Joe Bonamassa Discusses Social Media, New Album, Collaboration with Train & More!

Joe Bonamassa is an American blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter.  His music has been nominated for 3 Grammies and he is also well known for his extensive collection of vintage guitars and amplifiers.  He has a new live album out now as well as a collaboration with the band Train. We discuss the new album, the single with Train, social media trolls and more!

00:00 - Intro
00:13 - Upcoming Tour Promotion
04:15 - Social Media & Trolls
12:45 - New Live Record
16:15 - Female Voices
17:45 - Collaboration with Train
19:25 - Promotion
19:50 - Outro

Joe Bonamassa website:
https://jbonamassa.com/

Chuck Shute link tree:
https://linktr.ee/chuck_shute

Transcript

Joe Bonamassa: 0:12

I'm here how you doing?

Chuck Shute: 0:14

Great. Amazing. How are you?

Joe Bonamassa: 0:17

I'm good.

Chuck Shute: 0:19

Good. Looks like you're you're in a hotel away radio is that where are you?

Joe Bonamassa: 0:22

I'm in my house. Oh, wow. That's

Chuck Shute: 0:25

a cool view then.

Joe Bonamassa: 0:26

Yes, I'm in Nashville.

Chuck Shute: 0:28

Oh, I didn't know you live in Nashville. That's amazing. It's such a

Joe Bonamassa: 0:33

as long as you're not an IRS agent. I'm I live here part time.

Chuck Shute: 0:36

Oh. Oh, do you have some sort of you have another house to?

Joe Bonamassa: 0:41

I live I have I've placed in New York City in place in LA. This is we're here rehearsing today. Are we rehearsing this week? We got we got a tour coming up. Starting, like on all right. OCD. We got a tour starting on next Friday. So

Chuck Shute: 1:01

yeah, it's crazy. I saw like you have you're coming to me in Arizona. You're coming to Arizona, like already scheduled like October, November or something. And then I saw dates already are set up. That's pretty amazing that you're setting them up that early in advance. That's

Joe Bonamassa: 1:16

right. Yeah. Well, we promote our own shows. So when we promote our own shows, you know, you got to set them up, put them on sale. It's like anything else. It's like same thing with Live Nation would do.

Chuck Shute: 1:28

Is that a newer phenomenon, though, where you're booking the shows out further in advance? Because it's so competitive, right? Like if you book a month before people might already have plans by then. Right.

Joe Bonamassa: 1:39

Well, first of all, when you play in like the Comerica theatre, I don't even know what it's called. Now, it used to be the Comerica theatre, it's 5000 seats, you need more than 30 days sell 5000 seats. And, you know, you it's a marketing, each show has a marketing plan, you know, most most concerts are put on sale, probably between six months, four to six months in advance. So that's, you know, what we do? Yeah, spring out, you know, this spring of next year goes out, summer of this year.

Chuck Shute: 2:18

Yeah. And you're big enough that you got somebody else doing all that I'm assuming that you have like a tour manager, somebody that takes care, all that stuff, right, I hope?

Joe Bonamassa: 2:27

Well, to break it down. The tour manager takes care of the tour. Okay, like I have a staff of like 20 people in the office, my manager runs the office in South Florida. And and there's people that are in charge of veils, there's, there's tour marketing, there's merchandise. There's, there's the record company, there's the keeping the blues alive, 501, C, three, all of that is under one in one office. So it's a the business term is it's a vertically integrated business, meaning that I don't, I don't really have I have a couple of booking agents that do specialty stuff for us. But But generally, we we get the avails. So we we have relationships with the theatres and everything else. And we go, and we like, Okay, we need November 18, the Friday, okay, well, there's the nutcrackers got a hold on it, but we challenged the whole next thing, you know, they come back, so you can have Friday, November 18, and we send them a check for the rank cap. And then we then go through their ticket system, which is usually ticket master, and then we start marketing the shows, and then we do an email blast with our fall dates, and then and then, and then it goes from there. But each show is a lot of work. You know, I mean, each show is like setting up your own. It's like setting up a pop up business, you know, 22 times and 35 days. So that's really what it is. And you know, it's it's it's you know, and we can monitor the sales every other day it's like just comes in sale sale sale sale sales and then you know, there's no there's no promoter stiffing you on the money you because you know what you're going to make you know, you know what your fixed costs are to do business and then you know, what you what you're going to make on top of that Wow,

Chuck Shute: 4:15

that's nice and it's nice that you have so much help and I know I was reading one thing about like your social media like you got kind of fed up and then you're able to pass that's my dream is build a pass social media off on somebody have somebody else kind of help run that so that I don't have to deal with it because it is kind of a headache. I

Joe Bonamassa: 4:31

do the Instagram but I like I like I need to I've been growing more as a person because one of the one of the things I don't suffer is false. And and and a lot of times I'll just be like, no, no, no, you don't get away with that in my house. So I've calmed down and but I honestly think I honestly think social media has become literally like it's an Orwellian type of it's kind of Orwellian. And and Carl Sagan wrote something about, like, you know, having the media control by you know, like the digital media control by the by by very few people. I think it's become really weaponized Orwellian. An echo chamber, indoctrination service, there's if that's the right thing. And it polarizes people as opposed to 10 years ago when everybody would would would complain that all that, like if I get it if I have to see, you know, a picture of me bells lunch again I'm gonna I'm gonna lose it, you know. And it's like, you know, Ann Marie went to the went to the house of pies in Los feliss Oh, she's got cherry pie. You know what I mean? That was that was before it became a weapon. Right? I think what

Chuck Shute: 6:10

they do is they put the algorithm and the most drama, the most controversy, craziest things goes to the top, because people will argue with that. And yeah, people's pictures of people's lunches that goes to the bottom of the list, because that doesn't get any drama. Well,

Joe Bonamassa: 6:25

you know, clickbait is the big thing. You know, taking stuff that's out of context, I've been clickbait it so many times, I just laugh at it now going, you know, and if you make a joke, they'll take a small a small portion of the joke, and make it sound like you're serious and arrogant as fuck. Okay, and I just don't subscribe to that. And the thing about it is, is social media really is it's good as a free marketing tool. You know, because you can market yourself and better musicians and have been successful and becoming Instagram stars, you know, influencers? I don't know what the term is now. And, you know, but it's, it's the critical thing about when you come in to the game from that side, is being able to transition to being an artist. Not just one minute at a time, you know, is then there's 89 minutes left of a gig that you need to fill.

Chuck Shute: 7:32

Right? Yeah, I mean, your social media is kicking ass though. You got like 3 million on Facebook and almost a million on Instagram. And I had so many I looked at your Instagram account, I have like, over 100 of my friends follow you. So I mean, you must be doing something right there. Well,

Joe Bonamassa: 7:45

they they liked the guitar collection. Yeah, one of the biggest country in the world. So. So every day I post a picture, some stupid guitar, not stupid, but they're not guitars. But you know, and and, and, you know, a lot of some people take it the wrong way as it's like, if I'm gloating or bragging about it, I'm like, I'm just sharing it, you know, and, and it's, it's become a, it's become as much of a music site as become like a Antiques Roadshow, like, what's what's bought today, you know, and which is fine, you know, and, and that, that part, that part I do enjoy. I do enjoy the collectible Guitar World and, you know, and because I allotted, you know, a lot of my friends, you know, our collectors, too. You know, like, I see you got something that it's that that part of it's fun. It's, it's when people come in and try to misquote and when people come in, and I guess literally just, I don't know, think it's some sort of like, you know, call like name calling, it's like, dude, if you don't like what I do, and follow it and move on. Okay, there's, there's plenty of other people that like it. And and, and, like there's, you know, what do you think you're gonna do? Like, like, change my mind or change my opinion about what I'm doing? Like, oh, well, guitar lover 59 says I'm gonna you know, my last name is bone remaster. I'm like, Oh, well, shut it down. Labor bucket employees are done. Sorry. Oh, you know, because guitar lover with 16 Fucking followers knows, but I might, you know, I'm too old for that shit. Okay, and maybe that is arrogance. Okay, but I've been around this business a long time. And it's like, everyone's free to start. Okay? Grab a guitar. Write a song. Put it out there. book a gig. Step and Repeat. Anybody can do this. It's just the you have the balls to get in the game. And then they and then when the people who like to throw arrows or shoot arrows, the arrows come at them. That's what they're most afraid, and that's that, that that's a, there's a certain level of cowardice there, and that they hide behind the keyboards and then when you shoot arrows back, they're like, Well, you know, they're a result of name calling. It's like when anybody loses an argument, they get mad, and they call you an ad. And that's it like, and that's it. That's, that's anytime they're on the wrong side of an issue. There's always a name calling element. And because because this you run out of IQ points, and you can't defend your position.

Chuck Shute: 10:34

Right now that sums it up. It's exactly right. I mean, I even see that even at my level, which I'm very, I don't have a million followers at all. But I mean, I'll interview somebody. And I'll get trolled on a YouTube interview or something. I'm just like, and it's you're right, every time you click on the user, it's always somebody that has no real picture. It's a picture of a celebrity or cartoon or something. They've got, like, 10 followers or less, but they want to criticize what you're doing. It's really bizarre.

Joe Bonamassa: 10:58

And by the way, they're free to start their own podcast. Yeah, it's

Chuck Shute: 11:03

a lot easier sort of podcasts and try to play the guitar, in my opinion, but, you

Joe Bonamassa: 11:07

know, I mean, I know that's a very nice microphone, and it costs money and, and those headphones cost money. And then and the internet link costs money. So okay, we have, you know, it's gonna be a couple of $1,000 investment in into and then, and then oh, by the way, when they get the mic, and all the tools to do it, oh, they're not good at podcast, or broadcasting. You know, it's like, but then they feel the need to criticize what you're doing. It's like, Yeah, I know, I can play guitar. I'm a decent guitar player. Okay, that's all I do. And, and you can't fault me for living like this, because anybody in my position would, if they were in my position to do the exact same thing. Yeah, I

Chuck Shute: 11:49

would love to be able to fight. I mean, I took guitar lessons when I was in high school, and I sucked, it was like, people like you that I go, I can't compete with this guy. But he didn't troll you. It was like, Alright, let me try something different. You know, let me find my thing that I'm good at. So I don't know why those people don't do that. That's the,

Joe Bonamassa: 12:03

that's the silent majority, intelligent people that are capable of seeing things rationally. You know, it's like, you know, I love Formula One race cars. Okay, I love the I love Formula One racing. It's like, I like I'm like, I'm not trolling Lewis Hamilton, because I can't get behind the wheel. Like, why didn't Ferrari Give me the keys? I can't try. Okay, if you do rational, pragmatic thinking, you know, and you know, it's not for everyone, right? Well,

Chuck Shute: 12:40

yeah, this is, this is great stuff. I love that we love to talk about this new record that you have. It's amazing debut at number one on the blues chart that your publicist says that's your 28th number one debut. That's amazing.

Joe Bonamassa: 12:52

How did you get the most in the history of the category? Yeah,

Chuck Shute: 12:56

that's like, so amazing. And so it's it's crazy that like, I mean, yeah, again, these trolls who gives a shit about them, you're obviously doing amazing things. How did you prepare for this show? Because this is different. You have the full orchestra, right? I mean, you don't typically bring out the full orchestra, I'm assuming no,

Joe Bonamassa: 13:12

no, no. This took four years to put together. The charts alone took years. And we rehearsed and we prepped and we toured for about a month, with my friend Jeff Bova in the band doing shows and Jeff is an orchestrator. But he also has what he calls the Bova orchestra is a bunch of computers and these great string things that he can do with our keyboard. So we played with Jeff for a month on the road to those arrangements. We came to LA had a day off. Rehearse with with the LA fill the day before, showed up the next day at the Hollywood ball. Boom, 90 minutes. The union guy is like you got 90 minutes. Best of luck. And that that was it. 89 minutes and 39 seconds. Yeah, it's

Chuck Shute: 14:13

amazing. I mean, I want to see you live. I've never seen you live I'm sure that's a different feel. I mean, we're getting a taste of it with a live record, but it's not the same as like being in the room. Do you have to like Tinker at all after we're after the recording and change little things here and there. Did you leave it exactly as it was?

Joe Bonamassa: 14:29

It's pretty much I mean, now, you know, if I if I you know, now the technology is like it's like it used to be it's like, like every show there's a bad note. Okay, there you go. Just there's very few flawless shows. Like if I had like if I hit a bad note on the guitar used to be like we would go into the studio with a live with a Live rig, the same setup and match the sound and I would just quickly punch in the bad note. So you would never know and on the film it would look, it would look fine, you know? Now, you don't even have to do that. If you're flat one, you just go into this thing called Melodyne. Okay? For those of you who don't know Melodyne you don't know it, but you hear it every day when you listen to pop radio. It's, that's that's the auto tune. So you just go to it and it works on the voice is it works on a guitar works on anything, a bass or whatever. And you go in there and you're like, you find the note and you use go. Never happened. So, I believe there's always a few nips and tucks but it's generally 98% 99% of what happened. Nobody goes in and overdubs anything, you know, just the vocals or the live cut. It's just, you know, it's a few nips and tucks you know, just to just to get it to where it's not just, you know, there's no buzzes you know, it just so it plays down like an album, you know, because, like, you know, like, I use old guitars and, you know, sometimes they buzz in between songs or there's a, there's a clack, whatever. All that can be just cut out.

Chuck Shute: 16:10

That makes sense. What about I don't know if this was in the notes, or maybe I couldn't find it. But who is the female voice on? There's a couple songs? Definitely. I think it was self inflicted wounds and if heartaches were nickels I think that was that was at the same female voice that was she was amazing. That

Joe Bonamassa: 16:26

her name is Jade McCray. And Jade has been in my band now. Since about nine years.

Chuck Shute: 16:36

Oh, so she's a full time band member?

Joe Bonamassa: 16:38

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Jade, and Danny D'Andrea are the two singers that that travel the world with me. And I am blessed to have both of those women not only is professional singers, who are the two of the greatest, but just two of my best friends and literally my sisters, you know, like like, they're like they're like part of my family. And I Jade. Had have you know, she had a pop career in Australia. And she's put out solar because I encourage it. You know, if you've put out a bunch of solar arrays, I encourage anybody listening to your to your program to go check out both Jade and Danny DeAndre is Jade McCray and Danny DNA as we use it, because it's it's their world class. And I just don't know why they like they put up with my sharp singing. I just don't know how to put up with that. No, I think a perfect pitch but but but no, she she is amazing. And just just nails it every single night. It's five nights a week. No exceptions. Yeah. And then

Chuck Shute: 17:46

it's crazy. Like I saw when I went on your Spotify, I was looking I was like, Oh, you just did a song with with a train. And I have this like, weird relationship. My brother's wife sister is married to pat. So I've met him. Super nice guy. How did you guys

Joe Bonamassa: 18:04

you know, it's just a rare random occurrence. We both big fans of each other. And I'm a big fan of his and I can't speak for him. But we just started talking about doing like a collaboration he mentioned, hold on loosely. The 38. Special song as like, well that that's going to be for both of our fan bases. And there's probably a little bit of overlap, but not much. That'll be a great curiosities piece for both of our families. Like Like, what's Joe doing a 38 special song with Trey? What's who's Joe? Bonamassa? Yeah, that's the train fence. Why are they doing 38? Ben? It's all it really works, because it's a good version of the song so much. So a couple of members of 30 special we're actually like, hey, great job, you know, and it's a it's a great song. And it's also something that neither one of us do for our day job, you know, so it's it's truly a musical collaboration in the center. You know what I mean? And I just thought it was like a really cool. It came out great. It came out great.

Chuck Shute: 19:17

Yeah, I love it. Do you have to get going? I think Do you have a heart out in 1045?

Joe Bonamassa: 19:23

Yes, I do. I have another one. I have another interview starting in two minutes. Okay.

Chuck Shute: 19:26

I will let you go. Then. That song is out. Now. The album The live at the Hollywood Bowl with orchestra is out now as well. And your tour dates are on the website. I'll put that in the show notes. Anything else?

Joe Bonamassa: 19:38

That's it. Yeah. Stephen repeat.

Chuck Shute: 19:40

All right. Well, thanks so much. Great stuff. I hope to have you back on we can talk more. I got a lot more questions for you, man,

Joe Bonamassa: 19:46

dude, anytime. All right.

Chuck Shute: 19:47

Thanks so much.