SG: Right. And, you’re currently touring in support of this project?
WC: I’m touring, supporting it. I just played the Blue Note last Saturday. I did two European tours; I’m doing one next spring. I’m just working on trying to play on the stage with the band.
SG: Did you record all of this material on your own?
WC: Pretty much. It was my idea. The advantage of being on Half Note was there weren’t a lot of heads in the way, and I was able to do my own album cover, my own art work, and take it to the place I wanted to master it.
So, on the business vibe, I really wanted to be in control in the project because I think when you create a piece of art, it’s your art forever. It’s difficult for me at this point in my life to have somebody recommend to me a guitar player or a bass player or a producer or engineer.
I lived the music, I did the research, and I wanted to let Half Note know that it’s very important for me to be in control of the project. So Ornette Coleman, fortunately, let me record in his studio, and I cut 80 percent of the record in Ornette’s place. The rest of the stuff I did in my own home studio, and I did abroad, in hotel rooms with Pro Tools, what have you.
SG: You’ve been in the business a long time. Let me ask you: have the new recording techniques and new technologies made things easier and cheaper to record on your own at better quality?
WC: Absolutely. A lot of the residential studios and some of the majors are starting to fall. Technology is mostly a plus, but it’s a curse too, because it allows more product to become available to people. So, although you might be an accomplished guitar player who studied flamenco guitar for 30 years in Spain, here you are working on your record.
There might be a mailman from New Jersey who just picked up a flamenco DVD and wants to put his DVD out, or his CD out, along with yours, underneath “Flamenco Guitarist.” [laughter] There are two sides to it. I think it’s all fair game, and on the whole, the technology is definitely a positive. And, yes, with ProTunes, other things like that, samplers and loop machines, you can do things on your own.
I’m still an advocate for playing with a rhythm section and a band and having interaction. However, the technology is a great way to sort of get the frame of what you want to do, and sometimes complete it.
SG: I noticed that Native Lands is featured in your Website, and MySpace page and everything links to Amazon. How are you doing with Amazon?
WC: Pretty good. To be honest with you, I’m trying to set up my own eCommerce, and do things on my own. I also sell tons of records on the road when I’m touring. I’ve also sold them on Mos Def’s tour, and I’ve sold them on Living Colour tours.
And, this has been sort of right there, cash in hand, autograph it: boom, boom, boom, it’s done. Amazon’s been fine, but to be honest with you, now that I have my own audience, I’m trying to set up my own scenario where I can have it come off my site, off my MySpace. I’m still putting that together, I want to get it together by next year.