By: Rick Landers
Clay Melton
Guitarist Clay Melton‘s roots lie in the worked lands of Louisiana and Texas where traditional and rock blues grew with the making of the old Chitlin’ Circuit with the likes of BB King, Charlie Patton, Robert Johnson, as well as newcomers, Johnny and Edgar Winter, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jonny Lang and other power guitar hitters.
And there were hundreds more finding their way through Clarksdale to Chicago or from Texas dance halls like Gruene Hall to the stages of the Fillmore (East/West), the old Grande Ballroom in Detroit and others north, south, east and west.
Clay’s of a newer generation whose licks draw fuel from the blues, then are amped to drive both old and new rock tunes around the country, and onto distant shores. But, already with fifteen years under his belt performing in bars and dives, he’s belted out his rough-hewn vocals and hard core guitar licks to hundreds of music lovers, gathering a solid fan base of followers.
As a singer-songwriter’s he released his Live in Texas album with ten of his own songs reaching out to 160 radio stations in the states and overseas. His cover of ZZ Top’s “Jesus Just Left Chicago” hit the number one spot o the Roots Music Blues Rock chart in the summer of 2022.
After his 2017 debut album, Burn the Ships, Melton released his 2021, Back to Blue, saw his title track make it as a number one single, with the album climbing to number nine or the same chart.
And he’s opened with some of the best artists, including: Grand Funk Railroad, Sir Earl Toon, Night Ranger, Chris Daughtry and opened for blues legend, Robert Cray.
His street “creds” intact and growing, Clay Melton’s a name to know and get used to, as an up and coming blues-rocker, who’s sure to surprise us with his creative reach and interest in adding new and interesting sounds to his growing multi-cultural mix of tunes.
Guitar International magazine is pleased to add Melton to its pages and we look forward to catching up with him as he roams the U.S. on tour.
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Rick Landers: The South has a history of growing great blues and rock musicians and your background looks like you’ve got the roots and the licks to carve your own path. How did you start out and how did you evolve as a musician, and more specifically, as a guitar player?
Clay Melton: I first became infatuated with the guitar when I heard Hendrix’s version of “All Along the Watchtower,” specifically the solo. I began playing at 11 and it’s all I wanted to do. I got heavy into classic rock and blues. Freddie King, Albert Collins, of course Stevie Ray Vaughan, ZZ Top and really everything I could get my hands on.
Rick: Does your family have a music history, or share a love of the blues in particular?
Clay Melton: Both of my parents played piano when they were younger, but no longer played when I was growing up. They both shared music with me from a young age. My mom always played a lot of country and we would listen to Boston or Journey on the way to guitar lessons, that I took for about a year when I started. My dad introduced me to Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan and from there I really got into music and blues history.
Rick: Tell us about your debut album, how you were able to get that rolling, about the production side of it and pulling together the session players who are playing on it.
Clay Melton: Our debut album, Burn the Ships, was released in 2017 and we recorded with a mentor from my early years, Dan Workman, producing and mixing the album at Sugarhill Studios, along with Steve Christenson and Josh Applebee engineering. We had an intention of exploring many styles on the album.
One, so we couldn’t be pigeon holed early on, and two, so we could explore what spoke to us and our fans. It was Zach Grindle’s first project in the band and Raymon Minton recorded the bass and synths.
Rick: What kinds of things did you learn in the studio that might affect how you’d approach recording your next release? Would you be more hands-on, maybe more directive of what you wanted to “hear” when it was done and in the bag?
Clay Melton: On our first record we heavily demo’d all of the songs before the studio process and really knew our arrangements, so when it came time to record the album we recorded a song a day for eight days, having recorded the ninth song ‘timings everything’ a few months prior at the same studio. I definitely learned a lot in that process and am still proud of that album and how it came out. How we record now, at home in my living room, is more do it yourself, but gives us time and freedom to explore.
Clay Melton: I remember watching this show on tv when I was growing up where Kenny Wayne Shepherd took a Corvette around the country speaking and performing with blues legends from different regions. Looking back, I think that show opened my eyes to the vast styles of blues in music history and that there is no reason for a purist outlook when it comes to the genre.
Each performer came from somewhere different and sounded completely different. They were real and that’s what really means something to me.
Rick: Songwriters come in from different angles to write songs, I’m wondering if you have an approach that’s more prescriptive, like a set intentional process that works best, or do you tend to just get a notion and run with it?
Clay Melton: I don’t make a habit out of one specific approach because it keeps things fresh to chase whims in different ways, but I definitely make an intent to sit down and write routinely, anything at all each day I can. The real test is bringing a song to the three-piece band and seeing if it has legs!
Rick: What kind of rig are you using on stage and does it differ when you get into the studio?
Clay Melton: I’m partial to a Fender Stratocaster and I use a Fender Vibro King combo, paired with a Marshall plexi. Loud and mean! [Laughs]
Rick: Effects pedals?
Clay Melton: Pretty simple straight forward chain with a few drives, a fuzz, modulation, delay and reverb. I run all my effects through my Fender amp and keep the Marshall clean.
Rick: Blues guitar is a niche that has always had a staunch following, but it seems there’s an awful lot of pretty lightweight pop music, with nursery rhyme kind of lyrics, and more synth than guitar going around these days. Is there anything like a blues circuit that you find is critical to getting enough gigs to justify a tour?
Clay Melton: One fundamental aspect that I think will always keep blues, rock ‘n roll, and roots oriented styles alive regardless of the state of popular music is that there’s just something about watching people perform on stage with instruments in their hands, making musical moments happen in the most raw kind of way.
Clay Melton
As far as circuits go, I think the idea of watching the real thing happen on stage is something that also applies to the conversation of touring in today’s world. All of these styles that are organic in format and instrumentation have the opportunity to think outside of the idea of needing to be on specific circuits, because there are so many people that just want to see the real thing and who are open and supportive to many styles.
Of course, it’s always easier said than done, finding that audience for independent artists!
Rick: You’ve got a tour coming up soon. Who else will be on board to back you up, how’d you meet them and what do they bring along, besides musicianship, that makes working with them enjoyable?
Clay Melton: I’m fortunate to be doing this with a team of not only excellent people, but great friends. Zach Grindle on drums has been in the band with me for coming up on nine years, bassist Zachary Cox who I’ve known since middle school and my best friend since childhood who is a fantastic songwriter and professional tour manager, Kyle Tomchesson, drives the ship and saves our lives all the time as tour manager and operations for the band.
I couldn’t be more grateful to do it with these guys. Everybody has experience, a team mentality and knows how to make the work a great hang and that’s so important.
Rick: Are you inclined to seek out a wide-net of different kinds of music to see if you can fuse different styles or unique technical ideas to your music? I’m thinking in terms of music outside of our country’s borders, but also maybe jazz, funk, and others.
Clay Melton: I’m quick to never let people confuse us as a strictly blues band, but blues music was so heavily influential to me and was my jumping point to all the different styles I’ve grown to love and find inspiration in.
I heard a lot of country music growing up in Houston obviously, but also love the music out of Louisiana where I was born. The Meters and Neville Brothers, Dr. John and all kinds of music out of New Orleans and the state.
When it comes to the music the band and I are making now, the band and I all have a tendency to mix up genres and not put any rules on our arrangements at first.There’s an art to working as a three-piece band that requires an understanding of what role to fill in each tune to support the song best. Makes it interesting and challenging sometimes. I love it.
Clay Melton: Our latest single “Alive on a Wire” is the first of our new batch of songs that we’re recording entirely ourselves in the living room of my home in Houston, Texas. It’s been a great experience.
All of our past releases have been primarily with producers in studios we were renting by the hour or day and I learned so much through those experiences and still believe there’s nothing more valuable that having the right producer with a fresh set of ears who hasn’t heard the song a million times already to drive the ship and help push the envelope.
With the do it yourself approach we have the luxury of giving the songs time and room to grow, also to experiment at any hour of the day or night!
Sebastian Cure of Peregrino Media Studio’s in Barranquilla, Columbia, who we first started working with as a producer and engineer back in 2016, is mixing all of our current music including, Alive on a Wire, our 2022 live album, and our upcoming single “Runner” out April 14th.
He is undeniably the mastermind behind these great mixes and we love working with Sebastian, as well as mastering engineer, Kevin Butler, at Test Tube Audio in Austin, Texas.
Rick: So, what can audiences expect to hear when they see you; a barrage of heavy guitar laden blues, sweet BB King licks or something in-between?
Clay Melton: It’s a rock ‘n roll show baby! Yes we’re loud, but It’s raw, energetic and we love to play and stretch out dynamics. We try and take the crowd for a ride every night!
Rick: I might try to catch one of your Virginia shows and suggest if you have time, that you stop by the great Patsy Cline’s final resting place to tip your hat to her in the Winchester area.
Clay Melton: Would love to meet and chat at the show! My mother used to play Pasty Cline’s music when I was growing up; always loved her voice. Getting to see and experience things like that along the road is one thing I love about touring. Thanks again, Cheers!
Watch Live Video of Original Song Here
Watch Live Video of Tour Highlights Here
For more information visit Clay’s website
