On two major-label albums in the ’90s, Nashville traditionalist George Ducas projected a honky-tonk sound with help from producer (and ace guitarist) Richard Bennett. Ducas’ new album, Long Way From Home, continues that direction, this time with help from Pete Anderson.
Heavily influenced by Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and Wynn Stewart, Ducas – a longtime Dwight Yoakam/Anderson admirer – was enthused when a former sideman (former VG columnist Zac Childs) suggested Anderson might be a good fit to produce his new music.“Working with Pete was an honor and a pleasure,” Ducas says. “I was a follower and fan of his work for a long time. He’s a chapter in American music history all on his own.”
Ducas had plenty of material.
“Almost all the songs were new, but there’s one I grabbed from 10 or 15 years ago and always loved – ‘Hello, Fool.’”
“He’s got the goods,” Anderson explains. “He’s a honky-tonker and [the ambience is] basically gravel parking lots, hillbilly joints, a shot and a beer, two-stepping and swing dancing.”
The Covid shutdown gave them time to plan, Anderson says. “In front of a computer, with two guitars, we did all the pre-production on Zoom. It took eight or nine months, and when he came out, we were ready to track in my studio with my guys, (pedal-steel player) Gary Morse, (fiddler) Donnie Reed, (keyboardist) Skip Edwards, who played on sessions through my career as a producer with Dwight and other people.”
Anderson handled all electric-guitar parts – lead, baritone, and bass.
Ducas, who uses a 2017 Rickenbacker 360 and a Vox AC30 onstage as homage to hero Tom Petty, took his writing guitar, a ’69 D-28, to California to demonstrate licks he wanted Anderson to incorporate.
Anderson wanted a stripped-down ambience.
“I wanted it to sound like a five-piece band, as good as they possibly could play. You don’t need to double- and triple-track or add more. You need air between the instruments. They have more impact that way.
“I thought, ‘If Dwight was makin’ a record with me now, this is what it would sound like.’”
While he used his Reverend Eastsider baritone, he also tried two newer guitars, but they “…didn’t sound right.” The Fenders from his Yoakam days had been long retired – until that moment.
“I said, ‘Let’s get the ’59 sunburst Tele and tune it up.’ And it sat exactly in the track where it needed to be. That was a good sign. It was like being home again after 20 years.”
“On the sessions, Pete played a pretty basic, stripped-down version of what his amps ultimately do,” Ducas explained. “He won’t settle ’til the song is right. That’s what I really love about him.”
“I direct one line into an old Pod that has a clone of the blackface Deluxe I played with Dwight,” Anderson added. “My engineer, Tony Rambo, puts the line out to the floor and sends it to a guitar signal. And then we re-amp using different amplifiers. For George’s record, the majority of the Fender stuff is a pre-CBS Twin with two EVs. You don’t carry that around (laughs). You get it out and you get it miked up.”
As for other effects, he says, “No drivers, no compression. The engineer has discretion to use limiting, but no pedals.”
The experience strengthened Ducas’ resolve to hold firm to his traditional style.
“I know my brand and where my passions stand,” he says. “The popular-arts version of country music has shifted so much away from the sound I love, I really want to plant a flag for it from here out, and Pete and I have already tracked two songs for another record. I’m always writing in some fashion, whether it’s putting pen to paper or just banking ideas… letting the pot boil.”
“I had such a great time working with George, and I would love to make another record with him,” Anderson says. “We’ve talked about really going hard honky tonk. The songs were there, but now we’re talking about customizing a record to be serious honky tonk.”
This article originally appeared in VG’s July 2024 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
