Veteran guitarist and songwriter Tom Guerra was a guest on the March 26 edition of Greasy Tracks where he discussed his just-released album, Sentimental Junk (Thin Man Music).
Check out the archive by clicking here, while a playlist is here.
In addition to playing a handful of tracks from the album, Guerra and host Chris Cowles will spotlight some of their favorite guitarists, especially those who would be considered obscure.
The album, Guerra’s fifth, was recorded in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic which threw a mighty monkey wrench into the entire music industry.
“This is a back-to-the-roots thing for me,” said Guerra “My last album featured a lot of acoustic tunes, but this record reflects my renewed love affair with the electric guitar and the pent-up energy that being in lockdown for two years brings.”
While the pandemic drove many musicians and fans alike stir crazy, Guerra found a sense of therapy in the creative process. “Being stuck inside for a couple years made us all a little restless,” he admitted, “and I think that energy comes across on this record. It’s a good feeling to write, and people need music — especially during times like these.”
Of the 11 cuts on the album, 10 are originals with Bob Dylan’s “Clean Cut Kid” the lone cover. “I loved Dylan’s ‘Clean Cut Kid’,” said Guerra, “and I was curious to see how it might fare with a harder, straight-ahead rock and roll arrangement.”
Similar to earlier projects, Guerra enlisted the help of some crack musicians to help bring his songs to life in the studio, including long-time collaborator Kenny Aaronson who has worked with the likes of Bob Dylan, The Yardbirds and George Harrison. Keyboardists Matt Zeiner and Morgan Fisher (Mott The Hoople) and drummer Mike Kosacek rounded out the backing band. Singer Scott Lawson Pomeroy, Guerra’s bandmate from Mambo Sons, contributed vocals to “Eyes of the World,” a tribute to Leslie West.
The first single off the album, “California’s Got to My Girl,” is an R&B-based vocal duet with legendary Boston musician Jon Butcher.
Since the late 1970s, Guerra has been a popular guitarist on the New England club circuit, playing with a host of leading blues, rock and R&B acts.
He first gained notoriety after being featured in the March 1991 issue of Guitar Player. Over the years, he’s recorded or played with Rick Derringer, The Dirty Bones Blues Band, E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg, Mark Nomad, The Easton Brothers with Muddy Waters bassist Charles Calmese, Jai Johanny “Jaimoe” Johanson of The Allman Brothers Band, Second Son, Guitar Shorty, Adolph Jacobs of The Coasters, Aaronson and The Delrays, for which he received acclaim from Buddy Guy.
He formed Mambo Sons in 1999 and the group released four albums of original music over the next 15 years.
In 2014, Guerra released his first solo album, All of the Above, a collection of 11 original rock tracks. The CD was critically acclaimed and favorably reviewed in numerous music and guitar magazines as well as mainstream media such as The Huffington Post.
He also spent a five-year period working for Johnny Winter, penning liner notes as the guitarist released a handful of live recordings via The Bootleg Series and has done extensive studio work since the late 1980’s.
In 2016, he released Trampling Out the Vintage followed by American Garden (2018) and Sudden Signs of Grace (2020).