Hi everybody! I've been honored to have interviewed Texas singer, songwriter, guitarist Doyle Bramhall II, twice, first in 2001 and then again in 2003. Doyle has repeatedly worked with Derek Trucks on Derek's last few albums, writing, singing, and playing on several tracks, Doyle toured with Derek & Susan Tedeschi & the Tedeschi Trucks Band in 2015 and often shows up as a guest performing with Derek & Susan, Doyle toured with Derek & Eric Clapton 2006-2007, and Doyle played guitar on Gregg Allman's "Low Country Blues" album.
I'm posting BOTH my 2001 and 2003 interviews with Doyle BELOW for ya'all! Hope you enjoy.
(INTERVIEW #1) Here is the archive of my FIRST of 2 interviews with Doyle Bramhall II which was conducted in May 2001. This was originally published in the Sept. 2001 issue of "Vintage Guitar Magazine". In this 1st interview we talked about Doyle's new May 2001 solo album at the time "Welcome", writing, playing, and recording on Eric Clapton's 2001 album, "Reptile" and on Eric Clapton's & B.B. King's 2000 album "Riding With The King", Doyle's early 1990's supergroup The Arc Angels which also featured Texas guitarist, singer, songwriter Charlie Sexton, and Double Trouble (Stevie Ray Vaughan's rhythm section featuring bassist Tommy Shannon & drummer Chris Layton), guesting on Double Trouble's 2001 record "Been A Long Time", Doyle's touring work at the time with Pink Floyd's Roger Waters, Doyle's guitar technique and LOTS of guitars!
“Doyle Bramhall II-Welcoming Texas’ Six String Prodigyâ€
By Arlene R. Weiss
 Copyright June 4, 2001, 2016 and in Perpetuity By Arlene R. Weiss-All Rights Reserved
“Welcome†is more than an appropriate title for the new and third solo release from Doyle Bramhall II. The Texan guitar prodigy, singer, songwriter, first garnered acclaim in the early 1990’s as guitar God heir apparent as part of the Internationally renowned short lived supergroup from Austin, The Arc Angels, (which was also comprised of Charlie Sexton and Double Trouble’s Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon).
Born in Dallas, Texas, Bramhall’s musical destiny lies in a prodigious musical legacy and upbringing. His father, also named Doyle Bramhall, and also an esteemed musician, played drums with Lightnin’ Hopkins and collaborated as both drummer and songwriter with Stevie Ray Vaughan. During Doyle II’s childhood, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble were regular guests at his house and their influence had already imbedded itself firmly in Doyle when his father gave him Lightnin’ Hopkins’ guitar for his fourteenth Birthday. By his teens, Doyle had migrated to Austin to hone his chops, regularly jamming with Vaughan Brothers Jimmie and Stevie Ray as well as the elite of Austin’s musical pantheon.
Doyle then became a member of The Fabulous Thunderbirds, co-founded the infamous Arc Angels, and has since struck out on his own with two solo releases, “Doyle Bramhall IIâ€, and “Jellycreamâ€. Both albums were highly accomplished slices of Bramhall’s eclectic virtuosity, but failed to register commercially and also failed to bring Bramhall his well deserved recognition as a major artist in his own right.
All that changed these last two years in a major turn of events that has at last validated Bramhall. First, Roger Waters invited Bramhall to tour with him, and last year, Eric Clapton took Doyle under his wing resulting in an ongoing creative collaboration. Since then, Doyle
co-wrote material and played on the majority of Clapton’s release last year, “Riding With The Kingâ€, Bramhall reprised playing and songwriting on Clapton’s current release “Reptileâ€, and he’s currently opening for Clapton’s worldwide tour. Bramhall also co-wrote and performed on Double Trouble’s new release, “Been A Long Timeâ€.
But “Welcome†is Bramhall’s pride and joy and his long overdue breakthrough as a solo artist. Layered with spontaneous, riff heavy tuneful treats, it showcases Bramhall’s diverse musical stylings and is an esteemed nod to the classic rock of the 1960’s and 70’s, offering a definite retro vibe. It’s a dazzling display of his crafted vocals, songwriting, and of his astounding, renowned six string work, which includes his amazing method of playing left handed, upside down, while stringing his guitars right handed.
Bramhall took time during his current tour with Eric Clapton to discuss “Welcomeâ€, his many ongoing creative projects, and his fulfillment at finally achieving validation and success as an artist.
Arlene R. Weiss: Where does such an endless flow of diverse creativity come from and how do you keep the inspirational spark and energy both constant and fresh when you are multitasking so many ongoing simultaneous projects?
Doyle Bramhall II: It sounds like a lot more than it feels to me. I mean it’s been non-stop for me, but I made a decision about two or three years ago to start playing music and doing what I love to do, to just make music for the process of making music and not for the outcome of it. And as soon as I did that, it seemed like things started snowballing for me. When I started doing it for the process of being in the moment, musically, and not worrying about, “Well why don’t I have this, or why don’t I have that? I’ve been doing this a really long time and yet these kids out there just do this and they have this overnight success.†That led me absolutely nowhere, so that’s when I made the decision to just do the music, do what I want to do, and don’t think about the outcome. Every time I let go of that expectation, everything seemed to start happening. I was getting calls from Roger Waters and Eric Clapton. Obviously I worked with Double Trouble in a lot of different ways before my solo career or The Arc Angels. It just seemed like everything was happening at once….when it rains, it pours.
Arlene R. Weiss: “Welcome†stresses your songwriting and vocals as well as your renowned prowess as a guitarist. Looking back in hindsight to your first two albums, both of which were very accomplished, but unfortunately, didn’t quite break commercially….looking back at that, throughout the making of “Welcomeâ€, what artistic statement and goals were you trying to achieve, and was there any pressure to simultaneously break through this third time, while not losing sight of your creative vision and your integrity?
Doyle Bramhall II: I think there is always that pressure from yourself and from record companies and everybody out there. Everybody expects me to be a certain thing. On the first record that I had on Geffen, I didn’t compromise at all. I did what I wanted to do. It might have been a little too abstract for the blues/rock listener.
Arlene R. Weiss: I listen to anything if it’s music and it’s good. I don’t categorize or label music.
Doyle Bramhall II: That’s the way I feel as well. I feel like the same listener can put on a Bob Marley record that can put on Sly Stone, that can put on The Beatles. That’s just music, all encompassing everything, soul, R&B, jazz, blues, rock.
Arlene R. Weiss: This album has somewhat of a retro, classic rock, 60’s, 70’s vibe to it. Are you a fan of that era of music?
Doyle Bramhall II: Yes I am. It’s what I grew up listening to, I guess because….My Mom and Dad were so influenced by a lot of music and they were involved in music. They had those records on all the time and since they listened to it so much, it sort of got ingrained in me at a really young age. From the time I was born until I was six years old, I probably listened to a thousand records already. I had already taken in all that music and soaked it up like a sponge. Then by the time I started playing, it started really pouring out of me because as a kid, I had so many different kinds of music coming at me that I just couldn’t wait to get a hold of the guitar.
Arlene R. Weiss: “Welcomeâ€â€™s liner notes state, “This record was recorded without the use of Pro Tools!†with an exclamation mark. Why the adamant disclaimer?
Doyle Bramhall II: It was an afterthought because after we finished the record, one day I said, “Hey, we didn’t use Pro Tools the whole time.†And that’s hard, because I used Pro Tools on my first two records. Pro Tools is something for Producers that’s really easy to use. You can edit it so precisely to where you can hardly hear it, but yet you can hear it if your ears are good enough. I just think that it’s everywhere in music and it’s taking the spontaneity out of music. I think Pro Tools is a great thing. It’s a great learning device and it’s great for home studios, demos, and all that, but I think that if you want to make good music, leave Pro Tools at home and go in a studio, play, and have fun.
Arlene R. Weiss: So what mixing process did you use?
Doyle Bramhall II: Just the old fashioned way. We didn’t try and do anything, any particular way. It’s the way Producer Jim Scott uses. Some of the mixes, he didn’t even use automation on. He rode the faders by hand, manually. It’s more of an art form and more creative where the producer can make a track breathe and pulsate after you get finished doing your part.
Arlene R. Weiss: Did you use “Little Doyle†as your main studio guitar on the album and can you explain its colorful, fascinating origins and history?
Doyle Bramhall II: Yeah, I am using it. It has a lot of problems right now. It’s like an old sick dog! (laughing) It was pretty much my first real guitar that I felt that I connected to and I felt like, “Wow, this is the guitar that I want!†It was made for me by Zak Berry who was a guitar tech who also worked as a guitar builder in Dallas at Charley’s Guitar Shop. He was one of Charley’s builders and he made the guitar. He made one for Robert Cray, one for Eric Clapton, one for Jimmie Vaughan, one for Stevie Ray Vaughan, and then he made one for me. I think the reason that I got one was because he knew that I was joining The Fabulous Thunderbirds.
Arlene R. Weiss: Don’t you also have a guitar once owned by Lightnin’ Hopkins ?
Doyle Bramhall II: It’s a 1963 Harmony Rocket. My Dad played in his band and in a round about way, he got a hold of Lightnin’s guitar, and it was given to him. So my first guitar, which I got on my fourteenth Birthday, was a guitar that was given to my Dad by Lightnin’ Hopkins, which my Dad gave to me.
Arlene R. Weiss: Did you ever meet Lightnin’ Hopkins ?
Doyle Bramhall II: I’m not sure because I was too young to remember. It’s a good question. I’ll have to ask my Dad!
Arlene R. Weiss: What are your earliest musical impressions and memories growing up around your father who is also a gifted and renowned musician and songwriter, as well as growing up around Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie Vaughan, and Double Trouble?
Doyle Bramhall II: It was my normal childhood. I remember living in a band house in the early 1970’s in Austin , Texas when this whole hippie, blues scene was happening. There were artists…this was pre-Thunderbirds, pre-Double Trouble…My Dad was playing in a lot of different bands in Austin and I would sleep under stages and on pool tables. You know how infants and toddlers are, we just sleep and cat nap all day. It was a pretty loose upbringing, at least until I was six years old.
Arlene R. Weiss: Your unique tone and sound is due in part to playing left handed and upside down, but you string your guitars right handed. How and why did you devise this stringing method?
Doyle Bramhall II: It’s pretty simple. There were right handed guitar players around me when I was a kid so every time that I picked it up, I held the guitar in a left handed position. I think I was a little dyslexic when I was younger and I didn’t know left from right. I could never get that down and that was always messing me up. (laughing) I was also ambidextrous as well. It felt really comfortable stringing right handed and by the time somebody told me that I was doing something the wrong way, I said, “Well, it doesn’t sound wrong.â€
Arlene R. Weiss: What are the challenges as well as the benefits of playing left handed?
Doyle Bramhall II: I play by ear, so it could be the same and have no challenges for me. However, the different challenges for me are chords and transposing those chords to the way I do it, because there are no instructions, no music books out there for the positioning of the fingers for a left handed, upside down player. All the theory and all the technique doesn’t apply to me because I would have to transpose it completely, as opposed to if I strung the strings left handed. Then all the finger positions that are on the first, second, third, fourth, fifth fret….it would all be the same. But for me, it’s useless.
Arlene R. Weiss: Tell me about that infamous cell phone call that you first received from Eric Clapton, how you initially became involved working with him, and now your ongoing creative collaborations with him for you, as a guitar player, as a songwriter, and your current tour with him?
Doyle Bramhall II: I actually got a call from my Manager saying that Eric Clapton had called him and Eric wanted to speak with me. So I called Eric on the last day of my Roger Waters tour and he said that I was one of his favorite contemporary artists of the 1990’s.
Arlene R. Weiss: You must be honored.
Doyle Bramhall II: I am. It was great, because at the time, I wasn’t being validated any other way….musically, and I wasn’t fulfilled.
Arlene R. Weiss: It also means so much coming from your peers.
Doyle Bramhall II: That was more important too. I mean I wasn’t getting anywhere else when Clapton called. When he called, I talked to him and he made me feel so good about what I had done and like, “Wow, Yeah! I did make a good record or I am a good artist and I am a valid artist.†I spent years wondering and not being quite sure if I am or not. So I talked to him more and more and he invited me down to his house. We got together over Starbucks coffee and talked, played a little guitar, and he invited me down to the studio.
Arlene R. Weiss: Didn’t he ask you to teach him how to play the chords on “I Wanna Be†and “Marry You†on the “Riding With The King†album?
Doyle Bramhall II: Just because I play left handed, upside down, I think sometimes, things that I play sound a little different than they would on a right handed player, so I think he was like, “I want you to come over and let’s play the songs, because I got the song down, but I want to see what your inversions of the chords are.†So I came over there and showed him how it went.
Arlene R. Weiss: How did you get involved with Double Trouble’s new album “Been A Long Time�
Doyle Bramhall II: I actually met Chris Layton for the first time when I was eleven years old. Him, the first form of Double Trouble which was Chris and Stevie, they would come over and stay at our house, at our Grandmother’s house, when they came into town. I remember Stevie’s guitar. He always brought a guitar with him. I would sit in and play on it.
Arlene R. Weiss: How old were you then?
Doyle Bramhall II: Eleven. So I met Chris back then and then I met Tommy Shannon a couple years later. We had done projects, me and Tommy and my Dad….we had done a lot of different side projects when he was off of Stevie’s tours. And we just loved playing with each other. Then by the time Stevie died, that’s when we all started rehearsing. We got back together as The Arc Angels so it goes way back musically. We’ve always played together and I used to sit in with Stevie Ray Vaughan. He’d get me up anywhere that he was, he would always get me up and support me and do that, so it’s just old friends that have a great chemistry, getting together again to play.
Arlene R. Weiss: Did working with Tommy, Chris, and Charlie Sexton again bring back that creative symmetry and camaraderie of your days as The Arc Angels?
Doyle Bramhall II: Yeah! That always happens every time we get together. There IS a reason The Arc Angels were on their way to being as successful as we were going to be, or as we were, for that short amount of time. It’s because we had a real chemistry between the four of us anytime we did anything. We probably could have even made an album of all covers and it would have done well.
Arlene R. Weiss: Back around January you had performed with Double Trouble and all the other guest performers from the “Been A Long Time†album, twice, in one day, for the taping for a show for “Austin City Limits†and also that night, to sellout crowds at The Austin Music Hall to a lot of fanfare from all your hometown fans in Austin. What was the emotional feeling and creative experience like of that particular day for you?
Doyle Bramhall II: It’s one of those days where you really don’t know what the hell is going on until you have a couple days after to rest and think about what happened, because that kind of day is just a lot of hard work. It was a lot of hard work for Chris and Tommy, and for Charlie who was the Musical Director, and it was a lot of pressure. It was pretty much a blur because we had to get there at nine in the morning and wait around for everybody to do their sound checks. I stayed there until ten o’clock at night, the day before we even played it. So all of it was a little vague as we were doing it but you do look back, think about it, and you say, “Wow! We did all that in one day.†It was definitely interesting having that many guitar players onstage at once.
Arlene R. Weiss: You often co-write with your wife Susannah Melvoin, sister of Prince’s Revolution guitarist Wendy Melvoin, and both sisters collaborate with you on your albums. How did you meet and begin working with them?
Doyle Bramhall II: I got connected through Tony Berg who was my A&R person at Geffen. He had produced a record, “Eroicaâ€, with them. I heard that record and I thought it was such a great record. It was almost like somebody had found the type of music that I wanted to get into at that moment and I said, “I really want to work with them and is there any way I can get a hold of them?†Tony said that he could get a hold of them, he called them up, and he sent them some of my demos that I had been making. They really loved them and we ended up working together.
Arlene R. Weiss: When you were co-writing with Eric Clapton on “Reptileâ€, what did each of you creatively bring to the table for the song “Superman Inside†and how did the song come about?
Doyle Bramhall II: The song came about while we were recording “Riding With The Kingâ€. I went in another room and Eric has a bunch of beautiful old guitars in the back room, wherever he goes. He has guitars that are immaculate and they feel like butter when you play them. So I was sitting with one of his guitars back there on “Riding With The King†and I started coming up with this guitar riff for “Superman Insideâ€. When we were recording “Reptileâ€, he said, “Do you have anything, any original songs?†and I said “I have this one idea. I think it would be perfect because I wrote it when I was in the studio with you so it has that influence there.†I showed it to him and he really liked it. He said, “Well, go home and demo it and bring it back tomorrow.†I went home, finished the melodies on it, and finished the song. I had everything except the lyrics down on tape. I brought it back the next day and he liked it a lot. He just changed come of the chords, made the progression a little different, and then I took it to Susannah and she wrote the lyrics for it.
Arlene R. Weiss: Do you compose on the guitar or any other instruments?
Doyle Bramhall II: Yeah. I pretty much compose in my head. A song like “Green Light Girlâ€, I had a lot of different parts in my head. I had a guitar part in my head, the drums, and ideas in my head. I had the melodies, the backgrounds. I do a lot of songs that way. It is like being a composer. But, for me, putting down ideas, instead of knowing exactly what they are and being able to write it out on paper, like a real composer would, I would get a tape recorder and sing the melody or one of the vocal parts. It works in the same way, but it’s doing it completely without knowing about music theory or how to read or write music.
Arlene R. Weiss: What guitars, equipment, and gear have you been using both in the studio when you were recording “Welcome†and also for the live tour that you’re doing with Eric Clapton?
Doyle Bramhall II: My search for what I wanted tonally has finally ended. I had been searching for the perfect tone of what I wanted, what was my sound. I’d always stuck to Strats. I got a hold of this 1964 Sunburst Strat and it’s a combination of that and a 1967 hundred watt Super Bass Marshall . It’s a combination of those that for me, I finally found something that….I took off with it. I feel like I can speak perfectly through the guitar with the tone that I have.
Arlene R. Weiss: Since you’re constantly putting together and working on new, different projects, what are you planning on working on after this tour, and what are your goals to creatively evolve as a guitarist, as a singer, songwriter, and on future albums?
Doyle Bramhall II: I think the way that I can evolve is to keep doing projects and working with other people, putting myself around things that I wouldn’t normally do or I haven’t grown up listening to, to keep experimenting. Like if after I get off the tour with Clapton, somehow I could get on a tour with Neil Young. Neil Young is the kind of artist that I could learn from as well. That’s wishful thinking on my part, but that’s what I would like to do. Eric Clapton, Neil Young, something that would be fun….getting on tour with The Black Crowes, Lenny Kravitz, or someone like Ben Harper would be really cool too because you get in the club scene.
 Copyright June 4, 2001, 2016 and in Perpetuity By Arlene R. Weiss-All Rights Reserved
[Edited on 5/23/2016 by ArleneWeiss]
Here is the archive of the SECOND of my 2 interviews that I have done with Doyle Bramhall II.
(INTERVIEW # 2) This 2nd interview with Doyle Bramhall II was conducted January 22, 2003 and was published in the December 2003 issue of "Vintage Guitar Magazine". Doyle discusses collaborating and playing on his father's 2003 album at the time "Fitchburg Street", performing with a reunion of The Arc Angels at the very first Austin City Limits Music Festival, songwriting, Doyle's many musical influences including Freddie King, Lightnin' Hopkins, Sly Stone, Hendrix, Donnie Hathaway, Muddy Waters, etc, guitars, the many album projects he was guesting on at the time, and much more. Enjoy!
"Doyle Bramhall II - Consummate Beauty, Divine Thunder, Otherworldly Artisan"
© Copyright July 23, 2003, 2016 and in Perpetuity By Arlene R. Weiss-All Rights Reserved
Music royalty has been a part of Doyle Bramhall II's lineage and destiny since birth. His father, Dallas, Texas blues stalwart Doyle Bramhall, has collaborated and lended his stellar songwriting, drumming, and producing talents to a celestial who's who of venerable musicians including Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan, Lightnin' Hopkins, The Nightcrawlers, and Double Trouble, many who often were regular houseguests at the Bramhall home during Doyle II's childhood.
The impact of growing up in a family and a region, as Doyle affectionately points out, so rich in "our American Musical Culture", witnessing firsthand the then still living legendary blues artists performing live, was undeniable and firmly set Bramhall on the musical path he has since made his own.
Doyle went from being a blues guitar child prodigy sitting in with SRV and Double Trouble, to such sterling gigs as backing up blues harpist legend Charlie Musselwhite, to a youthful stint with The Fabulous Thunderbirds, to spreading his musical wings as a founding member of Austin's legendary supergroup, The Arc Angels.
An artist versed in a diverse, eclectic array of music styles, Bramhall exuberantly pushes the musical envelope to both explore and craft new musical horizons.
His talent and perseverance at last have paid off with the release of his three stunning solo albums; 1996's "Doyle Bramhall II", 1999's "Jellycream", and 2001's "Welcome". Each album is a unique, sterling showcase for Doyle’s many musical gifts and evolving creative growth, which in the last few years, also brought him to the attention of Doyle mentoring collaborative colleagues, (and fans of the left handed, upside down playing guitar virtuoso), Eric Clapton and Roger Waters, successfully solidifying Bramhall's validation as an exceptional, accomplished artist in his own right.
Bramhall just keeps surprising all the naysayers who had him labeled and pegged solely as the once and future Texas blues guitar slinger, determined to always chart new paths along his own amazing musical journey.
Crafted songwriting and vocals are Doyle's glittering talents which clarify that Doyle's prowess as an otherworldly guitarist is a compliment to, and extension of, his talents as a composer, singer, songwriter.
One need only span his career catalog from the raptured, impassioned, "Sent By Angels", and power, thunder, and intensity of the rock driven "Living In A Dream", to the inspirational "Carry Me On". From the blue eyed soul imbued "Marry You" and "I Wanna Be", to the sixties classic rock retro stylings of "Green Light Girl" and "Soul Shaker". And while the blues will always hold a revered place as part of Doyle's musical essence, rock, R&B, jazz, soul, world music, are all part of Doyle's wondrous multi-textured musical fabric.
Currently, and over the course of the last year, the prolific Bramhall has involved his multifaceted artistry in a wealth of projects. Last September 2002, Doyle headlined a "one time" special reunion performance of The Arc Angels at the first ever, annual "Austin City Limits" Music Festival in Austin, Texas. Doyle also filmed a two night stand at Antones, Austin's infamous home of the blues, on Friday, January 10, 2003 and Saturday, January 11, 2003 for Televised Broadcast on the HDNet Television Network's music showcase program, "True Music", which was repeated for televised broadcast for the week beginning Friday, February 14, 2003.
Doyle also has been busy, creatively collaborating with a number of esteemed artists, proud to feature both his gifted songwriting and guitar virtuosity on their new records.
Doyle's talents can be heard on a bounty of new albums released throughout 2003, including B.B. King's "Reflections", Jack Casady's "Dream Factor", Lisa Marie Presley's, "To Whom It May Concern", Boyd Tinsley's "True Reflections", and on the soundtrack for the NBC televised hit dramatic series, "Crossing Jordon". And once again, Doyle is currently back in the recording studio with Eric Clapton, working on Slowhand's new record.
As a special treat for fans of the singer, songwriter, guitarist, on July 17, 2003, Doyle launched his own, official website. Doyle’s official website highlights up to the minute news, tour information, a complete discography, press, photos, a biography, and full length MP3's of Doyle's music including cuts from all three of his solo albums, from the Arc Angels album, demos, never before released tracks, with new music also to be posted for fans to preview.
Then there are the two projects which Doyle holds most dear. First, Doyle's father, Doyle Bramhall Senior, recently released his own new record, "Fitchburg Street", a loving homage to the long ago Dallas home where the two grew up and honed their musicianship. The album features Doyle's incendiary blues guitar chops alongside his father's soulful vocals, honoring the great blues, soul, and R&B artists that forever inspired both father and son.
And then, there's Doyle's own labor of love, his new solo record; a current work in progress which the singer, songwriter, guitarist, is resolute in writing songs that will once more, affirm his ongoing evolution as an artist of many music hues and dazzling craftwork.
This talented artist, took time to discuss "Fitchburg Street", working on his new record, as well as to fondly reflect and regale on the vast treasure of music, memories, and artists who continue to inform and inspire Doyle, which include Lightnin' Hopkins, Freddie King, and a reverential esteem and regard for Sly Stone, Donny Hathaway, and….the next time you hear "Sent By Angels", listen for Bramhall's eloquent nod to Stevie Wonder as Doyle sings at song's end, "Isn’t She Lovely".
Arlene R. Weiss: How are you! Remember our last interview, about two years ago!
Doyle Bramhall II: Yeah I do! Yes!
Arlene R. Weiss: I heard that you're doing a lot of work on a new album.
Doyle Bramhall II: Yeah! I'm writing a lot and I'm trying to start the whole process over again.
Arlene R. Weiss: And you were just at Antones two weeks ago! How did that go?
Doyle Bramhall II: Oh, it was good. They filmed it for some high definition television network. It's called the HDNet Direct Satellite TV Channel. I think they're airing it in about a week and a half, two weeks.
Arlene R. Weiss: I also heard about you doing the Arc Angels gig over at the "Austin City Limits" Music Festival and that it went great. I was so happy for you and the band and for "Austin City Limits", that they did that, and that you, and Charlie (Sexton), Chris (Layton), and Tommy (Shannon) were invited to play and headline it.
Doyle Bramhall II: That happened to be a really cool event. We got together about three or four days before the show to rehearse, so I basically rehearsed every day. I did the show, so I've been very busy.
Arlene R. Weiss: How did you become creatively involved working with your father on "Fitchburg Street"?
Doyle Bramhall II: My Dad recorded the whole record and he wanted to get me on it for a couple of songs because every time that we play together, it’s a very unique thing....being my father and us growing up together playing music. He invited me down to Austin to record on a couple of songs. It was all done pretty quick. I went down there and spent a couple of days in the studio. I think we cut three songs or so. Then I overdubbed a couple of guitars on some other songs. But at the time, I was doing so many different things, that that was just sort of a blur.
Arlene R. Weiss: It always seems like you're so involved with so many different creative things at the same time which I think is great. You have your hands in a lot of different projects at the same time. You're working on your own album. You're working on other people's albums. You're playing different clubs....
Doyle Bramhall II: Things just keep coming up. I'm really glad that they do. I'm always surprised when I get a call because it's not like I'm going out and searching for it. It seems like when I'm not doing anything, that's when I get a call.
Arlene R. Weiss: What was the impetus for you, in choosing the four songs that you collaborate and play guitar on, on your Dad’s album, "Dimples", "Changes" which we're going to get to because you do a blowout version of that, "Forty Four" which is a wonderful interpretation, and "That's How Strong My Love Is"? Did you actually choose those four songs to play on?
Doyle Bramhall II: No. My Dad chose all of the songs. He had everything that he knew he wanted to put on the record. He called and said that he wanted me to play on certain songs. "Dimples", "Forty Four", and "Changes" he wanted us to do together because we had played some live shows where we did those particular renditions of those songs. So basically, he wanted to capture what we did live, in the studio and he worked out the versions that we came up with. But yeah! My Dad had it pretty much sorted out. He knew what he wanted me to play on.
Arlene R. Weiss: What creative approach and playing technique did you use in developing your own personal distinct interpretation and musical voice for each of those four songs, while still adhering faithful to the original, artistic statement and vision of the four great soul and blues artists who wrote those four songs, being John Lee Hooker, Buddy Miles, Howlin' Wolf, and Roosevelt Jamieson?
Doyle Bramhall II: We cut those songs pretty fast, in a couple of days, and so I didn't have much time to think about it. "Forty Four" we did live, so we already had that version as well as the version of "Changes". My thing was, with a song like "Changes", I always feel that when you're doing a great song, that you either have to better the original, or you have to do it completely different and make it your own. On those songs, we didn't have much time to get into all that because we were under a time constraint where we had to get out of the studio. So we just went in and played. And then I think the uniqueness comes in the way that me and my Dad play together, so that has an innate sound to it that sets it apart from other things.
Arlene R. Weiss: Your take on Buddy Miles' "Changes" though, it's the highlight of the album. Your improvisation, precision, and virtuosity are gorgeous. It seems as if you are completely in the moment, playing on your most exuberant, personal level. Can you elaborate on your interpretation of this classic song, how you made it your own, and how and why your playing is so imbued with these nuances? You can tell I was taken with it. It's a wonderful performance and it brings a lot to the song.
Doyle Bramhall II: I just played the song and I wanted to try and make it as different as possible than the original. But we didn't have time to do that so we stayed to the way it was cut originally and my Dad has the Buddy Miles feel anyway, on that. He's a hard hitter and he's definitely a time keeper.
Arlene R. Weiss: You both spar off each other wonderfully.
Doyle Bramhall II: It comes from growing up with each other. I listened to my Dad every day of my life growing up. That really comes naturally and so it's easy to play with one another. Other than that, I just plugged the guitar in and played the song and it was nothing more than what my feel is on the guitar, in the way that my fingers sound hitting the strings. Outside of that, it was simply playing with my Dad.
Arlene R. Weiss: How did you achieve the very raw, distorted, fuzzed guitar tones on "Forty Four" and "Dimples"? Did you use any specific pedals, effects, or gear?
Doyle Bramhall II: Not really. The only thing I might have used is a Fuzz Face, but I was going through an old Plexi Marshall and I had some kind of old hollow body guitar. I can't remember what kind it was. It belongs to a friend of mine, Craig Ross, who's from Austin. He has a lot of cool guitars and he let me borrow one of his guitars. It was just an old funky hollow body guitar. I think that tone mainly comes from going through the Marshall. It was super thick and had a very warm distortion to it. It was pretty easy to do. We did a couple of takes and that was it.
Arlene R. Weiss: Both songs have this very authentic, atmospheric sound as if they were recorded on analog tape, live, one take, in a room, with one mic, just like the original recordings. They don't sound as if they were recorded digitally or overproduced in a studio. Is that how you actually did it, or did you use any particular creative or production processes?
Doyle Bramhall II: No. But it's as live as you can get in a studio. My Dad ended up using live vocals so that was all the same take. I think there was a drum booth and everything was somewhat isolated. What might be a factor on those songs was that because I had played those songs so much growing up with my Dad, I didn't have to think about anything, so I wasn't thinking about how to do any parts and I was being as spontaneous and loose as possible on them.
Arlene R. Weiss: That's probably why it sounds so good though.
Doyle Bramhall II: Yeah! I didn't care about the changes or sticking to anything in particular on those songs, so there was this looseness of almost like just doing whatever I wanted and that everything that I did was going to work and it ended up sounding that way, very free.
Arlene R. Weiss: Were you actually involved in the arrangement of the various lead and rhythm guitar parts, such as how you wanted the chord structures and melody lines to be constructed, the vibe, and so forth?
Doyle Bramhall II: Not really. The only one, on "Forty Four" I came up with the rhythm guitar part, but it's nothing more than playing the song. But I obviously wasn't sticking to the original. I was playing it as we were a band.
Arlene R. Weiss: What were you main studio guitars and gear on the record?
Doyle Bramhall II: It was the old funky hollow body guitar and a 69' Plexi Marshall, a JMP.
Arlene R. Weiss: Did you use any of your guitars, "Little Doyle" or your 63' Harmony Rocket?
Doyle Bramhall II: I didn't bring any of that down. I went down and played the same hollow body guitar the whole time.
Arlene R. Weiss: Can you elaborate on how your Dad and his music influenced and inspired you as a guitarist, as a singer, and as a songwriter?
Doyle Bramhall II: Well I think because I was around my Dad, and that all of the musicians that he played with, Stevie Vaughan and Jimmie Vaughan and all the different Texas musicians that he was involved with were really talented musicians....and I was lucky enough to be around that growing up. They were definitely my teachers. They never showed me anything on guitar, but being around them all the time, I just absorbed it and it became so much a part of my DNA after a certain time that it’s something that’s completely natural for me. But my Dad is also a songwriter as well as a singer and a drummer. When I first got into music, I wanted to be a drummer and I wanted to do everything like my Dad. But after a while, we had a lot of drummers in the family and my stepbrother ended up being the drummer in the early band that I was in. We needed a guitar player and we didn't know any guitar players that liked that kind of music. I was sort of unusual for a thirteen year old, as it was for any eleven, twelve, thirteen year old, to like the kind of music that we did. There are not too many fourteen year olds that are listening to Lightnin' Hopkins and Muddy Waters records.
Arlene R. Weiss: Are you still into funk and R&B because I remember that you like that as well, which I do too? Sly Stone and other artists in that genre?
Doyle Bramhall II: Yeah! Those were records that I got into a little later. When I was about eighteen, I started getting into all the more funk oriented bands. But I had always been into Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder. My Mom and Dad listened to a lot of records and I got into so many artists and different types of music.
Arlene R. Weiss: When you sing, a lot of the songs that you sing, your phrasing and interpretation sounds a lot like Donny Hathaway, especially in the years when he did duets with Roberta Flack. It has that same interpretation and phrasing and it's really pretty.
Doyle Bramhall II: Well he's my favorite singer. Nobody, nobody in my opinion, is at and of the level where he was.
Arlene R. Weiss: Well if you ever do a cover of "Back Together Again", I want to hear it!
Doyle Bramhall II: Yeah!
Arlene R. Weiss: Do you have any particularly fond or special creative reflections and memories of actually growing up in Dallas, on Fitchburg Street itself, in a family that was so rich in its musical heritage and that generously hosted so many wonderful musicians such as Stevie Ray and Lightnin' Hopkins, and how all this impacted your musical development? Do you have any specific memories that really stand out and you think, influenced you later, down the road?
Doyle Bramhall II: I have these images that have always been imprinted in my brain, like seeing Freddie King playing. I remember seeing Freddie King and he was 6' 3" or whatever he was, he was 6'3", and he wore these gaudy outfits. I mean they weren't gaudy on him, but they would have been gaudy on anybody else. And he wore turquoise jewelry. And he played and his voice was just....He was one of those guys that could stand five feet away from the microphone, and his voice would carry almost like an opera singer. And just his presence. I always remembered Freddie King's presence.
Arlene R. Weiss: How old were you the first time that you saw him?
Doyle Bramhall II: Oh, just when I was born. But probably four or five was the time that I could remember. There are so many people that all stick out in my memory. I didn't realize until I was much older that the musicians and people that I was seeing, were a part of our American Musical Culture. And I didn't realize until later on what I had been seeing, until I was sixteen or seventeen, and I realized, "Wow, I got to see all these people firsthand." Also, to have a different take on it hearing and seeing all the English bands that were coming out, like the Stones and Clapton, and all these people that were doing blues records. But they had their take on it. But I think that me being from Texas, having a sort of Texas take on it, was a little different, so it's a different sound as well.
Arlene R. Weiss: It's a well rounded sound.
Doyle Bramhall II: Yeah! I grew up very near places that Lightnin' Hopkins grew up. I got to see a lot of the places and go explore all the different kinds of music. And a lot of the guys, when I was fifteen, were still around. All the....
Arlene R. Weiss: The blues artists.
Doyle Bramhall II: The real blues artists. They hadn't passed away, so I got to see a lot of them firsthand.
Arlene R. Weiss: Did you ever get to actually see Donny Hathaway perform live?
Doyle Bramhall II: No....no....no....But I got to feel him though....
Arlene R. Weiss: Will you be guesting on any of your father's national tour to promote "Fitchburg Street"? It would be nice if you two played together.
Doyle Bramhall II Yeah! I don’t know! If he comes out here or if I'm down there at the time when he's playing, that would be nice. Yes.
Arlene R. Weiss: You've been quite busy working on many different projects. How did you coordinate collaborating on "Fitchburg Street" while simultaneously working on your own new record?
Doyle Bramhall II: I flew down to Austin for a couple of days to do my Dad's record. I guess you can get a lot done in a couple of days if you set your mind to it and that's how it's been for me. Like I won't be doing anything for a couple of months and then I'll get three different calls to work on three different records at the same time. I'll go in and do them, I work really hard, and then a couple weeks later, I'm not doing anything for another couple months, and then all the records come out at the same time, so it actually seems like I'm doing a lot more than I am.
Arlene R. Weiss: How much have you actually written for your new record?
Doyle Bramhall II: I've written alot. I don't know what songs will actually make the record because I'm trying to write the highest percentage of great songs for my new record. I don't want anything to be filler on the record.
Arlene R. Weiss: You want to raise the bar on each of your records artistically.
Doyle Bramhall II: I'm not just putting a song out to put it on the record. I want every song to be as good as the next. I want to make my greatest record this time around.
Arlene R. Weiss: How has the music of the great blues and soul artists that you covered on "Fitchburg Street" not only inspired and influenced you in your early musical development, but you've made it a point in your career, as you grow forward with each new record, to constantly evolve and show your many different eclectic musical styles. You love the blues, but you have many different musical influences. So how did these artists become not only a major influence in your early development as an artist, but also become a significant element in your ongoing evolution as a multi-styled musician and artist, where you want to grow and spread your wings?
Doyle Bramhall II: Well I think because my Dad, my Mom, and Stevie, and Jimmie, and all those guys were listening to different kinds of music. What we most had on, early on in the house was a lot of blues and that's what my Dad was playing. So I basically got schooled in the blues and that's what I listened to and played. I tried to emulate all these guitar players and I think that you can tell that in my guitar playing, I have most of that. That blues influence comes out in my guitar playing. More so in lead than anything else. But I think that because they were going through this whole hippie movement in the late 60's, that we were also listening to The Beatles, The Stones and a lot of the solo artists. But back then, it was a lot different because listening to Sly Stone.... Sly Stone was digging The Beatles, The Stones, and Dylan. And Hendrix was the same. There wasn't this huge gap between R&B and rock and jazz because it was.... Everybody was taking from all forms of music at that time. And I think that that's why the music from the 60's and 70's was so good. It's because everybody was sharing and being influenced by all forms of music.
Arlene R. Weiss: Yeah! There was none of this labeling and pigeonholing like you hear now. Everybody listened to every kind of music, and to everybody else.
Doyle Bramhall II: You could listen to pop radio and hear "Everyday People". That's an amazing song and the musicianship is just otherworldly.
Arlene R. Weiss: Go treat yourself! They just put out a remastered "The Essential Sly & The Family Stone" on Epic/Legacy Records.
Doyle Bramhall II: Oh really!? Wow! So I was listening to soul, and I was listening to R&B, and funk, and whatever. And the musicians back then, I mean what were you going to label Stevie Wonder? He wasn't an R&B artist by today's standards. He was just a great artist.
Arlene R. Weiss: He also made a lot of songs about social consciousness and raising social awareness, the signs of the times.
Doyle Bramhall II: Which a lot of artists back then were doing anyway.
Arlene R. Weiss: And a lot more artists need to do nowadays.
Doyle Bramhall II: Yeah! So there wasn't this huge gap between genres.
Arlene R. Weiss: I hear it in your vocals. Like what I was saying about your phrasing and when you were discussing how you were influenced by Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder. My favorite song on the Arc Angels album is "Sent By Angels". The very end of the song, the last phrase when you're just improvising and you're not even singing the written lyrics, you sing, "Isn't She Lovely", and it's the way that you phrase it. It sounds like Stevie Wonder's song.
Doyle Bramhall II: I was intentionally doing that at the time.
Arlene R. Weiss: Were you!
Doyle Bramhall II: Yes!
Arlene R. Weiss: But it doesn't sound like you're trying to imitate him. It sounds like you. And it's gorgeous! That's my favorite part of the song! That's the best part of the song!
Doyle Bramhall II: I didn't know anybody noticed....
Arlene R. Weiss: Well, it's fading out at the end, so you have to turn it up to hear it, and then where you're scat singing, wonderfully and beautifully, at the end, which very few people know how to do well which is the jazz, bop influence. And you're scatting at the end, afterwards, like Stevie Wonder does! You've got to do that more! People label you as a guitar player, but you are just something as a singer, songwriter.
Doyle Bramhall II: Thank you.
Arlene R. Weiss: You are! I mean you're a great guitar player too. But you're a wonderful singer, songwriter, and musician and I've always thought of you that way.
Doyle Bramhall II: That's why I also took a lot of all these other influences later on. I was playing blues all the time, but I wasn't writing blues songs. Everything that was coming out of me was just completely new. And the songs have been influenced by.... I love the way The Beatles wrote songs, The Stones. And so I put that into my writing as well as the overall musicianship of my songs.
Arlene R. Weiss: And look how The Beatles constantly evolved. Look at their first albums with "She Loves You" and pop, and then they're going into World Music and eastern Indian influenced music like "Norwegian Wood". How far 180 is that in another artistic direction, or songs like "Revolution"?
Doyle Bramhall II: Now it would be a different thing because nobody could get away with that because they have to label you and people would say about The Beatles, they would be like.... “What? They're doing their eastern Indian influenced song!â€.
Arlene R. Weiss: I know. I was going to say that, because so many artists keep trying to evolve and stretch artistically and then the next album flops not because it's not good, but because everybody says, "How come it doesn't sound like the last album? You're known as a blues singer or whatever?"
Doyle Bramhall II: And artists run into that all the time.
Arlene R. Weiss: I know. And it's wrong. I follow the music industry and it's just terrible. And a lot of artists are revolting right now and I don't blame them. They've had it with this whole thing.
Doyle Bramhall II: No more McDonalds! (laughing)
Arlene R. Weiss: Really! (laughing) Assembly line stuff. Well, let me know when the new album is ready because I'd love to cover it!
Doyle Bramhall II: Yeah!
Arlene R. Weiss: And I'm sure it's going to be wonderful.
Doyle Bramhall II: Thank you.
Arlene R. Weiss: That's about it I guess.
Doyle Bramhall II: Well alright. I will let you know when I finish my new record.
© Copyright July 23, 2003, 2016 and In Perpetuity By Arlene R. Weiss-All Rights Reserved
[Edited on 5/23/2016 by ArleneWeiss]
Hey, thanks for sharing these interviews.
I really like Arc Angels, saw Doyle live with Clapton (along with Derek,) seen him on TV with various other people, quite a guy.
Hey, thanks for sharing these interviews.
I really like Arc Angels, saw Doyle live with Clapton (along with Derek,) seen him on TV with various other people, quite a guy.
You;re very welcome. Glad you enjoyed them. I still have my Arc Angels CD and it's darn near worn out!
Great video of "Living In A Dream" with lots of concert footage of Doyle, Charlie, Chris & Tommy!
And my favorite song, "Sent By Angels"..wonderfully aided and abetted by the amazing 5th Arc Angel so to speak, the late Ian McLagen of The Faces & The Small Faces on Hammond B3 who played throughout the album adding just beautiful textures.
Live concert performance of "Sent By Angels".
Making Duane Allman & John Lee Hooker proud, The Arc Angels rockin' those "Dimples"! with some Texas blues! Play that guitar Charlie & Doyle!
[Edited on 5/23/2016 by ArleneWeiss]
Hey, thanks for sharing these interviews.
I really like Arc Angels, saw Doyle live with Clapton (along with Derek,) seen him on TV with various other people, quite a guy.
Since you're an Arc Angels fan, you might enjoy my 2002 interview with Charlie Sexton who discussed them in much detail posted in the thread below.
[Edited on 5/25/2016 by ArleneWeiss]
most underated.Hope to see more of him in coming years...
Big fan of Doyle since the early 90's with Arc Angel. If you dont have his release Jellycream , you might want to check it out. Hopefully he will get his solo stuff going again. Its been on the back burner for quite a long time since he hooked up with EC.
Doyle Bramhall II - Chariot (LIVE)
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
Link to my FIRST Interview with Doyle Bramhall II, WELCOMING TEXAS SIX-STRING PRODIGY which was kindly posted online on the blog website Musician By Night. Thank you!
© Copyright 2001-2050 & In Perpetuity By Arlene R. Weiss-All Rights Reserved
http://musicianbynight.blogspot.com/2012/04/doyle-bramhall-ii.html
