David Lindley Interview

By Joerg Kliewe.

Guitarist David Lindley is a pioneer of international music who led one of the first world music rock groups during the '60s called Kaleidoscope. He would later work with singer-songwriter Jackson Browne starting in 1971 and his staggering solos can be heard ripping through such hits as Jackson's classic "Running on Empty”.

Whether playing switchbacks on his lap steels, hot rodding through six-string riffs, or grooving on his collection of Middle Eastern stringed axes, David's extraordinary cauldron of musical talent captivates musicians and fans around the globe.

David Lindley’s show at the Alladin Theater in Portland, Oregon, was the perfect spot to get out of a cold winter rain. Stepping inside the theater, I caught Lindley's sound check while he tweaked his gear to fit the old vaudeville house's acoustics. I was caught by surprise and stopped in my tracks when he unleashed an exquisite rendition of the late Warren Zevon’s “The Indifference of Heaven”.

A short while later, I found myself sitting across from David as he answered questions between sips of hot coffee and talked about his amazing instrument collection, songwriting, and the world of independent music production.

Although, we now know Lindley as a gifted multi-instrumentalist and for his classic licks on some of the best music produced during the past 40 years, he began his music journey as a banjo player. As a teen he was a five time winner of California’s Topanga Banjo - Fiddle Contest.

A musician’s musician, David can be found ripping it up on tracks with such formidable talents as Ry Cooder, Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, Terry Reid, Rory Block, James Taylor, David Blue, Linda Ronstadt, Crosby and Nash, Iggy Pop, Little Feat, Linda Thompson, Warren Zevon, and a long impressive list of fellow artists.

Lindley’s eccentric spirit has led him to classic Danelectros, Tiesco Del Reys, Kays, Nationals, as well as a grouping of exotic instruments with names like oud (Middle Eastern), bouzouki (Greek) and saz (Turkish).

After releasing his solo album El Rayo-X, he formed a band of the same name with Bernie Larsen (guitar), Jorge Calderon (bass), Ian Wallace (drums), and Ras “Baboo” (percussion), who interwove traditional American roots music, world beat, and reggae.

In 1991, Lindley landed in Antanarivo, Madagascar, with avant-garde guitarist and innovator Henry Kaiser that resulted in a durable collaboration based on a series of field recordings. The visit to the island nation yielded six albums of Malagasy music, including an award winning two-volume set A World Out of Time. Later, the two would head to Norway where they pulled together two more CDs, Sweet Sunny North (Vol. 1 and 2).

When Lindley stepped out on stage at the Alladin the audience was rewarded with the flash of his very “Mr Dave” outfit that included a flamboyantly hep ‘70s shirt, a pair of funky polyester pants, and “soft like buttah” blue alligator shoes. His set roamed the earth with tunes from all over the planet that began with a short warm up on his bouzouki. He later switched to a Weissenborn guitar to deliver Zevon’s “Seminole Bingo”. The sound he conjured was as wide as a semi-trailer with a thick bass chop that had us thinking that there were two players on stage.

He ventured into performing highlights from his three Twango Bango albums mixed with traditional tunes on the oud and later on some songs he recorded during the ‘90s with Jordanian percussionist Hani Nasser.

Lindley’s Alladin show was a retrospective of over 40 years of playing by one of America’s finest players of stringed instruments. The honesty of his performance and his quirky humor illustrate that he is, indeed, a giant in American music and entertainment.

It's good to see you back on the West Coast. The last time we met you were performing with Wally (Ingram) in Cologne, Germany, during an extensive European tour.

David Lindley: Yeah, the last German tour has already been a while ago. Anyway, we had serious problems with the promoter during that tour and didn't go back since. But yes, I have many friends abroad and I would love to play in Europe again.

Are the current dates that you've played the start of another world tour?

DL: No, no, no, the U.S. dates will, however, continue until the summer and even into the summer. In between I will finish the new album.

What will be on it? More covers or your own songs?

DL: Ha ha, nice try! I'll only say this much, everyone will love it! I just finished the basic recordings and I'll take those to Jackson's [Browne] studio for the final production.

Is Jackson a part of the project too?

DL: We’re using his studio only, which includes absolutely the best gear you could imagine. I think lending me his studio for free is being involved.

Did you record using microphones or amplify the instruments first?

DL: No, by microphone. We were using ProTools and I was catching the signal by four mics on four tracks at the same time to give it more room and depth. The sound will blow you away!

Your concert program is a well balanced set of your own songs and tunes written by other great artists, like Warren Zevon and J. J. Cale, and they blend together just fine. Where and how do you find these songs or do they find you?

DL: Warren's stuff is great music that I just love and have to play, man. Anyway, I get songs from all over. Often my daughter finds me tunes and if If I don't find the kind of song I'm looking for I write them myself. It's actually pretty easy.

You seem to hold close control over the management side of things. Isn't it still quite difficult to produce and market your music independently in the US?

DL: Yeah, no record company involved other than myself! Actually it isn't difficult and marketing my music by myself works pretty well for me. I sell my records directly, especially to smaller stores, more the mom and pop kind of stores. And I even sell them in Canada, Europe and Japan .

Not only are you a multi-instrumentalist but you are also known for your huge collection of guitars and stringed instruments. Add any new treasures to your collection recently?

DL: I became totally devoted to my ouds and I can't get enough of them! I already keep thinking of what I'm going to buy to reward myself [for touring] when I get back home. Hmmm, maybe another oud?

During a visit to Turkey I noticed that the oud players were pretty obsessed by their instruments.

DL: I really love these instruments. Maybe because they are so challenging. They are tuned in quarts [fourths] and the traditional music that has been conserved is written for them and includes a special phrase for almost every note. Oud players like Necati Celik Üsta from Turkey started playing when they were kids. These players achieve their title of "Master of The Oud“ from many years of hard practice and play.

You play John Lee Hooker kind of riffs on the oud.

DL: You can play everything on an oud! Isn't that great? I remember when I received my flat back oud made by Viken Najarian, I plugged it into an amplifier, turned the volume to 10, what is sometimes a good thing to do, and it sounded like [pauses] crap. So, I called Ry Cooder who I knew was working at a studio downtown. I played it to him over the telephone. Ry asked, "Shit. What is this thing? You better get down here with it right away!"

When I got there Ry checked it out and said, "Hmmm, whatever it is, it sounds really good. Can I borrow it for a while?” After a couple of weeks I called him and said: "Ry, I want my oud back.”

You see, this is what these instruments do to you!

What other instruments are you going to play during the concert?

DL: I brought two Weissenborn guitars made by Paddy Burgin in New Zealand, which are mind blowing! The quality is just incredible. I’m also going to play an oud made by Dimitris Rapakousios and, of course, I brought my Guild 12-string. Guild actually had it measured recently because they didn’’t have records on these instruments any more.

Your website shows a respectable part of your collection. And you also own quite a few vintage instruments. How do you feel about the current market situation when it comes to vintage guitars?

DL: Look what the '60s Strats are selling for these days, $30,000 and over! It's unbelievable! Actually, I have a '60s Strat and the pickups had even gotten rewound by Doc Kaufmann. I don’t think I’m gonna sell that one!

Do you know exactly how many instruments you currently own?

DL: I will not tell! They are so many by now that I have to keep them safe at different locations.

Related Links
David Lindley
Paddy Burgin Guitars
Dimitris Rapakousios

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