Guitar Nine Columns: Interviews

We send about half our orders overseas (48 different countries at last check), so numerically more CDs are still purchased in the United States, but that`s really because the country is so big. I feel the demand for instrumental guitar is stronger overseas, and if the economies in the Far East and Eastern Europe were stronger, I believe we`d sell even more there.

When we were working the tunes, none of us had any idea how long they were. It`s just these were our little babies we`re producing. It seemed that they needed all the parts we had. Looking back, there`s maybe two sections on the whole record I would cut. We hacked up a couple cuts for radio play, hacked them from eight minutes to five.

Well, I`m 38 and I started when I was ten. I probably started younger, like when I was about eight, so when you think about it, I`ve been playing for 30 years. I should be a lot better then I am (laughs).

We have our own recording facility at our rehearsal studio and have been doing all recent recording there. We also rent time if necessary at a more elaborate studio. Ralph (Perucci) has his own studio in Manhattan.

As far as releasing independently - there`s really no other way. Instrumental music (other than `happy saxophone` music I suppose) doesn`t really get a lot of support from record labels, guitar magazines, radio, whatever. So, if you love doing this kind of thing, then you really have to accept that you`ve gotta do it yourself.

A studio CD is hard work, because you spend months and do all this painstaking work in the studio and nit pick everything and make it right and mix it. I think that`s a bigger labor, but I think a live CD is a scary thing because you`re getting up there and playing live. There is nothing to hide behind. There`s no overdubs, and you have to live with what you did or don`t put it out.

I have an easier time over in Europe than I do here. I live in the Boston area, and Boston being a college town really wants alternative music. So I have a difficult time getting shows and drawing a huge crowd around here. I find it kind of weird. Thankfully that is not the only thing that I have to go on.

G3 is definitely here to stay. People may or may not know, the concept that we came up with a number of years ago was to be able to bring guitarists together that usually spend most of their time trying to stay apart. Managers and record companies are always trying to keep people separate. So we came up with the idea of bringing people together.

Back when I got my hands on my first multi-track recorder, I was fascinated with overdubbing, piling things on top of things, and recording anyone that came in my grip. I recorded hundreds of hours of stuff. Then I released the record `Flexible,` my first solo record.

Favored Nations is my new independent record company. It`s something I knew I was going to do. I knew I was destined to do a record company eventually. It`s a great concept and I found a great partner, Ray Sheer. We had similar concepts on how we would like to construct a label. I`ve been in the business for a long time, and I understand the infrastructure of how a label works and how they promote and market. So we put together this concept, sort of a musicians label.

You know, the early rock bands that I was into, like Deep Purple and Queen were very guitar oriented bands. I just wanted to start playing, so I got a guitar one year for Christmas. I had no interest in the guitar on Christmas day, I played more with the box. It grew on me and I got real serious after a couple of years.

I believe that back in the 80`s it was a very novel thing to be an instrumental rock guitarist. I mean we`ve had rock instrumental songs since rock began, but the technical advances made by many of us were very charming and, for a while, in vogue. These are the very same qualities that almost killed the genre.

I find it hard to believe that some people have trouble getting press. It`s not really that difficult to do. I think the hardest part is letting go of the fear of a bad review. I`ve spoken to colleagues who don`t send their CD out because they`re afraid it`ll get trashed. Yeah, it might. But you have to take that chance.

Well, there really isn`t that big a demand for that kind of music that I write and play over the radio. So what I`ve been able to do by doing my own records and doing my own website is basically ignore the record company thing where the whole machinery has to be in place for airplay, promotions and tours. Now I can make the music I want to make, and so far so good.

I have done interviews with quite a few leading Japanese and European magazines. My experience with them has been very positive. As far as US magazines are concerned, it is hard for me to say how they are handling guitar-oriented music, because I haven`t dealt with them much in the past. There just doesn`t seem to be that much of a market for insturmental music in the US as there is overseas.

We`re definitely going to do another album this year. We`ve got a couple of concepts we`re throwing around. It will be an instrumental album. We`re ready to do that again ourselves. Like I said, we`re extremely proud of "Under The Lash Of Gravity" and we`re doing everything we can to get it out there. Initially, instrumental guitar fans didn`t buy it. But if they give it a chance, it does grow on you.

Don`t get jealous. Don`t put other people down for their playing. You have to concentrate on what you want to do and study and appreciate the works of other people. Don`t rip off works of your friends, take a little from them and add some originality. I have found that the people who take ideas and riffs from others blatantly without giving credit are usually mediocre musicians and writers.

Transcribing is difficult work that takes a lot of concentration--I usually use headphones and I use a switching box which allows me to hear the right or left channel only through both sides of the headphones. This helps when trying to zero in on a particular guitar part. A thorough knowledge of music notation is mandatory also.

I think the stylistic variety comes from the fact that I love so many different kinds of music and I`ve played with a lot of different kinds of artists. I`ve played with a salsa band, a blues band, numerous pop bands, and an avant-garde jammy classical-jazz band.

I wanted to record this album as a band. The intensity and energy you get from recording as a band is far superior than to that of using hired guns. Being very influenced by bands like Dream Theater, Symphony X etc., I wanted the new material to be more aggressive and somewhat progressive, however still keeping everything very melodic.

All Latin or world music requires a very strong groove even if it is slow. That was a challenge since I am coming from a rock/fusion area. It helped my playing that way. Also when it came to soloing, I could not rely on my legato technique as much since it would not come out as well. Thus I worked on my alternate picking for a few months before the recording.

I have always played because I love the guitar and now since 1994, when I again started being in charge of the projects I was involved in I have felt the freedom to make the music I want to make and that I personally enjoy.

Everyone wants to be loved, and for a musician guitar player that means to be heard and loved with unbiased ears. I want to keep the freedom I`ve attained by being a guitarist. That outlaw time zone I mentioned. It`s an achievement that`s ongoing, you could say I have achieved it, but you have to stay on the case, because things can change on any given day. You can`t let creativity stop.

Actually I started playing flamenco before playing electric guitar. It`s always been a love of mine. Unfortunately, when you`re doing pop records, I`d bring it out. The response I`d get is, `Save it for your own record.` So I have my own flamenco record which came out a couple of months ago.

Well, this a great time for bands and independent record labels. The exposure is endless and the quality is so much better than even 10 years ago. I think bands will get smart and start to depend less on the company to put it in stores and see more of the future music listeners downloading the album. This would cost less for the buyer and give more to the band.

I think that for these great guitar magazines the most important thing is to sell copies, so they are "compelled" to put on covers and dedicate as much space as they can to the most famous guitarists -- in fact, there are always the same names featured! It would be cool to some day see a cover with all the undiscovered ones!

For me it`s the biggest challenge to stand out from the rest of the bands out there. The market is so full of bands out there these days! There must be at least 100 new albums coming out every month, just for metal music. So, imagine how hard it is to make a difference!

If I want to compose neoclassical metal, I would be listening and analyzing all the CDs that I`ve got in my collection. Then I am ready to absorb all these influences into my playing and my compositions. The good thing is that the final result is totally different from the tunes that I listened to for inspiration.

I was on mp3.com for a while, but my opinion of the web is that piracy seems to be the end result of all the freebies, so we are staying with pressings even though they get copied and sent out for free. I`m a professional recording artist, so I`m committed to charging for my work.

I usually will come up with ideas by throwing on my drum machine and just playing riffs, or by sitting in front of the TV and getting inspiration from whatever is on. I wrote the song "The Fugitive" while watching the movie of the same name. All the action was incredible, and the song turned out to be just as intense.

Doing clinics has allowed me go to places and promote myself where I wouldn`t have been able to have even dreamed of going to. I`ve done clinics/workshops/performances in Germany, Spain, Japan, Greece, Sweden, UK, Brazil, Argentina, Italy, France, Canada, Belgium and of course the U.S. Being one of the top clinicians in the U.S. has gotten me to places I only read about in school.

I guess like a fingerprint, no one musician can be exactly alike, so that helps a bit. If I were to make any distinction, it would be that I really respect the tune itself and have always sacrificed technical acrobatics and note bombardment for the sake of melody, depth and feel - which I`ll will admit is a constant battle.

I think gear is important because you want to sound your best. I took it to such an extreme, but that`s the cool thing about the studio - you can always learn and prepare for the time you get to record the next CD.

Liquid Note Records (or LNR) was set up to principally cater for virtuoso instrumental guitar music - though that`s not to rule out the possibility that we`ll also release vocal albums in the future. LNR`s aim is to release albums every bit as good - or, dare I say it, better - than those released by the mighty Shrapnel.

The beauty of being an independent artist is that I don`t die if I don`t score a big record deal! I`ll still have a career. These days with stevefister.com, Guitar 9, and some independent distribution, I can grow and have more control over my musical fate. A new CD means a bright new day, with more to follow!

I`ve been playing guitar for 35 years, and still find it very challenging, and exciting. I work at it every single day, and realize that the real fun and spirit of this entire process of being a professional player is the `journey`, not the `end-game`. Sometimes I feel as if I am just getting started. The most important aspect of learning different styles of music, is one`s genuine love for that particular style.

I recently purchased an 18 track digital recorder made by Roland. I love having it and I`m amazed at the quality recordings with relatively little effort. I plan to do the third Delirious Tremor CD with it, as well as most future projects.

The gear we use is a major part of the Plankton sound. We¥re resting on a solid foundation of the classic sounds from the 60¥s and 70¥s, made famous by Hendrix, Cream and Led Zeppelin among others. It¥s basically Strats into various vintage Marshall amps and cabinets.

The Internet itself is a huge jungle. I believe it gives a chance for those who don`t make it via a traditional label or distributor, if they know how to reach the audience.

Let`s face it, it is hard to get a label to pick you up and understand your visions. On the other hand, doing an independent release, you have control and you learn a lot. Sure, it is hard work, but I love to work hard for a dream!

I had always wanted to do a solo album, but it was all talk. One day I mentioned it again to my wife and she said don`t talk about it, do it. So I did. As soon as the real decision was made things started to fall into place, as they often do.

I think that the best promo is playing live, and to be seen as much as possible. I do many clinics for Digitech, Parker and now Vox amplifiers. This is a great way for people to hear your music and to sell discs at the performances.