This interview has been edited for clarity and flow.
“It’s going good. Obviously if we get cut off, you’ll know why and hopefully we can try a little later.” Get cut off we did. The mountainous BC interior got the better of us, that Wednesday evening.
Luckily for Posen and his team, Vancouver gave them a break from what he described as a grim couple of days of ice and snow, “not that we’re not used to it.” the Winnipegger said, about the weather they’d been experiencing on the road.
When asked about how his shortened tour was going, Vancouver being the middle of the five show run through Western Canada , “It’s going great…Saskatoon, and Edmonton were both great…”
Dead air… Mountains 1, us 0. We rescheduled for the following morning, via spotty text messaging.
The next morning we tied things up. It was 9:30am and Ariel was just leaving Kamloops; the bands stop-over for the night.
Here’s the full, uninterrupted interview…okay, there was one time it crackled.
Jade Dempsey: Hey, how are you, I’m assuming you’re somewhere on the Coquihalla right now?
Ariel Posen: Yeah, we literally just left Kamloops. I think I should be good for reception, if not…if I suddenly disappear again…firstly I apologize, and you’ll know why. I think it should be fine. Happy to do it later today, if that’s the case as well. Let’s go for it! Pick up where we left off!
Let’s jump into the new album. What made you decide to release Downtown as an EP?
Well, the whole idea behind it, was that 2021 was a really busy music release year for me. I put out a record called Headway, then I put out an acoustic version of the record, and then I put out an instrumental guitar record at the end of the year called Mile End. So I just felt like, you know, it was a lot. So for 2022, I wanted to give a little something and have something to tour behind, because we had a heavy touring year in the books…And in lockdown I was writing a lot. I had about thirty songs I was sitting on. I had enough songs for what will be the next record. But I had a batch of about five or six other songs that I really really liked, but I didn’t really see them having a place on the new record. It didn’t mean they were any less…they kind of lived in their own hemisphere. So I thought it would make sense to just make an EP out of those songs, and make them their own collection, so to speak.
Listening to Downtown the rhythm guitar parts seem cleaner than your previous work, was that part of the reason why they ended up in their own collection?
Yes and no. Those kind of choices were all based on what felt like serving the song right. Though in a lot of ways, you’re right. These songs were a bit more…what you could call relaxed, or like a bit more easy listening. With the exception of “Be Enough” they’re all a little easier listening than a regular record from me. So maybe subconsciously it just turned out that way, it wasn’t necessarily a conscious decision…but yeah.
What’s the process of writing one of your songs. Where does it start?
Yeah. Well a song for me…All my favourite artists and friends that are amazing, they usually start with lyrics first. They just start putting down lyrics, even if they don’t quite make sense yet. Sometimes that’s how it goes for me. It might be a sentence or two, that has some serious meaning to me, but I don’t know where the rest of it’s going to go, or what it’s necessarily about, until I make a decision about what it is that I’m writing about. So, I’d say about nine out of ten times, it starts from a chord progression, or some kind of musical thing, and I’ll kind of write around that. You know, outside of that, just like anybody else, I just try and make it cohesive and make it decent. Just try to make it as good as possible.
Staying with the writing process. Mile End, is entirely instrumental. Did it come from having parts that didn’t fit with lyrics? Or did you just sit down and come up with it?
Yeah, it was the latter. It was a lockdown session. I booked some studio time, for one evening, and brought down a videographer. My initial plan was to maybe just get a couple cool videos out of it. I was just going to improvise a couple of things and it ended up…there was something in the air, and the vibe was right. I think because I didn’t have any goal in mind, and I wasn’t thinking “this is going to be a record.” I just sat there and just being like “huh!” and that I was just going to do this. I think I was just in a relaxed mindset and, yeah. All the pieces were improvised. There was a few that were little themes that I had been messing around with for a while. But every song was pick a theme, stick to something, improvise around it, explore…hopefully not train wreck, and then come back to it at the end. It became this special little thing.
I was hesitant putting it out because it was different from what I regularly put out musically. I’m not trying to confuse listeners, but I really am known as a guitar player and a lot of people know me from just seeing videos of me playing just on my own, and improvising pieces. So it was kind of a tip of the hat to that. It just felt right, and people have liked it. I’m glad I ended up putting it out, and to chase down a different avenue from the typical, written song with lyrics and singing, and song arrangement, you know?
At the end of recording it, did you find there was anything that you wrote that you thought that maybe would work well with lyrics? When listening to it “Borrowed Time” is a song in which I feel that I can hear lyrics accompanying it.
Oh, interesting. Yes and no. Some of them I can definitely hear lyrics. I always find once a song is set musically, it’s so much harder to put lyrics and melody on top of something that already exists. Because you have to just keep putting lyrics together that are cohesive and feel good. It so much harder when you’re not doing it at the same time as the music. I do feel like the melodies are all strong enough that they could have lyrics replacing it. But it’s kind of fun to keep them as their own pieces as well.
Going back to the fact you’re more well known as a guitar player. Even being dubbed a “modern day guitar hero”. Who are some of yours?
Funny enough, I grew up on bands, like the Beatles. The thing that made me want to star playing guitar was bands of my era, like Green Day and Offspring, Rage Against The Machine…Chilli Peppers, stuff like that. I was guitar in an ensemble, and more of a compositional piece. I didn’t really get into guitar players ’til I was in my teens. Like a lot of people I heard Stevie Ray Vaughn for the first time as was like “ooh, I think I can take guitar more seriously.” That led me down an endless path of blues players, jazz players, rock, country…every style. But honestly, one of the things more so that guitar players, that I get inspired by are from other instruments, singers, piano players, horn players. It’s just a different emotive way of expressing notes than listening to guitar players doing it the same way. So I find I get so much more…I don’t know…inspo, from looking outside of the guitar realm.
As a great slide player. Is there a song or place you’d recommend someone to start?
I don’t think there’s a specific song. I think people should just find a slide that fits their finger, which is something no one ever thinks about.
Which isn’t easy. I’m still trying to find the right one myself.
Yeah. It takes a while to find the right one. It takes some searching, and trial and error. You can devote a guitar to setting it up a little correctly. Slightly higher action and a heavier gauge string. You’ll realize right out the gate it’s so much easier to play slide. Also, to just record yourself. Focus on your intonation, focus on you vibrato, the fluidity in your muting. Those are the things that matter, before you start playing songs. Just take things you play with your fingers already, and try to play them on a slide. And maybe start horizontally, rather than playing vertically, because if you want that singer type of sound, the more horizontal and less attacks from you picking hand…that’s how you’re going to get that kind of singer quality to it.
How does your gear come into play when you begin to build your sound?
Um…I always have an overdrive on. I really just use the guitar as a master volume. I don’t like toe tapping on a million gain stage or boost type of pedals. I really like to control all my dynamics from the volume knob on the guitar. Like my boost, or more drive, less drive, all comes from that knob. I do need to have a clean platform of an amp, with an overdrive on at all times. That helps me get in to that zone, where I can control all of those dynamics. Then, yeah…having a fuzz, verb, trem…I keep it actually pretty simple. Somehow I’m in this box of a big guitar gear guy, but really I keep it simple compared to everyone else.
When I’m playing I just don’t want to be…it’s hard enough to sing and play guitar on stage and to be exciting and interesting, and sing in tune. The last thing I want to think about is…all this toe tapping. Which I do a little bit, but keep it at a minimal. The core thing, like the volume knob, like I was saying. Without that I can’t really fully express myself like I like to on a guitar.
How does your gear come into play when you begin to build your sound?
Um…I always have an overdrive on. I really just use the guitar as a master volume. I don’t like toe tapping on a million gain stage or boost type of pedals. I really like to control all my dynamics from the volume knob on the guitar. Like my boost, or more drive, less drive, all comes from that knob. I do need to have a clean platform of an amp, with an overdrive on at all times. That helps me get in to that zone, where I can control all of those dynamics. Then, yeah…having a fuzz, verb, trem…I keep it actually pretty simple. Somehow I’m in this box of a big guitar gear guy, but really I keep it simple compared to everyone else.
When I’m playing I just don’t want to be…it’s hard enough to sing and play guitar on stage and to be exciting and interesting, and sing in tune. The last thing I want to think about is…all this toe tapping. Which I do a little bit, but keep it at a minimal.
The core thing, like the volume knob, like I was saying. Without that I can’t really fully express myself like I like to on a guitar.
Being a gear guy, you do have your Hudson Broadcast AP signature pedal. If you could think up another signature pedal, what would it be?
Well I’ve thought up many other signature ideas. Some I don’t want to fully…let the cat out of the bag yet…
Firstly I would do variations of that preamp because there’s a lot more to explore, when you have an item that’s basically supposed to be a Neve console. It could just be its own fuzz or its own boost.
I did a signature run with Keeley, which was a trem and reverb in one. Truly there’s nothing specific. If I’m going to put my name on something, I just don’t want it to be something that exists a hundred times over already. I’d just make sure it was somewhat different…something unique, yet accessible. And desirable for any hobbyist or working musician. That’s the goal.
What was your first guitar?
My first guitar was an Ibanez RX series electric…actually really my first guitar was a piece of shit acoustic that I don’t know the model.
Going back to your career. Can you talk a little bit about your transition from being a side man, playing guitar for the Bros. Landreth, to going out on your own?
Yeah…When I first decided I wanted to be a musician, I would book gigs with a trio I had. We’d play four or five times a week, playing three sets. I was fronting, singing, it was really fun. Then people would come out and be like, “hey, the band’s okay, whatever…but we need a guitar player for this artist.” And I’d say sure. I say it like this because the Bros. Landreth was just like one of a thousand sideman gigs I’ve done.
I’ve learned a lot standing behind amazing front people, and in fact…are you coming to the show tonight?
Yes.
The fellow that’s opening the show, Del Barber, I’ve played guitar for him for many years. Just learning from a guy like that, seeing how it’s done. It’s…a lot of that rubs off on you and you just learn the ins and outs and nuances. Like speaking to a crowd…being interesting. All that kind of stuff.
So fast forward, and it was just kind of the natural progression. Me starting to write my own material. And the band wasn’t really doing a whole lot, and I put out a record. I don’t want to say it totally took off, but it was busy enough that it was taking up all of my time, and I fully committed to it.
A lot of people’s first introduction to you, like me, was the Andertons Youtube channel, when you moved to Ireland. Do you think had you not moved there, that maybe it would’ve taken you longer to get to the point of going solo?
100%, yeah. That’s a good point. Being in Ireland; I was there for a couple of years, ‘cause my wife was going to school there, and I was just thinking, “I’ve got to support us somehow. Where do I start?” So I guess I thought about when I first wanted to be a musician and just started booking gigs, trio gigs, right? So I did that again. I found a couple of guys that were awesome and friends of mine and I started booking us shows around Cork. I started realizing that I was really enjoying…not because I needed attention, or liked being the centre of attention…but it was just a really fulfilling feeling to play original music again, and just to be in control of what I was playing. I love being a sideman, I love playing amazing music written by other people. But it was just kind of another fulfilling feeling…So yeah that definitely lit the fire and…yeah spending some time over seas, and the Andertons guys were fans and friends…and some other of those YouTube channels. So I’m grateful to them, they definitely helped my build a profile, as I was transitioning to a solo artist. So all of it together really helped…I would definitely would…no…not be here without that stuff.
Earlier this year you got the call from John Mayer to play on the PRS Silver Sky SE “Wild Blue” video. What are some of your favourite moments outside of performances and touring, that being a musician has allowed you to be a part of?
Oh, I mean…performing and touring is one branch of a very big tree, that I call being a musician. I love connecting with people…in the studio, producing, and like recording on projects with people. Creating is just so satisfying. Especially when you can be a part of someone else’s project. I love collaborating, on stuff that’s not my own music. Teaching. More so doing workshops or clinics. I’ve gone overseas to Italy a few times and the UK to do getaway…camps…I guess. Where you teach people that pay to come on this trip and stuff like that’s really enjoyable. Yeah…but I’d say the studio mostly.
It’s been interesting in the lockdown, it was the most collaborating I’ve ever done…most that anybody’s done, and we all just did it from home. Everybody was home and available. I did this interview series last summer where I called up a few friends, and some people that are now friends, but weren’t quite then. Like, people from Canada and the States who had a similar trajectory, that were in a band and was a sideman or woman before they went solo. I just interviewed them about their story and their process, and comparing it to mine. It was really fun to do something different like that and…collab playing one of their songs. Like I put together a band for each of their songs. It was a huge undertaking, but I definitely brought me closer to some of the artists that weren’t quite, I’d say friends yet. Now they’re friends. It was very cool.
Speaking of producing. Is there anything you’ve produced that you’d like to talk about?
Yeah. I just…recently I just produced a record for a Montreal blues and rock guitar player and singer named Justin Saladino. That just came out a month and a half ago. I also produced this EP for this artist Cathal Murphy. He’s Irish, but lives in Scotland. He just opened a leg of our Europe tour with us. He flew to Canada and we did this little EP together. Those were cool…There’s a couple that are coming out in the new year for some other artist that I don’t think I’m allowed to talk about yet because we haven’t really started it yet…It’s great. I love that kind of stuff. It’s just really satisfying to do that kind of stuff.
Going from the studio to the road, do you have any highlights from touring this year?
Oh yeah! We’ve been so fortunate to…log some serious miles, since last summer when touring opened up again, basically for Canadians. We’ve primarily spent a lot of time in the States…a lot of like, festivals, one off and little mini tours. In may we basically did a West coast tour and East coast tour for a month and that was fantastic. We did about a months worth of touring with Bahamas in December and April, in Ontario, Quebec and the East coast, which was really great. Played some festivals in the US and Estonia, which was wild…and like I was saying we just got off a three week tour in Europe and the UK and it was just…it…was the best tour yet, it was just so fulfilling and felt so much love from the people…and it was just…amazing. And it’s nice to just be touring Western Canada now, we haven’t done that since before lockdown. There’s a serious comfort to doing this route because we’ve done it som many times. We’ve been enjoying ourselves and the shows have been good. Yeah, it’s been great.
Going from the studio to the road, do you have any highlights from touring this year?
Oh yeah! We’ve been so fortunate to…log some serious miles, since last summer when touring opened up again, basically for Canadians. We’ve primarily spent a lot of time in the States…a lot of like, festivals, one off and little mini tours. In may we basically did a West coast tour and East coast tour for a month and that was fantastic. We did about a months worth of touring with Bahamas in December and April, in Ontario, Quebec and the East coast, which was really great. Played some festivals in the US and Estonia, which was wild…and like I was saying we just got off a three week tour in Europe and the UK and it was just…it…was the best tour yet, it was just so fulfilling and felt so much love from the people…and it was just…amazing. And it’s nice to just be touring Western Canada now, we haven’t done that since before lockdown. There’s a serious comfort to doing this route because we’ve done it som many times. We’ve been enjoying ourselves and the shows have been good. Yeah, it’s been great.
Last couple of questions, is there a show on your bucket list you’d like to see?
Paul McCartney. I keep missing him and I keep…I feel like I’m going to miss my chance. I had tickets for a show at MetLife stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey last summer, and the friend that was going to drive us got the ol’ C bug, so we couldn’t go
If there was a civilization that had never heard music before, what song of your would you play to them?
Hmm..maybe…Fade.
And with that we got the better of the mountains.
Thank you to Ariel for connecting on this interview. You can check him out here. He will be playing a few shows before 2022 comes to a close. See if he’s in a city near you, you won’t regret it.
There’s a full gallery from Ariel’s show at the Biltmore cabaret here, as well.
Hey, Jade here. Thanks for visiting Backline Beat. If you like the site and would like to help support it, I’d be very grateful. Every little bit helps. Right now I’m an army of one, and would like at some point to be able to bring on other voices, to be a part of Backline Beat. Below, are links to Patreon, PayPal, and Linktree.
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— Jade Dempsey