INTRO INTERVIEW
A minute’s all it takes to discover what makes a great guitarist tick. Before he jumped into his limo for the airport, we grabbed a quick chat with this red-hot, Welsh-born, Canadian blues phenomenon.
GT: Do you have a type of pick that you can’t live without?
PS: The green 0.88mm, combined with my fingernails and thumb. I buy these picks online in large quantities and like them best when brand new, usually getting a song or two out of each pick. They’ve got to be fresh!
GT: If you had to give up all your pedals but three, what would they be?
PS: A great sounding Fuzz Face or Diaz Square Face, a vintage TS808 Tube Screamer, and an early Italian Vox/Cry Baby wah-wah with the halo-inductor. Great examples of these specific pedals always inspire me, and no two sound quite the same, which keeps me always on the prowl and looking out for another great sounding unit.
GT: Do you play another instrument well enough to do so in a band?
PS: I studied classical piano and trombone as a kid. But I haven’t spent much time playing either instrument since I put my hands on a guitar, so I wouldn’t dare audition for a band on piano or trombone! I’ve played bass on my past two studio albums, and really enjoy listening and locking with an amazing drummer. Getting the bass tight with the kick drum for an epic groove is a special and magical feeling. My favourite bass player is Sir Paul McCartney who is always so melodic and generates so much energy and momentum. My favourite bass players are those who play as big as a house with thunderous, warm, and vintage tones. When they stop, you really notice the foundation of that house is missing.
GT: If a music chart were put in front of you, could you read it?
PS: I learned to read music for piano and trombone, but I haven’t yet learned to read for guitar or vocals. I do my best to follow my intuition and my ears. But I’m grateful for my early training on those instruments as they have provided me with a foundation in the way I approach my playing, singing, writing, and listening.
GT: Do guitar cables really make a difference?
PS: I play a mish-mash of cables, but my main instrument cables are made by Planet Waves. I use 20 or 30 ft cables and like to keep pedalboard cables reasonably short. I think it’s a good thing to hear your ‘straight into the amp tone’, and then compare it to the sound with a pedalboard. I can hear a difference, and usually want to stop tone degradation as much as possible.
GT: Is there anyone’s playing (past or present) that you’re slightly jealous of?
PS: The most incredible player I’ve ever stood next to is Jeff Healey. He was on another planet, simply unbelievable. He was literally a force of nature, lightning, wind, fire. It was a feeling of inspiration, not jealousy, and that exposure to Jeff’s brilliance has me practising
