Artist: Kirk Fletcher
Album: My Blues Pathway (Cleopatra Blues)
What was your route into the blues?
“My blues pathway sort of started in my father’s church even before getting into playing blues, and really being a part of the church and soulful music. It was very bluesy in a way, and that’s really the thing that has been consistent throughout my life: blues music in general and soulful music and things that are really moving. And then I got into playing blues. Along the way there were times when I doubted myself and maybe played other styles or got away from blues and everything like that. But all of those things were part of a pathway leading back to the things that I really love, which is blues and the things that excited me about blues in the first place. So that’s really it.
“I had another focus originally because I felt like, ‘Man, I want to record another record,’ and at first I was sort of all over the place. I was like, ‘Okay, well, I’ll just record a bunch of songs that I’ve been writing and then put it together like that.’ But I played at the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, Arkansas, and there was something about that gig that really resonated with me… to just get to the things that I really love. So I kind of scrapped the idea of just recording a bunch of songs and I gained a new focus for the record. At the same time, I was listening to stuff like Robert Cray, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, as well as old records and soul records. So that really played a part in igniting that fire and in me wanting to do a straight blues record.
“My first two or three records were basically me playing guitar with other people singing. Now, after all these years, I came back around to thinking, ‘Okay, well, I’m the singer now and I’m going to write songs and I’ll do covers and I’ll really be able to do a record with my vision more in place,’ I guess.”
What gear did you rely on for the album?
“This record was basically all Stratocaster on everything. I used a couple of different Stratocasters, but the main one I used was sort of like a partscaster that I’ve had since right after high school. It’s funny that I used it on my first record and I’m using it again all this time later [laughs]. Somehow it came back to that guitar and basically I used it on ’most every track.
“The Strat is sort of a home base for me… It’s what I started on. When I came up I was listening to music by people like Jimmie Vaughan, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, and all those guys played Strats. So for this record I just wanted a clean Fender sound. I wanted to try to be a little ‘anti’ where everybody else is going, you know? A lot of times, us modern guitar players will use a lot of pedals or we’ll play humbuckers… but I just wanted to bring back that real clear Fender-y snappy kind of thing, just to be different.
“As far as amps go, I used a ‘blackface’ Deluxe Reverb for ’most everything except for some solos that I did in my friend Josh Smith’s studio, where I used a tweed Bassman and a Morgan PR12, I believe. And throughout the record, I just used the one pedal – a Tube Screamer, basically – and that was pretty much it. I wanted to really try to be retro [laughs] and just play the Strat through the amp, turned up.
“I also used a Leslie cabinet, made by Benson amps out of Portland, on two tracks. I do feel that there is something to a real Leslie – it’s like using a reverb tank. There are some really great reverb pedals… but, man,
“Whatever it takes to get to where you’re trying to go, just do it. Move that mic to the place where you get a sound – don’t get locked into one approach”
you get those tubes and everything in the reverb tank and it has a slightly different thing. It’s the same thing with the Leslie: I felt it had a little bit more dimension to it, more depth to the sound. I really enjoyed that a lot.”
What’s your approach to getting great tones down on tape?
“That’s a very interesting question because on this record I kinda relied more on my friend, the engineer Alan Hertz. But I would say my comfort zone is really, really some type of Tweed amp and a Shure SM57, and you just find a sweet spot. If it sounds a little weird, instead of adding another mic I’d rather just find a sweet spot with one mic.
“I don’t know if it’s psychological. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve done a lot of records like that, where I just stick an SM57 on it and move it around. If it sounds a little tinny I’ll move it further away from the centre of the speaker… or if it’s not cutting like I want, I’ll just slightly move it. You can get so many different variations out of that. Once I find a spot where it sounds pleasing to my ears, I go with it. I’m in my element – maybe move it three inches back and I’m good. I’m happy having things really direct.
“I really like Tweed amps and Voxes and all of those kinds of amps, even a Pro Junior, you know? I like the way those amps record. And although I used a Strat on this record, actually, for a lot of stuff, a Telecaster is a better-recording guitar. Teles sit in the track and they have this presence on the track, but it isn’t too much. And then you get that warm note on the Gibson-style guitars, especially on the high notes, which I really like; I like those kind of thicker tones on the high strings.
“But I don’t know… if I can mic a Strat up with an SM57 and the Strat is turned up, and the engineer knows how to get that and doesn’t get in the way… the Stratocaster is a crazy thing [laughs].”
What’s your best studio recording tip?
“The thing is, there are no rules. Every time I go in the studio, I can maybe have a point from which I start something – but there are no rules. Whatever it takes to get to where you’re trying to go, you should just do it. Just move that mic around to the place where you get a sound and don’t get locked into one approach. I think that’s so important. On a lot of iconic records that we all love, the producer and the musicians were experimenting: like Hendrix, Zeppelin and with all of these different records. I would say definitely experiment and try to keep your mind open, keep your ears open, keep your heart open and try things. And don’t let somebody tell you that’s wrong.”