Julian Lage says it blew his mind when he was invited to play Eric Clapton’s Crossroads festival by the man himself.
Like many, the jazz virtuoso was drawn towards the guitar through Clapton’s playing, albeit in a roundabout way. So having the influential bluesman approach him out of the blue was an unreal moment for Lage.
“I was on tour in Europe playing solo guitar,” he explains to Guitar Center about how he got involved in the recent Crossroads Festival. “I got [forwarded] an email from my manager, Aaron Sawyer, from Eric. I remember Aaron said, ‘Well, I can verify this is the Eric Clapton; this is legitimate,’ and it blew my mind.”
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Lage appeared at Clapton’s star-studded Crossroads in late September alongside the likes of John Mayer, Derek Trucks, and Joe Bonamassa. His own performance saw him and his trio team up with Trey Anastasio to play his original song, Northern Shuffle.
It was another footnote in what has been a hectic year for Lage, who became a surprise addition to Bob Dylan’s band, and joined the Tedeschi Trucks Band in New York for an extended, shred-laden jam.
Getting recognition from Clapton, though, is understandably the feather in his cap.
“You have to understand that many people started playing guitar because of him,” Lage beams. “When his Unplugged album came out, that was what inspired my father to get a guitar, which in turn inspired me to want to play with my father. It all comes from him.
“So it blew my mind,” he repeats. “I wrote immediately back to him and just said I would be thrilled, and thank you for being such an inspiration, and then the rest is history. It was a memorable thing.”
Lage has been balancing his own touring commitments with life in Dylan’s band in recent months, having been invited into a greatly rotating cast of players. Jimmie Vaughan and Jad Tariq have also made appearances, after Dylan lost two long-term members earlier this year. Last month, Dylan revealed his sixth guitarist in five months.
Elsewhere, Lage sat down with Al Di Meola and Guitar World to discuss everything from sloppy solos to dark secrets, and has reacted to Alter Bridge’s two guitarists heaping praise on him.
