Viva Voce: 'People Tend To Assume A Guy Is Doing All The Cool Stuff'

There are a handful of things about Viva Voce that lend themselves to a just-the-facts presentation: This songwriting team - Kevin and Anita Robinson - met and married in rural Alabama over a decade ago and made their first four-track demo as Viva Voce in 1998. Since then, they have relocated to Portland, OR, released a number of critically acclaimed recordings and toured extensively including stints with the Shins and Jimmy Eat World.

As for describing the music the Robinsons make-well, that's a difficult proposition. Indie rock? Too polite. Psychedelia? Too old-school. Black-light soul with a heavy-metal heart? Um, is that even a thing? Says Anita, "Basically, with each record we're just trying to find a way to create the music that's been living in our heads since the last one." The couple will release their fifth full length album "The Future Will Destroy You" on June 21st and UG had the opportunity to catch guitarist Anita just a week before the release!

UG: Was there one player who initially inspired you to pick up the guitar?

Anita Robinson: Music was a part of my family. As a kid, my parents owned a music store and had jam sessions on Saturdays, and I was encouraged to play anything and everything in the store. Holding a guitar felt very natural. Years later, hearing Black Sabbath's “Iron Man� inspired me to buy that first distortion pedal and now look at me, a degenerate traveling musician!

Do you have formal training or are you self taught?

I learned how to play guitar at home at a young age, so I can't remember a time when I didn't know the basic chords. I played rhythm and my Dad played banjo or fiddle, lots of country and bluegrass. Lots of G C and D! When I started learning rock songs, I just figured parts out by ear. I have taken lessons from time to time and mostly just frustrated my teachers by not practicing enough, I'm afraid.

What methods or techniques have made a significant impact on your playing?

Slide guitar. I figured out some basic open tunings (I use open G a lot) and a whole new world opened up.

What is the most important thing you look for in choosing the "perfect" guitar to play?

Some guitars just feel better in your hands than others, and you get inspired right away to keep playing. A great electric guitar should sound good unplugged too, it should have some ring and sustain on its own. I like older, vintage guitars with unusual finishes, I prefer a rosewood fingerboard and I'm a sucker for a Bigsby tremolo.

How many guitars do you own?

A few! I'm sentimental, so I have my first acoustic, and my first electric. My collection has lots of personality! None of my vintage guitars are in mint condition; they've all been around the block a few times.

Which one is your favorite?

Right now it's a cigar box guitar my dad just made me. I jokingly told him I wanted one with a tremolo bar thinking of course it couldn't be done-- now I have this kick-ass cigar box guitar with a humbucker and a Bigsby tremolo! Touché, Dad.

What are some of the challenges you face as a female guitarist?

Sigh, well, sometimes it's hard to get your lip gloss to match your guitar. I'm kidding!! Here's the deal: The biggest challenge is that people tend to assume a guy is doing all the cool stuff that is exciting and the girl must be doing the background stuff. To change that we need female guitarists taking the spotlight every chance they get, playing their hearts out, having their own style, setting new standards.

What advice would you give to young girls who aspire to be a professional guitarist?

If guitar playing is what you're passionate about, do what I did--get a job at the local guitar shop! Learn how to tell what year that Les Paul Standard is, or how to change strings on a banjo, how to tell if a pre-amp tube is going bad. And when there are no customers? You get to practice “Iron Man� on your favorite guitar in the store. It's a pretty sweet deal.

If you could collaborate with another professional guitarist, who would it be and why?

I just got a crazy notion that I want to perform Ted Nugent's “Stranglehold� with Jack White, trading vocals and guitar solo mayhem! At Stonehenge.

Tell us about the guitars you played on your new record, The Future Will Destroy You?

I used a Gibson Les Paul Custom and a Fender Jazzmaster mostly. They were both responding and giving me exactly what I wanted, so I ran with that. I used a vintage Dunlop wah and the Electro Harmonix P.O.G. and an MXR Phase 100 a lot.

How do you work in the studio? What is your recording process like?

Usually I have a sound and a part in my head that's fully formed, I just have to figure out how to achieve it. As soon as that's dialed in, I like to track quickly, short and sweet. For some reason all this works better after about 8 pm. I am definitely a night owl.

Do you play any other instruments?

I like playing bass, and have played a lot of the bass parts on my records. I'm working on getting better at banjo, piano, and dobro.

How much does improvising factor into your playing?

I'm constantly trying to improve. I want to play with abandon and still be solid. I'm the most confident about 2 weeks into a tour, when the set is second nature.

What gauge strings do you prefer?

I like 10's mostly, 11's on my slide guitar with open tunings.

What are a few of your favorite pedals/effects?

I love the Expandora distortion pedal by Bixonic, they stopped making it. I always have one on my pedalboard for live, and it's been on every record I've ever done. It rules. I use a simple EQ pedal to boost my volume for solos, and the Tremulator tremolo pedal by Demeter is another fave. It can be adjusted to have a cool square-wave chop that I love.

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