By Michael Sutton
The definition of "guitar hero" in the rock & roll dictionary usually doesn't cover the acoustic side. But there's an art to playing an acoustic guitar, and it's a skill that requires subtlety and versatility. Singer/songwriter Stephen Inglis has been receiving rave reviews throughout the U.S. and in the U.K. for his debut album Fringes of the Wayside. "I love how the recording picks up the metal sounds of the acoustic guitar's string as he moves up and down the fret board," raves i-Sin at Smother.Net, giving the CD an "Editor's Pick" rating. "This is a musician that you'll never mind paying a cover to hear." In addition, lnglis' talents are also heard on Cas Lucas' Giving It Back album, www.caslucas.com. Now Tacoma music fans will have the opportunity to see Inglis' Hawaiian-inflected folk-pop live at the Kickstand Cafe on Friday, Aug. 12. Inglis recently took some time off from his Pacific Northwest tour to talk to the Weekly Volcano.
| Weekly Volcano: | When did you learn to play guitar? |
| Stephen Inglis: | I started playing guitar at age 14. I'm now 29. |
| WV: | Who are your musical influences? |
| Inglis: | When I was 15, my older brother turned me on to classic rock - Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, etc. Digging up the roots of these bands, I became acquainted with the blues. It was discovering Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead that really left a mark on my playing. Probing deeper again, the American folk and traditional music the Dead drew inspiration from became part of my musical landscape as well. Getting to be in a band with a Grateful Dead drummer years later was an amazing experience for a Deadhead like myself. My horizons were soon broadened, soaking up jazz giants like John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, and Charles Mingus. Being born and raised in Hawaii, I've soaked up the beautiful music culture of the islands my whole life. Since leaving Hawaii, this has come full circle. My career has shifted to solo acoustic performing and finger-style guitar. Over the last few years, I have been studying Ki Ho'alu (slack key guitar). |
| WV: | When did you begin writing songs and singing? |
| Inglis: | I began playing piano at age five. At age seven I joined the Honolulu boy's choir, which is when I started singing. I remember writing silly songs on the piano as a kid. The first real song I wrote was when I was 16. That tune - "Dusty Road" - actually made it on my album. |
| WV: | How would you describe your music? |
| Inglis: | Hawaiian-tinged modern folk. I think this covers it pretty well. My next album will definitely step over the tinged line with heavy Hawaiian and slack key presence, but HTMF will still work. Slack key (which is an incredibly rich folk music) lies at the heart of my sound. The fusion of many other traditions - jazz, blues, country, traditional - I believe, make it modern. |
| WV: | What are your plans for the future? |
| Inglis: | My plan is to spread my music and Aloha everywhere I can. I also make a point to not only play slack key, but also educate my audiences on its history and inspire them, thus helping to keep the art form alive. I am very excited to be on tour for the first time this summer promoting my debut album. I will be recording my next album when I'm back from tour this fall. My plan is to strengthen the fan bases I build on this tour by doing a follow up tour, shortly after releasing the new album. I'm also shooting for more festivals and larger audiences on next year's calendar. |
| WV: | Describe your best and worst experiences performing in public? |
| Inglis: | The best: I have the good fortune of having one of the greatest slack key players alive as a friend and colleague. In 2002, as a member of guitarist Makana's band I traveled to Tahiti for a week. Along with TV/radio promo gigs, we played a concert at an outdoor amphitheatre. The crowd was so attentive, you could hear a pin drop. The energy they were beaming up to us was incredibIe and pushed us to a peak performance. Several shows when I was in Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann's band, where we locked into some cosmic improvisation. I've had many interesting gigs in my life that I call character builders. Nothing stands out as "The Worst". Here's one: I was playing bass in a popular reggae/ska band Red Session in Honolulu. We were playing a party in a ballroom, set up with glass windows behind us. Midway through the set, a fight breaks out. I remember dodging beer bottles trying to play. Someone was actually thrown clear through the glass. |