I’d interviewed The Cold Stares back in May. Quite a bit has transpired over summer for the band and their new EP, Hot Like Waco, just dropped. My short review is “It fucking kicks ass.” You can listen to two tracks from the EP in full, below. But I strongly urge you to check out the EP.

Okay, then. On to the interview.

G: How have things been since the last time we did this? What kind of responses have you been getting from folks who stumbled into you online?

TCS: It’s very cool to get emails from places where you wouldn’t expect. We’ve gotten mail from Germany and Japan, and rural places like South Dakota in the states. The internet is the worst/best as far as helping working musicians. At the end of the day it’s very gratifying to know that regardless of geography or culture, we all respond to music. We’ve got fans from all cultures, races and ages, I’m extremely proud that we are able to throw that wide of a net, while still being true to who we are.

G: Can you talk a little about the Hard Rock competition? Would you say being part of it has opened doors for you in ways you hadn’t anticipated?

TCS: Well, we both hate contests. But we did know going in that if we could win Nashville it would mean a ton of press, and that’s why we did it. Within a two week period of time we did more interviews and TV/Radio spots than most bands do in a year, so in that aspect it was phenomenal for getting our name out there.  And I have to give it to our team, Kate Richardson our PR rep was brilliant, Hard Rock Nashville and Lightning 100 as well. We all worked our arses off. It was very humbling how many people got behind us and campaigned for us to win. We stayed in the top four nationally the entire time, but to us honestly winning Nashville was the crown for us. Not trying to diss any of other bands that were in the finals, but honestly speaking none of those bands were as good as the bands we beat in Nashville. Nashville was decided by industry judges, and not online voting where the music wasn’t as important.

Nashville is really the hot spot in the country right now for rock and roll. Spin magazine and a lot of other publications are recently commenting on that. So yes, the Hard Rock thing really helped us get our name out. But the thing that has helped us more than anything is that our fans want to turn other people on to our music. I think it’s unique enough that a lot of people feel like they’ve discovered something, and that is great for us. I could brag on all the famous folks that have been out to our shows in the last 6 months, but I’d rather brag on the not so famous fans that knew the famous folks, and drug them out to see us. This whole thing really epitomizes the grass roots fundamentals.

G: I know it’s been only a few months but how have you, or the band, changed or evolved sound-wise? Did you retool your approach, tried new things, discarded some things that didn’t work? Referring to both gear and technique.

TCS: We’ve played so many dates in the last year and it’s definitely made us a better band. Sound wise we are sticking to what we do. We have branched out a little with tunes like “Red Letter Blues”, and a few others live, but I’m not that interested in taking it too far away from where we started.  We’ve had a great response doing what we do, and I think the formula is there.  No one wants to hear Muddy Waters do ballads. Or hear a techno version of Derek Trucks. I hate those albums where the first three tracks rock, and then they’ve got the ballad, and the radio tune. I much prefer an album like The Cults “Electric” where every tune is a punch to the face.

Gear wise I’ve tried some different things, but nothing I’ve stuck with. You don’t hear Rich Robinson or Angus Young change their tone around a lot, and I’m kind of from that school.

For this project I’ve really got 2 distinct guitar tones that come from my main De Lisle amp and a solid state monster that I use live. And then I’ve got the bass rig that is really what separate’s us from other 2 piece bands. Sonically we are a four piece band live.

I’m still endorsing and using the Campbell American Transitone for my main guitar. I think we have a unique approach and I think the Campbell’s being such a unique design, fit my style well. Both Campbell and De Lisle are top notch American companies and got behind us from the start before the success we’ve had. I have a love affair with the guitar, and you won’t see me playing some piece of shite Montgomery Ward live just because I’m trying to be cool. It’s like going into a sword fight with a letter opener. De Lisle is working on a new blues oriented amp called a “Morganfield”, that I’ll be adding to the line-up. 18 watts, class A, nice trem and verb, and a 15” speaker.

G: So let’s talk about the EP. Why an EP as opposed to a full-length album? How have you approached producing this differently than your previous recordings? Were some things refreshing, some frustrating?

TCS: EP – Well for a number of reasons. Marketing mostly. If you have a LP that has 13 songs, and its 15 bucks, a lot of people will buy three songs on iTunes and say they’ve figured you out.

We don’t want people to buy Jesus’ Brother James and think they know us. Red Letter Blues may take an extra week of listening, but it’s worth the time invested. So by putting out an EP and not making the singles available, you have to buy into four songs. We are banking on pulling you in with those four as a fan. And it’s only 5 bucks. And then we can release 2 EP’s a year, keep momentum rolling, instead of releasing one LP a year and things getting stagnant. Digital downloads has just changed everything, and the smart folks will evolve.

Production We are still studio pups. The first EP we went into a room at SUMA played the songs, asked Paul if that was a good take, he would nod, and we’d move on. No producer, no overdubs, nada.  This time we wanted to think out the sounds a little more and produce it ourselves a bit. Since the SUMA EP I had changed up my gear some and I wanted to concentrate a bit on the guitar tones as well, which I was unhappy with on the first record.  We still went into Indy and plugged in, and played live while they tracked. The only difference is we spent a little more time pre-green light dialing in the sounds, but even that was really done in the garage before we went up. I still don’t think we are at a point where we are getting what we are hearing in our heads, but it’s a progression. The next studio trip we’re tracking in Nashville, to tape, and with a producer that will play the role of Colonel dictating how things are done.

Refreshing/Frustrating- Refreshing because this time we had played the tunes for months in clubs and really could PLAY them. Most everything we did was first take stuff. We’ve been playing together in this project for a couple of years now, but have done more dates than the other bands I’ve been in over a 5 year span. So we are pretty comfortable and tight now to our own standards. I think the frustrating part was after feeling like we had really tracked well, we weren’t hearing that fidelity that we wanted in the end result. So we spent some time working with the Johnson’s on the mix until we felt better about it. Wasn’t really anyone’s fault, I think we were just all hearing it a bit different. And in the end, all recording was done in one day, so not so much different than SUMA except time put in after the fact mixing.

G: The sound on this new EP is heavier and crunchier, if I may, than before. You’ve packed each song with some amazing hooks.

TCS: Thank you very much.  I think the main difference in the heavier/crunchier bit is just my gear. The first EP I recorded a Firebird into an old Vox AC30. I wasn’t thrilled with the sound, but was kind of trusting Paul’s ears on the tone. I think in the end Paul was trusting mine. (laughing). On this EP I had the De Lisle Amp dialed into my tone, and was able to use the Campbell’s that I’d been used to live. Pop Machine has an ungodly amount of vintage amps and guitars at disposal, but I cut all main guitar tracks with the De Lisle, and used the Transitone and a Caledonian that Dean was kind enough to let me record with. I wanted to bring the guitars up a bit in the mix and focus on that more in the recording. It’s not exactly where I want to be, but I am much happier with it than the SUMA EP.

I never set out to write something with a hook, or something catchy. I just open myself up to the process, and what comes out-comes out. I don’t think there’s any Cold Stares song that lyrically I just didn’t just sit down and write out start to finish. Some songs like Jesus’ Brother James, I had memorized in my head before I even wrote it down. Writing a line, adding a second, repeating those two in my head adding a third, etc.  I am very proud of some of the songs lyrically like that, Jesus Brother James, or John from the first album- but I don’t always think the lyrics have to be mind blowing to make a great rock and roll song. Looking at most of our song structures they are almost punk like, not really anything outside a couple are more than 3 minutes. So I think they have more of a chance to be catchy because they are meat and bones. And obviously I have no one to stand in for me for an extended solo. (smiles)

G: Would you mind giving us a little background on:

a. Black Angel  b. Jesus’ Brother James  c. Red Letter Blues  d. Release You

Note: “Buy the whole set” link above will take you to the band’s CDBaby Page, not Guitarkadia’s.

Black Angel – I wanted a tune where we reversed things a bit. Usually I’ll have 1-2 guitar amps in the verses, and then bring the bass in on the chorus ala “Highway to Hell”.  This one the bass is in the verses with the guitar and then drops out of the chorus for more of an Iggy Pop type feel with the hand claps. Lyrically it’s just speaking about a dark crutch you keep returning to, and hate yourself for doing so.

Jesus Brother James - I was listening to AC/DC’s “Flick of the Switch” around this time, and I think that’s where the main riff came from. Chromatic bridge section has my Black Crowe’s influence. The chorus is just that heavy 70’s guitar rock groove that I dig. Lyrically when I wrote this I knew it was very special. A lot of times really early in the morning a whole song will come to me like a dream, or a movie scene. A lot of my songs are visual to me, and this one I could taste the desert sand. I wrote the entire song in five minutes in my head, and then put it down, picked up the scratch pad the next day and really had the chills. To me the song just brings up the point that someone did live in the house with Jesus, grew up around him, was witness to these things he did.

Red Letter Blues- I wanted to go back to my early Delta influences on this one, so lyrically a lot of it derives from that Son House type imagery. I was also reading a bit of Poe, so the letter reference is two fold, a written letter from her to him ending things, and a “red” or scarlet letter for her to wear signifying all her running around. Musically we wanted to play around with the middle section, and I had toyed with that eastern scale structure, so we incorporated that. The heavy chorus section is influenced by a live album I always loved by HSAS, an eighties Sammy Hagar and Neil Schon one off thing which was actually the first concert I had seen on TV. Brian really kills it on this one drum wise and to me is kind of his signature piece as well.

Release You - A bit of Zep’s “How many more times”, a bit of Van Morrison’s “Gloria”, and quite a bit of lust. I’ll leave this one at that.

G: What’s next for The Cold Stares? How’re you gearing up for 2011?

TCS: Recording with Mark Neill in Nashville and another recording project with Tres Sasser and Chris Grainger in the spring. Touring as much as possible in this area, and hopefully pitching these EP’s to secure some deals to go on to tour nationally in 2012 for the entire year. Nashville is really the hot bed for rock right now in the states, so we want to spend at least the next 6 months finishing building our base here and maybe 200 miles out. We can’t really travel to another city and set up any better show than we can play in Nashville to be honest.

G: Starting a new 1,2,3 section –
a. One song, other than your own, that describes the year 2010 for you.
Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac “oh well”

b. Two words you’ve grown close to this year.
Disappointment. Satisfaction.

c. Three people you’d like to meet as you look forward.
Billy Gibbons, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck. Jeez that was easy.

John by The Cold Stares

Before I go further, are you listening to the song above? (Lyrics and gear info at the end of this post)

There’s no need for a full intro by me of The Cold Stares. Lead guitarist and vocalist Chris Tapp shares his and his band’s history in such detail and care that anything I write will look weak. I will tell you, however, that the moment I clicked play on the first track ‘Release You’ on their MySpace page, I was hooked. The least possible words I can use to describe them is: “that shit is tight!!” Very scientific though.

A friend of Guitarkadia, Dean Campbell, introduced me to The Cold Stares. What pleasantly surprised me was the band comprises of no one else but Chris on guitar & vocals and drummer Brian Mullins. I don’t know if you’re ready on your end or not, but The Cold Stares is coming to everything near you. Very soon.

The Cold Stares:  Site + MySpace + Facebook + Twitter + YouTube + EP

Interview with Chris Tapp of The Cold Stares.

G:  When did you start playing guitar? Do you play any other instruments?

CT: I saw Jerry Lee Lewis on TV when I was 5 and was hooked, started taking piano lessons around that time. I remember my grand-dad always said if you learned piano you could have any woman you wanted. I do remember my piano teachers would get mad at me because I would listen to them play and then play it by ear back rather than reading correctly. I quit piano around 8th grade and taught myself to play guitar.  I can play a little of everything, although my drummer will tell you I’m no drummer.

G: What were some of the influential guitar players, albums you grew up with?

CT: First guitar player that I really took to was Hendrix. I remember when I was very young visiting some of my parent’s friends home, and their son had this poster of Hendrix on the wall, and he looked like song magical king from another planet with that Strat.  I can remember in high school when everyone was trying to play a 100 miles an hour, and listening to hair rock- I was still obsessing over creating sounds, like Hendrix did. First time I heard Zepp’s “Kashmir” I thought I’d discovered a new kind of music, I was obsessed. Like everyone else that really loves guitar, one door opens another.

So Hendrix and Page led me to Buddy Guy and Peter Green, who led me to Muddy and John Lee Hooker, who led me to Son House, Bukka White, Skip James, and that pure vein of blues.  There has been times in my life that I felt like I couldn’t handle things, and I could put on Robert Johnson or “When Can I Change My Clothes” by Bukka, and feel like I’d been dipped in the river and brought up a new man. Probably the other heavy influence on me guitar wise was folks that also draw from that same well, Doyle Bramhall,  Luke Janklow, Rich Robinson, and obviously Page. To me Page is probably the perfect example of a guitarist who has a reverence for the roots, but has really taken it to new places.

I can’t imagine what the guitar landscape would look like today minus Page and Hendrix’s contribution.  I went on a church retreat when I was 16, and some kids had smuggled Black Sabbath’s first record and Led Zeppelin 2, we went in this basement and played it on this old dusty record player- and they were both just so powerful.  Certainly changed my vision. And early Billy Gibbons, jeez, if I owned a town I’d name it after that guy.

G: Can you talk a little about your gear & setup? How would you describe your sound? Was it easy/hard to find it?

CT: Gear. Well, it’s really been an evolution over the last couple of years. Currently I’m playing Campbell American Guitars exclusively. I’ve owned a lot of guitars, and as Dean [Campbell] says- they are tools, but for this gig nothing else really would work. The Transitone’s are really my guitar.  First of all I needed something unique, because this band live just is really different than other bands you’ll see live.

Custom Brown Tung Oil Transitone

Secondly, I needed something that could push the amps well, but also something that wasn’t overly mushy. It’s just me up there,  and there is no safety net for me to rely on if I’m off, so I really have to depend on the guitars and amps.  My number one is a Nitro finish lilac, 59 in the bridge that is just early Gibbons’ balls.  My number two is a tung oil Transitone with two Duncan Phat Cats and Americana looking pickguard. I use this guitar on songs with more clean parts.  It’s very 335ish, but has a nice thick  bottom end bite on it.  It’s got that Mississippi Queen tone as well.  Also use a Terrasonic sparingly. It’s more of a studio guitar for me, as it can really cover ANY sound. Got a fatback early Tele style neck and really sustains for years.

de Lisle 30P Tube Amp

For amps I’m using a de Lisle custom 30 head for my main tone.  Jer, the owner really dials in his amps to be “there”, and did that for me based on my style. He custom built me a head that is really a piece of art, sonically and visually.

de Lisle Custom Switching Pedal

He’s also brilliant with electronics in general and designed a custom switching pedal for me that did away with the ground hum’s I dealt with on the Morley’s. Both Campbell and De Lisle are really artist based manufacturers. I feel like both of them do well because they really are intent on making the artists rig come alive.

My sound?  Well in my head we are always playing “Highway to Hell” and I’m playing Angus, Malcolm, and Cliff Williams. Angus starts, Malcolm drops in, and Cliff drops in  the bass via the chorus.  I use 3-4 amps on stage, and I weave them in and out and kinda think of them as other players.  That really monstrous sound that we get is the unison lines rolling with every amp lit up. I can’t quite get away with chording with the bass amp and other amps all on, although I do have some tricks.  So I’m standing in front of all those amps, all voiced in different tonal areas and octaves, and all blasting a unison line it’s quite “Iron Man”, or “Dazed and Confused”.

I probably took me a year to really get the amps/sound dialed in.  It’s rather unconventional,  and it really wouldn’t work with just a mess of amps.  Each amp is voiced different, and really cover a lot of sonic ground.  My signal flow goes from guitar, to my custom designed De Lisle channel switcher pedal, to the guitar amps, and then one signal goes to a on-stage laptop with a custom program that converts the guitar signal 2 and 3 octaves down and through a Ampeg simulator.  That signal then gets split, one to the house, and the other to my old Peavey Bass stack that has built in distortion. I think the bass amp was on the road with Molly Hatchet mid seventies.  It’s loud and furry.

I had been using high watt fenders as my main tone prior to the De Lisle custom Jer built me.  The De Lisle really has improved the sound, rounded it out, made it more warm, and less harsh than the fenders. It’s the most responsive amp I’ve ever played. It really make its feel like you, the guitar and the amp are all dialed into the same power circuit.  It FEELS as good as it sounds.   It’s the one amp that is always on, and really the main element to my tone along with the Campbells.  If my tone is a cake, the De Lisle and the Transitones are my eggs and sugar.  Took about a year of playing out, and trying different things to land here, but I really think we have gotten to a place that’s different than anything that’s been done before, and I am very proud of that and extremely thankful to Campbell and De Lisle for helping me get here.

G: How did The Cold Stares come to be? Why decide it to be a duo and why that name? Despite the MySpace description of the band’s sound, what gives your music the ‘The Cold Stares’ sound? Also does being a rock group in Nashville have its dis/advantages?

Brian Mullins & Chris Tapp

CT: Man, great questions. I’ll keep it simple. Brian and I had played in other bands, had gotten very close to record deals before, and had some good success with other projects.  I always felt like we were trying to do what was expected of us in those types of bands. Listening to labels, or managers that were trying to mold you into the flavor of the month. I had given up on anything that resembled success, and just wanted to jam. More than anything, we just love to play. So we didn’t want to add a bass player into a project when we were not really setting out to play a bunch of gigs, or try to get signed,etc. It wasn’t long before we had gotten excited about playing a few of these songs we were jamming out in the garage, and suddenly we were missing the bottom end to fill things out.  Rather than try to pull someone else in, I started experimenting with covering some of those parts, and it just really led to a unique sound. And it just felt so much better to be playing things that came naturally.  When I’ve sat down and picked up a guitar since I was in high school, riffs like John, Jesus Brother James, and Kings are just what naturally come out.

The name came from a Black Crowes song I love, “Stare It Cold”.  And it fit, because we’d walk on stage and folks would think we were Simon and Garfunkel with just the two of us, and then we’d sound like Black Sabbath backing Muddy Waters- which would always leave folks mouths open and generate The Cold Stares.
Sound wise, it’s just the only thing we can do. And I’m glad of that. Glad to be in that group of bands that just does what they do, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, The Black Crowes,etc.  You won’t be seeing us doing love songs, wearing guy liner, or doing something that we’ll be embarrassed of in ten years. We melt faces as our friends Carswell say. All these other bands can try to be Muse or Coldplay and play disco.  We play our brand of heavy blues and we live and breath what we play.  Nothing more exciting that to see someone that belongs doing what they do.  As Cheap Trick said, no one else is as good at being Cheap Trick than Cheap Trick. We are proud of who we are and feel the same.

Nashville. Well the problem with Nashville is Nashville.  It’s about money.  I mean seriously, there is only a select group of folks really playing Country anymore, and God Bless them for it.  The rest of them are all failed pop stars, ex christian rock singers, or retired hair rock bands.  They all think that adding fiddle to a 1/2 cooked Journey song is going to make them rich.  And maybe it will.  But there is a counter-culture in Nashville that really has nothing to do with that scene.  And it’s full of the most talented folks I’ve ever been exposed to.  Clubs like 3rd and Lindsley and the Hard Rock Cafe are really committed to showcasing the cities talent outside of that cookie cutter country scene, and so many folks are working together to give the under belly of the city a voice.  I’d put this cities non-country talent up against any city in the world and we’d hold our own. Radio stations like Lightning100 have huge cult followings because they are true to cities real sound, which is actually VERY eclectic.

G: What are some of the best moments you remember from recording ‘The Cold Stares’ EP?

CT: Shit. Pizza from up the road from Paul’s studio. LOL.  We blew into Cleveland, spent a afternoon recording, and mixed the next morning. Was great just being in a room where such magic has been made, but in the end, we were in and out too quick to really enjoy.  We love Cleveland, and had a great time getting out and seeing the city.  She ain’t no Nashville, but a close second….

G: Congratulations on winning the Nashville chapter of ‘Ambassadors of Rock’! What would it mean to win the big prize?

Ambassadors of Rock - Winners Nashville

CT: Would mean everything. I mean they are really offering you everything that everyone wants as far as being successful in music.  Doesn’t get much better than playing at Hyde Park in front of 100 thousand people, opening for McCartney, Pearl Jam and Stevie Wonder. Thing is, if we didn’t go further than Nashville- we are still honored.  We played against some bands that I would pay money to see 5 nights a week, and won. But now that we are here- we want this for us and Nashville more than anything.  May 25th through June 6th you’ll be able to go onto www.hardrock.com and see the five city finalists videos, vote for your favorite city, and give some band the success that all bands work for.  It’s narrowed to around 20 cities now, and after the celebrity judges vote it will be the final 5. We hope, believe and pray that Nashville will be there,  and we ask you all to please vote for Nashville if we are. We have the best fans in the world, seriously, and a support team around us that is insane. We really hope we can win it for all of us.

G: Tell us how you’re active in the social media world and how we can keep up with the goings on of The Cold Stares?

CT: Well we are on all the sites, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube.  We are really trying to put together a drive for adds on our Facebook and twitter so we can update fans in the event that we make the final 5. So if your reading this, please check us out on Facebook and send us as many friends as you can! (all links at the beginning of this post)

Behind the Song: JOHN from the EP The Cold Stares

I was listening to Son House’s “Levee Camp Blues” when this song came to me.  Those old delta songs just play like a movie in my head, and hearing Son talk about his lady waiting on him to come off the dock with the dough, just put this story in my head.
I wrote the song once I got the notion in about 5 minutes.  Music is just riff based, and keeps it pretty simple.  Just a nice heavy groove.  Basic story line is, guy has his girl, and he works on the gulf. After his pay from working on the boat is gone his girl moves on, and he finds out while he’s been gone his girl has taken up with “john” who works as a local gravedigger.  So he tells his girl he’ll be gone back to the boat, but comes home and waits for John to show up. Takes John down to the river and has him dig his own grave, shoots him and drops him in it. Decides that’s not right, and heads home and brings his girl back to stay with John. Classic delta folklore.

Gear used:

Transitone through a ac30 is the main tone, a fender and the bass amp. I use a envelope custom pedal to get the weird 2nd guitar tone in the break. We cut this one, one take in Cleveland at Suma. A favorite live.

John by The Cold Stares

Lyrics-
“Had me a job on a boat, sailed on the deep blue sea
everytime I come home, she was waiting on the dock for me
when that boat didn’t sail, and the money was all gone through….
she found her a boy named john, they said john had dug a grave or two.

john won’t you dig that grave
john won’t you dig that grave
john won’t you dig that grave
gonna bury you in that hole someday

gave my love a kiss, told her I was gone
snuck back home that night, and I waited there for john
and to johns surprise, I had a gun when he arrived
and we took us both a ride, down by the riverside

john won’t you dig that grave
john won’t you dig that grave
john won’t you dig that grave
gonna bury you in that hole someday

john dug a hole too deep
didn’t want him to be alone
so I drove back home that night
and I brought that bitch along
and when that sun did rise
and when that cock did crow
I laid her by his side, down there in that hole

john won’t you dig that grave
john won’t you dig that grave
john won’t you dig that grave
gonna bury you in that hole someday

** Photos, song, and lyrics courtesy of The Cold Stares. [Thank you!]

Part One

Rick Stone: Site +  MySpace +  Facebook +  Albums + Upcoming Gigs

Check out Rick’s network of NY Jazz Guitarists.

Part 2: Technique & tips.

Many more interviews coming up: Subscribe or follow me on Twitter.

You will love Part 3 as Barbosa-Lima gives a hands-on demo of his technique and style. This is perhaps the next best thing to taking a one-on-one private lesson with him.

If you’d like to see him perform at Carnegie Hall on the 24th, go here.

Part One +  Part Two +  Part Three

Click here for mobile version

Part One – Part Two – Part Three

See Barbosa-Lima live at Carnegie Hall – April 24th.

Click here for mobile version

Back in October of 2009, I had the great honor of sitting with the great Carlos Barbosa-Lima, considered one of the foremost interpreters of classical and Brasilian music, for a 2-hr interview. He generously shared with me stories, anecdotes, lessons, and advice; to be able to document that was a privilege.

A big thank you to Zoho Music and The New York Classical Guitar Society for arranging this interview and making me feel welcome!

Part One: Behind the scenes mini-doc. Childhood & Early Years. Also featuring Lawrence Del Casale.

Part Two: Touring, lessons with Segovia, Bonfa, Savio, and thoughts on Merengue, his latest recording.

Part Three: On technique, phrasing, arranging, and practice. Tips & advice on performance (jam packed w/ examples).

Don’t miss the next two episodes. Subscribe to blog or follow me on Twitter.

Carlos Barbosa-Lima will be playing at Carnegie Hall on April 24th, in celebration of his 50th recording.

Part Two +  Part Three

Click here for mobile version

If you haven’t, check out Yeman’s guest post from yesterday. There’s also a medley of his originals you don’t want to miss.

Yeman Al-Rawi: MySpace + YouTube + MacJams

G: What were you listening to when you were little?

YA: I grew up listening to rock and heavy metal mainly (a common thing for young people in the Middle East). I listened to some blues, some classic, and some pop in-between, but I was (and actually still is) a fan of rock music. I remember Metallica being (and to a certain level still is) my favorite band, along with Rammstein, Iron Maiden… also Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and even Westlife!

Every now and then, I’d go back and listen to some of the good ol’ stuff from that era.

G: Do you come from a musical family?

YA: My parents are huge music fans, and they listen to everything that’s good. However, it’s just me and my brother who actually play an instrument. My father had a music/video store and there always were good music to listen to. At home, my brother and his friends enjoyed rock, prog-rock, and heavy metal stuff… I used to listen to all of that around my house and family.

G: How did you learn to play guitar?

YA: I started, when I was about 6, with a friend of my dad who used to work him in the store (mentioned previously). He would put on some blues music and start jamming along on an acoustic guitar. He taught me some basic chords that got me started to know how to play a few folk songs; Banks of the Ohio, House of the Rising Sun, No Women No Cry, Let It Be, and a few others were among the first songs I learned.

Guitar, back then, wasn’t my main instrument. I was “learning” piano and music theory. At 6, I started taking piano lessons from a student of one of the middle-east’s best pianists, Saad Mahmood Hikmat. But after the war, I had to stop. However, I called back my teacher and started taking lessons again after the war. Still, the unstable situation of Baghdad, along with me not being able to comprehend music theory well, made it hard to continue and I had to quit.

Although the guitar wasn’t my main instrument at the time, it had always been there around the house. My brother started taking electric guitar lessons and he inspired me to pick up the guitar once again. It wasn’t until I moved to Syria that I took the guitar seriously, though.

G: What did you practice and what was the routine like?

YA: I started first with simple basic chords and then I developed myself with the help of my brother or, in fact, through ‘stealing’ from my brother; he would be practicing in his room and I come in, look at/memorize his fingerings, and the next day I’d have most of it down!

Nowadays, practice is coming mainly through listening to albums and watching videos. I’m addicted to YouTube! For example, I download stuff and slow ‘em down and pick up licks, chords… etc. I love how helpful internet can be…

Plus, my brother is now a fabulous guitar shredder, so every now and then he’d throw some licks to me and share some tips on how to improve technique, speed, and accuracy.

G: What was your first composition?

YA: I wrote my first 2 pieces back in 2006 on the same day (I was in Syria at the time). They were “Opinion” and “Grief Effect.” I have some ideas in mind regarding those first 2 pieces. It has been a while since I played them…:/

G:  Talk about your guitar. Why you like it and what effects/pedals you use.

YA: I have a beautiful Ibanez PF5ECE acoustic/electric guitar. It’s deep, loud, comfortable, and pretty good lookin’! I received it as a gift from a group of dear friends as a “welcome to the US.” It’s very special. Whenever I get to meet musicians, I’d get them to sign it. So far, I’ve got Billy McLaughlin, Antoine Dufour, Craig D’Andrea, Don Ross, and Tommy Emmanuel to sign it.

I don’t use any sort of effects or pedals. I record my music in my very mini home-studio; a mic, an interface, and a Mac (also a gift from a friend).

As far as the guitar electronics and recording process: I have a built-in “Fishman” pickup in my guitar, but I don’t really like it because of its artificial, lifeless sound. I never liked the sound of an acoustic pickup… depth and wood is what the acoustic guitar is about! For the recording, I capture 2 signals at once; a mic signal and a pickup one. I get the real, natural acoustic tone from the mic, and the treble/brightness from the pickup. After combining them, with minimum reverb and EQ additions, I get that “big, fat, and full” sound. I use Garageband (for recording) on my Mac, as well as Adobe Audition (for editing) on the PC.

G: Advice for guitar players who’re starting out and what they should focus on if they want to be a guitar player like you.

YA: The best advice I can give is really to listen to music, listen to as much music as possible. Discover musicians… you have YouTube for millions of videos, and you have iTunes for millions of songs. Also, it’s always good to listen to a variety of style… be open-minded when it comes to styles. I started with rock and ended with fingerstyle (and different genres in fingerstyle itself), but I listened to everything in-between; I didn’t like jazz music before, but now jazz artists are main influences on my playing. I never thought that I’d be listening to Rap, but “The Eminem Show” made it to the list of my top favorite albums of all time!!!

As far as guitar, you can start just like everybody else: basic chords, basic scales, and simple songs. Then you’ll gradually develop. Practicing is the key, but always remember that “feeling” is what will get to the people, not necessarily “skills.” Work on both, though!!!

Part One + Part Two

Melvin Gibbs: Bio +  MySpace + Facebook +  Twitter

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Part One.

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