0:45
Well hey guys welcome to another Ask
0:48
Zack and we're doing another viewer
0:51
mailbag episode I love doing this please
0:55
keep the questions coming in we've got a
0:57
doozy for today a real doozy
1:01
so you got to wait all the way to the
1:03
end to really get the the complete
1:05
payoff on this one so first off Josh
1:10
Parsons asked was that Reggie young on
1:15
Conway Twitty 's tight-fitting jeans and
1:18
it yes it was it took me a little while
1:21
to to find the credits for it
1:24
but that's off of Conway Twitty 's mr. t
1:27
album which has a snazzy cover with him
1:30
in a golfing outfit and in a green car
1:35
so but anyway the only yeah Reggie is
1:40
listed as lead guitar and the only guy
1:43
listed is that and it certainly sounds
1:45
like Reggie on tight fitting jeans and
1:47
if you haven't heard that song you need
1:48
you need to listen to it it's it's
1:51
amazing just it's amazing
1:55
another Conway Twitty that it doesn't
1:58
feature Reggie young but you ought to
2:00
listen to it it's called working girl
2:03
especially if you can find the live
2:06
version where John Huey is playing pedal
2:09
steel and don't want chicken pickin on
2:11
pedal steel and it's it's on the the old
2:13
wagon master show Oh golly Porter
2:19
Wagoner's show yeah they're on that and
2:22
John Huey is like chicken pickin on the
2:25
pedal steel and it's it's fantastic you
2:28
need to find that and there and they've
2:29
got dance moves and everything yeah you
2:31
got to hear that okay so thanks Josh for
2:34
that one the second one
2:36
and the reason I played you know a bit
2:40
of Brad Paisley's wrapped around is
2:42
because of this next question and this
2:44
one is by Todd Williams so he said I
2:47
love the channel thank you said correct
2:50
me if I'm wrong you teched for Brad right
2:52
yes I did
2:54
I was Brad's first full-time guitar tech
2:56
I worked for him for from 2002 through
3:01
2005 early 2005 said I'd love to hear
3:06
more about the day-to-day of being a
3:08
tech for Brad Paisley also did Brad have
3:11
any practice routines on the road
3:13
alright so as I said before I was Brad's
3:19
first full-time guitar tech before that
3:22
his bass player Kenny Lewis had kind of
3:25
put his stuff up but then of course
3:27
couldn't help him during the show then
3:28
later on
3:30
Kendall Marcy his current band leader
3:33
and keyboard player and banjo player he
3:36
helped him out some his brother Chris
3:38
Marcy helped out some while they were
3:41
doing other jobs and so I was his first
3:46
full-time guitar tech we went to Belmont
3:49
University together in the early 90s we
3:51
played in bands together we used to tear
3:53
apart telecasters and swap pickups and
3:55
necks and just I mean we would
3:58
Frankenstein up guitars at the times he
4:00
would have a Telecaster and one of my
4:02
necks on it and I'd have one of his and
4:04
you know it was just crazy so he tracked
4:10
me down through the Belmont Alumni
4:13
Association because I had moved away
4:14
from Nashville I had lived in France for
4:17
a year and then I had gone back and was
4:21
working in Pasadena Texas for a good
4:26
friend of mine named Jim Theis and if
4:28
you're out there Jim thank you for being
4:30
a wonderful employer and friend so I was
4:36
working in in Pasadena
4:38
Brad calls me up said hey you know you
4:41
want to
4:42
and would you be interested to be my
4:43
guitar tech hemmed and hawed for a
4:45
little bit and he he flew me out to let
4:48
me you know kind of see what it was
4:49
gonna be like and of course you know how
4:52
could i how could I not say yes to it so
4:54
I did I saw I went to work for Brad and
4:57
it made a it opened so many doors for me
5:01
as far as in the course in the music
5:03
industry I owe a lot to Brad Paisley so
5:05
Thank You Brad so let's get down to
5:09
answering the question day-to-day again
5:13
this was you know early on we had two
5:15
buses in an 18-wheeler and you know the
5:19
buses had Brad and road manager and some
5:23
of the band guys and then the other bus
5:25
had the crew and some more band guys and
5:28
then the 18-wheeler was carrying you
5:31
know like amps and guitars and and our
5:35
set and then it had like the
5:37
front-of-house mixing board and the
5:38
monitor mixing board in the front of
5:40
house is of course the guy that's out in
5:42
the audience that that is you know has a
5:44
big mixing board he controls the sound
5:46
that the audience hears and then a
5:49
monitor engineer controls the sound that
5:52
people hear in there in-ear monitors or
5:55
in wedges whatever you have so we would
5:58
load in we had a set that was a boat
6:02
dock with a thing it was like a 20-foot
6:06
bass boat from Ranger Boats and it was
6:08
cut stem to stern right down the middle
6:10
so we could you know make it easier to
6:12
pack in the 18-wheeler so we had that
6:15
and we had this boat dock and so we'd
6:17
get all that up and then we would get
6:19
all amps and I'd set up guitar world
6:21
where I worked on guitars and had all
6:23
sorts of tools and spare tubes and all
6:26
sorts of stuff and and that's where I
6:29
would you know work on guitars and of
6:32
course I'd get all of his amplifier set
6:34
up and at that point he was using three
6:36
dr. Z amps he was using a Maserati and
6:39
two Karmann Ghia amplifiers and we had a
6:41
rack that had Wireless and had a gcx
6:45
switcher and
6:47
a bunch of pedals and drawers and the
6:51
the gcx had a controller board that brad
6:55
had one in front of him on stage and
6:58
then I had one off stage and we'll talk
7:00
more about that later so we get
7:03
everything set up make sure everything
7:05
was sounding okay there weren't any
7:07
problems weren't any like noise issues
7:09
sometimes Kevin Freeman at
7:11
front-of-house he would say hey I'm hey
7:14
I'm getting a bad buzz on you know and
7:16
on your you're right amp and so sure
7:18
enough there would be like a ground
7:20
issue or something and I'd have to
7:21
figure that out the gig was hard because
7:27
I'd never been a guitar tech before I
7:29
had certainly been a guitar player and
7:30
played gigs and and worked on my own
7:33
gear to a degree but I was still kind of
7:35
using a repairman so all of a sudden I
7:37
was having to do a lot more than I had
7:40
done in the past and it's at this point
7:42
I want to thank a lot of people that
7:45
helped me out because Brad would ask me
7:47
to do things and I wouldn't know how to
7:49
do it and I couldn't just say well ooh
7:52
ho I you know I needed to have a good
7:55
answer and so I'd say I don't know how
7:58
to do this but I will figure it out and
8:01
Brad appreciated that so immediately
8:04
when he would ask me to do something I
8:06
didn't know how to do I would call up
8:08
guys like Bill crook thank you Bill
8:10
Mike Zaite aka dr. Z thank you dr. Z
8:16
Robert Keeley you know the guys at Voodoo
8:21
Lab James Santiago who of course he's
8:24
gone on to you know designed like the ox
8:27
and things like that and Josh and some
8:30
of the other guys at voodoo lab would
8:32
help me out with the gcx and programming
8:34
that so yeah so I had I had a lot of
8:39
help so we would get everything going
8:40
make sure everything was working right
8:42
and then we would play a song so the
8:46
band would come out and I would be kind
8:49
of stunt Brad because we wanted to make
8:52
sure everything was fine before we
8:53
called Brad out and so I would play
8:55
guitar and we'd usually play like I'm
8:56
Merrill Haggard tune like big city or
8:58
ramblin fever
9:00
showing lefty and yeah and we would you
9:04
know kind of rough things in make sure
9:05
everything's good and we would give the
9:07
road manager the thumbs up if everything
9:09
was good and then he would go and get
9:11
Brad off the bus and then I would hand
9:13
Brad Telecaster that was in tune and
9:17
they would run through a song and that's
9:20
usually when the tweaking would begin
9:22
because Brad really wanted his guitar to
9:25
sound as stellar as possible in every
9:28
venue we played at so to do that you
9:32
know of course you know we would be
9:34
changing out amps changing out speaker
9:36
cabinets changing the height of pickups
9:38
changing out pickups changing pedals all
9:42
sorts of things you know using like a
9:47
JBL 15-inch speaker instead of a
9:50
selection blue on one amp to get more
9:52
low-end or you know all sorts of things
9:55
so now while we were doing all that the
9:58
band was standing around with their
10:00
instruments on because after we did the
10:03
tweaking we'd have to run another song
10:05
to make sure it sounded good in context
10:07
because that's what mattered it needed
10:09
to sound good in the context of the band
10:11
so then we would play another song or
10:13
two and if Brad was happy that was it we
10:17
would break and and that was when I
10:19
would start stringing guitars so in the
10:22
early days I would string about four or
10:24
five instruments so those you know
10:26
couple telecasters for Brad maybe an
10:28
acoustic Gary Hooker I was usually
10:31
stringing up an acoustic and electric
10:33
for him then as things got a little
10:36
crazier and we had more guitars because
10:38
in the early days Brad had his 68
10:40
Paisley and he had the first blue crook
10:43
tele and that was it he had those two
10:46
tellies in that one we didn't have you
10:48
know we had the main guitar in the
10:49
backup and that was it
10:51
but soon bill crook started building
10:53
more instruments for us and so you know
10:56
in a couple of years we had a fleet of
10:57
you know crook guitars all different
11:00
color you know Paisley and unfortunately
11:02
a lot all those got destroyed or most of
11:04
them got destroyed in the big flood but
11:07
you know I decide to string up guitars
11:10
then usually it was time to go to
11:11
catering and have some dinner
11:13
and after after I ate some dinner then I
11:16
would go turn on all the amps all the
11:18
dr. Z amps and turn them on so they can
11:20
warm up I would do a run-through I would
11:23
go through all of his petals and all of
11:25
his sounds and make sure everything
11:27
sounded correct then you know do any
11:33
more you know a little tweaking or
11:35
repairs or anything that needed to be
11:36
done and then we would start the show
11:38
you know I would take a guitar to Brad
11:41
and he would he would kind of warm up on
11:43
it some and you know we'd start the show
11:47
then after about two songs we would do
11:50
our first guitar change now I had a
11:52
setlist
11:53
set up and on it it had any capo
11:56
positions on acoustics and and what
11:58
guitar we were going to use and you know
12:00
when we were gonna change stuff and so
12:02
but about two songs in we would change
12:03
guitars and that was a good time for us
12:05
to touch base on how how things were
12:09
sounding and how things were going and
12:11
you know Brad might say sounds great or
12:14
it might be I need a little more delay
12:18
or I think one of the mics got bumped
12:21
and I didn't remember going back and it
12:23
was obvious a stagehand must have hit a
12:25
mic because I mean it was it was nowhere
12:27
near the speaker and it had sounded
12:29
right before but someone had obviously
12:31
run past the speaker cabinet you know
12:33
right as the show was starting or
12:35
something
12:35
so anyway would fix that other times
12:39
there would be other issues like there'd
12:40
be a security issue in the front of the
12:43
stage where you know audience members
12:45
were doing something that was not kosher
12:47
and Brad didn't want to point at them or
12:50
anything so he would just tell me you
12:51
know what was going on and then I could
12:53
go offstage and get on the radio and and
12:57
have things taken care of or I could
12:58
tell monitor engineer you know mark that
13:01
he wants more of this or what have you
13:04
so now to touch on what I mentioned
13:08
earlier was the gcx switcher so what
13:12
that was was that was how you controlled
13:14
the rack so Brad or I could change his
13:20
sounds during the show and most the time
13:23
it was me so we had kind of cues that
13:26
were
13:26
worked out and we would have moments in
13:29
songs where I would bring in different
13:32
sounds so I'm gonna take mud on the
13:36
tires as an example that one you know it
13:41
starts off with just acoustic guitar and
13:44
you know banjo you know for the first
13:47
verse and then it has a pre-chorus it's
13:49
in the key of D and the pre-course
13:53
starts with a rake over a G chord
13:57
[Music]
14:16
then I would turn the tremolo off and
14:21
you'd go into the chorus and this I
14:23
really liked this rhythm pattern that he
14:26
would use here he had started playing at
14:29
years before and I'd you know copied it
14:32
already and then I loved it that he used
14:34
it in mud on the tire so he went into
14:37
the chorus in heaven so yeah he would
14:42
use that like on big city or other songs
14:44
like you know you know where you might
14:47
go
14:48
[Music]
15:08
you
15:09
[Music]
15:17
Oh
15:20
so so I was an example of me kind of
15:24
bringing in a tremolo sound and then
15:25
going back to his normal Telecaster
15:27
sound which of course was the tele
15:28
through analog delay with a single
15:31
repeat I'm kind of replicating it here
15:33
with an old boss dm3 he used a way huge
15:36
aqua puss and that into the dr. Z amps
15:39
that was kind of his main core tone and
15:42
then other effects were brought in like
15:45
tremolo vibrato tube screamer
15:49
you know was used a lot for solos like
15:53
on ballads so not on the you know you
15:56
know of course he had it's kind of
15:57
straight Telecaster sound that he used
15:59
most of the time but then on a ballad
16:01
you know for the solo I would bring in a
16:04
tube screamer patch and that would allow
16:07
him to be anywhere onstage and he didn't
16:09
worry about running back to his you know
16:10
pedal board to to turn on a tube
16:12
screamer so then we would you know
16:16
hopefully the show would go smoothly
16:18
and you know and when it did I was very
16:22
elated and yeah then we would load out
16:26
and that was a typical day and then we
16:28
would do it again the next day and it
16:31
was a lot of fun it got a little harder
16:33
as we started having full production
16:35
meaning when we were carrying our own PA
16:37
and we started having video screens and
16:40
a lot of moving lights and things like
16:41
that we started having low din at 6:00
16:43
a.m. and and I'm not being done to like
16:47
1:00 in the morning and then he'd have
16:48
to do it again the next day it got a
16:50
little harder it got a little tougher so
16:51
but still it was a great gig and I
16:54
learned so much from it and I'm so
16:56
grateful to Brad Paisley so Brad thank
16:59
you
17:00
second part of the question was did Brad
17:02
have practice routine on the road no he
17:06
did not I mean he was playing a lot live
17:08
the only time he would really practice
17:11
was when we would be adding in a new
17:14
song to the setlist and so you know of
17:17
course he would record a whole album and
17:21
then they would start releasing singles
17:24
off the album and as they released the
17:26
singles we would start adding those
17:28
songs to the setlist
17:29
so I can remember vividly him getting a
17:32
task
17:33
phrase trainer thing that was a thing
17:35
that you could put a CD in you could
17:36
slow stuff down and he had to learn his
17:39
own guitar solo to mud on the tires and
17:41
some of the other tunes where you see in
17:43
the studio and I was there in the studio
17:46
you know I was I was with him for the
17:49
whole process of mud on the tires and
17:51
part of the album after that you know he
17:55
would play all these off-the-cuff solos
17:57
because he was trying to impress us so
18:00
you know because we would be doing
18:01
overdubs and so it'd be Bret's then
18:03
producer Frank Rogers an engineer and
18:07
myself and of course Brad and we'd all
18:10
be in the same room together in the
18:11
control room when we'd have amps you
18:13
know blaring in another room and he
18:16
would keep playing until I got a rise
18:17
out of us and you know and that's
18:19
usually you know what would be the
18:21
keeper and you know especially if you
18:24
made us laugh he knew he had a good a
18:26
good solo so yeah so then he would have
18:30
to relearn that solo so I thought that
18:32
was really funny and you know and great
18:34
you know he would he would you would
18:36
take a Telecaster and a little phrase
18:38
trainer on the back of the bus and he
18:40
would learn the solos as far as earlier
18:42
practice techniques back in college he
18:44
used to take he used to record himself
18:48
playing acoustic guitar finger-picking
18:50
and he recorded with a clip track and
18:53
then he would listen back to it at the
18:56
slowest speed and what that does is it
19:00
really allows you to see where you're
19:02
off the beat when your finger picking
19:04
and so yeah by slowing it down and
19:07
listening back and and because of that
19:10
because that hard work he had such he
19:12
instilled us has such stellar time and I
19:15
loved hearing him play acoustic he would
19:17
when we were doing the tracking sessions
19:19
and I he would play acoustic and it was
19:22
fantastic and I loved hearing him play
19:24
acoustic live I loved hearing him play
19:26
rhythm he was such a great rhythm player
19:28
and had such a great feel he had a nice
19:31
you know light swing to to what he did
19:34
and just he made everything feel it had
19:38
just a great feel to it alright so we've
19:43
we've talked about that now this is
19:45
the doozy part of the story so I found
19:52
this in my Brad Paisley archives and so
19:58
while we were out on the road we were
20:01
touring with some acts that were not
20:03
quote country sounding at all and they
20:05
were in really distorted guitars and
20:07
scented you know like rock music and
20:09
there's there's nothing wrong with that
20:11
but it was just you know it was getting
20:14
to be a time where Brad was just about
20:15
the only Telecaster you've heard on
20:17
country radio and otherwise it was all
20:20
you know rock guitar sounding stuff and
20:23
again nothing wrong with that but it was
20:25
just kind of like we kind of I guess
20:28
that was you know good and bad you know
20:29
we were you know Brad was unique so Brad
20:33
had this idea for a t-shirt to sell and
20:36
he said I wanted to say keep it country
20:43
you bastard and then have a fish with
20:47
doodoo okay so I know I was there for
20:52
this conversation and I was there on the
20:54
bus when Brad talked to the road manager
20:57
that was also doing merchandise and and
21:00
I heard the phone conversation between
21:03
the road manager and the t-shirt company
21:06
and he starts talking to me until they
21:08
had a bad connection because road
21:10
manager starts putting his finger in his
21:12
ear and goes yeah and then put fish with
21:14
dude oh so I don't know if you can tell
21:18
where this is going but two weeks later
21:21
you know t-shirt shows up says Brad
21:28
Paisley gone fishing and then on the
21:34
back it says keep it country you bastard
21:37
but they also wrote out the fish would
21:40
do two is just supposed to be it's just
21:44
supposed to be a fish with doodoo coming
21:46
out of it but they actually wrote fish
21:49
with doodoo
21:49
so there you have it this is a
21:51
collector's item it's I don't know if
21:55
there's any others I think the rest of
21:57
them were burned
21:57
and are destroyed in some way so yeah so
22:01
that was a fun one that was a fantastic
22:03
moment because it was just it was like a
22:06
bad comedy routine so I hope you've
22:10
enjoyed this episode of ask Zach we had
22:14
you know hope you had fun I did and I
22:18
hope you will subscribe I hope you will
22:20
share this with others and I just thank
22:23
you so much for watching and I hope you
22:25
have an amazing week bye bye