Rusty Anderson - Lead Guitarist for Paul McCartney

[yerblues1968]

Rusty Anderson, lead guitarist for Paul McCartney, performing at Friendship First Concert
in Tel Aviv, Israel on September 25, 2008.


RUSTY ANDERSON


Rusty Anderson is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and music producer. He is best known as lead guitarist with Paul McCartney, though he has worked with an extensive and eclectic list of artists in addition to his own solo career.


BIOGRAPHY


THE EARLY YEARS

Rusty Anderson grew up in La Habra, California. His father gave him his first electric guitar at the age of 8. Anderson immediately started forming a band with his schoolmates. Fueled by his passion for The Beatles, Peter Gabriel's Genesis, The Mothers Of Invention, David Bowie and The Who, this obsession never stopped. His first band of note was Eulogy. At the age of thirteen he hand picked the members (including Dirk Vantatenhove, Myles Crawley, Ross Holly and Mike Jones AKA Zallen) who were together in various forms for six years. They played shows with The Police, Van Halen, Quiet Riot and The Motels to name a few. Eulogy also lent their talent to singer/songwiter/actress Ronee Blakley for the Wim Wenders film I Played It For You.


STUDIO AND LIVE

After Eulogy broke up, Anderson pursued his passion for playing live shows and recording in the studio. He formed The Living Daylights, along with Gregory Markel and John "Gogo" Kallas, which put out a record on the Greenworld Label. This was Anderson's first band as the primary songwriter. The Living Daylights disbanded when he signed a solo development deal at Columbia Records. Although the Columbia album was never released, a long lasting bond was created with producer and A&R man, David Kahne. Introduced to him by Eulogy and The Living Daylights' manager Mike Jacobs, Kahne invited him into the studio to play on The Bangles second album, Different Light. This opened the door for what was to follow. Never expecting to become a freelance recording musician per se, Anderson began playing guitar with a host of recording artists including Fishbone, Matthew Sweet, Neil Diamond, Animal Logic (Stewart Copeland and Stanley Clarke), Little Richard, Parthenon Huxley and Carole King.





Rusty Anderson Interview for Musicians Radio. (10:24 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp8562ddYkw


EDNASWAP

Anderson was invited by songwriters Scott Cutler and Anne Preven to join a new band - Ednaswap - along with Paul Bushnel and Carla Azar. The band inked a deal on East West / Elektra Records. The band released four major label records and penned the worldwide number 1 hit song Torn, performed by Natalie Imbruglia. After extensive touring and recording for five years Ednaswap broke up.




Ednaswap's original recording of "Torn," sung by Anne Preven. (3:59 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1SH1YdITDI




Natalie Imbruglia of BMG Entertainment singing "Torn." (4:06 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bBcvWIvhWc


BACK TO THE STUDIO

Refocusing his attention on recording, Anderson went back into the studio to work with other artists in a fruitful stint. Elton John, The New Radicals, Willie Nelson, Sinead O'Connor, The Wallflowers, Jewel, Santana, Stevie Nicks, Ronan Keating and Joe Cocker were some of those artists. At the same time Anderson was writing songs to keep his own creativity in balance. The bulk of this songwriting period was later to materialize in his first official solo record.


PAUL McCARTNEY



Rusty Anderson performing with Paul McCartney in Quebec, Canada on September 25, 2008.


Along with drummer Abe Laboriel Jr., Anderson got a call from producer David Kahne to play and sing on Paul McCartney's record Driving Rain. This became the birth of the Paul McCartney Band. After finishing the record and playing Concert for New York with The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, The Who (and others), The Paul McCartney Band (full lineup also including Brian Ray and Paul "Wix" Wickens) went on the road for a critically acclaimed tour. Performing in the US, Japan, Mexico and Europe, Paul and Band played well over 100 shows including the Roman Coliseum, Live 8 UK and Red Square in Moscow. With the success of these shows the following DVDs were released: Back In The US, Back In The World, Live In Red Square and The Space Within US. In addition to the studio album Driving Rain, Anderson played guitar and sang on McCartneys' Memory Almost Full and guitar on Chaos and Creation in the Backyard.





SOLO RECORDINGS

With most of his songs written and recorded for his December 2003 solo album, Undressing Underwater, Anderson invited McCartney to join him along with the rest of the band to perform on the song Hurt Myself. McCartney played bass and sang backing vocals which became the lead track on the album. Stewart Copeland, a friend and former band mate, also came in to play drums on Catbox Beach. The CD was released on Surfdog Records, iTunes and Amazon.




Rusty Anderson at The Viper Room singing "Hurt Myself." (2:03 minutes).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7z0pCyOmQg




Rusty Anderson and Gregory Markel formerly of The Living Daylights
band perform at the Orange County Pavilion in Santa Ana, California
singing "Modern History." (4:28 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k_zxS7Rw8s


The Orange County Pavilion Website.
www.ocpavilion.com/




Rusty Anderson and the late drummer Randy Carr
at Manic Depression Backyard Party. (3:23 minutes)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEae6pxiuXI


OTHER ARTISTS

In addition to playing live shows to promote his own record, Anderson continued to play guitar with other artist such as Gwen Stafani, Steven Tyler, Regina Spektor, Dido, Cat Stevens (Yusef Islam), Miley Cyrus, Eros Ramazzotti, Nelly Furtado, Meatloaf, Robi Draco Rosa and Lisa Marie Pressley. Along with writing his own material, Anderson has also written with and produced Chris Shaffer of The Why Store, Jordan Lawhead and Emma Burgess resulting in song uses in the TV shows Cold Case, Men In Trees, Kyle XY and Wildfire. It should also be noted that Anderson created and played the guitars on the chart-topping international hit song Livin' la Vida Loca.


Rusty Anderson Official Website.
www.rustyanderson.com/splash.html

Rusty Anderson Photo Gallery (eat me).
www.rustyanderson.com/main.php?pop=corn

Rusty Anderson MySpace Website.
www.myspace.com/rustyandersonmusic

Martha Rubenstein Interview with Rusty Anderson on April 29, 2004.
www.photos.mccartney.net/rusty.htm


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rusty_Anderson

[yerblues1968]

Rusty Anderson and Paul McCartney on top of the Ed Sullivan
Theater marquee on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 while performing
on the Late Show with David Letterman.



PAUL McCARTNEY'S GUITARIST RUSTY ANDERSON GIVES CAREER ADVICE


"Be creative, be yourself, earn your shot"[/i]


MusicRadar.com
Joe Bosso


Wed 15 Jul 2009, 3:00 pm BST


Since 2001, guitarist Rusty Anderson has been a key fixture in Paul McCartney's touring band. In addition, the California born-and-bred musician has played on several of Macca's recent albums.

"I still feel like I'm living a dream," says Anderson. "Everytime I go on stage with Paul, it's the most exciting thing in the world. There's not a day that goes by when I don't realize how lucky I am."

So how did this self-described "journeyman guitarist," who has played in dozens of bands and hundreds of studio sessions (he even played the solo on Ricky Martin's Livin' La Vida Loca!), score what Anderson calls "the gig of a lifetime"? And what kind of advice does he have for other musicians hoping for their big break?

MusicRadar asked him just that.

How did you come to play in Paul McCartney's band?

"Basically, it all came about through the producer David Kahne. David and I had worked together on a number of albums, like The Bangles and a few others, and one day he called me and said he was going to be producing the new Paul McCartney album - this would have been Driving Rain.

"I said, 'Great, man! That sounds awesome.' And then he said, 'And you know, I might be needing some extra guitar on it.' I knew he meant me, but I didn't want to actually believe it until I knew for sure, until I got the firm phone call, you know - 'Come on down, Rusty!'" [laughs]


AUDITIONING FOR McCARTNEY

Once the phone call came, what was your first meeting with Paul like? Did you have to audition for him?

"It was an audition but nobody really called it that. I went to the studio in LA where they were working, and there he was - Paul McCartney! [laughs] I was so nervous just shaking his hand. I was trying not to tremble and stutter, you know? I'd been around stars and studios a lot, but hey, this is Paul McCartney. It doesn't get any bigger."

But Paul's been through that a million times. Does he have a way of making people feel comfortable?

"Absolutely. He doesn't act the star at all. He's just cool and down-to-earth. He didn't put any kind of pressure on me. It wasn't like, 'OK, man, I have 15 minutes. Let's see what you got.' He was just happy and friendly and ready to make some music.

"Within an hour we were cutting a song. So even though it was an 'audition,' it didn't feel like one. See, that's the great thing about Paul - he'll give you time and space, but he's paying attention. He can get a sense about you very fast. He knows if you're meant to be there or not. Luckily, for me, it was my time to be there."

Still, it must have been a surreal experience to go into a studio and suddenly start playing with Sir Paul.

"Oh, it was totally surreal! There I was, I had my guitar strapped on and I'm looking over at Paul with his Hofner bass on, and I'm thinking, 'This can't be happening!'

"It took me about a week to get used to being around him, to stop thinking of him as a Beatle or an ex-Beatle, you know? But he wants that. That's what he requires out of people. He doesn't want to be on a pedestal. He really enjoys being a guy in a band. Which is what I enjoy, so I think that's why we bonded.


MAKING MUSIC WITH McCARTNEY

The drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. was part of this session as well, right? This was the start of what's been Paul's core touring band.

"That's right. Abe was there and we clicked. Paul got a good sense of us working together as a team."

Now, you're a guitar player. But Paul's not too shabby on the guitar himself. Did that intimidate you?

[laughs] "He's a great guitar player, bass player, he can play drums, keyboards - you name it. But no, I couldn't be intimidated; otherwise, I would have choked.

"Sure, part of my brain was going, 'He's Paul McCartney - I'm not worthy!' [laughs] But the other side of my brain, the one I let take over, said, 'Paul wants you here. Prove it to him.' And the only way I could do that was by being myself, Rusty Anderson, a guy who can play good guitar.

"And that's the thing: I'm more comfortable playing the guitar than I am doing the laundry. The guitar grounds me. Without a guitar in my hands, I don't know what I'm doing." [laughs]

The set you play with Paul is 70 percent Beatles songs. Does Paul give you direction? Does he want it just like on the records, or does he let you do you own thing?

"It really depends on his mood. You gotta remember, those songs are sacrosanct to me, but they are to him too. At the same time, there's Beatles cover bands all over the place, and Paul knows this. He doesn't want to be in his own cover band. He doesn't want it to be like karaoke."

I've seen you play with him. You guys do so many Beatles hits, but they sound very fresh.

"That's exactly what Paul wants. He never goes into it like, 'OK, time to roll out this old hit - again.' He wants every song, no matter how many times he's played it, to sound new and vital."


PUTTING A NEW SPIN ON THE CLASSICS

Specifically, though, how do you as a guitarist keep the classics fresh? Do you try to throw some of your own licks in where you can? It seems as though you do.

"I do, but I try to be very thoughtful about it. Thoughtful but spontaneous. [laughs] Of course, when we play a Beatles song, I'll play the main licks that everybody knows and loves, but I try to throw my own thing on it so that it has a new kind of personality.

"Think about it: Even if The Beatles were still together, do you think they'd be playing these songs exactly as they were on the records? I don't think so.They'd be bored crazy! It's a tricky balance to give the people what they want, but keep 'em guessing too. That's what Paul is all about: don't just play the song, perform it!"

You've been with Paul for some time now. Has he ever told you specifically what he likes about your playing?

"He's a man of few words. He will occasionally say, 'Wow, Rusty, I really like that bit you did.' But oftentimes it's about what he doesn't say, The bottom line is, I'm still with him, so obviously he approves. That's the compliment right there." [laughs]

When you guys play the three-way guitar jam on The End [McCartney and touring guitarist Brian Ray also take part], you play the George Harrison second slot a lot. Do you sometimes change the orders around?

[laughs] "I have no idea! Isn't that weird? We just go off, the three of us, and we have a great time. I think Paul usually starts it off - after all, it is his song. But we just go for it. We jam. Paul's a jammer. He loves to play - and play off the other musicians."


CAREER ADVICE

In addition to your work with Paul, you have a solo album you're finishing.

"That's right. It's called Born On Earth. It should be out pretty soon. I'm just now finishing the last bits of mixing. I'm not really good at describing it - you know, 'It's an industrial album, it's a country album, whatever.' It's a rock album. If you like rock, you might like it.

"I've done most of it myself, but my drummer, Petur Smith, co-produced it. I did most of the writing. I'm very fortunate in that I have a nice studio in my house, which is a dream come true. I can track drums and do everything; the whole thing grew from a PortaStudio into a real studio."

So what kind of career advice can you give to all the young Rustys out there, the guys who want to do what you're doing?

[laughs] "'All the young Rustys' - I like that. Well, what I can tell people is that they have to love playing music. You can't go into this and look at it as a job. I mean, it is a job and you do have to have a sense of business acumen. But music is a passion, an obsession. I think that's what separates the people who ultimately make it from those who don't.

"What I can also say is, as trite as this sounds, is that you have to follow your heart. Be creative, be yourself, earn your shot.

"You can't stress out too much about making the right decisions. Just create. Do. Play. There's always surprises down the road, and hopefully more good ones than bad ones. Joseph Campbell said, 'Follow your bliss,' and I can't improve upon that."

OK, one last question: I just have to ask, what was it like playing on Ricky Martin's Livin' La Vida Loca?

[laughs] "I should've known that would come up! My friend Rob Rosa, who was co-producing the track, came over and he played me this demo and said he needed some hot guitar on a section. So I said, 'OK, let me come up with some cool shit.' Simple as that. It was supposed to be just for a demo, but it wound up making the finished song.

"Before you knew it, the track was a smash, a No. 1 hit all over the world. I gotta tell you, it was crazy. I'd be at the supermarket or the gym and this song would come on, and I'd go, 'Wow, that's some pretty good guitar playing. Sounds kinda familiar, though. Wait a minute...that's me!'

"But it all ties into what I was saying. You can't plan on these things.You just have to do what you love and be ready for what comes your way."

www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/paul-mccartneys-guitarist-rusty-anderson-gives-career-advice-213154