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MIKE CHLASCIAK - TERRY SYREK - BORISLAV MITIC - ROY ASHEN - PASCAL ALLAIGRE - JAYE FOUCHER

MIKE CHLASCIAK - By Guido Mercati

MIKE CHLASCIAKFirst of all, tell me about your collaboration with Rob Halford.

Working, touring and writing music with one of the world's premiere vocalists is nothing short of great! I feel very fortunate to be in a band with Rob and I love every minute of it. We ( Rob, myself and the other guitarist) started writing for the record "Resurrection" September 1999 and the ideas just run quickly. Rob listens extremely well to his musicians and he inspires us a lot. I really love being in HALFORD!

Your playing is very heavy and you believe in true Metal, but in your opinion, what do you think about the lastest trend of guitar/techno music?

Well, I thought that sooner or later this would happen. I don't mind it and there was a point in my career that I have possibly wanted to do a heavy guitar album with techno. I haven't heard Joe Satriani's new CD, but if I did it it would have crushing rhythms, really, really heavy. So, it's cool, But if I don't hear that type of music I don't miss it too much either, so.

There is a great difference between your current CD and your last one.

Well, there has to be a progression, as I see no need to repeat the same album all over. My style is the same though. When I released my "Grind Textural Abstractions" CD in 1996, there still were intense guitar records being released, so I sort of stayed away from solos all the time. I wanted to make a statement that was different. With my new CD "Territory: Guitar Kill!!!", intense lead guitar in today's market is so bland, that I wanted to shake everybody up and just rip, kill and God...isn't there a lot of notes on that album...ha. But, at the same time you still have the brutal rhythms approach from my first CD, so it feels cohesive.

Is the future of music business on the Internet?

Well, it sure does help and it is possible to sell a good number of CD's via the internet, you know? Internet is very important to today's music, especially if you take independent artists, or artists tht are doing something that is not "Hip" or "Popular". I'd also like to encourage all readers to support guitar albums and records in pure Metal tradition. I'll see you in Italy in October/ November of this year!

TERRY SYREK - By Matt Cafissi

TERRY SYREKTerry , we await your debut CD!

Me too! (hehe) Yeah, i've been working on this thing for well over a year now and a few things keep holding me up. Mainly, i'm relying pretty heavily on my friend/drummer/co engineer Greg Kalember to help with the project and his time is very limited. We did basic tracks up at Millbrook studios (where they did the Liquid Tension stuff) but have since been working out of a studio down in NY City, where Greg works as an engineer full time, for the rest of it. Problem is, it's hard to get studio time and it's even harder to get Greg's time. Also, money (specifically the lack thereof) has been hold up. The songs call for a bunch of different instruments and being that i don't play tabla or violin or cello, i have to hire other people. All in all, so far so good. i think it's gonna be pretty cool and i just want to get it done. i'm hoping to finish in the next 6 months. As far as what to expect, it's definitely guitar oriented, has a ton of odd time, and ethnic percussion. Kinda like a Rush meets Meshuggah meets Kings X meets Yngwie meets Shakti.

What do you think about the new trend of Guitar with Techno music ...

Hmm... well from what i've heard, it's kinda cool. i'm really fascinated by technology and am a complete computer geek so it's interesting to see what effect it all has on music. The way i see it, using the modern stuff available to us is kinda like Pink Floyd back in the 70's. Those guys were definitely experimenting with the technology of the time. Most important, though, is not writing music because of the technology. A good song needs to start with a good song and no amount of synth gear and sampling is gonna make it good by it's self. So i think, if that's what you're into, and the song calls for it, then it can be a cool thing. i'd love to hear Yngwie do a rap album (hehe).

Shred or not Shred ? This is the problem for a modern guitarist ?

Ha, the infamous "s" word. i say go for it. A good player is gonna shine through whether he shreds or not. If you truly live for that stuff and believe 100% in playing it, then that enthusiasm is gonna come out in your playing, and that's the important thing. To me, chops are even more effective when there's some kinda contrast, meaning that if some guy comes out and plays as fast as he can with all his best stuff in the first song he has no where else to go, so by song 3 i'm bored. When i hear someone like Holdsworth, now that to me is a good use of chops. He's got amazing tone in his hands, chops up the wazoo, and obviously a sense of harmony and melody that overshadows most anyone that has ever taken up the instrument.

What do you use in studio and live (instruments) ?

I use 1 guitar mainly for most stuff; an 89 Jackson Randy Rhoads with obnoxious purple and green stripes (seemed like a cool color in the 80's-hehe). It's got 2 Duncan distortions in it. i had Jackson make me another, recently, with a, uh,  more subdued paint job. Unfortunately the neck mysteriously cracked and it's back at the factory getting looked at. i'm really bummed because it was cool and was my first 24 fret guitar. Now i can't play with out the extra 2 frets! i also have a strat i use for various stuff. On the acoustic side i have 6 and 12 string Alverez/Yaris. As far as amps, i use a VHT Pittbull Ultra lead for live stuff and for recording heavy rhythm tracks. i have a Marshall JMP1 and power amp that i use for more of the clinic/teaching thing, and i have a little Boogie Studio 22 that i use for playing at home and also some recording (recently used it on a Satriani tribute CD).

Do you have some suggestions for young guitarists?

Yup, 2 things: First, you absolutely MUST love what you do. The things that will come against you in the music industry are truly unimaginable at a young age. Most of us figured all we had to do was practice 12 hours a day and by age 20, we'd be on a world tour with Ozzy hanging out with famous people and living the rest of the time in a castle in Europe. i must pause here to laugh uncontrollably at my own naiveté. i also thought that by spending that much time doing music i truly did love it. But i had no idea. Being a musician is a long and hard road sometimes, but it's also very cool; i love it and it gets deeper every year. If you can imagine yourself doing something else in life, do that instead . And Secondly, learn to schmooze. If you want to do the guitar virtuoso thing, you have to spend ALOT of time playing and practicing and basically giving up alot of your life. However, it all means nothing if you don't play anywhere and with anyone. So, take some time, get out there and meet people. i'll say this, the people i know that are doing big stuff in the industry are all guys that were obviously good on their respective instruments but also had this ability to go out to clubs and bars and hang out and talk to people and were just fun to be around. If all you do is spend 15 hours a day in your room perfecting your 8 finger sweep/tapping technique of devastation, it's gonna sound great but you'll have no social skills and it's gonna be hard to meet the people that will be able to help you. And believe me, success has alot to do with who you know.

BORISLAV MITIC - By Matt Cafissi

BORISLAV MITICBorislav, how old are you?

I have been playing guitar for 18 years but I'm still quite young (I was born on 28th July the same year Jimi Hendrix died)!

Tell me about your last CD, "Fantasy" . Is this is a concept, concert album?

"Fantasy" is my debut album which was published in 1996 only in Yugoslavia (my homeland). That is also the album that I sent to Mike Varney of Shrapnel Records as my presentation while I was still in Yugoslavia and that album lead to my contract with Shrapnel. "Fantasy" is an instrumental guitar album featuring my arrangements of some of my favorite classical pieces by Paganini, Bach, Handel. There are also my own original compositions on that album which are more hard rock/metal oriented and also a few electric and acoustic ballads-which are maybe my strongest musical points. In my opinion I displayed some of my technically most challenging playing on "Fantasy". This 2000 re-release version is remastered and the cover artwork is new. It's available through my WebPage and some online distributors like Guitar 9.

Why is your "Fantasy" CD not distributed through Shrapnel?

The idea to re-release it came to me because a lot of my fans were asking where and how they could find and buy "Fantasy"-because they liked my first Shrapnel album. So it's more like an "in between" album between two Shrapnel albums made available for people who would like to have my previous work. So that's why I did it on my own -at least for now. Perhaps it will appear on Shrapnel later on but I'm not 100% sure about that.

In your opinion, is Mr. Varney ready for a new Neoclassical Invasion or his he a 'trender'?

In my opinion Mike Varney is a guy who is to be regarded as somebody who presented to the world some of the best guitar talents. It all started when he discovered Yngwie Malmsteen and brought him to US to record (Steeler) and made Yngwie's introduction to the music world. That is exactly the thing that ignited the "neoclassical instrumental guitar" fire and opened the doors to many guitar talents that appeared after that. Shrapnel always brought great and also- stylistically different guitar players: Yngwie Malmsteen, Greg Howe, Jason Becker, Michael Lee Firkins, Vinnie Moore, Ron Thal, Paul Gilbert, Marty Friedman, Borislav Mitic,. Shrapnel also has artists like: Frank Gambale, John Norum, Scott Henderson, Michael Schenker, Jerry Goodmann, Steve Smith, Larry Coryell, Glenn Hughes,.and many others recording for them. So Shrapnel were always very diverse. And as far as "following Trends" - one just has to look at the latest guitar magazines to realize that virtuoso -guitar doesn't seem to be "in trend" right now (which is something that I hope will change soon).

For me, Malmsteen is different from the other Neoclassical guitarists in that the others are mega fast but play without feeling and Yngwie's vibrato...to die for!

Personally, Yngwie is one of my favorite players and a big influence but I guess it's all a matter of taste. Every guitar player has something of his own that is unique. So everybody is special in his own way. For me there is usually something new and interesting to discover in almost anybody's style. I personally find that the composition and the way a musician is projecting his emotions through his music to the listener is the most important. Speed in playing doesn't mean much if it's not accompanied by a skillfully and tastefully crafted song. I also like music to have a melodic quality to it. As for vibrato-it's a very personal thing and it shows well how passionate and experienced the player is. But it mainly shows the personality of a player. For example: Yngwie Malmsteen, Santana, Django Reinhardt, Eric Clapton, Mike Oldfield, Angus Young (AC/DC), B.B.King, Eric Johnson, SRV, or Steve Morse-all have very different but great vibratos.

Next projects:

Right now I am working on compositions for my next album for Shrapnel scheduled for 2001. Musically it will cover even more ground and present more of my various influences than even the previous one did (ethno, metal, blues, techno,.) blending it all into something new. I will also try to push the technical side of playing further (but never neglecting the melodic side). It should surpass everything I've done so far and it should also include a few vocal oriented songs. Stay tuned for that one! My best regards to you Matt and all the readers of this interview!!!

ROY ASHEN - By Matt Cafissi

ROY ASHENFirst of all, tell me about your new band called 'The Crash Poets' , the next album and the "death" of the name Roy!

OK…hmmm…where to begin. As you know, the new band is called THE CRASH POETS, and it's really always been the ultimate goal of mine to have an amazing band of players with similar tastes in music and energy. This band rocks! I've always liked music that had funky beats and soulful lyrics and there's no better feeling than surrounding yourself with talented, creative musicians. The band's debut CD, "Big Bang theory" will be available in January  on our website www.thecrashpoets.com and people who are interested in the music can come to the website now and listen to some FREE advance tracks from the CD. Many people say they hear hints of Lenny Kravitz, David Bowie, and Prince in the music. All I know is that it sounds like me…and it makes the girls dance, baby! It's being produced by myself and my good friend Michael James. Michael has mixed Cd's for Hole, Janes Addiction, New Radicals, and lot of other bands. He's a great co-producer and we're having a blast recording the music. We've been working at Westlake studios in L.A. where everyone from Bruce Springsteen and Michael Jackson, to Limp Bizkit and NIN have recorded. Very cool. As for the name change…it really no big deal. My friends all call me "ashen" - so I decided to go only by my last name. I like the way it sounds and it feels right to me. I figure I'm in good company…Bono, Sting, Prince….Ashen…ha ha!

When will the Crash Poets be on MTV?

Ahhh…the mighty MTV. I'd love to get on the air with The Crash Poets. We just played to 6,000 people at Universal Studios in LA and had tons of people singing and dancing to the grooves. I think if we keep spreading the word on this band…it's just a matter of time. It would be a lot of fun.

Your first solo album is a great album comprised of beautiful songs...do you have
other solo projects in mind?

Thank you! That's a very nice thing to say. Over the years I've realized that the most important thing about music is the opportunity to share emotions and experiences that people can relate to. I love writing lyrics that can connect with hearts and souls and my first solo CD "A Little Drop of Something Not Quite Blood"  was my chance to begin that process. We actually sold out of the first pressing of the CD and I'm planning to make it available through www.thecrashpoets.com early next year for our new fans. Because I write the songs for The Crash Poets - it really gives me a great amount of room to express myself. But I'm sure there will be another solo album in the future sometime. Maybe a film soundtrack, too. But this band is really my passion and I can't wait for people to hear the new CD. Lots of funky guitar, some cool textures and the songs are some of the best I've written.

I don't see any information on your site about the "A Little
Drop Of Something" album...

We'll be adding the info on ordering the Solo cd very soon! If people come to the site - they can sign our "mailing list" and we'll keep them updated on tours, CD's and more.

Your style has changed in these years...no more Shred and hyper-tapping.

Yes, that's true. For me - my guitar playing is a reflection of my life and my emotions. When I was 18 years old…I really didn't have a lot to say with my lyrics and my songs. So I put all my energy into my guitar playing and had a lot of fun seeing how far I could push myself as a player. But along the way - if you're living your life and falling in love and connecting with the world….you realize that there are LOTS of ways to communicate feelings and emotions. And that's why I started to develop my singing, songwriting, lyrics, etc. Most people go through big changes between the ages of 18 and 26. You start to decide what you want your life to be. And you hopefull can grow as a writer, producer, singer, and guitarist. My big influences were always bands…so this is really the right direction for me. I have friends who always wanted to be like Steve Vai, which is great. But I always wanted to be more like..say, Prince. He's a great player, but more importantly a great singer and songwriter, too.

G.I.T. ... is it an old memory?

I had a lot of fun at the school. So it's a good memory. It was a good way for me to get from Texas to Los Angeles. And I made some good friends and learned that there are many different reasons people become musicians. Some just want to be players…some want to write…some want to just be famous…some just want to be in band to meet girls…ha! But life is about change…and moving forward, right! Being true to yourself and your dreams… So - for anyone reading this, I'll leave you with a quote by Albert Einstein (I have it on the wall of my studio) The definition of Insanity: "Doing the exact same thing over and over again but expecting different results" The definition of Genius: "carrying the sprit of childhood into maturity"

PASCAL ALLAIGRE - By Matt Cafissi

PASCAL ALLAIGREPascal, tell me about your lastest CD "Out Of Nowhere" (the cover/graphic is great!).

Hi, MATT, well "OUT OF NOWHERE" is my 1st instrumental cd ( autoproduction ) available in NEW CALEDONIA. I composed 10 songs, then my friend DAVID CHUVAN did all the programmations ( drums, bass, keyboards )with all the parts I told him, then we recorded them, and I just had to play all the guitar parts( rythm, solos etc...). For a 1st product that we recorded in a bedroom, we think production is Okay, and we'll do better next time ! When I composed "OUT OF NOWHERE", I wanted to explore different styles, that's why you can hear METAL with different influences ( HEAVY, SPEED, Medieval, HARD ROCK,epic oriental songs ),FUSION (Jazz_Rock taste),and a ballad with acoustic on it. I think it's a good vision of the styles I like.

The experience at the GIT Institute ... in your opinion, is a great school or is only a trend for modern guitarists?

When I joined G.I.T, the level I had at that time was perfect to enroll the school.I learned a lot in theory, and in technique too. G.I.T is not a METAL oriented school, as many people could think (it was not when I joined it), but more kind of fusion-jazz-rock approach. Of course there are Rock and Metal classes, but the program gives you more an analysis of styles and the tools to adaptate any situations for improvisation of solos, and getting rythm parts fitting all style songs,which is very good to compose too !!!! my private teacher then was PAUL HANSON and I could concentrate on my technique to improve my playing !!! So G.I.T is a good school in general for the intermediate guitarist.

What do you think about the new Guitar/Techno music from Satch , Buckethead , Jeff Beck, etc?

I didn't listen to those CDs yet, but I can say I'm not so much into electronical sounds. Let's say it can add a good effect in a song if it's well used. But most of all, I can say I love Joe Satriani,for the genius he has brought to the world of guitar,his creativity. A new generations of guitarists was born after he shooked the guitar foundations !!!

What's the guitar scene like in your nation? Is it happining or not?

my island is a small one ( 200 000 inhabitants !!) the music scene is very poor, we don't have a lot of musicians, but we play some lives in the main town of NEW CALEDONIA which is NOUMEA.But today, the passion for the guitar seems to develop, as we see young kids starting playing guitar, taking lessons and work hard to improve their level. It's stiil difficult to make a living with music. The good thing is that AUSTRALIA is very close to us, so we can exchange music, contact etc...

Pascal , tell us some suggestions for young guitarists!

A good thing is to play regularly ( daily basis ). The more you have the instrument in your hands, the better you'll be able to adaptate in different situations ( live playing, exploring different styles...). Remember that thechnique is good and powerful, but its better allied is theory and harmony. Thechnique must serve the knowledge!!!!
Work hard, it will pay, results will come for sure!!!!

JAYE FOUCHER - By Matt Cafissi

JAYE FOUCHERTell me about Guitarapalooza... very famous on the Web.

Guitarapalooza started in 1997 as a newsletter and website.  We had about 5 or 6 guitarists involved at the beginning and the idea was to share our fans & mailing lists by putting out one newsletter that featured all of us and mailing it to our fans.  That way we could market ourselves to a large group of guitar fans and share the costs.  It worked so well that lots of people wanted to join.  But it was getting too expensive to put out a paper version, and it would have been impossible to handle a lot of artists being involved, so we decided to make it just a website.  Since then we've grown enormously...I think we have about 30 guitarists involved now and more ask to join every week.  Frankly, I didn't even know there were that many guitarists out there doing instrumental music!!!  Last year we decided to put out a compilation CD featuring 16 of the Guitarapalooza artists, and that was released in January 2000.  We weren't able to sell the CD because of legal restrictions, but we gave out free copies at the NAMM show and at the Guitarapalooza Concert we had in Los Angeles in early February during the NAMM show, and Guitar 9's website gave away about 100 with purchases of Guitarapalooza artist CDs.  We've got a couple of copies left and we're using those for contest giveaways on the website right now.  But we're in the process of putting together a volume 2 of the compilation CD, with 16 more artists.  We're planning to do the same thing...offer them for free at the NAMM show and through Guitar 9's website, and give some away in contests on the website.

Do you live with music and with your fanzine? (Editor's note: I think the interviewer meant, 'Do you live FOR your music and your fanzine'?)

I'm not really sure what you're asking here.  Do I live in the same place that I practice and run the fanzine?  Yes.  The band actually rehearses at my drummer's house but everything else is done here where I live.  (Or are you asking something else?)

What are the next projects for your solo career and Guitarapalooza?

I'm working on writing new songs for another instrumental album.  I'd like to record that sometime next year, but a lot depends on how much I get written by then and when my producer is available.   As for Guitarapalooza, as I mentioned above we're working on releasing a second compilation CD and we're also planning a big concert out at the winter NAMM show in Anaheim California this coming January 2001.

       

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