LOS ANGELES (www.cgtrio.com) - California Guitar Trio, the acclaimed group consisting of guitarists Bert Lams, Hideyo Moriya and Paul Richards, will issue the new studio album 'Whitewater' on InsideOut
Music America on August 17, 2004. It is CGT's first new release since 2003's compilation 'The First Decade' and first new recording since 2002's 'CG3+2.'
The 12 tracks on 'Whitewater' include: "The Marsh," "Atlantis," "Skyline," "Mee-Woo," "Prelude Circulation BWV 988," "Cantharsis," "Cosmo Calypso," "Whitewater," "Led Foot," "Relative Illusion," "Red Iguana" and "Ghost Riders On The Storm."
'Whitewater' was produced by Tony Levin, the revered bassist for Peter Gabriel, King Crimson and others. Levin is a longtime friend of CGT's and an occasional collaborator. Levin and King Crimson/Mr. Mister drummer Pat Mastelotto were the "plus two" on 'CG3+2.'
"We wanted to go back to our basic original format on this album and focus on our own original music. 'Whitewater' is a vehicle for showcasing our own writing," says Richards. "In the past, our albums have often been a combination of classical pieces, originals and covers. We are concentrating more on originals with this album."
Songwriting is not quite as simple for CGT as it might seem. The reason is geography. Richards lives in Salt Lake City, Utah; Lams (a Belgium native) lives in Los Angeles, California; and Moriya lives in Tokyo, Japan.
"We had very intense writing sessions," Richards says. "Some songs were written on the road during our last tour, but almost half of 'Whitewater' was written in one week late last year while we were in Atlanta, Georgia. It's not the most convenient way to write songs, so there is always some pressure when we do get together. In some ways that pressure can be good because of the limited amount of time we have."
CGT tours relentlessly, and that enables Lams, Moriya and Richards to road-test new material before going in to the studio.
"Songs are written beforehand but they are really developed on the road. Almost everything on 'Whitewater' has already been played out on the road, except for one or two things that were written in the studio," explains Richards. "When we are on tour we see that firsthand audience reaction to songs and sometimes we'll rework them based on the response."
One distinct advantage to having songs planned out ahead of time is the resulting efficiency once ensconced in the recording studio.
"It only took less than four days to record 'Whitewater.' We did it mostly live at Tom Mark's Make Believe Studios near Woodstock, New York. Tom engineered and mixed the album. It was a totally different experience in the studio this time because Tom has vintage analog equipment and high-end microphones. This is the first time we've ever used that in the studio. We've always recorded digitally before. It really fit in with the back-to-basics format we were after," Richards says. "More patience is required with analog recording tape because you have to physically rewind and fast-forward it instead of the instant access you get recording digitally. It was unusual to see tape being cut with a razor blade and spliced together!
"Overall, Tony's job was quality control and bringing in new ideas. He is really good at analyzing particular takes. We brought in complete songs, but Tony was able to be more objective when it came to the recording and deciding when a song was finished."
CGT takes pride in the vast array of self-contained sounds achieved on 'Whitewater' using just steel-string, custom-made Martin acoustic guitars and Roland effect pedals. Lams, Moriya and Richards are fans of electric guitar too, and they often achieve that biting tone with the Martin/Roland combination. Most listeners would be surprised to learn that the shredding on "Led Foot," for example, emanates from the Martin/Roland gear tandem and not an electric guitar through a wall of amplifiers. The only outside musician contributing to 'Whitewater' is Levin, who used a fretless bass guitar to play a harmony line with Richards on "Mee-Woo."
'Whitewater' consists of all-original material, with two exceptions. "Prelude Circulation BWV 988" is based on a Johann Sebastian Bach piece written for the lute. On this song, CGT exercises its mind-boggling "circulation" performance technique where Lams, Moriya and Richards each take turns playing one single note in the flowing melody lines.
The finale, "Ghost Riders On The Storm," is a clever, well-executed medley of the Stan Jones-penned country standard "Ghost Riders In The Sky" (a hit first for Vaughn Monroe in 1949 and covered by country legend Johnny Cash and the Southern-rock band the Outlaws, among others) and The Doors' "Riders On The Storm" from 1971's 'L.A. Woman.'
"I got the idea for the medley when my wife heard 'Riders On The Storm' on the radio one day but accidentally called it 'Ghost Riders In The Sky.' It fits in perfectly with the format of the rest of the album," says Richards.
California Guitar Trio is planning another extensive tour to promote 'Whitewater.' Select upcoming summer concert dates feature Levin as a special guest (visit www.cgtrio.com for details).
CGT tour dates include:
Friday, August 20th Rochester, NY Montage Grill
Saturday, August 21st Rochester, NY Montage Grill
Monday, August 23rd Chautauqua, NY
Chautauqua Institution
Wednesday, August 25th Hollywood, CA Knitting Factory
Thursday, August 26th Goleta, CA Mercury Lounge
Friday, August 27th Irvine, CA
Third Eye Gathering
Saturday, August 28th San Juan Capistrano, CA Coach House
Sunday, August 29th Oceanside, CA
MiraCosta College Theater
