Table of Contents 00:00 John Plays "Sunny Came Home" by Shawn Colvin 01:47 The Story Behind Sunny Came Home 06:15 The Story Behind Get Out of This House 10:07 John Plays "Get Out of This House" by Shawn Colvin 12:13 The Story Behind Steady On 17:01 John Plays "Steady On" by Shawn Colvin 18:44 John's Work with Marc Cohn on "Walking in Memphis" 22:41 On the Phone with Marc Cohn 25:09 John Plays "Walking in Memphis" by Marc Cohn 26:36 John's Work with William Bell 29:56 John Plays "The Three of Me" by William Bell 31:44 John Plays "All The Things You Can't Remember" by William Bell 33:42 The Story Behind John's Telecaster 35:30 John's Upcoming Solo Album 37:49 John Plays "JL's Hymn, NO.2" 41:28 John Plays "Clarinet Concerto" 44:57 Stories and Photos from John's Career 50:13 Thank You to John His Time, Stories, and Guitar Playing 50:35 Thanks for Watching!
This is something I will be rewatching many times. Thanks Mason for showcasing one of my favourite guitarists and producers. A sincere, humble and talented man. A little younger than me but I won't hold that against him.
Thanks so much for this interview with John! John has that gift of restraint and taste that eludes most musicians. I value that far more than fancy chops. His song writing and producing skills are really special.
@@VertexEffectsInc Check out Duke Levine, who is also a master of taste and restraint. Another guy who recorded and toured with Shawn Colvin and approaches guitar like Leventhal is Steuart Smith.
Thanks, Uncle Mason! Interesting interview with good insights into John Leventhal's artistry. I've been fan of John's playing/writing/arranging/producing since "Steady On", which won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk and redefined modern folk music. His sound is distinct and instantly recognizable; some of my favorite highlights include music from Roseanne Cash ("The Wheel"), Sarah Jarosz ("World on the Ground") and John Gorka ("Temporary Road"). Watching John play the guitar parts to "Steady On" was a revelation; I was compelled instantly to relearn the song.
Damn! Ive actually been listening to his album all week, and have been on the fence about buying some of those gefells for acoustics.. and now this comes out! So good!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for having John demonstrate the tones and tunings from actual guitars used on his recordings, and for fully indexing the performances and discussions. I remember buying Steady On and A Few Small Repairs when they each released and, aside from the magic of Shawn's voice, being captivated by the the textures John applies throughout them. Who knew it was a Fender VI confounding me for all those years?
I would love to see an episode interviewing Bruce Watson of the 1980’s band Big Country, at the time I had never heard a band be able to call up so many unique and amazing guitar tones and effect choices and play so many great parts, the late Stuart Adamson and Bruce Watson were really overlooked guitarists and tone crafters in North America. Keep up the great interviews! They’re valuable historical documents!
John is the consummate All Around Musician, Guitarist, Producer that so deserves to be put on a pedestal. Among those in the know….he is kind of Jimmy Webb of his era ….Lots of singer songwriters would love to work with him.
Sunny Came Home one of my favorite songs ever. It was so influential on me as a musician. I got to work with the great Michael Rhodes on one of my albums. He was one of the nicest guys I every got to work with.
In the middle of watching this Btw Ry Cooder. I first saw his name when I watched Crossroads movie at the end credits, back in the mid 90s Another reason why I wanted to learn guitar. Great guitar movie 😊
You always know the song is great and touches your soul 37:40 when you feel so thankful to 'be alive' to hear it, and at the same time appreciate life. Good job! Both you guys!
One of my favorite guitarists...bar none. His work on Shawn Colvin's songs is just stellar and mind blowing. A very talented guy and seems very down to earth.
John was not a guy who was on my radar, but I was 10 years old when Sunny was a big hit on the radio and I remember hearing it all the time on the School bus ride home and appreciating how rich and unique the sound was... Man, I miss the 90s
This was such an amazing interview. John played one of my favourite solos ever on the Sarah Jarosz song “I’ll Be Gone” from a few years back. His playing, tone, and feel have such maturity. Exactly my type of player!
Fantastic interview! I’ve been a fan ever since Marc Cohn sang Three Steps Down on the HBO show Mind of The Married Man. Searched for that track for a while till I heard Rosanne Cash sing it on Rules of Travel. Also loved John’s playing on a live Marc Cohn release that I used to have on ITunes. The version of Dig Down Deep was especially transcendent.
I had a lesson with Allen Hinds as he was in town for a masterclass a couple of years before the pandemic and one of the most valuable things he provided me was recommending i listen to John Leventhal! A great musician!
there was the soundtrack to a little film called WInter Solstice which Leventhal did the music for. I always thought of that as a "quasi" solo record of his, in that it was all his music. Its worth checking out. It should be on streaming platform or library in your area. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Solstice_(film)
What a treat, thank you! I've been a big John Leventhal fan for a long time, and those Shawn Colvin records in particular were hugely influential to me.
Such a fantastic brilliant producer and player. Incredible melodic ideas and an amazing songwriter. That Epiphone looks like either a Coronet or Olympic model. And if you’ve not heard the latest album, listen to it. Fantastic record.
Another fabulous John Leventhal production is 'Hotel Paper' by Michelle Branch; a beautiful song with gorgeous guitar playing and tones, and a stellar production.
Well done! Thank you for this! I’ve been a fan of John’s since I first became aware of him on Shawn’s Fat City, then went backwards and discovered Steady On. So insightful to see him break down the layers of A Few Small Repairs. It helped that he had the multitrack and the studio to help the demonstration. Glad Vertex showed up in my suggestions. Look forward to checking out your other pieces.
Larry Friedman, who gigged as Alan the Accordionist owned We Buy Guitars on West 48th street in Manhattan. He ran it with his wife, Emmy and his son, Richie. He was the furthest thing from a “cranky old man!” He was an amazingly loving and generous man who loved music and musicians. He was adored and respected by a generation of musicians who found their signature instruments in his inspiring store. Your negative comment on the guitars being behind glass shows you never worked in or understood the often sad reality of NYC retail. Only Richie survives and though retired, is considered by countless players to be the nicest, most honest guy ever to grace the vintage guitar business.- literally a chip off the old block! You’re a wonderful player. You might want to rethink your flip dismissal of a man who single-handedly began the used guitar business in NYC lest you suffer a similar fate despite your wonderful contributions to our shared musical journey! What goes around…. You know!
Shawn was such a great guitar student. I saw her in Austin clubs in the late '70s and she was a strummer, then she became 'percussive' in her picking/playing.
I kept waiting for John to poke his finger thru the empty-lens in his glasses, creating an on-screen joke. Alas, he's a dumb ol' music producer and musician and never did get his stand-up routines quite right. Darn...
This was just so incredible. John is one of my guitar heroes and a monster songwriter. This was beyond my wildest dreams to be able to experience....thank you so much. It was an honor to watch.
Having played with a few of the session players in Nashville, and ON a few sessions in Nashville (very small sessions on which I played), I would adore being in his skin as the different parts and layers occurred to him and flowed through him. Those feelings, with which I am only mildly acquainted, are beyond description and sussing out. God’s gift of music is truly blissful, and a blessing… Listening to a true maestro puts a brilliant shine on the craft that starts as a talent. Thank you so much for sharing.🎸👨🏼⚕️🫶✌️♾️ (Michael Rhodes was one of the musicians with him. I was fortunate to record when I wrote with Warner Brothers in the late 80s. He was a trophy of a bass player. The first time he played on iTunes my tunes, I look like a paid assassin in his late 20s. He was the one that turned me onto Maxima (now Optima) gold strings - still use them on several of my guitars… God bless him, please. He was a mystical and brilliant, bassist.).
Since watching this interview, I’ve been on a quest to find and listen to as many tracks and albums with John Leventhal as a player, producer, or artist. I’ve listened to William Bell’s LP, This is Where I Live, at least 50 times and I continue to be absolutely blown away by John’s skill as a writer, guitarist, musician, producer. So tasteful and soulful on every single track.
what struck me was John's chops are so unique it's like a musical omakase (chef's recommendation) which you have no idea what note's coming next and that's the refreshing surprise instead of today's rhetoric and general music which you already knew what's coming next. This is a dying art.
@@VertexEffectsIncWas there any discussion or presentation of what is his signal chain for electric guitars in his studio? what interface or compressors or what is common plugins in DAW?
@@darkogav all the electric stuff was a Vintage Fender Deluxe Reverb into Cubase. I think there was an SM57 and Royer 121 on the amplifier. He used a little compression from a Mirage Compressor pedal and delay from a Line 6 Echo Park. Reverb was from the amp. There no plug-ins.
John's guitar playing and production are stellar. So many folks are moved by musicians that play at blinding speeds. John's sound and support of the song put him at the top of my list!
Good Lord what an interview. Simply love what this man does and yet I might have never heard him in a conversation. A definite musical hero of mine! Many thanks...
Why, oh why was "Wichita Skyline" by Shawn Colvin NOT mentioned?? It's a beautiful song, and the arrangement is a MASSIVE tribute to "Wichita Lineman"!!
Don't get me wrong, it was a FANTASTIC video! And it made me DISCOVER that song! My clumsy comment was only meant as a compliment and a listening tip for your viewers. Thank you again Mason!@@VertexEffectsInc
I slowly came to realise how John Leventhal was a producer, co-writer, and/or instrumentalist on much of my favourite music, including the likes of Shawn Colvin, Marc Cohn, and-of course-Rosanne Cash. This is therefore pure gold in terms of a tour through some of that music and much more, and for the insights it offers. Fabulous.
Thanks for this interview with Mr. Leventhal. John is such a master in musical seasoning, created with outstanding cording and note runs. That combined with dynamics that just pull you back and forth in the best ways. He is the type of musician I'd always wanted to be. Just downloaded his album and can't wait to play it. Thanks again.
Man I'm very thankful for this- those guitar parts haunted me for years and something about his philosophy of embracing your quirks as an artist to differentiate yourself is a real resonator for me. Great stuff here
