Nick Moss Interview

by Brian D. Holland.

Performing alongside the likes of Jimmy Rogers, Jimmy Dawkins and Willie Smith certainly assisted Chicago’s Nick Moss in becoming a genuine Chicago bluesman. However, genuine is genuine, and that level of adeptness doesn’t come easy. Having been fermented and embedded into his soul, the music eventually solidified into an adoring passion that he doesn’t take lightly.

Originally a bass player, Nick switched to guitar at the request of Willie “Big Eyes” Smith. The Muddy Waters drummer realized, when their touring guitarist suddenly departed, that it would be much easier to educate a new bass player than a new guitarist, as Nick was quite adept at both anyway. He’s never looked back since, because in due course the six-string instrument grew to be his natural comfort zone for performing and recording.

Realizing that musicians either have a knack for playing the blues or have not, especially that of the Chicago style, Nick’s aptitude for it has elevated him to the level of authenticity, even within significant Chicago circles. While Jimmy Rogers has listed him as a protégé, Buddy Guy speaks his name with praise, calling him a modern-day torchbearer of the Chicago blues sound. You can hear the passion in his voice as well, as his coarse and unrefined resonance often evokes the sounds of Otis Rush, Elmore James, Little Walter, and other Chicago greats.

Nick realized early on that to be considered a bonafide blues performer, one who could draw a listening audience and be perceived as a recording company asset, was no easy accomplishment. Being turned away from a few record companies prompted him to start his own, known as Blue Bella Records. Realizing his potential as a performer finally paid off, because not only did Nick Moss & the Flip Tops go on to release six successful CDs under the Blue Bella name, but the label eventually took on other successful performers as well, including fellow band member Gerry Hundt, The Kilborn Alley Blues Band, and Bill Lupkin, a couple of which have been nominated for 2008 Blues Foundation awards.

In 2005, Nick Moss and the Flip Tops released their third studio CD, known as Sadie Mae (also the name of the first child to Nick and his wife Kate). The CD put Nick and the band on the map, and displayed to blues lovers everywhere that they were an entity to reckon with, as their blues sound was authentic and exciting. Moss originals making up most of the album’s sixteen songs were evidence enough of his compositional skills as well. The year 2006 saw the release of the vibrant Live at Chan’s (located in Woonsocket, RI), a sizzling display of Nick and the band in the live setting, recorded at one of his favorite haunts outside of the Chicago area. It went over so well that another live recording has been planned at the same venue for the summer of 2008.

The latest release from Nick Moss and the Flip Tops is a double CD set entitled Play It ‘Til Tomorrow. It’s one CD of electric blues and another that leans heavily on acoustic. But, whatever your cup of tea, it’s 29 songs of authentic Chicago blues. The album is Nick Moss on guitar, harp, and vocals; Gerry Hundt on guitar, bass, piano, harp, mandolin, and vocals; Bob Carter on drums (replaced in the band by Eddie Kobek); Willie Oshawny on keyboards, bass, and vocals; and special guest appearances by Eddie Taylor Jr. (guitar) and Barrelhouse Chuck (piano).

Similar to the Paul Butterfield Blues Band in many respects, and that’s no exaggeration, Nick Moss and the Flip Tops are spreading the blues word in an exciting and fervent manner. Nick Moss is something every blues fan should be made aware of.

Below is my recent interview with Nick Moss.

Listen to "Lyin' For Profit" and "Woman Don't Lie" from Play It 'Til Tomorrow

Brian D. Holland: I’ve been keeping an eye on you the past couple of years, Nick. But to be honest, the first thing I heard from you was the Sadie Mae album. I’ve since gone back and taken in some of the preceding material. I also have copies of Live at Chan’s and the new one, Play It ‘Til Tomorrow. When I first got into my copy of Sadie Mae, I kind of expected the same old stuff. But I found the music to be genuine and infectious, and extremely groove oriented, like that of Buddy Guy and Otis Rush. I can listen to it over and over. Congrats on the new one as well [Play It ‘Til Tomorrow]. It’s a wonderful double-CD set. I’m even more into it than I was with Sadie Mae.

Nick Moss: Thank you, man.

Brian: You were originally a bass player.

Nick: Yeah. I was originally a bass player.

Brian: Did you play guitar simultaneously, or did you switch from one to the other?

Nick: It was one of those things where if a guitar was laying around I’d pick it up and try to figure things out. But I was mainly a bass player for a long time. But throughout the years, like I had said, just picking up the guitar and messing around with it here and there, and having my brother around the house, you know, playing guitar. I wouldn’t say it was an easy transition, but it felt kind of natural. It wasn’t something I struggled too hard with.

Brian: Supposedly, Muddy Waters’ drummer, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, had a lot to do with getting you into guitar.

Nick: That was the band I played with when I first switched over to guitar as my main instrument. I played bass with them for about three years, and by that time I was already fairly confident as a semi decent guitar player just from messing around with it. Every now and then the other guitar player and I would switch off. He had to leave for some family problems and Willie told me that since I wanted to play guitar I may as well switch to it, his reasoning being that it would be easier to teach a bass player the right stuff than a guitar player the right stuff. I already knew it, so, that’s how it happened.

Brian: You played second guitar for Jimmy Rogers.

Nick: Yeah. That came a little later on. That was huge.

Brian: Being second guitarist, I would think that entails a lot of rhythm. Did that experience supply you with the knowledge of the blues as you know it today?

Nick: One thing I learned is that there’s really no difference between first and second guitar in the blues. At least, in my experience, I wasn’t really second guitarist, I was another guitarist along with him. And Jimmy wasn’t really a soloist, so I got most of the guitar solos. That’s the most important thing, especially with Chicago blues, is learning how to play together in what they call an ensemble sound. Back in those days I don’t think either Jimmy or Muddy labeled any guitarist as first or second. They didn’t think that way. I’ve told this story before, where I remember asking Jimmy on that very first gig I ever did with him, “What do you want me to play, the top or the bottom?” That’s basically asking whether he wants me to be the first or second guitarist, you know. Jimmy just kind of looked at me like he didn’t know what the hell I was talking about, and said, “Just play what I’m not playing.” [Laughing] That was it in a nutshell. They didn’t think that way. It was basically, fill up the space and make some kind of music with me, you know.

Brian: Some people seem to not get Chicago blues, even some who attempt to play it. What is it they’re not getting, in your opinion?

Nick: Man, I know it’s been said before, but it’s so true that the feel and timing of blues music in general is so different than most modern music, especially with Chicago blues. Muddy Waters said it best when he said “My blues has a lag feel”. There’s a lag time to it. Basically, what he was saying is that it’s a behind the beat feel. But even that’s deceptive, because you can ask a guy to play behind the beat and he’ll drag it. Think of a swing. When a swing is swinging, on its way down it’s on the beat. When it’s at the lowest point of the swing it’s right on the beat, but as it’s going up it loses some momentum. It’s a little behind the beat, but then comes right back down. That’s the only way I can explain it, man. There’s a point to the music that’s slightly behind the beat and a point that’s on the beat. It’s very deceptive, and to do it right is kind of an innate feeling. Either someone gets it or they’ll never get it. It’s just one of those things.

Brian: Your wife, Kate, is very involved in your career.

Nick: Yes. She’s really involved in everything about it. She does all the graphics and cover artwork. She also figures out the marketing and she’s my shipping department.

Brian: You’ve been doing everything yourselves right from the beginning. All of your albums since 2001 have been on your label, Blue Bella Records. How beneficial has it been to do everything yourself, instead of contracting it out to another blues outfit or record company?

Nick: It’s been beneficial first and foremost in getting my name out there. The initial reason to do it myself was because no one else wanted to do it. No one else wanted to take me on. I got passed up by every blues label out there at the time. They all have their reasons for doing things the way they do. I can’t really blame them. It’s just one of those things. Either their plates were already full or I was too young at the time. Perhaps they didn’t think I was well known enough, which was kind of right, too. So, you can’t blame these guys really. They take on acts they think will sell, and a new act is always a gamble. I played with a lot of big names before I put my record out, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that someone else is going to know who I am. It was frustrating for me at the time, knowing that I couldn’t get the attention of these guys. That’s what drove me to do this. I can now look back and kind of understand why I was passed over, but I’m also glad because of it now. There are certain things I like about other labels, and there are certain things I dislike about them.

Brian: It appears to be working out in your favor.

Nick: I’m at the point now where I’m not even looking back. Maybe if Sony records wanted to give me a huge contract like they did for Buddy Guy or something, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon. [Laughing] But for me, I have the ability to make the record the way I want to make it. I get to make it sound the way I want it to sound. I don’t have to argue with anyone or ask anyone’s permission. Some labels don’t have the right people working on the right project. They’ll have a blues-rock guy produce a CD for a traditional blues artist. I don’t get that; it’s kind of a cross over. It won’t capture what that artist is all about, and it makes them sound completely different than the way they sound live. That’s been my complaint with a lot of labels over the years, that they’ll record things completely different than the way a band sounds live. One of the first things I try to go after when I start recording is to get myself to sound the same way I sound live.

Brian: The unacquainted often turn away from the blues thinking it’s sad music. Those familiar with the blues know it to be both happy and sad. I view the latter as the correct picture, because although it’s supposed to express extreme heartache, depression, and sadness at times, going all the way back to its delta beginning, these songs were always like a sanctuary of salvation in their own right, which brings about a sense of happiness as well.

Nick: I think the stereotype that blues is just a sad music is one of the biggest contradictions. In modern day pop music you can’t turn on the radio without hearing these anguished songs by kids talking about how bad their life is. These rock bands and alternative bands are filled with anguish. I listen to that stuff and it depresses the shit out of me way more than the old blues stuff. [Laughing] That’s what really confuses me, people saying that about blues. The greatest songs in the history of music, not just blues, but all music, are about sad subjects. Look at country music. Nine tenths of it is sad. And classical music makes people want to weep. All music has that element to it. It’s just human emotion, and one of the biggest human emotions is someone getting sad or upset. Blues definitely got the short end of the stick on that description, probably because of its name and because of who originally sang it. That stigma should be taken away, forever now. Like you said, sometimes it’s happy and sometimes it’s sad. That’s the beauty in the music and the lyrics of blues music, because it’s such an organic music in the first place. When someone is saying how sad they are, with the music behind it possessing such emotion, that’s why it transfers the way it does, and feels so true.

Brian: People know Chicago blues to be the electrified sound of delta blues, made by delta folks who migrated there back in the early twentieth century. I realize that that description is kind of important, yet very basic as well. Is there much more to it than that?

Nick: Well, there were other things happening as well. Guys came from New York; jazz guys, big bands, and blues. They came from New York, the west coast, Texas, and Oklahoma. These guys all passed through Chicago; and Muddy, Jimmy, and Little Walter were all influenced by all of that just as much as they were by Son House. Little Walter was influenced by Charlie Parker and all the great horn players. He wanted to play his harmonica like the jazz horn players.

Brian: I think that description, of assorted and diverse music all coming together, is an optimistic one. It points to other blues scenes as well, such as here in New England.

Nick: I think the New England blues scene has always been pretty big, at least since the late sixties. You’ve got some of the biggest blues acts today coming out of there.

Brian: Yes, we do.

Nick: Ronnie Earl, Mike Welch, Dave Maxwell, Duke Robillard, Roomful of Blues, Racky Thomas, and Luther “Guitar Jr.” Johnson are out there. Actually, the New England blues scene is way more vibrant than any other blues scene in the country right now.

Brian: Does Chicago still have the kind of excitement in its blues atmosphere that it had a quarter of a century ago?

Nick: Chicago is still a hub for music. A lot of good music still comes through there. But the classic Chicago blues sound isn’t as prevalent as it once was. There’s a lot more funk and R&B influence in the blues now, and in the bands that play in Chicago. It’s what I call a funky shuffle. But everything evolves.

Brian: Many people consider you to be one of the modern day torch bearers of Chicago blues. How do you feel about that?

Nick: It’s an honor to be put in that category. But like I had said, it wasn’t a conscious effort that I was to be the guy who would carry on the tradition of a Chicago blues sound. I’m just a guy who grew up in Chicago. I was taught by these guys from Chicago, so this is what I know how to play. I just play what I know. If I tried to play a funky blues or a funky shuffle, it would come out sounding like Hip Linkchain doing it, you know, or Lefty Dizz doing it. If I tried to play a west coast blues, a west coast jump blues, it would probably come out sounding like Louis Myers, because he was influenced by all those guys, too. In essence, what I’m saying is, I can play all those other styles but it’s still going to sound like a Chicago guy doing it. That’s where I’m from.

Brian: Your latest release, the two CD set called Play It Til Tomorrow, was the idea behind it to purvey a broad variety of the Chicago sound, both electrically and acoustically?

Nick: Yeah. When I make a record, man, I try to fill it up, and I try to give people a good bang for their buck. I think I’ve got only one CD with less than fourteen or fifteen songs on it. That’s the live one. But it’s still like seventy-five minutes long, you know. I think it was a combination of things. I’ve been wanting to do an acoustic record, and my wife Kate has been suggesting it for a while also. Other people have asked me to do it as well. But I had so many other things on the electric side that I wanted to record, too. There are a lot of records that I want to make. I’m trying to line them up in my head and make a schedule. So, I figured, why not do a double album? We’ll do an acoustic one and an electric one and package it together. It was real simple.

Brian: “Mistakes from the Past” is a killer song.

Nick: Thanks, man. It was probably the most uncomfortable song for me to put on a record. I’m not a political writer. I don’t write politically minded tunes. I usually leave that to other people. It’s not that I don’t have my own convictions or beliefs, but everyone is involved in what’s been going on since 2001. Whether you have a kid or a family member serving over there, or whether you’re pumping gas at your local station, everyone is involved. I’m paying $3.69 cents a gallon for fuckin’ diesel in my van. When I bought it four years ago, I was paying a dollar thirty-five a gallon. So that was one of the only politically inspired songs I ever wrote. My process for writing songs, basically, is that I’m a lazy son of a bitch. [Laughing] I’ll pick a date when I’m going to record a CD. I’ll pick it and then I’ll usually procrastinate, and about a week before the date, I’ll say, “Oh, crap. I better write some songs.” So I’ll stay up writing songs, and I’ll usually write about twenty or thirty until realizing I have enough to start this thing. That was the case. I was just writing songs. I do my best at night, when my brain is starting to turn to mush.

Brian: Well, that’s a nice slow blues one.

Nick: Yeah. I write my best stuff at night. I was lying in bed with the TV on mute, and I started remembering a story my brother had told me. It was about a friend of ours whose son went over to Afghanistan in 2001, after the towers fell. I had met the kid before and my brother knew him real well because he was a drummer in his band. He was a real happy go lucky kid, your normal teenaged kid and stuff. He spent about a year or a year and a half over there. When he came home he wasn’t the same person. That happens in war, you know. He just didn’t have the same look or the same attitude in life. His father was telling my brother that he’d come home late at night and catch him watching TV in the dark with the volume off, tears streaming down his face. His dad would ask him what was wrong, and the kid would just say, “Hey, they’re lying to you, Dad. All of the shit on TV is a lie.” That struck me as a terrible thing. This kid had changed.

I’m 38 years old, but it seems like yesterday when I was just 18. It made me sad to think that this kid hasn’t even had a girlfriend yet, hadn’t gone to college yet. You can’t help thinking that now he’s going to go to college and raise a family with all of this terrible shit inside his head. But what happened was, the kid sat at home for a year or whatever and then they called him back up and sent him over to Iraq--after he’d already done a year and a half in Afghanistan. That’s what that song is about ["Mistakes From The Past"]. So, I had a tough time putting that tune on there. But you know what? I don’t think Jr. Wells had a big problem putting “Vietcong Blues” on a record. It’s just what’s going on, a part of our time.

Brian: I’ll have to give the lyrics another listen, but I could get into the song’s groove all day long.

Nick: Well, it’s just a one-chord groove.

Brian: Like a John Lee Hooker groove, it’s hypnotizing. Eddie Taylor Jr. is on that, too.

Nick: Yeah. Eddie Taylor’s on it, too. That’s the song I get the most compliments for when we play live. Many people who have family or friends over there come up to me and ask about the war song, wanting to know what record it’s on. I do it live a lot.

Brian: I really like “Bad Avenue” and “Lyin’ For Profit,” too. They’re done in a Buddy Guy and Otis Rush groove. Though “Bad Avenue” starts like a fast shuffle, it slows down before the verse starts.

Nick: It’s a two-beat, a mojo, or something like that. It’s starts as a two-beat and then goes into a straight shuffle. It developed kind of by accident. We had been doing it live previously, before the recording. It’s a Lefty Dizz tune in the first place. His version was originally a slow blues. You can only do so many slow blues in a night before the audience starts getting bored. And it’s hard to take a slow blues and speed it up, especially one you’ve heard a thousand times before. You feel like you’re fuckin’ up someone else’s work. But for some reason, that tune was something I had always heard in my head as being an up-tempo tune. Lefty Dizz was always an up-beat guy. I could see him doing that one up-tempo kind of humorously. One night I decided to try it as a two-beat, or in a mojo groove, like ‘Got My Mojo Working”. I started the song in the two-beat and then the band came in. We took it around about thirty-eight bars and I just couldn’t get to the microphone to sing it. It just wasn’t feeling right, and I knew I had made a mistake. It wasn’t meant to be up-tempo. So I turned around and yelled at my drummer, saying, “Straight shuffle,” as it approached the turn around. He flawlessly turned it into a straight shuffle. I was going to sing something else, but as soon as we went into the straight shuffle, at that tempo, I thought, “Oh, here it is. I can sing it now.” But every time we’ve done that song with other musicians in the crowd watching, I love to watch their face when we switch from the two-beat into the straight shuffle. I’ve actually seen them say, “That was fuckin’ cool!” [Laughing]

Brian: Do you think traditional electric blues and rock music are separated by only a thin line?

Nick: I think some people have made it a thin line. Obviously, Muddy said it best when he said, “The blues had a baby and they called it rock 'n' roll.” Most modern music comes from a form of blues and jazz. I don’t know, man. I just think that there’s enough out there for everyone, to play in whatever style suits them.

Brian: In my opinion, some blues players have a tendency to sound redundant and bland. What turns me on about great blues players, blues-rockers as well, is that although they may not be doing anything different, they’re at least doing it in an exciting and genuine manner. That’s what I liked about your sound right away, when I first heard Sadie Mae. Your music sounds so genuine.

Nick: I think some guys get stuck emulating a certain era, or a certain type of artist. I’m talking about the modern guys who are recording now. They get stuck trying to emulate the 50s era, or like I said, a certain artist from that era. I try not to pigeonhole myself and stick myself in that corner, because Chicago blues had so many different facets, from the 40 all the way up to the 80s. I listen to Magic Slim, who’s still out there, and he’s still one of my favorites out there, man. There’s just so many places to go with Chicago blues that I don’t want to get stuck. Early on, people called me a retro-blues guitar player. I’ll admit that I’m probably guilty of it. I had my slicked back, greased hair. I played my big boxed guitars into tweed amps. But it got to the point where I didn’t want to be labeled a retro guitarist. I’m not just a guitarist who can play only Muddy Waters and Louis Meyers from the 50s. I’m interested in so many different styles and sounds that came out of Chicago. I’ve got a pretty big well here to dip into when I want to write something.

Brian: I love the guitar sound on the acoustic material on Play It ‘Till Tomorrow, especially on “It’s Written in the Bible.” What are you using there?

Nick: There are two versions of “It’s Written in the Bible.” The first one is like an early Muddy slide, and that’s just an old 50s Stella, a cheap Montgomery Ward Stella or whatever. I used that on most of the acoustic stuff. The second one, which is amplified, I think is my '62 SG Special, with P-90s. It was into one of those new Victoria Regal amps. Those are great amps. I love the way you can pull tubes and swap tubes. I used that for harmonica on the first disc, too.

Brian: You play at Buddy Guy’s club, Legends, a lot. That’s quite a place. Tell me about Buddy Guy and his club presence.

Nick: Whenever he’s not on the road, he’s at his club. He’s pretty hands-on with his bar.

Brian: Does he come out onstage to play with you at times?

Nick: Yeah, if he feels it. I might be in the middle of a song and the soundman will come onstage and start setting up an amp behind me. I’ll think, oh, Buddy must be coming onstage to jam with me. He’s a real quiet guy, but he’s always been real nice to me and my brother. Buddy and my wife actually go back pretty far, because she grew up not too far from where he made his home, outside of Chicago. She first met him at a gas station when she was in her late teens. It’s a funny story. She was pumping gas when Buddy pulled up in his car. Kate was just learning to play guitar, and at the time one of her favorite guitarists was Eric Clapton. Buddy pulled in and started pumping gas, and she looked over at him and said, “Hey, you’re Buddy Guy.” I remember Buddy repeating the story, saying, “If you could’ve seen the look on my face, this little white girl knowing who the hell I was.” It was pretty shocking to him. He said, “Yeah, I am, but how the hell do you know?” She replied, “Because I love Eric Clapton, and he says that you’re the greatest.” He was also one of the first guys to acknowledge me and my brother. For that I give him a lot of credit, and appreciation, too.

Brian: Talk about your band.

Nick: They’re all great guys, and great musicians. I’ve been very fortunate over the years. It’s hard to keep a steady band in this business, especially in blues. You never know what club is going to close and what gigs are going to cancel on you. So, it’s pretty hard. But I’ve been real lucky. My piano player, Willie [Oshawny], and I go back almost twenty years. We’ve been playing together on and off for damn near 17 years, with Jimmy Rogers, The Legendary Blues Band, and with my band. The drummer on the record is actually no longer with me, Bob Carter. But the drummer I got to take his place is a guy I’ve known for ten or twelve years [Eddie Kobek]. I’ve been pretty lucky to have guys that I’ve known, that have the ability to play in the style that I play. Gerry Hundt, man, he was kind of a bonus. He was just a guy that I ran across by accident. I was producing a CD for another friend of mine, back in 2004 maybe, a friend out in Denver. He had hired Gerry to play harmonica. During the break and in between songs, I watch this kid sit down at the piano and start to play it. I thought, a harp player playing piano, that’s good. Next thing you know he sits on the drums and starts playing a shuffle like Fred Below. Then he picks up a guitar and starts playing that before going over to fuck with the bass player’s rig. [Laughing] He’s playing everything, man, and playing them all good. I asked him where he was from, and he said Rockford, Illinois. That’s only forty minutes from where I grew up. He told me that he makes it home for the holidays. So it just so happened that right around the holidays or a little later I had a tour coming up, and my bass player had to split. I asked Gerry to come along and fill in and he’s been with me ever since.

Brian: You have Willie Oshawny on keyboards and Barrelhouse Chuck on piano.

Nick: Barrelhouse Chuck plays piano on that one song on the latest one, on “Got My Mail Today”. He was actually on the Count Your Blessings album, playing piano and keyboards. Even Willie will tell you, Barrelhouse Chuck is probably one of the best Chicago style piano or keyboard players alive today.

Brian: You played with Monster Mike Welch, too, on his Cryin’ Hey CD.

Nick: Yup. And he played on my live one. I love Mike’s playing. I remember him opening for Jimmy Rogers when he was 15 years old, at Lupo’s in Rhode Island. At Lupo’s that night I was like, “Who’s the fuckin’ kid in the cowboy hat?” And then he started playing, and I was like, “Holy shit!” [Laughing] He’s awesome. We didn’t really hit it off right away, but as the years went by we’d run across each other, and we were always friendly to each other. We had an admiration for each other's playing. I’ve always liked his playing and I’ve always liked him as a person. I met his wife and his family.

Brian: He and his wife had a baby not long ago, just like you and yours.

Nick: Yeah. His son is about the same age as my daughter, three or three and a half.

Brian: Congratulations on that, by the way.

Nick: Thank you.

Brian: I’ve heard that you often perform without a setlist. Does the atmosphere and the vibe of the audience dictate what the next song will be, or is it just more or less where you want to go next?

Nick: For the most part it’s more or less where I want to go, but the audience plays a part in that, too. I may want to go somewhere else, but if I come off a song and they’re all jumping about, or if they’re just sitting there like they’re not digging it, then I’ll change my mind as to where I want to go next.

Brian: Let’s talk guitars. What do you use, basically, live and in the studio? I’ve got a list here of some nice things, vintage and newer.

Nick: I’ve just liquidated a lot of that.

Brian: You have a ’66 Gibson ES-345.

Nick: That’s gone.

Brian: A ’68 Fender Jaguar.

Nick: I’ve got the Jaguar still. The 345 went to my motorcycle fund.

Brian: Well, you need one of those, too.

Nick: I bought a Harley, so I had to get rid of a few items.

Brian: A ’62 Gibson SG Special.

Nick: I still have that.

Brian: A ’53 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop.

Nick: I still have that.

Brian: An ’81 Les Paul Custom.

Nick: That’s gone. I wish it wasn’t, but that’s gone, too.

Brian: A ’58 Reissue Les Paul Standard.

Nick: Yeah. That’s the one I play live on the road. It’s actually an Orville from Japan that had a Gibson logo put on it. It was one of the lawsuit models. It’s my stage guitar. RS Guitarworks of Kentucky, they make a lot of electronic and replacement parts for Les Pauls and Stratocasters. They redo the parts nicely, and they make wiring kits and stuff. They also developed these really nice pickups with Lindy Fralin. He and this guy from RS Guitarworks developed this really nice PAF pickup [Patent Applied For – suggestive of the vintage, patent pending Gibson Humbucker]. That’s what’s in my Les Paul, these new RS Guitarworks pickups.

Brian: Very nice. And you put that through a Super Reverb.

Nick: Yeah. It’s a ’66 [Fender] Super Reverb.

Brian: So that’s basically what you use onstage?

Nick: Yeah. My Jaguar and my Les Paul are my two main guitars that come on the road with me. I love the Jaguar, too.

For effects, onstage I use a Crybaby Wah, primarily for the Earl Hooker stuff. I’ve got a Dan Electro Dan-Echo. That thing is pretty cool. I use a Boss tuner, and I have a modified Tubescreamer that I use for certain things. But I never turn the gain on. It’s all the way off. I use it mainly as a boost, like a fat boost. It’s been modified, and they took a lot of the midrange out. But I’m going to try something different because there’s still too much midrange in it. A lot of times, when I play other people’s amps or when I’m overseas playing, it’s pretty much the luck of the draw what you get. But I guess those RC Boosters have treble and bass controls on them, so you can add or decrease the treble or the bass on whatever amp you’re playing thru.

I get bored every couple of years and I want to try something different with guitars and amps. I still love my Super, man, but I try different things. I just put together an amp real quick. I’ve got this old Fender Quad Reverb amp, but it’s so huge I threw it into a 2/12 cabinet. I put new tubes in it. I’ve been playing threw it the last couple of nights and I really like it. But it’s too loud for most places, so I’m going to take it along with my Super, just for when I get bored and want something that sounds a little different.

Brian: Do you find it easy to adjust volumes venue to venue?

Nick: Sometimes I do, but that’s the problem with old tube amps, especially with a Super Reverb. It’s such a fickle amp. It may sound great in one room with seventy-five or a hundred seats, and then you go into another room of the same size and it sounds completely different.

Brian: You obviously like Chan’s [Woonsocket, RI).

Nick: I love Chan’s. I love the way that room sounds. I didn’t think I was going to like it when I first got in there because there’s so much carpeting. I generally like a club that has a lot of wood in it. I know it’s like a soundman’s nightmare, but I love a club with wooden floors and beams. I hate it when they put up a big curtain behind the stage, and carpet all over the stage. It soaks up all that shit, and it drives me nuts.

Brian: Is there anything you’d like to add, Nick, maybe what’s on the horizon?

Nick: Well, I’m continually thinking of new ideas for stuff. I’ve already got an idea for the next CD, and I’m trying to think about how it’ll come together because I’ve got some special guests that I want to get together with for it. I just finished producing a CD for Magic Slim, and hopefully that’ll be out within the next year. It’ll be on Blind Pig. They asked me to produce it, and I was more than happy to do so. He’s one of my biggest idols. I grew up watching Magic Slim, and I love everything he’s ever put out.

Related Links
Nick Moss
Brian D. Holland's review of Play It ‘Til Tomorrow

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