Interview with Mike from Indonesia's GITAR PLUS MAGAZINE 2011
1. Could you provide an introduction to "Native Alien"? How did the process begin? Tell us about some of the things you learned in pulling it all together....
Being my first "A-to-Z" record, Native Alien was a huge learning process for me. I had been in bands and on recordings before but with this album, I set out to write no-compromise music that was the truest expression of what I was as a musician and human being. The moment I was exposed to instrumental rock guitar music I fell in love with the sincerity and raw display of the instrument that is inherent in the genre. I learned a lot about my musical self and really honed my technique while writing and recording Native Alien. Aside from playing guitar and writing music, there is the whole engineering and production aspect that was completely new to me. Fortunately I have friends who are polished producers and were willing to let me pick their brains a little. For the most part though, my approach to recording Native Alien was just "nuts and bolts". I relied heavily on my ear to make the production decisions. My goal was simply to make a recording that was sonically equivalent to a lot of the instrumental records from the 1980s.
2. Guitarwise, is there any your favorite composition on your solo album of which you are particularly proud?
That is a tough question because I have a personal attachment to all of the songs. In an attempt to be objective, I'll say "Tell Me Why" and "Eurasia" are highlights. "Tell Me Why" is a song that runs the gamut of techniques, twists/turns, grooves, styles and textures that I like incorporating into music all while retaining a song that I find memorable. "Eurasia" is one of two vocal songs that are on Native Alien. Kenny Benda from my metal band Frozen wrote and recorded his vocals for that one. I'm a huge fan of everything he does and I feel like the song is one of the best I've written. It was a great recipe.
3. Usually, how do you approach when constructing guitar solos? Do you have any favorite modes or scales you like to stick to?
Not at all. I never take any particular technical or intellectual approach to soloing. The only thing I try to do is tell the story of that moment in the music. To do that, I try very hard to listen to my inner ear and make sure that my hands are following that lead. My tastes usually find themselves incorporating lots of notes, vibrato and phrasing. One thing I've been incorporating lately into my songs is varying guitar tones to compliment those different stories told.
4. Can you detail the gear you used on stage right now? What is the main element of your sound?
Cool! I'm a wicked "gear-head". I've gone through quite a few rigs but have finally arrived at one that I feel is most appropriate for my playing and is pleasing to my ears. The main element of my sound is my Bogner Uberschall Twin Jet amplifier. I run it through a Bogner Ubercab with only a Wampler Analog Echo pedal in the effects loop. The signal path is a little more complex: Guitar, Boss TU-2, Morely Bad Horsie 2, Barber Direct Drive LG, Boss NS-2, Creation Audio Labs MK.4.23, Analogman Bi-Chorus. I can manipulate this set-up to arrive at super sustaining low gain Robin Trower-type tones or aggressive tones suitable for death metal. It really is all there. A lot of the versatility also comes from my Carvin DC127 and DC727 guitars. The Carvin pickups are my first choice. They are just extremely versatile guitars that put out nothing but straight tone. I've developed a personal relationship with both of them. To elaborate a little more on the pedals, the key components there I feel are the Barber Direct Drive, Analogman Bi-Chorus, and Wampler Analog Echo. Aside from the amp and guitar, I feel the most important ingredient for higher-gain music is the overdrive pedal. Pairing a pedal with an amp is tricky and the Barber works incredibly well with every amp I've put it through. The Analogman Bi-Chorus pretty much turns any tone into gold and manipulates feedback very well. The Wampler Analog Echo is simply organic delay; a MUST for my tastes.
5. Thinking back, which guitarists had the most impact on you when you first started playing? What songs did you learn note per note in your early days?
While not necessarily my greatest influence, the player who had the greatest impact on me was John Petrucci. Hearing his playing for the first time opened up pandora's box and made me realize what rock guitar really could be. I was maybe sixteen years old at the time. It wasn't until I was about nineteen or so that I took all of that seriously and started striving to reach a level at which I felt I needed to be to express myself on the instrument. To this day, I still turn to John's playing as gospel when considering the possibilities. I tried never to learn songs note-per-note but rather worked to mimic what I was hearing in order to try to find my own voice on the instrument. My very favorite players are Tony MacAlpine, Greg Howe and John Sykes. There are many more players that inspire me to no end but it all seems to keep coming back to those three. I also have been really into Johan Reinholdz's (Andromeda) playing for many years. Lately, Robin Trower has been very influential for me as well as the more low-key Buckethead music.
6. What do you do to keep your chops better? What kind of routine excercise you do?
I still practice scales and patterns when I feel that they need some up-keep but in general, I find that the most benefitial way to practice is to improvise. I like to start off slow and keep myself in my comfort zone until I feel adequately warmed up. Only then do I push my technique and try new things. I'll then stop improvising and isolate certain ideas or techniques that I'd like to hone. After trying many different routines and approaches, I find this to work the best and is the most natural way for me to practice. At the same time, I feel that when I specifically practice alternate and economy picking ideas, those techniques allow my others to fall into place.
7. Personally, what are your the most favourite albums, especially instrumental guitar oriented? Do you have an all-time favorite solo?
My favorite instrumental album would most likely be Tony MacAlpine's Evolution. My favorite albums in general consist of Alice In Chain's Dirt, Winger's Pull, Pain of Salvation's Remedy Lane and Dream Theater's Awake. I can say with a lot of certainty that my all-time favorite guitar solo is Marty Friedman's "Tornado of Souls" solo. It is raw emotion and opitimized shred! He so eloquently builds very cohesive ideas to a climax that just melts away any expectations and leaves me feeling like I was witness to something greater than music; each and every time I hear it. There are others but that one takes the cake. Buckethead's solo on his song "Machete" is another one that transcends music. To conlcude the interview, thanks for having me here! It's been a pleasure answering questions for Gitar Plus!