Interview

Since I almost got carpal tunnel syndrome from writing it, I thought I would post it for anyone who cares...

This is an interview my brother-in-law did for a school project:

Troy: What or who inspired you to be a musician?
Steve: Well, primarily, it was my dad. Some of my first memories are of my dad playing guitar. The songs he played (and still plays exactly the same) are etched in my mind and elicit an almost primal, instinctual response in me. Feelings of safety, comfort, and childlike love all spring up as if I was young again.
Then, when I was seven and started liking my own music, I remember hearing Carlos Santana the first time. The way he was able to wrench out different emotions with a single note, almost forcing you to dance with the raw, native rhythm...anyways, I realized the power a musician could have and the ecstacy the musician and audience could share and I wanted that for myself. And I could see that it was possible because here was my dad, someone real, who could do that, albeit on a smaller scale, so I knew I could do it too.

Troy: At what age did you start playing and what instrument?
Steve: I believe I was 8 when I first started fiddling around with an electric guitar that my uncle gave my dad. I really wasn't interested in the acoustic guitars that my dad had, mainly because the rock stars that I loved (Santana, Fleetwood Mac, Wings) used electric guitars. So when he brought that home, I pretty much slept with it. By the time I was 10 I could play a few simple songs and at 12 I was copying solos from every song I could.

Troy: What kind of instruments do you play and which one do you enjoy
playing the most?
Steve: In elementary school I played the trumpet and trombone and in middle school I swiched to drums, all the while playing guitar at home. I played drums in the marching band up through 10th grade and drum kit in 9th and 10th grade, as well as other percussion instruments. But the whole time I was playing guitar at home. In 10th grade I was accepted into the Stage Band class and for the first time got to play guitar with other people. I dropped drumming and haven't really played drums much since. But I learned about the structure of music in general and the role of melody from playing trumpet and trombone and from percussion the ultimately important role of rhythm. All this has helped me in playing guitar. I also enjoy bass guitar, congas, and singing (is that an instrument?)

Troy: Do you have a favorite type of music Jazz, Rock, Pop, R&B, etc…? Who is your favorite artist or group?
Steve:I would have to say that I love rock most. I have a natural affinity for guitar-oriented music, which eliminates most classical musical. There are areas of Jazz that I like: cool jazz, R&B-style jazz, Brazillian jazz. I love pop, as long as it's real music played by real musicians using real instruments. I will name a few of my favorites in a few categories:

Jam Bands:
Phish, Grateful Dead, Spin Doctors, Allman Brothers

R&B:
Anita Baker, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey (the early stuff), Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye

Jazz:
Joao Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Stan Getz, Miles, Coltrane, Django Reinhart

Rock:
Billy Idol, Eagles, Jackson Brown, Iron Maiden, Pearl Jam, U2, the Police, Rush, Santana, The Cars, Pink Floyd, Bob Marley....

Troy: Did playing an instrument come easy for you? Did you have to
discipline yourself to practice or did you look forward to making time for
practice? How often do you practice?
Steve: See, practice is like pulling teeth. I used to play every waking minute until about 13, which is when I discovered girls. But I wouldn't call it practice, it was more like, "what *can't* I do?" then I would try to do it over and over again until my hand went numb and then I usually found that, a few days later, I could do it. Nowadays, I do have to discipline myself to practice, and I don't do it nearly as much as I should. I used to watch tv with my guitar in hand, running up and down the neck in different scales. I can't do that now because I end up yelling at my daughter for tweaking the tuning machines and then my wife is mad at me. Also, the desire to play only comes when I'm feeling good about life and like I accomplished something; usually Friday after getting paid and before the weekend. I find that I have the best time when I'm alone in the house so I can really turn it up without worrying about my daughters' eardrums. So it happens about once a week. My wife has noticed that I get short tempered if I don't get to play often enough and under the right circumstances.
Becoming proficient at playing guitar did not come easy for me. It took 15 years before I was really comfortable anywhere on the neck and able to forget about the mechanics and just feel my way around. I have a friend who asked me to show him a few things. Then, two weeks later, a few more things. He would ask technical questions about music, and playing guitar at work. After about 10 months, he brought his guitar to work and played for me, and he was better in ten months than I was in ten years. Really. He was a natural; I wasn't. I hate him.

Troy: Will you describe your most memorable musical performance and what made it your favorite?
Steve: Wow. I think it was my senior year in high school. We learned a melodic instrumental song (Santana) and I played it with a full band in a school concert. It was pretty much a guitar solo through the whole song. Very complex, but we NAILED it. None of my friends were there, but my hero, the lead guitarist in a local band, was there and he was really impressed. I felt ten feet tall.
Aside from that, I have played upwards of 400 gigs, with crowds ranging from one to 2000 people, and every one was memorable and my favorite. There is something about playing live that is addicting. I really miss it.

Troy: Will you encourage your daughters to play musical instruments and do you hope to perform with them someday?
Steve: Yes I do encourage them. I think I will wait until they're a bit older and more coordinated before I get them instruments. But I try to influence them to learn and love music now. I think you have to love it and want it and be addicted to the feeling of it, and experience the power of it before you really have the courage to own it.
And I think that I could never achieve anything greater than to be able to make music with my daughters, someday.