Bo Ramsey is an Iowa City legend. If there were a Mount Rushmore of Iowa musicians, his face would be on it (as they say in the Hawkeye vernacular). In the land of Slipknot, Andy Williams, and where Buddy Holly died, Ramsey’s positive reputation is as solid as the rock he plays. Ramsey is best known for his sparse stylings and mysterious demeanor. He belongs to the why play two notes or more when one will do school of electric guitar. In a world full of shredders, Ramsey reveals the splendor of simplicity in his blues-laden efforts.
During his 50 years of playing, Ramsey’s distinctive approach to his instrument has made him a sought-after sideman and producer. He is best known for his collaborations with folk singer Greg Brown and Greg’s daughter and Bo’s wife Pieta as a producer and guest musician. The guitarist’s solo albums may be few in comparison (less than ten over the past 33 years), but he has always been productive. Besides working with Greg and Pieta, he has produced and played on records by Lucinda Williams (including the much-heralded Car Wheels on a Gravel Road), Joan Baez, Ani DiFranco, Iris DeMent, Dave Moore, Dave Zollo, Teddy Morgan, Kevin Gordon, and Jeffrey Foucault.
Bo Ramsey has just released a gem of an EP called Sidetrack, which consists of five songs: reworkings of three original pieces and one track apiece by Greg Brown and Lucinda Williams. Ramsey co-produced the record with Bryan Vanderpool, who plays drums on the EP. The EP is basically just Ramsey and Vanderpool, with bassist Jay Foote on one cut. The songs feature just two instrumentalists, which allows the guitarist’s unique performance style to stand in the forefront. He uses a slide the way others employ amplification to accent the material and project what is essential.
Sidetrack begins with the title tune from Ramsey’s first full-length solo LP from 1991, Down to Bastrop. The stripped-down production (the original also featured harmonica and keyboards) gives a ghost-like impression to the proceedings. The strings resonate and linger in the air like a light mist in the morning on a fall day. Ramsey’s voice has aged over the decades. He sounds more gruff and experienced as the lyrics comically and cosmically address the nature of being a stranger who searches for connections in new places. The sound of Bo Ramsey’s slide guitar grabs one’s attention most.
The same applies to the other two self-penned compositions: “Soundtrack Lounge” and “Tell Me Now”. Ramsey’s gravelly voice betrays the years that have passed since he recorded the originals, but his guitar playing reveals the sophistication of one who always knew the ingenuousness of the minimal. He understands where the sweet spots lie and how to get out of the way. For all his talk about “platinum blonds serving neon drinks to a black and blue room” and “butterflies in the naked sun”, the visual descriptions cannot match the beauty inherent in his guileless guitar licks.
Lucinda Williams’ “Joy” has been covered by impressive talents such as Bettye LaVette and Margo Price, not to mention the songwriter herself. These performers dwell on annunciating the word “Joy” as the key to the song. Ramsey understates the term, pronouncing it a little differently from the other lyrics. Instead, he lets his guitar ring out to show the pleasure “joy” describes. It makes the physicality of the bliss sound more authentic.
Greg Brown’s “One Wrong Turn” closes the album. It appropriately addresses time passing with a jaded eye (“the days go slow and the years go fast / and the future you look for / is soon the past”). At this stage in his career, Bo Ramsey understands the paradox expressed by the lyrics. The more one knows, the less one really knows. He lets this guitar do most of the talking. The magic of the slide guitar lies in its ability to reverberate the original sound with an echo of the noise that was already made. The longer one plays, the less one has to say to make oneself clear.
FROM THE POPMATTERS ARCHIVES