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Colin Cripps, producer and guitarist for Kathleen Edwards (Rounder/Zoe) has a carved-top, single-cutaway First Act electric. His gorgeous, country-fried licks are woven throughout Edwards' latest release, Back to Me.
Originally hailing from Hamilton, Ontario, he's been recording, playing, producing, and writing for 18 years now. He has worked with a long list of performers and bands, and his work has appeared on more than 30 albums and in film and television.
On working with other musicians, Cripps commented, "I really enjoy writing as part of a team. I see what I've done as being a part of a lot of different types of music and my role is being a really good team player."
FA: How old were you when you started playing guitar, what music were you interested in?
I started playing guitar when I was 15, in 1976, so I listened to all the British rock guys (Page, Beck, Clapton), and then in the early '80s, I shifted gears and listened to a lot of rockabilly - '50s rockabilly and country swing players. I was into all of the early '80s British bands like Echo and The Bunnymen (Will Sargent), and The Smiths (Johnny Marr) and I loved U2 - I saw them the first time they played in Toronto in 1981 at the Maple Leaf Ballroom which only holds about 400 people. Nobody knew who they were, they were just a little buzz band, so I saw the Edge and I remember thinking, "This guy is it." I also really liked Tom Verlain and Richard Lloyd from Television - Tom Verlain is known as an innovator of sound, he influenced the Edge.
Most guitar players will tell you that they're all over the map and they listen to all kinds of players. I'm one of those guys. I've always liked organic guitar players and not just blues riffs. I appreciated that, but it wasn't my thing. It's about the songs to me. It's got to be in the context of a good song or a cool sound within a band. I was always into bands. If the guy was a standout player and the band was great, that was to me what I was always looking to try and do. That's the kind of playing I've always tried to imagine. I have no interest in seeing guys that are technical wizards but have no songs. I'm interested in the sound within the song.
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FA: If you were able to give advice to a young player, what would you say?
Find your voice. And, everybody sucks when they start. Anybody that you will ever be influenced by, that you will ever be in awe of, sucked when they started. Your inspiration has to be based on the notion that the person you were influenced by was also influenced by someone else. If you want to sound like Eddie Van Halen or whoever, eventually, it does you no good unless you find your own way. Everybody rips everybody off and then you hopefully fragment into something that becomes your own. You don't want to be redundant. You could be the sloppiest player in the world and have your own sound and that's cool.
FA: What do you think is the best part of being a musician?
Having the freedom to express yourself at any age.
FA: What's most challenging?
Maintaing the ability to do that (he laughs). I'm half-kidding...to remain inspired, to want to continue the journey. Musicians are their own worst enemy - never satisfied - you've got to maintain the energy to keep trying to be better. I've been lucky that I've been able to do that without any major roadblocks.
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