Jesse Sykes and her Sweet Hereafter guitar player Phil Wandscher play an acoustic set tomorrow night (Friday) at Tractor Tavern.

Phil’s left handed playing summons western country, tumbleweeds, and the gold rush. It’s 107 degrees on a dry riverbed, whisky only makes you more thirsty. Jesse says Phil’s solos are songs within the songs. Torched dry and bright. He’s more about melody and touch and imagery.

Phil spoke about his guitar and his playing:

Where do your solos come from? How do you write them? Is there a process?
Phil: I play the song over and over. What comes to mind first, I think, is what everyone would do. I try to dig through layers and get to what normally wouldn’t be played. It’s almost like I have to learn it myself and teach it to myself. I think the more you play something, the further you can take it.

Does Jesse have input?
Yeah, usually she’s right there and gives me her feedback.

What’s it like playing these songs every night? Do the songs get tired?
It’s definitely challenging to stay inspired. But I get into every song and section. It’s not something I have to make myself do. Autopilot for me isn’t just mailing it in and going through the motions. Autopilot for me is being comfortable enough with the song or the section to take the solo different places.

What kind of guitar do you play?
I play left handed so it kind of limits my options. My main guitar is a DeArmond Starfire Special. Fender made them in the 60’s. Jerry Garcia played one in the Warlocks. They were sort of cheap when they came out, then Fender bought Guild and killed the line. Now they are sought after. I’ve been looking for another one, but can’t find it.

You don’t have another one? You must baby the one you have.
When we travel, I keep it with me at all times. Flying is hard because sometimes they try to tell me I have to check it in as baggage. We were flying America West one time, seated all the way at the back of course, and the flight attendant told me I couldn’t have it in the passenger cabin. I told him I wasn’t getting rid of it. He took me and the guitar all the way up to the cockpit to talk to the pilot. We were delaying the flight. Everyone on the plane was so appalled and saying, ‘You should get rid of the guitar.’ ‘I can’t believe he’s not getting rid of his stupid guitar.’

I told the pilot the seat next to me was open and I could put it there. And when he saw that this was why the flight was being delayed he was so pissed. He said, ‘Strap that fucking thing into the open seat and let’s go!’ We were flying to Austin, TX too, a music city. I thought people would have been more understanding.

What guitar players do you listen to and like? Any influences?
Yeah, all the Jimmy’s. I like Link Wray, the guy who created distortion. I like surf rock and the Cramps. I like clean sounds just as much as I like dirty, nasty, crunchy Cobain stuff. Some guy called me a hippy because I like George Harrison. Whatever. I’m into Merle Haggard too.

Real guitar picking baffles me. It comes from intensive repetition. It’s all runs and runs and runs. Those Nashville guys will be playing and they’ll throw in one these impossible runs. It’s almost too much. You know how drum machines have the ‘Fill’ button that does the almost too perfect tom fill? That’s kind of what these country pickers do when they play one of these runs. I need a ‘Nashville Session Player Run Button’ on my pedal board.

What’s up next for you guys? Are you working on a new album?
We’re lining stuff up for Europe and writing, yeah. The way things are, with all the touring, our writing has to be quick and condensed. The touring is great, don’t get me wrong, but it can make the time set aside for writing new stuff seem a bit pressured. There’s this immediacy attached to everything. For the next month or so, we’re writing.

Now that people don’t buy CD’s, there are so many ways to put out songs. Songs kind of have a new independent life of their own.

You seem like such a gunslinger to me. Is that something you think about when you play?
What, being a gunslinger?

Yeah, you know, that country western sound. Being handy with the steel. High noon. Are you handy with the steel?
Like do I shoot guns?

Yeah
I just play guitar, Trent.

At high noon?
That’s a little early, but I guess sometimes I play at noon, yes.

Thank you.