COVER STORY
Trying to describe and recapture that solo
mojo, however, is always a bit tricky. “The mix
in the headphones was rockin’ and the band
was kickass, and everybody goes, ‘Man, that
solo — how long did it take you to do that?’”
Bonamassa recounts. “Even Kevin [Shirley,
Joe’s longtime producer] goes, ‘Good solo.’ Was
it? I wasn’t even paying attention. I just was
reacting, and playing music. Then I listened
back and went, ‘Where the hell did that come
from?’ I do it live, and I try to get a few of
those things. It never seems to have the same
magic, but it’s also one of those things where
you go, ‘Do I really care?’ It’s just a snapshot in
time that you’ll never get back.”
The key is to capture those in-the-zone
moments, where the notes being played
instinctually become second nature. “I know
people who are very famous, very credited,
Joe Bonamassa by Rick Gould
get back to that headspace. It was just I was
feeling the sound, and everything was working.”
“Tiger In Your Tank from Muddy Wolf at Red Rocks” by Joe Bonamassa
38
GUITAR TRICKS INSIDER
DIGITAL EDITION
OCT/NOV