I'm old enough that my, I remember my first guitar teacher
had one of those and you had to flip the switch every time you
went to a different string. It was like, and you'd get it
and it was a strobe and then you'd go A and then flip the big
old switch on the Peterson. It was crazy.
I mean, they worked, but it was like, it was like it.
Was the original ear training exercise?
Yeah, we didn't know we needed. You know, there's a thing to
that. Like we're, you know, like
that's how I learned how to tune.
It was like, now people don't really do that anymore.
And it's like, you see people that can't really, it's like,
can you tune? It's like, yeah, just give me an
A And it's like a lot of like kids are like, huh, they don't
know how to do that. Yeah, even though it's like old
Les Paul's and stuff that I have that have the Raptail bridges,
people are like, how would you ever play that?
It's never going to be in tune. And I'm like, yeah, I'm never
going to be in tune. So it doesn't.
Matter, we've established on multiple episodes now.
Sometimes it's better to not be in tune.
Yeah, I was talking about this with somebody yesterday.
Like this beat, like I, I just have his friend Kevin Gilbert
that like, he was like tuned, but like, not too close, you
know? Just kidding.
Yeah, Yeah. You know, like little Beatles
recordings and stuff. Like, yeah, soloed stuff.
It's like, well, that's pretty out of tune, but it's so cool.
I always find if you're a little flat, it's all good.
Just don't be sharp because that's when it starts to go
buddy, buddy, what's going on there?
Sour I literally had to sit with a metronome and practice like
8th notes like because so I can't remember if I was rushing
or what it was even, but I remember a teacher of mine being
like, sit with the metronome and really pay attention.
Try and play right in the middle and then try and pull back and
then try and be a little on top and see if you can do it, you
know. And so I sat I'd be like, what
like as a student I was like, what does that even mean?
And then I'd be like, oh, OK. And now it's like, if anything I
pull too far on the backside. Now I have to be like don't be
lazy. How do you get your skills to
the level of Pete Thornness? Probably motivated by the fear
of sucking the most. I can't suck.
Yeah, I can't suck. Don't suck now, but no.
So over preparation. I mean, when I'm going into a
gig, it's like for me, I just have to go in.
I wish I could be a little looser actually like a little
more like just comfortable with in my own skin.
But I've always been an over preparer and going.
I have to have every part and every sound right, like right
from day one when I go in. But that's kind of in my like,
because I'm not, I'm not like I don't consider myself like the
greatest guitar player or anything.
I just, I'm just a competent guitar player, I think.
But like what I do do is really pay attention to the actual
parts and the the tones on the record and stuff.
And if you walk into an audition or, you know, rehearsal day one
and you've got all that stuff together and the artist looks
back and he goes, man, that sounds just like the record.
That's like, you know, then you can say you're like, it's a real
yeah, that's what I was going for.
And then. And then from there you can
start to, if they're like, OK, now branch out a bit and go.
But at least that's always a great baseline.
I feel like. And so I'm always like striving.
It's got to be that like every. And So what that means is
generally for me is just a ton of preparation going into a gig
of like sitting there repeating and, you know, coming up with
the right sounds and everything, just putting as much time in.
It might be, you know, that it's weird.
I'm not, I'm not like a really consistent practicer.
But like when it comes to preparing for gigs and things,
I'm so devoted and I, I kind of love like going down that rabbit
hole into that space. And I can do that like 12 hours
a day and just, you know, take a break for dinner, maybe forget
to eat dinner. And you're like, why am I so
hungry? I'm feasting on tone.
Yeah, I'm feasting on tone. Yeah.
Guitar players always have a different answer to that because
regimen will have a good effect on somebody.
But then preparing for your gig, the practice and meticulousness
that goes into that, the byproduct is your great player
in fundamental ways that some people get to.
And I'm going to practice my sweet picking or I'm going to
practice my legato. Yeah, I mean, I feel like when I
was in Chris Cornell's band, the other guitar player was Yogi
Lanich. And he was definitely like, he,
you know, he could. He was a jazzer.
I mean, he'd play rock great, but he, it's almost like jazz
vocabulary was like his. But maybe not a lot of people
know that about him. But anyways, he had this
beautiful, like kind of loose, you know, you could hand him a
guitar, any guitar, and he'd just, he had these great big
hands and he'd just pick it up and he was just confident and
he'd play and he was so comfortable and not always
learning the parts just like the record or if a song was in an
alternate tuning, he'd probably learn it in standard just
because it was easier. Like I ain't.
Retuning this got to be able to do it.
No, man, just go like this and he was just he just had that
thing where I was the opposite. I was the guy that was like, no,
every part has to be in the tuning.
It has to be just like the, you know, and we were actually great
together. It was like if there'd been 2 of
him or two of me in that band, it wouldn't have worked as well
as it did with the with the, the different, you know, So if there
was a loose kind of, you know, like a lot of Kim Tails souls,
like 90s kind of psychedelic, you know, yoga could do that
stuff just great. And then I would do a little bit
more of the Morello like kind of like dialed, you know, the
specific, you know, so in Chris's band, that was really
nice. It's just different kinds of
guitar players and sometimes, sometimes it works well when you
put them together. Something I really admire about
you is the fact that you're able to go into that rabbit hole
because it's like you're like diving into the ocean of tones.
You know, for me, sometimes I could get lost really quick and
I'm like, how is what does that sound?
When I listen to you play like so much of your amazing tone and
and skill is just coming from your hands.
I like putting different gearboxes in front of that power
and be like dude, check what happens when we put it in the
synth pedal. Ring Ring Modulator.
You're going to love this flanger.
But it's got to be really fun for you because it might not be
something that you would normally plug into and then you
might discover something that's like holy.
Shit, yeah, a lot of people will say, too, that like, especially
for me, they'll be like, oh, you don't use a lot of gear.
And it's like, well, it's not out of a way of being, like,
ignorant about gear because there's so much amazing stuff.
Yeah, it's just, I'll, it's like, I find the hammer and the
nails that work really, really well.
And I figure out how to use them the best I can.
But then this guy will put something cool on the floor.
And then it's like a whole new world opens up.
I like to diagnose somebody's tonal needs and just find out
what makes them tick. So I I put down here.
The only thing I would probably add to this would be a
compressor for cleans. And otherwise you've got me
dialed. I'm in a little delay, a little
phase, you know, a little bit of, you know, of course the
module and a great drive and that's what more do you need,
You know, you can do 90% of you know.
There's so many demos I've watched.
You're the only guy I've ever trusted.
I want you to know that. I swear.
What about him?
No, I'm a paid shield. You would do demos like you'd be
in your and it would be just some random thing, maybe a fuzz
pedal or whatever you were playing through and I'd and I
would see if Pete did a demo of it, I'd be like, I know that's
going to be good. Yeah, and you're not the only
person to say that. When it comes to tone, you're
the guy and that's just one of you.
Like what's your favorite demo that you've you've done?
Is is there one that sticks out? When I go back and I listen to
some of them, like there's actually songs that ended up on
my last record that were like, there was this one for this
crazy box that never went anywhere.
And I was like when I was doing the demo, I was like, this is
not going to take off. But this thing is ridiculous and
cool 'cause it was just so specific.
It was this thing called the Vintage Revolution.
I think it was a 2 Rackspace thing full of analog effects.
So it had like analog OverDrive and modulation, analog delay and
all this stuff in it. And it had a proprietary foot
switch and right there I was like.
You're like dude. We'll have to see about this.
It sounded so cool and it had it ended up as this song on my last
record called All Is Not Lost. But like I took a big part of
the demo and then verbatim used those tracks on the record and
actually just ended up over driving drums and building a
whole song out of it. So that one comes to mind as
being like the ones that ended up there was on the last record
too. There was a song called In Good
Company that Tim Pierce and Laurie Basilio guested on that
guest solo. And that started out as like a
demo of, I think a compressor, a Wagner compressor.
So it's those ones where I go like that's a good enough
composition that I should just build on.
What a cool way to write, even, man, because you write within a
different headspace and then also you're like, wait a minute.
This one I actually really like. Yeah, and then and then years
ago I'm by. So now I want to go back and do
that again, go farm all the old, you know, go through them and
go. That was good.
They're nice little demos. This is all they are of like a
minute and 1/2 or something of and you know, you're not in the
headspace of like, OK, we got to sit down and write some songs
for a record now. It's like, not oh.
Yeah, it's not daunting. Yeah, it's just fun.
It's, and that's not what I always say about my videos, is
actually what you're seeing me do is I'm tricking everybody
into think I'm demoing gear. I'm actually just having fun
writing little songs. Yeah, dude, that's.
Great. Inspired with a sound, you know,
you turn on the whatever. Here's the dimension.
It's like. But you know what?
That's the coolest part about what you're doing, I feel like
is that's the perfect marriage of cool gear, fun.
We all love gear. And then you're able to use that
to literally paint a picture in that moment.
That's it. And it's maybe you've kind of
confined 1 pedal. So it's like there's not now you
don't. Oh, should I add this to?
No, it's just like it's just gonna be that now come up with
something that's appropriate, you know, which is it's really
fuzzes is probably the most fun I find fuzz.
I don't know if you found this, but if you ever do a video for
fuzz pedal those get the least views.
Oh, fuzz is terrible. Maybe compressor is close, but
it's like because they're just. Well, there's nerds for
compressors. Fuzz is usually just looked down
upon, I guess. Yeah, people are just like it's
going to be, you're just going to do the fuzz bends and we're
it's all going to end in chaos. Yeah, but they're like sometimes
the most fun because it's like this gnarly thing.
Blues Seracino, the guitar player I was, I did a thing with
him. This was years ago, but I
remember something that he said about fuzzes that stuck out.
He's like, he looks at me. He's like fuzzes.
He's like, they're like those push lawn mowers, man.
He's like, he goes. They all just like kind of do
the same thing. You know, some might be a little
louder or, you know, Wilder. He's like, but it's just like a
push lawnmower. And I was like a fuzz is a push
lawnmower. It sounds about the same too.
Because a Fuzz Face will do the magic Hendrix thing where it's
like, you know, a lot of people think Hendrix was like had the
fuzz on a lot more than we think.
And he just did the roll down and then it's crystal clean and
all all his glassy highs and everybody's trying to change
their pickups and figure out what amp he was using.
It's like, dude, it's the Fuzz Face with the guitar rolled down
and it brings in this beautiful high end that's like and so
that's something totally, you know, a Big Muff doesn't do that
at all. It's like got that more kind of
square waved big, almost like a primitive distortion.
I think of it as but that big wall of, you know, sound and
then the volume control doesn't affect that at all.
So but I think they're different.
Sorry, Dwiesel, they're different.
Dwiesel is going to have something to say.
He's over there just OK. So on the flip side, what's the
videos that get the most love then if the fuzz is lowest?
The modern fuzz, which is just distortion.
That's like like you do video for.
I think I did one for this. It's like the Rev pedal.
It's like, you know, to ask Dave Friedman, like his VOD.
That's probably the biggest video I have, or one of them,
you know? I think turning on pedals all at
once could be the ticket. That's actually what you need to
do. Forget about focusing on one.
Just get a bunch in one room and turn them all on.
That's actually how you get the most views.
Wait, wasn't that a thing though?
For real. I did that and it got like
millions of views. Yeah, yeah, I just went one by
one. There was like 40 and I was just
like by the Miku, you know, It was just like complete.
It was complete nonsense. So.
Oh yeah, dude, yeah. But then that thing you've done
some videos, it probably just that one pedal.
Just a nice little transparent OverDrive, you know, Nothing to
see. Here I told Tyler the first
video he made, I remember. Or when I saw the video he made
with that pedal right there, which now I use every single
time I'm here. I laughed my ass off, dude.
I don't. Have time to disassemble boards
because I'm like half half of mine to be like, well actually
this one. But like this sound is sort of
fuzzy when you stack distortion. So like this is the bass sound.
Yeah, my favorite fuzz is like an Octavia.
Yeah, high the high end there and it's somehow some little
girth. Yeah, it's interesting.
I think Joe has one on his board on this tour that I'm doing it.
It's like that's one of the only pedals he's using.
Is very. I love that we should talk about
that. We're we're burying the lead a
little bit, but your current. We keep talking about fuzzes for
three hours. We just keep going.
You're in the fuzz episode. The least popular pedal.
Let's just go niche we're. Going to get you out of here
because you got to go play a show tonight at the Ryman.
You're here in Nashville with the SAT Fi surfing, with the
hydro tours going on and you guys are about halfway through.
What's the synopsis? This isn't your first time out
with these guys. Yeah, I did last year from the
get go, it was like, Oh my God, is this really going to happen?
Because for me, this is like, you know, absolutely two of my
top influences. And then when I started playing.
So, yeah, so I always say, like, it's sort of like for me, you
know, you're 14 years old and, you know, you're having a dream.
And it's like Joseph Rihani and Steve Weich called and they want
you to play in their band, and then you and then you wake.
Up and you. I just had that dream last
night, actually, yeah. I've had dreams that I was
actually like in rush, like like, and I was like, you wake
up and they're like, that's so stupid.
Why does my mind like tease me like that?
It's so. But this is kind of one of those
things where it's like playing with those two guys is, you
know, there's a moment in like, let me see this.
This is actually probably like the appropriate sound.
Oh yeah. I'm planning on looking over at
those two guys and I'm I'm looking at them and they're
they're harmonizing on the lead in a way they've never done on
tour. They've toured a lot together,
but never in the same group. So now they've come up with all
these parts that so I'm just sitting there and watching them
and I got chills right now actually thinking about it, like
just because that's what I do and and it's like I'm at the
show. You have the best seat in the
house bro The. Best seat and I'm just like, oh
man, I couldn't believe, you know, like that because I
learned that song when I was probably 1615 years old and just
like that's where I. What's that first chord?
So it's a, it's like Ibiza, but it's a.
Gorgeous. Yeah, so you got your second
finger on the and then you're playing the the the route and
the third there it's so there's so many cool.
Like this gig has definitely gotten me.
Like what's? About say, that stretch alone,
it's nice man. Yeah.
And then I'm doing like this So it's really like gotten my
stretch. You're deadly accurate on that
too. You got to hit every single one
of those, man. I'm.
Generating the dark. So I'm going like this.
I go like in the dark. You're like 3 two hit it.
So, but it's been really good for my, my just the, you know,
because I had to like there's some Steve stuff too.
That's like a well, I'm going to have to play the whole song or I
can't do the part. Yeah, you got to like get it
warm revved into. It there's a Steve song called
Little Pretty plays a hollow body on it.
And it's a really his composition in the last like 10
years has gotten so interesting because he is not afraid to play
big kind of like these chords that we've been doing like close
voicings, full distortion seventh string, like where
there's like the minor nines and you're like, whoa.
But then you listen to the whole composition.
You're like holy hell. Like the way he's voice leading
through chords and it all makes sense.
What's funny too, is his ear is probably, who knows where, how
fully developed his ear is, right?
Yeah, where he hears it compared to where you and I would hear.
Him explaining it to you, you'll tap into it and go, Oh my God,
this is what he's saying. There's just that little pretty
is. Yeah, that is, that's the one
that I'm like, going to lie, I feel like I'm
like. Am I hearing right?
I know. And that'll happen for about 3
days and then you go, Oh my God, it's beautiful.
I'm in. I have a.
Cool, that's exactly what. Happened to me, that's so cool.
Yeah, and he's soloing on top of it.
Just this gorgeous phrasing, like where he builds for we play
that part through. So it's 3 bars of five and a bar
of seven, this through 8 times and he's
building the most amazing solo. That's so and it's just like I'm
just when, when he's in my inner ears and I'm in at the same
level and we're both in stereo and then bass and drums is just
perfect. I just close my eyes and I'm
like, this sounds so amazing right now.
I'm just like, I'm just playing. That's all I have to do.
It's expanded my mind like play that, you know, it's, it's, it's
really a an honor. Well, expand on that.
What? What have you taken away other
than chord voicings? What sort of musical adventures
are you going to go on after this is through?
Well, you mentioned the Hydra and I mentioned fear earlier as
like, you know what I mean? Like which is something not
necessarily stage fright or whatever, but just like playing
it safe and that Steve never plays it safe.
I mean, those guys and Joe, I mean, they are riding the hairy
edge all the time, just like, and so that's inspiring and I've
taken away like the way they go for it.
When he plays the Hydra every night, it's brought out on
stage. So this thing has the three
necks. Yeah, yeah, that gnarly.
Can you show it? Yeah, yeah, bam.
Yeah, and it's like, and he so imagine coming up with the idea
to build that thing and then having to compose it.
Like having the piece of music in your head, you're going to
like, why do you need the harp? Why do you need?
Then he's like, well I want to play bass, get straight guitar,
harp and all these different. 12 strings in there and there's
like the half fretless part of it.
And he's, he's using it all and it's all this, this physical
thing that he's like, I had to practice for months to be able
to do it. He brought it and then he had to
practice the physical movements for months to be able to, you
know, and so, you know, I'm playing, we don't have a 7
string here probably, but I'm playing, you know, just one.
so he's playing that and he's playing the bass and the harp at
the same time. So he's incorporating that part
where he's moving and he's he's written the whole thing to be
musical and make, you know, it's a really cool piece of music
that and he can it's just like it's just like mind blowing.
So like riding that hairy edge of always being creative and
going for it every night on a piece like that is that's kind
of it's. Inspiring that guys that far
down in their career that have done so much still ride that
rail of being like, you know what, whatever, like I'm ready
to crash and burn, but I'm not gonna.
Not resting on my laurels, just playing the old tunes or
whatever. He's like constantly, constantly
composing and coming up and and you know, he's probably got
ideas that we haven't spoken about that like next year and
the year after that. He's like, this is what I want
to do next because that's what he's always thinking.
It's just like this constant. It's so inspiring, honestly so.
Yeah, Steve, I, I got to jam with him one time.
And the only reason I'm even bringing this up is because we
were, I was standing next to him like you probably have hundreds
of Times Now. And when he was playing, I feel
like I was witnessing someone truly special playing the
guitar, the way that he was even just moving his finger.
Yeah, like you kind of did it right Now there's his hand when
he does things, it's just like. And I just looked at him and I
was like. As I'm witnessing something like
this close that I was like, this is special man.
And then to hear him with Joe now, because we haven't really
spoken about it like Joe is, of course he's he idolizes Joe
still, I think. And he talks a lot about the old
days with him growing up. And he showed up on his doorstep
in Long Island with a pack of strings and a guitar with no
strings and then teach me guitar.
You know, that's how it started when they were like kids, you
know, like Steve is a pre T and Joe is a teenager and, and here
they are still making music together and it's just
beautiful. But when Joe's playing and
they're going back, because they do a lot of trading off in the
in the show and just look at, they're looking at each other
and they're laughing. You know, somebody will do
something and then they'll call answer.
And it's just like unlike anything, you know, it's like 2
guys that have played together for 50 years or been friends,
not played together, but been friends and stayed, you know, in
contact and, and feed off of each other's creative, you know,
and Joe will do things. It's like, I remember one night,
man, he was playing and he did a thing where Steve did something.
He did something, Steve did something.
And then he's like, OK, and he did this riff where he like
pulled the string off the side of the neck.
He did one of those. And then he does it again.
And I got, I remember it was right before the on course.
We were off stage and I was like, did you do that string
pull off thing on purpose? Like and he's like, yeah, of
course it. Makes you wonder how many more
tricks that these guys and we all could still discover, you
know? And everyone's like, it's all
been done. The guitar solo, the best ones
have already been written, blah blah, blah.
Like there's still more there and it's just a matter of do you
want to find it? These guys want to.
He does. He does different stuff every
night. I mean, Joe's like he's got this
one thing where he's he's got this like, like going up the
neck with the pick and scraping it and it doesn't all the way up
the neck. And I don't know quite how he
does it, but it's so cool. And then he hits the big sustain
note. I think using the sustainer on
the, you know, the sustaining act on the guitar.
I've never used one of those, so I don't know when he's turning
it on and off and stuff, he's so seamless with it, but he'll do.
And then he holds this note forever and the whole crowd,
like he basically gets a standing ovation and you know,
it's amazing. But then he finished by dropping
the bar and doing some other like shoving the string into the
pickups and then and then and I was like, what was that?
Like I've never heard you do that still in like probably like
60 shows. Dude, that is so cool.
Yeah. And he just looked at me and
he's like, I don't know. It worked.
Yeah. And I was like, that's so cool.
These are geniuses. So many tricks.
Yeah. So I mean, Joe kind of like when
he got me for the gig, he said I need a rock guy.
I want somebody. It's reflected in Marco, I
think, too. Marco plays great with a pic.
He wanted a bit. He's like, he wants to pick on
certain songs on bass and you know, all that stuff.
He wanted a just rock band vibe. So he's like, I listened to your
record, your second record and you, I know, you know, like when
it comes to playing, you know, let me do an example of, you
know, You know that's what he wants.
Yeah, you got that pump, dude. You got that attitude.
Yeah, and Justin, you know, me and Kenny, you're like Justin
Kenny. He's like, yeah.
And that's that. That was the the vibe.
You know, what's so cool too, is having listened to that record
so many times, you don't even realize how ingrained the rhythm
parts are in your ear. So I can actually tell you, you
nailed that rhythm part. It's not exactly like the
record. So yeah.
Yeah. But it's the, it's more not even
necessarily the tone, but your, your hands, the way you're
attacking it. That's everything.
You could put on a fuzz pedal and play that and I would still
be like, that's the surfing part.
That's the surfing part, yeah, because Joe's really good rhythm
guitar player and he's got great time.
So it's like when you. The other one is that we don't
think about, you know, we think about that part,
You know that whole thing. You know, that's the exact tempo
too. Yeah, it's probably exactly on.
It's just like programmed into the muscle memory too.
That's my, that's my gig, you know, which is like I'm, I'm
playing behind singers is what I'm doing, which is what I've
always done. It's like I always said, they're
like, how are you going to, you know, do?
It's like I'm playing behind a singer.
You know, him and Steve are the singers and I'm in the rhythm
section. And that's like, that's the kind
of the main gig. That's great.
Animal just came out of your soul when you're doing this
harmonics. And I was like this is
happening. We can do an
What's up? I love it.
So fun. Oh dude, you're amazing.
You guys sound fantastic. What's up with your guitar?
What's up with this, Sir? That thing's pretty stealthy.
What's with that, Sir? Sir.
Yeah. Excuse me, Sir.
Yeah, has anyone ever made that lame joke to you?
Why I? Took a verbal Sir, Sir, where's
that? And you're like, what?
What do you want? It's it's kind of deceiving.
Look at that brown on the back. Yeah, it's all mahogany body and
neck of rosewood board, Maple top.
Like our favorite guitar is from Kalamazoo, right?
For sure. But obviously a bolt on 25 1/2.
This guitar was basically this is like a newer cosmetic Lee
speaking version of my original signature model that came out
about 10 years ago. We just updated it with like
open coil pickups and the cream rings and you know, Les Paul
like the top hat knobs and stuff, just because this guitar
supposed to be kind of like a true hybrid chameleon instrument
that I I can use, you know, on any gig.
It's like when I always say like I, I, I used Joe and Steve as
examples, also John Petrucci, like guys that are stylists that
have signature guitars and they can be very like, you know, the
crazy colors and do all this crazy.
But if I go in and like when I was playing with Don Hanley or
something, I can't really play a guitar like that because I'm not
in those roles. I'm a side man.
So this this instrument really reflects that I tried to make
something for players that have to, you know, play rock gig one
day in a country gig the next day.
And what, because that was kind of me, I was like all over the
map. And so so that's the aesthetic.
Want to make something that, you know, it's mine.
Like when you see it, it's got a look to it.
That's like, I think that's a Pete Thorn model, but it's also
kind of a chameleon that fits. Like it looks familiar.
Dude, it feels so classic, but it obviously feels it's you.
But it's it does have that thing, like you said, where you
can go from a rock gig to a country gig to whatever.
It just feels like classic guitar, but it's still modern.
Yeah, that's it with all the modern kind of accoutrements and
the switching and stuff is really, you know, I can do
series parallel on the bridge pickup, so I can't, Oh, I
forgot, that's a pull the knob off because that's because it's
a push. We decided to not.
Do this. I was like, whoa, that's a
really thick knob. Yeah, on the on the production
one, this actually has a a push pull.
I was experimenting with push, push this push push on this one,
but that gets me from the louder sounds, you know, so
it really crosses a lot of boundaries as far as ability to
get single coil humbucker, you know, kind of put in a
relatively simple switching arrangement.
So and this Thornbucker pickups, we got big frets and I've I've
gone to this traditional tremolo.
I was using the Wilkinson for a while that's got the locking
yeah locking saddles, which works great.
But Sir did something with this bridge.
They got their own proprietary bridge, which looks a lot like
Godos and other bridges, but it's actually made for them.
And there's a couple things with it where it just, it's a, it's
a, you know, strings like a regular tremolo.
Yeah, it looks super traditional.
Super traditional and yet seems to stay in tune better than just
about any traditional bridge that I've, you know, they've
done a couple things, angle over the nut angle of things here,
strings and it's just like whatever's going on, it's just
really Remember when I was a kid, man,
I had a bigsby on a guitar and I was like, dude, I'm going to
sound like I'm going to do some like Satriani.
And I was literally like wah, wah, wah.
It went down like and I was like, I was like, OK, cool.
It's like that's as far as I can go.
So wait, hey, I got a question for you.
I mean, obviously killer guitar. Sick.
So you're talking about like playing with Don Henley and some
of these legends. Was there ever a point when you
did walk in with the wrong guitar?
Amp, Amp, My first Don Henley, my first Don Henley audition,
which was in 2000. I didn't get the gig.
I got pretty. I got like almost, I was so
young in green. But then nine years later I went
back and I got the gig. But.
How nervous were you? Oh dude, the first time I was
like that talk about it, that was the over preparation was
like 3 weeks of me standing up, standing up in my living room
like over over preparing. Like you know, so that you know
what I mean. Like I like to stand up and
play. Oh yeah, So you're you're full,
full fight mode, Yeah. The first time you play the song
standing up isn't at the audition.
It's like, you know, it's like, oh God, the guitar feels
different here. So I would stand up full rig
play just for so many hours a day.
I mean, it was insane. It was a nine song audition.
I mean, it was in a lot of the songs you would think just the
classic. So I was, I'd never done
anything that heavy. I'd done some touring and I had
a record deal and different things like that.
But I'd never been in with a guy like that.
And then I found out the guys that were in audition the day
before me was like, I think it was like maybe Steve Ferris
from, you know, Mr. Mr. you know, it's like guys Brett Tugle
on keys. I think Greg Bissonnette was in
playing the day before. It was like this whole, I'm
like, what am I doing? Why am I going here?
I'm going to, you know, and I went down and it was like 2
wedges, Clare Brothers, you know, 1000 watts aside, like,
and we start playing. Where were you at?
It was at a sound stage, Sony sound stage in LA on the, on the
Sony lot in Culver City. I was so nervous, but I'd so the
that's just where preparation comes in.
When you're, when you, you play it in your sleep, then that then
you're ready. Because now if you turn your
brain off, your hands will still go there.
So we did Dirty Laundry was the first tune and I took both
solos, you know, this Joe Wall solo and then the Leukather
shred solo at the end. And yeah.
And we start playing at that and he comes in, you know, with I
Make my living. And it's like he's not screwing
around like, and he was always like that.
Sound checks are like he never, ever, ever doesn't.
Mailed it in or? Go for it.
He's serious as a heart attack and like going for it all the
time. So, And I was like, Oh my God,
it felt, and it sounded so good, you know?
And then I just played and I remember we got to the end of
the tune. He's like, sounds good.
OK. And on to the next song.
I was like, I didn't get laughed out of the room yet.
OK. And then it went from there and
it went actually on for about 3 weeks.
I've got 2 callbacks and kept coming back.
And I was like, I was so broke at the time and like just like,
you know, in this mode of like, Oh my God, this could change
like everything for me. This touring gig would be so
good. And then it didn't happen.
But he sent me a really lovely letter saying like, hey, I'm
going to go with this. Other ended up being Peter
Stroud. My God, the right choice, right?
I mean, he was so much more experienced 10 years down the
road from the experience. And so I totally understood.
I love Peter, he's the best. So he said, I've gone with Peter
for this tour. But he said, I'll keep you in
mind for the future and maybe we'll do something down the road
together. Nine years later, ended up going
back and getting it then. So then I was, you know,
probably about nine years more experience was about what I
probably could have used, you know, I would say and it and so
it all was right, but. You were, when you were young
like that, doing auditions, Yeah.
Like, that takes a lot of guts. And I think a lot of people,
yeah, don't really realize maybe.
It's like betting on yourself. You got to go in there with not,
not 100% confidence, 200%. Yeah, it's like more than just
the skills, man. I really had to learn and it was
the IT was the over preparation. But just by doing and do, I
don't know, I developed a kind of some like almost like
audition techniques. An artist is putting a band
together for a tour or maybe they've lost a key member and
now they're auditioning a new member.
They're stressed out. They've made a new record,
probably they're getting ready for a tour cycle.
They got a lot on their mind. And it's like, now I'm doing
this audition thing. Oh God, is it, am I going to
meet somebody cool? Are they going to be cool to
travel with on a bus, like in a pressure cooker for like 9
months of the year? You know, all those factors are
coming into play, let alone just can they play?
And is the, it's, it's like, can you play?
Are you a good player? Do you know the parts?
That's just a given. Yeah, that's there like that
just. Has to be that you go in so
prepared and everything it's like the rest of it is really
your hang and like you're you know, if you're a good, you know
somebody that people want to be around because that's the really
difficult part about tour. So if you can go in with the
part and everything nailed to the point where especially on
the first tune at an audition, you're comfortable enough, even
though the sounds weird and you're in some room, maybe
playing with unfamiliar drummer that you don't know and
whatever. If you can by the end of the
song, look at them and smile like on the last hit and kind of
make them feel like, wow, we could have just done that live
right now and it would have been OK.
Like that would be that would have been a you know, and you
try and make them feel that way every time and then just be fun
and be like loose and stuff. And if you get through a whole
audition like that, where they feel like elevated, like, Oh my
God, like prob you want to be a problem solved.
I always say that because it's just a problem when they're
putting a van together. It's like, I got this problem.
I got to find a magician or a band.
Just make it feel like it's not a problem, Like it's actually a
bonus and they're excited when it then that's how you get gigs.
So that was always kind of my, I don't know where that came from,
but I developed that fairly early on where it's like I got
to go in and be not a stress case, not a whatever, not a be
be a problem solved. Make them feel comfortable and
make them stoked. And then that's, that's about
all I can do, you know? What about that nine year gap in
between Henley interactions? So then I ended up on, you know,
doing tours with Goo Goo Dolls and Sheryl Crow and like getting
just as the experience. You can only get through playing
right. And and then I played with a guy
named Robbie Drokka Rosa, who was collaborator of Ricky
Martins and he he's he Co wrote Limin La Vida loca and she
bangs. He's like a, you know, he's but
he's a he's a bonafide amazing artist in his own right.
Spanish language mainly, so I toured a lot of Latin America
with him and and that game. Has been so cool.
Well, I learned the art of like forget about like I played the
biggest crowded party ever played is 140,000 in Colombia
with him with like a rented ovation acoustic and like, you
know, just whatever like amp was, it was like.
Something like. Didn't think it was going to be
like this, but here we are. Here we are and he and we'd
always still have a great show, like just plug in and just get
that skill for it. Just go for it.
So there was that lesson. Then I toured with Jewel after
that and then kind of jumping forward about 2007, got the gig
with Chris Cornell. So then I I did like 300 plus
shows with with Chris and, you know, covering his whole catalog
and everything only to lead up to a month after the Cornell
touring thing ended. John Hanley audition again.
OK, let's. Go Wow.
You're like, all right, dude. Here I am.
I'm ready. No, I'm.
Ready. Yeah.
You're like, what's up, Don? Did he remember you?
Oh, he totally. Really.
Hey, Pete, what's up? What I.
Oh dude, how cool is? That, Yeah.
And then we did. We did one, and then we did a
call back and then that was he, he said.
All right, you got the gig. It's kind of like a weird full
circle moment. One year full circle moment
where it was really, and it was so appropriate, like he did, you
know, Peter was the right guy in 2000 and then I was finally
ready and Peter Stroud, I mean, in 2000, I was finally ready.
And so it was. It was like my path of learning
and you know. By that time you had some
serious notches in the belt. Yeah, so many gigs.
And it was just like, I knew how to tour.
I knew how to be comfortable and crack jokes and be, you know, it
was like. What about your guitar playing
do you think has stayed the same and what has changed?
So much has stayed the same. Yeah, well, no, I'm seriously
like, you could hang out with all these incredible players and
pick up Nuggets here and there, but yeah, how much of them do
you internalize? I mean, I think one thing that
I've always tried to maintain is it's like, it's funny, like
playing with Joe and Steve and we do some moments in the show
where we trade and stuff and I'm actually taking some solos And
it's like Steve's got a great thing that he says where he had
to learn to be the like, you know, doing G threes or, you
know, gigs with the NV and stuff like that, where he's like,
well, you're not going to be that.
So I better be as Steve Vai as I can be all my wacky Steve Vai
stuff, as he puts it, you know, and it's like, so he just goes
into his and when you think about it, that's exactly what NV
does and that's exactly what Joe does or, you know, so I've
learned to do that. Just be like, Hey, I've got a
thing that I can do. You know, I can turn on the wall
and bend the note really far and do like, you know, like just get
and and kind of play to the guy in the back row.
I don't necessarily have to do like 18 sweet picking licks in a
row or whatever, like some people can do because I can't,
you know, but it's like, I'll do my thing and I'll try and
project to that guy. And, and it seems to work like
when it, you know, even with them, I, I'm so honored to be
there and the fact that they let me even do that.
And then when I'm doing it, when I watch the videos, I go, dude,
you, you sound OK. You know you're doing good with
the, with the, with, with these guys that you you wouldn't.
Be up there if you couldn't hang.
Yeah, they wouldn't have me. That's like the ultimate
validation. I would tell myself every night
is like, if these guys are so good, they would never put me up
here if I wasn't on the level So and there's so you need to
remind yourself that, but. Totally, and they're so
supportive, you know, they're so like they are the most lovely.
You know, there's there's healthy ego, right, and they've
got that ability. Like I said, you couldn't stand
up there and play the Hydra if you didn't have that confidence,
which kind of bleeds into a healthy ego, you know?
But they're so comfortable just being themselves and being like,
I'm Steve, I I'm Joe Satrian and I'm like, OK, I'll just be Pete
and do my Pete thing. That and.
Dude, that's the that might be the most pure thing that has
ever been said on this pod because just being yourself and
being happy with that and being like, you know what?
This is what I do and this is kind of, you know who I am.
And it's not out of like a hey, I got the whatever.
It's more out of like, well, I'm going to say what I think I
should say right now, you know, and do it in the best way that I
can. And if it's one note, you know,
then that's OK. Or if it's a million notes,
great if you can do that, whatever your thing is.
But it really is. That's the beauty.
Because it's we always have to remember it's not sports, it's
art. You know, we're making art and
it's like it's. And your personality shines
through in that, and that's so cool.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you let it, you know, if you
don't try and do other like let it, let it just just be the best
of you you can be. And that's all anybody can ever
ask of you in life, I guess.