"I'M THE PRESIDENT OF OVERDUBS 'R' US!!

As one of the best session players in the business, Marc Ribot has recorded with Tom Waits, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss and many more. And when he's creating his own music, anything goes...

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Marc Ribot, though he doesn't think of himself as such, is a session ace. He's played sideman to Tom Waits on records such as Rain Dogs (1985) and Franks Wild Years (1987), lent a hand to Elvis Costello on Spike (1989), and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss on Raising Sand (2007), and even appears on the Black Keys' Attack & Release (2008), just to name a few among the hundreds.

Most recently, Marc has injected his angular riffage and jagged yet buttery solos into Ceramic Dog's mix, with whom he's been recording since 2008's Party Intellectuals. As for the latest, 2023's Connection, released on Knockwurst Records, it's a bit of Ribot-driven bliss, which runs the gamut of free jazz improvisation, off-the-wall, tribal rhythms, and straight-up rock and blues jams.

While traveling in a van en route to gig in Philadelphia in support of Connection, Ribot dialed in with Total Guitar to talk new music, working with Tom Waits, and the unique gear and approach that inspired it all...

we felt like it sounded like a rock album. So, I wanted access to more metal and rock sounds. It’s not traditional to some, but it’s our version.

Tell us about the title track Connection. Aside from the SG, what went into it?

That’s a lot to ask of my poor memory! But I usually use an [Analog Man] King of Tone for some extra distortion. I ran that tune through that, and now that I think of it, Connection was recorded with my [Fender] Jaguar.

Did any other pedals play a significant role in your signal chain?