Jonny Lang Brings Out the 'Ghosts' on 'Live at the Ryman'

The title of electric blues guitarist Jonny Lang's new album, 'Live at the Ryman,' says much. What with its colorful Americana history and acoustic brilliance, Nashville's Ryman Auditorium is among the most iconic music venues. "The Ryman is in my top five venues to play. It's pretty amazing," Lang tells Spinner. "Because it sounds so great and it's a historic venue, it's a good spot to name a record after."

The Ryman's "ghosts" are what makes the place extra special. "You hear about the people who've played there," Lang says. "One of my favorite artists is George Jones. There's this fella who works at the Ryman -- I think he's been there for a long time -- and he was telling me, 'Oh yeah George Jones, he was in here in 19dadadada.' He had a lot of stories."

Lang has his own "ghosts" to deal with: 'Live at the Ryman,' which is released Apr. 20, includes the 29-year-old's breakthrough hit, 'Lie to Me,' which was the title track on his 1997 debut. "I don't think we'll ever be able to get away with not doing it. I have a love-hate relationship with it, just because of playing it through all these years. We play 200 shows a year and that's for like 10 years. But I appreciate of what that song has done for my career."

Lang's career recently brought him on his second Experience Hendrix tour, which features guitarists such as Joe Satriani and Kenny Wayne Shepherd interpreting Jimi's iconic songs. "It's definitely flattering to be asked to do a tour like this," Lang says. "It's humbling to try and do a Jimi Hendrix song, because there's just no one who could do it like him. It's challenging not to just try to copy what he did, instead of just being yourself."

Lang has a formula for playing guitar though: "I just try not to try too hard."