Paul Gilbert: 'People Really Didn't Think That You Could Be A Musician' | ||
| artist: paul gilbert | date: 05/09/2009 | category: hit the lights |
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As Hit The Lights can profess, in most instances, an album's success depends on whether its tracks can sufficiently translate into weighty live compositions, and the chemistry of the group members in question. Chemistry forms naturally, and simply isn't something which can be manufactured, despite innumerable attempts to do so by a broad range of individuals over the years. One album, entitled "United States", is fortunate enough to boast tracks with certain live potential, and musical chemistry. Critics have dubbed the album a hybrid of Mr. Big and Queen, a potent mixture indeed. This is the first collaboration between guitar virtuoso Paul Gilbert, and the previously little known Freddie Nelson. Let's hope the collaboration doesn't conclude here, and ultimately spawns future full lengths.
To discuss "United States", and Gilbert's reunion as part of Mr. Big, Hit The Lights' Robert Gray telephoned Gilbert at his Los Angeles home at 20:00 GMT on April 22nd. Gilbert was busy with another interview, and so Hit The Lights was told to call back ten minutes later - and did so.
Paul Gilbert: Hello. This is Paul.
UG: Hello. How are you Paul?
I'm good. I'll be right back - let me just handle this other call, and I'll be right with you.
Ok.
(roughly half a minute passes)
Sorry about that. I'm back.
Once again, how are you Paul (laughs)?
I've been great. How about you?
I've been alright. Would it be ok if I began the interview?
Yeah, absolutely.
How did you come to work with Freddie Nelson, and why did you feel a collaboration with Freddie would work?
Freddie grew up in the same town where I'm from, which is situated in Pennsylvania. Actually, I never met him in the old days, though all my friends knew him - my friends always told me "You gotta hear this Freddie Nelson. He's great". Back when I was a teenager, I just heard rumours about Freddie's guitar playing, and didn't know he was a singer. He didn't either, I think, and just mainly concentrated on guitar. Years went by, and I moved to California, losing touch with Pennsylvania somewhat. Recently though, I thought about cutting a vocal record. A friend of mine sent me a demo which features Freddie's vocals, and I was blown away. His voice was great, I thought. I was surprised, since I thought he was a guitarist. Here Freddie was though, this amazing vocalist.
Over the years, I've thought about working with a different vocalist, though I always wondered what the connection would be. I could've just found a vocalist who has a great voice, but to me, it's important to find a vocalist who you can write with, who you can understand, and who has the same type of ideas which you have. Since Freddie is my age, and comes from the same city as myself, we really have a connection in that respect, and much of the same influences.
So you feel that you have much in common, since you both grew up in the same area, and could possibly discuss things related to the area and so on?
We actually have a lot of mutual friends. Since we grew up in the same area, we have an automatic connection - we even have the same accents (laughs).
When you initially heard Freddie's voice, and considered working with the man, were you worried that you might discover him to be an unlikeable person upon meeting him for the first time? Some vocalists can be greatly talented, but as individuals, can be unlikeable.
My friend, who gave me the demo, was a part of Freddie's group. The immediate thing I did was call my friend, and ask for his permission to contact Freddie, saying; "I know he's a part of your group, and I don't want to cause the group's split". My friend replied; "It's fine. At the moment, we're not doing so much". I then replied; "Also, what's Freddie like? Is he cool? Is he easy to work with?". I just wanted to make sure that Freddie wasn't consuming drugs, or had some weird personality disorder. My friend responded; "He's great. He's an incredible talent, and is a great guy". It's absolutely true; Freddie's really really cool, and is easy to work with.
"Most of the solo albums I've recorded have truly been solo albums, in that I've been the leader."
During the first time we met, I mentioned that it might be cool for the two of us to write an album together. I said; "Why don't we just get together for a couple of days, and write some material. We can then just see what material we've written". I had just completed a record, so I was actually extremely tired. He came to California. We spent two days writing material, and just immediately wrote two tracks. Actually, those two tracks eventually surfaced upon 'United States' - one's entitled "The Answer", whilst the other is called "Waste of Time".
I really liked how those two tracks turned out, and was so impressed with his voice. His voice is really loud (laughs). I sing as loud as I can, but his voice is roughly three times louder than mine. I handled engineering, so could tell since I had to turn down the preamplifier. He's a really powerful singer, and is just super easy to work with. I think this is due to the fact that although he's a vocalist, he's a guitarist as well. He's spent years doing what I do, so we can relate on a guitar level. Anyone who's spent much time practising, and worked upon playing an instrument, develops a certain kind of work ethic. Sometimes, the somewhat crazy vocalists are people who have a natural ear for music. They just open their mouths, and great things come out. They didn't have to work towards that standard like a musician does, such as a guitarist or a drummer. A guitarist has to practice for hours; Freddie put in those hours of practice, and really knows what it is to be a guitarist. We both speak the same language that way.
Whilst in the process of writing tracks, Freddie knew where you were coming from then?
Yeah, absolutely. Freddie says the same. For a long time, he wasn't a lead vocalist in his own group. He's been in many groups solely as a guitarist. The vocalists he's worked with always drove him crazy, which is one of the reasons he began to sing (laughs). He just wanted someone reliable who could sing, and the only way for that to happen was for him to sing.
So those two initial tracks you and Freddie penned, namely "The Answer" and "Waste of Time", provided you with an indication of how a collaborative album could sound?
Yeah, we really liked those tunes. Immediately after writing them, I had to go on tour. For that reason, I was somewhat busy for several months. Finally though, I concluded the tour, and Freddie returned to California. Having more time to write, everything slightly confused us initially since there were so many avenues we could explore. Freddie is a great guitarist, so we could've opted towards the guitar route if we had wanted to, or we could have written metal material, or pop material, or in so many different styles. We just slowed down. We spent roughly a week jamming, just seizing some guitars and playing guitar a lot. Finally, the tracks just began to naturally happen. Even though we spoke, and planned out a direction, the greatest plan was to just play music, wait, and see what comes out. That's what happened.
Was it difficult finding time to write and record 'United States' due to your other musical commitments?
Luckily, yes. I've been very busy, and if you're a musician, you're always happy to be busy.
Could you shed light on 'United States'' album title?
Sure. We're both from Pennsylvania, though I moved to California, so in order to complete the album, we had to unite both of our states (laughs). Freddie had to visit California. Also, there's an English expression, specifically "state of mind", and we really felt that we had a united state of mind in our approach to our music. Also, it's where we're from. We thought it was a cool title somewhat, and one that has many meanings.
So 'United States'' album title doesn't boast any political meaning, or anything of such a nature?
No, not really. It's much more of a metaphor for our states of mind, I think.
How would you describe recording a vocal album in 'United States' following two instrumental albums, namely 2006's 'Get Out Of My Yard' and 2008's 'Silence Followed By A Deafening Roar'?
After cutting two instrumental albums, it was nice. I was real happy with those, but I love vocals, and wanted to record another vocal album. Since I could really concentrate on being a guitarist whilst writing instrumental albums, the quality improved. Those two instrumental albums were greater than what I recorded before, I think. When I opted to go back to vocal music, I wanted to maintain that higher quality. If I had been the album's vocalist, I wasn't sure if I could achieve that. I wanted to find a vocalist, and I'm really happy with who I found.
Generally speaking, are you comfortable with handling vocals?
I love to sing, but my voice is just limited. I wish I could travel to the store, buy a Ronnie James Dio, and install it in my throat, though I'm stuck with my own voice. I enjoy my voice, but I just have a lower register. I can't hit really high notes, and am stuck down low somewhat.
So you prefer vocalists who have more of a range?
Yeah, and much rock vocals. If I had to duplicate some material, I could possibly cover some of the Beatles material rooted in the lower range, or sing material by The Doors, or even blues material. I can hit some high notes, though hitting high notes wears my voice out extremely quickly (laughs). It's nice to have Freddie handle vocal duties, whose range is fantastic.
Generally speaking, how would you describe the transition from writing instrumental material to writing material with vocals once again?
The change evident upon 'United States' was slightly due to the fact that it was a vocal album, but more so due to the fact that it was a collaboration. Most of the solo albums I've recorded have truly been solo albums, in that I've been the leader. I've told everyone what to do somewhat, and have certainly received creative input here and there. Upon most of my solo albums though, I've been the benevolent dictator. I really wanted 'United States' to be a collaborative album; I wanted to write with Freddie, and wanted to give him much input - that's not always easy. Actually, in writing 'United States', collaborating was great. However, it's rare to find someone who you can truly collaborate with.
I was really lucky to be able to work with Freddie, and was really lucky to be able to work with someone that I can not only musically get along with, but personally get along with, and work with in the same type of way.
In some respects, was it difficult handing over the reigns?
It can be difficult. It requires a lot of trust, though I really trusted Freddie. I love the melodies he came up with, and I love the riffs he came up with. Almost immediately, I was happy to share the creative process. Both Freddie and I have attempted to collaborate before, but with varying degrees of success. This collaboration just went smoothly though. The tracks were written really quickly, and we really liked them as well.
Would you deem 'United States' as more of a solo album, or would you deem 'United States' a dual effort between you and Freddie? The album is accredited to both you and Freddie.
Initially, we didn't know what to name 'United States'. We thought we should call the album by a new group name, possibly. It was slightly tricky, since we really felt the album was written by the both of us. 'United States' wasn't just a solo album featuring Freddie as a hired vocalist - he was very significant in songwriting, and in production. 'United States' was really just mine and Freddie's album, so I thought it'd be more appropriate to include his name in the album's title. That made the most sense.
You said that 'Get Out Of My Yard' and 'Silence Followed By A Deafening Roar' gave you a higher level of focus in terms of your guitar playing. Consequently, how did that benefit 'United States'?
By recording instrumental albums, it made me really excited about playing guitar again. During my previous solo albums, I sometimes spread myself a little thin. I worried about writing all the tracks, designing the artwork, writing lyrics, and production. I handled so many jobs that I couldn't concentrate on guitar playing as much as I would've liked to, though through recording instrumental albums, conducting tours and performing a lot of guitar music. Those albums really helped me to reconnect with the guitar. I really enjoyed that, and enjoyed improving my guitar skills as a result. Despite the fact that 'United States' is a vocal album, since I wasn't the album's vocalist, this left me with a lot of energy to be the album's guitarist, which was great. Even the tasks that I would've normally handled myself, such as the album's artwork, Freddie helped me with. He helped me sift through the photos. We chose the album's photos together, we wrote the album's lyrics together, and handled so many other things together. By having Freddie involved, so much weight was taken off my shoulders.
Upon 'United States', did Freddie let you solely control guitar duties, or did he contribute, and provide some suggestions?
Yes. Freddie was extremely inspiring, and acted as a producer almost. When I wrote 'United States'' guitar solos, he would always be there with me. That really made writing guitar solos fun, though I can easily get lost. Sometimes, the problem with having many techniques is that you can venture towards too many places (laughs). Sometimes, I'd lose direction, and just wouldn't be sure what to do. Freddie was really good at focusing upon what was right for the track, and it was great to see his responses. When I played the solo for "Paris Hilton Lookalike", he jumped up and down, and said "That's great. This is perfect". He was really excited about what I was playing.
"Sometimes, the somewhat crazy vocalists are people who have a natural ear for music."
It's funny, since guitarists in general are solitary performers in my opinion. To learn to play guitar, you have to spend a lot of time by yourself with the instrument. Much of the time, guitarists are very territorial about their world. They don't want another guitarist as a part of the group, and just want to be the only guitarist in the group. As Freddie and I are guitarists, we both have a little bit of that in our nature. Since we work so well together though, we can let that wall down, and can really enjoy our collaboration. To both of us, it's obvious that the results of our collaboration are great, so it's easy to let that barrier down as the eventual result is great music.
Upon past solo albums, have you become extremely exhausted on past solo albums since you handled so many tasks? You said you handled artwork, writing and everything else.
After completing each album, I'm always exhausted (laughs). Whenever I'm in the mastering studio performing the final tasks, I'm usually sleeping since I've been awake for three days during the final mix. Somehow, I always feel obligated to just channel every bit of energy I have into a record. A record is like my child, almost. It was great having Freddie's help upon 'United States', though I still gave all of my energy. I've never recorded an album where I haven't been exhausted towards its completion.
The music featured upon 'United States' has been described as a hybrid of Mr. Big, obviously, and Queen. What are your thoughts on this?
Naturally, Freddie's voice is frequently compared to Freddie Mercury's; firstly, since he has the same first name, and secondly, since he was born with a singing voice that is similar to Freddie Mercury's. I wish I was that lucky (laughs). Some of 'United States'' material is melodically similar to Mr. Big's material; the material is heavy, yet still incorporates some good, melodic blues influences. That's likely where that comparison emanates from. Freddie and I grew up in that seventies to early eighties era, listening to groups like Van Halen, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, and T-Rex, all during that hard rock, glam metal period.
So you'd define yourself as being more classic, hard rock oriented?
That's our favourite material. As guitarists as well, that period was really exciting for us. We were both really young when Van Halen initially emerged, and that inspired both of us. Freddie's favourite group is actually Deep Purple, I think - I've heard him say that before. I think his older brothers were musicians, and they owned Purple records. He was a huge Ritchie Blackmore fan.
Do you incorporate the styles of certain guitarists into your playing?
Yeah, many, many guitarists. Basically, I learnt to play guitar by copying my heroes. Most of my playing just emerges naturally, and is just a part of my style. For "Paris Hilton Lookalike"'s bridge, I tried to find some interesting chords. I borrowed some chords from a Beatles track, and a Bee Gees track. The Beatles and The Bee Gees are masters of pop music, so they're good groups to borrow from.
Could you tell me about the track "The Last Rock and Roll Star"?
I'm from the eighties generation, where you'd always write a really really intense, heavy opening track. If you listen to the albums of Mr. Big, the opening track is always fast, heavy and crazy. I always feel an obligation to come out, and really ensure that the opening track is as heavy, and as fast, as can be. "The Last Rock and Roll Star" is 'United States'' most heavy track, and I really thought Freddie sang great upon it. The number has some progressive elements, some odd times in terms of the drumming, really heavy guitar riffs, and a crazy solo. Lyrically, I wrote most of the lyrics for "The Last Rock and Roll Star", and those lyrics are very autobiographical. The track is about the fact that I just couldn't wait until I left high school, so that I could concentrate on music a hundred percent. Also, I just thought about our job as a musician as being the greatest job in the world.
When you left high school, did people laugh at you when you explained that you wished to pursue a career in music?
Where I was from, people really didn't think that you could be a musician - being a musician wasn't deemed to be a real job. Luckily though, I moved away when I was seventeen, and went to the Guitar Institute of Technology, which is a guitar school. Immediately, I began to meet people whose living was as a musician. Professional guitarists conducted clinics all the time, and so being a musician really became a reality. It was very inspiring.
Also, could you tell me about the track "The Answer"?
"The Answer" was one of the first tracks me and Freddie wrote. Lyrically, the track just concerns a young girl discovering her freedom, and her power as a woman. Musically, what's so interesting about the track is that it changes time - the track goes from four bars to six-eight bars. It took our drummer a little while to figure out what was going on (laughs). I wrote the part myself, and I like "The Answer"'s solo a lot.
Are "The Answer"'s lyrics based upon a specific girl discovering her freedom?
No. "The Answer" doesn't concern any specific person, but just explores the concept of a girl growing up.
And what can you reveal regarding "Pulsar"?
One of my favourite guitarists is a gentleman named Pat Travers, and "Pulsar" is definitely inspired by Pat Travers. I really wanted to write a track which was somewhat bluesy, and very intense, where Freddie and I could possibly have guitar trade offs. That really became a great track to perform live, where Freddie and I could have guitar battles. "Pulsar" is the one track upon 'United States' where I'm the lead vocalist, since the vocal range was somewhat good for me upon that track.
Did Freddie need to coax you into cutting vocals for "Pulsar"?
Kind of. I sang on its demo version, which Freddie said sounded good. Actually, he handled the high harmony.
Another track you mostly wrote is entitled "I'm Not Addicted", so what information can you provide regarding that track?
(Laughs) "I'm Not Addicted"'s metaphor and lyrics touch upon the fact that people who are addicted to drugs, or addicted to alcohol, will sometimes say; "I'm fine. I'm in control. I'm not addicted. I can quit any time that I want". Of course, they usually can't. These people think they're in control, but they're actually not - the drug is in control. I used that idea, and applied that to a relationship with a woman. You say "I'm in control. If I wanted to quit, I could at any time", but the reality is that you're addicted to the woman, and you can't quit. That's the metaphor of the track.
Since you're a musician and have toured, you've likely met a lot of musicians who've been addicted to drugs, and have been in denial.
I've been pretty lucky, since I don't do drugs. I tend to attract people that are healthy, I think. I remember growing up, and being a part of groups when I was a teenager. Some of the other musicians would consume drugs, and drink a lot. I was just more interested in music. To me, the energy of the music really made me feel great, and I didn't need anything else.
In February 2009, you toured Japan with Freddie. How would you describe that trek?
The trek was great. I was really happy to perform 'United States'' tracks live. When you perform tracks live, they really take on a new energy. "The Last Rock and Roll Star" is a really cool track to perform live, and "Girl From Omaha" was a lot of fun. We performed all of 'United States'' tracks live, and subsequently performed some of my old solo material. It was funny too, since I asked Freddie if he wanted to sing some of my solo tracks. I thought he could sing my solo tracks greater than I can, but no, he nonetheless really encouraged to still sing the material we performed from my old solo albums.
Will you record future albums with Freddie Nelson?
I'd love to record future albums with Freddie. I hope we can.
Will you make an effort to initiate this, and make a future collaboration with Freddie Nelson come to fruition?
Now, I have so many things occurring at the same time. I'm pursuing a reunion tour with Mr. Big, and also, I have an instrumental guitar career, a project with Freddie, Racer X, a tour package called Guitar Generation which is similar to Joe Satriani's G3, and guitar clinics. I have many different music related projects I pursue, and basically, I never really plan more than three months ahead. At the moment, my next three months is mostly involved with Mr. Big. We're embarking upon a huge tour, and also, we'll be conducting some other shows in Europe. After that, who knows?
Did you enjoy guesting upon the track "Dynamic Exhilarator", featured upon Billy Sheehan's solo album 'Holy Cow'?
That was really fun, and was actually one of the things that inspired me to play as part of Mr. Big again. I hadn't played with Billy in awhile. When I recorded "Dynamic Exhilarator"'s solo for him, he came over to my house, and I asked him to produce me. I said "Tell me what style you want". We worked together upon that solo, and we had a great time. I was really happy with how that solo came out.
Are you and Billy good mates then?
Yeah, absolutely. That's one of the greatest things about the Mr. Big reunion, I think; we really wanted to not only play music, but to be friends again. That wasn't just Billy and me but the whole group, which includes Eric and Pat as well.
Did you have any apprehensions about reuniting as part of Mr. Big?
Over the years I have, though for some reason, enough time had passed. We all felt really good about reuniting as part of Mr. Big. Additionally, it's nice to have the demand. Everywhere I travelled, whether it be Australia or Europe, there was a demand for Mr. Big. When we booked Japanese shows, we sold out Tokyo's Budokan. These Japanese shows are huge shows, so it feels really nice to be wanted like that. Most of all though, our first priority is to enjoy what we're doing, and not pursue Mr. Big as a business move, or do what we used to do. We really wanted to be friends again.
Were you worried about Mr. Big overshadowing your solo career?
Anything that I do, I can't really control the success of. All I do, with each project, is try to make that project good, and how people respond to that project is completely unpredictable (laughs). If anything is successful, then I'm really happy. Mr. Big is a group, and a group always has a lot of power. I'm very happy if Mr. Big does well, and I'm sure Mr. Big will do well. I'd be really surprised if my solo career ever did as well as Mr. Big's career, though I've been very happy with my solo career. I've conducted long European tours over the last several years, which were very successful.
Why did you originally leave Mr. Big in 1997?
At that point, we just didn't enjoy being a part of Mr. Big anymore. If you're part of a group, or perform a specific style of music, then you have to enjoy it. That's the reason I left Mr. Big, and that's the reason why I've joined Mr. Big again; now, I'm enjoying being part of the group. For all of us, that's a priority.
"I've been very busy, and if you're a musician, you're always happy to be busy."
There were some personal issues within Mr. Big, though fortunately with our reunion, we're forgetting the bad times somewhat, and remembering the good ones. I think that's important.
Were there plans for Richie Kotzen to become involved in Mr. Big's reunion? I thought that both of you could possibly handle guitar duties.
I like Richie. Richie and I have done a lot of shows together recently, where we've jammed together onstage. Within any group though, I think the original members have a powerful impact. Take a group like Van Halen for example: certainly, Sammy Hagar was a great vocalist, and recorded some great music with Van Halen. As a fan though, I always preferred David Lee Roth. He was Van Halen's original vocalist, and the original lineup just formed the sound of the group, as well as the group's image. With Mr. Big, it's the same situation. Richie is very talented, and he's a great musician, though I think we really wanted Mr. Big's reunion to be comprised of the original members. There's a certain power to that.
Do you feel the same way regarding original Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony?
Yeah. Wolfie, Eddie's son, performs a very great job - he's a great bassist, and sounds great. Absolutely though, I miss Michael Anthony. He was Van Halen's original bassist, and I wish he'd been a part of the reunion.
As you said, there were some personal issues within Mr. Big during 1997. To resolve those issues, did the group's members just sit down, and have a good chat?
Between then and now, much time had passed. In short, we all had dinner at my house, my wife and I cooking a big meal for everyone. Everybody came over, and we just opened up a bottle of champagne. The more that time passed, the more comfortable we became, the more relaxed we became, and the more that trust between us started to build. Following that, we did more things together. We travelled to Japan, and conducted a week of promotion. We've performed together, have conducted interviews, and have done a video together. Everything we've done has been fun, as well as successful. Everyone's been cool. I think everybody's heads are really in the right place.
What can people expect from Mr. Big's June 2009 tour of Japan?
We're really excited to perform. Mr. Big has always been a great group, and the great thing about Mr. Big is that we're successful as a result of our music. We were never an image based group, and were never successful as the result of being bad boys, bad boys who consume drugs and drink. We're not self-destructive people, and due to that, we're still healthy. We can still perform, and we can still sing. We're actually singing and performing better than we ever have, I think. Physically, those performances are going to be a hundred percent great. They will be very emotional, since not only is it a reunion between the four of us but it's also a reunion with our audience. In Japan, that relationship was amazing - we were always blown away by the response we received in Japan.
Will any of these shows be recorded for a live DVD, or live album, from Mr. Big?
We're going to record our show at the Budokan.
Will those shows be recorded for a live DVD, and a live album, from Mr. Big?
Yeah, for both.
Do these impending releases have an issue date?
I don't know (laughs). Since it's a live performance, the recording will be finished following the show. Hopefully, we can get those releases mixed pretty quickly, and obviously, those releases will be issued in Japan initially. Hopefully, those releases will be issued around the rest of the world as well.
Can we expect a new album from Mr. Big?
I would like to. Thus far, everything's been really smooth, and we're having a good time. There's a pretty good chance, I think.
Have you written any material which could possibly be considered for Mr. Big, or are you just seeing how things go?
I've been so busy; I've conducted long tours of Europe, clinic tours, recorded 'United States' with Freddie, and conducted tours with Freddie, so things have been insane. Even this year, I took part in a Racer X reunion performance at the NAMM show, and have released new guitars and new pedals. I haven't had a second free. When I get some time though, I'd love to.
So each of Mr. Big's members will have to sit down, discuss the possibility, and find time within one another's schedules?
Yeah, exactly.
Do you have a message for your fans?
I'm always grateful that people listen. I've been making records for over twenty years now, and it's really nice to have a job being a musician. Many of my fans are musicians, so I think we speak the same language, and have a lot of the same goals. If you are a musician, my best advice is to always enjoy music, and always find ways to motivate yourself. Music shouldn't be work, but should concern the enjoyment of the sound, and the enjoyment of the note. Have a great time with your guitar, or whatever instrument it is that you play.
Ok. Thank you for the interview Paul.
Great. Thank you so much.
Ok. Take care, and goodbye.
Bye.
