To stay in the spirit of our Experience Hendrix Tour cover story, we decided this month’s Staff
Picks had to be something Jimi related. We settled on naming our favorite Hendrix tunes. As
you’d expect from such a diverse staff, some are surprises and some aren’t as off-the-wall.
(Of course, you can’t really go wrong with any of them, can you?) We hope you get a chance
to check out some of the other music we’re digging lately, too.
STAFF PICKS
Jason Shadrick
Associate Editor
What am I listening to?
Martin Sexton,
Sugarcoating. As usual,
Sexton serves up great
lyrics, amazing songs, and a voice that will stop
you in your tracks.
Favorite Hendrix Song:
“Crosstown Traffic” from Electric Ladyland.
Many consider this album Jimi’s most successful effort at using the studio as an instrument.
This was the first Hendrix tune I heard, and to
this day it contains my favorite kazoo solo.
Joe Coffey
Editorial Director
What am I listening to?
Zep’s Houses of the
Holy. Never gets old. I’m
on one of those kicks.
Favorite Hendrix Song:
“All Along the Watchtower.” Say what you
will about the more-is-more production that
was the result of a long, drawn-out remixing
process—this song is supreme (I can’t imagine it without the vibraslap). Dave Mason’s
acoustic makes the song rock harder and the
solo has to be one of Jimi’s best ever.
Chris Kies
Associate Editor
What am I listening to?
Hank Williams III, Rebel
Within. If country music
only existed between
III and his grandfather, I’d be OK with that.
Rebel Within further carves out III’s legacy
of classic country tones with Dobros, steel
guitars, fiddles, and punk-rock lyrics about
substance abuse and heartbreak.
Favorite Hendrix Song:
I love the fierce riffing, tremendous soloing, and
pure emotion that pour out of “Machine Gun.”
Shawn Hammond
Editor in Chief
What am I listening to?
The Blood Brothers,
...Burn, Piano Island,
Burn. Post-punk prog
Vaudevillian mayhem
with dueling Yosemite Sam-on-crack vocalists.
Not for the faint of heart, but definitely a rush.
Favorite Hendrix Song:
“May This Be Love” from Are You
Experienced? I love the gorgeous vocal
melodies, ethereal washes of echo-laden six-string ecstasy, and that lead that flits from left
to right like the elusive butterfly of love.
Nick Ireland
Marketing Director
What am I listening to?
Joe Bonamassa, The
Ballad of John Henry.
I was in the mood for
some brooding blues-rock and this hit the spot.
Favorite Hendrix Song:
To me, nothing encapsulates Hendrix better than
“Voodoo Child (Slight Return)”. His wah work in
the solo makes it one of his most definitive tunes.
It can be imitated, but never truly duplicated.
Tin Hat Trio, Book of
Silk. Intense Bay Area
chamber jazz from Carla
Kihlstedt (Tom Waits,
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum), Rob Burger
(Rufus Wainwright, Iron & Wine) and Mark
Orton (Old Joe Clarks).
Favorite Hendrix Song:
“Spanish Castle Magic” off of Axis: Bold as
Love. The main riff and the verse riffs are
intense, almost like early heavy metal. This
song gets me every time I hear it.
Gayla Drake Paul
Acoustic Editor
What am I listening to?
Antoine Dafour,
Convergences. All I can
really say is [gulp] “Wow!”
Favorite Hendrix Song:
For me, it’s gotta be “All Along the
Watchtower,” just because the idea of that
particular meeting of minds (Dylan and Jimi)
makes me giggle.
The new self-titled
release from a band
I listened to in high
school(!) is packed with 12 high-energy indie-pop tracks that are as fun to listen to as anything they’ve ever done.
Favorite Hendrix Song:
“Castles Made of Sand” from Axis: Bold as Love.
GuEST PIckEr
Danny B. Harvey
Lonesome Spurs,
The Head Cat
What am I listening to?
I don’t really listen to new
stuff over and over again,
but lately I have been relistening to Jeff Beck’s Emotion and Commotion.
That album has some great guitar playing.
Favorite Hendrix Song:
[Laughs] Oh man, I have over 150 Jimi CDs.
Every time something is remastered, re-released or imported from China, I buy it! It’s
been “Little Wing” my whole life, but as of
late I’ve been really loving “Angel.” I’ve been
playing that song a lot with up-and-coming
singer Ruby James. It’s just a great song and
people haven’t covered it as much, so it is
still new and fresh.
