JAMES TAYLOR AND FRIENDS AT TANGLEWOOD
August 26-30
PURCHASE TICKETS IN ADVANCE OF FEB. 8 ONSALE DATE!
COVERS
(Wichita Lineman) Best Pop Vocal Album INTERNATIONAL EDITION (with 3 bonus tracks)
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Welcome! It's been a very busy 2009 so far! James was recently in LA where he filmed a cameo in the new Judd Apatow/Adam Sandler film, Funny People. From there he flew to Washington, DC where he was a featured performer on the "We Are One" concert at the Lincoln Memorial. A few days later, James performed with his band at the Eastern States Inaugural Ball celebrating President Obama's Inauguration. James is currently enjoying fantastic media stops in Europe to celebrate the release of Covers' International Edition. JT fans will be glad to hear that he is planning a 7-song bonus CD and a 19-song digital deluxe release of Covers in time for the U.S. "Down Home Tour" (April/May 2009). These two releases will include all bonus material from the January 2008 Covers recording sessions. Be sure to visit the tour page on jamestaylor.com for all U.S. tour information. Next up will be European Summer Festival tour information. We will start posting that in the next week and will be updating it periodically. For JT Tanglewood fans: the Boston Symphony has done something incredible for us -- see the web link in the column to your left. You may buy tickets in advance of public sale but only for the next 3 days so act fast. Please do not be disappointed if your first choice of seats are gone. Hopefully everyone who would like to come will be able to! Lastly, we were proud this week to be with James as he received the award for Lifetime Achievement at the BBC Radio 2 annual Folk Awards in London. Presenting the award to James was his friend, Steve Winwood. For this month's "interview", James is delighted to share with you the following profile about his good friend and colleague, guitar tech, John "JP" Prince. If you've ever wondered who the "lucky guy" is who stealthily glides to and from centerstage during concerts and who "gets to" carry, tune, re-string and warm-up James's many guitars -- and how he ended up with that gig -- then you will find the following a very interesting read. How did you first meet James? I met James in 2001 during a technical rehearsal in West Palm Beach FL for the Pullover Tour after I was hired as a carpenter/rigger. We were working to get the scenery up and running when James and the band finally arrived. I was finishing last minute details thirty feet up in the air, lying on my belly in the truss when I saw them walk on stage. James took stock of everything, looked up, and shouted "Who's that up there?" "It's JP," I replied, to which he said "Oh hey JP, don't drop anything on my now." And luckily, I never did.
How did you come to this line of work? I spent some time at trade school in Ohio learning how to become a recording engineer, and then took a summer job carting and setting band gear for an infamous local blues band. When the season was over and the Unknown Blues Band stopped working, I decided to apprentice and get my Journeyman's card in Burlington, Vermont. Here I learned and practiced many forms of stagecraft, such as lighting, sound, and props, for theater, dance, circus – you name it, everyday was different. I've also worked on many other tours as set carpenter, tour rigger, and stage manager, for all types of music. I’ve been working as James’ guitar tech since early 2006. After watching a couple of other guys do it over the years, I got my opportunity to look after James' guitars for the One Man Band Tour. Do you play guitar? When people ask me this, I always answer the same: "I'm just a hack, but I sure love to play." Honestly, I've been banging on guitars for as long as I can remember. I wish my fingers worked better and I wish I could read music, but I've never had the patience. When I was young, I spent some years fooling my piano teacher by mimicking her fingers and playing by ear. In high school, I started an introductory guitar class but within a couple of weeks of the ensemble picking through "Mull of Kintyre," I was invited to withdraw without credit or find a practice room by myself to hone my improvisational styles (also without credit). I chose the latter.
What goes on backstage when you're not handing James his guitar? I'm tuning his other guitars, and at the same time listening to my in-ear monitor to make sure everything sounds good. I listen to the same mix as James does, so I know immediately if there's a problem, either with tuning or equipment malfunctions. When James is playing with his band, I'm also watching to make sure that Jimmy Johnson and Mike Landau are comfortable and have everything they need. Along with my own specific duties, I'm one of many sets of eyes and ears of the road crew, working on and around the stage to keep things running smoothly at show time.
What would a typical day be like for you on the road? The day starts with copious amounts of strong coffee and maybe a bite in catering. Then it's time to find a home for "Stage Left Guitar World." With amp racks, assorted road cases and a very large monitor console offstage left, space can get tight - but I need to see the band so I try to make sure I've staked my claim early because at some venues it can be challenging to fit us all in while still remaining 'invisible.' Setting up guitar world is an exercise in staying out of everyone's way and protecting all of the guitar gear from the dangers of load-in. I like to set up early so I can go through all the gear and not be surprised if something had too bumpy a ride in the truck the night before. After a bit of inspection, I'll get to changing strings on James' acoustics for every show. This is necessary because after just a couple of hours of his playing on them, they lose a quite a bit of the bright, twinkling response heard in his finger work.
After lunch we set up all of the gear in show positions onstage and then do a line check to make sure all systems and equipment are working properly so sound check will be a snap for the band. James and the band come in the mid-late afternoon for sound check and play a handful of songs from the night's set in order to check all of their instruments and make sure they can hear themselves and each other well. They also may just jam for awhile if they feel like it or fiddle around with other songs not in the show. When James, the band, and the engineers are satisfied, it's usually close to dinnertime. In the half hour prior to show time, after updating set-lists, wiping guitars and tuning guitars, we'll once again make sure everything is working with a quick and quiet line check. It's then just a few minutes wait for the best part of the day.
What goes on once James leaves the stage after a concert? James and the band typically leave the gig immediately. For the crew, it's reverse repeat of loading in. I get all of the guitars and electronics in their cases as quickly and as safely as possible, roll it all offstage and into the truck, and get out of the way of the rest of load out. Grab a shower and off to the bus where I am known to eat …a lot.
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