Interview by Andrew Daly
Cover photo by Janalee Norris
As a guitarist, it’s essential to be versatile, and Chris Holt is undoubtedly that. As a self-proclaimed jack of all trades and an admitted gearhead and guitar addict, Holt has parlayed his myriad of skills into a career that’s seen him share the stage with the likes of Mike Campbell, Max Weinberg, Bob Dylan, Derek Trucks, Chris Stapleton, and about a million others.
Holt’s resume is truly endless; that much is certain. While that’s impressive, his tone and sage gear choices, which linchpin his outstanding solo work, sets him apart.
More recently, Holt has been working on his online series, Chris Holt’s All-Request Thursday, which helped heal the bruises resulting from lost income over the COVID-19 pandemic. That aside, Holt continues to tour with Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs, lending his six-string talents to one of his greatest heroes and doing so with panache and skill.
Known around Dallas, Texas, as a supreme multi-instrumentalist, Holt still burns with passion and desire when talking about guitar. To that end, Chris Holt dialed in with Buddy Magazine to recount his long and inspiring journey through music.
What inspired you to pick up the guitar?
Man… it was several things all colliding at once. But centered around MTV in 1981 and a few other things that all happened there in that year, between 1981 and 1982, when I was eight years old. MTV, Rush’s Moving Pictures, Ozzy’s Blizzard of Ozz, and then a year or two later, stuff like Def Leppard’s Pyromania and, of course, Van Halen. I was completely obsessed with the sound of the electric guitar on tracks like “Limelight,” “Crazy Train,” and “Photograph.”
I wanted to be Alex Lifeson; I thought he was the coolest. Steve Clark. Angus Young, oh man, I was obsessed with the whole AC/DC Back in Black record. Those were the earliest days before I even got a guitar. After years of begging and playing tennis racket guitar in the mirror, my parents finally got me one on my 12th birthday in ’85.
There was an obsession with music and melody long before I could play, but I’m not sure it would’ve all come together without the visual companion of MTV. I was never in piano lessons or anything; nobody in my family was musically inclined, beyond my dad being a big Stones fan. But MTV shook my world. It all seemed like such a seductive lifestyle to be a rock guitarist, especially to a young kid. Those were the heyday of the rock star.
Who were your most significant influences?
I have so many of them I couldn’t possibly list them all… but I usually just talk about the players that made the biggest impression when I was young because I guess they’ve stayed with me the longest. Jimmy Page, David Gilmour, Alex Lifeson, Pete Townshend, and Mike Campbell were probably the biggest influences on me as a teenager once I really dug in with the guitar and was trying to make a move with it. Those five still have a special place in my heart.
But there are hundreds of others. For years, Zeppelin was my be-all-end-all. In my late teens, I branched out a bit. I became obsessed with The Beatles (that’s never stopped), Pink Floyd, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and The Who, and then my tastes evolved into more sophisticated stuff like Steely Dan. I became completely enthralled by all the guitar players under that umbrella – Larry Carlton, Denny Dias, Skunk Baxter, Elliott Randall, Hugh McCracken, Jay Graydon, and even Walter Becker himself. I went through a jam band phase in my 20s, and I wanted to be Trey Anastasio.
Later, I got into fingerpicking and listened to Paul Simon, Mark Knopfler, Lindsey Buckingham, Elliott Smith, Chet Atkins, and Jerry Reed. I love Steve Howe! My playing could never touch any of those guys; they set the bar so high. And they were all so unique. It was always something to aspire to and be inspired by – to want to play wildly inventive stuff like they were doing. At one point, maybe around the age of 30, I rejected it all and just wanted to play other instruments and be a songwriter… eventually I came to my senses and had to re-embrace my first love, the guitar.
How do they remain within your sound, and how have you diverged?
Ultimately, I’m a creature of habit… I listen to everything that inspires and challenges me, and I steal bits and pieces from each player, but in the end, I still play like me. A lot of my bad habits come from laziness – I’m mostly self-taught; I learned by osmosis more than anything, just absorbing bits and pieces from my heroes and my peers. I was never disciplined enough to figure out exactly what those monster players were doing, so I just took some of their tricks (the ones I could actually figure out) and then twisted them into something that worked for me.
As a teacher (in the late 00s/early 10s), I always told students to steal from twenty, thirty, forty different players, mash them all together, and you’ll sound like yourself. I know that’s what I’ve done, and ultimately, I say like me. But I’m not original or inventive. I wear a lot of influences on my sleeve shamelessly. I never bought into the idea that artists are just born with it, and they always have to invent their own sound. I firmly believe you should study and learn other peoples’ music to learn how it’s done.
Sure, there are some exceptions to the rule, but in the end, we’re all standing on the shoulders of giants – there’s so much to learn from the greats of the past. And for someone like me, I’m just a rock n’ roll hack – it’s all been done a million times in the past 70 years. I’m not reinventing the wheel. I’m putting my own spin on something that has been such a passionate love.
Do you have a favorite Texas guitar player? How do they influence you?
Oh, man… the guy who mentored and showed me the light when I was 14 is still probably my favorite guitarist in this neck of the woods – the great Sam Swank. He’s an absolute master of all thing’s guitar… any style, any era, he’s just smooth as butter. He inspired me to be better as a kid, and he inspires me now. He taught me things as a teen and showed me what I was doing wrong and how to do it right. Then he pushed me out the door and told me to go practice.
I still absolutely love that dude and his playing. Sadly, I don’t get to see or hear him do it often enough. He posts videos online, and I love watching them and marveling at his gift. But there are lots of Texas players I love – mainly in DFW, where I’m from. Kenny Withrow and Hunter Hendrickson – those dudes are always pushing forward and playing with such passion and adventurous spirit. I keep asking Kenny to give me some lessons, but we never coordinate our schedules.
I need to make that happen for me! My buddy Big Mike Richardson boggles my mind whenever we play together – he’s a fearless guitarist. I’m sure I could name a dozen others I love; they’re everywhere, and if you pay attention, you can be inspired and challenged around any corner. I feel guilty that I don’t get out and see more live music these days. The pitfalls of working on the road and getting older, I guess.
Do you remember your first guitar and amp?
Kinda… I got my first guitar and amp on my 12th birthday in the spring of 1985. It was a red Hondo All-Star, and I think I had it for a year or two before I traded it in for a Kramer Baretta (which I still have). I think I just had a tiny Crate practice amp originally. I’d sit in my bedroom and make a most unpleasant noise, but I slowly started to figure it out over a couple of years. When I met Sam, he took me in and changed my life.
My Dad told me that as soon as I could play “Johnny B. Goode” convincingly, he’d buy me the “real guitar” I wanted. So, by the time I was 15, I’d convinced him, and he bought me a beautiful cherry sunburst Les Paul Standard at the Arlington Guitar Show. That was the only guitar I played for about a decade until it was stolen, tragically.
I never got over that. For years, I played it through a Marshall JCM 800 half-stack. And that got stolen, too! What I learned from that rig was how to annoy sound engineers (and bandmates) while blowing out every person’s ear within a quarter mile.
What did that rig teach you that stuck?
Unfortunately, being loud stuck for a long time, but as I got older, I learned how to get better tones at quieter volumes. Initially, it was “plug and go,” overdrive at 11, and rolling back the volume knob on the LP for a cleaner tone. But eventually, I learned the pedal game, like everyone else. It’s a constant evolution, and I’m always learning, primarily by trial and error.
But I also listen to a lot of advice from players I love and respect. I’ve never been much of a technician – I couldn’t tell you the first thing about the tubes or circuits in my amps and pedals.
I just turn knobs until I get the sound I want. And I know what I like – I’m a tube amp and stomp-box guy.
I actually was this close to buying a Kemper and trying to learn how to use it a couple of years ago, just because I figured I was gonna have to dive into that world soon or get left behind. But then, right as I was about to buy it, I got the call from Mike to join the Knobs. And now I’m right back to tube amps and stomp boxes. Maybe later, Kemper.
What was your first professional gig?
My first band was called Thin Ice, and we played our high school Battle of The Bands like you. My first ever gig was one of those, in early 1989, when I was 15. I’m unsure how professional it was, but we made a big noise! I knew from that moment, though, this was all I ever wanted to do. Seriously, that was it for me—musician for life. We did our thing for a few years, and then I went off to college in Norman, OK.
What did you learn?
I had a few bands that I played with there in town, playing guitar, bass, keys – whatever was needed. That was the beginning of my jack-of-all/master-of-none persona. I started doing acoustic shows and learning how to sing. I was really getting into writing my own songs. Eventually, I started playing solo shows by myself. Mostly, what I learned from that era was just how to hold my own onstage, how to fill three or four hours with music, and then, ultimately, how to be self-sufficient.
Is there a Texas venue or spot that you’ve always loved to play? If so, why?
Lots of them! Mostly places around DFW, just because that was my local scene for so long. Though I must admit, I don’t get out and do them often. Most of my work is on the road, at this point at least. But I’ve long loved playing venues like The Granada Theater and The Kessler; I’ve played those rooms hundreds of times.
At one point, Mike Schoder (the owner of the Granada) joked that I should have a plaque on the wall because I’d played there more than any other musician, back in the ’00s. But I don’t get there nearly enough these days. I really love the AllGood Cafe in Deep Ellum – that’s a haven for musicians, and Mike Snider has always treated me like family there.
It’s a wonderfully supportive environment for songwriters and musicians. And, of course, for years and years, Club Dada was my home away from home. As far as places outside of DFW, I mean, The Moody Theater in Austin is pretty special.
I’ve done Austin City Limits a couple of times, and that was just the most fun to be a part of. I got to play Bass Hall in Fort Worth with Don Henley and Love Lovett a few years back, which was lovely. And, of course, Gruene Hall is a blast. I’ve been lucky enough to play some big arenas and sheds around Texas, too, but those are a little less personal, aren’t they?
How do you view the way you play today vs the past?
I try to be more self-aware of things like phrasing and tone. The ever-elusive “taste” thing. Some of the best advice I ever got was from a bandmate 25 years ago, who told me, “You need to work on your phrasing.” It was a very constructive criticism, and that really opened my eyes. I was like, “Wow, I’m just mindlessly noodling.” I think most young players probably overplay just because they get excited; maybe wanna show off a bit. I know I did.
To show restraint and really play tastefully, for the song and not just for yourself, is something that takes years and a lot of focus and dedication. It’s not necessarily instinctive… for me, at least. I almost always have indulgent tendencies. I want to pile everything and the kitchen sink into a song.
But if you do that, you often end up with a ton of clutter, and sometimes you must hear it sounding like a mess before it becomes clear that the best option is to deconstruct and strip it back. I was never the king of speed, but many times, especially in my youth, I relied on speed and frantic playing as a crutch rather than doing things that were melodic and restrained.
And what has changed most?
You could argue that it worked in some of those situations, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve tried hard to be a more laid-back player. I don’t play nearly as ham-fisted – or as dirty – as I used to. And I certainly don’t have the speed I had when I was young. But that’s not important to me now.
Looking back, those influences were always there in guys like Mike Campbell, David Gilmour, and Walter Becker. I loved their melodic sensibilities and that they could say more with one or two notes than most players could say with twenty.
I just had to pursue that goal actively rather than passively overplaying it all the time. I’m doing a better job with that these days, but it’s a constant challenge – not to overplay. I’m still guilty of wanking more than I should.
Tell me about your riff and solo writing process.
Sadly, I’m not nearly as engaged with writing as I used to be. But I go in and out of phases; I guess it’s always been like that, really. Sometimes, I’ll write a bunch of stuff all at once, and then I’ll go back to sleep and hibernate for weeks or months. When I was younger, it was an almost daily thing to constantly write and arrange ideas when my bands were rehearsing every day.
We were practically living together – the things young bands do when they’re on the road and in each other’s faces all the time. As I got older, got married, had kids, and all that, there became less time for that, so I would have to wait for the inspiration to strike, rather than be constantly doing it all day, every day.
It never really went away, but it became more of a special thing rather than just the norm to me. Back in the old days, I used to have a cassette player and four-track, and I would record riffs and work on arrangements all the time that way. Then I got a computer and started doing demos in Cool Edit Pro. Remember that?
So, the new tech changed things for you, then?
It blew my mind when I was able to start multi-tracking demos and stacking parts that way, so for a long time; I would make these really elaborate demos and drive my bandmates nuts because I’d come to the practice room with all the parts already worked out. When the iPhone became ubiquitous, I simplified my process considerably. I just started documenting everything on my phone – every riff, every melody, every lyric idea.
For me, it usually starts with a riff or a couple of chords that sound interesting together, something that sparks a melody. I’m rarely ever a lyrics-first guy. I’m not a particularly good lyricist, so that’s always the trickiest part and the thing I’ll nitpick the most. Sometimes, I’ll get a concept for a song, and I’ll think, “I wanna write a song about this topic,” or whatever.
But most of the time, I’ll get a musical idea and flesh out the melody first and then put words to it as soon as I can. Most of the songs I write are lyrical – but I do have a lot of stuff that stays instrumental for whatever reason. I’ve got hundreds of instrumentals lying around! Writing’s just hard, especially currently when it’s all been done a million times already.
I’m less consistent with writing than 20 years ago, but I still regularly mess around with new song ideas. I’ve gotten better as a writer – I think what I’ve written in the past decade is considerably better than what I was writing 20 years ago. I have so many songs that still need to be recorded or released.
So, what’s the most challenging part?
The hardest part for me – and the most important – is finishing a song and not letting a fragment sit on the shelf collecting dust for years. Cause if you don’t finish it quickly, you’ll forget it’s there, and then a year or two later, you hear it pop up, or you’re going through your old phone demos, and then you say, “Why didn’t I finish that? That’s good!” So, I am more diligent about finishing a good idea quickly and not letting it drift away into oblivion.
How do you view guitar solos in the modern era?
It depends on what your thing is. If you’re a guitar god and that’s your thing, then solo away! It just depends on the music. You should always play for the song rather than for yourself. But there’s a niche for serious players rather than singers or songwriters. I love guitar solos, but I don’t wanna hear somebody endlessly shred or do acrobatics the entire time. It gets a bit exhausting.
Do they need to be deconstructed and changed from being overblown?
Ultimately, I want to hear some melody that moves me, something that touches an emotional nerve, cause that’s the kind of music that hits me the hardest. I want there to be some sense of dynamic balance. I think self-indulgence is cool in its proper place.
There’s a moment in a live show where the energy ramps up, and you want to take a guitar solo through the roof. I have to be careful about that stuff because I can easily get carried away and go on and on without wrapping it up. Noodling on into oblivion can be exhausting for the listener, regardless of how much fun it is for the player.
Honestly, I don’t have enough tricks in my bag to keep the listener fully engaged for super long solos – once you’ve heard me exhaust all my licks, you don’t need to hear them all repeatedly. There’s certainly a case to be made for not soloing at all. If the song doesn’t need a guitar solo, leave it out.
Is there still a place for a little bit of self-indulgence?
I love guitar bands where solos aren’t really a thing – it’s more about the angular interplay and ping-ponging parts that create a tight, punchy arrangement. One of my favorite bands is XTC – the guitar interplay between Dave Gregory and Andy Partridge is spectacular and unusual. There are some guitar solos, but they’re always inventive and different – not just self-indulgent wankery.
They serve the song first and foremost. Even when a song calls for a guitar solo, it’s appropriate only to play what’s needed. I’m a big fan of those who have perfected the art of a tight, composed solo. We should always aspire to that. Look at Elliott Easton. That dude wrote such stellar solos – melodic, dynamic, and tricky. He never went on too long, and he always landed the perfect dismount!
Tell me about your amps.
Well, it’s certainly more complex now than in the old days! As I said before, in the early years, it was just a Les Paul and a Marshall. Then, in the 00’s, things changed and evolved a bit. I started alternating between using an ES-335 and various Telecasters, depending on the band or song. I got cozy using big Fender amps – the DeVille for a while and then a Twin. Those are just the loudest amps on earth. Heavy too. But I loved having that clean headroom.
And how about pedals?
My pedal boards were always relatively simple but got bigger and more indulgent, depending on the bands. When I got the Don Henley touring gig about ten years ago, things started to grow. I had a handful of guitars before, but suddenly, I was able to acquire many of them! I acquired a bunch of gear for that gig, and I needed backups.
Where do things stand as far as guitars? How do you pair them with your amps?
Lots of guitars in various tunings. I had a road vault and a tech, so it was all reasonable, if a bit indulgent. The past decade or so has been a blur of different guitars, amps, and pedals. For the DH tours and Bastards of Soul, I was using Magnatone amps, and I really love those.
With Mike & The Knobs, I’m using several different amps, like Fender Deluxe’s and Princeton’s, and on our recent fall tour, I just started using a custom Voltmaster amp that sounds amazing. My friend Matt Iddings in Portland builds them, and he made one for me when we reconnected last year. With pedals, I need to figure out where to begin.
I have a small board that I use at home for whatever local gigs I have – my Bastards of Soul board. But I also have a tiny micro-pedal “fly rig” for quick road gigs if I’m jumping on a plane and need something small that fits easily into a suitcase.
For the bigger tours like Henley and Campbell, I have more extensive, more indulgent boards. But it’s primarily simple stuff; all my boards have the “essentials” for me: compression, overdrive, clean boost, Leslie and mod effects, delays and reverbs, fuzz, and wah.
Is there a brand you rely on most regarding your signal chain?
I love Analogman pedals. The King of Tone – that’s a go-to drive. Strymon makes great mod effects. I’ve got a ton of Keeley and Electro-Harmonix stuff. And, of course, good ol’ indestructible Boss pedals. There are so many pedal makers out there it can be overwhelming. I recently got some pedals from the Caroline Guitar Co. I’m digging – the Hawaiian Pizza fuzz and Parabola Tremolo. I’m a pedal hoarder, really; I have hundreds of them lying around at home.
I can relate! It’s part of the disease.
Some pedals will sit there for ages before I find the perfect song. As for guitars, I still lean heavily on Gibson ESs like the 345 and 335. I’m a total Tele junkie, I have a bunch of them – they’re so versatile. I still love Les Paul’s; of course, that was my first love. In recent years, I’ve become quite fond of Duesenberg and Gretsch guitars – I’ve got a White Falcon that I really adore, a Silver Jet, and one of those rare Country Classic Juniors.
I’ve been playing Fender Jazzmasters more recently – they have a unique vibe. I don’t play acoustic guitars as often as I used to, but when I do, I love Martins and Gibson’s in the studio. And I still have a beat-up old 90’s Takamine Santa Fe model, which, I kid you not, is my favorite go-to stage acoustic. It just feels and sounds right. It’s like my “Trigger.”
I just love guitars; I can’t get enough. Whereas I was a one-guitar guy for many years, long ago, I’ve now become that guy who switches guitars almost every song, especially when I’m playing an electric rig. I’m sure someday the shit will hit the fan, and I’ll sell everything and go back to playing one guitar all the time.
What are your short and long-term goals?
Man, I just wanna stay employed! For me, it’s two-fold. I’ve got my career as a sideman, which has obviously been my bread-and-butter for a while now, and then my considerably more fledgling career as an artist. When the Bastards of Soul ended last year, it was really rough for all of us, but that’s a hard thing to keep together at this point.
At my age, trying to be in a band where you have multiple songwriters and so many cooks in the kitchen – that’s a daunting task. I don’t know if I’d want to start another band from scratch like that because it’s so much work, and honestly, it’s a constant compromise with your art.
With Mike & The Knobs, I’ve now stumbled into a wonderfully lucky situation – because not only do I get to play with one of my biggest heroes (who’s become one of my best friends), but it’s a guitarist’s dream gig.
Did you lock in immediately with Mike?
Mike and I do a ton of dual guitar interplay, and he gives me so much freedom to play like I want to play while supporting him. I know who the people are paying to see, so I stay within my bounds, but he’s very generous with the way he lets me shine onstage. I want to keep doing this gig as long as he wants to keep doing it and as long as he wants me there!
I’d love to keep working with Don if he wants to do another tour anytime. Obviously, that’s a fun guitar gig, too, though considerably more scripted than the Knobs. It’s such a rich catalog of songs. He’s been out with the Eagles for a while, and they’re still on a Farewell Tour for another year or two, so who knows what his plans are.
That aside, what else have you got on tap?
I’ve got other projects that I do whenever I can, touring with Max Weinberg and Tony Kishman in their respective bands; those gigs are always lucrative. The other side of the coin is that I still have a solo career, and there’s been a slight uptick in interest in that in recent years.
When COVID first happened, I lost all my touring gigs, so I started doing these online all-request shows (Chris Holt’s All-Request Thursday series) to keep my mind occupied and make a few extra bucks. That blossomed into this surprisingly beautiful thing over a few years. I built up a small but loyal fan base – we call it the ART Family – and it’s been lovely to suddenly have people wanting me to make my original music again.
So, I’m working on a new solo album (my first since Stargazer in 2016). I’m eager to start putting out my music regularly again, starting in 2024. Other than that, I wanna stay healthy and stay employed – both as a sideman and an artist. I’ve been fortunate up to this point, and I’m super grateful that I can have a music career. I don’t take it for granted. I hope to keep the train rolling longer.
