Some players are so stellar that you’d pay good money just to be a fly on the wall in their practice room. Sonny Landreth is certainly a cat of that caliber, and he’s going to do way more than noodle when he hits Yoshi’s in Jack London Square, the premier jazz house and Japanese restaurant in the East Bay, on Monday, November 10.
Landreth has taken the art of slide guitar to unprecedented heights. Sonny is renowned for his bottleneck work with his solo band, and as a foil for John Hiatt, Jimmy Buffett, and zydeco legend Clifton Chenier. Eric Clapton always calls on Landreth to open his Crossroads Guitar Festival.
He keeps a song in his heart and a memorable melody to sing, complimenting his fabulous guitar work. At this point it’s fair to say that his most famous tune, “Congo Square,” has become a contemporary blues standard. And his collaboration with Mark Knopfler, “Blue Tarp Blues,” has more than seven million plays on Spotify.
Sonny was a GP cover artist back in ye ole print days of 2008, and he’s been a GP Presents favorite for two decades. Landreth almost always plays with his electric trio or an acoustic duo with Cindy Cashdollar, so it’s going to be a special treat to see him in a solo setting armed only with his axes and trusty finger glass.
“I started doing solo shows a couple years ago as another avenue to get out there and play,” Landreth says. “I enjoy the improvisational freedom. And it provides the opportunity to perform some intricate instrumental pieces involving more fingerpicking that I don't normally get to do, which frankly are a lot harder and a take lot more time to prepare.
“‘Zydeco Shuffle’ and ‘Next of Kindred Spirit’ have been around forever, there are a few I’ve played for specific occasions, and then I’ve got several others that I’m developing for my next album.”
One might assume that Landreth would lean more on the acoustic guitar in a solo setting, but he says that’s not the plan in this case.
“I had been mixing it up, but I’m probably going to go all electric on this one,” Landreth informs. I’ll have a couple of Strats, and one of them has the Hipshot Trilogy TMB3 tuning bridge (facilitating three different pitches for each string that can be switched on the fly). I flip the levers for open E and A. My black Strat stays in open G other that when I have my tech re-tune it to open D or D minor when I need that.”
Sans a backing band, Landreth’s pedalboard has expanded. He reports using the Boss OC-5 in Poly mode to add a layer beneath the notes he plays on the bottom strings, plus a Keely Octa PSI Transfigurating Fuzz and an MXR Layers pedal to thicken his tone throughout the sonic spectrum on all six strings. A Strymon Cloudburst is his go-to for ambient reverb.
A looper is one common solo show crutch that Landreth is not leaning on, at least not yet.
“I’ve held off to this point,” he says. “Ask me about that again next year, and we’ll see.”
Sonny exudes an easy-going Southern charm in conversation and has a truckload of stories from the road. Fans will have unique chance to experience more of his warm personality in such an intimate setting.
The slide ace always keeps a few new tricks up his sleeve. We can’t wait to see what else he reveals when we get a chance to see him up close and personal at Yoshi’s in Oakland, California on the second Monday in November.
Show your support for Sonny by purchasing advance tickets for this Guitar Player Presents event.
WIN TICKETS!
For a chance to win a pair of tickets to see Sonny Landreth in Oakland, California, on Monday, November 10, send an email and put put “Sonny” in the subject of your email. Include a sentence about yourself and why you want to go. Phone contact greatly appreciated for confirmation.
The winner must provide their own transportation to Yoshi’s in Oakland, California, on Monday, November 10, and have his or her own accommodations in the area.
Best of luck!
EVENT DETAILS
GP Presents Sonny Landreth (Solo)
Monday, November 10, 7:00p.m. doors; 7:30p.m. show
Yoshi’s, Jack London Square, Oakland, California
We'll be handing out free packs of Martin strings.
