Acoustic Guitar Magazine | 10 years ago
Strumming a Collings Waterloo WL-14, guitarist Steve James gives an impromptu performance of his “Galway Station Blues,” a tale that recounts a stormy night spent in an Irish bus station. James is in one of the halls at Winter NAMM 2015, and in an interview with AG editor Mark Segal Kemp, he talks about how his ladder-braced Waterloo acoustic has been modeled after Gibson’s budget-priced Kalamazoo of the 1930s. This reincarnation enables James to get that “period” sound so evocative of early bluesmen, who could rarely afford high-end instruments. But while the Waterloo has the plain-vanilla look of a Kalamazoo on the outside, its construction reflects the high standard of craftsmanship that Collings is known for. Kemp mentions that the Waterloo is versatile, too, with a sound that works well for jazz.
Asked about memorable experiences at the annual event, James recounts an unusual sighting: an encounter between Gene Simmons (accompanied by two nearly naked women) and Beefcake the Mighty, both in full regalia—something you don’t see everyday.
Click here to read an excerpt from Steve James' book, Roots and Blues Fingerstyle Guitar.
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