Favorite bands :
Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Third Day, Casting Crowns, Pantera, Pillar, Ratt, early to late 80's Motley Crue, The Rippingtons, Iron Maiden. Theres plenty of others too but man the list is long!
Favorite guitarists :
These were my main influeces when I first started playing guitar:
Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, Joe Striani, Steve Morse, Randy Rhoads, Stevie Ray Vaughan, etc., etc., etc.
Now: I dont think I really Listen to enough new music to say. I still like all those guys above but dont listen to them. I dont have any time to listen to what I like and I wont push my music on anyone. But there are the guys from Nickleback and 3 Doors Down, uhm, uhm, .... Anyway, I guy I Know Dave Turner who is wicked awesome on the guitar. If I knew someone who should be known, its HIM. A guy named Bob Barfield whos pretty damn badass.
Favorite bassists :
Cliff Burton. Geddy Lee.... Dont really know any bass players. I have only recently gotten another bass. I had one that got stolen from me a few years ago. I just do some basic things with it.
Favorite books :
Guitar, Guitar School, Guitar World, books by W.E.B. Griffin, Tom Clancy.
Favorite tv :
CNN, History Channel, House, old war movies that have some action and no love story in it, Two and a half men,
Favorite movies :
40 year old virgin, Poltergiest, School of Rock, Pick of Destiny. Toy Story, Shrek, Open Season, Meet the Fockers, Nine Months, One night Stand.
Music has been a life saver. I remember my sister got a guitar when I was about 7-8 yrs old and I wanted to play it. She didnt but I knew what I wanted. Then I met 2 cats that could jam your ears with these notes I never heard before. Learned the beginnings to Iron Man, Smoke on the Water and Stairway To Heaven. From there I heard Master Of Puppets album and KNEW that I would learn the guitar. I was going to be better than Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield. Well I thought I would anyway.
I got my first guitar a week before Christmas 1988. A Hondo H77, metallic red. Peice of junk with warped neck and all. Then I got a cream colored Hyundai with a single humbucker and straight maple board and from that guitar I learned that I could play. I didnt really feel any love for (or from) the Hondo, but that Hyundai opened my eyes.
I have been through a bunch of guitars since then. Id buy one at pawn shop and play it for a few months or weeks, take it apart, rewire it and take back to pawn shop for new guitar. Now I only have 2 electrics, 1 acoustic and a bass that was my brothers.
I like effects but dont use them very much. My favs are chorus, wah-wah, delay and reverb. I think using effects should be a minimal usage type of thing. What I mean by that is I dont believe that effects should be used to "cover up" or "mask" your music. Effects are there to enhance you music. So when I do use them I set them for 50 percent. Sometimes I feel like I need more but....
I used a Maestro Phaser for a few years. That was a killer effect when I was playing with Sean M. in Germany. He liked the "grunge" scene music from Seattle so I found it fairly useful. And it sounded better than any other phaser Ive messed with since. Still got it but its retired for now.
I dont really place too much empahsis on keeping a strict 4/4 time. My riffs tend to stretch to 5 beats long or longer. But still in a steady head bobbing rhythm. It all depends on what Im trying to get across. Maybe thats why I hear shit like "Man I cant do anything with that. Its not in time." I laugh when I hear that.
Not everything I write is good, but I do have some good stuff. I get into a groove sometimes and jam it till I cant stand it anymore. Sometimes Ill like something until I put drums to it and then I hate it. And if I hate it, you might as well hate it too. Why play something you dont like?
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bastratard profile, last updated : November 28, 2009
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