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DAVID
T.CHASTAIN - MADS
ERIKSEN - CHRIS POLAND - CHRISTIAN ALSING - MARTIN BEHR - JOHN
INMAN
 David
, a classic question for you : how did you get interested in
music
and who were some guitarists that influenced your musical taste?
When I was growing up I was
always attracted to the sound
of lead guitars in the music that played on the radio. It was something I
always wanted to do. A few of my friends began playing and I soon followed.
I became very dedicated to practicing and I developed my skills rather
quickly. When I first started playing I was inspired by a lot of different
and diverse players. Everyone from Jimi Hendrix to John McLaughlin to Duane
Allman to Tony Iommi to Clapton, Page, Beck and many others. I was never
just into any one guitarist. However I would say that Holdsworth was my
favorite for many years.
"Rock Solid Guitar" is your latest cd . After many heavy albums you
have
realized a classic rock 'n roll instrumental album with a great riffs a
melodies guitar solos ... and I like it !
This album was more straight
ahead than my other
instrumental Cds to date. I wanted this to be almost like a live 3 piece jam
session and that is pretty much what the end result produced. Mostly
improvisation and just letting things rip and progress naturally. Actually a
very fun Cd to make!! After I made SOUTHERN GENTLEMEN "Exotic Dancer
Blues"
I realized music can be a lot of fun if you don't take it too seriously.
You are a legendary rock guitarist and famous into the guitar scene . What
do you think about the guitar scene today ... Do you usually listen to other
guitar players ? Who ?
Well most of the popular
guitarist of the day are really
horrible. However once in awhile some new guys come along who are talented.
Fortunately I have produced 2 great young guitarists in the last year.
Corbin King of Vainglory and Gus G of Firewind. Both of those guys are
great. I listen to a little bit of everything but I am so busy doing my own
music, producing and running 2 record companies that I really only listen
extensively to things I am involved.
... And what are the problems with a records company today ?
Most companies are only
interested in making money and
could care less about the style of music they are promoting. Only a few
companies stick to their guns and put out stuff they really believe in.
Well , tell me about your new
Endorser ... Kramer Guitars and what guitars
and other equipment do you favor to get your great sound ?
I have always played Kramer
guitars throughout my
recording career. For awhile I was using BC Rich guitarts but I always
gravitated back to the Kramers. The news one they are making are really
cool. I have a roomful and I use all of them from time to time. Ampwise I am
using either Marshall of the PODs. On Rock Solid Guitar it is just the POD.
A crazy question for you !!! What are three songs of other artists that
you wish you had written ?
Many classical things but as far
as metal things go there
is nothing in particular but there are tons of classic metal things I enjoy
listening to when I get the chance. War Pigs-Sabbath, Highway to Hell-AC/DC,
Pull Me Under-Dream Theater are 3 great tracks for sure.
In your opinion the future of the music (buy , advertising , listen ...)
is ... on Internet ?
I hope so because the normal
distribution of Cds is not
very good nor very efficient. However I think that both will be around for
years to come. Some people like to walk into the store and have the product
in their hands. However the internet levels out the playing field for all
concerned.
The interview is going to finish . Give me some practical advise to young
guitar player who wants to become a professional musician .
Practice and try to be yourself.
Don't chase trends and
try to write your own songs. Learn as much as you can about music theory and
above all enjoy what you are playing because 9 times out of 10 that is all
you will have in the end.
David , thanx for you time to GuitarChef ... best of luck with your great
latest album , bye bye . Matt .
Thanks and good luck to you and
yours in 2002!!
 Mads
, how did you get interested in music and who were some
guitarists that influenced your musical taste ?
I grew up in a home everyone was very
interested in music. None of my parents were musicians, but they always played
records and sang a lot. I started playing mandolin when I was 8. When I was 11
or twelve, I started to get really into rock music, and when I heard The Rolling
Stones for the first time, I was sold. I was so fascinated with the raw,
distorted guitar tone, and I knew I had to have one. I bought a really cheap
Hagstrom electric guitar from a neighbour and basically thaight myself how to
play it buy copying records, look in chord books and watching others. This was
the mid-70's, and there were no teachers, books or videos.I was really into the
Stones and a lot of blues guitarplayers, like Eric Clapton, Roy Buchanan and
Jimi Hendrix. Later I beacame interested in fusion guitar players like AldiMeola
and JohnMcLaughlin. I was incredible impressed with Eddie Van Halen when he came
along and totally rewrote the book on rock guitarplaying. He became my favourite
guitar player for a long time.
Tell me about your latest cd called "Redhanded"
... more bluesy !
"Redhanded" has a lot of more
country-type material and acoustic stuff than my earlier recordings. I the later
years I have become really interested in Country guitar playing, and playeres
like Albert Lee and Jerry Donahue. When I made "Redhanded" I wanted to
make it as a tribute to Southeren music - I think you can hear influences from
Little Feat, Bob Seeger, hillbilly, rockabilly and Chet Atkins influenced songs.
Your style is changed in these years . What
about Shred Music ? Do you usually listen to other guitar player ? Who ?
I have never left my rock roots, although some
people who liked my earliest records are afraid that I'm going to be a fulltime
country guitar player. But I can assure you, I still enjoy cranking up a
Marshall amp as much as anybody! I think it is important to develop as a
musician, and not just release the same sort of album everytime like some guitar
players do ( I won't name anybody).I think also that a guitar album needs
variety to not become boring and repetitious. A lot of players seem to find just
one sound and stick to that. Too boring, in my opinion.I still like what is
reckoned as "shred music", but I think it has to good songs and not
just a show-off. I became very bored with typical shred music some years ago,
that is probably the reason for me to get into country guitar playing.I still
like people like Steve Vai. I also like Zakk Wylde and Michael Lee Firkins, who
also incorporates country elements in their playing. And the last Jeff Beck
album is just incredible! He is one of the greatest guitarists of all time, in
my opinion.
In your opinion , what are the main
problems for the guitar-scene today ?
The main problem for the guitar scene is
probably that it is so hard to get radio airplay and very difficult to get press
about guitar music. Trendy music journalists seem to have decided that guitar
music is old-fashioned or even "dead", which of course is nonsence. I
think the way the world have changed makes it harder for young playeres to get
really into practising and being serious about their guitar playing. There is so
much other things to do for young people than guitar playing. But it may not be
right to just blame anyone else for the sinking interest for guitar music -
maybe us guitarists have to make more interesting music!
This is a crazy-question for you ! Your
favourite 10 cds of all the time ...
"Let it Bleed" - The Rolling Stones
/ "Sticky
Fingers" - The Rolling Stones / "Exile
On Main Street" - The Rolling Stones / "The
Last Waltz" - The Band / "Waiting
For Colombus" - Little Feat / "A
Friday Night in San Francisco"- Aldi Meola, John McLaughlin and Paco de
Lucia / "Van
Halen 1" - Van Halen / "Industry
Standard " - The Dregs / "Peter
Gabriel Live" - Peter Gabriel / "King
of America" - Elvis Costello . As
you can see, I like a lot of different music - some people think it is strange
to like The Stones and Steve Vai at the same time, but thats just the way it is!
I can't explain it.
Could you tell us something about your
next projects ?
I'm gonna play of lot of live gigs in the near
future - my band and I are going to do a tour with Chris Thompson in Norway in
November, and will probably go to play with him again in Scandinavia and Germany
and England in February/March next year. Im also going to play a lot with my own
band. I'm planning to do another record with Chris Thompson, and also some
instrumental things. I might record an all-acoustic album, as well. I also hope
to make an instructional video soon - I want to call it "Country Shredding"
or something like tat! I made a Norwegian instructional video in 1994 called
"rock improvisation".
The interview is going to finish . Give some
pratical advise to a young guitar player who wants to become a professional
musician .
My advice to younger players is to stick to
the music you love. If you are interested in instrumental guitar music, you have
to come to terms with the fact that there is a very little market for that sort
of music, no matter how good you are. It is very hard to make a living off of it,
so if you want to be a full-time musician, it means that you probably will have
to do some other things than your own music. I will then suggest that you look
for projects that are fun and inspiring. I know a lot of musician who ends up
playing in a lot of very boring situations, which can kill your attitude towards
music. Don't compromise with the music you love! It would be better to have a
regular job or maybe just a half-time job, and then be able to just do the music
you want to without having to worry about making a living out of it. I also
advice you not to copy other players to much - finding your own voice is
important if you want to be recognized. It is a lot of work to become a musician,
so you would have to really mean it to become one.
 Chris,
how did you get interested in music and who were some guitarists
that influenced your musical taste?
As far as becoming interested in music, I used
to love bands like the Ventures and their song, “Wipeout.” When I was
growing up as a kid I used to listen to that kind of stuff all the time. There
was something really cool about the sound and in particular the guitarwork. My
mother also used to play stuff like The Sound of Music soundtrack, which I also
found entertaining at the time. As my love for music grew my parents bought me
this plastic guitar and the rest is history.The first guys that I completely
idolized growing up were Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. Later on it
was guys like Jimi Hendrix and John McLaughlin.
Tell me about your latest album called Chasing
the Sun and why you have recorded this cd many years after the Return to
Metalopolis and Damn the Machine project?
Chasing the Sun
is actually, minus the live cut and bonus tracks on the European version, a
collection of demos I recorded on a TEAC reel-to-reel 4 track. thoughout the
years 1994-1996. Steve Bauer and Joe Romagnola had received a copy of some of
the recordings from someone and approached me about releasing the material
officially. It was material I never originally intended to release, but I am
glad we did.The live track, “Alexandria ‘99” is my new band, OHM, recorded
live at The Baked Potato in Hollywood, California. We are currently in my studio
recording our debut record. No deal as of yet, but I guess I would describe the
material as a mix of heavy, progressive instrumental fusion. It definitely is
different, but in a good way I think. The guitar is still at the forefront of
the material as are the solos.
I have listened to your latest album, Chasing
the Sun, your style has changed…more funk, more jazz, and more feeling…I
like it!!!
To be honest, the stylings and playing on Chasing
the Sun is really what I am into. That album is kind of a representation of
the guitarist I have always been. Return to Metalopolis was more like my
vision of what I wanted Megadeth to be. However, Dave Mustaine would always
reject my imput into the band. Return to Metalopolis was like my output
for that experience.
What do you think about the new guitarists out
there? Do you like some guitarists in particular at this time?
There are lots of great players out there, but
one guy who blows me away as a guitarist/vocalist is Doyle Bramhall II. I saw
him live and he just smoked with his incredible voice and playing.
A classic “ballbreaker” question for you:
your rapports with Mr. Mustaine and company, now?
I have none.
What guitars and other equipment do you use?
Currently I am using Yamaha SBG series guitars
with EMG pick-ups and floyd rose tremelo. I have a Hafler P7000 power amp setup
for my reverbs and choruses and I also have a Rivera 300 Hammer power amp I use.
I use also use a Bogner FISH pre-amp and numerous petals. In nutshell, is my
current set-up with OHM.
Now the internet is one of the most popular
communication machines. In your opinion, is the future of music on the web?
Definitely the web is a great medium for
people to get their music out there for people to hear, but I don’t think
there is a big amount of money that can be made off of it for the artists, at
least not that I can see.
The interview is going to finish. Some
suggestions to young guitar players?
Everyone turn your amps up to 10 and have some
fun!! Don’t be afraid to blow up your speakers. I went the longest time being
afraid of doing this, but now the last couple of years I have realized that I
can and have a hell of a lot of fun!! ;0)Footnote: Be on the lookout for the
debut recording from Chris Poland’s new band, OHM, in early 2001 and for more
information on Chasing the Sun and OHM, check out
www.chrispoland.com
 Christian
, how did you get interested in music and who were some
guitarists that influenced your musical taste ?
My
six year older brother, Ronnie, was playing guitar and he
borrowed Steve Vai´s “Passion & Warfare”. After hearing
what Mr. Vai did with the guitar, I immidiately picked up this
six-stringed instrument. Now, my greatest influence on the
guitar is Ron Thal, he is the best! I also listen a lot to Dave
Matone and Mattias Eklundh. But when it comes to more melodic
inspiration and arrangements, Zappa is the one.
Your
recently project is "Aggro" , a great five/tracks cd
... tell me about this solo project .
I
wanted to do something hysterical in the solo-genre. Something
with surprises, humour and A LOT of guitar. This is what I came
up with...
What
is "Aggro" ? The "Aggro"'s cover graphic is
very strange but very cool ...
“Aggro”
is short for aggressive. The cover is a cat-toy and it looks
pissed off – aggro. In the beginning I had a song that was
called Aggro and were supposed to be the titletrack. In the end
I thought it was to strange to fit with the other songs.
What
do you think about the last guitar trend : techno-loops with
cool guitar sonorities ? In my opinion to play and to make music
is not a trend but only a beautiful thing of our soul ... WOW !
Ah ah ah ... !? What do you think ...
I´m
a big fan of using tasteful loops with cool guitarplaying. I
like the drum´n bass-style stuff best. I think that every
musician has the power to create what ever that´s make them
feel good, and if the stuff that´s coming from your hart is
techno-loops, then do it. Just don´t do it because it´s a
trend!
Well
, now ... what guitars and other equipment (Amps , Effects and
... PC) do you use ?
Love
Ibanez´s instruments! My main guitar is a RG760 with a Dimarzio
“Fast Track 1” in the neck-position and a Seymour Duncan
“Fullshred” in the bridge-position. Have no middle-pickup.
The neck is custom made and got scalloped upper frets. Got one
RG550, with “PAF Pro”´s on it, that I also use.I actually
don´t know the name of the amp (!), but the cabinet is a custom
with 4x12” Celestion speakers. Got no guitar-effects. To
record/mix I use Soundforge, Cubase 5.0, Acid pro 3.0 and TC
electronics EQ and Reverb. Nothing fancy but it works.
A
crazy questions for you ... we would like to know what are three
songs that you would have written ...
That´s
a tuff question. There are so many good songs out there that I
would like to have written. But three great songs are: Björk´s
“Alarm Call”, Steve Vai´s “The Riddle” and Destiny´s
Child´s “Bills, bills, bills”. If I wrote those three songs
I would be happy...
The
future of guitar (to buy , advertising , to sale etc ...) is on
... Internet ?
I
don´t hope so, because I love going to a music-store and having
all these great instruments right in front of your nose. Like a
kid in a candy-shop.
The
interview is going to finish ... tell me about your next
projects to come.
Some
mean songs are being put together for a CD....heavier...still
funny, though!
Christian
, thanx for your time dedicated to Me and GuitarChef , bye and
best of luck !
Thanks!
It was fun.
 Martin
how long have you been playing and studying guitar and what are
your major musical influences ?
I’m playing for sixteen years
now and have studied one year at MGI which was a real great time giving a lot of
inspiration. I also studied with two guys from GIT before enrolling at MGI.I am
influenced by the whole 80s virtuoso scene with Vinnie Moore, Tony MacAlpine,
Joey Tafolla, Cacophony and George Lynch…I could go on forever. At the same
time I like a lot of Fusion like Robben Ford, Al di Meola or Larry Carlton. Let’s
not forget Dream Theater.
Tell me something about your
latest cd called "Law Of The Jungle" and why a ... jungle ?
It’s instrumental rock music,
so I took the freedom to do whatever I wanted. The result is a very versatile
record: all kinds of rock music styles are on it from fusion to progressive rock
to shred.The Jungle graphics and the title fit the character of the CD perfect
because just like in the jungle there are so many coulors and styles and you can
discover something new with every step you take.
Your actual sound is different
from your first cd ... more heavy !
Gratie, I like it heavy. Of
course the production is way better than on “Keeping the balance” which is a
natural development. I produced “Law of the jungle” at my own studio “The
Jungle” which is an analog 24 track studio and took the tapes to another
studio for the mixdown. This way I had as much time to record as I wanted and
saved some money.
Could you tell us something
about your next projects ?
Volentieri! I’m currently
writing for my next solo release and I have a large part allready finished.
While I will still keep it very versatile it will be more heavy than “Law of
the Jungle”. At the same time I will again use very cool guitar sounds and I
will have a fantastic keyboard player on the CD for additional textures. I will
continue to try keeping the balance between good songs and melodies and crazy
virtuoso stuff.
Now , tell us more about what
you usually use on stage and in studio recording .
Live, in order to get all kinds
of guitar sounds I need for my solo stuff, I use Ibanez custom shop models and a
rack with an ADA MP-1 tube preamp, Rocktron effects and a Marshall 2x50W tube
pwr-amp into Marshall cabs with greenback or 75W speakers.In the studio I am
more of a purist and like to experiment so I use quite a lot of stuff like a
Mesa Dual Rectifier, different preamps and combos, some pedals… Guitarwise I
use Ibanez models, strats and different acoustic guitars. For a complete list of
my equipment check out the gear and guitar sections on my page.
A strange question : what are
three songs of other artists that you wish you had written ?
I’m sure it must have been
great to write:The Eagles - Hotel California / George
Lynch - Mr. Scary / Jason
Becker - Altitudes…and I guess I could live with having written “Jump”…
Internet : the future of music
?
For the whole industry it may
be dangerous because of the free MP3 pages but that’s the price for progress
and globalization. It sure helps us instrumental guys become more popular
without spending thousands on ads in mags. Also the visitor can listen to the
soundclips at home, not only in shops.
Have you some suggestions for
young guitarists ?
1. For a clean technique and
speed, practice regularly and relaxed with a metronom and try to achive the best
possible tone while playing slow. This way you will take the beauty of the notes
into higher tempos and sound so much better.2. Start composing early - don’t
wait for the time to be “good enough” to write songs. Do it now!3. Have way
more fun than your friends by PLAYING IN A BAND!4. Plan your purchase of
equipment carefully so you get fine equipement and can use the gear for a
lifetime.5. Visit my page www.martinbehr.de and get my CDs.Ciao, a piu
tardi!
 John
how long have you been playing and what are your musical influences ?
I've been playing for 16 years now. Randy
Rhoads got me started and consinues to inspire me with the dedication he had.
Neal Schon is probably my biggest influence overall. Eric Johnson! Steve Vai is
a huge influence. Al DiMeola definately. Frank Gambale, and Greg Howe. I love so
many players though! From Ed Van Halen to Angus Young to SRV...you name 'em!
Tell me something about your latest cd
"Skies Wide Open" .
SkiesWIDEopen' is my 2nd instrumental CD. On
this album I tried to combine Neal Schon's melodic writing/playing with the fire
of a VAI or GAMBALE. I also tried to make an album ANYONE could find a favorite
song on. This disc also hosts a list of great PLAYERS, as opposed to programming
like the first CD ('modeous eclectic'). I had James Martin (Chastain, M. Harris)
on bass for most of the disc. Michael Harris himself makes a killer appearance
on the prog./Fusion rocker 'Acrobat'. I was also able to employ Jazz Sax ace
David Lee Schloss on a couple of tunes which really put a great spin on those
Smooth Jazz tracks. I even have a few Latin Jazz inspired tracks with a Nylon
string classical guitar. This CD was a LOT of work. A lot of blood, sweat, and
tears to say the least.
In my opinion your playing is little
changed respect from your previous cd : more beauty melodies , more fusion and
no more ultra shred , you don't know ?
Awesome! I'm thrilled that you could tell! I'm
just "growing up" I guess :-) That's more of that Neal Schon influence
seeping out (ha-ha). I constantly encounter players who are great brick layers,
but not necessarily great house builders...and I don't want to fall into that
trap by focusing on all the wrong things...which is easy to get caught up in
sometimes (ha-ha). I was a little worried that the new CD might not "shred"
enough for awhile actually (ha-ha)...and for some folks, it may not...but I can
live with that. I should also add that I'm not into making the same album twice.
I may take even longer for the next album...just to make sure you hear the same
kind of growth and progression.
Could you tell us something about your
old band/projects with a long hair ?
Sure. They were typical (of the time) "hair
metal" bands. A lot of fun at the time. I'm glad I didn't get "too
far" in those bands though, because I don't really fit the mindset of that
genre. I was always a little too concerned with progress and improving as a
player...which is not the popular train of thought in that "hair/pop
metal" genre in most cases. In short...I didn't drink enough or have anyb
tattoos (ha-ha). I still had a blast though..make no mistake :-) I'm just more
into making music that doesn't have an "expiration date" stamped all
over it.
Now , tell us more about what you
usually use on stage and in studio recording .
On stage I run my amp direct, in stereo. I use
a LINE 6 AX2 212 combo. I recently added to my livev setup a BOSS GT3, but only
for the harmonizer. We'll see how that goes. My studio consists of my LINE 6 rig,
direct into the board, and BOSS DR5 for piano/keyboard programming, and a ROLAND
V-DRUM "studio" kit. My recorder is a ROLAND VS-1680. I hope to
graduate up to the new 2480 (24 track) before the next CD though. I'm always
experimenting with recording techniques...so who knows exactly how I'll record
the next disc (ha-ha).
A crazy crazy question for you : what
are three songs of other artists that you wish you had written ?
Excellent question for me actually! I'm as
much a FAN as I am a musician! Here goes: 'Desperado' by the EAGLES, 'Don't stop
believin' by Journey, and 'Heart of the matter' by Don Henly.There are Soooooooo
many more...but you did say only 3 (ha-ha).
What do you think about Internet ? In
your opinion , Internet is the future of music business ? If yes , why ?
Oh, absolutely! Don't let ANY indie artist
tell you any different (ha-ha). I wouldn't have sold a single copy of my first
album, much less recorded a second if not for the internet! I can go on for days
about the fabulous liberation of the internet (ha-ha). God bless it! NOW we can
all be heard! I mean, sure I play shows around my home town...but I don't sell
many CDs at those shows. My music just isn't that "hot" in Texas. My
sales are WORLD wide....and it's obviously NOT due to my successful world
touring (ha-ha)...because there isn't any!
Have you some suggestions for young
guitarists ?
I'd say listen to as much music as possible.
Record yourself a LOT...and more importantly LISTEN to yourself objectively and
weed out those weak spots, and probably above all...pay attention to and study
SONG FORM. Every chop in the book, played at light speed isn't gonna' create an
album that even most guitarists can stomach for more than 15 minutes. Once again,
remember..the fastest brick layer doesn't always build a beautiful house.
The interview is finish , thanks for
your time dedicated to GuitarChef , best of luck John !
Thank YOU Matt, and I look forward to hearing
YOUR work as well :-)
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