Tom Guerra’s “All of the Above” – Video Interview
I recently had the pleasure of a great conversation with Rock and Roll Guitarist Tom Guerra about his new solo album entitled “All of the Above.” For anyone who isn’t familiar with Tom’s career as the guitarist for the “Mambo Sons,” he is an incredibly accomplished Rock and Roll guitarist from New England and this album takes me back to the great days of album oriented rock. It has a delightful mix of songs that are all different, hence the album title (inspired by New York guitarist and journalist Binky Phillips) and is a true joy to experience. It is so refeshing to listen to a real Rock and Roll guitarist playing real rock and roll songs on great vintage electric guitars. If you appreciate this like I do, you are sure to enjoy this album.
Album Oriented Rock Lives
As Tom and I discussed, his album is the type of album which compelled me to get in my Jeep and drive around listening to it all the way though, like we used to in the old days of album oriented Rock. Tom’s love for vintage guitars and amps shines through on each song and shows what great tone can be produced when truly great and classic vintage instruments are utilized to clothe songs he composed on his acoustic guitar. I sure do miss the days when an album was intended to be played all the way through and this album is one those rare albums that inspires the continuous play through…more please!
Vintage Guitars of Tom Guerra
Tom has quite a collection of vintage guitars, including some great Fender Stratocasters, a very special Gibson ES-335, Gibson Les Pauls and fantastic Fender Telecaster. For those who don’t know, Tom is also a music journalist and frequent contributor to Vintage Guitar Magazine and was hired by the late Johnny Winter to write his liner notes for a bootleg collection back in 2009. He knows his guitars and masterfully uses the unique qualities of each classic axe in his collection to evoke the exact sound he is going for, tailored to each song. The result is great tones and great songs.
Video Interview
To listen to our 45 minute interview, complete with pictures of Tom’s gear used to record “All of the Above” check out the full version here. We talk about each song as well as the current state of the music business and all things vintage guitar and while lengthy is the best way to truly appreciate what a great album it is.
