GUIDED BY VOICINGS
Jane Getter’s singular sense of scales lends mystery to the fusiony Anomalia.
THE GREAT PERSIAN philosopher Rumi once spoke of a metaphorical field beyond notions of right and wrong where the soul would be fulfilled beyond words. If such a place had a soundtrack, it could very well be Anomalia (Cherry Red Records), the imaginative new album by Jane Getter Premonition. Anomalia is a phantasmagoric trip that twists and turns between King Crimson–esque sturm und drang, heavy funk, psychedelic blues, lyrical anti-folk and melodic pop rock. At its center are Getter’s formidable talents as a guitarist, composer and vocalist. Joining her for the ride are keyboardist Adam Holzman, second guitarist Alex Skolnick, bassists Stu Hamm and Mark Egan, and drummers Chad Wackerman and Gene Lane.
What were the challenges of making an album during a global pandemic?
I essentially work with two rhythm sections — the West Coast one of Stu Hamm and Chad Wackerman, and the East Coast one of Mark Egan and Gene Lane. Thankfully we’d finished all the basic tracks with sessions on both coasts just before the pandemic shut everything down. The overdubs and guest appearances by guitarist Vernon Reid and vocalists Chanda Rule and Randy McStine were going to be recorded remotely anyway. The mixing by Junichi Murakawa and mastering by Andy VanDette was also done remotely, so it was fortuitous that we were able to get the live tracks down when we did.
What was your main rig on Anomalia?
I mostly used my Peekamoose guitar that was custom-made by Paul Schwartz. It’s a Strat shape with humbucker pickups that have a coil-split option, a rounded neck and medium-sized frets. I also used a ’71 Fender Telecaster on a few things. I used a ’70s Martin D-28 for all the acoustic parts except for the solo acoustic tune “Safe House.” That was tracked on a mid-’80s Ovation nylonstring I have, although I’m not sure of the model. My main amp is a Fuchs Full House 50, which is where I get my distortion sound. I used a Vox wah and a Diamond Vibrato pedal, but all the reverb and delay came from plug-ins.
The nine tracks on Anomalia are a mix of vocal tunes and instrumental tunes. Do you tend to write the music first and add vocals later?
“MOST OF THE CHORD SHAPES ARE BASED ON ME JUST MESSING AROUND UNTIL I HIT UPON SOMETHING THAT SOUNDS COOL”
I’m a guitar player first and foremost, so the music comes first. As I’m playing around with a riff or a chord progression, I’ll know straight away what kind of melody I hear with it and whether I hear it as a vocal song or an instrumental song. Once I decide what songs I’m going to sing on, I’ll go and come up with the words. I wrote all the lyrics on the album, except “Disappear,” which was adapted from a poem by my friend Beth Muller.
“Alien Refugee,” “Answers” and “Queen of Spies” start with acoustic guitar before blossoming into full-band arrangements. Were they written on acoustic?
Actually, I pretty much wrote everything on electric, then decided certain things would work better on the acoustic as we were putting the arrangements together.
Do you ever use any open tunings?
No, not really. Maybe drop-D on occasion, but open and altered tunings are something I never really explored.
You do seem to employ a lot of unusual chord voicings though, like at the beginning of “Dissembler” for instance.
The beginning is just me and Alex playing similar chords. Then the keyboards come in a little later. Sometimes when I translate guitar chords onto the written keyboard chart, I’ll make them slightly different to create a more layered sound. To be honest though, most of the chord shapes I play are based on me just messing around until I hit upon something that sounds cool. I’m guided more by my ear than by any theoretical formula. I’ll also create my own scales based on note groupings that I think sound good together.
Can you give an example?
Sure. A few years ago, I spent two months in India and a friend showed me a certain raga that I really liked, but I didn’t think I would be able to translate it into the world of Western music. My solution was to take some notes out that didn’t work, then add some I thought would work. Eventually I came up with a six-note scale voiced
b2 b7, 1 - - 3 - 4-5- christened the Chennai scale after the city in India. You can hear it on “Kryptone” starting at around 1:12, when I’m trading lines with Adam in the key of E. This would make the pitches of the scale E,
G#, F, A, B and D.
In regard to the scales I create, I am aware that some may already exist with a different name. I’m still not aware which of my scales exist theoretically elsewhere, but it’s not important to me to find out. What does matter is the process I went through to create them, and there are a lot of ways you can do this. For example, sometimes I’ll take a traditional scale and just add a dissonant note to it; sometimes I’ll take a traditional scale and simply leave notes out to give it a more open sound; and then sometimes I’ll pick two triads and weave their notes together to create a new scale. I actually have a course online at Truefire.com where I go into detail about all the different scales I use and how I create them.
You definitely do your share of shredding on Anomalia, but you also turn the center-stage spotlight over Alex Skolnick and Vernon Reid in places too.
Alex plays rhythm on many tracks. He also takes the main solo toward the end of “Kryptone” and some of the distorted lines in the verse of “Dissembler,” and we trade solos in
“Still Here.” When I perform live, Alex and I will play a lot of layered parts, playing in different octaves and that sort of thing. He’ll sometimes hold down the rhythm when I’m singing. Vernon is a guest soloist on “Dissembler,” and his playing is just so unique. It was a great element to add.
What instrument is playing the initial melody on “Queen of Spies”?
That’s Adam on one of his vintage Moogs. Then the guitar comes in and we play it together.
“Queen of Spies” reminds me a little bit of the middle section of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets,” and “Still Here” seems like it nods to the Mahavishnu Orchestra’s “Meeting of the Spirits” a bit. Were these direct inspirations at all?
These weren’t deliberate nods, but certainly those artists are on my radar, especially John
McLaughlin. I’d say that, on this album, I was also really influenced by Porcupine Tree, Allan Holdsworth and Jeff Beck, among others. The switching from loud riffy sections to softer picking things probably comes from King Crimson, and the more metal riff–type things were inspired by bands like Opeth and Animals as Leaders.
Your influences seem rather wideranging though. “Lessons Learned” is kind of a dark song that has something of a pop hook with bright layered vocal harmonies for the chorus.
That’s actually the single the label is promoting, so I guess they think so too!
How will you work around not being able to go out on the road to support the new album?
Well, until concerts come back fully, we’re all just doing the best we can. I’m going to be hosting some Facebook live events, and I’ve already done a few livestreams. It is pretty surreal playing and not having audience feedback though. Suffice to say, I can’t wait to play in front of a live audience again.
IN ADDITION TO his two-decade run as a member of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Ricky Byrd has played guitar alongside a list of music legends that includes Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Ringo Starr, Alice Cooper, Ian Hunter, Smokey Robinson and Mavis Staples. When asked if he’s got a cool rock-and-roll story, he comes up with a beauty.
“I was playing a benefit at Carnegie Hall with Roger Daltrey,” he begins. “At the soundcheck, I said, ‘Rog, you’re going to swing the mic, right?’ He said, ‘Do you think I should?’ And I go, ‘I’ve been waiting for this moment for 20 years, man. Swing that mic!’
“So we’re doing the show, and during ‘Behind Blue Eyes,’ we get to the middle section and I hear this whizzing sound. I turned and the mic missed my head by two inches. I saw Roger looking at me, and he’s got this big grin on his face.” He laughs. “I’ve got a million of those stories. I’m truly blessed, man.”
Byrd feels blessed for other, more significant reasons. Now celebrating his 33rd year of sobriety, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer (he was inducted with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts in 2015) works as a drug and alcohol counselor, visiting schools and detox centers to perform and lead recovery music groups. Since leaving the Blackhearts in 1991, he’s released a number of solo albums, including 2015’s Clean
Getaway, on which he detailed his journey through sobriety.
His newest solo disc, Sobering Times (Kayos Records), continues that narrative. Joined by ace musicians such as Steve Holley, Liberty DeVitto and Thommy Price, among others, Byrd punches hard on gutsy rockers like “Quittin’ Time (Again)” and “Together,” while he sprinkles some rugged Stones/Faces flavor throughout an inspired cover of Merle Haggard’s country classic “Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down.”
As for the album’s title, Byrd admits that it carries a dual meaning. “We were finishing it right when the pandemic hit,” he says. “I was on the phone with somebody, and I said, ‘These are sobering times.’ And then it hit me: That’s just perfect. The thing about recovery, if you’re lucky enough to find your way through, is that you realize you have no control over it, and if you don’t change, you’re gonna die. The title can definitely relate to what we’ve all been going through for the past year.”
What makes you pick up the guitar these days? Is there some sort of new secret you’re still trying to unlock?
Of course. I’m amazed that I still go, “Wow. I’ve never played that freaking line before.” Each time I pick up a guitar, whether it’s acoustic or electric, it leads me in a different direction, especially when it comes to songwriting. When I was writing this record, I tuned to an open E for a couple of things, and that led me somewhere new. But if I’m just playing, I can get into a meditative state. Or maybe I’ll put on some blues. I’ll play along to an Elmore James record, and I’ll just go into its world. That’s still the greatest feeling.
Of course, I can get that same feeling from watching baseball for four hours. [laughs]
You’ve been solo for a while. Do you ever miss being in band?
Sometimes, sure. A few years ago, I put together a really cool blues band with [bassist] Amy Madden and [drummer] Bobby T. Torello. We played clubs in the city, just for fun. I had my Flying V and a little Fender amp. It was a blast and we kicked some ass.
I don’t miss the whole rigamarole of planning a tour. I don’t think I could go on the road now for months at a time. I’m just not that guy anymore. But yeah, being in a band was a big part of my life for years. When I was with Jett, we toured constantly. And if we weren’t on tour, we were recording new stuff. It was hard work. The older I get, the harder it is to be in that lifestyle. But I’m lucky in that I get called to do cool events with big stars — well, before the pandemic. That kind of thing keeps me on my toes. But as far as having a regular band? Unless you have a giant, successful band, that’s expensive to keep afloat.
After you left the Blackhearts, were you nervous about making the transition from guitar-player guy to frontman?
No, because I’ve always been a singer. Even before the Blackhearts, I used to sing in bands. For me, when I went solo, it was more like, “Okay, who am I as an artist?” At the beginning, I put together these little bands in New York and everything sounded like bad Stones. I was like, “That’s not it yet.” So it took a while, but it was cool.
I got sober and I got myself a publishing deal. I was looking forward to being home while I wrote songs for Sony, and then I got a call from Roger Daltrey to do a record. So I did that. We made Rocks in the Head half here and half at Abbey Road. After that, I got a call from Ian Hunter, and I did a Scandinavian tour with him. There was a long period where I was just trying to see what I sounded like. I didn’t do my own record until 2013, which was Lifer. And at that point, I realized who I was.
The overall sound of Sobering Times is what you’re known for — bluesy, British-inspired guitar rock.
Sure. I’m a product of all the music I listened to as a kid, and I’m not ashamed to nod to my influences. That could be anything from Sweet to the Stones and the Faces. There’s the Who, the Kinks, maybe a little Dylan and Lou Reed. When I make a record, instead of trying to come up with a new rock-and-roll sound, I’m reverting back to myself as a 13-year-old kid listening to music on my headphones. That’s what makes me happy.
Take me into the nuts and bolts of your guitar sound on the record.
It’s funny. When I was in the Blackhearts,
I was a Marshall guy — Marshall half-stacks. Now they’re just too loud for me. My favorite amp these days is a little 15-watt Fender Pro Junior. The thing is so tiny, but it’s got power. I’ve also got a Fender Champ that I love plugging into.
Guitar-wise, I used my ’90s Epiphone Flying V, and there’s my ’75 blue-sparkle Les Paul and my ’73 Les Paul. For 12-string stuff, I played a Denelectro. I have a ’73 Telecaster, but I can honestly say I’m not a Strat guy. If I’m going to use a Fender, it’s a Tele. For acoustics, I used my ’69 Gibson Hummingbird, an ’87 Martin HD-28 and a 1966 National that has the “Gumby” headstock.
Of course, those Marshalls sounded great on “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll.” Do you ever get tired of hearing that song?
Phfft. No! [laughs] Of course not. I walk into a store and I hear that song. It’s like, how blessed am I? That’s what I’ve wanted since I was 13. It doesn’t get cooler than that. Anybody who gets tired of hearing themselves on the radio or wherever, I can’t understand that. Things could be worse.
“THE TITLE CAN DEFINITELY RELATE TO WHAT WE’VE ALL BEEN GOING THROUGH FOR THE PAST YEAR”