Interview with Ari Joshua by Lelahel Metal
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Reimagining Hendrix is no easy task, but guitarist Ari Joshua and the RAaR Trio breathe new life into “Voodoo Chile” with raw chemistry, deep reverence, and fearless improvisation. Here's our conversation.
Ari, covering Jimi Hendrix is no small feat. What inspired you to take on “Voodoo Chile,” and how did you approach reimagining such an iconic track?
My family moved to the States and we shipped all our furniture—including our stereo systems and records—overseas when I was really young. I was captivated by anything Jimi Hendrix was on, and it was amplified by the fact that my dad loved playing that music really loud. From vinyl to cassette to the first compact discs, Jimi Hendrix was always there in force. I mean, it may be this song that got me into the instrument. I remember also loving the Stevie Ray Vaughan version.
The chemistry between you, Russ Lawton, and Ray Paczkowski is undeniable. How did this trio come together, and what makes your musical connection so special?
It was during the pandemic that we were able to connect and plant the seeds to collaborate. Everyone was at home and able to share ideas. I was talking to Russ about drums and music education, and I told him I’ve always gravitated to the organ trio format. We were about to do a remote session online—he was sending me some beats and kind of sharing how he and Trey Anastasio collaborate.
We were planning to start a session through a studio out there called Tank Recording, run by Ben Collette, who also works with PHISH. I was keen, but then they got booked out for like eight weeks. Turns out those eight weeks were basically Trey’s Beacon Jams series, where they played to an empty theater and quarantined each musician until they had a full band and orchestra by the end. It was pretty innovative, and in doing so, the organization set up a protocol.
Pending a quarantine period, Russ and Ray invited me out. I started writing songs and flew out, held up in an apartment for the quarantine period, just writing more ideas. I took a test when the quarantine was over and drove through the icy, snowy roads of Burlington to the studio—and from the first note, there was just magic. The chemistry was everything I could hope for. We went on to track about 20 songs together.
You’ve described this recording as a “one-take” performance. Can you walk us through that moment in the studio and the energy you were channeling?
I had a bag of ideas and charted them all out. We did a lot of that in the first session, but when I came back for another round of recording, we took a more collaborative approach. We played a pair of shows in Las Vegas where we did this song and it was just explosive.
There wasn’t really much planned for covers in the studio, but we had a few hours left on the clock and I was like, “Voodoo Chile?” One take… and done. I mean, I did some post-production with Jonathan Plum at London Bridge Studios. We worked hard to get that surround sound, stereo feel in the mix. London Bridge is where Temple of the Dog and Pearl Jam Ten were recorded, so there’s a bit of Mike McCready influence in this one too.
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Music Factory Records has been building a rich catalog of genre-blending releases. How does this track contribute to the label’s growing sonic identity?
The label is my vehicle to figure out how to survive—and even more, how to thrive—in the industry. The music industry is really challenging to navigate. You need funds to make things happen, but at the same time, you don’t want the pursuit of money or notoriety to interfere with making the art you love.
Hendrix is a good example of that—and so are many legendary artists. I’ll just keep putting out music that’s in my heart, that’s healing to me, and that I’d like to see in the world. The label will continue learning the ropes and offering other artists access to the systems we’re building along the way.
Beyond this release, what’s next for RAaR Trio? Are there any upcoming collaborations, live performances, or projects in the works?
This project has another 10–15 songs in the bag that I’m working on. I tend to work in a round-robin style—there’s a lot, and I jump around until one thing rises to the surface and is ready to share.
The All’s Eye has both live and studio versions of “Say What You Wanna Say,” and a version of “Gramama” captured at Barbershop Studios for the Saturday Sessions series is set to release on April 9.
In addition, I’ve been collaborating with John Medeski and Billy Martin (of Medeski Martin & Wood). Tracks like “Blurry Face” and “Reversible Submersible” were recorded during sessions in Woodstock, NY, and mixed at London Bridge Studios. The songs have a psychedelic cinematic mix of composition and improvisation, and there’s more coming soon.
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