You may not have heard the name Justin Derrico yet but all the stars have; he has supported some of the biggest names in the music industry, from The Pussycat Dolls, to Beyonce, to Tina Turner and is best known for touring as Pink‘s guitarist.
Derrico is taking some time out from his busy schedule to make a special trip Down Under to perform songs from his new album Boldly Going Nowhere.
NinetoFive spoke with Justin about his album, his involvement with hit new reality show The Voice and his admiration for our very own Tommy Emmanuel.
Your new album has recently been released. Can you tell me a bit about the inspiration for it?
I pretty much wanted to do a record for myself. I wanted to finish a record. I grew up listening to a lot of instrumental guitar music and I really always loved the records I listened to. I’ll be honest, I feel pretty darn good about it and there are some really cool songs on there.
The acoustic track I did was inspired (musically) by Tommy Emmanuel. He is, I think, one of the best acoustic guitar players in the world.
The tracks on the album are eclectic in their genre. Was this deliberate?
Yes and no. All the songs when I wrote them, were never set out like ‘I want to write a ballad and then I need a rock song’. It’s just about working them out. I’m really influenced by so many styles of music. I try to take everything I listen to and learn and try to mash it all together and it’s kinda what happened on the record. It was fun to be able to switch gears between a rock song, then a country fusion, then more of a cruisy song.
You’ve worked with everyone from the Pussycat Dolls to Tina Turner to Beyonce, and obviously Pink. Who has really stood out for you?
Well Tina for sure. That was a one time thing when I did the Grammys with her. My wife has been her head dancer for the last 12 years and it was so cool, I got to do the Grammys with Tina and Beyonce and my wife, who was my girlfriend at the time. Tina was everything you’d expect and hope her to be both personality and performance wise. It was a real treat.
When you play with different artists are you allowed to do your own thing?
I think Pink far more than anybody let’s me do that. She’s really cool when it comes to ideas. On the first tour I did, she was the one that came up with the idea of the flamenco music. I came up with my own interpretation of flamenco music and what I could do with it. She let’s me take a lot of solos and lets me be myself, which is so much fun. Another reason I love playing with her I get to be myself, as a musician and a person. I’ve worked for some artists who want you to play strictly what’s on the record. Some times it’s great but sometimes it doesn’t translate, but with her (Pink) the whole band gets to sort of play out and it becomes a cool musical experience.
Have you experienced any Diva moments?
I just did The Voice and the judges were Christina (Aguilera), Blake (Shelton), Avril (Lavigne) and Adam (Levine). Well, you know, you could probably figure that out [laughs]. Working on the show most of the judges were really cool. There was one judge that was more wrapped up in their own world. That’s all I’m going to say. [laughs]
Who’s been your inspiration?
Steve Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix were a huge influence on me. Brett Mason, who’s a natural guitar player has been a huge influence on me. Also Greg Howe. All these crazy guitar virtuosos have had a big impact on my playing.
You’ve been to Australia before. What did you think of it?
I love Australia. It’s almost like a vacation when I come and visit, everyone is so cool and so nice. The thing I love about Australians is they really love music and different types of music and they appreciate good musicians. When I was there with Pink we were almost there for four months. I almost became a citizen.
Where have you toured so far?
Australia is the first stop. I might do a little warm up show in LA but if I don’t then Australia will be the first place I play this music live.
What should people expect from your show?
I’ve got some cool surprises. Some cool arrangements of the songs that are on the record and some things that aren’t on the record. I’ve got some special guests appearing, singing.
Maybe Tommy Emmanuel?
Man, that would probably be one of the greatest things in the world and at the same time the scariest things in the world because he’s one of the most amazing guitar players in the world, hands down. It would totally freak me out. He really is something else. His brother is amazing as well.
How did you come across Tommy Emmanuel?
This guy who does guitar repairs for me turned me onto him. And I came out to Australia and I use Mayton guitars for all my acoustic stuff, an Australian guitar company and Tommy plays Mayton as well. The first time I ever saw Tommy, the guy who repairs my guitars took me to one of his shows, and it was the most inspiring and unbelievable thing I had seen in a long time. It was a really big deal. I really respect his playing.
I don’t know Tommy personally, but if he would like to fit in a jam I would hand him my guitar and watch.
What is on your touring rider?
Well, I use Bogner amplifiers pretty much exclusively by choice. I’ve gone in and spoken to Reinhold Bogner, who pretty much invented them and builds them and I’ll say what I like and he’ll literally rip it open in front of me and re-wire it. So yeah, they’re definitely on there.
As far as the dressing room goes, we have VB (beer) on the rider. I do like VB, it’s probably like y’all Budweiser, but I definitely like it.
You’ve completed a stint on The Voice. Can you describe it for those who might not know about it?
Well basically, when you get it you will get your own version, probably The Australian Voice. You have the four celebrity judges and the way the show starts out is that you have the contestants that come up and sing. The judges are in chairs and they have their backs to the contestants, so they can’t see them, they can only hear them. If the judge likes what they hear, then they hit the button and it spins them around. If all judges turn around, then the contestant can choose which judges team they want to be with, but if only one judge turns around then they’re stuck with that judge. And if no judge turns around, then they don’t go through. Then it goes on to battle round where contestants (in the same team) battle it out and then the country gets involved in the voting.
Are their benefits of having the different judges, say Christina vs. Adam?
Absolutely. Adam has a really eclectic range of knowledge of music, so some of the songs he’ll pick for the artists wouldn’t be songs you’d think of. Same as Christina, she’s an amazing singer. Some of the vocal things that she would tell them to do would really work and pan out for them. Cee Lo was a great coach, especially for the performance aspect of it. And Blake was more like a big brother to his contestants.
Do you think reality shows, like The Voice, are now the way in for artists?
It’s a way in for sure but at the same time it’s still to be determined. The guy who just won has only just won, so now it all starts for him. It’s definitely a rival for American Idol and the Idol competition and it may take over because it did so well. It’s all about their singing ability and not about what they look.
Do you think there are any issues for contestants about conforming in terms of their look?
Not really. Throughout the entire show nobody was making anything they didn’t want to be. In fact, it was almost to the point where they were too liberal about it, to the point where the contestants had too much say.
You’re touring in August. What’s happening after that?
Well, I come back (to the States) and relax. Then I start up the second season of The Voice and am locked down with that until the end of the year. And then my wife is from England so we’ll be there for Xmas. Then after that, there might be a tour with Pink, maybe the next installment of The Voice or maybe I’ll tour a little more.
NB. Michael Paynter has been confirmed to appear as a special guest vocalist for Justin’s Melbourne and Sydney shows.
Justin Derrico Sydney Tour Dates
Thursday, 11 August – Annandale Hotel, Sydney
Tickets from the venue, Ph: (02) 9550 1078 / www.annandalehotel.com.
Boldly Going Nowhere is available now through iTunes.
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