Even after a career playing electric guitar with rock’s biggest names, playing alongside a Rolling Stone is still heart-stopping. That’s what we’ve learned from a new interview with Los Angeles sideman Jason Sinay, who tells us about times on stage with Neil Young, Joe Bonamassa, and the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir.
Sinay is best known as a 20-year member of The Dirty Knobs, the band led by Mike Campbell between stints with Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers.
You might think that experience would leave you ready for anything. Sinay landed a gig as house band guitarist at an LA jam night led by Waddy Wachtel, and found that wasn't quite the case. “You never knew who was going to come through,” Sinay explains.
One night, Sinay noticed the club was packed to capacity. “I knew the Stones were in town, but I did not know that I would end up meeting and jamming with Keith Richards – and hanging out with him that night,” he recalls.
“It was a complete and utter shock to my system,” Sinay exclaims. “I’m such a huge Keith freak. We got to do Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Wild Horses, and a few other Stones classics.”
Most exciting for Sinay was that Richards used his gear. “I had known [Keith’s] guitar tech, Pierre [de Beauport], for years, and when Pierre came in, he was like, ‘Keith’s using your rig!’” Sinay laughs. “That was really great.”
Look for Sinay’s full interview, including his experiences with Neil Young, Joe Bonamassa, and Derek Trucks, on GuitarWorld.com soon.
Former Prince guitarist Dez Dickerson has also been talking about experiences with the Rolling Stones, describing Prince’s disastrous 1981 support slots with the band.
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