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Thursday July 26th, 2001

The evolution of Charlie Sexton

by Lisa Sharken

Regarded as a musical prodigy, Charlie Sexton joined Joe Elys band at age 13. Then at 15, he recorded It Aint Easy, a track with legends Keith Richards and Ron Wood. At 16, Sexton recorded his first album, Pictures For Pleasure [MCA]. Sexton was later recruited as a member of Austins highly revered Arc Angels (from 1992 to 1994), alongside Tommy Shannon, Chris Layton and Doyle Bramhall II. Later in 1994, Sexton formed his own group, the Charlie Sexton Sextet. However, his greatest personal accomplishment was being invited to play with his prime songwriting influence, Bob Dylan.

Combining elements of several styles, including blues, R&B, folk, country, rock, classical and jazz, Sexton has developed a unique style as both a player and songwriter. But most recently, Sexton has focused his attention to studio production, taking the reigns as producer for artists such as Lucinda Williams and Double Trouble, overseeing the recording processes on both releases, as well as adding a few of his own musical tracks.

We got together with Sexton to get the inside scoop on how things began for this virtuoso and find out what makes him tick.

Who were your initial influences as a player?

I grew up in a family that appreciated music. We lived in Austin, Texas and there were a lot of great bands and places to play down there. In particular, there was a place called the Armadillo World Headquarters, which was a big concert hall that had a completely diverse selection of entertainment. For example, on a Friday night they would have Frank Zappa, Saturday night would be Country Joe & The Fish, and on Sunday night they would have the ballet. It was a great place for live music. I also had uncles that played music. They would play at family reunions and that was the first time I remember seeing anyone play music. After that, my first huge influence was Scotty Moore. Thats the guy I really studied as a player. When I was about ten, I had a friend with a wonderful record collection and he had all the original Sun session 45s. Once I got into that stuff, I just locked myself in a room and listened to it over and over.

Did you learn riff from listening to records or did someone show you how to play them?

I picked them out by ear, off the records. Oddly enough, no one would show me anything! I knew Stevie and Jimmy Vaughan when I was growing up-back when they were both playing in dives and no one was there. Once in a while, Stevie would show me a couple of things, but if I played something for Jimmy hed say, No man, that aint how it goes, and then hed show me the right way to play it. At first, the only person who really showed me anything was a bass player who showed me how to play Johnny B. Goode. So I based everything off of that and went from there.

How old were you when you started playing?

I got my first guitar when I was four and I started trying to figure things out when I was nine.

What was your first guitar?

My first guitar was a little gut-string Mexican guitar that my parents brought back for me from Tiajuana. Then I later got an old Kay that I spray painted black because I loved Johnny Cash. When I was a kid, I thought he was the coolest-and I still do. Id put on my black shirt with the guitar and Id try to imitate Johnny Cash. I was really into that sort of thing, so when AC/DC and all of those kinds of bands were happening, I just really wasnt interested in that kind of stuff. I appreciated it more later in life, but back then, I was more interested in the music and styles that have most influenced my band. That came in very handy later on because of the people Ive come in contact with, like Ron Wood, because weve both listened to the same records even though there are 25 or so years difference between us. So as it turned out, it was cool for me to have gotten into the music I listened to and I was fortunate to have had those influences.

Which players most inspire you now?

Its a very mixed bag for me. Im really into Hubert Sumlin, who played with Howlin Wolf. He did some amazing things on his records. One of my favorite newer guitar players is Ali Farka Toure. I think he is just amazing and I listen to him constantly. I also enjoy listening to the Edge of U2. I think hes brilliant. He has his own unique style. I dont think you can really judge everyone on the same scale. I judge players based on what they do and whether its something thats solid and innovative. Some of the other players I love are Kenny Burrell, Barney Kessel and Don Rich from Buck Owens band. Its just a bit of everything for me and its all good.

Who inspires and influences you as a writer?

To me, Bob Dylan is the guy. I believe that there are many people who learn part of their songwriting craft from Bob without even knowing it because he was very monumental in the way he put songs together. He really kind of changed the whole way people go about it. I also love Randy Newman, Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits, who I think is incredibly cool.

Which players do you admire most for their tone?

I think that Albert Collins had amazing tone. I got to see Albert a lot over the years and he was always great and always on fire. Jeff Beck is another player who always gets the best tone. Hes got good guitars, but its all in his hands. Plus, hes just so flippant about it, too. You kind of get the vibe that hed rather be tweaking his carburetor.

How has your interpretation of great guitar tone changed over time?

For me, working in the studio and getting involved in production has really helped me to shape my tone. Ive done so much recording over the last ten years-so much more recording than live playing. Plus, working with Bob Dylan also affected things for me. A lot of the things that Ive learned in the studio about getting tones on guitars or drums or whatever instrument was that you develop the right tones out of necessity. Sometimes you work with someone and theyre not suited to whats in your head. It does happen where you get put together on a session with the wrong guy. Instead of thinking that its a disaster, I realized that youve just got to be flexible to whats needed for the song. As Tom Waits said, working on music and creating songs is sort of like being a doctor. You dont want to lose the patient, so you do whatever it takes to keep him alive. I thought that was a wonderful analogy.

What types of characteristics do you strive for when shaping your guitar tone?

Tones are like colors to me. I immediately know what I want to hear and whether I have the right or wrong guitar on the song. Im a total ear player and if the sound is not right, its almost painful. I like a full sound and the low end is a very important element to me. As far as fine tuning the actual tones of the instrument, I think its all about where you strike the guitar. You can find any tonal character between the two pickups, where you pluck the strings, so its really about manipulating the sound with your hands. Jeff Beck is a great example of a guy who can do that. Its more about right-hand (picking hand) technique and the way you attack the strings. Over the years, Ive gotten more into playing acoustic guitar and I think that has greatly helped improve the electric side of my playing as well. On acoustic, youve got to work a little harder at your technique to achieve the right tones and that really helps to sharpen your playing skills on electric.

How do different tunings affect your writing style? Do specific guitars generate certain types of songs?

Years ago, I really got into the open tunings. The interesting thing about it is that sometimes with those open tunings, you get more piano-type voices, where less things ring and the tones just drone. Sometimes an open tuning can take a progression that would sound very average in normal tuning and makes it come alive. Additionally, I think that tunings can also bring out the life in a particular guitar. One of my favorite guitars that I own is a 1943 Gibson LG-2 that I found in a pawn shop. I discovered that its sweet spot is when you string it up high and set it up in Nashville tuning, which is basically like using only the octave strings from a 12-string. I had it strung normally for years and then, by coincidence, I tried it high-strung and its never gone back to standard tuning. The guitar just came alive when I set it up that way. Its got all these wonderful wolf tones that come out.

Tell us about some of your other favorite guitars.

Ive got this very inexpensive Epiphone Casino. It was a Korean model that I got for about $350. Ive never had any prejudice about a guitar or where it was made. If it sounds good and reacts right to what Im trying to get it to do, then I dont care what it is. I love that Epiphone and I use it a lot. Ive always played Stratocasters and have some of them, too. As far as acoustic guitars go, Im pretty much a strict Gibson acoustic player. I use the LG-2 for that high-strung stuff and I love my Gibson SJ-200 Reissue for the big, thick sound it produces. You get such a big bass tone from that one, so Ill gravitate towards that guitar frequently. I recently got a Gibson J-45 reissue thats just great and Im using that one a lot, too. I also have a parlor guitar from 1890 that was made by Washburn, but that guitar stays at home because its so old and the top is really thin. I took it on a few gigs in the past, but the top immediately started getting thinner from being played, so it rarely gets used.

What do you use in your live rig?

Most recently, what I used for the acoustic stuff was a J-200 with a Fishman pickup, which is just great. Its really the most natural-sounding acoustic pickup Ive heard. I never want to plug in an acoustic guitar if I dont have to, but obviously, in a live setting, you do have to. I also have an old Regal Dobro that I use in more of a textural way, but I dont really play much slide on it. I usually run the acoustic guitars direct to the board, but sometimes I also run through an amp so I can do some layering and loop stuff. It really depends on what the gig that Im doing requires. But as far as the amps go, I discovered Vox AC50s a few years back and I just love the way that they sound. So the Vox amps are what I use live, when I play through amps.

Which effects are you running in your stage rig?

I have a TC 2290 delay, which is for my high-end delay sound. I also use some old Korg SDD-2000 delays, which have sort of a cool, low-tech sound and the Akai Head Rush for the tape echo sounds. Some of the other stuff I use is an old Electro-Harmonix Hot Tubes and the Boomerang, which is a sampler and loop box, on certain things.

Do you have preferences for using newer or older gear in live performances and recording sessions?

Usually, in the amp department, I use older things. I have a bunch of tweed 50s Fender amps that work out well for me, depending on whats going on. I also have a few great old Gibson amps from the 50s and 60s. I have tweed Falcon, a later model Falcon and an early GA-6. Theyre just really cool amps and all kinds of stuff sounds good through them. Ive actually put drums through one of the Falcon amps and I had a friend play bass through another one. I prefer the older Vox amps as well, but as far as that stuff goes, youve really got to pick the right ones so theyll be a little more reliable for touring.

How are your guitars set up?

Early on, I used heavier strings, but I had to go to a lighter gauge after I had a motorcycle accident. The strings I used to use were at least .011s. Now I use a set which has a .010 on the top and a .052 on the bottom. On acoustics, I also had to go down a bit on gauge. Now I use .012s. I also shortened my guitar strap a bit and brought up the guitar to help with my hand position, since I couldnt move my wrist after the accident.

What do you put on when you put on music for enjoyment? What would we find in your CD player right now?

Theres always a lot of reggae in there-particularly old-school reggae and the dub stuff. I also really love Indian music and a lot of Eastern music, as well as orchestral string stuff.

Who are some of the new artists you listen to?

When Ron Sexsmith came out, I just loved him and thought he was a really cool writer. And Rufus Wainwright, too. I tend to gravitate towards people like that. I think the way he writes is kind of interesting and hes got a real distinctive type of voice. The Mississippi All-Star guys are cool, too. Im always reluctant with this modern blues thing because its always been a hard bag for me to accept. It could be that Im just a little bit spoiled, being from Texas and having gone to see Stevie Ray Vaughan and guys like that every week.

Are you impressed by any of the younger blues guitar players like Jonny Lang or Kenny Wayne Shepherd?

Out of all those guys, I think Jonny is the guy. Kenny is a very good player and a real sweet guy too, but theres something going on with Jonny and what hes doing. Hes got an amazing voice and he really tries to do his own thing on the guitar, which I admire.

Have you heard Derek Trucks?

Ive had limited exposure to his playing. I saw him play with the Allman Bros. on tv. Ive never really been a fan of the Southern Rock genre, in general. I can appreciate what they do, but its just not my thing. I did a tour a year or so ago with Phil Lesh and Derek came out to play on part of the tour with Phils band. Given that the context of the material was pretty diverse, it really set him in a light, where he was doing some very interesting things. It was much different from what he did when he played with the Allmans. So I gained a lot of respect for him after seeing him in that context. Hes a really tasteful player and he gets a lot of tone out of an SG. Most people who have that kind of guitars just kind of get the boxing gloves on and go for one thing. But Derek really works it. Its like what I was talking about earlier in terms of tone-its all about how you strike the guitar and hes got a lot of his tone in his hands.

What advice would you give to other players on developing their own sound and style?

Dont be like Charlie! Learn all the chords. I can play them, but I dont know what all their names are. Do as many things as you can to gather as many sources for references as you can accumulate. Challenge yourself and try to go for stuff that is not the typical thing. For me, most of my influence doesnt come from studying guitar players and a lot of the things I try to do push the envelope of what most people think the guitar is supposed to sound like-almost to the point where its hard for me to play something thats typical and straight ahead. Of course, I can do it, but thats not what Im going for in what I want to accomplish as a musician.

What tips would you give to others on becoming better songwriters?

Just keep writing! The amount of songs that you have to go through to get the real ones.... And Tom Wait was right-dont lose the patient! The other thing that he said is that some songs may be sick. You might not even know what kind of disease theyve got, but you have to cure them. Its kind of like operating. You have to work on it until you figure things out. It might take a while to get it right, but you just have to keep working at it.

Just a click away. . . Gibson acoustics Gibson J-45 Gibson SJ-200 Reissue Bob Dylan Bob Dylan tour dates Love and Theft

What are your plans for the future? Are you working on any new projects?

I had two records come out this year that I produced. One was the Double Trouble record that had Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jonny Lang, Dr. John, Susan Tedeschi and Jimmy Vaughan. Doyle Bramhall, Chris Leighton, Tommy Shannon and I did a song together. What we did was sort of like the closest thing to the Arc Angels, except Im playing Hammond B3 and piano. Doyle does some amazing things on that one as well. And Lucinda Williams record just came out, which I also played on. Shes a rocking songwriter. On this record, she really went to a whole new place and I think she really grew a lot musically.

Production is a really natural thing for me. I think Im more comfortable in the studio than I am just playing in my house. So Im moving more towards working on the production side of things, rather than focusing on being a live player. Ive realized that for the amount of recordings Id have to do that would make me feel the best and put me in the best spot as a musician, I could never achieve that goal just by making my own records. I think thats mostly because Im not as prolific a writer as some of the people Ive worked with and songs take a lot longer for me to complete because Im very hard on my own work. Ive had the opportunity to work with people who are so incredibly talented and thats really raised the bar for everything that I do on my own.

Lisa Sharken is a New York City freelance writer. Her music features regularly appear in popular guitar and music media.

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