|
So what does a guy who trained as a vocalist and has a lucrative
business career do? Well, start making some of the finest solo acoustic
guitar and acoustic ensemble records out there, of course. Since
guitarist/composer/producer Ken Bonfield's 1996 debut, Mystic
Morning,
he has released a total of eight albums and has several more currently
in
the works. His most recent album, Harbor Town, shows
Ken to be in top
form and reintroduces his talents as a singer. Ken, as I
found out from our
conversation, actually started his career as a singer/songwriter.
As he writes on his website: “I performed for over 15 years as a singer/songwriter
before I played an instrumental in front of an audience." Joining Ken
on Harbor Town is longtime musical partner, bassist Michael Manring as well as
John Prunier on fretted bass, Pete Malaquias on percussion, and Masood
Omari on tablas.
Besides Ken's busy recording and performance schedule, he's actively
involved in teaching - both privately and through his "Artistry
of the Guitar"
program. Ken has also recently completed the first in a series of
transcription books, Artistry of the Guitar Volume 1: 8 songs in DADGAD
and Related Tunings. Volume two in the series of six books should be
completed shortly and will focus on songs in Standard and Dropped D tuning. I can
definitely understand why he says in our conversation: "I seem to go from
recording sessions to lessons to the computer to bed…"!
On a personal note, the bonfield & ebel record, Dancing
With Shadows, is
one of my all time favourite discs. If you haven't heard that album,
or any of
Ken's music, head over to KenBonfield.com to hear some samples and
to
learn more about Ken, his music and "Artistry of the Guitar".
Jamie:
You seem to have a renewed sense of energy. After a few years of
laying low, you're touring again, you have new management and you've
just
finished Artistry of the Guitar: Volume 1, a book
of transcriptions of your
own music. And from talking with you on the phone, you sound extremely
upbeat and positive. Was there a specific turning point for you,
where you
said I want to/need to get back out there?
Ken: I'm glad you noticed. I
do feel renewed and full of energy, and the short
answer is, there was no ‘specific' turning point just as there
was no specific
point in becoming burned out. Both were a process that were years
in the
making.
It really took 2 or 3 years to feel the desire to get back on the
road, and even
then, if Coop, my manager and old friend, hadn't called when she
did, I don't
know if I could have made the push under my own steam. When we talked
last July I was ready to perform, but I wasn't sure I was ready
for the grind
touring involves. When you've toured for a while, and I toured for
35-42 weeks
a year from 1994-2001, you know how much work is involved, and I
was
DAUNTED by the prospect. But I really wanted to play for audiences
again
so maybe I would have made the move myself, but maybe not in as
‘big' a
way as I'm doing now. It makes a huge difference having her work
on my
behalf. I'm still very involved in booking and other parts of the
business, but
I'm involved in the big picture stuff and Coop handles the daily,
time sensitive
areas. This allows me more freedom to focus on writing, performing,
and
teaching which are where my energies are best put to use.
Another big part of the renewal for me was through my teaching practice;
I
teach 10-20 private students a week in a variety of styles of guitar;
from Bach
to Rock, and it was their enthusiasm for the guitar that made me
perk up. I
have only one rule about my teaching, and it's that I have to be
better than
the student. So when I got students who wanted to learn electric
guitar I had
to get one and started playing with a pick for the first time in
15 or 20 years.
It was great, and playing electric fed and nurtured my own enthusiasm
for
playing the guitar that carried over to my acoustic work. I was
refreshed,
playing my music was fun again, and that ultimately brought back
my desire
to perform. When I'm performing my best I'm having fun, and when
I started
having fun again I new I was ready to start performing again.
And the students are the real reason the Artistry of the Guitar
Series of
books was launched; students asked for transcriptions of this music,
and all
I really had to do was organize them in some way that made sense
to create
a series of books. I just finished the rough draft of Vol. 2 which
focuses on
Standard and Dropped-D tuning so it should be done in couple of
weeks, and
Vol. 3 is scheduled for completion around April 15th, maybe sooner!
And,
since I have a bunch of beginners, I'm also writing 3 teaching books;
one for
kids 8 and under in open G tuning, one for beginning fingerstyle
players in
Standard Tuning, and one for beginning electric guitarists that
will focus on
blues progressions, power chords, and major and minor pentatonic
scales.
I'll have a whole series of books, all thanks to my students.
Jamie: Well, I think the old
saying about the teacher learning (or gaining)
as much from the student definitely applies to your situation. You
also make
such a good point about fun. Music isn't, or at least shouldn't
be, "just a job".
There nothing worse than seeing a performer "phone in" a performance...
Ken: This is intimate music
performed in intimate settings and the audience
deserves so much from us. How many people get applause just showing
up
for work? We, as performers, are so blessed.
Looking back, I didn't know I was burned out until long after it
was a fact, and
honestly, though I gave everything in my shows, I wasn't enjoying
it - it was a
grind, and ultimately that's what got me off the road. I mean, when
a standing
ovation doesn't move you, there's something terribly wrong. Teaching
did a
couple of things for me: 1) it kept me at home in one place
long enough to
realize I had some issues to deal with, and 2) as you pointed out,
the teacher
learned from the students just how cool playing the guitar is, and
for me,
what an honor it's been to play for audiences all over the country.
It's hard
work getting out of the house to go see a show, and I gained a different
respect for audiences when I was away from them for a while. Isn't
that the
way of the world, we miss what we DON'T have!
Jamie:
Since we're talking about teaching, you have a very interesting
school program called, Artistry
of the Guitar. The program is directed towards
grades K-12 and as your website says, "Can be presented in
a variety of
formats". What can those schools that would like to book an
'Artistry of the
Guitar' program expect to hear?
Ken: I tailor make this program
for each school, and in fact, have added
colleges to the K-12.
As an example, in some schools I ‘just' perform for about 45
minutes, telling
the kids a little about the guitar's history, and performing songs
from different
eras, really from Bach to Rock. I show them how far the guitar has
come,
both as a solo instrument and as an ensemble instrument. Right now,
in
terms of numbers, the guitar is the most popular instrument in the
world, yet
most folks just don't know how broad its capabilities are. You can
play any
style of music on the guitar.
I also work in smaller groups, and, in some classes, do something
I call
dreamweaving; I have the kids close their eyes, listen to the music,
and then
have them tell me what they ‘saw' while I was playing a particular
piece. Write
a story about it. I've also played for art classes where kids drew
what they
saw in the music. The kids and the teachers love this aspect of
it, and the
classes always seem very energized by the experience. Kids don't
get to
use their imaginations enough these days, in or out of school, and
when they
do, they're blown away by what they can ‘find' inside their
own heads.
I also work with jazz bands, or guitar classes too. I'll play a
little bit, describe
my ‘approach' to the guitar, and then open up the floor for
Q & A; everything
from how I play what I play to what life on the road is like. In
some ways I try
to be a mentor; some of these kids are going to grow up to be the
next
generation of touring and performing musicians, and I want to give
them an
understanding of what it's REALLY like to be a working musician;
cause the
odds are they aren't going to be stars or the next American Idol.
I don't try to
shoot down their dreams, on the contrary, I try to let them know
you can have
a life, and be a full-time musician; not something they hear at
home or in
school very often.
I'm going to be presenting Artistry of the Guitar for the first time at a
college this spring in Arkansas for the guitar department at University
of
Arkansas/Little Rock. They've asked me to give a concert followed
by a
Q & A. I'm very excited by that, though there are probably more
than a few
of those kids who have chops I've never thought of having. But I
figure if I've
got the stones to share the stage with guys like Michael Manring
then I'll
survive this;).
I really feel like as much as anything, what I'm trying to offer
the schools and
the kids in them is musical appreciation. When I was a kid, granted
it was a
long time ago, we received more in the way of exposure to arts.
I think what
we all gained from that was an appreciation for just how damned
hard it is to
play an instrument well, and as a result we appreciated it more,
we were
better audiences then; we didn't need to have half-dressed men or
women,
and fireworks to appreciate a musical performance; only the music
mattered.
I don't mean to sound like an old fogy, but TV, MTV in particular,
hasn't
helped the live music business at all. I try to show kids that there's
true art in
a solo performance, and that there is value in a well constructed
piece of
music. The magic in music is the music itself, not the glitz that
accompanies
it.
Going a bit further with this; I remember reading a recent interview
with guitar
phenom Kaki King, a great young guitarist in the Michael Hedges
vein who
just happens to be a women in her 20's. She talked about how all
her guitar
peers are middle aged men, and she's right. When you think about
us
fingerstyle guys you think of Will Ackerman, Alex de Grassi, Don
Ross, Ed
Gerhard, Bill Mize, Harvey Reid, Peppino D'Agostino, Adrian Legg,
John
Renbourn, Pierre Bensusan, Duck Baker, and myself among others,
and
we're all in our 40's or 50's or beyond. The youngest person other
than Kaki
King out there is a young guy in Atlanta named Dominic Gaudious,
and I
think he's in his 30's, and the only prominent female fingerstyle
guitarist I'm
aware of is Muriel Anderson and she's in the same age group.
If this style of music is going to survive, it's because young people
end up
playing it; so I'm taking it to the schools in hopes that at least
a couple of
the kids will do what I did when I heard Leo Kottke and say to themselves:
"That is the coolest thing I've ever heard. How the hell do
you play like that?"
And maybe then this tradition of fingerstyle guitar can survive
another
generation. And just maybe they'll come out and see
me and help fund my
retirement ;).
Jamie: HaHaHa! That's
great!
You make a good point about the taste/aesthetic of today's audience
and
how music education can play a role in helping the audience to better
understand and appreciate non-mainstream music. But, and I'm playing
the
devil's advocate here, what do you feel the performer can do to
better present
their music to today's audience -- dare I bring up the term marketing
--
because few people today seem to want to move beyond the mainstream
or
the latest cool thing?
Ken: First, I think that I'm
dreaming if I think I can move my style of music,
solo fingerstyle guitar, into today's mainstream. It just won't
happen. I'm OK
with that. It is what it is, and I know the value of what I do as
both a
composer and performer; but I'll never have my own ABC special.
I do believe that acoustic musicians, and those of us on the fringe,
so to
speak, should make more use of the tools mainstream music uses so
well:
and that's presentation. I've got a good friend from the BWE days,
Kurt
Bestor, who does a great job producing his shows in a ‘TV friendly
way'.
Gorgeous backdrops, ‘uniforms' for the sidemen, stage props
that make it
look like he's playing in a living room or cool parlor. And he does
a great job
of ‘choreographing' the shows. Of course he can also fill up
a 3,000 theater
for 12 days in Salt Lake City, UT so he can afford the props and
backdrops
and multimedia displays.
The challenge, and it's one I've struggled with, is how to present
the music in
a TV friendly way to 30-200 people. Obviously finances prohibit
the ability to
do much in the way of backdrops, stage props, or multimedia. That
being
said, I think that acoustic musicians, especially those of us on
the fringe of
folk music, can dress things up a little bit. Ultimately, my goal
in ‘marketing'
a performance is to create an environment that represents my music.
Candles, soft lighting, appropriate dress on my part, getting the
‘gear' out of
the way so that what people see is just me playing the guitar. I
don't want
anything to distract or attract their attention from the music.
Most of them
don't want to see all the stuff that goes into making an acoustic
guitar sound
good when it's plugged in, and those that do ask me about it after
the show.
On the performance side I think instrumentalists must show more
of their
personality in between songs. Early on in my career I toured with
one guitar,
played in 12-14 different tunings a night, and didn't use a tuner.
I became very
accomplished at telling stories while I tuned. I now travel with
multiple guitars,
use a tuner, but I've kept the story telling as an integral part
of the show. And
for the most part, I don't talk or introduce the songs more than
giving their
provenance so to speak: "That last tune was "Mirage",
which appears on the
bonfield & ebel CD Dancing with Shadows." The story telling has a point
which is to engage the audience, to deepen our relationship, not
to cover my
tuning. A performance is a conversation between the performer and
the
audience, and when it really works the energy flows back and forth
feeding
both the audience and the performer. I try to set the stage for
a comfortable
dialogue.
I also think there are some key things I, as a soloist, need to
consider in my
performance; being in tune, knowing how to use my gear before the
show,
developing a shorthand conversational style with sound men so I
don't spend
a lot of time in between songs getting it right. In fact, I work
hard to get it
right in the sound check if at all possible. And choreograph the
show: know
what I'm going to play before I play it. I used to do most of my
gigs without
set lists: some were great shows, but others invariably had
uncomfortable
lags in them. I thought I was being artsy, and staying in the moment,
playing
what my muse directed me to, but honestly, I was just being lazy.
Since I began playing with set lists my shows don't lag; they move
right
along, and if I'm moved to play a particular piece of music that's
not on the
set list I'll do it: my instincts are pretty good about things like
that, but then
it's back to the set list. I keep set list info on my computer
so I know what I
played the last time I appeared at a particular venue and will plan
a different
set for the next show. I also like to keep old set lists around
to compare
how successful they are to others.
Since I've started using multiple guitars, one for standard through
DADGAD,
and one for C and G based tunings, I don't have to worry about the
ramifications of tuning as much in my set. I still have a fairly
hard and fast
rule that I only change one string at time. This means that I may
start in
DADGAD, then go to double dropped-D, then dropped-D, then standard
over
a 4-8 song set on one guitar. It's easy to change the tuning of
one string, the
guitar doesn't freak, and by the time the audience is done applauding
I'm
ready for the next tune. I'm amazed when performers go from DADGAD
to
standard back to DADGAD and either play horribly out of tune because
the
guitar's freaking out, or take five minutes it get it right. Audiences
want us to
play in tune, our music demands it, but they don't want to hear
it. I make
sure that I'm muted when I'm tuning; it's easy to do.
All in all, I think that those of us who play smaller rooms should
treat them
like a big production; what would it look like to a TV audience.
Would this
work on PBS, or Austin City Limits? I don't expect to reach
a wider audience
per se; I want to treat the audience that I do have with the best
possible
‘show' I can give them. Invariably what happens when I am able
to create the
right environment for the music, the props actually become transparent
and
the music becomes the show; which is what I'm aiming for all the
time. But it
takes work, and forethought.
Jamie: That's such a great attitude
and approach to live music! You are
going to bring the show to Toronto, right? : )
So let's backtrack a bit... You have a few miles on your musical
shoes --
sang in choirs, performed for years as a singer/songwriter. And
you did all
this before you started performing and recording as an instrumental
guitarist.
How did you get here from there?
Ken:
Absolutely! Peter Janson and I are talking about some shows together
in Canada, maybe we can work something out for the three of us?
My immediate response to "How did I get from there to here?" is, "My what a
long strange trip its been."
On the more serious side, it all started when I recorded my first
album,
Mystic Morning. Up until then I split my shows almost
equally between
vocal and instrumental. Remember, I'm a Gemini. I didn't perform
my first all
instrumental show until 6 months before Mystic Morning was released.
When I went into the studio ready to record, I went in with about
40 potential
pieces; almost half songs with words. Richard Birt, who engineered
and
co-produced the CD, and I demoed about 15 or 20 songs, again about
half
vocals, half instrumentals. And then we listened. I gave some of
the demos to
friends and peers in the Asheville, NC area where I lived at the
time, and the
consensus was that an album of all instrumentals was more cohesive.
Asheville was, and is, one of the strongest areas for singer/songwriters
in
the country. Although folks visiting NAR might not recognize the
names, my
friends and peers in Asheville, Christine Kane, Chuck Brodsky, David
Wilcox,
and David LaMotte are well known on the folk circuit and are featured
performers at places like Kerrville Folk Festival, Rocky Mountain
Folk
Festival, Telluride, and Falcon Ridge to name just a few. They thought
I
would be offering the region something different through an all
instrumental
CD (I think they were just afraid of the competition). Richard and
I also
believed that the instrumentals were the strongest of the lot, they
had a
finished quality to them, and I still think we were right.
When I began touring behind Mystic Morning vocals
were still a part of my
show. I would sing 3-4 songs an evening. I've always believed that
folks who
come to a solo guitar show really have incredible stamina and powers
of
concentration. It takes a lot of concentration to really get everything
I do in a
solo piece. I'm not a flashy player by any means. I prefer subtlety,
so
audiences really have to listen hard to get the nuances. I found
that the
songs with words ‘broke up' a solo show, gave the audiences
a breather so
to speak, and kept them fresh for the instrumentals.
At the time Mystic Morning was released in 1996 I
had designs on my next
CD being all, or almost all vocal. At about the same time I was
planning that
CD, BWE records heard about me and asked if I was interested in
a label
contract. This was 1996, the Internet was still a foundling, and
BWE was
talking about becoming the next Windham Hill; a label I've always
respected,
but by 1996 weren't interested in signing new acts. I was intrigued,
but they
were only interested in promoting the instrumentals; they didn't
bother to
even listen to the vocals, but they were offering enough money for
me to 'look
the other way'. As I began to put the material together for Homecoming I
started touring with an array of ensembles, and, since I had other
ways to
give the audience a ‘breather' with added instrumentation,
I dropped the vocal
part of the performance. I recorded Homecoming in the fall of 1997,
released
it to great success in 1998, and began touring with Michael
Manring and then
Joe Ebel.
That duo or trio continued to tour heavily throughout 2001 until
bonfield & ebel dissolved. We were billing ourselves as a "New
Age Power
Trio" and vocals didn't really fit with our ‘mission statement'.
It was 2002 before I played another solo show and sang again! The
audiences
really enjoyed the vocals. I was always told I should sing more,
and I was
frequently asked if I had recorded any of the vocals. As I started
plans to
record my first solo CD since 1998's Winter
Night, I considered adding
vocals. It was the first time in 5 years that I had sole decision
making power
over what material went on a CD, and I decided what the hell: let's
give it a
go! Harbor
Town, which had a working title of Renaissance,
was the result,
and it's evenly divided between vocals and instrumentals. Although
the album
hasn't been heavily promoted yet, we'll go to radio later this year,
the initial
response has been wonderful.
Based on the strength of Harbor Town, I was asked
to appear as a featured
performer at the Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (known almost
exclusively
as a singer/songwriter venue), Wind & Wire gave it a sterling
review, and it's
been featured on Echoes. Harbor Town's stylistic diversity,
something the
record label was loath to contemplate, has opened up many opportunities
for
me that my other CD's haven't. With the release of Harbor
Town, I feel that
I've come full circle, and it includes my best work as a composer/arranger
for
instrumental ensemble and solo guitar, and vocals.
That being said, I have no immediate plans to record more vocals
(remember,
I'm a Gemini). My next project will be a solo guitar record that
I'm planning to
release early next year, and I'm very excited by the project. I've
never really
marketed myself as a guitarist to the ‘guitar' market, and
my manager and I
think it's about time, but we need the solo record to do that. I'm
going to
re-approach some songs I've recorded previously, "Mystic Morning",
"Ella's
Labor Day Blues", "Andy's Song", "Steel String
Surprise", and "Summer Rain"
as well as include arrangements of a Bach prelude, a Sor study,
and another
five or six solo pieces I've written in the past year or so. I will
also release an
accompanying book of transcriptions with music for all the songs.
Then I'm
going to take a deep breath and finish composing a full out ensemble
CD that
will include electric guitar as well as acoustic steel string and
nylon string
guitar. I'm hoping to learn how to play bass for that record too;
Manring
beware! I've got about 1/3 of that album written, so I expect to
record and
release that by early to mid 2007.
Jamie:
That's a record I'd love to hear! But don't bench Manring, I think
you
guys sound great together.
I'd like to delve a little deeper into your compositional and recording
process
-- how you go about taking a music idea from initial conception
to something
a listener hears, either on record or live. Obviously, your pieces
with vocals
have certain demands that don't exist in instrumental music (i.e.
lyrics), but
is there a conceptual shift for you between your singer/songwriter,
solo
instrumental and ensemble music?
Ken:
I'll never bench Michael, he's a god on bass, but I want to learn
to play
some 'footballs', really textural bass parts, and let Michael concentrate
on
the cello-like lines he's so great at. Plus, I believe that learning
rudimentary
bass will help me as a composer, and make me a more complete musician
overall. Bass players really fill such an important role in the
musical mix: they
are a bridge from the rhythm section to the melodic section, and
add such
incredible texture to a piece of music. They may play fewer notes
than
anyone in an ensemble, but you could argue they're the most important
notes
played! I've had the opportunity to work with a number of bass players
over
the years, and my experience is that they have been the most ‘sensitive'
musician in the group. Maybe not the best technical player in the
group, but,
without question, the best listeners, and the most helpful in arranging
a piece
of music.
Now, down to the real question: "How do I go about taking a
musical idea
from initial conception to something a listener hears, either on
record or live?"
Although I've written my pieces in a variety of ways and numerous
styles, the
heart of every piece is its emotional genesis. That's the reason
the piece
exists, and that's what I try to capture in a studio and present
in a live setting.
Was I happy, sad, awestruck, angry, or confused when I wrote the
piece. I
want the music to convey that, so the piece has to sell me on its
emotional
honesty before anyone else hears it.
For example, when I first started writing "Cats' Pause (Suite
for Three Dead
Kitties)", one of my favorite tunes from Kadotume,
I wanted to capture both
the angst of losing my three feline friends, but also celebrate
their spirits; it
had to be reflective, joyous, and sound like it was about cats.
It took almost
6 years, from 1993-1999, to finally put all that together. On the
other hand
"Dreamin'" from Mystic Morning, "Wiseman's
View" from Homecoming,
"Dancing with Shadows" from the Bonfield & Ebel CD
of the same name,
and "Nocturne (For Brendan)" from Harbor Town,
were all written in about
the time it takes to play them. They captured the emotional heart
with no
real work or thought on my part. They were, in a sense, downloaded
straight
from my heart to the guitar. I've written other pieces because I
thought an
album needed a particular sound, tempo, or texture. Because composing
these pieces is more intellectual than emotional they have been
the most
difficult for me to produce in the studio and perform on stage.
"Mirage" is a piece that immediately comes to mind when
I talk about this
style of composition. It was relatively easy to write, but until
I found my own
emotional place in the song, I had a hard time performing the piece.
It's now
one of my, and my audience's, favorites. Most songs are written
with a little
bit of both techniques: an emotion will spark something on the guitar,
an 8
bar phrase or a melodic theme, and then it's time to sit down and
puzzle out
where the piece will go from there. An ounce of inspiration plus
a pound of
sweat!
Now let's take a piece from composition through studio production,
and
finally the stage. I think a great example would be "Nocturne
(For Brendan)"
from Harbor Town. I wrote it the evening I found out
that Joe Ebel's son
Brendan was killed on Father's Day 2002 by a drunk driver. I loved
Brendy;
he was one of the finest people I've ever met, he just lit up a
room when he
entered, and he was every bit the musician his father is. I was
devastated by
the news. I remember that for weeks I would just burst into tears
when I
thought about him. He had become a part of my life, and his loss
left a
vacuum in a part of me that will never be replaced. I wasn't consciously
trying
to write anything when I picked up the guitar, but the guitar has
always been
my haven when I've experienced deep emotions, and songs occasionally
appear when I'm in that ‘place'.
As you can imagine, this was, and still is, a very difficult piece
for me to play:
both emotionally and technically. I can't, nor do I, trot it out
on stage very
often, but there are times when it's important for me to do so.
When I
recorded "Nocturne", I used the same technique I've used
ever since Joe and
I recorded Kadotume; I play it solo all the
way through, in one take, with no
edits, and no punch-ins. I want to capture the whole piece creating
my own
dynamics, responding to my emotions in that moment. I learned from
my
experience with the BWE trio of CD's that I hate click tracks and
I hate
punching in. It saps all the emotion out of a piece of music for
me. I'm a
pretty decent rhythm guitarist and people don't seem to need a click
track to
play along with me, and when I punch in trying to create the ‘perfect'
take I
lose the dynamics and they have to be added at mixdown. Not any
more. It
helps that I have my own studio. I can play as many takes as I want
without
fear of economic reprisal, but, since I've used this technique,
I rarely play
more than one or two takes to get one that works.
Most of my work in Kadotume was recorded in one day, the main guitar
parts on Harbor Town were recorded in three days,
and Dancing with
Shadows, a live, in-studio, ensemble album was recorded
in just 4 days. A
take may not be technically perfect, but if it's got the right emotional
feel then
it's the right take.
At this point I should probably address the solo vs. ensemble and
instrumental vs. vocal aspect of my writing. To me they are all
songs, and
whether or not they are solo, ensemble, or vocals depends on what
the song
needs to tell its story most effectively. Some of the vocals started
out as
instrumentals, and some of the instrumentals started off as songs,
but they
all started as solo guitar pieces. Once I've got all the central
guitar parts and
rough vocals recorded I burn a CD and start listening. Active listening,
with
no interruptions, no other considerations; just me and the music.
I'll also put
a CD in the car and go for a long drive. I really want to immerse
myself in the
music: know it inside and out. Then I let my imagination run free.
Since I do have my own studio, I'll start putting down whatever
I hear. I own
an effects box that allows me to synthesize guitar sounds to create
bass,
string, or even drum sounds, and I'll add whatever I think the song
is asking
for, or needs to tell its own story. I spend a lot of time with
this stage, again,
doing active listening with these new parts added. I find I edit
a lot out, I tend
to like sparse versus dense arrangements, and then I call people
into the
studio and knock it out as fast as I can.
Once I make the decision of what to add and what the instrumentation
is
going to be I work fast. I trust my intuition, and I've always had
the philosophy
of hiring musicians to do what they do. I don't tell anyone what
to play; I don't
direct more than to say "Rolling 1's and 0's (digital speak
for rolling tape)". I
find that although some musicians are uncomfortable with this approach,
the
majority loves it, and I get great performances from them because
they're not
second guessing me; they're playing what they hear. I also feel
no guilt in
editing out something I don't like, whether it's something I've
done or another
musician has done. I trust my instinct. On "Nocturne" I knew Michael
Manring could add the melancholy quality I was looking for tell
it's story. But
that's all it needed, just guitar and bass.
Now, as we go from the studio to the stage, things can get tricky.
I've always
fallen back on something I learned in a conversation with a great
guitarist
named Ed Gerhard. I was planning my first CD, Mystic Morning,
and I
thought it was going to be a solo guitar album because that's they
way I
performed live. Ed suggested this: "An album and a live performance
are two
distinct art forms. Make the best album you can, and give the best
live
performance you can; they don't have to, nor should they be the
same."
Thank you Ed, what great advice that was. And it's because I've
heeded that
advice that it's taken so long to put together enough material for
a solo guitar
record that I believe will tell their stories adequately.
When it comes to putting together a stage show the material depends
on the
setting; solo, duo or ensemble. If it's a solo show, I put together
a set that I
know, or at least believe, works for solo guitar. With "Nocturne",
that means
that I have to be emotionally ready, and willing to explore the
piece, as well
as be ready to handle the technical demands of the piece, in fact
all the
pieces on the set list. My experience tells me that "Nocturne" works well as
a solo or duo piece live, so I can include it in a set anytime I'm
ready for it.
I start working on a set list weeks before a performance, and at
this time I'm
putting together set lists for a series of shows I'm playing in
Arkansas in
April. That means there are some songs I won't play
solo; they just don't
work in that setting; songs like "Centerline", "Church
St", "Road to Hana",
"Our Love", etc. just don't work solo and others need
to be arranged for solo
performance. I know that some people are disappointed by that, but
I have to
feel confident that a piece will work in whatever setting I find
myself in, and
again, I trust my instincts. One of the reasons I love to tour with
an ensemble
is that it allows me to play my best solo pieces and my best ensemble
pieces. But it's becoming increasingly difficult to pay the bills
associated with
a touring ensemble, so I tour and perform primarily as a soloist.
The
economics of music sometimes really sucks doesn't it? If we travel
around
the world, we almost have to be able to do so as soloists.
Hope this answers a very complex question.
Jamie: It really does and you're
right, it is a complex question. You're lucky
that you have a multitude of performance options. Many artists,
myself
included, don't have the degree of flexibility that you have. I
think this is good
time to do some shop talk -- of course, I always think it's
a good time to talk
about gear : ) I know, I know all the non-guitarists out there
are starting to
glaze over already...
So here's another open-ended complex question: What do you look
for in an
instrument (or instruments)?
Ken: Believe it or not, I think
this one might be easier to answer, at least for
me. Right now I have 5 acoustic guitars, although I am selling a
beautiful
1989 Santa Cruz Koa H model if anyone's interested. I digress. Given
that I
play almost exclusively solo, fingerstyle, and in a ton of tunings,
I look for a
guitar that can handle lower tunings without ‘woofing' out
on me, and I look
for a guitar that is well balanced with a bright, yet round tone.
I want a guitar
that's comfortable for both right and left hands, I prefer a wider
neck, at least
1 & 3/4", but up to 1 & 7/8". The shape of the
neck is important too, I prefer
a flatter feel over rounded, and I really have come to terms with
the fact that I
just like OM size guitars: anything else is just too big.
For the past decade I've played and toured exclusively with Alan
Carruth
guitars. Alan builds about 18 instruments a year, I have 3 steel
strings and 1
nylon string guitar. All are a bit different, though they share
all the traits I
mentioned above.
The first guitar I got from Al was a prototype/experimental OM with
14 frets
clear of the body. It's got a massive neck, with a nut width of
1 & 7/8", a
cedar top, and mahogany back and sides. I used this guitar for 2
years as
my main stage instrument, and I used it to record all the high-string
guitar
parts on Homecoming and Winter Night.
I also used it to record "Mesa
Rag" and "Renaissance" on my most recent CD Harbor
Town. This guitar
really seems to like Standard and Dropped-D tunings best, and when
I'm able
to use multiple guitars in shows I use it exclusively for those
tunings.
About a year after I got my first Carruth, Al contacted me about
making, what
in his words would be a more attractive guitar; he thought the prototype
OM
was too plain looking for my stage show. We talked about some design
ideas, I'd long been intrigued with 12 fret guitars and Al agreed
to try that,
and then I asked him to design a cutaway that took away ‘less'
of the top
because I needed easy access above the 12th fret without losing
tone. He
built an amazing looking and sounding instrument; OM size, 12 frets
clear of
the body, Engelmann spruce bear claw top with curly mahogany back
and
sides, and the most amazing pearl and abalone rosette. The rosette
alone
took 32 hours to finish. This has been my main studio guitar since
1997, and
I toured with it through 2002 until a battery got loose and ripped
up the
pickup wiring. I got a little freaked out, pulled the pickup out
and ‘retired' it to
life in the studio. I've just gotten over the trauma, will be putting
an LR Baggs
hex pickup in it this month and will be touring with it again next
month. This
guitar loves to go ‘low', and on stage I'll use this guitar
for C and G based
tunings. In the studio it does everything well, no matter what the
tuning;
microphones just love this guitar, and almost everything from Homecoming
on has been recorded with this guitar. For those interested in taking
a peak
at this instrument it's the one featured on my web
site in all the guitar shots.
My main touring guitar since 2002 has been another OM 12 fret from
Al with
a Cedar top and Brazilian Rosewood Back and sides. This guitar is
amazing
live! I've never had a guitar sound so good plugged in, and I also
used this
guitar to record "Andy's Song", "Centerline",
and "Segovia's Bad Day" on
Dancing with Shadows. This guitar seems to like DADGAD
best, although
I've used it for all tunings for the past couple of years as my
only stage
instrument. When I go back to a multiple guitar set up next month
this guitar
will handle everything from standard through open D tuning.
The fourth guitar from Al is a prototype, archtop nylon string OM
12 fret guitar.
It was damaged on its return trip from being featured in Acoustic
Guitar
Magazine and after Al fixed it he gave it to me as a Christmas present.
It's a
very cool guitar and I'm trying to figure out how to put a Baggs
Hex pickup in
it so I can use it at gigs at least around New England; I won't
fly with this one.
I used this guitar on "Our Love" on Harbor Town and I expect this guitar will
appear on the solo CD and be heavily featured on the ensemble record.
I
really love the way nylon and steel string sound together.
So, that's my take on guitars.
Jamie:
The business side of the music industry is, to me, equally
fascinating, irritating, challenging and rewarding -- and there
are probably a
few other descriptors I'd use, but this is a PG rated website! When I started
releasing records, I had no idea the amount of business (and I essentially
look at anything nonmusical as business) that was involved getting
my
music "out there". You've seen the record industry from
a number of angles:
signed artist, independent, part of a duo, etc. What's right with
the record
business, what's wrong with it and how, if you could wave your magic
wand,
would you make the business more artist-friendly?
Ken: Ouch, this is the tough
question. I think in some ways what's right with
the business is also what's wrong with the business. There really
aren't any
multi-act labels other than Windham Hill and Narada investing in
this music,
and Windham Hill is really a compilation label at this point. As
far as I know
they haven't signed a new act in years. With the advent of the Internet,
home
digital recording studios, and options for duplication houses, the
‘record'
business is much more democratic. Anyone can record, duplicate and
distribute a CD. This is both a good and a bad thing.
When I started in the music business in 1976 there were about 3,500
albums
released. In 1996 when I released Mystic Morning,
there were over 35,000
CD's released. We didn't have any more radio stations in 1996 than
in 1976.
In fact, in terms of owners of radio stations, there are far fewer
today than in
1976, and there are fewer record stores than there used to be. Of
course with
the advent of the Internet, there are millions of potential ‘stores',
but the issue
is: How do we get heard? How do people find you? And that's
the hard part.
I'll be turning 50 this year, and I'm one of the more computer literate
people of
that age I know. My biggest worry is that although the Internet
is a great way
to ‘pitch' my music, it may not be the best way to reach my
demographic;
35-on up. They aren't nearly as many computer literate folks 35
and up as
there are in the 19-35 demographic; one that my music only seems
to touch
on.
In the past, one of the best ways to get people to hear your music
and
promote a CD was at live venues, but that's really getting hard.
Venues are
closing all over the place, and those that are staying open are
less open to
instrumental only acts than they used to be. There seems to be a
narrowing
down in the folk and acoustic concert series, especially for solo,
instrumental
acts. I've been very lucky and had the chance to play at some of
the very
best acoustic venues, concert series, and festivals, but I think
that's as
much because of my storytelling abilities as it is my skill as a
composer/guitarist. If I had to say ‘what's wrong' with the
business, it's
mostly on the live side of things. If I could wave a magic wand,
it would be
over this side of the business. I'd like venues to become more open-minded,
and be better promoters. It seems that there's been a shift from
venue driven
promotion to artist driven promotion, and there are many artists
who just
aren't up to the task of promoting themselves, and as a result we're
missing
out on a lot of fine music.
The saddest thing I see in the business is that those who are the
most
successful performers are the best at self-promotion, not necessarily
the
best musicians. It's a fact that to be successful as a musician
you also have
to be a good businessperson: at least if you're trying to do
it under your own
name with your own music. I find the most difficult part of my business
is
‘pitching' myself and my music to promoters. The trick for
me is distancing
myself from myself, looking objectively (if possible) at myself
as a ‘product'
and pitching myself with detachment. It was much easier promoting
bonfield
& ebel than it was and is promoting Ken Bonfield. It's one reason
I'm so
excited about taking 'Artistry of the Guitar' on the road. It's
much easier for
me to promote a group, even if I'm in it, than me solo. I even considered
creating an alter ego, Stephen East, to be my promoter/manager,
and work
under that name to the outside world, but I just couldn't do it.
Jamie: Lots of good points...
I think I know what you mean about promoting
yourself. It can seem unseemly. Unfortunately, unless an artist
is one of
the very few lucky ones who can afford support (management, legal,
personal assistant, promotions, etc.), the business side of music
is also left
up to them. That's just the way it goes. My guess is that independent
artists
have always been on the lookout for a solution to this "problem" (I know I am),
but I think it's difficult to say if an answer will be found. I
suppose it's just a balancing act of sorts and how much the artist
is comfortable with.
So what are you listening to these days? Any records making
you sit up and
take notice?
Ken: The quick answer is not
enough. I seem to go from recording sessions
to lessons to the computer to bed and don't make enough time to
really
listen. So, after I spank myself for being a bad musician I'll put
a CD in;)
On the instrumental front my most recent listening sessions that
got me
excited have included your CD, My World, solo guitarist,
Peter Janson's
catalogue, and Acoustic Eidolon, a duo that includes guitjo (a double
neck
14 string creation of Joe Scott's) and cello.
On a recent trip to Wisconsin I listened to a bunch of singer songwriter
material, friends of mine Christine Kane and Pierce Pettis, and
a great
Wisconsin writer named Marques Bouvre. I also always travel with
some
Pink Floyd and Allman Brothers. I love jam bands, especially when
I'm
driving. When I drive around in our old VW without a CD player,
I listen
almost exclusively to an album by Curanduroo which features Miguel
Espinoza on guitar, Ty Burhoe on percussion, Kai Eckhardt on bass,
and
features guest Bela Fleck. Truly east meets west stuff!
I find that although this music covers huge stylistic ground the
common
ingredient is that it's all strong melodically and emotionally.
The writers are
all able to get you to join them in that emotional moment. These
are the
people I learn from and hold my compositions up to.
Jamie: Wow, what a diverse selection
of music -- Pink Floyd to Peter
Janson. And thanks for mentioning my new record! That really
does mean
a lot to me...
Thank you for taking the time out of your incredibly busy schedule
to write
such thoughtful responses in this artist-to-artist conversation.
It's been great
getting to know you better and hearing about your approach to a
life in music.
Best of luck and please stay in touch!
Ken:
No, thank you. This has been a great experience for me, and in some
ways as insightful for me as I hope it is to your readers. You asked
such
great questions, questions that made me look hard at myself, my
music,
and my approach to music; kind of a personal audit. It helped me
reflect on
where I've been with my music and where I'm going to go with it
in the future.
I hope your readers enjoy the interview as much as I enjoyed being
a part of it.
Peace, kb
|
