“When it comes to recording, I just keep trying,” says Wonderland. “I mean, I‘ve done seven albums, but well over 2,000 gigs. So obviously playing live just comes a bit easier.”

What’s your biggest challenge in the studio?
When I hear myself on playback. All I can think about are the million other ways I could’ve phrased things. For Miss Understood, however, I had the luxury of taking the tracks home and listening to them. Then, I could edit myself if I thought I could do a better solo. If I liked a certain phrase, I would go back in, re-cut it, and make the phrase a set part of the solo. Most of the ones on the record are first takes, however, and I find those are usually the best—when they happen.

What is a typical practice session for you like?
My practice sessions are generally when I’m writing. Maybe I’ll have a lap-steel in a different tuning, or I may go to the organ—which I’m horrible on, but you write good songs on a foreign instrument. For me, the key is staying out of my comfort zone. It’s one of the best things you can do for yourself. The track “Miss Understood” started out on lap-steel, and I think my limitations on that instrument make that tune cool, because I was in unfamiliar territory, and not just inhabiting my usual box positions on the guitar. Occasionally, I’ll put some Duke Ellington on, try to play along, and weave melodies through the changes.

You eschew a pick in favor of your fingers. Why?
Well, when I first picked up my mom’s guitar when I was eight, I was really into the Who, and I scratched up her Martin pretty good. So she told me, “No more picks!” But I like the range of tones you can get with your fingers. You have three different surfaces—your fingernail for a nice attack, the fleshy tips of your fingers for a warmer, more muted tone, and you can squeeze your thumb and index finger together and get a combination of nail and flesh.

Who are your biggest influences?
My biggest influences are mostly folks I grew up listening to in Houston—Joe Guitar Hughes, Jerry Lightfoot, and Little Kenny Blachet. They’re amazing local blues players. I got into lap-steel because of Cindy Cashdollar. I’d been a huge fan for years, and I got the opportunity to record with her a few years back, so I pestered her for a lesson.  I use G, B, D, G, B, D tuning mostly, and I also mess with Hawaiian tunings at home, but I’m not confident enough to use those in front of people yet.

What gear are you using live?
I have a Gibson Goddess Les Paul, as well as a Fender Tele that I prefer for fingerpicking and more country and jazz-leaning stuff. You can’t strum a Gibson, bless their hearts—they’re just too crunchy. I have Joe Barden pickups in the Tele, so it can hang with the Les Paul output-wise, and I don’t have to go back and turn the amp up when I switch guitars. Fender tube amps are always the easiest for me, and I used to use a Pro Reverb, but now I use a Fender Custom Shop Concert combo. My only effect is an Ibanez Tube Screamer. For strings, I go back and forth between a straight .010-.046 set and a .010 set with a .052 on the bottom. Sometimes, I hit the bottom string too hard with my thumb, and the .052 handles the attack better. My favorite brand is whichever one is on sale! But I try to get GHS when I can.

For gear, I mixed things up in the studio a bit more. For example, I never recorded through a Marshall half-stack before, but I used one on “Still Alive and Well.” That was a ball! They were asking me if I wanted to go into the control room and track it, and I said “No way. I want to stand right next to the amp so I can make it feedback, and I don’t want to do it twice, because I want to be able to hear tomorrow!”