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Carl Verheyen Band - Trading 8s
By Bob Putignano

Guitarist Carl Verheyen's latest release derives its name from alternating eight-bar phrases with another soloist while improvising. His trading partners here include such guitar heavyweights as Joe Bonamassa, Rick Vito, Scott Henderson, Steve Morse, Robben Ford, Jim Cox and Albert Lee.

Guest guitar albums often sound dysfunctional, but that is not the case with Trading 8s. Each and every contributing musician delivers clever and tasty licks that complement the nine of 1O tunes authored by Verheyen (George Harrison's "Taxman" is the cover). For example; check out Joe Bonamassa and Verheyen tearing it up on the opening "Highway 27;' while Robben Ford melds perfectly with Verheyen on the very lengthy and bluesy "New Year's Day:' "Taxman" is a great romp with veteran fusion guitarist Scott Henderson; Carl's fine vocals also add new meaning to this Beatles' classic. Carl saves the best for last on "Eastern Steppes;' which is a gorgeous and trippy tune, on which Carl, drummer Walfredo Reyes Jr. and bassist Dave Marotta provide exquisite telepathic accompaniment for Verheyen's exploratory guitar stylings.

Carl Verheyen is a master guitar player and musician, as he proved during his many years as a member of Supertramp. Not only does he play extraordinarily well, but Carl also has superb timing, great tone and an outstanding
feel for his instrument. This one is a must-have for those who appreciate quality music; Trading 8s is sheer guitar artistry at its best.

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Carl Verheyen Band - Trading 8s
by Alex Torres

Coincidences are a part of everyday life, and coincidences in the subset of life known as "SoT Reviewer" are no different, So it is that, just after reviewing a guitar focused album – Magna Carta Records' compilation Jam on Guitars - along comes another completely guitar –centered album for review. Not only that, but stylistically some may also put this down as a "jam" band album, and the mix of styles also makes Trading 8s prone to the same criticism that I levelled at Jam on Guitars: that it was unlikely that many listeners would enjoy all of the album.

So...why the change, why is Trading 8s getting a better review? First, an area where it scores over a compilation of various artists, such as the Jam on Guitars, is that the mix of styles is actually driven by the same artist, with a similar guitar-playing style or "feel", so that there is more unity to the music. Secondly, the mix is also more cleverly done, with a near equal ratio of alternating sung and instrumental pieces, making for an easier listen. Third, but not least, and dare I say it given the standard of players, the guitar playing on Trading 8s is more enjoyable! Fourth, for those really keen on guitar players, Carl's sleeve note annotations, describing each track, are more interesting. These (little?) factors add up over the course of a CD.

Carl Verheyen has been around the industry for a long time, playing for a number of bands, probably the most famous of which was Supertramp, during a short stint in the mid-1980s. However, in his own band is where someone with his talent is going to shine most brightly: the trio is composed of himself on guitar and vocals with Dave Marotta on bass and Walfredo Reyes Jr on drums.

The band trio is augmented on this album by some special guests; the first time that Carl has invited other guitarists onto an album since 1988! I have listed the guest players in italics in the "Tracks" section at the bottom of the review. The invitations go hand in hand with the album's concept: "Trading 8s" refers to the practice of alternating 8 bar phrases with another soloist whilst improvising.

The album starts off in a funky groove with the first couple of tracks; "Taxman" is that best of covers – the one where you can hear echoes of the original song, but the band make it into something new and improved. From the beginning you can immediately hear how crisp the production is on the album, how carefully it has been chosen to highlight the guitar sounds – it's very effective! "Taxman" features some super bass work from Marotta, it almost steals the track from the guitars!

We then move into a more conventional rock/pop arena for the next few numbers, "Higher Ground" with its acoustic and slide guitar sounds with female vocal has tones of country: all these work well. "New Year's Day" is a slow blues, which is ideal in this format.

"Henry's Farm" reminded me of great instrumental compositions from the past such as "Albatross" and "Samba pa ti", its Part 2 develops wonderfully with Carl trading phrases with Jim Cox on piano – it's a new texture within the album concept that, again, comes off  excellently; one of those ways of mixing it about within a concept that maintains interest for the listener. "Country Girl" is, as the name implies, countrified and is sung, and the rock instrumental "Eastern Steppes" ends the album in fine fashion.

All the guitar playing on this album is honeyed lead guitar lines: this is a joy!

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Carl Verheyen Band - Trading 8s
by Matt Blackett, Guitar Player magazine

The guy can not only cover a ton of different styles with panache, élan, and savoir faire, but he’s got a unique approach to soloing (remember his Soloing Without Scales lesson?). Well, on his latest release, Trading 8s, Verheyen gets to put his soloing philosophy on display as he throws down with such badasses as Joe Bonamassa, Albert  Lee, Scott Henderson, Steve Morse, Robben Ford, and others. No big shock, but the guitar playing on this record is mind-boggling. Some super-cool moments occur in the ska version of Harrison’s “Taxman” with Henderson. You get gorgeous clean tones in “On Our Way” courtesy of Verheyen and Morse (dig the killer Lenny Breau-ism at 1:45). So many of these guest-star affairs can seem forced or scattered and this one is nothing like that. It’s an amazing blend of chops and taste and an enjoyable, engaging listen. Look for an in-depth chat with Verheyen in an upcoming issue of GP. 

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Carl Verheyen Band - Trading 8s 
by Trygve Knudsen

I’ve rarely been impressed by guitar player ‘collaboration’ CDs – they most often tend to become total ‘guitar overkill’ and rather tiring to listen to. But there are a few guitar players who manage to steer clear of the endless shredding and rather keep each tune really catchy by avoiding overplaying and also picking just the right player for the right tune (or vice versa). Another important and helpful factor is musical experience, knowledge, and taste. Carl Verheyen is one such musician. He’s spent the last three decades  as one of    L.A’s most in-demand session guitarists, recording with musicians like Stanley Clarke, Dave Grusin, Bee Gees, and Cher, and he’s been the guitarist for legendary band Supertramp since 1985. He has also done numerous soundtracks for TV shows (every single episode of ‘Cheer’ and several episodes of ‘Lost’, ’Scrubs’,  and ‘Samantha Who?’, for instance) and movies (‘LA Story’, ‘The Milagro Beanfield Wars’, ‘Ratatouille’, and many more). Since 1988 he has also released a string of excellent CDs and concert DVDs, and done extensive touring in both the U.S.A. and in Europe, both as solo artist and with his own Carl Verheyen Band.

‘Trading 8s’ is the title of his latest CD. And even if this CD holds an impressive list of guesting string wizards, it should be highly enjoyable for anyone who likes honest blues & rock music – thanks to Carl’s knack for quality songwriting and the overall top musicianship on this recording.

The album starts off with a rockin’ blues number called ‘Highway 27’, where Carl trades  some smokin’ solos with Joe Bonamassa, one of blues’ hottest upcoming guitar players. 

The smoke from ‘Highway 27’ has barely even cleared when ‘Taxman’ kicks in – Carl’s excellent take on the old Beatles classic. Carl has covered Beatles tunes before - an excellent version of ‘Yes It Is’ comes to mind - and they seem to fit his voice’s register very well indeed. He’s joined by fellow L.A. guitar ace Scott Henderson. Hearing these two longtime buddies trading their signature guitar lines really gave me goosebumps – to me, this is one of the best tracks on the CD. Scott even throws in some cool electric sitar, which applies a certain beatle-esque  factor to the tune – although the groove sounds more like ‘Demolition Man’ by The Police;  excellently and steadily held down by drummer Walfredo Reyes, Jr., and bass player Dave Marotta.

The wonderful instrumental ballad ‘On Our Way’ finds Carl joining forces with the legendary Steve Morse. Both players serve some beautifully lyrical solos on this track. Carl sites Steve as one of his biggest influences. A real highlight of the tune is when the two play in harmony towards the end. I imagine the two players in a concert video when I hear this!

Next up is ‘Constant as the Wind’, the CD’s second vocal tune. It starts off with a mind-bogglingly quick guitar riff that leads into Carl’s fine lead vocals, which is supported by equally superb backing vocals by Naomi Star. The song was inspired by a golden eagle living in a canyon near Carl’s home. By applying a slightly swirly sound effect (known to musicians as ‘flanger’) to  parts of the vocals, the track really gives you the picture of an eagle hovering in the skies. Cool!

Naomi Star shares lead vocals with Carl on the fifth track, called ‘Higher Ground’ . The delicious backing vocals (done by Craig Copeland) have some tasty slide guitar chords behind them that blend in sooo nicely. Carl shares the slide guitar solos with Rick Vito, known for his work with Fleetwood Mac, Bob Seger, Jackson Browne, and Bonnie Raitt.

‘New Year’s Day’ is a slow tune with a chord progression reminiscent of ‘Sister Moon’ by  Sting. Another favorite track of mine, featuring guest solos by Robben Ford. Like Carl, Robben is one of those players who posess an incredible TONE in their playing. I suspect that Robben used his old (ca.1960) Telecaster and maybe Carl used his seafoam green Stratocaster – but  I guess their tone is in their heads and fingers; they’d sound incredibly good even on a toy guitar. And they both really burn on this one. 

Tracks 8 and 9 are two different versions of ‘Henry’s Farm’ – ‘Henry’ referring to legendary Irish guitar player Henry McCullough, who used to play in Paul McCartney’s Wings. (He’s also the one who appears with the spoken line ‘I don’t know, I was really drunk at the time’ on Pink Floyd’s ‘Money’!) Carl plays some very tasty clean-sounding lines on his Fender Stratocaster on the first track. I especially like the second, slightly jazzier version, which features outstanding piano lines by Jim Cox. Jim also handles a Hammond B3 on several tracks on the album.

Carl sounds equally comfortable in a range of styles (how can he DO it all?), and on ‘Country Girl’ he trades some ferocious soloing with one of the true masters of country guitar, Albert Lee. “A nicer guy you could not imagine, and you can hear it in his hands.”, Carl says.

The closing track, ‘Eastern Steppes’,  could very well serve as a fitting backing track for a Carl Verheyen touring video travel scene. The tune has an overall uplifting ‘spirit’ to it (I bet his feet were at least tapping, if not dancing, while he was recording the guitar tracks) and also serves as an excellent showcase for Carl’s signature playing, using wide tonal intervals, quick and deadly precise alternate picking technique, and a fine mix of clean and overdriven guitar tone.

A highly recommended recording! And hey, while you’re at it - get his earlier releases as well!