My main objective with a home studio – I could get into doing full band demos – but my first objective is to cut things like guitar tracks and solos at home.
Obviously the best way to retain the most profit is to not give any of it away. That’s something that you certainly learn through the years.
Many kids and parents ask me, ‘What kind of guitar can I buy?’ It’s a great opportunity for those people to be able to buy a quality guitar that’s not necessarily a little Fender or whatever. Ernie Ball signature model guitar is something that’s more signature.
It’s a balance between getting the right string gauge that’s thick enough where it sound good, and not rubber bands – but not too thick where your hands start to get real tired.
Real thick strings – your hands start to get fatigued. As much as you practice, and as much experience as you have, and as long as you’ve been playing, there is a fatigue point during the show, as with anything that’s physical. So I wanted to basically pace myself better.
With all tools at my disposal, I’m 100% into chasing tone and checking out new equipment and “geeking” out during sound check by taking too much time.
I often think about my Music Man guitars being 100 million percent tailored to my needs as a player and how lucky I am.
I’ve been fortunate to work with companies that I endorse because I love their gear. Whether Music Man, Dunlop, or DiMarizo to me these companies have supported me in such a way that’s invaluable.
Songs like “Spirit Carries On” really gets the audience moved and on the same page. It’s challenging and all so much fun to play.
You try to play the song better than you had before.
Songs come alive every night and can be a new experience for someone. You might have someone in the audience who has never seen us before and hearing it for the first time. We are aware of that.
The style of music that we’re playing, this progressive metal style, has always been an upstream battle for us. We don’t usually get a lot of commercial exposure.
I’ve always said that there’s a huge progressive rock, progressive metal audience out there, in the world.
You’re about to walk on stage and play together for the next few hours so you want to feel connected and make sure that everyone is in the same head space; a good head space.
Music is a communication. It’s a two-way street. You need people to play to in order to make that connection complete. That’s the way we look at it.
If someone is feeling out of sorts or detached it’s a great time to bring them in and restate why we are here and what we are trying to do.
As far as bands doing that in a way where they think they’re going to fight the government, the only people they’re really hurting is the fans.
Guitar players get inward and analytical about their playing but when you start to get positive feedback from other players it makes you think that it is coming together.
I would say the more the better when it is comes to development and marketing. It’s actually fun. For some it can be a frustrating thing.
It’s hard to answer that from my own perspective because when I’m playing I know where it is coming from and the sources.