These modern guitar players, are they really trustworthy? A band finding its right path with a high degree of trendiness including exposure among the insanities of Bam Margera on MTV, a cool logotype and a charismatic frontman as Ville Vallo, is the Finnish band HIM. Border-crossing and enigmatic, they have sold large amounts of albums worldwide and brings with them a guitar player with dreadlocks. That is a genuinly nice fellow by the name Mikko Lindström, nicknamed Linde and despite his name, does not speak Swedish. Growing up in a “normal home” in Helsinki, nothing in particular pointed towards a successful carreer in music for the young lad. Dad liked Elvis as dads usually do. The young and somewhat introvert Mikko got a Landola guitar for christmas when he was ten, and from that moment on developed a passion for music that at the age of 15 led him to Berkely in the USA. fficeffice" />>>

- During that period I really learned a lot during a pretty intense time, says Linde. I can really recommend it as a true door-opener in many ways, theoretically as well as emotionally. One shall be prepared for many and quite thick books though.>>

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Slash was among the first big favourites and, as for many of us, the same heroes remains. It all started with Hendrix on TV and developed via Vai, Elvis and John Lee Hooker.>>

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HIM was formed in 1991 by Linde, Ville Valo and the bass player Mikko Pannanen. Still forming the nuclear core of the band. They have now released their sixth album Venus Doom with Tim Palmer in the producer´s chair, shared with the the bands first ever producer, Hiili Hiilesmaa. The first album sold in only 1000 copies, whereas the last one was the first Finnish record ever to sell gold in USA. How Venus Doom will sell, no one can tell just yet, but perhaps the figures are slightly weaker in comparision with the last time when the hype on MTV was in full force. But still, that exposure opened up a lot for the band. >>

- I like very much to work with Hiilesmaa, says Linde. He is actually also producing an album I am recording right now home in Helsinki, with a much more heavy sound close to death metal. Linde has previouslu launched solo-projects under the name Daniel Lioneye with himself singing and Ville Valo playing the drums, the bass player Migé and the producer Hiilesmaa on keyboard. The band made its debut just prior to the release of  HIM:s third album Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights. The song King of Rock n´Roll was the opening theme to Bam Margeras Viva La Bam.>>

- This latest HIM-record came out well, says Linde. The songs are a bit longer so there was more of arranging and more to balance and our goal was really to contrast the nice melodies with some heavy guitars. We are making the songs most often after an idea of Ville´s, such as a melody or a riff. My solos are totally improvised. If I would think and plan to much I would lose the energy that is released by trying to find the right path. Usually we do around eight takes and then we vote which one we will keep.>>

- In this band, very much evolves around Ville and we are pretty dependent on his daily form, not at least on stage. He is now leading a more sober life so many things are much easier. If Ville remembers the lyrics and I have warmed up properly, at least for an hour, before a concert it usually turns out to be a great evening.>>

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Over the years Linde has been seen playing a number of different guitars, such as Gibson Flying V:s, different kinds of strats, one ESP with a reversed head, a Gibson ES1500 and a Gibson SG Reissue. Over the last years he has exclusively been using Gibson SG guitars, tuned in Eb. During the early years of HIM, the guitars were tuned down to H. The pick-ups are all standard. >>

- I really love SG:s, says Linde. There is something special with the tone and the feeling of holding them. I actually tried Seymour Duncan pick-ups for a while but eventally switchhed back to the original. My amplifiers both live and in the studio are Laney VH100R med 4x12 cabinets and among the effects I use, are a Fulltone Octafuzz, a Dunlop Wah and a Zvex Fuzz Factory, concludes Mikko Lindström.   

www.heartagram.co m

Previously published in FUZZ>>

KISS, the heroes of our childhood, has been around for 35 years now. Around the nuclear core Simmons and Stanley, a few different musicians has been circulating. The drummers has been a few and the guitar players a few more over the years. We got the chance to talk to the latest addition. His name is Tommy Thayer and he seems to be staying for a while.fficeffice" />>>

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- Hi, this is Tommy Thayer from KISS. The sound in the other end of the line seems a bit surreal. How many times has one dreamt about the possibility to be called up by the guitar player of KISS? Well, actually not too many since such an event has never really been on the map. Now that it is happening one may ask the question why my generation has been so heavily influenced by a number of gentlemen in make up from New York City that plays easy digestible songs exclusively dealing with the lighter sides of life? On stage the bands breaths fire and spits blood and shoots rockets from electric guitars while levitating drum kits and themselves tens of meters above ground. Highly entertaining in the light of excellent musical deliveries and a number of classic songs in the luggage. The conclusion is not very controversial. They got it to work for them, these lads. There is probably no other band that has succeeded so well in developing itself and has done so for over 30 years and has never really been off the race track. >>

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Of course there are people that without limits tends to hate such an institution as this type of band easily comes to represent. KISS will however regardless of thoughts, wishes and hopes go to history as one of the biggest. The combination of a graphic profile, songs that are easy to like and a whole lot of love are destined to be great entertainment. A bit of American comfort and magic.>>

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Business has always been a leading star for KISS and when reunited in the original line up in 1996 it was a loving occasion and a great commercial success. Not unexpectedly time brought tension in the band and how then to do? It was not a matter of getting unmasked again nor creating new characters. Without further ado a few trusted talents was brought in as substitutes to the party-falange Peter Criss and Ace Frehley, and slipped them into the firmly established characters glittery constumes and make up. Today the band consists of Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Eric Singer as the Catman and Tommy Thayer as the Spaceman. Perhaps that is as close it is possible to get to the original and still the tickets sell in piles.  >>

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Of course I have to start to ask the obvious question. How does it feel to play the role of "Ace"?>>

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- Of course I do now play Ace´s old role of being the spaceman, but as time passes I will probably be able to get a little bit more of me into the mix, however that is not a priority, says Tommy. You know it is very much a matter of what the fans wants to see. Is there really an interest of seeing something new I sometimes ask myself. Lets say that we will record a new album, is there really an interest for that? When we play live we then have to skip a few of the classics. I am not sure that would be a good solution. Would anyone like to see the new "Tommy the Elephantman"? I am not so sure. We have to take care of the heritage even if it feels as a repetition from an artistic point of view. KISS is big enough anyway and what we do now is to keep the heritage alive, because there is still a huge interest to experience and re-experience the phenomena. Our audience consists of all ages-groups and KISS is more than just a band after 35 years on the top. >>

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How come you ended up in the band? What is your own musical history?>>

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- I was in a band called Black n´Blue that released four albums back in the late 80´s and early 90´s and we were actually opening for KISS around this time. The band actually recorded an album in Cologne, Germany with the legendary Dieter Dirks as producer, says Tommy. For about ten years ago I decided to hang up the guitar and get into a carreer in management instead. My band had gone full circle and I felt like doing something else. As a hobby I started a KISS- tribute band that came to play at Paul´s birthday party. Gene asked if I would be interested in working for them and I did not hold on for to long with the answer. I got an assignement to edit the photo material that later came to be released as the book Kisstory. I also co-wrote some songs on the album Hot In The Shade, I produced Kiss Symphony: Alive IV DVD and The Second Coming DVD and the title track to the movie Detroit Rock City and came to be more and more a part of the family. I did also work with the band learning the old songs for the reunion tour. Around the year 2002 it became clear that Ace did no longer have the same spark and at more and more occassions I was told to be ready. At that time we already had prepared the make up and the costume so when Ace finally left, I was ready and Paul and Gene knew what I could do. For me there was actually never any ambition to join the band, as strange as it may sound, since this is a very nice position to have and I totally love to do this, says Tommy. Playing live with this band is like nothing else.>>

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So, eventually, one day it was your turn?>>

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- I guess you could say that it came step by step. Ace had been terribly close to not showing up at a few occassions. I was the touring manager in those days and really got to feel how to live in uncertainty. The first incident occured during the Farewell tour in 2000, when Ace managed to miss three flights in a row even due to the fact that we had a car waiting outside his house. 24 hours later we managed to get him out of the house and on to the plane, but then there was mechanical problems with the plane that was grounded for hours. >>

- Then the manager Doc McGhee told me the first time to stay alert for the concert at Irvine Meadows in California. I sat in my car going there and I thougt that I might be able to do it, even though I had not played in a while. At location in the dressing room it was arranged for me to use one of Ace´s costumes and I got the make up on. When everything was set, of course Ace shows up and says "Hi Tommy" as if nothing had happened, and there I am in his make up and his costume. So typical Ace, laughs Tommy. In twenty minutes he was all set to go, so at that occassion it did not happen. The second time I had to cancel a vacation I had in Hawaii in order to back up for the ending ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. I arrived the day before rehearsals were about to begin, and of course, once again Ace shows up at the last minute, but that time he actually apologiozed for ruining my vacation. Two weeks later at a private arrangement in Jamaica we knew in good time that Ace would not do it, so that was my first concert with the band.>>

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How do you get along with Ace?>>

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- You know, I have been hanging out with him on a daily basis for almost six years and we have a very friendly relation. He has said that if anyone should ever take his place as the spaceman it would be me, and I can honestly not ask for more. Ace is very fun and humorous and easy to get along with, and why he sometimes becomes a bit irrational, I don´t know. You have to ask him. I take one day at a time, trying to fill Ace´s platform boots. They are big and they are high, laughs Tommy. I can not say what will happen in ten years. If he comes back one day I will take it for what it is. I know my position. Now I even sing Shock Me. I was very hesitant to say the least but Gene and Paul insisted on me doing it. That song is all about Ace but the audience has taken very well to it. I mean, they are not stupid.>>

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Musically then. Can you mention a few of your greatest influences?>>

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- Already in the early 70´s I was big fan of Ace´s guitar playing on Alive and I do think that we in many ways come from the same school of playing, the bluesbased British hard rock. Another guitar playing among others that I really like is Davey Johnston, Elton Johns guitar player. He really contributes to every musical situation that he finds himself in. It is easy to think that is a long way from the rockscene, but one should remember that back in 1970´s Elton John band was a actually a rock band.>>

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My musical heroes when it comes to guitar is "the usual" giants. I am totally self taught and started to play along with albums on half speed so that I could pick out the riffs. I still think that is the best way to learn. My practising has always been focused on songs and I have never been one to sit and practice scales very much. Before a concert I sit down and just play for 15 minutes. Ace´s guitar playing is not that complicated but always just perfect for a song and his trademarks are rhytm and melody. KISS is a riff based band but there is always very much of variation and musicality in all material. >>

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I have to ask you about your KISS-favourites?

>> 

- I love to play 100 000 years and I am very found of Black Diamond and the classic part where I play standing on my knees. Many of the songs are a real treat to play. >>

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Do you write your own music?>>

> >

- I certainly do when I got some time outside of KISS. I like to spend a lot of time in my studio and rock is my first and only love. If I would put together a dream band, apart from KISS of course, it would consist of me, Jimmy Page, John Bonham and Paul McCartney.>>

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So, what about equipment? Have you always been a fan of Les Pauls? Playing in KISS does not really call for a Fender Stratocaster, does it?

>> 

- I have actually always and only played Les Pauls in my musical life, says Tommy. It is the ultimate guitar in all cathegories. It is heavy, it is playable and it is also the most beautiful of all guitars. I am really not a technique-freak and to be honest I do not know what pick-ups I have mounted in my guitars.>>

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I have heard that you have your own signature model from Hughes & Kettner. Can you tell a bit about that?>>

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- Yes. It is a new model that is based on the DuoTone 100 W, that I really think is just amazing. When they heard that I really liked it, they asked if I wanted a signature model and of course I agreed. It has an amazing weight and depth and follows very good in its tone. It is also a very good looking amplifier and has a neon blue illumination in the head that goes very well with the space theme. I am involved in charity and my royalty from the amp goes to The Childrens Hospital in Los Angeles. I would never trade it for any other amplifier and on stage I use four heads and 20 cabinets. I actually do not need any effects at all with this amplifier.. >>

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No effects at all?

>> 

The only effect that I use is an octaver for Christine Sixteen. I am of the firm belief that guitar is in your fingers. One should not deal too much with effects becuase it ruins the tone, says Tommy. Effects also holds back the dynamics that is inherent in such a pretty primitive intrument as the guitar. It is so much better to learn how to use that dynamic element of the instrument, that is quite unique and allows you to have more artistic freedom.  >>

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It is easy to understand why Creed sold over 30 million albums in their time. A lot of it was due to the guitarist Mark Tremonti´s feel for groove and melody.

- I do not consider myself to be an over the top guitar player. I think of myself more as a songwriter. I love songs. You will still not see me doing clinics for quite some time. Very soon I will release an instructional DVD though, but I think that is as close as I will go at this point when it comes to allow a focus on my actual guitar playing.

The man quit Megadeth and moved to Tokyo to learn the language and start up a...TV-carreer. Of course he mastered it and he has by now a famous talk-show in japanese TV. He let us in on the secret to break in Japan.

- You know, a TV-show that starts on monday here might be cancelled by thursday. You have to be very fast and that also comes to music. You have to establish your theme within the first ten seconds of a song. If you haven´t sold your message by then, people lose interest and moves on. 

With Dave Mustaine on the other end of a conversation the rumours tell that one can never be too sure about what will happen. Very soon it is clear that Mr. Mustaine is in a very shining happy mood and laughs generously when I try to be witty just to check what is going on. I tell him that I found this site on the internet that only deals with the gear he is using and also recommends a price if one wants to turn into Dave Mustaine in one´s musicianship. The only thing missing is really Mustaine´s attitude.fficeffice" />>>

- We can arrange that, says Dave. I can offer to kick people in the groin with a discount...>>

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The band Megadeth was formed in the first half of the 80´s and is sometimes described as a consequence of Mustaine being left out of the embryo that later came to be known as Metallica. The band has been described as a band driven by the fuel of revenge. The learned disputes whether those forces still are dominant after 20 years, but it really feels as that chapter is a passed one. Maybe one rather gets the feeling that Mustaine has realised how much better this really went and that the bi-consequence of a bad mood in itself reached a long way and that there is actually a lot to be thankful for. >>

- I have probably never been so pleased with life as I am now and no one can deny what I have actually done with my carreer, says Dave. We have actually sold more than 20 million albums and we are one on the major for bands that defines this genre, second only to Metallica. But it is no secret that my injured arm came very conveniently in 2002 when we stopped for a period. At that time I was very tired of playing and I ran tired of the situation in the band. No one was happy and the peak was reached when I got sued by David Elleson. I felt mostly as a babysitter at times.>>

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The shifting personnell in the band has been radical but one gets the feeling that it has been blown out of proportion by the media. It is not totally easy to get working line-ups in the rockbusiness. Many think that the line-up with Nick Menza on drums and Marty Friedman in lead guitar has been the best and a little bit of the outset for the modern Megadeth. Just before this interview Chris Broderick has taken over after Glen Drover behind the second guitar.>>

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- Yes, at times I have claimed that my first hobby is to learn songs to our new guitar players, laughs Dave. It is true that the line-up with Menza and Friedman was good, but it is wrong to say that Friedman saved us. Many songs for that line-up was already written when he joined. I can not say anything bad about the members that has been passing through, because they have all joined on their own musical merits, but sometimes I have been disapointed about the way they have left. Then there are always the discussions about money and remunerations. What I look for in a guitar player is actually what I have found in Chris Broderick, a role play where I am Jimmy Page and the lead guitarist is Uli Roth. Chris is a remarkably talented guitarist.>>

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Since there has been a certain circulation of musicians in the band and looking through all the talking, there still has to be a lot of good memories with all these talents?

- Of course, says Dave. I miss Gar Samuleson very much. He was the drummer on the first two albums and stood by a groove that came to define us. I grew up with a lot of Motown in the family an appreciated that. There are a lot of things that I would have liked to tell him but we had only sporadic contacts up until he quite unexpected was found dead. I liked Jeff Young, especially when he asked for two bottles of Evian water for his hotel room so that he could wash his hair, since the water in the room was to hard, laughs Dave. Chris Poland and I are still friends and he actually sat down with Glen Drover to teach him many of the old riffs. The time with Nick and Marty was fantastic and there is really noone I have had problems with. We got something great going together and it would never have happened without any of them.    >>

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You have been using most prestigious brands over the years and you had signature models from Jackson and ESP. What are you playing on today?

>> 

- Now I play the stock version of a guitar that is called VMNT, that is a flying V made by Dean. What foremost seperates it from the classic V from Dean is that this one does not have the usual Dean head with the wings. Instead this one has all tuining knobs on one side like on a stratocaster. The pickups are my signature model from Seymour Duncan called Live Wire Active Dave Mustaine Pickups. The strings I use are my signature strings from GHS and the amplifier I use mostly these days is Marshall. I use a pre-amp called Prophesy II from Rocktron and a EL34 100/100 Dual Monobloc Power Amp from Marshall.>>

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The new album is called United Abominations and expresses thoughts that might be considered political. Do you see your future in politics?

>> 

- No. I really do not think so. But I think it is important that Megadeth stands for something more than just riffs, says Dave. What I plan to do is to start a management, which is probably the best thing I can do with my carrer in the business. The Gigantour concept, a touring festival shall also be developed. But at this point in my life I can also afford to engage in things that are a bit from music. When I was out traveling I found this great coffee called Legends, that is ecologically produced and that now actually sells my signature coffee. I have invested in that project where we also donates fundings to charity for children.  

www.megadeth.com

We spoke with Mike and the new (ex-Arch Enemy) member Fredrik Åkesson and listened to the new album called Watershed, to be released in six months. This album will most probably be a major international break for these guys. With a new drummer with a groove and totally mindblowing arrangements and sizzling guitars in all shapes and colors, this is special and very strong. The whole album is breathing in an extremely organic manner. When you get the chance to listen, by all means take it.

- If I had a plan B? Not really. But still it was really close that I had to get one. You know, the accident with my fingers happened on my very last day of work before I was about to launch my carreer as a musician. My boss brought me some recordings of Django Reinhardt, and I made up my mind to go on.

- The most important thing with guitars is to get them massive and distinct. In another band I play in we actually tune down the guitars to A. Then, being distinct is a bit of a problem...

For some reason I got the chance to talk to the whole band The Blue Line for more than an hour. When meeting the pop-dudes you can sometimes get as little as 15 minutes if you are unlucky. Those blues/fusion/jazz killer musicians knows on the other hand that they will be around for a while, so whats the rush? The most memorable thing said came actually from Robben himself.

- You know, blues is like bread. the recipe may be old but the bread is still fresh...

fficeffice" />>>

The brit Steven John Wilson, born in 1967, has during his quite remarkable carrer worked with a number of artists from a number of different genres. On the side of his own Porcupine Tree and the bands now tenth release, can be noted the project Blackfield, releases under his own name at the label Headphone Dust, cooperation with the Israeli band Orphaned Land, producing and playing on Opeth´s Blackwater Park, Deliverance and Damnation and cooperations with Marilion, Fish and Norwegian singer Anja Garbarek. Among other things.>>

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When meeting Steven Wilson one gets the feeling of “oh, is that you”... This young man has a remarkable impact on the progressive rock scene and gives a strikingly nice and uncomplicated impression. A very vivid intellect meets when starting up a converstaion , that for that matter not necessarily needs to deal with the latest album, music nor guitars for that matter. And actually, if one should dare to describe Porcupine Tree it is difficult to avoid the social awareness that feels genuine and accurate, and not only for the rock world. >>

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Steven Wilson established an interest for music before the age of ten and the entrance into the music world was actually two quite different albums. One was Pink Floyd´s Dark Side of The Moon and the other was Donna Summer´s Love To Love You Baby. Both albums being influential on Wilson´s songwriting, where the first may be be noted in the bands Porcupine Tree and Blackfield and the latter in the cooperation with Tim Bowness christened No-Man. An honest blend.>>

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Regarded as a talented guitar player it is interesting to note that the young Wilson were more or lessed forced to learn the instrument. (“I hated it”) At the tender age of eleven he however confronted the guitar as a man and started to experiment with sounds on the nylon stringed guitar, with a simple microphone and and two cassette players. Many are those whose carrer in producing has started with a simple curiosity and lust for exploring. If it lasts for a career the components are probably the right ones. Wilson claims that he does not recommend anyone to go for a carrer in music. It is much better to try and be really good at the craft and if it happens it happens.>>

- It is a tough industry and the risk that someone steps on your heart repeatedly is considerable and one really needs a strong personality to deal both with the ups and the downs. I never targeted a carrer in producing, it just happened that I got more and more requests and today I have to turn down a lot, even things I would have liked to do, says Steven.>>

- Why it is exciting and rewarding to produce? Well for me it is when it says “click” and you know that you have something. That goes for both producing as well as song writing, says Steven. One of the prime clicks on this album was the song Sleep Together, where I wanted to combine a Nine Inch Nails syntethic feel with bombastic John Bonham-drums. It came out well and capturing sounds is a very special process. What one feels on the inside does not always come to life on the outside.>>

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Can you tell a bit about the latest album, Fear of A Blank Planet? It is a pretty drastic title, isn´t it?>>

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  - Well, I do not know if the title is so drastic in reation to how the world and the society develops. My inspiration came from a book by Bret Easton Ellis that deals with how the youth of today is so extremely passivated and drugs themselves not only with actual drugs but also with TV, Internet and iPods. This passive recieving must be regarded as the very extension of ones saying that TV makes people stupid. The youth of today downloads music, movies and porn and have unlimited access to everything, but yet they are bored beyond all reason. But is it not solely a youth-issue. Also you and me gets influenced by our relation to cell-phones and computers. I am convinced that we are wasting a shole generation and a substantial part of our productive future by being driven and maybe to some extent ruled by technology even if the purpose is expresssed being for the best of mankind, which may not always be entirely true. It does not take much to see that there is some things that are not totally alright with the world. We are surrounded by substantial amounts of rubbish not only in the media. Beuatiful and glossy garbage but still garbage that influences us more than we know or can foresee.>>

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It feels as if your artistic expression is quite realistic and connected to reality. Would you call it dark?>>

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- Yes, maybe, says Steven. Darkness, melancholy and sadness are strong and important emotions for me. Even my contemplations are based on reality and shall not be considered political but then rather societal. To expose what might regarded as dark sides is also important for me as a person.  It allows for me to also show the positive sides of my personality. I believe that up here in the north there is a strong sense of melancholy and actually the other day we discussed why the Mellotron is so popular up here. Maybe one is as one lives, which then could explain some things.>>

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On Fear of A Blank Planet you have some interesting collaborations with a few nameworthy guitar players. Can you tell a bit about that?>>

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- It has become sort of a tradition to have guest guitar players on our albums. On the last one we had your Swedish Mikael Åkerfeldt from Opeth and the old Bowie/King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew. This time we were lucky to get Alex Lifeson from Rush to participate, a band I certainly grew up with. We also have Robert Fripp on the album. I worked with Robert earlier in the No-Man project, but that Alex Lifeson liked Porcupine Tree was news to me, and I read about it in a magazine. I took a contact and he was happy I did. So was I.>>

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You work very much as a producer for other artists. Does that make it more complicated to produce your own material?>>

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- To be a producer is very much about knowing when to stop and that is alwasys difficult. What is good are deadlines, because then you have to stop. When I work by myself in essence all recordings are made for being released, so sometimes it is a bit difficult to orientate in the process. The first thing I did was to get good equipment so I don´t have to think about re-doing things later. I have noted that my singing loses the edge if I am forced to do it all over again, hence I want to finish as much as possible on the first take. However, I do think that this album is a very strong Porcupine Tree album, but as I said it is difficult to judge your own work. It is much easier to observe something objectively. My motto is to be here and now in the performance and we never think that we should be harder or softer, by any means. I have also started to master our recordings because I got tired of the mastering departments habit of cranking the bass, the treble and the volume as a standard procedure. You know that if you start making music for the audience you run the risk of becoming an entertainer. In principle we are making music for ourselves and that is the only way an artist can work even if we indeed also like to entertain our audience. And we have a record company that likes what we do and is able to sell that.>>

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Your label is Roadrunner these days, a company that also hosts the flagship of progressive rock Dream Theater in its camp. Does that work well for you?>>

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- Yes. A label that know how to sell a more nisched music such as our kind, obviously has what it takes and all you could wish for from a record label. Here you have a genuine history, a geniune interest and personnel that works really hard for us. Actually I do not know if you clould call Roadrunner a nische label anymore. Here you have bands such as Nickelnback, one of the best selling bands in the US. In one way or another the conclusion is that it gives possibilities to market the music on a broad front. I think that it will be more and more important for bands to know about the business aspects of a professional music career. That does not mean that one should be fixed with sales figures, but those are the factors that makes it possible to exist at all and perform our music. Many musical careers actually fall short because many creative people not always are good at business. You have top be a bit of everything and there are simply some games that you have to play if you want to be a part of the business. It is a structure build by people in order to optimize possibilities, so there is no need to consider it evil.>>

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What do you think about the future for progressive rock music? The genre is not seldom accused for being not so progressive... >>

> >

- These days it is possible to see a pretty radical difference in the audience showing up at our concerts. It is a younger audience that finds us and among them you can note fans of metal, progressive, pop, rock and psychedelica and really in ages ranging from young to old. The audiences of today are not so limited to genres, which is really to our advantage. I think that music generally will become more and more broad and more mixed, says Steven.>>

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Well, this is Guitarizmo so I guess we have to talk about guitars. Tell a bit about your relation to string instruments.>>

> >

- Honestly speaking I do not know if I have a relation to to string instruments at all and I do not cinsider myself as a guitar player. It just happens to be the instrument I play the most. I never practice and if I play it is either for making songs or performing them on stage. One of my more guitarstic problems is that I make more and more difficult songs finding some of the hard to play live. But, I have a great band which allows me to relax anyway, I think.>>

> >

- I like PRS-guitars because they are very flexible and it is possible to get both a Les Paul as well as a strat sound out of them. Before I found them I played strats for many years and especially ESP:s. Now I play PRS and mainly Custom 22 and Modern Eagle models. I use a Lynx Bad Cat Top and a fourtwelve cabinet. The strings are Ernie Ball 0.10-0.52. The live set up also contains a Gibson Les Paul, a Babicz acoustic and an Octane electro/acoustic, a treble booster, a Bad Cat Two tone distortion, a Boss Distortion, a Boss DD-20 delay, a G-System effects processor from T.C. Electronics, a Line 6 Echo Pro and a switching board from Custom Audio Electronics.   

www.porcupinetree.com

Previously published in FUZZ

The guitars are tuned down to hell, the riffs are arrogant, yet mean, difficult and precise. But there is more to it.

- If you listen to my solo work, you can always find a lyrical quality, which I think is really important. Randy Rhoads´ solo in the Ozzy-song Goodbye To Romance almost always makes we want to cry. You can never lose that if you want to reach people.

Read the article in FUZZ. www.fuzz.se

I was one of those that was totally blown away by the album Not Of This Earth. It was simply my "Hendrix-moment", changing it all. So, how to get there? Practising. Practising a lot. Joe said "practice more". 10 hour work outs throughout the teenage years. No snorting of toxic fluids, no smoking, no drinking and no dating. 

- So Joe, tell me a bit about your practising routines in the earlier days. Wasn´t it hard to get a life going with all that practising?

- You know, I never practised that much. I am totally ruled by my emotions and not much of a diciplinarian. I never wanted people to be hermits. Of course practising is very important but it is also very important to meet people and to read books if you want to develop yourself as a musician. 

Read the article in FUZZ. www.fuzz.se

You are a little bit of a secret guitar hero, admired by many. Can you tell us a bit about how it started for you?fficeffice" />>>

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- The very first idea about music as being something that could be done by me, came from Ace Frehley and Kiss Alive when I was 12. The thing occuring was actually a pick-slide and I though, hey, I want to learn how to do that. I think I was around 14-15 years old when I heard bands such as AC/DC and Led Zeppelin that really got caught me and raised a true interest for music. Shortly thereafter I bought a cheap second-hand guitar, but my first real guitar was an Ibanez Explorer and after that I got myself a Kramer Pacer creme. What really got me into the guitar was Ozzy´s first solo albums Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of A Madman and I believe that Randy Rhoads still holds the first position when it comes to my guitar heroes, says Michael.  As time went along I came to listen more and more to Malmsteen, Uli Jon Roth and of course the fabolous Shawn Lane. I took only some basic lessons, so those influences came to be my actual school, playing along with albums. But I am very interested in music theory and I have a lot of books on composing, that I use to move on in my own creative procedure. I use a lot of different influences in my writing and Frank Zappa has been very important to me. On the latest album you can hear, in the song Domination, some chords that I picked up from Stravinskijs The Rite of Spring. I listen very much to different kinds of music and in the future I can really see myself composing for the big screen. Among composers, John Williams holds a special place in my book.  >>

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With your band Symphony X you have relaeased the seventh studio album called Paradise Lost, How did the production develop?>>

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- Much of the work was done in my home studio. Since I write the materialI can also work in my own pace and some pieces fall into place bit by bit. I record the guitars wih some different amps but mainly I use ENGL and Mesa Boogie, but also Marshalls and some other brands. Live I mainly use a Line 6 Vetta Head. Especially when we tour as an opening actit is also a question about keeping out of the way as much as possible. I do not overdub that much but I record the rythm guitar separately panned left and right. This time I tried an interesting device called GD 7 that allows for connecting as much as 7 amps from just one signal. Of course I had to try that but in the end I settled for a combination of four amps. I use my ESP MII Custom and Fender Strats a lot but now I use my Caparison more and more. >>

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You are known as a hell of a player, making the most intricate licks seem easy. How did you develop your most unbelievable technique? >>

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- The lead parts most often just falls into place, after all these years of playing and I don´t really think about it that much. Sometimes I come up with something that requires going back and practice a bit but mainly it is just a flow. Off the cuff is my standpoint when it comes to solos and improvisations.>>

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The metal guitarists new household name Caparison, has made you a signature model, Can you tell us a bit about that?>>

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- Yes, it is called Caparison Dellinger II, Michael Romeo Custom and is equipped with a mahogany body, a neck in maple and a fret board made in a bit firmer maple material. It has a pretty flat fretboard that I really like. The pick-ups are two humbuckers, one DiMarzio ToneZone at the bridge and DiMarzio X2N by the neck. I am not a big fan of active pick-ups. The passive are much more easy to play with and they are more dynamic and responses in a different to the attack on the string. The bridge is a Schaller S-FRT, a Floyd Rose type bridge. We are actually right now developing this model and recently I sended some guitar parts to the factory to see if we can come up with something interesting and new.

www.symphonyx.com< /A>>>

Andy La Rocque has managed to combine a carreer in one of the worlds greatest metal-bands and also built a reputation as producer. A soft spoken and gentle character he is indeed with talent for twenty. Did you know that he built his trade mark pink guitar that appears in the Welcome Home video himself?

- I made it from scratch, drying the wood and everything, always appreciating also other things than just practising scales...

Read the article in FUZZ. www.fuzz.se

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The Dillinger Escape Plan is a band that many has heard of but that not all understands. A pretty just review of the bands latest album Ire Works meant that “one both wants and not wants it to stop”, which I think lands pretty right. A complex, furious, messy and intricate musical expression called mathcore, mixed with silence, beautiful choruses and virtuoso playing gives that one does not always know what is up and what is down, or what the disease might be called. Mathcore is defined pretty much as the term gives, a technically complex music with loads of odd timings. If not prepared, the ride can be pretty rough. If you can deal with it there is on the other hand a lot to be found. The dividing line between person, musician, sports, group integrity, physics, outrage and music is here not totally clear in a band that now celebrates ten years since the first album. A period that has been framed with numerous line up changes, not seldom for reasons that can be tributed to pure physical injuries. After a few brave attempts, we get to have a chat with Ben Weinman, founder, songwriter and guitarplayer in the band.>>

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We had an appointement where you simple just dissapeared. What happened?>>

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- I do not know if this has happened before in this way, but I actually broke my foot when recording a video, says Ben. The strap fell apart and for some reason I got a piece of metal straight into my foot, which broke. It happened in the first of two days of recording, so unfortunately I could not participate as much as it was thought. It was hard. I appologize, but it came just as much as a surprise for me.>>

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One can unerstand that you have a bit of a history of, lets say, musicrelated injuries. Can you give some examples and explain why this circumstance seems to be a part of your expression?>>

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- I have broken ribs, a bone in my shoulder, two discs in the neck and I have gotten stitches in my face and stapled in my head. Why? I actually do not know but we have always been a band that not only looks upon the music as a phenomna in itself that we must try to fit in to. We have alwys been underdogs and we have slowly developed a larger and larger fan base, bit it is still not unusual that people boooh at us. We have never tried to fit ion, and compared to everyone else that also claimes that they do not try to fit in, maybe we are just a bit more right. There has been moments and even touring festivals where we have not been wanted. When they take away your monitors, then you know. Even if the official reason is that the technician does not want us to jump on them. But on the other hand all that frustration accumulated is really what our band boils down to and makes it to what it is.>>

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This guitar-thing then. How did it start for you?>>

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- From the beginning it was not a thought out plan this idea of geting a carreer as a guitar player. And of course there has been numerous sacrifices in order to maintain this path. I mean, I stayed for a long time with my parents. I have a university degree in psychology and I have also studied communication, bhut when we got this going it has very  slowly escalated to what we wanted it to be. I started very early to listen to music and it was really punk and classic metal that I liked, with bands like Black Flag and Guns n´ Roses. Later on I dicovered more extreme music such as Carcass but also fusions bands like Weather Report and loads of other things. Your Swedish band Meshuggah is probably one of the major reasons why there are bands like us. I have always liked bands that differs from the rest and generally I prefer bands that is not primarily after the money. Today there is a lot of crap bands that still are seen quite a lot.>>

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Were you diciplined when it came to practice?

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- In the beginning yes. Now a days it is more seldom, but it is still very important to listen to different things. I can not point out something in particular that I am into right now. The fine thing with metal is that it is influenced by a lot of different things right now, says Ben. It is now more common that metal musicians listens to very qualified musicians, such as jazz/fusion-guys. When I started to play I used many different guitars and most of them broke. Now I play mainly on ESP that is connected wireless to a number of amplifiers that I like. To may favourites one can add Mesa/Boogie Triple X, Road Kings and Mark IV, but also Bogners and Marshalls.>>

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You are one of the strongest driving forces in The Dillinger Escape Plan and have always influenced the recordings greatly. Can you tell a bit about the recording of the latest album?

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- Yes. Our latest album Ire Works, has a title that alludes to “Fire Works” and it was not totally obvious that it would happen. We have been burdoned with a number of setbacks lately. Everyday something happened that made us ask if we should continue. The process that lead to this album was just as much a process of keeping the band together. Right when we should start recording, our drummer Chris Pennie quit the band. We started the band together and now he wanted to join another one. We spended one month to try to programme drums for the recording as a back-up. Luckily we met Gil Sharone that heard the songs three days prior to recording. But, we felt immediately that it could work. Our guitarist Brian Benoit got a problem sith the nerves in his hand and had to quit, but now we have Jeff Tuttle, that is in the band but not present on the album. To add to this I got sick right at the beginning of the recoding. I vomitted around 40 times before going to hospital. We usually does not make a big deal out of the fact that we are a band playing aggressive music, but this time around I think all those things influenced the recording. When things are turbulent around the band it is extra important to keep thins consistent in the bands indentity to maintain the right vibration and motivation. I think that our producer Steve Evett played an important role in the development of this album and it feels that we are a strong band in a time of change. You can never tell where the audience is going. Since we have a few newcomers in the band we have had reasons to rehearse extra much and when we now tour as headliners in USA, Australia and Japan, we can present ourselves with a totally new found strength, says Ben Weinman. 

http://www.irework s.net/ >>

Previously published in FUZZ

The Italian New Yorker and guitar player John Petrucci is a nice acquaintance. A bit shorter than expected and with a bit more beard than usual, he greats with a soft handshake. Even though Dream Theater is an established band it seems a bit that have not yet grasped the enormous success they have achieved and it every day is a day of fun and joy. The history begins at eth Berklee College of Music in the early 80´s where petrucci, the bass player John Myung and later also the drummer Mike Portnoy came to join forces.fficeffice" />>>

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What do you think has made such a pretty non-commercial band as Dream Theater so very successful? Has it been a question of finding the right package?>>

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- Yes I actually believe that is true, says Petrucci. Our music is really not that easy to access and we have never tried to make it easy. The basics lays in the fast that we manage to combine the progressive elements with epic qualities. In some way we have stuck to a metallic edge and not backed off from a musical communication that is melodic and attractive. But, we are also surprised actually.>>

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You have quite recently toured with Joe Satriani and paul Gilbert in the travelling circus known as G3. Tell us a bit about how to survive such a challenge.  >>

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- I have actually done a few turns with G3 now. I must say that it is indeed a bit surreal with an audience that mainly stares at your fingers, more than on us as persons and artists. But that is also a bit of the idea. But it is a really refreshing experience that is agreat honour just in being asked to do it. At the same time one can take the chance to ask Joe how he realy played that riff or that solo on that album.We get along great and I would love to do it again, says Petrucci.>>

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If one follows the progress of recording the latest album as it is presented on the DVD it seems as if Dream Theater is a very well functioning orchestra. Tell a bit about the process but first of all what does the title Systematic Chaos stand for?>>

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- Thank you. It is correct to say that our band works exceptionally well at this moment. The name comes from the essence of our band. In the musical complexity that can be noted in our music, it is a systematic chaos that we strive for. Even though it sometimes seems busy we always know excactly what we are doing. Our work is also very systematic in the creative process. When we write we make very careful notes. Sometimes it is a chord progression and sometimes it is a musical reference that we put up on a white board. Sometimes our references are much longer than the actual finished song. This time the longest song on the album came to be called In The Presence of Enemies and we split in in two parts, but in total it clocks in at around 25 minutes. Simply one can say that it is notheing we look for. The interesting thing is that certain fans thinks the actual length of the songs is very interesting. I guess it is a bit like poetry where you can not just skip a part just for the reason of keeping it short. >>

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How much material do you bring into the studio? Do you trade riffs and lyrics with each other on the e-mail?>>

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- No, not at all this time actually. We started from scratch this time and we barely had a note ready when we entered the Avatar-studio in New York. Just before we have had our first summer vacation in ten years. But, we know each other so well in the band after all these years together that we know when we have something that is worth working on. I guess you could say that the most part of creating for this album was done sitting in a circle with all our gear and keeping eye contact with each other. As I said we now know when we have something that will last. We are a harmonic crowd of musicians and we have a very open atmosphere when we work. I also believe that is what makes us strong as a band. I mean it is quite fun to add a silent film piano into a quite hard song as The Dark Eternal Night with its seven-string riffs. But one must remember that such an approach demands a lot of time. We went on for nearly six months this time. Sometimes it is easy to feel that we lose focus and then it comes down to have a good team behind us. This time we worked with Paul Northfield as engineer and he has an impressive resume working with names such as Ruch, Queensryche and Porcupine Tree to mention a few. A strong team takens the edge of the pressure one can feel in the production phase, because it is important that we don´t lock ourselves.>>

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When reading about Dream Theater it is commonly discussed what different influences can be found in your music. Have I understood it right if I say that the scene of the dream theater not at all means to exclude influences but rather show them in its own manner? The usual situation is that bands claim their unique identity without having one.>>

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  - You are defenitely right on that one. It is a fine line towards the pretentious and we are very much aware about that, but we are not ashamed about trying to find influences and vibrations and interpret them in our own way. We are good musicians and want to think that we can bring in these elements in our own music in a good and balanced way. It is not about that we think that we can do it better than the originals. Our music is intricate and composed and I can perconally not see the contradiction in letting Prophets Of War sound like Muse or that we want a vibration of Iron Maiden and Opeth in In The Presence of Enemies and a bit like Metallica in Constant Motion. We try to make it in a playful manner with style and elegance and it is actually exciting to see what can be cone with contemporary influences. It should not be necessary to sound like Led Zeppelin just to claim a rock identity.>>

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You are known as a bit of a gear oriented musician and you have oyr own signature model produced by Music Man. Can you tell a bit about what you used in the studio this time?>>

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- My signature model JP-BFR has been updated a bit. It is made out of maple and mahogany with incredibly nice flame tops. We have taken away the carving on the front but we still have Piezo electronics which also facilitates a really nice clean tone. The pickups, the John Petrucci Signature from DiMarzio are as before passive, which fits my playing style he best. It goves a certain sensitivity and a more flexible tone. My preference of acoustic guitars is Taylor. The amplifiers used were mainly Mesa Boogie Mark IV, but we also used Roadkings and Lonestars, together with my old collection of stomp-boxes. A favourite is my chorus from T.C. Electronics. I think chorus is my prime signature sound when it comes to effects. 

Previously published in FUZZ