Cover photo © 2024 Steve Caudle

Blues rocker, Alastair Greene, is exceptionally talented, which has been recognized numerous times through his multiple award nominations. Alastair has an appreciation for a wide range of music genres and started out playing many instruments before choosing the guitar, which is not surprising given his heritage.

His grandfather, Alfred “Chico” Alvarez, was a jazz trumpeter who accompanied singers such as Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan and was a soloist with the Stan Kenton Orchestra. His mother plays piano, which was also his first instrument, beginning in the third grade. He then played saxophone for many years before picking up the bass (and upright bass) in junior high school. However, he explained that once he picked up the guitar, “everything else went by the wayside”.

Alastair’s talent on the guitar earned him a scholarship at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he stayed for two years. Like many who attended Berklee, he found that it provided him with an outstanding base of knowledge but did not prepare him for the “business” side of the music industry.

“Even if I had taken the music business classes back then, in 1991, the industry is changing so rapidly it wouldn’t be applicable today. I still feel a little bit baffled about the business side of things, but I am just learning as I go. I’m a fairly good observer as far as the business stuff goes. I would notice how I would be treated by certain people. I have been treated both good and horribly in various business aspects, and I just know how I want to be treated.”

After his second year at Berklee, Alastair found that it was the experience of playing gigs with many different musicians that he craved. However, he did have a few memorable and influential events at Berklee before he left, including the time Ronnie Earl came to the school to conduct a guitar clinic.

“Ronnie Earl made a really big impression on me. I saw a flyer for his clinic but back then I hadn’t even heard of him. However, I decided I’d go see him and it was unbelievable. He was very unassuming, said a few things, and then basically played a gig. He’s still great now, but there’s a certain age when people just have a lot of fire, and he peeled the paint off the walls. I was like, ‘holy shit!’ and became an instant fan. I decided I had to go find his records, and that’s how you discover there is Roomful of Blues, and that Duke Robillard used to be in Roomful of Blues, and so on.”

Alastair also had the opportunity to see Albert Collins and Lonnie Mack play while he was still in Boston. Once he returned to California, he formed a blues/rock trio and landed some great opportunities opening for the Fabulous Thunderbirds, John Mayall, Lonnie Brooks, and Robin Trower. He then played with several other bands, including an R&B-Funk-Latin band, and had jobs playing guitar with a variety of different types of artists.

In 2009, Alastair was asked to substitute for Godfrey Townsend, (who had a scheduling conflict), in the Alan Parsons Project. And, at the end of the year, he was asked to play permanently with the band. He toured the world, playing huge arenas and having unforgettable experiences. Plus, the touring schedule allowed him to still play in his own band and release his own albums, but they were always second priority, which eventually led to his choice to leave the Alan Parsons Project.

“Playing for the Alan Parsons Project was an eye-opening experience. I learned a lot about self-confidence, as I had to play in some pretty high-pressure situations. I guess I learned a lot about being a professional.”

Alastair has recorded many records, beginning with several that he self-produced, then one for Delta Groove and then two for Rip Cat. He then toured as part of the Sugaray Rayford Band before meeting Tab Benoit at the Big Blues Bender.

“I first went to the Bender as a civilian, since it was close enough when I was living in Southern California. I got to sit in with some people and met AJ (Gross) and Jimmy (Carpenter). AJ called me the following year because he had a last-minute cancellation, and he asked me if I was available to fill the slot. I told Jimmy that I played different kinds of music and could read charts in case he needed any help, so that’s how I got involved with playing guitar with the Bender Brass. I also got to play with several other artists, including Bobby Rush and Tab Benoit. Tab mentioned to me that he had a record label in case I was interested in doing a record, and I ended up doing two albums on his Whiskey Bayou Label.”

Those albums, The New World Blues (2020) and Alive in the New World (2022) received excellent reviews, and were produced and engineered by Benoit, who also played drums on the albums. Alastair’s songwriting talent was showcased on these albums, including a particularly intriguing song titled “No Longer Amused”.

He also toured extensively with Benoit, and the audiences loved the obvious chemistry between the two of them. When asked recently for his thoughts about Alastair, Benoit stated that he always enjoys any chance to hang out with Alastair, as they end up laughing so much. He also stated that he is happy to see Alastair getting recognition for playing his own compositions.

“On the guitar, Alastair has always been just a master. But it’s great that now he can really be free to be himself. He couldn’t just cut loose and do his own stuff before, when playing with Parsons or Sugaray.”

Alastair’s albums primarily focus on his original songs. He noted that he usually comes up with the music first, before the lyrics. He stated that the most meaningful song lyrics he has written were to a song on his very first album, called “The Long Way Home”. He explained that it was written about his grandmother, after she passed away, and he played all of the instruments on that track.

“Lyrically it is probably the most touching thing that I’ve written.”

The lyrics to several songs on The New World Blues seem especially powerful, and a few of the song lyrics seem nearly prophetic, as they discuss political turmoil that seems even more relevant now than at the time he wrote them.

Alastair recently released his eleventh album, Standing Out Loud, this time with much of the album co-produced by JD Simo. However, Alastair noticed that the recording experience was actually very similar to his experience recording with Benoit.

“JD has a lot more vintage microphones and a vintage set-up, and Tab has more modern microphones, but their production styles are fairly similar in that they just wanted me to come in with songs, show it to the drummer and bass player, get people’s first impression and not over-rehearse things. With Tab all songs were done on the first or second take and the same is true for this record. The title is sort of like claiming your life. I’m doing my thing, doing my best, trying to kick ass at it. I’m not going to back down from whatever adversity might come my way—I’m standing out loud.”

Alastair’s latest album, like his previous releases, focuses mainly on his original compositions. It is reminiscent of ‘70s rock but still has its roots the blues. In fact, the one cover song is the 1928 Willam Harris song, “Bullfrog Blues”, which became a timeless blues classic after first being covered by Canned Heat and later by Rory Gallagher. Alastair discussed how the genre has expanded over the years.

“If you hear what people are considering the blues genre right now, almost anything goes, and I’m fine with that. I’m not a purist. I hear the blues in old Bad Company and Led Zeppelin songs. And then there are some things billed as blues-rock, some even nominated for awards, that I have a hard time hearing the blues influence. But when I play my shows, you will hear some straight blues, like a Junior Wells song, or my version of an Albert King or an Albert Collins song, or even Son House or Robert Johnson. I just play it with a little more rock and roll attitude.”

Standing Out Loud was released on the Ruf Label, a German label that has been promoting excellent blues music for the past thirty years. Alastair has also been touring as part of the “Ruf Caravan” along with another guitar virtuoso, Eric Johanson, and Serbian-born pianist Katarina Pejak. He expressed admiration for the founder of Ruf Records, Thomas Ruf.

“I have a lot of respect for him, staying in business for 30 years. It’s not easy. And he is in the trenches. Do you know that he even drives the van on the Caravan tour? This is such a wonderful opportunity to get in front of the European audiences. The publicity has been great, the radio airplay has been great. I’m just so happy with how things have gone so far. And of course, Eric is great, and Katarina is fantastic. She’s really cool—it’s a good dynamic.”

Alastair discussed how his equipment choices changed over the years.

“I had a Fender Stratocaster and admittedly, I was really into Stevie Ray Vaughan and Hendrix early on, but when I switched more to playing Gibson guitars, I was able to find my own voice as a player. I found a sound that didn’t sound like all the Strats. They have their own identities and personalities, but I just felt more at home playing a Gibson, so that is the main guitar I play. I’ve also been using Category Five amps. I got grandfathered into their family through playing with Tab, because he has his own Category Five model. I don’t use a lot of effects. I use a few pedals just to change up the sound. As far as strings are concerned, it’s funny there is this running dialogue among guitarists about heavier strings on a guitar getting better sounds, but that can be debunked. For example, Billy Gibbons uses light strings. Anyway, I use a standard gauge of guitar strings—not a lot of bells and whistles.”

When asked if he had advice for young musicians, Alastair offered the following:

“Diversify and love what you are doing. And there is no substitute for experience. No substitute for playing hundreds of bar gigs. I’ve been a witness to videos of guys who can really play, but I’m not feeling anything. People do these 30-second videos, and it builds a following, but that following won’t come buy tickets to your show. You have to get out and play shows.”

If you have never seen him play, you should consider making it a point to find out why Alastair Greene is considered one of the finest blues/rock guitarists of his generation, (and also a great singer and songwriter). You can check out his extensive tour dates at www.alastairgreene.com , and find out more about his new album at  https://save-it.cc/ruf-records/standing-out-loud.