JEFF AUG IS THE SORTOF GUYWHO DOESN’TSHRINK FROM
a challenge. For example, last March he set the Guinness
World Record for Most Concerts Performed in
Different Countries in 24 Hours, by playing six shows
in six European countries. “When you release an album,
you’ve got to do a tour to support it if you want the
backing of distributors and retailers,” says Aug. “I had
just come off the road from touring as a member of
[legendary British vocalist] Anne Clark’s band, and I was
preparing to go back out on a different tour in a few
days, so I had to cram in a European tour in one day.
Also, setting the Guinness record was a way of doing
something special that might make the release of my
new album a little more newsworthy.”
The “different tour” that Aug rushed back to prepare
for posed a daunting challenge of another kind—
opening for Allan Holdsworth. Fortunately, Aug had
already kicked off some shows for the iconic jazz-fusion
guitarist the previous year, so at least he
knew what to expect. “Intimidation was the
name of the game during the three-month
period leading up to my first shows with
Allan,” confides Aug. “Holdsworth draws
audiences that are 99-percent guitar players,
most of which are about 120 times better
than I am, so I was practicing pretty ferociously
beforehand. After I played the first
show and no one threw anything at me,
though, I was able to relax a little and give
both the music and myself some space to
breathe. It was a great experience, and I sold
a ton of CDs.”
Even recording his latest solo album was
atypically challenging. All of the songs on
Living Room Sessions [netMusicZone] were
recorded in one pass with no punch-ins or
other edits. “I was planning to record a solo
album at home on MiniDisc, but my friend
Murat Parlak had just bought some great
new recording equipment that he wanted to
try out, so he asked me to record at his studio,”
says Aug. “He was still coming to grips
with the technology, however, and wasn’t
comfortable punching in or compiling tracks,
so it came down to me playing the pieces all
the way through as best I could. I’d typically
spend a week practicing one or two songs
and then we’d record them on the weekends.
We’d record several takes, but almost all of
the ones that made it onto the album were
the first ones, because a lot of times the second,
third, and fourth takes just didn’t have
the same energy and feeling, even though
they might have been played more precisely.
That obviously wasn’t a very efficient way
to work, and it took all summer to complete
the album [laughs].”
Although Aug refers to himself as a
“fingerstyle” guitarist, he takes a more flamboyant
and muscular approach than is usually
associated with the style. “I used to love
records by great fingerstyle players such as
William Ackerman and Alex De Grassi, and
I always admired them and kind of aspired
to be like them,” says Aug. “But I was also
into really heavy bands like Black Sabbath
and Corrosion of Conformity, and I wanted
to have some of that energy, groove, and
drive. The other thing is that when I started
out gigging as a solo acoustic instrumental
player, I was performing at places like Starbucks
and Borders and small clubs, and I
was playing quaint, quiet, new-age-y, pseudoclassical
stuff, because it was nice. Then, I
started adding some heavier riffs, and realized
that I got more applause and sold more
CDs and got better tips when I rocked it out
a bit—just because it demanded more attention.
So that’s what I concentrated on. I still
play one very quiet piece in my set, but for
the most part I love to go out on stage and
rock it.”
Indeed. Aug is big on aggressive pull-offs
and hammer-ons, rapid-fire finger rolls,
thumb thumping, and even a little bout and
top slapping for kick drum effects—though
he avoids the slaphappy bombast typical of
many contemporary players. One thing Aug
doesn’t use is his index finger. “It’s taking a
sabbatical,” he jokes. “When I first started
learning to play fingerstyle, I employed a
hybrid technique where I’d hold the pick
between my thumb and my index finger, but
I found that I often wound up tucking the
pick into my index finger and playing with
my thumb instead, so eventually I just quit
using the pick altogether, and my index finger
no longer had anything to do.”
Aug’s primary acoustic is a limited edition
Lowden 035c SLE Fingerstyle model
with a Fishman under-saddle piezo pickup,
but no onboard volume or tone controls.
“The volume response is exceptionally even
across all of the strings, with a tight bottom
end, so I just plug it directly into a DI box
and the FOH engineers usually don’t even
have to add any EQ. I use D’Addario EXP16
Light coated strings, and the Planet Waves
Circuit Breaker cable with the on/off switch
on the plug.”
Dropped-D is Aug’s most commonly used
tuning, though he switches to alternate tunings
for some songs. “Live, I play a few pieces
in DADGAD, one in DADDAD, and if it is a
really long show I’ll tune down to a C chord,
which is C, G, C, G, C, D [all tunings are low
to high],” he explains. “On the new album,
however, I play a larger percentage of songs
in standard tuning than I have previously.”
Aug mostly plays electric guitar when
working with Anne Clark, and he’s considering
buying an electric baritone and plugging
in with Floating Stone, his currently acoustic
duo with drummer and percussionist Niko
Lai—but he finds all of the gear involved to
be limiting. “That’s one of the reasons why
I really love the acoustic guitar,” he enthuses.
“I can take it anywhere without having to
haul around a big amplifier and lots of effects.
When I’m touring with Allan I bring an
acoustic guitar, a guitar stand, and a cable—
and that’s it!”