Chris Duarte Interview - 23 May 98

I was able to interview Chris Duarte at his hotel room before the second night of his two show run at the Sapphire Supper Club here in Orlando Florida. I found him sitting on his bed playing a Tacoma acoustic travel guitar playing along with a metronome, practicing. He made the comment that he tells all of his students that they should practice with a metronome because it helps develop timing and feel. This is an unedited interview, taken exactly as it happened. I would like to thank the Chris Duarte fan club for assisting in coming up with some of the questions. If some of the guitar gear questions bore you...skip down cause there's some interesting comments later in the interview.

Murf - What is the truth about the split with Silvertone? And what is the future of the band from there?

Duarte - Well the truth with the split from Silvertone is the is that it's a business, it's economics. The second album didn't quite as well, not even half as well as the first album, they felt it was time to cut their losses. We didn't see eye to eye and we went down that route. So it's fine, I mean it's sort of a breath of fresh air cause with that I get that good competitive edge on the road and I'm free to do what I want to do and I'm not worried about it. It was a good split, it wasn't a bad split.

Murf - Does Silvertone own the tapes?

Duarte - Yes, they own the tapes and the songs that we recorded and handed into them but other songs that we did record and didn't hand into them, those are our songs.

Murf - So the band is going to keep touring.

Duarte - Keep touring....keep touring, I'm confident in our music

Murf - Are you talking with anyone at this time?

Duarte - Oh...Respise, Were talking with Reprise, Were talking with another label and somebody has...well I'm not gonna say cause I'm really so cynical with the situation cause the record company's come out and see you and say "Oh we like you and we like your show" and nothin ever happens. Were waiting until the real people step forward.

Murf - What do you really thinks about Tailspin Headwhack. Are you really satisfied with the way it came out?

Duarte - I had the most fun doing that of any recording session I've done. Basically it allowed me to just...breath a little more and uh....show my influences that I had. There's always something I could fix but my music's always evolving and in hindsight, I would do something different so yeah, there's some improvements, but it was still the most fun I ever had.

Murf - I know your definitely evolving, cause I know the first time I saw you about six years ago and your show is defiantly different.

Duarte - Yeah, back then it was like a shuffle, and some other songs.

Murf - A strong Stevie Ray Vaughan influence and you've developed other sounds.

Duarte - Stevie is still an influence, and I'll never deny that....Stevie really helped me early in my career.

Murf - Was there any difference in recording your first CD (Texas Sugar/Strat Magic) versus Tailspin Headwhack?

Duarte - Oh yeah...the first CD was pretty much a live CD with a little bit of editing to it. With Tailspin we used...we overdubbed, laid down some layers and you know I think we used 13 rolls of tape. With the first CD we were just spitting out songs and I think we used almost 50 rolls of tape with the first CD. And so it was different with the first CD....it was a lot rawer too which is what I wanted to do...I wanted to record raw with the first album. I like that raw sound.

Murf - I like that too.There's something about a raw CD that I like.

Duarte - Yeah I like that a whole lot and even though there's more mistakes on it, I still really like it.

Murf - Sometimes the mistakes, or what you may think are mistakes adds some realism to the recording.

Duarte - Right....it's so much more of a personal thing.

Murf - Is there a significance to the "Tailspin Headwhack" title?

Duarte - It's just like this kind of phonetic.....phonetic rhythmic thing I had goin (snapping fingers in a swing tempo) I wanted to do that James Brown thing...sort of a 6/8 rhythm.. Tailspin... Headwhack.... Tailspin.... Headwhack...and it's pretty much telling you to put yourself together sort of as you tailspin into the ground you get your headwhack'ed.

Murf - I think you would do a really great live CD. I've heard some of the tapes that are floating around from your shows, including one where you did almost the entire Tailspin Headwhack album and it was really impressive and in some cases I enjoyed it more than the "official" release because of the rawness of it.

Duarte - Well it was in the contract and I would love to make a live album someday so we had that base covered but it didn't come out of the contract.

Murf - Well I hope you make a live album someday.

Duarte - I always thought I'm a better live performer anyway...because I'm more used to that environment. As the years go by, I hope that I get as good in the studio as I am live. When your in the studio, you don't have those people right in front of you giving you feedback, right then and there.

Murf - I don't think I've seen as intense performer on stage as you are.

Duarte - Well that's what I'm trying to do every night...come out and play with more intensity. Playing technically is something I'm not capable of doing so it makes more of a lasting impression if you get into it and you can make an indelible print of your soul.

Murf - I know the first time I saw you, you had a real heavy SRV (Stevie Ray Vaughan) influence and every time I've seen you since then, you've evolved more and more into your own style and last night when I saw your show...you certainly have changed since then...last night mixing a lot of heavy stuff with lighter stuff...a lot more dynamics.

Duarte - I probably comes from my jazz...my jazz background and just the way that you can change the mood of a song and change the whole environment by bringing up the intensity or lowering the sound.

Murf - I know you have a jazz background, along with punk, rock and blues. Do you have any main influences and do you lean towards one or just sort of incorporate everything?

Duarte - Oh...my...my...chief musician that I idolize is Coltrane, that's the guy, just because of his dedication to music, his variety of music, his dedication to learning and knowledge. That's who I...That's who above everybody I idolize. And yet there's so many other people I listen to. McLaughlan, B.B. King, and Stevie, and Howard King. Freddy King, Son Ra, Guitar Slim, Mike Stern, and Joe Pass and horn players. It just goes on...the list....I'm just gathering all those influences and trying to find a voice of my own.

Murf - You have a real big sound using multiple amps...you have Fender and Marshall amps and a couple more. What do you use generally for your sound such as amps, effects and all that.

Duarte - All of them just create this big wall of sound and I'm not switching between them. The amps are on all the time. The Marshall is basically a Marshall and when I turn the Marshall on, all four of them are going.

Murf - So you switch the Marshall in and out?

Duarte - Yes...exactly. The Marshall comes in on mainly the Hendrix stuff and some solos. It's hardly there all the time.

Murf - You got a Fender 4 ten up there...

Duarte - A 3 ten and right now it's really on its last legs. It's really distorted right now and that should be for the highs...the Rivera on top is for clean lows and the Rivera on the bottom is for low lows and all of them together give this real warm sound.

Murf - Are you a devotee of the heavy strings/high action school of Texas Blues Guitar?

Duarte - No I like low action but I do like heavy strings. Heavy strings add so much more tone to it.

Murf - Heavy being?

Duarte - 11, 15, 18, 30, 40, 50 and I play down a half step to get the rest. It's just because of elasticity, not because of these other things. I used to play at 430, which is....almost a semi-tone down. It was weird, cause you listen to tapes of yourself and you always sound out of tune. It's just not right with the world.

Murf - I'll remember that when I try playing along with your CD's. (Duarte laughs) Is the trem on your guitar blocked? I ask because when you broke a string last night, you still were able to play in tune.

Duarte - It...it...needs to have a lot of work done on it too (laughing). I don't have any blocks or anything like that on it. I compensate up and down a half step...that's all I do. (here Chris gets out his guitar from beside the bed, showing the open back to show the floating trem)

Murf - Do you play around with your equipment layout much or is it pretty much the same at this time?

Duarte - It's pretty much the same. There might be a foot pedal that might die once in a while, but it's pretty much the same. I got most of the equipment that I mess around with. Sometimes I'll change the foot pedals around a bit and I'll be constantly changing parameters while I'm playing to get a certain sound out of this pedal and a certain sound out of that pedal.

Murf - What's your main equipment right now?

Duarte - The amps you saw, the knucklehead, the Vibroking, the Marshall 900, and then I have a Boss DS-1, Boss DD2, Boss DD3, a Mutron 5, Octavia, and a Boss Flanger which is rarely used. It's just used for sweeping one note things.

Murf - Last night I heard this saxophone sound on one of your songs..how do you get that sound.

Duarte - I try to get real lyrical like Coltrane did. Its just the volume and the way you touch the strings on the guitar. And then there's this other synithiser sound that I use. It's the octavia and I lower the pot to get it more bass...I try to make it more like Pat Matheneys trumpet sound.

Murf - I noticed that and this sort of Eric Johnsonish violin sound.

Duarte - I like Eric's..... approach to some of this chords and a lot of his arpeggio stuff and his touch.

Murf - So your saying it's all in the hands?

Duarte - Yeah.

Murf - Your sitting here with an acoustic guitar. Have you ever done an acoustic set?

Duarte - Oh yeah, sometimes for record releases, I can play all the songs acoustic. It's just I rather have the choice of when I do that.

Murf - Do you play slide guitar?

Duarte - Very very little. I don't feel that I should go out there and play something that I'm only half assed at. I very rarely play slide.

Murf - How did you get started playing guitar?

Duarte - Uh...just for attention, I was a small kid and it was just for attention. My older brother played guitar and I wanted to be somebody. So it was for selfish reasons for attention.

Murf - Any word on L14261? (this is the serial number from Chris's guitar that was stolen some time back which he mainly learned to play on.)

Duarte - No....it's still out there.

Murf - You don't break many strings, although you broke one last night.

Duarte - Sometimes there's a barb on the bridge, in fact (looking at his guitar) there's one developing now and I should try and file that down.

Murf - I couldn't believe last night, how you broke a string, continued playing, and sounded like you didn't go out of tune walked over to the side of the stage, changed guitars and I did not hear a break in the music.

Duarte - It's just something I've been able to hone into.

Murf - One thing I did notice though, I know you got two strats, an older one and a newer one. There is a major difference in tone.

Duarte - Well coming back to the equipment part of the thing, this one (holding the older Fender strat) this one has the better....the rounder tone. I think it's this pot (tone control), this one is really going down and I need to get this pickup replaced. This one really needs to be looked at cause I've noticed on the last three gigs that the in-between output on this has really gone down.

Murf - That one has a great tone.

Duarte - Yeah this one has that great soft tone and usually has really good output. The other one has that glassy tone of the newer pickups.

Murf - Does that one have Texas Specials in it?

Duarte - This one is a Fralin pickup...the other two might be...Oh maybe they're Rio Grand pickups.

Murf - But they're not stock?

Duarte - Oh no...but it's just that all the new pickups pretty much sound the same. They got this glassy high trebly kind of sound. The old pickups have this nice round sound. I don't like to go out and buy old pickups. It's just tearing up the guitar. I know I can't complain. I throw my guitar around, but I'm not throwing it around cause I'm gonna break it, I'm throwing it around from the emotion.

Murf - Yeah...you do have a lot of emotion. With all the touring the band has done, are there any favorite towns/venues? Places that are acoustically "superb" or geographically preferred, or whatever?

Duarte - Well there are some places that sound really good...Fox theatre in Bolder CO, has a great sound system and sounds really good. Suprisingly the Sapphire (Sapphire Supper Club - downtown Orlando) sounds good. I like playing the Sapphire a lot. I like the crowd. At first it was weird when I played there, but the more I play a room, the better feel I get for it. And it helps...when...you know...you have a nice little sound system on the stage cause sometimes I don't know what kind of sound is out there. There's a nice room in Cornell University, a auditorium there that I like the acoustics. I played there once with Buddy Guy...great room. There was a room in Belgium that I played...a big old room in Belgium. there was a great club called The Move in Denmark, I can't remember the name of the town. I played so many places...with me...it doesn't matter but the audience. The room makes a little bit of a difference. If the room sounds bad, I just focus in on the group. You know I listen to John, (John Jordan on Bass) I listen to Jimmy (Jimmy Way on Drums)....I listen to the music....and that's what I try to do most.

Murf - Do you enjoy traveling in Europe?

Duarte - Yeah....I didn't travel in the most luxurious conditions, but I enjoyed it very much. Belgium is nice, Austria is nice, Italy was my favorite cause of Rome. Rome was wonderful...I loved Rome. England was Ok...I wish I would have gotten to spend...Germany was pretty cool too.

Murf - I know there's fans on the internet from Germany, Poland, England, and Australia along with fans from all over the United States and all of them ask "when are you coming here?"

Duarte - Yeah.. because we were supposed to go with Satriani right now for his European tour but Silvertone didn't want to foot the tour support. But I don't even ask for tour support. It would have only been a couple hundred dollars per show and you can't really pay the group a couple of hundred dollars per show cause you have to have a vehicle to get you around, a driver that knows all the customs.

Murf - Speaking of Satriani, how did you wind up on the American portion of the tour? I know you are going to be at the House Of Blues here in Orlando in July.

Duarte - Right...um....Joe's agent knows my manager real good and is also Eric's agent and he's gotten some shows and Joe really likes playing with us too and I like playing with him. It's because were so different. I'm not this weedly weedly guy. Joe is definitely a player and I can see some of the players that he has been hooked up with...these weedly weedly guys. It's just not a very musical style. That's what so wonderful about Joe. He's just a really great player too.

Murf - It seems like an unusual mix.

Duarte - It's an unusual mix but I think its a good mix because were really two different kinds of guitar parts goin down.

Murf - You've had everything from great audiences, good ones, and absolutely thoughtless and rude ones. Is there anything the band would want to say to the audience (but are too polite to do so)? The band is always so accommodating to the fans....you always sign all the CD's, give all the autographs requested, Is there anything that works as a detriment or that the fans can do better?

Duarte - I've got no complaints about that....I've got the best fans in the world personally. I think they're the greatest. You've got to remember that not everybody is going to like you...you know and not everybody likes Jesus Christ....not everybody likes him...I'm not saying I'm as popular as him...it's just that everybody has got their thing that they like so if they don't like you, they don't have to stay. I guess...right now I'm still able to enjoy a modicum of privacy and if there's anything I would like them to appreciate would be that I'm here working....this is my work. You're there to see what's in Chris's soul today and I'm giving you a window to look into today to see what is on me today. No two shows are alike, they're always different and my playing always going to be different....every night. I'm thinking like a jazz musician, I'm playing what I feel that day and what I appreciate is.....is....basically let me do my work....let me do my job. I'm not gonna go down there and tell you what to order or how to act....I just want you to appreciate my effort in trying to bring you the best that I can give you.

Murf - That's a pretty good answer. I saw you open for Buddy Guy at the Embassy here in Orlando and most people were there to see Buddy Guy and were not familiar with you at all. I heard a lot of comments from the audience when they walked out and you really impressed a lot of people that night.

Duarte - Well that's your job. When you're an opening band, your job is to kick the main bands ass. At least leave an impression. Any bands that open up for me...that's what I want them to do. I want them to kick my ass cause that's supposed to make me go up there and play better. That's what it's all about. My job is to kick the main bands ass.

Murf - Where do you live right now?

Duarte - Houston...I live in Houston.

Murf - You used to live in Austin

Duarte - I've been living in Houston since mid December.

Murf - Is there a reason that you moved to Houston?

Duarte - There was too many bad influences that were in Austin. It was finally time to say goodbye to all that. My wife and I are not together anymore because we were satisfied to become junkies for the rest of our lives...and now that I've moved to Houston I've found somebody that is very supportive of me and I'm doing very very well.

Murf - I'm glad but I'm not gonna dwell on that......

Duarte - It doesn't bother me. I have no reason to hide cause I'm a man and I can speak up for my mistakes and I made a lot of mistakes and to be clean in the state of Texas now is a wonderful thing cause I wasn't clean in the state of Texas for probably....the last twelve years. I had some sobriety up in New Hampshire but when I got back to Texas...it was still there....the demons were still there. I'm so glad to be...start putting this stuff behind me.

Murf - I know Austin Texas, getting back on the subject of guitar players, it seems that every other guitar player out there, or two of every three, is from Austin Texas. What is it about that area....is it that everybody feeds on everybody else and raises the level of performance higher. The guys that come from Austin Texas doing the type of music that you do are just awesome.

Duarte - I think a lot of it has to do with a lot of musicians around the country, even the really good ones, they tend to gravitate towards Austin cause it has this mystique about being the blues guitarist Mecca. And we have a lot of very fine guitarists from all over the country moving to Austin. And yes the competition level is raised up because you have such a musicians pool there. Because you have lots of good players inspired by whatever helps you. Plus it's a good live music town. There's a lot of venues there, there's a lot of places you can get out and practice your craft. And then the good ones will be the ones that learn something there. A lot of the above average cats do get there but they never quite get out of the Austin scene. I know a lot of these guys. They just don't go anywhere but Austin. Me I watched Eric go by when I was 17, seeing Stevie Ray when I was 18, just unbelievable stuff, you know. What you can learn from that and get the better players that are learning from that its sort of a stepping stone....going up that ladder.

Murf - What fuels the band to maintain such an intense tour schedule? HOW can they make treks from the Midwest to Southwest, almost overnight? Is ALL touring really done "on the road"with no air travel?

Duarte - No...very little air travel. When we started air travel we thought...God we've arrived but air travel on a plane is just a glorified bus and then when we get to the venue they have the backline and all the time your backline is not your tone. Your not going out there 100% when you don't have your own equipment. The amps are still a very important part of my equipment...it's got my tone. So.....ah...we like traveling in the van. The reason is that it's so good is because especially John and I....were very good at it. This is our work for life and we feel so lucky that were able to do this and get paid for it...what we enjoy doing. That makes it a lot easier instead of it was a really terrible lounge act or something like that. That would make it real hard. Were not the partying band, were not this philandering chick chasing band or anything like that cause we know we have to get up the next day and drive hard. We wanna get up on that stage and play hard. We compete against ourselves every night. Were trying to make the peoples eyebrows go up and their mouths drop. Were going against ourselves which is way harder than anybody else can do to us. That's why we go out and try and play...we want to get better and better. We've only got so much time in this life and we want to go out and get better and make a mark with our music.

Murf - I know you guys have gone through a lot of drummers, sort of a Spinal Tapian kind of thing, your new drummer was really impressive last night.

Duarte - Yeah, he's actually come quite a ways. He's only been with us a little over two months and he's come quite a way. He's.....Jimmy (Jimmy Way on drums) was a very different drummer, he was doing a lot of electronic music...he still likes his electronic music. He's into electronics and pop bands and it was real hard to make him get the mentality of this group which has a large jazz and improvisational background and that's what we use....to arrive at this emotional level....that's what we have in our music. It was hard for him to grasp....and he's still getting used to it but still work to be done with Jimmy. I have a lot of work to do on my own playing. Jimmy just needs to get into the group and swing a little more....we like drummers that swing. He's real impressive on the rock stuff.....but it's the emotional stuff that I feel he needs to work on. But Jimmy...what's so important with Jimmy is that he really wants this gig....and that's what is really important. He wants this gig and he wants to be here.

Murf - It seemed like he was really working hard last night.

Duarte - Yes he works really hard.

Murf - The band has a CONSIDERABLE internet following. You have fans literally all over the world. Any chance of a q-and-a forum (like a message board with the band responding) or even an interactive chat now and then? Have you checked out the Chris Duarte Group listserver.

Duarte - Yes I do get on the internet as a matter of fact. I got a computer at home and I know about all the sites...I've seen them all and I know about the fans and I'm very touched by it. It's humbling to know that my music is touched other people all over the world. I'd love to...if somebody wanted to set something up....post some questions...once a week or every three or four days when I'm off the road. I'd love to do it. I don't have a laptop but I've got mine at home and I'm getting back at typing again so I'd love it....it would give me typing practice.

Murf - I've been on your official site and there's no place to e-mail your official site.

Duarte - I noticed that do and was going to call Craig up.....I do have Craigs e-mail...I'm gonna have to forward that to him and see if we can get a poster board or something like that.

Murf - Is there any interesting background regarding the kilt you sometimes wear?

Duarte - The kilt. I just...man I was thumbing through some musician mag and the old Jonathan toejam or aberneezy or whatever his name was had a kilt on. He had got it from this Scottish royal drum chore and I said....man that looks just so cool. So I had these wrap around skirts for a while that had the same old red 3-M pattern similar to something tartan. I went to a real place that had kilts where they took your measurements and faxed them over to Scotland and made the kilt in Scotland and sent it back. And they're very expensive but I think they are very much worth it. I just like the way that looks. The two patterns I have....I have two kilts....an Endinbough tartan and I have a Stuart tartan.

Murf - You have an interest in sports. In a lot of his tapes, you talk about major league baseball and you've done a show in a St. Louis Cardinals baseball uniform. Care to comment on that?

Duarte - (laughing) You know....I love baseball, it's probably what I love the most. I'm just sad that I didn't keep with it and keep all my baseball clothes and stuff....cause I got out of it for a while and didn't start getting into it until just about five, six years ago. I started going to college games at UT....seeing some really fine players come up. And then I started going to major league parks while I was on tour. I went to Fenway when I was in New Hampshire. I've been to Fenway when I was on the road, I've been to Kansas City, I've been to Wrigley a couple times. I just like the tradition that baseball has. I like to go to football games. That's probably what sucked me in first....football when I was a kid. I remember the Washington Senators playing and the Red Sox, a long time ago. Frank Howard was my first baseball hero, a home run hitter. I like all kinds of sports, it's just some sports I'm not too hip to. I'm from Texas and just not into hockey that much. There's a lot of transplanted Texans and naturalized Texans who like hockey. I thought it was just strange that Dallas has a hockey team. Weird...but hey...whatever you know. Basketball....I'm starting to appreciate basketball a little more. It's mainly....I like baseball and I like football. Soccer is ok...it's alright. And I like hunting...I've hunted before. I was a hunter not for trophies....it was for meat. I mean...I shot a deer that fed my family for a winter. That's basically why. I've only shot a couple of deer. It was cause my grandfather owned land and stuff. I'd like to get a sports show going...you know real guys sitting around talking about stuff.

Murf - You and Ted Nugent right?

Duarte - Yeah man.....Ted's into that bow hunting...that's cool...I appreciate it. Ted goes out for the trophy kill and stuff which is not what I want to do. Hey...Ted's Ted...what can I say.

Murf - He's coming to town too...maybe you can open for him.

Duarte - Ted's wonderful man....I love Ted.

Murf - Well that's about all the questions I have, thanks for the interview.

Duarte - Well I just wanted to put in there once again....to thank all my fans...to thank you for spreading the word and keeping with me and supporting me. I really have all the best fans in the world. I mean there's a woman there last night that drove all the way down from Chicago...she's probably seen us in almost every state. And why she likes us is the way the music makes her feel....the emotion that she likes and I think that's why we have so many dedicated fans. The experience they get from our music.

Murf - I know last night there was people from Tampa, St Pete, Melbourne, and points north and south.

Duarte - I know...a guy from Georgia was there talking to me and I'm just really humbled that I have fans like that...that I can touch them like that...it's really the biggest compliment to me that they can make.