How Did You First Discover Jim Campilongo?
I was rehearsing a few songs with a musician I was going to be playing with. She wanted me to improvise a lead over one of her newer songs. I was playing a Jazzmaster and using the whammy bar to bend up to certain notes in the lead. Kind of immitating that lick from the Chris Isaak tune, "Wicked Games".
When we were finished we hung out and talked music for a while. She said, "if you like 'bending notes' then you might like Jim Campilongo" (which I still laugh at because its such a simplification but I know what she meant at the time). I wrote his name down and looked at my list a few days later when I had time to do a few Google searches. I went to a few Living Room shows and was totally stunned. "The rest" as they say ,"is History".
.....I never ended up playing with the musician but it was totally worth it to get turned on to Jim's amazing talent and body of work.
When we were finished we hung out and talked music for a while. She said, "if you like 'bending notes' then you might like Jim Campilongo" (which I still laugh at because its such a simplification but I know what she meant at the time). I wrote his name down and looked at my list a few days later when I had time to do a few Google searches. I went to a few Living Room shows and was totally stunned. "The rest" as they say ,"is History".
.....I never ended up playing with the musician but it was totally worth it to get turned on to Jim's amazing talent and body of work.
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One hour away from the town (Jämsä), the guy called his wife had just left him (and their kids) and he was in no condition to go to the concert. So I was alone. The concert was outside of town, practically on and surrounded by a perfectly still lake. The weather was perfect. A blues band with Keith Wyatt on lead had just finished. There were some other blues bands, like a very good 40s style jump blues outfit from Sweden. Some blues rock guy from NY playing a strat (even trying to mimic Jim (he said so on stage)), not my kinda thing. I think there were like 6 or 7 bands in total... and an audience of like 150 max having a picnic at a lawn in sunny summer weather.
Well, Jim Campilongo hit me like nothing ever had. Man this was something else! There were about 20 people up front, and I was there first row and center. That was what I had come for you.
I remember talking with his friend who is behind the Klon Centaur overdrive, well, about overdrive pedals, for like an hour. Thanks to him for that, I don't really know anything about pedals, still don't, but it was nice to have a chat with somebody.
I left after that, as for me, Jim had cleared the stage with his performance. Nothing was to sound any good after that.
That's it. Have seen him play each time his been here, afaik. I don't how many times that is. Have had all the CDs signed, and even did an interview for the local blues mag once. Oh, and have played the '59 once, and he played my toploader Chinese tele, and said "well, it sounds the same, doesn't it". It didn't, mine sounded a lot fuller, less twangy. Jim also signed it at the back (where strings come through on a regular tele) "Approved, Jim Campilongo".
In 2004 we went to see him here in Helsinki, with guy who couldn't make it in 2003. That night he met his current wife. The year after, they both came to the JC show.
Back in those days I was addicted to cigarettes. I run outta smokes one night n during a break I seen he was smokin Camels. So's I tried to buy a cigarette from him fore 25 cents. He would not sell it to me, ........he give me one. That Campilongo is just as good a guy as he is a guitar player.
So I went looking for his stuff and the first song I heard was his cover of "Folsom Prison Blues" and I was hooked. I don't think at the time I really understood everything he was doing. To me it sounded like he was rubbing the guitar against concrete. Amazing. By the way, I still don't understand.
So I got the album "Heavy" and some of the other earlier stuff and subsequent albums too. However, he again blew my mind when I heard The Little Willies. The solos in "I Gotta Get Drunk" are face-melters, but how he accompanies and adds color in "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" and "It's Not You, It's Me" were much cooler to me. That album spent 2 years in my car. I rediscovered Campilongo.
Then I did so again with "Orange", an album that is still in my car since the day it came out. This time it prompted me to buy my first Telecaster, after being a sworn Strat Man, followed by a Princeton Reverb.
Last month I finally got to see him play his gig at The Living Room. Which, was a highlight of my career as a musician and a consummate fan of everything guitar. Being a Caribbean/Island person, all of our culture is imported and we don't "bump" into famous people, so I was kind of nervous. It was with great delight that I noticed Jim's humbled look when I showed him his signature I bought that afternoon. I think he was happier to see it than I was for buying it. I rediscovered Campilongo again.
In conclusion, if Campilongo switches to the trombone as he is implying, I will be buying that album too and maybe discover something new.
http://popshifter.com/2010-01-30/the-life-of-a-21st-century-musician-an-interview-with-jim-campilongo/
Thanks again for the interview Jim. Still my favorite interview that I've done yet!
I first heard Jim on the Little Willies album. In my place of work the sound system was always playing 'Roll On' which I had assumed was a Norah Jones solo song. I loved the song so much I did some research and found the album. I had no idea the guitar would even feature as much on the album as it did (does). Anyway I've been playing guitar for 20 years and just when I thought no one other than Jeff Beck had an original style anymore I hear the licks in 'Roly Poly" and I thought 'who is this maniac?'
I started buying Jim's albums after that and finding all these blurry videos on Youtube from the 10 Gallon Cats days. Anyone I spoke to had never heard of him. I was so happy when I saw him in the Princeton video.
I'm pretty sure Jim sold 99% of the RI Princetons out there... mine included.
I also ordered a lesson from Jim direct and conversed by email. Seemed like a great guy. A musician's musician.
Usually it's crap like "Highway one, made to trow in the back of your truck!" or "G-dec, you can bury it,and it still sounds good!". I was looking for reviews on the princeton becauwe i saw one in a shop, and i was thinking that this might be my thing. That add got me both on the princeton and Jim.
'Hmmm,' I thought, 'that amps is GREAT! And who is that guy playing?'
Thanks to the wonder of spotify and itunes, I managed to get hold of some albums, starting with Orange...
And I bought the amp...
The song is 1958's "Rebel Rouser" played by the highly influential Duane Eddy. Timeless and irresistible!
my birthday and found Jim's number under Guitar Lessons on a bulletin board at the local music store. She made the arrangements with Jim and all I had to do was show up. I would take lessons in his house in Brisbane in Northern California until he decided to move to NYC. I would go to as many of his local gigs as possible to witness one of the great Telecaster players of all time and to think I was taking lessons from him. Today, I continue to take lessons from one his more talented pupils, Nils Erickson, and to this day I always refer to Jim's "early lessons" as I continue to learn to play. My wife and I often joke about how it all went down- Just a phone number on a wall. Thank you Jim for the memories. John Casado
I kept thinking "man, how come my tele doesn't sound like that and I want to be able to play some of that stuff" . I ended up taking lessons for quite a while and learned a ton of stuff although I still can't make my tele sound like that and I still can't play like that.
I got a lot out of those lessons. I really like the way Jim breaks down more chordy tunes to their essential parts first before adding all the color chords and stuff. Makes it much easier to see what's really going on with a tune. I've had lessons from some serious jazz players where they'd start off with a gazillion chord family substitutions etc. etc. etc. and my head would just spin.