Marc Ford – Guitars and Most of the Bits Called The Solo
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Story and interview by Brian Williams
Three minutes and one second. That is precisely how long it took the world to meet Marc Ford. In 1992 The Black Crowes released their sophomore effort "The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion” and for a couple minutes there, it sounded as if they were headed in largely the same direction as their debut album “Shake Your Moneymaker.” But three minutes and one second into the opening track “Sting Me”, it became blatantly apparent that the Crowes had a new secret weapon, and this album was not going to be the same. The secret weapon of course, was guitarist Marc Ford. You see, at that precise moment in the song, somebody pushed a fader on the mixing console and decided Marc needed to be heard. And with that boost in volume, Marc unleashed a fury of overdriven notes that served as a profound statement to the world that no, rock n’ roll is most certainly not dead. Oh, it may have been vacationing at Coconut Teaszer, CBGB and other infamous nightspots around the country, but it never really went away. So what if a bunch of spoiled, angry, flannel clad Seattlers owned the airwaves? What they were playing was not rock n’ roll. At least it didn’t feel like rock n’ roll. But this, ladies and gentlemen, this big, glorious noise was rock n’ roll. Dim basement, lava lamp, incense burning rock n’ roll. And such was Marc Ford’s true introduction to notoriety. Marc describes the making of the Southern Harmony album: “I remember going and rehearsing a couple days in a garage, and then…cutting tracks and we were done a few days later…and then it was time to go on tour, and it kind of ended seven years later!” Ah, yes, it was a crash and burn rock n’ roll ending, but thankfully Marc lived to tell the tale. But first let’s rewind a few years…
Marc Ford is a dyed in the wool Californian, a somewhat surprising fact to many of his fans who just assumed he was from Georgia along with his former Crowe bandmates. In fact it was at a Southern California flea market on an antique hunt with his grandmother where Marc saw on old man playing guitar for the first time. Recalling the experience Marc said “I’d never really seen anybody that happy and joyful, and something just told me, ‘I want that!’”; quite a profundity for a ten year old kid. Lured by vinyl records of Peter Frampton and Hendrix, Marc fell headlong into a love affair with the guitar and as he said in his own words, “never set it down.” Fortunately for the rest of us, Southern California just so happened to be a pretty hip place for a fledgling guitarist to cut his teeth in the 80’s. Indeed, Marc Ford was there for the birth of Guns N Roses, Rage Against the Machine and Jane’s Addiction, even remembering Dave Navarro as “a Valley kid…with a perm, who knew some Led Zeppelin riffs”. But it was with the group Burning Tree that Marc would find his introduction to fame. Ford cut his teeth with that band, all the while learning how to drink and tour the country rockstar style, while simultaneously dealing with “a lot of young man insecurities” within the group. And fame largely eluded them. But as fate would have it, a young Chris Robinson was introduced to the Burning Tree album and the rest as they say, is history.
He refers to the Black Crowes in the third person. Throughout our talk, Marc recalled his days with the band that redefined rock in the 90’s with both fondness and perhaps a little bit of melancholy, but he never fails to speak of the group as “them” or “they.” It was probably a subconscious response on his part, but it’s revealing nonetheless that he would not refer to the group as “we” or “us.” But then again, why should he? Marc Ford is not defined solely by his days with that group, nor does he have to be. Since Ford and the Crowes parted ways in the 90’s Marc has kept himself busy as a solo artist, a player, a writer, and a producer. He’s worked with names like Ben Harper, George Harrison, Ryan Bingham, and most recently Marc’s newest project the Neptune Blues Club. And because his days with (and departure from) the Brothers Robinson have been documented ad nauseum, we decided to basically spare Marc the agony of rehashing it yet again. Instead, we wanted to get inside the guy’s head and find out what makes him tick. And we were not disappointed. Turns out Marc Ford is made up of the exact stuff we had hoped: passion, spirituality and a pure zeal for all things music. In the interview, Marc keenly defends Neil Young (“No one I know has gotten Neil Young right away”), roasts the current state of recording industry, tells tragic tales of musicians who inspired us all, and comes to terms with his own legacy. Of this latter topic Ford says, “there’s an overall sound…that I can bring to a band. That’s what these bands don’t have anymore now that I’m not there.” And it’s important to know that this was not some arrogant boast, but rather a recent revelation in which Marc discovered what everybody else already knew: his sound is both powerful and unique.
As part of running a music related website, we are afforded the unique opportunity to talk with all kinds of fascinating people on a regular basis. But occasionally we get the rare pleasure of speaking with someone who truly inspires us. Such is the case with this month’s feature story on guitarist Marc Ford. Please enjoy this offering and let us know your thoughts. We’d love to hear from you, our faithful readers. Virtual Woodshed: So you grew up in Southern California in the 70’s and early 80’s which was probably a pretty interesting time and place to be growing up. What was your earliest musical memory from that period? Marc Ford: Oh gosh… it was probably that my grandmother had a player piano, one of those old deals where you pump the pedals. Virtual Woodshed: So you grew up with music around the house? Marc Ford: Well, not really. They bought it because my mom wanted to take piano lessons as a kid, so they bought that cause they thought it would still be usable if she didn’t keep it up! [laughs] So there were these old rolls of music and I’d put ‘em on and play ‘em and watch the thing go around. It was intriguing you know? And I found out later that there were some relatives who could play. Virtual Woodshed: So this was stuff out of the Great American Songbook, Gershwin and stuff like that? Marc Ford: Yeah! Yep. The classics. Virtual Woodshed: Well that’s certainly cool stuff to be exposed to from the very get go. When did you first get into guitar? Marc Ford: I think I was about ten years old. My grandmother was an antique collector and I’d go to the swap meets with her. And one time I just saw this old dude playing a guitar and having the time of his life. I’d never really seen anybody that happy and joyful, and something just told me “I want that!”. Virtual Woodshed: Wow. Marc Ford: So after following my grandmother around all day, she broke with the eight bucks or whatever it was to buy me a guitar [at the swap meet], and I never set it down. Virtual Woodshed: Wow. What was it? Do you remember? Marc Ford: I don’t know. It was some cheap acoustic thing where the neck was so bent up, you couldn’t really it play it past the third fret, everything was about the same after that! [laughs] Virtual Woodshed: That sounds a lot like my first guitar! [laughs] So then, what was your earliest influence that made you say “I really want to learn how to play this thing” and how did that evolve into rock n roll? Marc Ford: Oh, [pauses…] I don’t really know, to be honest with you. The first record that I got, and I have no idea why I wanted it, but I got my mom to buy me [Elton John’s] “Yellow Brick Road.” I think I just dug the cover or something. But I would spend hours upon hours listening to that record, which now that I look back was kind of a weighty record for a ten year old. Virtual Woodshed: Oh yeah! That’s heavy stuff for any age. Marc Ford: Yeah, but it got me going. Actually, I thought Dee Murray the bass player was cool looking. For some reason I just loved him, maybe it was the bass! And “Frampton Comes Alive” was huge at the time. And then I got into middle school, started hearing Aerosmith and it sort of escalated from there. And then somebody hit me with [Hendrix’s] “Band of Gypsys” and it was all over. Virtual Woodshed: [Laughs] Yeah, I think we’ve all been through that record once or twice! Talk about your formidable years in L.A., and your association with [legendary L.A. guitarist] Craig Ross, and really what the scene was like there at the time. Marc Ford: Well, alright, it was kind of the end of the punk scene. There was a lot of punk rock bands down in the suburbs back then. And, I played a lot of parties and clubs in the suburbs, and the natural progression was to get up to Hollywood to play. So, I think it was really early, probably my first couple times playing in Hollywood that I met Craig cause we had played the same club the same night. We started seeing each other around and we were the same age, but he was from the other side of Hollywood. And it was like, “Wow, I either need to kill this guy or become friends with him!” [laughs] It was like a showdown in the old west kind of deal. Cause it was kind of bleak. I mean, you had the punk rock thing going on, and the heavy metal scene hadn’t really taken off yet. There was always metal, but the hair bands like Motley Crue and stuff, that whole thing hadn’t really started yet. Virtual Woodshed: So this was like what? ’82 or something? Marc Ford: Yeah, probably. Cause I was playing before I was driving. But, I wasn’t too savvy with what was going on. You know, it was like, “oh, there’s a gig? Cool!” I probably had a better grip on it when [the heavy metal] scene was starting. Because if you weren’t of this sort of MTV thing, nobody wanted you. And so we all kind of ended up at Coconut Teaszer. And anyone who wanted to play more traditional rock n roll music kind of ended up there. In fact, a lot of people came out of that place. It was just that we got in there so early, we became the resident band there and we were one of the first bands signed out of there. Virtual Woodshed: You’re talking about Burning Tree I guess? Marc Ford: Yeah Virtual Woodshed: So you guys found a little shelter of honest rock n’ roll in the middle of the hair band scene, huh? Marc Ford: Yeah really! It was pretty much that cut and dry. There was only a handful of clubs around that you could play. It was either the Lingerie which was really stuffy and showcase oriented and… You know, there’s this thing I realized once I started leaving California and it’s that there are actually communities where people actually jam together and play. Bands mix together! But in California, you know, it was like every gig was like your one and only chance to ever make it in your life! Cause every gig was a showcase, and you’re asking “who’s in the audience?” And you only played once a month at the very most, so it was this big build up for this thirty minute explosion. It was so intense. Virtual Woodshed: That’s a lot of pressure. Marc Ford: Yeah it was, but that’s all I knew. Virtual Woodshed: Well, it’s probably good to cut your teeth in a scene like that right? I would think it would get you hip to playing under pressure. Marc Ford: Yeah. Or it makes you learn how to get real drunk before you do it. So, it was what it was. I guess in any situation, the best [players] will end up showing themselves. Not to say that I was necessarily the best. It could be, maybe somebody who’s different enough from the rest. I mean, there’s always going to be people that play better than I do. It takes a lot of sacrifice to try to make a living at it.
Virtual Woodshed: So you were always concerned about which A&R rep was in the crowd and which record exec and so forth? Marc Ford: Yeah, and you knew that even if they weren’t there then, that somebody who knew somebody was. And any night could be the one. Of course we were all arrogant enough to think that we were the ones. It was a lot of self imposed pressure. But the reality was this is Hollywood, and this is where the industry is. Virtual Woodshed: Right. So were you rubbing elbows with Slash and Mick Mars and those guys around that time? Marc Ford: Yeah. When Guns N Roses came around it happened really fast. I didn’t really know the guys until the band came together and started playing. I knew the L.A. Guns guys more. I knew Robert Stoddard who was in the original band. And they came around the Coconut Teaszer and stuff, but these Guns N Roses guys, it seemed like all of a sudden they were there. I think there were like four gigs, and I was at every single one of them. They were amazing. They were good enough to make me wake up and say “what’s going on?” I gotta check myself and make sure I’m doing right! And once we got signed and went on tour, I was out of the loop. There were a lot of bands that came out of the Teaszer. Tom Morello was playing, we played a lot of the same nights together, and he signed quickly after I split. Virtual Woodshed: Really?! Was he doing all that crazy stuff back then? All that weird technique he went on to do with Rage? Marc Ford: Umm, he was definitely on to something different. He kind of approached the guitar a lot different than the way I did. He came from a different kind of place, but he wasn’t doing it to the extent that he did later. I remember when Rage Against the Machine started playing at the Coconut Teaszer. Virtual Woodshed: Wow. I didn’t realize they went that far back. Marc Ford: Yep. And Janes Addiction. There were a lot of bands. Virtual Woodshed: That’s funny because I don’t usually think about Jane’s Addiction and Guns N Roses in the same cohesive thought. Marc Ford: [laughs] Right! Virtual Woodshed: Janes Addiction seems like such an outlier to me, but I guess they were all wrapped up in that same scene, huh? Marc Ford: Yeah, cause they were rock enough to be in there with us. But I think they were definitely set apart. They were more on the tail end of the Bauhaus thing. Because of Perry [Ferrell] there was more of that theatrical, alternative trip to it. But then, Dave [Navarro] was wearing Puka shells and had a perm and OP surfer shirts at the time. He was like some Valley kid who knew some Led Zeppelin riffs. Virtual Woodshed: Wow. That’s funny. I’m sure he’ll be pleased to read that comment! Marc Ford: [Laughs] Yeah! Virtual Woodshed: Maybe we’ll leave that one out! [Laughs]. Marc Ford: Nah, Dave’s a big boy, he can handle it. Virtual Woodshed: So how long was Burning Tree on the road? Marc Ford: Oh, it probably felt a hell of a lot longer than it really was. I dunno, maybe in all a year and a half or so? Virtual Woodshed: Oh, so that was like your own personal “Cream” trip? Marc Ford: Yeah, really! It was pretty volatile. We all thought we were the stars and we had very opinionated ways of going about it. And there was a lot of drugs and lot of young man insecurities and you know, a lot of crazy shit. Virtual Woodshed: So you were what like 20, 21? Marc Ford: Yeah, yeah. 21, 22, something like that. Virtual Woodshed: Old enough to drink but not old enough to know what’s going on! Marc Ford: [Laughs] Old enough to drink but not old enough to know why! Virtual Woodshed: OK. So fast forward a few months and how does an L.A. guy like you wind up with a bunch of Georgia hippies playing in the Black Crowes? Marc Ford: Well, “Burning Tree” and [Crowe’s first album] “Shake Your Money Maker” came out at about the same time. And I think Chris [Robinson] got turned onto us by an English journalist, so he checked out [our record]. So when they came through town, err…to be honest with you I don’t remember exactly how it happened but we hooked up because of that. Virtual Woodshed: Right. Marc Ford: I had gotten an advance copy of their record from a friend who worked at a record shop, so we just found each other. It wasn’t too tough then, cause there weren’t many bands doing it, or anything like it. It was like the same thing as Craig and I, you know, we either have to eliminate one another or we have to bond together and help one another out. Virtual Woodshed: It’s funny you say that not many bands were doing that, ‘cause I know exactly what you mean. Right about the time you were talking about, I was a 15 year old kid sneaking out playing the blues clubs at Virginia Beach, trying to get immersed in the real stuff, all the while hearing the junk coming out of my radio which was Nirvana and the Seattle scene. And I thought, “man there has got to be somebody out there doing the right stuff”. And then the Southern Harmony [and the Musical Companion] album came out, it was like the angels descended and it was this big revelation. Like “wow, a Hammond organ?!” Marc Ford: Yeah, yeah. Right . Virtual Woodshed: It was so refreshing to hear somebody doing what I considered to be honest rock n roll. What was the atmosphere like around those sessions when you guys were recording that album? Marc Ford: Exciting for me. I thought [those guys] were great. It was fun to be out of what I was doing, I mean, I was kind of sick of what I was doing at the time. And they were the best and biggest band at what they did. Virtual Woodshed: Where was that album recorded by the way? Marc Ford: Oh, some studio in Atlanta. I don’t even remember the name cause we were only there a couple of days. I just remember going and rehearsing a couple days in a garage, and then we were in the studio cutting tracks and we were done a few days later; it was all kind of a whirlwind. Then I went home, and then it was time to go on tour, and it kind of ended seven years later! [Laughs] Virtual Woodshed: Right! So you blinked and then you woke up?! Marc Ford: Yeah, it was crazy. It was fun for a young man, because it was the pinnacle of their success as far as record sales and stuff. For me it was like, well, it’s really happening. Here’s the dream coming true. And I didn’t really notice it until later on, ‘cause while it’s happening you’re just going “woo-hoo!” you know? It’s like a roller coaster ride. You really don’t realize how much fun it was until after you get off. You’re just hanging on at the time. Virtual Woodshed: Right. That’s a great analogy. Plus I would imagine that you were in varying states of consciousness throughout that period as well? Marc Ford: Yeah, it was kind of… I mean, I thought that’s what you were supposed to do. You know what I mean? Virtual Woodshed: Well, that’s what all the guys before you did right? I mean that’s what Page did, and Hendrix and even Elvis for crying out loud! Marc Ford: Yeah, you’re right about that! [Laughs] Virtual Woodshed: Any funny stories you’d care to recount from the road at that time? Marc Ford: It was all pretty hilarious now that I think about it! [Laughs]. It was intense. I don’t know, there’s a lot of stories and I don’t even think I could do them justice. I don’t want it to sound like a cop out… It’s funny, it’s like going to the record store. I never know what I want once I get there, but as soon as I walk out the door I can think of a million records I wanted to buy! So, yeah, there were a lot of hilarious stories, but when I get asked about one I can’t ever really pinpoint one. Virtual Woodshed: I’ve actually started making a list of records I want to buy. I keep it on my computer. Marc Ford: Yeah, that’s a novel idea, but I never quite get around to it. Virtual Woodshed: And where are the record stores these days?! Marc Ford: Uh, Wal Mart?! [Laughs] Virtual Woodshed: Good luck! I mean, when I was kid, we had a vinyl record store down the street called Unicorn records. They had vinyl everything. New, used, whatever. And we would just browse for hours. That’s where I got my education! Marc Ford: Yeah, I used to ride my bike for miles and just spend hours in there flipping through records. Back when you would buy a record just because of the cover! Virtual Woodshed: Yeah! I bought the first David Grisman Quintet album because it had a cool jacket! And the music turned out to be even better! Marc Ford: Well, it meant a lot. I still call ‘em records which I don’t think is strange until someone points it out and says “um, it’s a CD” and I say “oh, yeah”. But back then, the outside and the inside had to match. It was all the same offering to me. It had to make sense. So if the artwork was cool, you could pretty much bet that the inside was gonna be cool. Virtual Woodshed: And you know, that’s really sad. Because my son has no concept of this. He was on iTunes last night and he wanted to download this Pink song that he heard on the school bus. So he goes and looks this song up and I mean, there’s not even a CD! It’s just a digital file. And I’m thinking, really? This is progress?! Really?! Marc Ford: It kind of takes the speciality away from it a little bit, I think. Virtual Woodshed: Absolutely man. If you’re gonna play a record, it’s an ordeal. It’s like two minutes worth of work just to get the vinyl out of the sleeve. Marc Ford: And you know, that’s kind of a shame. Because we’ve kind of gone backwards. I mean, as information becomes more available and instantly accessible, our attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. But like, say, you put on a CD, it runs an hour, when back then a record at the very most could be twenty minutes on a side. And so, after every twenty minutes, you’d get a break, you’d have to stand up and turn it over. You’re right, it was an ordeal! And you had to take care of em! Virtual Woodshed: Yeah, you had to clean ‘em with a disc washer and put the little alcohol drops on that pad, you know?
Marc Ford: Don’t leave your records in the car! Don’t leave your records in the sunlight! Virtual Woodshed: Oh man, I have quite a few warped ones! Marc Ford: Music is disposable like everything else now I guess. Virtual Woodshed: Yeah. So anyway, getting back to the recording thing, to my ears when Amorica came out it had a much harder edge to it. And I think your tone was a little more refined, I guess. In fact one of my favorite tones of all time is your first opening riff on that album in “Gone”, a little single note, bluesy thing. What do you recall about recording that and how did you get that tone? Marc Ford: It was the first time I had ever used an SG. Virtual Woodshed: Oh, that’s an SG? Marc Ford: Yeah. And that probably had something to do with it. And I think maybe as you get older you realize how to get things straight. But probably Jack Puig had a lot to do with the sound. Cause he was recording things and we had more time to sit and eek out a tone for each individual track. Whereas when we did Southern Harmony, I basically had the same rig set up, and it was like, “Are you ready? Here we go!” I mean it was going by so fast. “Is the amp on? OK, let’s go”. Virtual Woodshed: Right. Cause you pretty much had the same tone throughout [Southern Harmony] I noticed. Marc Ford: Yeah. And with Jack, he’s almost anal retentive about things. I mean, he really takes a long time to get the sound. It’s amazing once we’re ready to go, but in some instances by the time he got the tone, I didn’t even want to play! The inspiration was gone, it was like “here, you do it”! But that probably had a lot to do with it. That and I had been playing pretty much every night for several years at that point. Virtual Woodshed: And that segues nicely into my next question. It sounded to me like you had found a comfort zone with those guys, and I always just thought, “well, his sound got better because he had a couple years to just play!” Marc Ford: Yeah. Well I mean, it was on one hand naturally where I play and that’s why I was there. But at the same time, everybody has their role, and especially with a six piece band, you find where you’re needed or what’s needed and there was definitely… Well, somebody once asked me about playing with Ben [Harper], they said, “it’s quite a different music [from the Black Crowes], so how is it playing between the Crowes and Ben Harper?” And it struck me as funny because I thought well it’s all the same to me, it’s just the blues scale, you know what I mean?! I didn’t really think of it as that different. But then I started thinking, well, yeah, my tone is different, my approach is different, and I guess there is a lot different about it… Virtual Woodshed: Yeah, but you’re still just being you. You’re still just playing. Marc Ford: Yeah. I’m still just going from my perspective. And so, I don’t know anything different. I just apply myself differently. [That concept] kind of brought a new light to it for me. And since then, I took my son [Elijah] out with me for the whole [Black Crowes] reunion thing in ’05 and he got to see the whole progression of things; from the first rehearsals to the whole band thing. He’s since gone back and rediscovered all the other records, and he would watch each new project I would be involved with and his reference was always, “yeah Dad, that sounded kinda like the Crowes”. Like when something was good he would say “that kind of felt like the Crowes”. And I realized what he meant was it had this spirit of an improvised flow that would go on at the live gigs. Virtual Woodshed: Cohesion. Consistency, really. Marc Ford: Exactly. And I said, “well, are you starting to see a theme?!” [Laughs] “What’s the constant in all these variations?” and he said “Oh!” And at the same time he got it, I realized, well there’s my footprint. There’s what I’m bringing to the situation that affects the whole band, and there’s an overall sound or whatever that I can bring to a band. Virtual Woodshed: Man, that’s a pretty cool legacy. Marc Ford: Yeah! And it wasn’t until then that I could put my finger on what it was. I realized, “that’s mine”. That’s what these bands don’t have anymore now that I’m not there. Virtual Woodshed: It’s funny that you mention this continuity. For example, I listen to the Ryan Bingham stuff that you played on, and I say “wow that’s completely different that anything else Marc’s done, but it still sounds like Marc.” You’re a real chameleon because you can blend into all these different scenarios but you still never lose your sound. I can hear little flashes of Hendrix or Clapton or even Chuck Berry in your playing but it’s almost impossible for me to nail down your main influence. So how do you advise a young player out there to avoid the temptation of just trying to copy one player or another and really develop his own sound?
Marc Ford: Ummm… [long pause] Being fickle?! [Laughs] I don’t know! I’ve always tried to pay attention and I’ve always enjoyed so many different kinds of music. And I get bored really quick to be honest with you. If I have to do something too long, it’s not inspiring to me anymore. Like, I’m not excited to go find the new possibilities of it and then I’m bored with it. I’m just running through the motions and I’m not exploring anything. Even starting out, Burning Tree was my main thing, but I was always playing in other bands. Whether it was filling in for a few gigs, or jamming or whatever. I was always putting myself in as many different situations as possible. And I realized a) I just loved to play all the time and, b) I loved the challenge of finding new things. You know “well how do they do this? Or how is that done?” I’ve just always tried to stretch myself. And it’s probably for totally selfish reasons. It’s not like I said “well I’ll learn this because I might be able to use it in another application.” I was just bored and I wanted to play. And no one wanted to play as much as me, so I had to play with a bunch of different people. Virtual Woodshed: I don’t think that’s selfish though. That’s just passion. Marc Ford: Yeah. Maybe, but it was strictly to please myself! Which, you know, if you’re not pleased and inspired by [what you’re doing] then no one else is going to be. Virtual Woodshed: But that’s the name of the game, I mean that’s why we play anyway. And along those lines, I’ll ask this: For the record, everyone knows you’re a Clapton fan, a Hendrix fan, a Page fan, those are obvious. But talk about some other influences that might surprise people. Marc Ford: Wow. Well, Dylan, Neil Young, a lot of songwriters, I think. Virtual Woodshed: Neil Young, now that is surprising! I guess I’ve just never associated him as being someone with great chops or great tone. Marc Ford: Hmm. Well, it’s fundamentally rude, or crude, and that’s essentially what I love about it. Somebody said something about [Neil’s] voice, and they said “I can’t stand to hear it”. And I said, “well do you remember the songs? Are the melodies great? Does it invoke a feeling in you?” And they said “yeah”. “OK, well then it’s great.” It may not be wrapped up in the nicest package, but it’s affecting you. Virtual Woodshed: Wow. Marc Ford: If it’s translating some kind of a different emotion and it’s taking you someplace, then it’s purely great art. If it invokes a hatred in you, then it’s great art. If it’s moving you in some sense then it’s great and I think Neil Young has always had his thumb on the pulse of where creativity comes from. He has this ability to plug directly into the source. Virtual Woodshed: Wow, that’s kind of profound. Who was it who said about Neil Young? That story you were just talking about? Marc Ford: Muddy [Mark Dutton] actually. He was trying to get his dad to understand Neil Young. And I think someone had said it to him before because even he didn’t… [Marc cuts himself off] No one I know has gotten Neil Young right away! It takes a while. Same with Dylan. You initially think, “whoa, they’re not very good are they?!” But then you realize, wow that song spooked the hell out of me. Virtual Woodshed: You mean like “when the student is ready the master will appear?” Marc Ford: Yes. Exactly, exactly! And then it’s like this infectious disease, I gotta have more! I gotta know all of it! Virtual Woodshed: Well, I’ll tell you man, I’ve owned [Dylan’s] “Blonde on Blonde” for like ten years and I’ll be perfectly honest with you, I still don’t really get it. Marc Ford: Hmm. Virtual Woodshed: I listen to it like maybe once every three or four months hoping “maybe this’ll be the time I finally get it!” And it still hasn’t happened yet, but you know, I’m holding out hope. Marc Ford: Right. Well, maybe that’s not the record that gets you into Dylan. I’ll tell you that I didn’t quite understand what was so great about that record either until I got into “Planet Waves.” That record really blew me away, and little by little I started understanding the other stuff. And you also have to place [“Blonde on Blonde”] in the context of the time when it came out. He was out to expand boundaries then. I mean, here’s this crude folk singer who went to Nashville with the baddest, most technically advanced players in the world. And I think it was the mix of those two things and the fact that he never told anybody really how to play the songs. Like, he might sing through it once for the band, and then tell the engineer to hit record.
Virtual Woodshed: Sounds like the Miles Davis approach. Marc Ford: Exactly! A lot of people were like that. John Lennon’s records after the Beatles were like that and Neil Young does the same thing. You get the best players in the world and then you limit them, so you get their instinct. So they can play something without having their head in the way. Virtual Woodshed: Wow, now that’s a cool concept. Marc Ford: And you’ll get some crashes once in a while! But that’s always been my favorite part of records! You know, like “wow did you hear that mistake?! That was cool!” Cause you know that it’s right on the edge, that [music] was actually happening! Virtual Woodshed: Yeah. People certainly don’t cut records that way anymore. Marc Ford: A lot of times these days, records are made by one guy in his bedroom. You know, on a computer. You got too many options. Everything is all lined up visually so you can make everything perfect. And real people aren’t like that. People aren’t perfect. If you try to make the music perfect, then it’s not really musical anymore. It’s the imperfections that make it swing and breathe, and you gotta put several people in the room at one time to make that happen. And that’s kind of the shame of music today. Yeah, it’s easy and one guy can do a lot. I’m certainly thankful for it when I’m putting together tracks or writing or whatever. I can make a whole record easy by myself. But, I would much rather listen to music that’s played by several people together. Virtual Woodshed: Right. Well, listen man, some of our readers are gonna be highly disappointed if I don’t ask you at least a couple of gear related questions. And I read in a previous interview where you were talking about some gear heads checking out your stage rig and writing down you pedal settings and stuff. I think you called ‘em geeks and said they didn’t “get it”. And while I agree with you that tone is probably 80% in your fingers and maybe 20% equipment, I think that gear still plays an important role in what we do as guitarists. That said, do you consider yourself a Gibson or Fender guy primarily? Marc Ford: Fender. Virtual Woodshed: Really?! Marc Ford: Yeah. I don’t know why. They’re a little harder to work. It takes more out of you. It makes you work for it! But I think the real reason is that my first real guitar was a Fender. I’m sure that has more to do with it than anything else. But you know the equipment thing… umm, of course equipment makes a difference. I think what I meant about those guys was that I was amazed at the length they would go and how precise they would get. They’re like Trekkies! I mean, they’ve really got nothing better to do than to discuss on some website about at what point did I change this or that setting?! That’s obsession. And really, they’re looking too hard in the wrong area. Because, although yes, all that stuff matters, you can use my rig, I’ll hand it to you and you can play it and it’s not going to sound the same. Virtual Woodshed: Right! Like when the road crew comes out and soundchecks for the Stones. They’re playing the Stone’s gear but it don’t sound like the Stones! Marc Ford: That’s riiiiiiiight! That’s exactly right! [Laughs] I have a friend who says “why do you have so many damn pedals? They’re all fuzzes!” And I say “yeah, but they’re all different”. And he says “yeah, but you sound the same no matter what you play through so why do you bother?!” [Laughs] So, anyway, I’m a pretty big geek when it comes to stuff like that. I love it. I still do. But you know, all that stuff, it gets you in the ballpark, but it doesn’t get you on base. And I guess there’s a piece of advice: stop trying to get the exact tone or the exact lick. Part of the reason that maybe I have something of my own is that I never had the patience or the know how to do exactly what I was hearing. I would play along with somebody else’s record and try to cop what they were doing, but I would only get as close as I could. And that was good enough for me because I couldn’t figure out exactly what they were doing. So I did something that was kind of like what I was hearing and that was that. Virtual Woodshed: Hmm. Well, you take someone like [Chili Peppers guitarist] John Frusciante, and I’ve read where he’s gone to painstaking extremes to transcribe something like [Hendrix’s] “Machine Gun” which is totally unfathomable to me. I won’t say it’s a total waste of time, but I find much more value in just approximating things. Marc Ford: The thing that is beautiful about [Machine Gun] is not the notes that he’s playing or how he’s playing it. It’s that whatever was going through [Hendrix] spiritually, personally, physically, or whatever, on that evening, he was somehow able to channel it. You can transcribe it and play it exactly the way he did and no one is ever going to sound like that again. Ever. That was that moment. Even Hendrix himself never sounded like that ever again. Virtual Woodshed: And bingo! You just touched on something I was going to ask in a minute, and that is spirituality. I think that is a critical aspect of music that so many young players are missing. You know they’re trying to learn this Zeppelin riff or that BB lick all while totally disregarding the spiritual state that the player might have been in when something was played. Let me get your thoughts on that. Marc Ford: I don’t know. [pauses] It’s the other world. I think artists tend to be a little more sensitive to it anyway. That’s why people can paint the pictures and write the poems. Sound is a bizarre thing in the first place. You can’t see it. You can’t touch it. I think it’s as close to spiritual as any of the art forms, really. It’s the universal language and it evokes emotion more instantaneously and more easily than [any other medium]. Virtual Woodshed: I think that’s one reason I identified with your playing early on. I’ve always tried to be aware of spirituality in my own playing and I’ve just naturally gravitated to other players where I suspected that might be the case as well. I think I was jaded by shred guitar because it just has zero spirituality to it and along comes “Southern Harmony” and I said “wow, here are some cats who understand the other side!” Marc Ford: Well, rock n’ roll music came out of church. It did! I mean, listen to the old Delta blues records. Listen to Fred McDowell. He made Gospel records too and he was playing the exact same thing, he was just singing about a little different subject matter! [Laughs] It was a very passionate cry from your soul. It was either “holy shit, I’m scared to death, help me!” or “holy shit I’m scared to death, give me some more!” It came from the same place and it’s not something you can study. It’s something you have to live through. Virtual Woodshed: I think it scared Peter Greene to death! You know, take someone like BB King who obviously understands that aspect of music. I’ve always thought of him in this grandfatherly way as someone who was capable of staring down those demons. But I’ve often wondered if the spiritual aspect of music was just too much for Peter Greene.
Marc Ford: Well that and the 40,000 micro hits of acid! [Laughs] Virtual Woodshed: Yeah! OK, maybe that had something to do with it. Marc Ford: Open that port hole a little too wide and you can’t shut it! There’s a reason why not everybody lives at church. You have to come back to earth every once in a while to get your bearings. I mean, we are human. We haven’t got there yet. But, yeah he probably got way, way out there and it’s a bizarre place to live. Virtual Woodshed: I think he’s still living there actually. Marc Ford: Yeah, I think it really did tweak him pretty bad. I saw him maybe eight or nine years ago and it was like watching a five year old. It was really kind of bizarre watching him play. Actually, there was a cool moment when the PA blew and it went down to the stage volume. Virtual Woodshed: Really? Marc Ford: Yeah, and he came alive and started playing “Rattlesnake Shake” and all of a sudden Peter Greene was back. Virtual Woodshed: Wow. No kidding?! Marc Ford: Yeah, he seemed kind of overwhelmed by the whole thing and a little timid. It was bizarre to watch. Virtual Woodshed: Man, I thought he had gone totally Sid Barrett. I mean I knew he still played a little, but I didn’t know he was capable of conjuring up that kind of stuff. Marc Ford: It was very hit or miss. It was a tour and I saw him in Portland. I went last minute. You know in the same way, Mick Taylor is kind of out there too. But he’s just drunk! You see him play and it’s like “hey that guy kind of sounds like Mick Taylor, wait that is Mick Taylor!” He’ll go in and out of focus and lucidity. We actually played a few shows on the same gig and he was really having a rough time. Obviously when you’re drinking that much in an hour you’re in various states of having it together. And like a passage would flow through and you’d say “holy shit that was genius, there’s Mick Taylor”, and then later he didn’t know where he was on the neck. Virtual Woodshed: Sounds like pure Shakespearean tragedy. Marc Ford: It really was. It was hard to watch. Maybe just because I lived through it and I know what it’s like on the inside of that. Virtual Woodshed: But you made it out intact! Marc Ford: Ha! [Laughs] Well, yeah. Virtual Woodshed: In fact, to bring everybody up to speed, I’m amazed by your new Neptune Blues Club stuff. Your tone is killin’! Marc Ford: Thank you. Virtual Woodshed: “Last Time Around.” Isn’t that the track that starts with the low slide? Marc Ford: Yeah. Virtual Woodshed: Oh man! That is killer stuff. I’m really enjoying it. Marc Ford: Well thank you! It’s a good band. Virtual Woodshed: So where are you guys going with that? Is it a long term project? Marc Ford: Yeah, well, we love playing together. Problem is, there are six guys and everybody’s playing in [other bands]. Everybody either has their money gig or they have a job and families. And it costs a lot of money to get these guys to go and leave home for a while and do it.
Virtual Woodshed: Sure. Marc Ford: And you just can’t make that money anymore to do it. We play locally and once in a while we get asked to go do something. And until somebody can pay us to actually go and do it, we’re kind of “the local act!” We’ve got a bunch of material and we’re a couple songs into making another record, but we’re taking our time. I think there’s some live stuff on Bandcamp too. Virtual Woodshed: Well that’s cool. But I know what you mean about the live scene. Here in Virginia, in Richmond and DC you know, we’ve got clubs closing left and right. I mean they’re either closing or they’ve gone to karaoke and Guitar Hero bars. Marc Ford: Yeah. People would rather watch somebody pretend to do it than really do it! Virtual Woodshed: Yeah it sucks. But anyway on a more positive note… what’s on the horizon for you? Think you’ll go back on the road at all in some format? Marc Ford: The only thing I’ve got booked right now is I’m going to Spain with Steepwater in February. When I was doing their record, I was thinking it would be a good way for me to go on tour on the East Coast. You know, like they could do a set and I could just step into their situation. So we’re actually gonna go do it, we’re going to do two weeks in Spain. But I don’t know what else is going to happen. I’m kind of just waiting around for the next big thing! Virtual Woodshed: You have a new kid as well right? Marc Ford: Yeah, I got a girl that will be a year in December. Virtual Woodshed: Wow, so that’s a trip huh?! Marc Ford: Oh yeah. So I’ve been at home just kind of chillin’. I’m not going to fight against something I can’t change. So I’ll wait till it changes and then I’ll join it again. Virtual Woodshed: Well listen man, it’s been a pleasure speaking with you and I really appreciate you taking the time to do this. Marc Ford: No problem! Thank you very much. Maybe we’ll do another one all about gear! [Laughs]
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