Allan Holdsworth Finally Finds Time In The Studio.docx

Legendary Guitarist Allan Holdsworth Finally Finds Time in the Studio Allan Holdsworth has waited a long time for this. The legendary guitarist says he doesn’t work well under pressure and even gets scatterbrained when he’s back and forth between the road and the studio, so he hasn’t had a creative season like he’s enjoying now for a very long time. At work on a new set of songs for fans via his new PledgeMusic campaign, “Tales From The Vault” will give fans their first new full set of songs from Allan in several years. And no one is more relieved than the artist himself. Where and how did PledgeMusic first enter the picture? My manager Leonardo ‘Nardini’ Pavkovic of MoonJune Music, and his associate John McCracken of John McCracken Music Group, who is now the project manager of my PledgeMusic campaign, introduced me to the idea. I wasn’t sure at first, because I thought it might be something like I felt like I was taking advantage of people. I really didn’t want to do that, because I always felt my fans in particular were extremely loyal. I didn’t want to try to take advantage of them in any way. However, after I made a trip to New York and met the Pledge people, I realized it wasn’t that way at all. It was a really great idea. So I changed my mind. I realized it truly works for everybody. It gives the fans a chance to feel like they’re contributing and it turns the fans into the record company. So I definitely changed my mind on that. You’ve had such a great response so far. Were you surprised?

I’ve been really overwhelmed with the response actually. I’ve felt really moved. I had to sit down and say, ‘Holy smokes.’ I really was touched and moved by the amount of people who have come forward. It’s inspired me even more now, because instead of just working on my own time, I feel this responsibility. It’s given me this kick in the butt, you know? Is that nice to have that inspiration, too? It’s been such a long time since I’ve put out a studio record. I haven’t done anything since the The Sixteen Men of Tain when I put out a studio record. Three different sets of sessions with different people have never seen the light of day just because of personal circumstances, so now I feel like I’ve been given a golden opportunity to get on with it and get something finished. The real beauty of it for me is instead of having to work on 10 tracks or whatever and then wait until the album is finished, I can actually deliver them as they’re done. I can do one and send it out and do that one by one by one and eventually they have the whole record. You said it’s kicked you in the butt, but you also sound excited. It’s taken a weight off of my shoulders not having to go on the road all of the time and then have to move into the studio. When I go on the road, you move into a totally different mode completely. I always work hard to get back to the music so I can work on it. I’m just so pleased to have the opportunity to focus on just one thing, since I usually get scatterbrained. I don’t work well under pressure, unfortunately. Some people do. I’ll talk to musician friends and they’re pretty good at working under pressure, but I don’t. I kind of fold. I get to a point and then I just can’t keep at it. I realize it won’t be good, so I’m trying not to do that this time.

How long since the music has felt like this for you? I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life, except maybe in the ‘80s in the old days. Back then, you’d be given an advance for the record. But you also know that was the only money you were ever going to see, or at least for me. You’d get an advance and then you’d have to use that to pay the guys and also use it to survive until the record. Then when it was out, it’d be great. For me, I was just happy to have the music out there. Typically you never really saw anything after that from the record company. Of course, you’d still get royalties from the songs, but because of the kind of music, it wasn’t on the radio every day. So I can’t thank my fans enough for the chance to do this. It’s amazing.