Charles, Delaney Bramlett and Lou Rawls. I love their voices and their phrasing. And any of the Stax Records artists or Muscle Shoals singers. My vocals are rooted in blues, R&B and soul.
Does that love of the blues, R&B and soul extend to your guitar playing?
Definitely. My guitar approach is informed by those influences, but at the solos I jump off the boat entirely (laughs). The classic old songs generally have a little eight-bar solo that supports the vocal, but when I solo I I like to build things up and really explore the nuances of a given progression. I like to stretch it out. I like to adopt the policy of the good ol’ Grateful Dead
Are there any contemporary musical artists that you are into?
Oh yeah, the world would be a boring place without new music. I tend to like the older stuff I will admit, and when it comes to the newer stuff my new likes tend to be of artists that are rooted in the older stuff. But off the top of my head, I like bands such as Wilco, Radiohead, Alabama Shakes and The Civil Wars.
Do you have plans to release another album?
I’ve got a bunch of stuff written that I want to get out, though I don’t tend to move very fast. I’ve got some basic tracks cut for a few of the tunes. Like so many of us in music these days I’m trying to figure out how this works. I grew up in a completely different paradigm. Nowadays artists might release an EP at the most. So I’m trying to learn from that wisdom. I still have a real attachment to an album, or a collection of songs, that is designed to be taken in as a whole. I’m not in a rush to get something out but I’m working on it and I want to do it in a way that makes sense.
Would you release something on vinyl?
Yes, in fact I’m thinking maybe no CDs at all. If anything I might release something by offering higher resolution sound files as well as nice art and more in-depth liner notes. Vinyl would be really cool. I’d like to do a limited vinyl run. 500 copies total.
Do you have any gigs coming up that we should know about?
I’m very excited about playing on the summer solstice (6/21) at the Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley with my band. It’s going to be a great evening of music with all kinds of surprises. I’ve got some acoustic stuff planned as well as full electric sets.
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