MGS - Welcome Joe Stump to MGS. Thanks man for chatting!
JS - Happy to do the interview. Thanks a ton for having me.
MGS -What have you been up to lately?
JS -Well I`ve been recording a new record with my power metal band (or should I say one of the power metal bands I play with ) . The name of the band is Holy Hell and we`re currently working on the debut record that`ll be released in the fall by Magic Circle/SPV worldwide. After the release on the record they`ll be a world tour with power metal heavyweights Manowar and Rhapsody. In addition to that I`ve also got a new solo record in the pipes. I`ll probaby start in on that after the Holy Hell thing `s finished up. My heavy touring schedule doesn`t start until the fall of this year so I`ll have enough time to complete both projects. before all the live dates start in.
MGS - Are you teaching alot these days?
JS -Yes a fair amount, I`m on the guitar faculty at Berklee College of Music so I`m there 3 pretty full days a week. And I also give some addition private lessons outside of Berklee and to additional Berklee rock and metal players. But I spend alot of time playing, practicing and composing on a weekly basis to I try to keep plenty of time open for that and try not to overextend the instructional thing.
MGS - Do you teach any beginning students or all advanced?
JS -All fairly advanced players, it`s all involving the style that I play, meaning high-tech shred/speed metal /hard rock. So it`s all serious players, no beginners or kids or anything like that.
MGS -If you could go back in time and learn something about guitar or music alot earlier on what would it be ?
JS -Looking back in the developement of myself as a player and musician I`d have to say that one thing that comes to mind is direction. Meaning when I was a kid growing up in New York I played all hard rock and the metal of that era in the 70`s. I loved Deep Purple, Hendrix, UFO , ealry Jeff Beck , Led Zeppelin, old Aerosmith. Then I discovered Al Dimeola before attending Berklee and while at Berklee got heavier into the jazz fusion type of thing. I played all kinds of things from straight jazz to classical to jazz rock fusion and still retained my hard rock roots. After a few years of study I came to realize that what I truely loved to play was European tinged hard rock and metal and haven`t really waivered from that since. My point being if I had taken my stylistic direction maybe a bit sooner earlier on in my developement it might have helped me evolve into the player that I`ve become a little sooner.
MGS -I see some new DVDS on the site. Can you get us up to date?
JS -Yes I`ve released 4 instructional dvds total. One through Berklee Press/Hal Leonard which is a chop/technique building dvd for rock/metal players. Two others have been released independently through my website. One is a sweep-picking arpeggio dvd which a great dvd for all levels of players and quite helpful and comprehensive as far as the whole sweep-picking thing goes. The other is entitled Neo-Classical Guitar 1 and that `s got a lengthy classically tinged etude made of up several sections with each section demonstrating a different type of technique.The 4th one is entitled Neo-Classical Guitar 2 and that one is pretty advanced with one of my more complex neo-classical tracks serving as the main topic content of the dvd. I take you through several sections of the track and demonstrate how the sections are played and the combinations of techniques used in each section of the tune. That one`s been released by a new company called the Shred Academy. I just shot another dvd and that one will be released sometime in the next couple months. All the dvds contain a ton of instructional content along with me performing entire tunes of mine (with a backing track) and of course loads of gratuitous shred footage .
MGS -Anything inspiring you these days?
JS -I pretty much listen to all of the stuff that I listened to for many years. Meaning all of my favorite players and heroes. I love Blackmore , the Rainbow stuff and all the Purple stuff with him. Uli Jon Roth,his solo records and the early Scorpions material he played on. Yngwie Malmsteen of course it`s no secret the impact he`s had on my playing . I also love Michael Schenker, Gary Moore , Frank Marino, Hendrix. I also love classical music,J.S. Bach , Antonio Vivaldi (Vivaldi is one of my very favorites) Paganini , Beethoven, CPE Bach, Mendelson , Mozart. Anytime I need to inject some inspiration I usually turn to what have been my main sources of inspiration for years now.
MGS -What`s in your CD player these days?
JS -I just got a Deep Purple live 4 cd box set. It`s live in Europe from 1993 from the Battle Rages On tour. It`s right before Blackmore left the band for the last time and he`s playing great on it. It`s probably his best live electric playing captured on cd in recent years. I ve also been listening to Uli Jon Roth`s Metamorphosis record, which is him and an orchestra performing all of Vivaldi`s 4 seasons plus Uli adds a 5th season , one of his own compositions to it. Just a brilliant record. A cool Tommy Bolin live bootleg of various live dates back from his solo stuff in the late 70`s , a good friend of mine from Europe gave it to me as a gift. Bolin really stretches out and plays great on it. Also the brand new Blackmore`s Night disc which contains some really nice acoustic and electric playing from Ritchie. While I`m not heavily in to the Blackmore`s Night thing all that much his guitar work on it is really stellar.
MGS -If you could start a dream band what and who would be in it?
JS -I`ve been asked that question a bunch before so that`s an easy one. On vocals of course Ronnie James Dio , on bass Phil Lynott , on keys Jon Lord and on the drums Mr. Cozy Powell.
MGS - Thanks for the update Joe and thanks alot for your time.
JS - Hey Tony thanks for the interview, sorry it took me a little bit to get it to you.
Thanks and all best , Joe Stump
