Carl Verheyen, the Supertramp guitarist with a head-spinning range of credits as a studio musician and solo artist, lives by a simple motto.
“I will not suck,” Verheyen said during a phone interview as he prepares to launch a tour that starts with a Friday evening show at xBk Live in Des Moines.
Verheyen has carved out a long and varied career, blending genres from rock to jazz to country, and his May 2 performance will showcase that versatility. He'll be leading a five-piece band of world-class musicians throughout his set. He said he follows his inspiration in whatever musical direction it leads, and all the genre hopping he’s done through the years has deepened his knowledge of the guitar and his drive to create music that connects with a diverse audience.
Indeed, if one thing becomes clear sifting through his 17-album solo career, his countless credits on major television shows and films, as well as his collaborations with the likes of Little Richard, Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus, it’s that when it comes to his guitar work, the only thing he’s incapable of is sucking.
The band accompanying Verheyen on this tour includes a bassist, percussionist, keyboardist and backup singer, and many of the musicians are multi-instrumentalists. That allows the band to deliver a sweeping range of sounds and styles. But Verheyen stressed his shows are not just an opportunity for the musicians to show off. Rather, each performance features opportunities for improvisation and spontaneity. He describes every gig as an energetic musical experience for all ages.
Verheyen devoted himself full-time to jazz guitar earlier in his career, with the goal of making a name of himself to rival greats like Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass. But he described a pivotal moment in 1980 when he heard a Joe Walsh guitar solo on the Eagles song “Those Shoes.” Verheyen said he was driving around Laurel Canyon Blvd. and Riverside Drive in Los Angeles but had to pull over when he heard Walsh’s fretwork — it struck him like lightning through his vehicle’s radio. The solo is laced with a vocoder-like effect, which gives the guitar tone a quality similar to a wailing human voice. Walsh’s precise bends and expert pacing tell a complete story in only a few short measures.
Verheyen said that moment inspired him to expand his vision for his own musicianship beyond jazz.
“It occurred to me right at that exact moment I needed to learn everything that I dig,” he said. “I had that revelation, and I started to play all different kinds of music. That was really the dawn of my studio career.”
If you're less familiar, Verheyen’s recording resume reads like a stroll through the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He’s performed or recorded with Christina Aguilera, the Bee Gees, Cher, Belinda Carlisle, Little Richard, Dolly Parton, Glenn Frey, John Fogerty, B.B. King, Leanne Rimes and Miley Cyrus. And that’s only a partial list.
Those opportunities arose because he’s refused to confine his musicianship to a single genre. He said he advises other musicians, especially those early in their careers, to expand beyond their comfort zones and learn unfamiliar musical forms.
“Specializing is the kiss of death,” he said.
Verheyen has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including being named among the top 10 guitarists in the world by Guitar Magazine and one of the top 100 guitarists of all time by Classic Rock Magazine. He joined Supertramp in 1985, around the time the band released its album Brother Where You Bound. For that record, legendary Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour recorded an extended solo, and it fell to Verheyen to replicate the solo live.
Rather than quote Gilmour’s lines note for note, however, Verheyen got permission from his bandmates to insert his own improvisational flourishes into the piece. Verheyen said it took a certain amount of chutzpah to suggest that he change some of Gilmour’s ideas, but the result made for a more dynamic experience for the audience and the rest of the band.
That zest for improvisation and living in the musical moment informs his performance style to this day, he said.
“There’s improvisation in every single song. That just keeps it fresh. It lives and breathes every night,” he said.
A full evening of guitar heroics
Iowa Blues Hall of Famers Joe and Vicki Price will open the xBk show Friday night, which is their first appearance at the Des Moines club. That means guitar heroics will be in abundant supply from start to finish.
Vicki Price said they’ll play crowd pleasers like the “Iowa Crawl” and “Red Dress.” She noted she and Joe have both eclipsed the 70 year mark, and their gig schedule has slowed down some with age. But the warmth they exude on stage hasn’t diminished whatsoever.
Vicki added that she’s excited to share a bill with a musician as accomplished as Verheyen, and she couldn’t resist bragging on her husband’s guitar chops for a moment, noting that he’s often referred to as “the monster” at Buddy Guy’s Legends blues club in Chicago.
“We’ve traveled the country and I’ve seen him go into cities like San Francisco and Chicago and blow people away,” she gushed.
The duo also plans to start recording a new album this year, which will be their first since a live album in 2019. Vicki shared that the record likely will include around 10 new compositions. They intend to record the new songs as a duo without additional musicians, though it’s possible they may invite Joe’s son to play drums on a track.
Joe & Vicki Price and the Carl Verheyen Band play xBk Live at 8 p.m. Friday, May 2. Tickets are available through xBk.