Less Is Seldom More pairs Ed with amazing artists like: John Czajkowski (Hectic Watermelon), Ric Fierabracci (Chick Corea/Frank Gambale), Hari Ganglberger (Alex Mahachek), Marco Minnemann (Paul Gilbert/Mike Kenneally/Necrophagist), Anton Pukshansky (Ozomantli/Santana/Helmet), Chuck Rainey (Steely Dan/Aretha Franklin/Louis Armstrong), Chris Taylor (Grover Washington/Celine Dion), Dave Weckl (Chick Corea/Mike Stern/Robert Plant), George Whitty (Brecker Brothers/Santana/Chaka Khan), and a few more surprises. In addition to this Ed is spending a lot of time on the road with his Country band Nathan Chance & North Coast who just finished their newest release.

As with all fretless guitarists, Ed’s artistic expression and desire to create his own sound took him beyond the fixed frequencies of fretted guitars and into the realm of the unfretted. He is one of the few talented guitarists who can make shredding look effortless on a fretless guitar and make the guitar groove to just about any sonic exploration, encompassing funk, blues, ethnic, jazz, metal and much more. (Thankfully, Ed also kept the metal hairdo, so he really delivers the entire package and more.) It’s difficult for me to encapsulate the essence of Ed’s music in words without resorting to “Nude Guitars” (a name that came naturally to Ed but took me quite a bit of listening and thinking to truly appreciate its meaning) because his artistic expression is indeed limitless and fretless, very much like the nude fingerboards on his guitars. I think one of the most common misconceptions about making music is that people often think music comes from the instrument itself; what most people don’t realize is that instruments only make sounds, not music. This distinction is what separates those who just play and the real musicians who create. For real musicians like Ed, their guitars are indeed nude, as blank canvases are to painters, allowing them to create music that is truly personal and original. Paraphrasing what Michael Vick once said, the real instrument is the musician himself, and one’s will to create is all one really needs to “Play what [one’s] inner ear hears”. So, what is “Nude Guitars”? It is who Ed DeGenaro is; so long as he creates, Ed is the music. Needless to say, Ed is a well-known fixture in the unfretted community, and his music continues to influence others. I thank Ed for taking the time to respond to all of my questions, for giving such a detailed tour of his studio, and for sharing his humor, music experiences, and other interests in this interview. Never have I met a musician who has almost as many pets as the guitars he owns! He is truly one-of-the-kind!

Where this is...

Ed DeGenaro's resume as musician or engineer includes Bob Dylan, Craig Erickson, Elliott Sharpe, Henry Kaiser, David Byron Band, Accept, Hammerhead, Alcatraz, producers David Rosenthal  (Rainbow, Robert Palmer) and Roy Thomas Baker (Queen, Cars), and work on various feature movies, TV commercials and major labels such as EMI, Atco and Atlantic.  Currently he is finishing his new CD Dog House, available January...