HITTING THE ROAD - ALASTAIR GREENE

WORDS: STEPHEN HARRISON

As the morning sun crept over the Wasatch Mountains, bathing Salt Lake City in a warm glow, I found myself on a video call with one of the most electrifying blues-rock guitarists on the scene today - Alastair Greene. Our conversation came at the tail end of a well-deserved break for Greene after a blistering run of shows. But this road warrior’s respite would be shortlived, as he eagerly looked ahead to his next adventure - the highly anticipated Durango Blues Train Festival.

“It’s an actual train that they’ve got,” Greene explained with a hint of awe. “It’s like this kind of little mini-festival, and it’s three days, and we’re playing all three days on a train.” This unique event, which sells out within an hour of tickets going on sale each year, will have Greene and his band performing high-octane blues rock while the locomotive chugs through the scenic Colorado wilderness.

A Love Affair With London

It’s exactly the type of one-of-a-kind experience that fuels Greene’s passion for life on the road. Despite being a touring machine who has crisscrossed the globe many times over, he still marvels at the iconic imagery of places like London, where he’s scheduled to return in October. “As an American, you can’t help but want to take a selfie every time you see one of those old red phone booths,” he chuckled.

Of course, Greene’s love for the UK runs far deeper than just its photogenic landmarks. It’s a place that has embraced his fiery fretwork with open arms, with raucous sold-out shows at legendary venues like the Slaughtered Lamb under his belt. “It was packed, a nice small funky club underneath the restaurant, and we had a fantastic time,” he reminisced about that particular London gig.

Honouring The Hallowed Stages

His forthcoming return to England in the fall will include a stop at the 229 Club, as well as a revisiting of the hallowed 100 Club stage where he previously shared the bill with blues harmonica master Sugar Ray Rayford back in 2019. For a musician so steeped in blues tradition, playing in the same rooms as his heroes is the ultimate honour.

“STANDING OUT LOUD”A MASTERFUL HOMAGE

Greene’s latest album, the critically acclaimed “Standing Out Loud,” is a masterful homage to those very blues rock pioneers that shaped his signature sound. “My mission statement for this record was, I want to try and create an album that sounds like a lot of the music that inspired me to get into blues,” he explained.

Tracks like the electrifying album-closer “Bullfrog Blues” are a tip of the cap to guitar gods like Rory Gallagher, whose primal slide work left an indelible mark on Greene’s playing. “Rory was one of these guys that kind of sparked that fire,” he said of Gallagher’s profound influence. “When I heard him, I resonated with how he approached things.”

Capturing The 70s Sound

To capture that classic 70s vibe, Greene headed to the musical meccas of Nashville and Austin to record “Standing Out Loud” using vintage gear and techniques from that hallowed era. “I wanted it to sound sonically like an older record, like something that would have been put out in the early 70s,” he explained.

While most of the album came together at Nashville’s famed Simo Sound with producer JD Simo, Greene made sure to imbue it with Austin’s distinct flavor as well by finishing a few tracks at that city’s legendary studios. He dreams of potentially recording future efforts in blues hotbeds like Chicago, New Orleans, and Memphis to incorporate even more regional flair.

Embracing Local Culture

For Greene, connecting with the rich cultural fabric of each town is just as important as laying down scorching licks in the studio. “I try to make a point to get out and see some things, especially if I’m in Europe or the UK,” he said. “As much as finances mean something to me, so does experiencing some culture.”

However, the relentless touring grind makes it extremely difficult to go beyond just hitting the stage night after night. “Unless you’ve got days off, you’re pretty much hotel, venue, maybe grab a bite across the street before the show,” Greene lamented. He cherishes any opportunity to extend his stay like he plans to do in London this fall to go deeper than just the tourist traps.

A Culinary Love Affair With London

One experience he’s particularly eager to soak in is London’s iconic food scene, having already developed an affinity for local delicacies like mushy peas during previous tours. “I have never had a bad meal in London,” Greene raved. “What are you guys talking about?”

While he may struggle with the polarizing Marmite, a staple spread that he describes as “you either love it or hate it,” Greene has fully embraced England’s rich culinary traditions. After all, he’s a man who savours absorbing the authentic flavors of the countless cities and towns he’s visited over his globetrotting career.

Capturing The Live Lightning

That pursuit of keeping things authentic and raw extends to Greene’s live performances, which have fans clamoring for a new live album to relive the blistering shows. “Some people want to go ‘If you have anything live that you’ve released,’ because I think it makes them feel closer to the show,” he explained of that persistent request.

A live record could be the perfect way to bottle the lightning that Greene and his band have been conjuring on stage every night. It would certainly be a fitting follow-up to “Standing Out Loud,” which has already cemented Greene’s status as a torchbearer for the blues rock tradition.

The Acoustic Muse

While he’s already achieved incredible success at a relatively young age, Greene remains driven to constantly explore new creative avenues. One possibility that intrigues him is recording an acoustic blues album, which would be a full-circle moment of sorts.

“I’ve written a lot of songs on acoustic guitar, and there’s a wealth of amazing acoustic music out there,” Greene explained. “I do love that music, and it influenced how I play electric guitar with my fingers and whatnot.”

An acoustic effort could allow Greene to pay homage to the seminal blues artists that inspired his musical awakening as an upstart guitarist. It would also give him a chance to reinterpret his catalog and the classics through a rawboned, stripped-down lens.

THE NEVER-ENDING JOURNEY

No matter which direction his insatiable artistic curiosity takes him, one thing is certain - Alastair Greene’s passion for blues and blues rock burns as bright as his incendiary fretwork. With the Durango Blues Train and a triumphant return to London on the horizon, this is shaping up to be another landmark year in the career of one of the genre’s most electrifying performers.

As our conversation wrapped up, Greene made it clear he was just getting started on this journey. “Thank you for doing this,” he said graciously. “I’m really grateful.”

His appreciation for the opportunity to connect through an in-depth feature mirrored my excitement to shed light on such a vital voice in modern blues rock. While Alastair Greene’s next destination may be cloaked in mystery, one thing is assured - the road will forever be his inspiration.