Sounds like the blues are composed of feeling, finesse, and fear.

A blown-out tube ripped some of the grind from the amplifier, throwing us into a momentary tizzy. The unusual sound led me to play unusually, and the recorded take turned out to be a keeper. Insriration can come from the most unlikely places ... keep your head on and your ears open.

I probably owe as much to Jeff Beck as I do to Son House with connections to the blues.

It's important to collect unusual characters. It keeps you sharp.

When I was around 7 or 8 my Dad took me to a B.B. King recording session, well, that really did it. Huge and lasting impressions. After all that I pretty much knew playing guitar was something I was going to do because I just had to do it. And I did.

If you're really looking for something in particular, it helps to take your time.

Having a visual element to your band is a good thing.