It was a cold dark Friday afternoon when I got the call, “Uncle Alice wants to speak to you!” As I held the receiver, my heart raced, my palms got sweaty, and the hair rose on the back of my neck.

It was the call I feared yet the call I had been waiting so long for. It was my time to face the patron saint to the outsiders, the man who has been killed more times on stage than any human, the iconic rocker who turned music in macabre, the Master of Shock Rock who sold his soul in to sell millions of records in order to get into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame!

It was my turn now! I could hear him breathing on the other end of the phone. Suddenly a voice called out to me… “It’s Alice!” I knew from that moment there was no turning back, life as I knew it would never be the same again!

As I asked my questions about his summer tour with Iron Maiden, about his touring band, and his thought process behind his latest CD, Welcome 2 My Nightmare, I sat on the edge of my seat, listening to his every response, hanging on to every word as if my life depended on it.

Luckily, I happened to have my recorder handy to capture his every word so I can share them with you…..his loyal subjects!

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Rob Cavuoto: I must say, out of all the concert tours this summer I’m excited the most about the Iron Maiden/Alice Cooper bill. It’s the perfect pairing of two high-energy, theatrical rock bands.  Can you tell us about how this double-fisted bill came about?

Alice Cooper: We’ve known Iron Maiden forever and we’re all friends. It’s great when you’re going out on tour with your friends. We went out with Rob Zombie and we are like brothers. Everyone in both bands is friends and get along great. From the road crew to the manager, we’re all friends. We had fun every night.

There was never one moment of conflict. I’m sure it will be that same with Iron Maiden. We’re both pros and would never let anything get in the way of giving a great show. There are no ego problems between Bruce and me. We’re a guest on their bill. On our days off we’ll go out and do our own headlining solo shows.

Rob: Looking back on your extensive touring history, has there ever been a favorite or most memorable touring partner?

Alice Cooper: Back in the day we opened for two bands, Frank Zappa and The Doors. Frank was our producer so we got along well with him and The Doors were like our big brothers. I think they taught us to treat our opening acts with the greatest of respect. So in turn we never talk down to our opening bands or treat them like the red-headed step kids.

I was an opening act and was treated well so I want to treat them the way I treat my own band. Give them all the respect and leeway so they can put on a great show. I know people who go on tour and end up sabotaging each other. I say to myself, “Why would you do that?”

That’s just guys who don’t have control of their own egos. When you’re doing stuff like that there’s really something going wrong.

Rob:  Every year like clockwork, I can count on the fact that Alice Cooper will be playing a town near me. How do you keep touring exciting for you, as well as your fans year after year?

Alice Cooper: I think you have to change the show up. My show has a reputation that it’s going to be different from anything they’ve even seen before. Even if they have seen it before, there will be some new aspects or some new songs that we added to change it up.

No matter if we’re playing in front of 500 people or 5 million, we’ll give it our all and make it the best show you’ve ever seen. We really only know how to do it that one way!

When the curtain goes up, it’s an all-out assault on the audience. When I get off stage and I’m exhausted I know that I gave that audience everything I have! And the next night I’m going to do it all over again.

I never get tired of the songs once I see the crowd’s reaction to the opening guitar on “I’m Eighteen,” “Poison” or “No More Mr. Nice Guy.” If you have a toothache or headache, the adrenaline kicks in and takes care of it once you hit the stage.

Rob: Are you planning any new theatrics for this tour with Iron Maiden?

Alice Cooper: With Maiden there isn’t a lot of time in the set to do a lot of theatrics. We know that fans what to hear the hits. There isn’t the time to get into a theatrical bit when you’re only playing for an hour.

If you know Alice Cooper it won’t be too much of a surprise, but if you are an Iron Maiden fan and have never seen Alice Cooper, we’re going to surprise the hell of you. Maybe they heard about the legend of Alice Cooper but now they are going to be experiencing it. When we do our own hour and 45 minute show, that’s when we have all our surprises.

Rob: Tell me who will be rounding off your touring line-up?

Alice Cooper: We have Orianthi, Tommy Henriksen and Ryan Roxie back on guitars. Steve Hunter who is one of the great American guitar players and played with us last year, will not be joining us this tour, as it’s getting harder for him to tour due to his failing vision. He can only see about 18 inches in front of him, he’s almost blind.

Ryan and Orianthi are back and a show on to themselves. On drums we have Glen Sobel and on bass, Chuck Garric. Chuck has been with me for 12 or 13 years. We have an amazing band for this tour with some classic rock guitarists up there.

Rob: You have had a long history of playing with some very talented guitar players?

Alice Cooper: I always believe in surrounding myself with great guitarists. That’s very important to me. I only want to be with the rock players, the guys playing the middle of the neck like Slash and Joe Perry.

They’re the true rock guitar players.

I’m not looking for the guy who can play all the triplets at super-fast speeds, even though Orianthi can do it. When I look at my guitar players guitar necks, I want to see the middle frets worn out!

Rob: How has it been working with Orianthi?

Alice Cooper: When she first started the tour a year ago she had to learn 28 songs. She learned how to travel and tour with the band. Once she got comfortable with us she started to get more theatrical. On the first night she looked like Orianthi, on the second night her hair got bigger, her make-up got more extreme.

By the end of the tour her hair was wild, she had blood coming out of her mouth, she wrote “Help me” on her arms like in the Exorcist.

I’m glad when the tour ended because I wasn’t sure where she was headed next [Laughing]. She did a 100 city tour around the world; she really got her stage bones on that tour. I tell my band, when I step back I want you guys to step forward and take the show!

Rob: What advice would the present day Alice Cooper give to the Alice Cooper of the ‘70s with the drinking and excess?

Alice Cooper: First of all you have to remember there were two distinct Alice’s. When I first started Alice, I played him as a victim; I wanted him to be society’s victim, so we cut his head off and hung him.

There was this great audience of outsiders who were not listening to Crosby Still & Nash at the time. They were listening to Zappa, Captain Beefheart and Alice Cooper. There was a ton of them and I was their patron saint, because I was the personified victim on stage. I noticed it in my posture and in the way I sang. I was a beaten down dog on stage.

As soon as I quit drinking, I realized that I didn’t want to play Alice like that anymore. The next time I put on the Alice suit, my posture went straight up and my chin lifted. I decided that I was going to play this Alice as a villain, a total arrogant villain.

Like an Alan Richman type “Cancel Christmas” (in a ghoulish voice) over blown yet funny in some ways. Alice is serious at times, very angry at other times, and down-right vicious in other places yet he may slip on a banana peel and be total slap stick too.

I like the fact that the new Alice doesn’t play a victim; he is this Captain Hook, “I’m in charge!” type of character.

This Alice is now sober, that Alice was anything but sober and if I was to give him any advice, I think this Alice would tell him to keep doing what he’s doing, “you’re doing exactly what you should be doing.” You’re playing this victim to the teeth and it works. It’s not time to for you to play the villain yet, you’re not good enough to play the aggressive villain. You’re going to have to get sober in order to do that.

Rob: Do you think he would take your advice?

Alice Cooper: I think he would, as that Alice was not a stupid guy. He was one of those characters that came off as drunk, tired, and beaten up, but in reality; a lot of it was acting. He was very aware of what was going on. The funny thing was that I drank everyday but never on stage.

When I was doing a movie I never drank during the making of the movie.  If we were doing a TV show, I never drank during the TV show. When I was working I was never depended on anything to get me through the show. It was the other 22 hours of the day that were a problem.

Rob: I heard a rumor that Welcome 2 My Nightmare might be your last CD – any truth to that?

Alice Cooper: Absolutely not! In fact we have already written half of the next record. I was in the studio with Bob Erzin and he happened to mention that it was the 30th Anniversary of Welcome to My Nightmare. I went, “Why don’t we give Alice another nightmare?” Not part two, not a continuation; let’s give him a whole new nightmare. Let’s give him a whole new set of circumstances, rather than another “Cold Ethyl.”

What would be a nightmare for him now? Alice is way too old school for technology; he won’t like disco, hip hop, or rap. So let make sure we write “Disco Boogie Bloodbath Fever” and make a total shambles of it. We just started to create other scenarios, like having a 9 to 5 job that would be a nightmare for him. That gave us more freedom and in turn got a most diverse CD out of the theme.

On the first CD we had this theme going that Steven could not wake up and these horrible things kept happening. In the new Nightmare, things happen, but more of them, stranger things, awful things so that it was really dream-like. The devil ended up being Keshia and she wasn’t a scary devil, she was more of a seductress. I thought that was a great way to approach the devil on the CD.

Rob: Were there any songs/nightmares that didn’t make the CD?

Alice Cooper: We had 8 or 9 songs that didn’t make the CD. We had to pick the ones that best move the story along. For the next CD, we will go back and review those songs to see if any of them fit into what we are doing. Nine times out of ten there are usually one of two songs that will work.

The show had been advertised on local classic rock radio for months and die hard fans were at the venue hours before hand, awaiting the entrance gates to swing open. One would be hard pressed to find a tour lineup that can boast more combined top 40 hits and platinum recordings than that of Ted Nugent, REO Speedwagon and STYX; not to mention each act brings more than 40 years in the business to the stag,e respectively.  

Though personnel and line ups have changed over the years, the love of live performance and bringing the music live to the people for each of these artists has not.  Maybe it’s those American values they bring with them to the stage every night…love of country, honor for the military, the demonstration of giving it your best through hard work, integrity and loyalty.  Even in tough economic times, the fans keep coming back…and on this night, they’re going to get their money’s worth.

It’s a beautiful spring Friday evening and the cool breeze blowing through the amphitheater known as Jiffy Lube Live! in Bristow, Virginia, is soon overtaken by the raging whirlwind known as Ted Nugent.  Fans are excited to see Derek St. Holmes, the original singer and guitarist for The Ted Nugent Band along side ‘Uncle Ted” as his “BBQ” begins.  Within minutes “Wango Tango” is rattling the rafters and everyone is on their feet.

With three acts on the same bill, set lists would have to be slightly abbreviated, but that didn’t mean there would be a shortage of classics, as well as a few surprises.  Nugent provided “Just What the Doctor Ordered” (pun intended and song played), “Free for All”, “Cat Scratch Fever” and “Stranglehold” and other hits as well as a cover of Hendrix’  “Red House”, all the while weaving in humor and politically charged commentary, much to the delight of the suburban D.C. audience.

Following a complete stage set change, REO Speedwagon took to the stage as the guitar roar of Dave Amato got the crowd on their feet and rocking with their hit ‘Don’t Let Him Go”, quickly followed by “Take it on the Run”.  Front man Kevin Cronin led the express trip through decades of rockers and ballads, each of which had fans dancing and singing along to what must be a great deal of the soundtrack of their lives.  The hits are too numerous to name…”Can’t Fight This Feeling”, ‘Time For Me to Fly”, “Roll With The Changes” and more. All played with the joy and enthusiasm as the day they were recorded.  At times, it’s difficult to determine who is having more fun, the listener or the player…and that’s what makes for a special show.

The evening’s last stop on the “Midwest Rock-n-Roll Express” brings STYX into the station, wasting no time getting the rock going with the familiar organ refrain of “Blue Collar Man” soaring into the clear Bristow sky, as the ever youthful Tommy Shaw leaves no square foot of the stage unexplored while the cerebral James “JY” Young rips his axe to shreds, looking on approvingly.

Once again, every song is a hit, every word is sung by the audience and every note of each solo is air guitar’d along to.  “The Grand Illusion”, “Too Much Time on My Hands”, “Lady”, “Fooling Yourself”, “Come Sail Away”, “Renegade” and so many others would keep the party going until it was time for the train to leave the station and the ‘Midwest Rock-n-Roll Express” would be on it’s way to another town in another place.  If there’s a stop at a “station” near you, make sure you have a ticket and climb aboard.  You’ll enjoy the ride!

GALLERY:

The “Lefty” Custom 24 features a maple top (choice of flame or quilt), mahogany back, 24 fret mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard, “old school” abalone bird inlays, PRS’s redesigned 5-way blade switch, which offers a dual humbucker option, and 59/09 treble and bass pickups with contoured bobbins (new for 2012) that arc with the strings for a more spread out, open tone. 10-top flame or quilt maple as well as gold, nickel, or hybrid hardware are also available options.

There is no limit to the number of guitars PRS will make for this run, but the order window for the Lefty Custom 24 is May 15 – July 15, 2012 only. Interested customers can place orders with their authorized PRS dealer during the ordering timeframe or check in with an authorized PRS dealer at any time to see what configurations they have available.

When it was announced that the legendary Gregg Allman, singer, songwriter, keyboardist, and guitarist of one of music’s most influential bands, the equally legendary, landmark, Allman Brothers Band, was penning his personal memoirs, I very much looked forward to reading the autobiography of one of music’s most gifted and iconic artists. And upon reading Allman’s tremendous document, My Cross To Bear, what a thoroughly compelling, riveting, and wonderfully enjoyable book it is.

After considering several titles, Allman settled on aptly titling his life chronicle after the song, “It’s Not My Cross To Bear”, which he wrote for the Allman Brothers Band’s 1969 debut album.  Only for the book’s abridged adaptation version, “My Cross To Bear” of Allman’s song title, it more than references the heavy load of life, endured by this world weary musical road warrior’s inspiring life odyssey.

Just as many of the countless, stunning songs that Allman has composed throughout his storied life have been deeply personal, resolute, and autobiographical, Allman’s memoirs lay bare his innermost soul. He speaks of his long struggle with, many rehab attempts at and ultimately successful sobriety over, years of self destructive drug and alcohol abuse. The book covers its  ravages on his health, (culminating in Allman’s successful liver transplant in 2010), decades of turmoil, feuds, dissolution and reconciliations within the Allman Brothers Band. He opens up with loving memories and recollections of the heart involving the unforgettable people whose lives most touched his, with Gregg’s deepest reverence and love for his late older brother, legendary slide guitarist Duane Allman.

In a January 2002 interview with me, Gregg related that, “Well, they say you don’t have to have the blues to sing the blues, but it helps if you know what they are….if you had them before. And I have gone through one whole lot….two, three, lifetimes of fun and maybe one and a half of struggle and pain, or at least my share, let’s put it that way. I’ve been through my share of trouble and woe. I’m not unfamiliar to it, that’s for sure.”

No stranger to a life crossed by the seemingly unstoppable onslaught of the lowest of valleys, but also the highest of mountain tops, plagued at times by tragic events and personal and professional hardships, Allman transcends all through his steadfast perseverance, resilience, redemption, and triumphs. Allman’s new book is deeply confessional and introspective, painfully brutal, emotionally wrenching and powerfully cathartic, reflecting the intense pain and many scars that he’s accumulated in his turbulent life.

Yet, Allman’s comprehensive life story is also imbued with deeply fulfilling, touching, poignant, and emotionally uplifting personal and professional relationships, inspirational creativity and artistry, and endless rewards of the heart, that have shaped and informed his music, his career, and his life.

Throughout Allman’s moving and insightful narrative, he speaks with equal moments of reflective candor, wistful and pensive melancholy, and exuberant joy for the long, creative life journey that he has experienced.

Unlike many of the recent bitter and caustic, tell all, autobiographies of rockers Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Motley Crue, Allman’s book while still exploring the plaintive darkness that has often shaded his life, is also a surprisingly sweet, warmly humored, and deeply affectionate personal document that is just beautifully written.

Allman recounts and often regales with great exuberance and wistful joy, his and Duane’s childhood, their musical beginnings, and earliest musical experiences. He tells about honing their musical chops, starting from their high school dances, then touring cross country as the Allman Joys and The Hourglass, to Duane’s tenure with the 31^st February, to Gregg being forced to stay in L.A. and fulfill his contract with Liberty Records. He reflects on the moment when getting that infamous life changing phone call from Duane who was living back east in Jacksonville, Florida, to come join what would evolve into the seminal, Allman Brothers Band.

After Duane’s and bassist Berry Oakley’s  tragic and untimely passings, Gregg discusses how he pondered whether or not the band should soldier on. Thankfully, and all the better for us, the phenomenal, “Brothers Of The Road” realized how much they loved making and playing music.

Allman also generously peppers his book with tremendous anecdotes that are often imbued with a sweet, warmhearted, and delightfully witty, sense of humor.  One story that Gregg relates, begins with Duane’s passing, and sets in motion an affectionate, playful windup with Gregg’s tongue planted firmly in cheek as he expounds with seriousness to his readers, that after Duane died, people only remember and spoke of the good things about Duane – to which Gregg then brings up that there were indeed “shi* parts to my brother as well”.   Then as you fully expect Gregg to spill some shocking evils about Duane, Gregg proceeds to kiddingly and fondly accuse Duane of committing the ultimate crime of waking up in the morning with bed head hair…and there’s much more about Duane where that exuberantly fond whimsy came from, regaled throughout the book from Duane’s little “baybrah” Gregg, [Duane’s affectionate nickname for his baby brother].

Gregg’s spot on droll opinions of The Grateful Dead, and especially, his deadpan delivery observations recounting how playing the guitar changed him from being a budding virgin into becoming a mature man of pleasure, are beyond priceless.  “Girls had never noticed me until I bought a guitar, and for a while I thought, “Well, is it because I play music?  What if I sold insurance?”

My favorite story, and Allman’s good natured wit is indeed in rare form here,  iswhen he recounts his hilarious experiences during his solo band’s tour of Europe in the late 70’s accompanied by his then wife Cher, with who he had just also recorded and released their 1977 duet album, “Two The Hard Way”.  Both Gregg and Cher each had their own unique camp of just slightly overly zealous fans and when the two singers performed onstage together, things got a little messy between the two fan bases who didn’t quite mix well together, to say the least.

But, it is Allman’s remarkable gifts as a storyteller, when imparting the most unforgettable and meaningful cornerstone moments that have strengthened his purposeful resolve, and that have defined his career and life, that truly make Allman’s life and book so moving. He reveals, despite the immense adversity he has known, ultimately, that his life has indeed been very worthwhile, joyous, and uplifting.

Moments that stand out in Allman’s reflections.  Gregg’s immense sense of family, as he and Duane forged an unbreakable childhood bond in military school, while their widowed mother pursued a CPA license and degree to care for her sons. That bond carried through to their adult years and beyond Duane’s untimely death, continually inspiring Gregg, serving to guide and propel him onward, even as he often has faced the firestorm of life.

Then there’s Allman’s wondrous stories expounding the spark that first inspired Gregg and Duane to learn to play guitar and the genesis of how these two burgeoning guitar playing brothers from Nashville went on to become two of music’s most consummate music artists.

Gregg proudly relates his somewhat unconventional relationships and utter devotion to all of his children. It seems that music runs deep and rich in the Allman family, with next generation musicians Devon Allman of the band Honeytribe, Elijah Blue, his son with Cher of the band Deadsy, and rock singer Layla Brooklyn of the band , Picture Me Broken.

There’s Duane’s first time learning to play slide guitar, with a Coricidin cold pill bottle, playing along to a Taj Mahal recording of “Statesboro Blues”.  Gregg writing the elegiac “Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More” on a 110 year old Steinway Piano and many more glittering jewels from Allman’s spellbinding memories.

Most of all there is Gregg discussing how he first became a singer, how he learned how to sing the blues, and how he wrote, what was the inspiration for, and the immense stories behind, his exquisite and sublime songwriting repertiore, both with The Allman Brothers Band, and also his supreme artistry as an amazing solo artist.  How, Gregg composed, what has become his signature song, the sublime “Melissa”, and how he at last came up with the song’s title.   From the blistering “Whipping Post”, to the hope filled “Oceans Awash The Gunwale” to the iconic, transcendent “Dreams”, to the song that you’ll be happy to find out is the song that Allman is most proud of composing….but you’ll have to read the book to find that one out.

Allman’s ruminations also include much of the headline grabbing tabloid fodder that has plagued the Allman Brothers Band for over four decades, from recounting the infamous Scooter Herring debacle to relating his years of dealing with internal band friction from contentious former Allman Brothers Band guitarist Dickey Betts.

However, for those very familiar with and knowledgeable of Allman’s life, music, and career, his recollections display remarkable restraint and refreshingly reserved tact to many of the people who have passed through his life, in particular to many of the “multi-colored ladies” in his life.

Allman is especially reverential to ex-wife, pop singer and Academy Award® winning actress Cher. He seems to have developed a downright revisionist and extraordinary regard, respect, and affection for her after all these years. While fondly relating, that of his six ex-wives, Cher is the only one that he maintains a friendly relationship with.

Allman also carefully chooses his battles and his words.  Though readers may be left unsatiated at Allman’s reigning back and abstaining discussing some of the insider details chronicling certain agrievous music industry personages and business dealings that have been part of the Allman Brothers Band’s career – Longtime, former tour manager, band archivist, tour manager Kirk West isn’t mentioned at all – Former ABB Manager Danny Goldberg gets little more than a namecheck – Though Allman expresses his well known disdain for the band’s undeservedly maligned two albums for Arista Records, the pop confectioned 1980’s “Reach For The Sky” and 1981’s “Brothers Of The Road”, helmed under the auspices of Arista President Clive Davis, Davis is also noticeably, completely absent from the book.

At the same time, Allman recounts in great detail, his and Duane’s trials and tribulations recording and touring within the constraints of Liberty Records in their Allman Joys/Hourglass Days.  And Allman pulls no punches in recounting the gory details of many of the music business people who he feels dropped the ball with either his solo career (former manager Alex Hodges) or with The Allman Brothers Band. He recounts the career highs and lows of the late Phil Walden, founder of Capricorn Records who originally signed and managed Duane, and then later, the Allman Brothers Band to Walden’s pioneering record label, only to lose Capricorn, it’s entire artist roster, and the ABB, via his shady financial “chicanery”, which also included conniving Gregg out of all of his songwriting publishing rights at the time.

And yet, just as Allman also does with many of the people who pass within the pages of his memoirs, at Walden’s funeral Gregg makes his peace with Walden.  Though unable to attend the service, Allman wrote a heartfelt tribute that he sends his daughter to read and eulogize, paying homage and giving credit to the late music business entrepreneur.

Allman pays tribute to the many people who have supported his career and music, including the legendary music promoter, impresario Bill Graham who staged the Allman Brothers historic Fillmore East and Fillmore West shows.  He reminisces about Eric Clapton who, of course, asked Duane to collaborate on the legendary “Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs” album and who performed for the first time with The Allman Brothers Band at New York’s Beacon Theater for the ABB’s 40^th Anniversary celebration in 2009.  There are passages about the beloved longtime ABB road crew who have shored up the decades of grueling tour set ups and load outs.  The countless musicians who have joined Allman in the recording studio, and on stage, with his solo band, and with the Allman Brothers Band, and many more notable people, all receive Allman’s heartfelt tip of the hat.

Sprinkled throughout Allman’s testifying, introspective parable, are gorgeous, vibrant archive photos of Allman’s family, Gregg’s childhood and adult band days with Duane, Gregg’s many musical colleagues….and of Gregg shown being at one with his music, sitting musically at ease behind his beloved Hammond B3 organ. And there are shots of him strumming both his many acoustic and electric guitars, crafting his breathtaking artistry.

What a remarkable musical journey this has been…..and it still continues to be for the iconic Allman, who just last year released the most successful solo album of his career, the critically acclaimed, Low Country Blues. Allman is also about to embark on the Allman Brothers Band’s 2012 summer tour.

And as Allman continues to write, record, and tour his dazzling and sublime soundscapes with both his solo band and with The Allman Brothers Band, this outstanding compendium serves as a profound and inspiring testament to the endless depth of passion, unbroken spirit, and stalwart resilience that has endlessly spurred Allman onwards to honor his craft.  As Allman relates, “Music is my life’s blood.  I love music, I love to play music, and I love to play music for people who appreciate it.”

Truly, like the lone “Midnight Rider,” for Gregg Allman, the road, indeed, does go on forever.

© Copyright May 13, 2012 By Arlene R. Weiss-All Rights Reserved

Guitar God, Innovator, and Virtuoso – those are the first three things that come to mind when I think of Joe Satriani.

He is one of the most respected guitarist’s in the world who has forged an amazing solo career selling more that 10 million CDs worldwide and has had played the world to sold out crowds with Greg Kihn, Mick Jagger, “G3” guitar extravaganza, and most recently Chickenfoot.

Now Joe’s newest project is the releases of his critically-acclaimed live concert Satchurated: Live in Montreal on 3D Blu-ray, DVD and CD. Satchurated was recorded and filmed in front of a live audience during Satriani’s “The Wormhole Tour,” supporting his studio album Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards, at the Metropolis in Montreal, Canada on December 12, 2010.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Joe just before hitting the stage in Lake Tahoe for Chickenfoot’s opening night of their US tour to talk about his new DVD and the gear he used for it.

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Robert Cavuoto: Congrats on your new DVD Satchurated: Live in Montreal going to #3 on The Billboard DVD chart.

Joe Satriani: Thanks. We never expect something as crazy as this! It’s a great little bonus.

Robert: I put the DVD on the big screen TV and felt like I was at the show. Is there any difference between the DVD version and the Blu-ray version?

Joe Satriani: Here’s the crazy thing, the Blu-ray is actually a different video cut because it’s actually filmed with different 3-D cameras. I don’t know how many 3-D cameras they had, but they were in different places than the other cameras.

It’s a subtlety, but I think the Blu-ray actually captured the better looking show just because of their angles. That version became the theatrical release. Both edits were equally painful for me to watch because I can’t stand looking at myself.

I wanted to make sure that the hardcore fans really got to see everybody really playing, so we got rid of any special effects that were part of Live in Paris, and made sure it was more like a concert vérité.

Robert: Was it filmed over multiple nights in Montreal or was it all one straight show?

Joe Satriani: No, it was one show. It’s funny, I’ve never been able to afford multiple shoots. It’s always “make or break,” show up and go with it.

Robert: Do you find it difficult to pick the set list knowing that it’s going to be filmed for a theatrical release?

Joe Satriani: Yeah, it’s tough. A performer that’s been around for longer than three records is going to start playing fewer songs than they’ve released. There’s always a good percentage of the audience that has never seen you before and you need to play your most popular material.

Also, they want to hear some new material because they may not know any of your previous albums. They might only know the newest ones. Then there are the people who have seen you maybe 20 times and they’re getting sick of seeing you play “Satch Boogie” or something. We basically have to walk a thin line where we play some hits.

We play as much new material as the market can bear depending on how popular that new album is, and then we try to throw in obscure songs for those hardcore fans that have been waiting for us to play them for 10 or 20 years.

There are basically hundreds of songs. It’s so daunting. There’s always gonna be somebody in the audience who says, “How come you didn’t play this or that?”

Robert: I know in the past you’ve polled your fans for insight on which songs to include in the set.

Joe Satriani: Yeah, we use our fans at Satriani.com as a great resource for picking songs. When you’re sitting at your computer and you read 200 responses you may think the entire world is yelling.

In reality, when a band like ours goes out and tours, we’re playing in front of half a million people in a few months, 200 responses is nothing. It really doesn’t reflect the majority of the people that are gonna come and see you.

The real R&D is the show. When you’re out there and you’re playing a song, you’ve got to look at the audience and feel the vibe coming back. That will tell you whether it’s worth playing some obscure song from your third album or not. It’s got to work for the show. It’s got to work with the band and it has to be something that makes the night exciting.

Robert: Do you have a lot of flexibility with changing the set list from city to city when you feel the need?

Joe Satriani: I like to keep the set list pretty tight and do the same songs just about every night. Since we’re an instrumental band, we do have some freedoms in that we have songs with built-in areas of total freeform improvisation.

That’s where we let loose, in those areas, rather than just keep calling up different songs every night, which I think makes it harder for front of house sound and certainly the LD. The light show, they’ve got to know what we’re doing.

I’m always trying to get it right. When I start like a six-week tour, I make the decision: these are the 22 songs we’re gonna do and it’s my chance to do these better than I’ve ever done them before.

I guess that’s why I like the repetitiveness of the show from our perspective, because it gives me a chance to really work on it.

Robert: Tell us a little bit about the gear you take out on the road, particularly for the Montreal show. What did you use?

Joe Satriani: There were two things that were pretty interesting, if you ever get a chance to go back and look at the DVD, you will see me looking down every once in a while at my neck.

That’s because I made a point to play my new Ibanez 24-fret JS-2400 almost exclusively throughout the set. I still, at that point in the tour, wasn’t completely comfortable playing on 24 frets.

I’ve played on a 22-fret guitar almost my entire career and I thought it would be a piece of cake, but believe it or not, it kind of threw me a little bit. Every once in a while I’d look down and go, “Is that what I think it is?” [Both Laugh].

That part was funny and I get a chuckle when I see myself sweating or playing something wrong once in a while. It’s just kind of funny.

Robert: So just for the extra challenge, you said, “I’m being filmed and I’m gonna go out with a different guitar.” [Both Laugh]

Joe Satriani: Yeah, but the guitars sound great and ergonomically they’re so much more fun to play. They feel better.

For a couple of them, I had Sustainiac pickups put in. They really kind of set me free artistically on a few songs, like “Wind in the Trees” or the song “Why,” where there’s a lot of improvisation. “Andalusia” is another one where I do a lot of just crazy rippin’ it up.

They were great. Those guitars were so much fun to have around for me to play. The other thing was, I had the final prototype for my Signature Marshall head. This March at the Frankfurt MusicMesse, we released my signature Marshall JVM-410 head. I think they call it JVM-410 JSH. It’s a 100 watt head, 4 channels, 3 modes per channel, 4 noise gates, effects loop.

It’s a beautiful sounding amp. I used it on the album Black Swans. I used it on the album Chickenfoot III, and I’ve been touring with it all the way through the making of Satchurated. I’ve been using it on the Chickenfoot tour. I used it last week for the Montrose tribute in San Francisco. It’s so versatile.

For that I just used a different channel to dial up a real vintage sort of Montrose guitar sound and just stayed there for the night. For me, I love Marshall amps and it’s hard sometimes to pick the one Marshall you want to walk out onstage with.

This particular 4 channel head has a lot of the history of Marshall that I really love: the clean amps, the slightly dirty, the modified slightly dirty and the complete overdriven. It gives me so much flexibility when I hit the stage.

What I noticed, even with Chickenfoot is you’ve got a song where you’re kind of clean. The next song you’re kind of dirty. The next song you’re pretty dirty. The other song you’ve got to be completely overdriven.

What are you gonna do? You gonna bring out five amps or are you gonna have nothing but pedals, which never sound exactly the right way?

Eventually you say, “Wow, I wish I had an amp where I could get those five sounds in the course of one night,” so I could just step on a channel, switch a button.

That’s why you see a lot of those amps and pros using them. They have a job to do. We want to represent the music on the album for the fans as closely as we can. Amps like these make our lives so much more fun and it kind of set us free artistically.

Robert: I love when you play with your teeth. What’s your technique?

Joe Satriani: My dentist always tells me, “Stop playing with your teeth.” I started doing that when I was 14 years old. I was a Hendrix fanatic. It was something I just thought was so funny, yet at the same time really cool.

There was a long period where I never did it. I’d go through periods where I’d give things up like that. I remember I gave up the Wah-Wah pedal for about five or six years until I recorded Surfing With the Alien. I remember bringing it back just because I’d given it up and I thought, now’s the time to flip it around. Somewhere along the line, I think when I started with Chickenfoot, or maybe it was with the G3s because we were doing Hendrix songs. I could probably figure out a way to fake it. That would make my dentist happy.

When you go to play with your teeth, it obviously sounds like the technique is getting all messed up. It should have that anxiety sound to it. If I start playing with my pick, it will just sound like…what’s the point?

Robert:  Guitarists are always out there talking about guitar tone and chasing tone. How important is tone to you compared to the other aspects of playing? Do you think people are getting lost in the marketing of products promising the best tone out there?

Joe Satriani: Well, here’s the thing. The thing about tone is that when people talk about the best tone, they’re really talking about homogenizing. In other words, when I worked in a guitar store, people were always chasing after the ultimate Stratocaster tone, the throaty tone of the neck pickup and everything.

What they’re really doing is they’re saying, by consensus, that tone on that album on that song IS the tone, and if you don’t have that tone, you don’t have good tone.

To me that’s so un-artistic. It’s the total opposite of the way I think of things.

Everything that Neil Young has played, that’s amazing tone. He has never done that Stratocaster tone and thank god he hasn’t.

I don’t want to hear him sounding like Stevie Ray Vaughan. I want to hear him sound like Neil Young. Same thing with Jack White or Jeff Back.

Even if you look at Hendrix: Hendrix played with a thousand different tones. He never tried to have one sound. For those first three studio albums and live with the Band of Gypsies, that’s an amazing amount of guitar tones that he put down.

He was never found chasing that one particular sound, the Les Paul through the Marshall, or the Stratocaster through the most fetished after, old, tweed Fender amp.

They have their place, but really we’re trying to tell a story with the sound. I think it’s better to come across with some unusual sounds. If you listen, through my career I’ve always changed my guitar sound, even some records. I go the other way.

I want to be the iconoclast with the guitar tone. I want to not use the big sound or sometimes I want nothing but big sound. It’s all about the story I’m telling. It’s not about self-promotion.

Robert: At what point in your career did you realize that your style was truly unique and that you were innovative with your sound?

Joe Satriani: I have never reached that conclusion. [Both Laughing] I think if anybody does, it’s probably a dangerous ride. I’m forever chasing and trying to be better than I was yesterday.

I’m trying to develop gear that makes that transition from inspiration to reality as seamless as possible. Being restless artistically is for me, the most creative way to be.

Robert: When you were young and starting out, was there ever a band that you auditioned for who didn’t hire for whatever reason?

Joe Satriani: I think the funniest one was a band called Guffuria. I kind of knew what they looked like and maybe heard a song or two. Obviously I didn’t look the part. My hair wasn’t that long and it certainly wasn’t blonde. Everybody in the band kind of looked like rock and roll Adonis, LA style, mid-80s.

Here I was, an obscure instrumental guitar player. I got through the audition and they seemed to like what I was doing. I guess they figured they could spruce me up a little bit in my appearance. As we’re packing up, I said, “You know I have a solo album?” and they were like, “Really? What’s it sound like?” so I put on Not of This Earth, which was yet to be released.

I remember after I played it for them, there wasn’t a whole lot of joy in the room. A few hours later I’m on the plane, and the bass player was also a Bay area resident, so we were sitting there on the plane and he said, “I’m sorry to say, but when you pulled out your solo record and played it for us, that sort of killed your gig.” [Both Laughing]

I couldn’t understand why. I said, “This is just some other side of what I can do. I thought maybe you guys would want to know that,” and he said, “No, we want this. We want you to play this way. We don’t want to know about anything else.” I was like, okay, fine.

I remember sort of limping back home thinking, okay, that’s really weird. I lost the audition for showing them a larger creative ability, but I never looked back.

Within a short period of time I did get into the Greg Kihn Band and play with them for a year. About two months after that I was in the studio recording Surfing with the Alien. Things turned out okay.

Robert: Do you have a preference of being in a solo artist versus being in band, what are some of the pros and cons?

Joe Satriani: I like both. I’ve got a big capacity to be involved with a lot of different bands. That part doesn’t bother me at all. I don’t really have any problem switching gears here and there. They’re so different in the artistic payoff.

When I’m in Chickenfoot, I have so much less responsibility because I’m not the solo artist. Sam is really the guy holding the flag, leading guitar, so I get to take three steps back and hang with the rhythm section, which is a luxury I don’t get when I’m the solo artist.

As a solo artist I’m out front and sort of fronting on the band musically as well as visually. That’s a very different artistic payoff. It’s a lot harder work.

When we go out and do a show, as you can tell from the DVD, two hours and 40 minutes of non-stop melody and solos. That really works my left hand like crazy. A Chickenfoot show is an hour less, a lot more festive and a lot more rhythm guitar playing.

It’s a completely different thing. We’re lifting people up in a very different way. The two of them complement each other for me.

Robert: What can we expect different from this Chickenfoot tour from this one with the first CD?

Joe Satriani: I think this tour really benefits so much from having two albums worth of material to play from. I think we have a much better show that flows the way you want a live show to flow.

We’ve got heavier songs and lighter songs to choose from, which makes the dynamics of the show really good. We’ve got a whole new light and projection and film background that’s integrated into the show. I haven’t actually seen it yet, so tonight I’m gonna be turning around going, “What’s going on?”

I’ve been seeing all the footage that all of us had to; so that part of it is really exciting to know that we’ve got a bigger show.

The Burst Brothers Interview: Part 1

In this second part of our interview with The Burst Brothers, Dave Belzer and Drew Berlin talk about Julien’s Les Paul Legacy Auction and its support of the Les Paul Foundation, their relationship with Les Paul, their favorite guitars and the recovery of Tom Petty’s stolen gear.

Rick Landers: What’s your role in the Julien’s auction for Les Paul’s gear and some of his other items?

Dave Belzer: Back in the summer we were contacted. Julien’s got the rights to the auction and we were contacted by Laura Wooley. She’s running the auction. She had contacted us. She’s very good in the auction business. She knows her stuff, but guitars were a new thing to her. Someone had recommended us to her and she contacted us. We were just thrilled to be able to do this. Les means a lot to both of us.

Rick: Had you met Les Paul before?

Dave Belzer: I had back in ’89 in Guitar Center and actually was lucky enough to spend with Dave Weiderman about 45 minutes in Dave’s office talking to Les and his son, Rusty, put the whole thing on videotape.

We’re still looking for that tape. It was quite an experience. He was very friendly and open, just answered any questions I had. I had seen him a couple of times at the Iridium. Drew’s known him for awhile.

Drew Berlin: Yeah, since the ‘70s.

Rick: What do you think of him as, not so much a guitar player, because we can all go back and look at YouTube, but as a person? I found that he had a pretty cool sense of humor for someone who was 90 years old when I met him.

Drew Berlin: I thought he was a wonderful person. I was fortunate enough to get close enough to him to where he was like an uncle and he was extremely witty and funny. He was always cracking up or always busting on you. Very sharp, very witty, a very good guy. He would always share. He liked to talk and tell stories. Extremely interesting.

For anyone who is or has been a guitar player, I think they can all relate to Les. Les was kind of like the spokesperson and related to everybody musically through gear, and of course, let’s not forget probably the best thing he did to our culture was invent the multi-track recording. As great a guitar player as he was and in putting the Les Paul together, I think multi-track recording certainly changed the world in a big way.

Rick: When I interviewed him last, we talked about life and death, and when he was talking about death, I must have been smiling or something because he stopped and looked at me and said, “It’s not funny,” but he was actually trying to be funny with me. I was a little embarrassed.

Drew Berlin: I think he always had that sense of humor. It seems like he always had fun with whatever he did. He just enjoyed life, enjoyed people, really enjoyed music. He was really into talking about music and guitars and just an inspirational person who’s affected the lives of so many people in a positive way.

We think that through this auction and through the Les Paul Foundation that it’s gonna do a lot for kids for years to come with music in school, musical instruments for the school systems, which is what the proceeds of this auction are gonna go to, the Les Paul Foundation. He’s still doing great things even though he’s not here.

Les’s legacy will hopefully be remembered by everybody. He is someone that was a cutting edge person, way ahead of his time in his inventions, his passion, his drive for music and creating better tools for musicians. We feel very strongly about Les and what he’s done. The people at Julien’s are doing a great job with this auction, making sure that everything is represented correctly. I think it’s gonna be a big event where most people that are interested in music and guitars are all gonna want a little part of Les Paul, and there are enough pieces to go around.

Rick: I was a little surprised to see a couple of his passports are for sale. What are some of the more unique items on the list that you’re aware of? I don’t think I’ve seen the whole list.

Dave Belzer: They haven’t put out the whole list yet. As far as the highlights, obviously the ’50 Nocaster is the highlight, a Leo guitar. There’s a late ‘50s Les Paul Custom that Gibson did for Les. I believe he had four Les Paul Customs done in the ‘50s for him with flat tops, Bigsbys, flat tops on them. One of the white ones is in the auction.

Drew Berlin: There’s a miniature Les Paul Goldtop that’s unique, beautiful and in excellent condition.

Rick: Miniature?

Dave Belzer: Little mini Goldtop with a single P-90 in it, even smaller than a ¾ guitar.

Rick: I’ve never seen one of those before. I think he’s got a ’52 prototype, right?

Dave Belzer: There’s one ’52 Les Paul in there with changed tuners. Not particularly a prototype, but just a ’52 Les Paul.

Drew Berlin: Some of the more interesting pieces in the auction are one of the clunkers, an experimental guitar that he made changes through developing his Les Paul guitar using this clunker through pickup systems and electronic systems. There are a lot of guitars that were works in progress, where they were constantly being changed, upgraded and made better.

I think people are gonna find those really interesting to see guitars that Les was working on, using to improve and refine what he was doing. You can see a lot of his electronics and pickup systems in a lot of the guitars in the auction.

Rick: Are you anticipating any really high dollar bids like you had for Blackie and the others?

Fender Nocaster gifted to Les Paul by Leo Fender - Julien's Les Paul Legacy Auction

Drew: The early L-5s that he used as Rhubarb Red, I think, are gonna be big. As Dave said, the Nocaster is a piece that a lot of people are interested in because it did come from Leo and Leo signed it. That ties in Les with Leo. There are a lot of guitars that Gibson made for him that were award guitars that are significant and a lot of guitars that he used a lot.

I’m not sure if anything’s gonna reach the million dollar point, but I’m sure there are gonna be a lot of people that are gonna want a lot of Les’ guitars, recording gear and personal effects and so on. To what degree dollar-wise, I’m not sure, but I have a feeling there are gonna be a lot of people wanting something of Les’ for them to hold onto.

Rick: Are there any guitars that you bought over the years that you wish you’d kept for yourselves?

Drew: All of them.

Dave: Yeah, of course. Yeah, there’s a ’59 Les Paul that I sold many years ago, and even though I have other ones I’ve acquired over the years, I’m still looking to get that one back. It kind of stays with you (All laugh).

Rick: Was that in the States or was that in England?

Dave: No, it’s in the States somewhere. I’m still trying to pinpoint it (Laughing), but it is in the States, yeah.

Rick: Do you think Tom Petty will ever get his guitars back?

Drew Berlin: He got them back yesterday. All the guitars have been returned.

Rick: How did that happen? Do you know?

Drew Berlin: Thanks to Howie Hubberman who has a pawn shop. Howie was actually the guy who sold Tom the Rickenbacker in the first place. Someone came in with the guitars and Howie was able to get all the guitars back. They’re back with Tom. Happy ending to an unfortunate story.

Rick: That’s great, so he got all of them back?

Drew Berlin: Yes.

Rick: And the Rickenbacker. Wow, that’s pretty amazing.

Dave Belzer: Yeah, only in L.A. will somebody steal something from one Guitar Center and they’ll try to go to another one to sell it (Laughs).

Rick: Clever, clever.

Dave Belzer: That’s what will happen in L.A.

Rick: Well, it’s working in Tom Petty’s favor, and all of us, I guess. Do you guys have a dream guitar other than like a ’58 or ’59 Les Paul, or is that it?

Drew Berlin: I think the passion for those particular guitars is what brought Dave and I together as the Burst Brothers, but I think we both appreciate pre-war Martins. We both appreciate D’Angelicos and D’Aquistos and some of the finer guitars that were made. Even though we generally play Les Pauls, and I’ve been playing Les Pauls since 1970, but we do appreciate a lot of other guitars. We’ve been very fortunate to handle, buy, sell and look at a lot of guitars. I think we appreciate all of them.

There are so many great guitars through all the manufacturers. The guys in my band say if I’m cut, I bleed Les Paul, but I certainly love and appreciate all the other guitars as well.

Dave Belzer: With that question you can just ask my wife, because an Esquire just entered the house the other day.

Rick: Oh, really?

Dave Belzer: But you know, what Drew said is so on. I think for us because we have seen so many guitars and had so many guitars come through our hands, I think now for us it’s more finding that Strat or Tele that stands out. If you took 10 ’53 Telecasters and put them all next to each other, probably 1 or 2 of them are gonna stand out above the others. To me, those are the guitars that I’m always looking for. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a Les Paul. It could be an Esquire, a Tele, a Strat, but it’s gonna be something old and hopefully something very light and resonant and it just speaks to you. You don’t want to put it down. That’s the guitar we look for.

The Burst Brothers - Dave Belzer and Drew Berlin

Rick: When you’re talking about the guitar that you would select, it’s more than just the look, because all the ’53s, ‘54s look pretty much the same, but the sound…

Dave Belzer: Yes, and I think one thing that separated Drew and I to some extent, at least in the situation we were in in the retail environment and the company we were working for is that when we went to a show or bought a guitar, we’re players. We play. We love them. We picked up every guitar and played it, and if it wasn’t a good guitar, if it didn’t say something to you or it just wasn’t a really good guitar, we’d probably pass on it and go find the right guitar. When you have that really special one, it’s so easy to sell. You just put it in the right guy’s hands. Am I right, Drew?

Drew Berlin: Yeah, one of the things I believe that contributed to our success as guitar brokers is we did know guitars very well, we play guitar, we own a lot of guitars and we know good guitars. People rely on us to find them good guitars. A lot of pro guitar players and collectors and producers and other people…we have a sense of finding guitars that not only are correct with the right appointments original from the factory, but ones that are particularly good ones. We have an eye and ear for spotting those. A lot of our success, I think, has been because of that.

Dave Belzer: Sometimes they don’t always have to be 100% correct. They may be a really special guitar, and it could be an acoustic that has a couple of cracks in it. Some of the best sounding acoustics we’ve bought, you would look at them and probably just walk the other way, but if you’d strum the guitar, whoa.

Drew Berlin: We wouldn’t pass on a guitar if it had a crack in it if it sounded and played great. We would take that into consideration. Some of the beater guitars that we’ve bought through the years were some of the greatest guitars. In that process, being able to buy and sell so many guitars and handle so many guitars has made us very fortunate. We’ve had a lot of the greats go through our hands through the years.

Rick: I’ve got about 12 guitars including a ’52 Les Paul and a bunch of others, but the guitar I pick up almost all the time is a ’66 Tele. Do you have a guitar that you always kind of go to at home?

Drew Berlin: For me I guess it would be my ’56 Les Paul Custom that I bought in 1970, used all over the world and still have. Dave and I were fortunate enough to have our own guitar line of guitars, Burst Brothers guitars, with Gibson Custom Shop. Those have become guitars for me that because we actually designed the feel of the neck and the look and everything. I use my old Les Pauls and my old vintage stuff and I also go to the new Les Pauls that the Burst Brothers [models that feel great to me. Kind of a little of both.

Les Paul guitar from the 1940s - Julien's Les Paul Legacy Auction

Dave Belzer: Kind of the same. I’ve been playing the Burst Brothers model a bit. I have a ’58 Strat Hardtail that’s a refinished Tom Murphy body. I’ve had that guitar for 20-something years. It’s not a very expensive guitar, but it’s one I can pick up any time and it always feels good. The band I’m playing with now, my wife is the lead singer, so I have to play a Les Paul. If I put any other guitar on and start playing it in the band, she goes, “What’s that? Put the Les Paul back on.” I tend to go back to that Les Paul.

Rick: Anything else you’d like to talk about as far as the auction?

Dave Belzer: Do you have all the times of the exhibits and dates of the auction?

Rick: I’ve got that link that’s on your website. Does it have that?

Dave Belzer: It should go right to Julien’s. Or just do www.juliensauctions.com, or I can get the link over to you. The auctions are on June 8^th and 9^th in Beverly Hills.

Drew Berlin: I think you probably want to let your readers know that at this auction there are going to be a lot of less expensive items that people will be able to buy, purchase and own that were Les’ that were used. Everything in the auction came out of Les’ personal house that he collected over a period of years. A lot of them have handwritten notes that Les did describing this guitar. It might need a pot or the fret might need an adjustment. There are a lot of things that aren’t the really high-end things that people can also look forward to being able to bid on and purchase at a really fair price. There are a lot of items. I would encourage everybody to try and get something of Les’ if they were really influenced by Les.

Dave Belzer: There are close to 300 guitars. They range from Korean prototype Les Pauls all the way to his 1950 Les Paul Flat Top. Like Drew said, there is something for everyone there.

Rick: How will people bid? You don’t have to be there in person, right?

Dave Belzer: No, you can bid online, by phone. I’m sure there’s even a write-in.

Dave Belzer: We’re gonna have Les Paul’s tubes, his picks, microphones. It’s pretty much everything. We spent quite a number of days in the house. This is stuff that is legitimately right out of Les’ house. Like Drew said, right out of his bedroom. All these guitars were lined around his bedroom.

Rick: A friend of mine is a photographer up there in New York.He was at Les’ house and he said, “There’s all this stuff.” He said it’s like everywhere. .

Dave Belzer: Les didn’t throw anything out, ever (All laugh).

Rick: That’s good for everybody, I guess.

Dave Belzer: Yeah, it’s good for everyone.

Rick: Are you guys gonna be bidding at all or are you not gonna be involved in that?

Dave Belzer: You know, there are a couple of things I know I’m interested in so I’m sure I’ll be throwing some bids in there. I’m sure.

Drew Berlin: One thing we want to remind you of is that all the proceeds do go to the Les Paul Foundation, so it’s all going to a great cause. It’s gonna generate musical instruments for the school system for kids to play. It’s a worthy cause and Julien’s is really a first-class auction house. It’s gonna be quite an event whether you’re there in person or bidding by phone or the Internet, I think it’s a good cause and great, great stuff. Like Dave was saying, you can buy a pick, microphone or tube. There are a lot of opportunities for great stuff. It’s not just for the high-end collector.

Rick: Passing the money to the Foundation is a wonderful legacy for Les, above and beyond what he’s done in his whole life I think.

Drew Berlin: This is what he wanted and this is what’s going to be. We hope his legacy lives on forever, and I’m sure it will.

The Burst Brothers Interview: Part 1

The Burst Brothers Interview: Part 2

In anticipation of the upcoming Julien’s auction of significant gear and personal items of the late legendary Les Paul, we got with Dave Belzer and Drew Berlin to get the inside scoop on what to expect and if the bids are expected to be astronomical or within reach of those of us with thinner wallets. We were pleased to find out that the auction proceeds will be used to support the Les Paul Foundation. The foundation is honor bound to reflect the spirit of Les Paul by supporting music education, engineering and innovation, as well as medical research.

Some may recall that one of the last projects of Les related to his foundation’s intentions – the development of a new and innovative hearing aid. The Les Paul Foundation offers scholarships at music schools, provides medical research grants for hearing impairment efforts, along with creates exhibits that highlight the remarkable life achievements and accomplishments of Les Paul.

Dave and Drew, more commonly referred to as a vintage guitar team, The Burst Brothers, are working with Julien’s auction house in order to support the interests of the Les Paul Foundation. And, during our interview, they emphasized their enthusiasm for the auction’s support of the Les Paul Foundation, as well as their immeasurable respect of Mr. Paul.

Not only are Dave and Drew known for their expertise in the world of vintage guitars, but they paid a critical role in the Guitar Center’s acquisition of three of the most historical guitars in the instrument’s modern history: Eric Clapton’s Stratocaster known as Blackie; Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Lenny Strat and Claptons cherry red Gibson ES-335, from his days with Cream.  Recently, the two parted ways with the Guitar Center and for a brief moment, went their separate ways. Today, The Burst Brothers are a re-energized team committed to guitars and guitar music, along with their business aspirations that target the vintage guitar market.

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Rick Landers: Awhile back, I understand you split with Guitar Center and I’ve seen a few rumors going around that you two went your separate ways.

Dave Belzer:: Yes, we did split from Guitar Center. Myself, about a year and a half ago and Drew in the last six months.

Drew Berlin: Yes.

Dave Belzer: Yes, we are back together again and kind of doing our search for Bursts out there in the world.

Rick: How do you go about that? Do people come to you and say, “Hey, I’ve got an old Les Paul for sale.” Or do you have to hunt them down?

Dave Belzer: Many of them do come to us, because we have kind of become known for that. A lot of them are guitars we’ve known over the years, right, Drew? Guitars that we’ve sold, it’s the kind of business. You might know, Rick, that guitars go from one person to another and back and forth.

Rick: Sure. So, over the years have kept track of some, and when you find out something’s for sale, you start investigating?

Dave Belzer: Yeah, nine times out of ten they contact us. People will just contact us. They know that this is what we do. We’re pretty easy to get along with and we try to make every situation between the buyer and seller a win-win for everybody and put the guitar in a good home.

Rick: When the bubble burst on the vintage guitar market, did you guys see that coming or were you surprised at the amount the prices dropped for the high-end guitars?

Dave Belzer: I think in some ways we may have seen that coming. They did appreciate so much in such a short period of time, from 1999 or 2000 until 2005, and it kind of coincided with the housing market and a few other bubbles that happened in collectibles.

Drew Berlin: Yes, I think that when Dave and I went to the Crossroads Festival that we realized that Strats were desirable and everybody wanted a Strat, because most of the artists were using Strats at the time. We were paying so much money for them, we said to ourselves, “This is just a bolt-on guitar and they’re so expensive, it seems a little strange,” to be paying for a guitar that wasn’t hand-carved or a Burst or something like that. We realized that prices were getting a little out of hand, but for us to stay in the game, we had to have inventory. We were continuing to have to buy, but we weren’t surprised, I don’t think. Like Dave said, they got too hot too fast. Usually with any commodity when that happens, there’s a bit of a reaction to that.

Dave Belzer: Also you have a number of people just jumping into the business that have never been in it before. All of a sudden there were a lot more guitar dealers out there than there ever had been. A lot of guys jumped in on that market figuring, “I can go into the guitar business now and buy a guitar and by next year or two months down the road, it will double in value and I’ll sell it.”

Rick: Yeah, I recall a couple of years ago people were saying that the next wave was going to be the pointy guitars of the ‘80s.

Dave Belzer: And there were people who actually did speculate on that and started speculating on ‘80s Stratocasters. We did a couple of collections for a gentleman who just bought nothing like ‘80s Fenders.

Drew Berlin: I agree with Dave. We did see a lot of people, when it became more of a commodity after 2000, attracted by the ability to make money and buy something and flip it to make money. Most of the people that were in it for the passion, the guitar, appreciation of guitars and playing, collecting them, using them, those people seemed to do okay, because I think there were so many people who saw a quick dollar to be made. In fact, Dave and I met people who really didn’t even play guitar. They just saw an opportunity to make money. That made the business a little less desirable for me, a little less attractive, because we like dealing with people that are passionate about guitars, who love guitars, love to play them. The industry changed a little bit when the dollar amount got so high.

Dave Belzer: It got to the point where we weren’t talking about the instrument or the qualities or the value in the instrument itself. It was more like, “How much will that guitar be worth in six months?”

Drew Berlin: We like finding guitars because they’re so unique and rare and play so good and sound so good. We were more excited about finding someone that magic that’s gonna inspire them. We were getting people we were selling to before the bubble, people like Dave said, what’s it gonna be worth in a few months rather than how great is the guitar. That was a little disheartening on our part when the market went that direction.

Rick: I think people were also looking at some of the early Japanese guitars as well, like the ’82 domestic market Japanese Strats.

Drew Berlin: There’s that market; we call it the pawn shop guitar market. They’re affordable guitars that are over 20 years old that are still considered vintage. Maybe kids that are in their 20s can’t afford to buy guitars that are over $10,000, and there are some pretty cool guitars that are older that are fun guitars to play, that sound good and are cool. That is a market that I think is legitimate.

Rick: Do you think the old ‘50s Les Pauls are still a good investment?

Dave Belzer: I’ll take that one. I think at the moment, it might be a great investment right now. The prices are down. It’s a buyer’s market. Somebody getting into a ’58, ’59 or ’60 Les Paul now is probably going to be paying anywhere from 20% to 40% less than it was five years ago. They’re not making any more of those guitars, and they really still are the best of the best when it comes to a solid body guitar. I don’t think their value is going to get hurt. They’re just going to continue to go up.

Rick: Do you expect the vintage market to expand into China, Brazil, India and other countries?

Dave Belzer

Dave Belzer: From what I’m seeing, it’s starting to happen in China. They’re starting to embrace that rock and roll ‘50s Americana. It’s starting to happen there. I think it’s going to be very similar to what the Japanese market was, maybe in the ‘80s, and how they embraced that rock and roll fever. I think it will happen. Rock and roll’s pretty infectious.

Rick: It is. I see on your website that you guys are offering appraisals. What’s the process that somebody would go through? Would they have to send you the guitar or would you do it by e-mail and photos? And what would the cost be?

Dave Belzer: It really varies depending on the situation. If they just send a picture or whether we have to actually go there, look at it, take it apart…Drew?

Drew Berlin: Yeah, it depends on the situation. If someone just wants an idea of what year they have, we’ll tell them. A lot of people like to have us go through their inventory, so they know exactly what they have and what the value is, maybe for insurance purposes or if they’re planning to leave it to someone in a will, or if they want to sell it. We have developed a reputation for being trusted, so we give people an honest evaluation of what they have. It just depends on the piece, on the situation. There’s no set fee.

Dave Belzer: Yeah, a lot of times if someone’s just e-mailing a value on something, we’ll be happy to give them an opinion on it. If they want to get a little more involved, into a collection and all, there’s more involved in it.

Rick: A little bit more time consuming for you guys. Do you ever experience what some people call ‘barn finds’ where you find like a pristine Les Paul or a Strat that’s been hidden in a closet for 50 years? Has that ever happened to you guys?

Drew Berlin: Yes, and we love that when it does. We’ve seen quite a few pieces through the 17 years that we’ve been doing this together that are that type of piece. We were approached recently with a piece where the case had not been opened for 25 years. Generally someone who passes away or left it to someone else and they’re not sure who it is; that person may be directed to us to give an appraisal or an opinion of what it’s worth. We love when that happens and we love seeing old gear that has been really well taken care of and preserved, maybe cherished by one family and passed down in that family. It has provenance that way and we love getting guitars that way.

Rick: Has that happened recently at all?

Dave Belzer: We had a beautiful ’59 Les Paul. It was gorgeous, very plain top but in 9 plus condition.

Drew Berlin: It was pretty much unplayed. The person got the guitar and never learned how to play guitar, so it wasn’t used at all. It was still a great guitar.

Dave Belzer: Yeah, great guitar. Another example would be in the Les Paul collection. One of the highlight guitars of the auction is a ’51 Nocaster that Leo gave to Les as a gift. Les wasn’t a Fender guy so it pretty much sat in the case.

Rick: I talked to Les Paul about that guitar and I was a little surprised that he said he had never played it.

Dave Belzer: He did change the pots, though. He had to mess with it [All laughing]. He didn’t play it.

Rick: All I can tell you is what he said to me.

Dave Belzer: I believe it. He was a Gibson guy through and through.

Rick: That’s a pretty amazing piece, I think. You guys were at the Christie’s auction where you bought Blackie and Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Lenny and Clapton’s ES-335. What kind of bidding strategies, or did you have bidding strategies when you went into that, and if so, did you have to adjust those during the bidding? Was there a bidding war?

Dave Belzer: Yes, we did have a strategy going in that we’d worked out with the CEO of Guitar Center and all. We did have a limit we were going to go to. It did have to get a bit adjusted throughout the auction. We did really well on the George Harrison little Double Ought 18.

Rick: Nice guitar.

Dave Belzer: And the 335 came up and I had to boost the bid, right, Drew? [Ed: Dave refers to Eric Clapton's red Gibson ES-335 used during his days with Cream]

Drew Berlin

Drew Berlin: We had to go over on that one. Dave made the executive call on that one, which was a good thing because that was an incredible guitar. We went over our budget on that.

Dave Belzer: But, not that much. It really was just one bid over on our budget. In my mind, I figured we saved on the George Harrison one. That 335 was important.

Rick: I was at Christie’s the day before the auction and was able to roam. I was able to at least touch Blackie, Lenny, the ES-335, a couple of the other Clapton guitars and the George Harrison guitars. It was pretty cool to be in there.

Dave Belzer: Just to be in the presence of some of those, just the little George Harrison acoustic and the case, there’s a certain vibe there. You can just sense it.

Rick: And the “Tears in Heaven” guitar that was there. Are those three guitars that you bought still hidden away at Guitar Center? The last time I was at Guitar Center, I actually saw your area – this was several years ago – and I talked to Dave Weiderman. He said they were staged somewhere else in Guitar Center. They’re kind of hidden away, aren’t they?

Dave Belzer: Last I knew they were locked away in a safe at their management office. That’s pretty much where they keep them.

Rick: I hope they get to the museum at some point.

Dave Belzer: I’m not sure what they’re doing. At one point they did do a little tour with them around their stores and invited customers to come in and see them. That was two or three years ago, Drew?

Drew Berlin: Yeah.

Rick: Seems a shame to have them not visible to the public.

Dave Belzer: Yeah, I’m sure…

Rick: It’s their call. They own them.

Dave Belzer: They own them, yep [Both laugh].

The Burst Brothers Interview: Part 2

Having been postponed from two previous dates going back to the Fall of 2011, to say that Willie Nelson’s performance at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC was eagerly anticipated by the sold out crowd in attendance would be the understatement of the year.

While some familiar faces may be gone, most notably the late Bee Spears on bass and the now retired Jody Payne on guitar, the “Nelson Family” remains for the most part intact.

Paul English still takes his place behind the snare, though some songs are now played by younger brother Billy; the ever loyal Mickey Raphael is camped out stage left with his harmonica case; and it wouldn’t be the “Nelson Family” literally, without the grace and elegance of Sister Bobbie at the piano.

It would be the longest tenured “member” of the family though, Trigger, that would first grace the stage.

You see Trigger, Willie’s Martin N-20 acoustic guitar, has been with him longer than any other member of the band. So it seemed more than appropriate that Trigger was placed on the stage a few moments before the scheduled show time, as if to enjoy a few moments in the spotlight alone, before being gently picked up by the right hand of his faithful master.

The audience is a mirror of America. It’s a diverse standing room only crowd on hand, made up of multiple ages and multiple races. Everyone on this night is an old friend, even if they have just met for the first time.

The good vibe in the room and general down home atmosphere demonstrates the popularity Nelson has achieved in his over five decades of recording and performance, as well as his unique ability to bring people together through song, without even trying.

With not a set list in sight on the stage, it’s vintage Nelson. He’ll play what he wants, when he wants and the family will follow along without missing a beat.

The hits come out of the chute fast and furious with the crowd joining in for rousing renditions of “Whiskey River,” “Shoeshine Man” and “Whiskey for My Men, Beer for My Horses.”

Nelson would demonstrate his exceptional and far too oft underrated guitar skills on ‘Funny How Time Slips Away,” leading right into “Crazy” and ‘Night Life” in succession.

Willie Nelson was engaging and talkative with the audience between songs, almost cheerleading as he’d call out hit after hit.  And they were all hits, with the crowd singing along or responding on cue during every number.

Well known hits such as “Always on My Mind,” “On the Road Again” and “Good Hearted Woman” were all placed perfectly in a well-paced show, as Nelson obviously is a master of feeling the crowd response and guiding them along from beginning to end.

There were no hits left out and even a few surprises; such as Sister Bobbie’s piano instrumental “Down Yonder” from the classic Red Headed Stranger album and “Ou Es-Tu, Mon Amour?” the guitar instrumental from the recording Teatro. 

There would even be a few gospel numbers near show’s end, each of which had the 9:30 Club resembling more an old fashioned revival tent than a major metropolitan concert venue.

At 79 years old, Willie Nelson is still going strong on stage and had a smile on his face the entire evening…and so did every other face in the room.

So the next time you hear that familiar twang or that ever distinct guitar tone, say a little prayer of thanks for that Red Headed Stranger from Texas…and be thankful that he’s “On the Road Again.”

Photo Gallery

In April 2012 launched Jamie Holroyd Guitar, an online teaching website aimed at providing high quality jazz guitar lessons to students across the globe. Although the site has only being online just under one month it has already received more than 2,000 visits from over 60 different countries and just fewer than 200 email subscribers. Jamie Holroyd has written most of the articles, but the site has featured guest posts from acclaimed jazz educator and author Matt Warnock and Just Jazz Guitar contributor Sam Smiley.

“My aim is to help students everywhere learn the art of jazz guitar,” said Jamie Holroyd. “I noticed that there can be confusion with learning jazz on the internet and wanted to demystify the complex aspects into digestible chunks for students.”

About Jamie Holroyd:

Jamie Holroyd is a jazz guitarist based in the North of England. Jamie gives performances around the UK, and offers private guitar lessons in person and via Skype. Currently studying a BA in Jazz at the prestigious Leeds College of Music, he has had lessons with some of the finest musicians on the British Jazz scene and privately studied with acclaimed musicians such as Jiannis Pavlidis and Jamie Taylor.

An avid teacher, Jamie’s main focus is demystifying the guitar and meeting the student at their level, breaking down the complex aspects into digestible chunks, and focusing on the students goals in a relaxed atmosphere.

Jamie maintains a busy performing schedule and has performed with leading jazz and blues musicians such as Adrian Ingram, Jim Mullen, Pat McCarthy, Ian Rose, and Alex Eden to name a few. Jamie has performed at venues such as Seven Arts, The Sela Bar and the BBC Venue and has participated in tours and gigs spanning a wide array of musical genres.

Although he performs an array of different groups, Jamie’s main outlets are The Quarry Hill Hot Club; a Django-esc swing band inspired by Stephane Grappelli’s later recordings with Marin Taylor and the Jamie Holroyd Duo – a guitar duo performing quirky and harmonized arrangements of pop songs, bop, and Django tunes.

Jamie Holroyd Guitar Info: www.jamieholroydguitar.com

The music industry, as we knew it, barely exists anymore. There are very few major record companies left, record stores are vacant and the indie market has exploded. Despite the fact that it’s getting harder and harder to make a buck in the profession, the natural drive to make music and bond with an audience remains strong.

Today, many working musicians find that they’d better be off releasing music on indie labels or marketing their music themselves; artists, like 34 year old Brett Detar from Los Angeles. Detar became a professional right after he finished high school. He joined the group, The Juliana Theory, as the front man. The group signed on with an independent label called Tooth and Nail and released a debut album, Understand This is a Dream in 1999 and in 2001, Music From Another Room (EP).

That same year, they hit the road on The Warp Tour, and signed with Sony/Epic that resulted in the release of their third album, Love. The album, produced by Jerry Harrison, became an instant success. An endless stream of non-stop touring with hundreds of dates plus more releases and collaborations with different labels were to follow.  In time, and after considerable success, it felt right to all members that Juliana Theory had run its course.

In 2010 Detar released his first solo album. Bird In The Tangle , a collection of tunes inspired by traditional folk and Americana music. And he’s embarked on a career that includes composing music for television and cable networks, as well as film scores.

Guitar International’s Joerg Kliewe met with Brett Detar for a photoshoot during a break in his recording schedule up in the Hollywood hills. During their talk Brett offered his perspectives and insights into what it means to be going it alone, as a solo performer.

Bird In The Tangle – Free Album Download Here

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Joerg Kliewe: Brett, your music was brought to my attention via facebook. I must say that I find it remarkable that you’re marketing yourself as a solo artist via social media channels and the internet only. And I find it quite unusual that you seem to give your music away for free. How did that come?

Brett Detar: Well, thank you, first of all. I guess the whole idea behind “giving away for free” – more or less – came from the fact, that first and foremost the most important thing to me right now was just that I wanted people to hear the music. And I wanted people to give it a chance. I guess I was kind of looking at it from the perspective of, you know what they always say, when you start a new business?

You’re not expected to make money for the first couple of years. So, my whole thought process was: I’m starting a new business, I’m not gonna make any money for the first couple of years from it. I believe in the record and I want people to hear it. So, the best way for people to hear it is just to give it to them. I kinda thought that people are more willing to give something a chance if they don’t have to pay for it, you know.

You might be like “Uhm, I don’t know, if I wanna pay 14 dollars for this record or whatever, and I might hate it.” But, if they’ll get it for free and if they want to listen to it a couple of times they might end up liking it – or they might end up not liking it. My idea was to get it in peoples’ hands, and hopefully people would end up liking it, or even loving it!

Joerg: But, beyond the mp3-download you do have hardcopies out too, even on vinyl, right?

Brett: Sure, I do have it on vinyl and I have it on CD. People who want to buy vinyl can pay for the album on vinyl. It’s really high quality and that’s kind of like the contrast. The free version is the free mp3-version and it’s cool that the vinyl edition is extremely hand crafted – it’s a really well done package. And then you have the CD which is somewhere in the middle. So, you kinda have every medium – maybe not cassette tape, although I know those are coming back apparently (Chuckles), but I haven’t got into that yet.

Joerg: Right now you’re in the middle of recording a new album, that will be your second one as a solo artist? Do you feel happier working alone?  What happened to your band?

Brett: Well, I was in a band [The Juliana Theory] for years with my buddies that I grew up with in high school. We had a great time and saw the world together and put out a lot of records. We really enjoyed ourselves, but you know, you get to that point in your life where – we started the band when I was 18 years old  – you’re making music with your band that you wouldn’t necessarily listen to, not that kind of music you’re into anymore. That’s what really happened to us.

We didn’t grow apart as friends, we just had different ideas of what we wanted to do artistically and musically. So, making records as a solo artist quote-unquote was nothing I ever really wanted to do in my life.

I never really thought of myself as a guy who does stuff on my own. I always thought of myself as a dude in a band. But now, to answer your question, there is definite plusses and minuses. In a sense, you can’t delegate. So, you can’t ask the bass player if he’ll handle the website. Or ask the drummer if he’ll reply to emails. Everything falls on me. In a sense I feel like it’s more pressure, but also the reward is greater.

I guess, if anything, the biggest difference between having a band and not having a band is, especially if making records, that I’m really not even bouncing many ideas of almost anybody.

So, I’m pretty much writing everything myself and mostly producing it myself. That’s good and bad. It could be nice to have outside ears more often, because sometimes I literally think I’m losing my mind – you know, producing a record on my own, that I wrote all the songs on and playing a lot of stuff on it. Sometimes I think that’s a little crazy to do, without outside help. But, if you know what you want and if you’re confident of what you want, I think you can get there –sort of. [Laughs]

Joerg: You live in Los Angeles, but your music to me sounds more as if it was played in Nashville. Would you define your musical roots and creative intension more Southern?

Brett: I definitely think that what I’m doing definitely feels more like it’s from the South, in some way. But, at the same time there’s a great history of folk and country music in  L.A. and in California. You think about obviously people like Gram Parsons, you think about Buck Owens and Merle Haggard and a bunch of guys like that in California and even, as slightly removed as it is, a lot of the “singing cowboy“ stuff – like Gene Autry – is totally Hollywood and Los Angeles, in a way.

I kinda feel also, to take it back, I kind of look at this record is sort of like “me making my California record”! In the way that Neil Young had Zuma and he had On the Beach and a bunch of records that really kinda brought that folk, kinda Southern, “Nashvilly” thing, but had that California influence at the same time. I do think that, yes, overall the kind of music I make is not what somebody would typify as “that guy lives in Los Angeles”.

It’s not what you would normally think of, but I have always been a person who likes dichotomies and I think it’s more fun to be a little bit of an outsider. A lot of my friends make pop music for a living and I’m the guy who plays the banjo! It’s kinda of fun to be a little bit out of place. I think I enjoy that.

Joerg: Coming back to you playing the banjo. I noticed during the shoot that you seem to prefer vintage guitars, that, of course, matches the style of music you play. Are you a guitar nut? Do you collect?

Brett: I do collect guitars. I’d like to have a lot more than I have but as many musicians probably could completely relate to, I ended up selling a lot of good guitars that I buy because I run out of money, because I’m a career musician. So I’ve had a lot of good guitars, that I don’t have anymore, that I still wish that I had.

Joerg: Happened to most of us…

Brett: I still have a few really nice guitars and hopefully, by the time I’m an old man, I could have a nice collection If I’m smart and don’t go broke too many times.

Joerg: So, what interesting instruments are you currently using on your new album?

Brett: On this new record I’ve been using my Gibson L 48 It’s a 1951. I use that for a lot of the finger picking kind of stuff because it has a really focused mid-range kind of sound. It’s an arch top , so it doesn’t have a lot of low end, but is has really nice kinda direct mid-range and it sounds really cool for finger picking. I also have a J-150 which is like Gibson’s economy J-200.

The story I was told goes, that they quit making it 10 years ago, because it was too close to a J-200, but a lot less money. It was so close, that Gibson was losing too much money, simply because they made it too well! I’ve been using that a lot for the bigger, like strumming kinda things.

For electric stuff I have a ’72 Telecaster Custom Deluxe, the one with the big headstock and the two humbuckers. I’ve been using that a decent amount and I have a vintage ’67 SG that I actually use a lot and I know that this is technically almost cringe worthy to some guitar players, but I like it for clean tone! I know that’s not what those people think: “SG and clean tone” don’t really go together. But, I like it for that.

It’s weird but it’s sort of that thin kinda weird sound. I’ve been using that a surprising amount, and then just random guitars that my buddies have, that they let me borrow.

I don’t have a good semi hollowbody yet. I need a 335 or something like that. I’ve been using other people’s instead.

Joerg: What’s gonna happen after you finish the record? Do you plan on any more touring?

Brett: I hope so! I love touring. It’s kind of an amazing feeling to go on the road and end up in a different town every day and play. I went from high school to one semester of college and then straight to full time touring for ten years.

So, I started touring when I was 18 and a lot of my adult life was spent completely on the road. For the last few of years I haven’t done a lot of touring. I have only done a little bit and it took me a long time to adjust to that. So, any time I can hit the road more often is always a good thing.

Joerg: Alright, we look forward to seeing you out there again pretty soon. Thanks for your time!

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