JIM EARP - GUITARIST

From Guitar News Weekly, Edition #57, September 13, 1999
Interview By Mike Fred

Many of us have not yet heard of fingerstyle guitarist Jim Earp. My bet is, we will be hearing a lot about this San Diego-based artist in the near future. His distinct sound and style are all his own, and his newest release, SMILES TO GO, is sure to muster up a legion of new fans. I was blessed enough to see Jim perform in Salt Lake City, Utah a while back and while I really enjoyed his earlier release, ROSEWOOD, his performance was nothing short of spectacular. His stage presence was strong and Jim reached out and made the show a personal event as he shared funny and thought provoking stories with his audience along with his tasteful guitar playing. Jim has just recently released his second solo effort entitled SMILES TO GO. The CD opens with "HAPPY LAD", and is a typical Earp-style composition. "CLOUDS OVER MOJAVE" is a change of pace with its percussive approach ala Billy McLaughlin. "THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE", in my opinion, is the strongest structurally written song on the CD, and shows Jim's masterful skill as a songwriter. "TWO SISTERS" is my personal favorite with its Celtic/Irish influence running throughout the song. "ONE MORNING IN JUNE" is another very strong tune that employs some great riffs while weaving around between some tasteful chord phrasings. Once again, Jim delivers the goods on his newest release, making SMILES TO GO an absolute must have for any fingerstyle guitar fan.

I was able to catch Jim between playing and talk to him briefly about his early influences and about writing songs. Here is the interview (MF = Mike Fred, JE = Jim)

MF: When did you start playing?

JE: In 1973. I was 17, around my junior year of high school...

MF: What kind of music did you cut your teeth on and who were your early influences?

JE: The Moody Blues, Neil Young & CSNY, Cat Stevens...

MF: Who are your influences these days?

JE: Pierre Bensusan, Billy McLaughlin, Alex Degrassi, Andy Summers...

MF: What kind of guitar do you play?

JE: An acoustic cutaway that I built in Bozo Podunavac's School of Luthiery in 1981...

MF: How did you get into alternate tunings?

JE: Listening to Neil Young. Neil used an open "C" tuning (CGCGCE) on his tune "Don't Let It Bring You Down", from After The Gold Rush. I actually picked the tune up by ear off of a solo bootleg concert of his. Learning that tuning was the eye-opener. When I got into Leo Kottke/John Fahey in the late '70's, my alternate tuning vocabulary expanded considerably...

MF: What is your writing process?

JE: I have to be inspired by some event. Usually, it's a personal, internal type of event that I reflect on. Sometimes it's a news story. I can go months without anything, and then I'll write 2 songs in a few weeks (rare). For the past couple of years now, I've been writing instrumentals exclusively- I don't think that I've written a new song with lyrics in 2 years or more! I've put a few cool poems to music, though. Usually, the lyrics come first with a songwriter piece...

MF: What directs you to a specific tuning for a song?

JE: Laziness. I enjoy playing in DADGAD, which is also my favorite tuning. I will have the guitar in the tuning virtually every time it leaves the case, and so my I will usually start creating a riff in the tuning right away. If I have to take the guitar OUT of DADGAD for a tune, it's a very conscious decision. For example, my most recent tune is a cover of Rev. George Bennard's classic "The Old Rugged Cross". I had been listening to some of El McMeen's Irish guitar music, and El employs the "low-C" tuning almost exclusively these days (CGDGAD). I lowered the two bottom strings down a step from DADGAD and hunted for the melody. It literally fell under my hands in about an hour or so- and I had an arrangement in two days (the arranging is the hard part)...

MF: What makes SMILES TO GO different than ROSEWOOD?

JE: The obvious difference is the Billy McLaughlin influence in Smiles.  I have three tunes on the new CD that employ two-handed tapping. Most folks immediately think of Michael Hedges when they think of the technique- and rightfully so- but it was Billy and not Michael that inspired me to try my hand at it. Also, there is a bit more Celtic flavor in Smiles than Rosewood. Someone told me that they felt that I dug a bit deeper for the songs on Smiles. Maybe so. I do feel, however, that Rosewood is more consistent and overall a bit smoother conceptually. Smiles has more surprises.

MF: How long did you take writing and recording "SMILES TO GO"?

JE: Some of the songs on Smiles were written before Rosewood was even begun. The tapping songs were all written in 1997. The opener, "Happy Lad", was written two recording sessions into the project. Smiles was started in February, and I was done by June. Usually, 2-3 sessions a month.

MF: What is next for Jim Earp?

JE: Heaven...