Lollapalooza Q&A with Taj Farrant

Taj Farrant is just 15, but the guitar whiz kid plays the blues with the precision of legends five times his age. In between logging gigs on Buddy Guy’s Damn Right Farewell Tour, and moving to the States with his family, who gave up everything to help further his career, the Australian native played two sets at Lollapalooza.

On Friday, he chatted with the Sun-Times about the first time he picked up the instrument, his go-to guitar gods and why his favorite artist on the Lolla lineup may come as a shock to some.

Q. When did you first pick up the guitar and know you had this great gift? 

A. I got my guitar on my seventh birthday. I had just gone to an AC/DC concert and was like, "I want to do that." I nagged my dad for a guitar and … from there I practiced and practiced. About a year or two in, I figured I could probably do something with this, so I just kept going.

Q. How long do you typically practice playing?

A: Now, I don’t really do a lot because I’m on tour so much and playing shows, so I see the shows as my practice. But before all the tours, I used to practice seven to eight hours a day.

Q. You brought up the fact that seeing AC/DC and Angus Young really kickstarted your interest in music and guitar. What was it about that show that inspired you?

A: Angus came out of the ground. He had a riser that sunk into the floor, and he did the opening for "You Shook Me All Night Long." And then the whole band came in, and I said, "I want to do this." That’s where it all started.

Q. What’s your go-to guitar to play and bring with you on tour?

A: I have a Gold Top that Kiesel made for me, and that’s my favorite one. I actually just got a replica in black, and it’s like the twins now.

Q. Have there been conversations about maybe launching your own line of guitars?

A: Yeah, we’ve been in the talks of doing something along the lines of that.

Q. You’re here playing Lollapalooza in the home of the Chicago blues. Does it make it special performing here?

A: Performing in Chicago is cool because this is one of the original places where the blues started. … I’ve gotten to play here before but never got to experience the city more than one day. … Every time we’ve been here, it’s been freezing cold and now, it’s boiling hot. It reminds me of home.

Q. Who are your favorite artists on the Lollapalooza lineup this year?

A: This will probably come as a shock, but when I’m not listening to blues which is very rare, I listen to EDM and techno music so Skrillex I’d say is probably my favorite artist here.

Q. You’ve been doing some shows with Buddy Guy on his very special Damn Right Farewell Tour. Has he given you any advice?

A: Not much advice, but I have gotten the chance to speak to him, and he’s very — this sounds silly to say — but he’s got a very old soul and he’s very knowledgeable on what to do and what not to do.

Q. When I’ve interviewed Buddy Guy, he’s vocalized that he’s not sure where then blues is headed because young people maybe don’t resonate with the music as much. Where do you maybe see your role in bringing blues to new generations?

A: Obviously I can try as much as I can to try to bring it into popularity again, but it’ll all comes down to everyone else as well, I’m just one piece of the puzzle.

Q. Who are some of your favorite guitarists?

A: My favorite is Gary Moore, and probably Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Johnson.

Q. How did you learn about those artists initially?

A: I actually showed my dad Stevie Ray Vaughan but he showed me Gary Moore. Actually he showed me Thin Lizzy and I was like, "That guitarist is good, who is that?" And then we went through a rabbit hole.

Q. Your first album, “Chapter One,” is coming out this year. What can you tell us about it?

A: We just finished it. It comes out Aug. 28. We sold out in the first 48 hours, which was really cool, and the second pressing is on its way. It’s self-released.

Q. Your younger sister Jazel is an artist as well, a drummer. Will you ever collaborate?

A: I’ve asked her to collaborate sometimes, and she just likes doing her own thing. Jazel isn’t really into blues, she’s like a metalhead and likes going fast. As you see at my shows, I like going fast sometimes but I usually like playing slow. But it can happen in the future, yeah.

Q. You took part in a Stevie Ray Vaughan tribute show last year. Tell us about that.

A: That was cool, we only did that as a one-time thing. … I wanted to pay homage to what he did for this community so I decided to dedicate a whole show to him in his hometown in Texas.

Q. What other special gigs do you have coming up?

A: We’ve got the Buddy Guy shows, the Big Blues Bender, Telluride Blues and Brews and Joe Bonamassa’s Blues Cruise [Keeping The Blues Alive at Sea]. It’s my first time on a yacht so I don’t know how I’m going to play and sing yet on there.

Taj Farrant returns to the Chicago area on Oct. 25 at the Arcada Theater in St. Charles.