Jeff Fielder, Tim Dijulio and Justin Davis can play the effing guitar! They pack houses. They are legends in Seattle and they play with legends all over the world. Each has his own style – Jeff an amazing slide player, Tim a windmill player full of emotion, Justin who loses himself in his work. This is why we at The Monarch wanted to chat with them and see what we could learn about their craft, about their passion and about their appreciation for each other. 

Jake Uitti: You three have played guitar in just about every scenario possible – but what I want to know, Jeff, is what goes through your mind – what’s the flash of thought and instinct – the moment you pick up your favorite guitar?

Jeff Fielder: I started playing guitar at 9 years of age. I started to really get into it at around 11. Since then it has become a bit of an obsession. It began to become when I feel most comfortable. I got my Les Paul Standard, that is still more or less my main ride, when I was 13. I would play it for 10-12 hours a day. All my first bands up until like 10 minutes ago, I’ve been playing that guitar. So, I guess, to answer you’re question, it couldn’t feel more natural. Especially with the Les Paul, I know how it’s going to react. And as far as the actual playing, if it just for the sake of playing and not working on anything in particular, it is almost unconscious. Like having a conversation with some you have known you’re whole life. Easy and familiar, but always somehow able to discover something new and surprising.

JU: Justin, what about you?

Justin S. Davis: Flash of thought and instinct when I pick up my favorite guitar. Well, I think of myself as a songwriter first and guitar player after that, so my favorite guitar is always the one I’m using to write songs. Lately that’s been my new McElroy acoustic. When I’m at home and pick up a guitar, it’s always that one, and it’s the one I play when I teach. I probably put in 6-8 hours a day on that guitar. I almost never practice on an electric. When I was first learning – I started playing when I was 12 – my first guitar hero was Randy Rhoads. I remember reading some old interview with him where he talked about never practicing with distortion because it covered your mistakes, and that stuck with me, so I’ve always practiced and written my songs on acoustic guitars.

As for first instincts, I’m not sure. It’s always different. I’m always looking for new ways to connect chords, different ways to harmonize a melody, and ways to break up the tyranny of I V vi IV chord progressions. I would say my focus is usually harmonic. Until recently, I never put much effort into soloing. I’m much more interested in rhythm guitar. Songs and structures, instead of scales and licks. Part of this I’m sure is because I spent a lot of time when I was younger playing in punk bands and solos were lame, so I never got into them.

The downside of this is that my career has me playing a lot of lead guitar! And since it hasn’t been something I’ve regularly practiced, I tend to live in my head when I play. One of the things I’ve admired about the way both Jeff and Tim play is how natural everything feels when they improvise. I tend to obsess over the changes – like trying to make sure if I’m playing in Am, that I nail the G# in the V chord – that kind of thing. I think these guys do it by ear and instinct and I’m a little jealous of that. It didn’t come easy for me. I had to work and learn the theory and logic of everything to be able to execute. It’s made me a good teacher, but I think my solos can feel a little wonky at times. Lately I’ve been really working on improving my lead flow because I get more gigs these days where I need to solo well than ones where I can contribute songs.

JU: Tim, are you an obsessive player? Or does it now, after years growing up with fantastic musicians and playing with fantastic musicians, come easy?

Tim Dijulio: Am I an obsessive guitar player? Let’s see… yes! Like Jeff, when I picked up a guitar (I was around 17 when I got my first one) I quickly bonded with it. I am self taught; never took a lesson. I watched my friends (Mike M and Danny Newcomb, and the Friel brothers) looked at their hands, watched videos of Ace Frehley and Mick Ronson and The Ramones. I loved rock ‘n roll from an early age (my mom went back to school when I was a toddler and my brother and I had a nanny who was an obsessive Beatles and Stones Fan and played album after album and told story after story of the members like they were super heroes) and I just wanted to learn some basics on guitar. I never thought I would be in a band or had any aspirations of doing anything like that. I didn’t even tell anybody I got a guitar. It was just a hobby for me when I was alone and isolated. I played along to Zeppelin, The Who, cheap trick, The Stones and The Clash in my basement the best I could. I remember not having a tuner so I kept moving the needle to “Sweet Emotion” by Aerosmith because I knew that bass intro was the key of A, so I tuned my guitar to that. Rock was my drug and obsession growing up. I was just trying to emulate my heroes in the beginning. It wasn’t until a high school friend invited me over to play: I remember the moment he clicked the sticks and we went into “Chinese Rocks” (the Johnny thunders version) and I was completely hooked. That’s when the obsession started. The power of playing with someone and that raw connection just blew me away, that’s when I started playing 10 hours a day.

I do regret not taking lessons and I picked up many bad habits because of it. I learned things backwards, played electric first, made lots of noise until I controlled it – sort of. Some days I still feel like I have small bag of tricks, so to speak. I don’t have the best self-esteem either (laughs). I am really hard on myself and set really stupid standards I could never achieve. But that is a drive I still have today and strive to learn new ways to express on guitar every year. Being pushed and inspired by incredible musicians like Jeff, Justin, Mike Musburger, Andrew McKeag, Johnny Sangster, Robb Benson, Gary Westlake, The Friels and so many others I’ve had the pleasure of working with has meant everything to me. It’s not something I can easily put into words.

I am obsessive in a different way now, more band-oriented, chemistry, and playing with a unit that gels is what I love to challenge myself with. My biggest influences through the years have been my close friends and bandmates who early on inspired me. Brian Kenney who formed Lazy Susan with myself and Kim Virant was a huge influence and I can hear his voice to this day every time I pick up my telecaster. He taught me discipline, substance over flash, and the fundamentals of playing SONGS in a band. It’s really a lost art in some ways. As much as I love the guitar, it was the sound of an explosive, expressive and thumpin’ rock band that changed my life. I’ve also been blessed with great guitar players to play with through the years and most of my early bands were two-guitar bands like The Stones. So learning to weave in and out of solos, rhythms, setting up my bandmates and playing with amazing guitarists like Brian, Martin Chandler and Mike McCready had a massive impact. I love playing guitar in a BAND, that has been my real obsession.

Is it easy? Playing guitar has always been more physical than it is cerebral for me (for better or worse). I am usually at my best when I don’t think too much. It’s always been about feel for me and letting all of who I am through the guitar. That’s when I am at my best. But it can also be my downfall. Playing in a band and playing a song well is very difficult at times, for me finding a balance between feel, passion and being thoughtful with the song is the challenge.

JU: Jeff, Tim talked about uncertainty and doubt a lot – what do you do when these inevitable feelings creep into your mind despite the fact you’re an accomplished musician?

JF: Good one. So, I’m a bit of a split personality when it comes to this. On one hand I’m riddled with self-doubt and I’m susceptible to really bad nerves. On the other hand, I have learned to put myself in high stakes situations and force a certain fearlessness.

I spent my twenties in a couple of bands that I still think were great. But it was a lot of banging our head against the wall trying to get a gig. We did ok, but never could really crack the Seattle bubble. By the time I had turned thirty, the band was done and I needed to find a path.

I remember a friend of mine asking me what I was going to do. Most of my friends that I grew up with, that made it through various drug issues, had gone to proper collage and were getting proper jobs and/or starting families. I told him I was gonna keep pushing it. Keep making music and just pushing it. I worked in every type of restaurant as a bartender or server for years by now, and knew it would just be a matter of time before my friends started making real money and buying houses and all that, and I would still be basically doing what I’ve done since high school. Working in restaurants and jamming guitar. Whatever. But I had to do more than what I was doing.

I’ve always admired stand up comics. I think that is one of the hardest gigs in the world. Along with wanting to know as much I could about the history of blues, rock n’ roll and country music, I also read a lot about comics. I remember reading something that, of all people, Jay Leno said. He said you have to work every night. Every gig you can get your hands on. I took that to heart. And to try to make a long story short, I just tried to work with as many things that came my way. I did make a solo record in 2006 that was not heard by anyone. That was pretty disappointing and I started to really doubt myself in a big way. Have I wasted my time with all of this? It was never about the money for me, but if nobody is responding to what you’re doing, it can be very discouraging. I contemplated quitting for good.

It was around this time that I started recording on other people’s records. Namely Sera Cahoone’s first record. She was at the forefront of a budding Americana thing that was starting to happen in Seattle. I ended up being in her band for the next eight years. I had always been the front man in all the bands I had ever been in. In this band, not only was I not in the front, but the playing was very understated and the focus was on melody and mood. This, at the time was a bit of a hard transition, but an absolutely priceless lesson. I would do anything for Sera.

Ok, so now I’ll try to answer the question: My natural state is to be quite hard on myself. One mistake will throw me into an almost unstoppable self-loathing. It has ruined whole gigs for me, only to find out later that no one noticed or cared. I cared though. A bad gig will keep me up at night, so I try extremely hard not to have any, or at least try to finesse it and chalk it up to avant-garde. I work on music everyday. It has been to the detriment of some relationships. But I am learning how to balance things a bit more now. And it has become a big change for me to look at everything with an almost mystical and positive attitude.

I have been very fortunate in the last few years to get to work with some amazing artists that have taken me all over the world. It was on my first tour with Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan that I discovered I was susceptible to stage fright. There were times when I was so freaked out that I wasn’t sure if I could make it through the set. And of course those thoughts would compound and it would get pretty bad. Weird, right? At this point I can not control it, but use it. I have forced myself to face so many heavy gig situations that I feel that I thrive a bit on that energy now. Sometimes, if it’s an extra heavy gig, I feel like I’m floating above it all.

The conversation in my head is constant. There is always that little devil and angel on each shoulder, and it’s hard to say who’s who sometimes. But when it comes down to it, it’s gotta be funky. It’s gotta have soul. That’s the most important thing for me when it comes to playing. You’ve gotta serve the song and the people you’re playing with. It’s my job to make people look good, sound good, feel safe, not worrying about the guitar player. It can be a big responsibility and that can be stressful. But part of it is to be confident even if you are freaking out inside. Never let ‘em see you sweat, right? This is like therapy or something.

JU: You’ve all dedicated your life to music – Justin, why do you think that is for you? And how does this jive with your role as a new father?

JD: I can’t imagine doing anything else. The one time I let myself go for a long stretch without gigging, I got really depressed. Like Jeff, I was in a band in my early 20’s, called Puptulla, which was probably the best band I’ve ever been in, top to bottom. Everyone in that band was just killer and we all really pushed each other. That band broke up in 2001 and I told myself that I wasn’t going to play in bands anymore because I couldn’t imagine finding one as good as that one, which of course was nonsense. Just a crappy self-pitying attitude to take. But that’s what I did, and so instead of looking for a new band, I focused on teaching guitar lessons and playing classical guitar. I went to Spain with my wife and studied Flamenco music. It was a productive time and I learned a lot, but I was also drinking a ton, let myself get fat, and wasn’t very happy. My wife convinced me to go play an open mic down at the Owl and Thistle and it was a blast! I’d let myself forget how good it felt to get in front of a crowd and sing and play my guitar. It felt like I’d found a piece of myself that I hadn’t realized was missing. It had been almost four years since I’d played out that way, and I realized how much I missed writing songs and playing my own music.

Ever since then, I don’t take a moment on stage for granted. I play with everything I have. I’m far from a perfect player, but one thing I think I do have is purity of intention. Every damn note I play. Sometimes I get so lost in the songs that the notes become physically painful to play. I’ve smashed my guitar strings into my pedals, or ground the neck into the stage floor, but it’s not an act and I can’t do it on command. Sometimes that’s just where the moment goes. I love the freedom I feel letting that happen, of following the music into chaos! I feel like I can’t ever express myself to people. I’m shy and really introverted, but when I play I can get everything out. It’s healing, and joyful, and life giving, and I’m addicted to it! I can’t picture my life without it.

As for how this will fit into my new fatherhood, time will tell. My wife, Shane, is amazing, and has always been incredibly supportive. She’s quit her job and moved across the state twice in support of my projects, and I know how fortunate I am, and how much I owe her. I don’t think she would ever want me to stop playing. Obviously, my focus now is on being a great dad and raising a strong, confident daughter, but I think me continuing to work as a musician is important in that regard too. I think it’s important for her to see me working in a field I’m passionate about, rather than just following the safe path. I want her to know that there are lots of ways to follow your dreams, and that it’s ok for her to dream big and not give up. I probably won’t ever be a rich and famous rock star, but that’s ok. I play music I love, with people I love, I have a ton of fun, and I make not very much – but enough – money doing it. I want her to see that. Then again, I want her to have everything she will ever want, so maybe I’ll have to get a straight job on the side somewhere down the road! We’ll see!

JU: Tim, if you could choose one song to have Justin, Jeff and yourself play on all at once what would it be and why? Who would you pick – out of anyone – to fill in the blanks on bass, keys, drums, vocals?

TJ: Hmmm… hard to pick ONE!! Well, I’ve been super lucky to be able to play with Jeff and Justin many times through the years and those have been some of the best jams and musical moments I’ve been a part of. A few years back I had the pleasure of playing with both at a Flight to Mars gig. We did “Good Rockin’ Tonight” from one of the greatest albums ever, Montrose. Rick and Chris Friel were playing bass and drums, Fielder sang. It’s hard to beat that! I am flooded with all of the memories of all the late night chats with Jeff and Justin through the years after gigs about projects and songs we’ve wanted to cover. Petty tunes with Justin. The Faces night, Jeff and I have talked about for years! One of my favorite songs is “Nadine” by Chuck Berry. That would be a blast. Such a great groove and I love the way Chuck’s lyrics knife and cut. Maybe Tim Rogers or Robb Benson singing with Mike Musburger on drums, Duff McKagan on bass, Ian McLagan on keys. Let Fielder destroy the house with his amazing slide playing and Justin and I can just giggle at how good he is! Other tunes that jump out are “Sway” by the Stones, “My Guitar Gently Weeps” by George Harrison. It would also be fun to do “Song Remains the Same”, the opening track off of Houses of the Holy by Led Zeppelin. Justin and Jeff are both so damn good it’s impossible to pick.

JU: Justin, I’m going to let you have the last word here. What one thing would you want to learn from Jeff and Tim and what one thing would you love to have them know about you and your playing?

JD: Hard to say what one thing I’d want to learn from either Jeff or Tim would be. I feel like I’ve learned a lot from both of them just by watching them play for so many years. The things I admire about Jeff are his great slide playing, his total command of tone and phrasing, and his ability to always add just the right thing to whatever musical situation he finds himself in. He is a complete pro, and I respect that immensely. It’s not hard to understand why he’s as busy as he is!

As for Tim, the things I’ve admired are his obvious unbridled joy in playing music, his great showmanship that never compromises his brilliant playing, and the depth of his spirit that shines in his solos. He wears his heart on his sleeve and that always comes through in his playing. I remember looking at YouTube videos of Tim that a friend had posted after one of his shows, long before he and I had met, and making my wife come in and watch them with me. I was stunned at how awesome he was! I’ve probably watched more YouTube videos of Tim than any other player in Seattle. He’s one of my favorites.

We’re spoiled in Seattle to have so many great guitarists, and I’ve tried to learn something from each of them. Alongside Jeff and Tim, I have to call out Gary Westlake (who I’ve learned a metric TON from), and Kathy Moore who I only met relatively recently but has been blowing my mind with her fantastic musicianship. And of course, Mike McCready has been an inspiration since I started playing and whenever I get the chance to play with him it’s like going to school.

As for what I’d like anyone to know about my playing, that’s hard to say as well. I guess I’d like my playing to speak for itself, but I’m glad I have this chance to let these folks, Jeff, Tim, Gary, Kathy, and Mike, know how much their playing has meant to me.