By: Staff
Chris Cooper – Lines
Chris Cooper‘s debut album, Lines, sits comfortably in that space between melodic subtlety and full-on shred. A mix of jazz, blues, and rock, and inspired by the likes of Eric Johnson and Robben Ford, Lines is an instrumental guitar album for discerning listeners. And while Cooper’s technique shines on his debut album, so does his sense of song and tone. From the fun rock of “Fireflies” and the boogie-stomp of “Sideways” to the sentimental jazz of “Snow Day,” Lines is full of feeling.
And feeling, after all, is the point. Cooper says, “The guitar is one of the most expressive, lyrical instruments on the planet. So, if I can inspire some kind of emotional reaction with the instrument then I’m happy.”
When he set out to make the record, Cooper began writing using a Boss Loop Station, an approach that allowed the guitarist to layer and arrange parts without getting lost in the details of making the perfect demo. Once the song concepts were complete, Chris entered the studio, and began recording.
For gear, Chris played a frankenstrat and a 93 Ibanez RT450 through Fender amps. “I generally prefer to use clean Fender amps and get my dirt from pedals. Some overdubs were done with a Gibson SG, a PRS SE singlecut, a borrowed Taylor acoustic, and one of Jeff Savage’s beautiful hand-built archtops. Pedals i can’t live without are my MXR Dynacomp, Maxon TS808 clone, a hand built overdrive by Jason LaQuerre, a Boss Turbo Overdrive, which i’ve had for 20 years, and my little ’80s Ibanez Delay Champ. I actually use 3 different delay pedals. I kind of like delay, I guess.”
Two weeks later, Lines was born: a seven track album that Cooper describes as “instrumental guitar goodness that encompasses rock, blues, jazz, country, and a little shred for flavoring.”
—
