Interview with Rob Balducci for Jemsite.com
Ibanez Endorsed Artist
Interview with Rob Balducci by Glen Cianciulli / Jemsite.com
January 3, 2003
[Jemsite] It's a pleasure to interview you Rob. Lets first take a minute to fill the readers in on the latest happenings with your music and performances.
[Rob Balducci] Thanks Glen for this opportunity to share my thoughts with the jemsite forum. I find it to be a wonderful community for guitar players. I have made great friends through this site.
The first thing I would like to announce is my deal with line 6. This is the first time that anybody is hearing about this. Please check out line 6 and the Guitarport. This is a great tool for any guitarist. It is great for learning and great for using to record as well. My song Amadeo from Mantra will be featured on the guitarport line 6 website so players can play along and learn with my song Amadeo etc...
This year has been a very busy and exciting year for me. Favored Nations released Mantra starting in Japan and China in July of 2002. Mantra is now being released in Europe. It started in the UK on September 30 2002 and will continue to be released in other territories overseas in 2003. Please all of you on Jemsite keep a look out in your countries for Mantra! France will be in early 2003. Send FN e-mails and tell them if you like my music and want it in your area of the world. I appreciate all the support, we must try and support this type of music because we all know it is not in the mainstream.
I also have been busy working with my band. I have a new drummer Dan Lamagna that I am working with. Dan is an incredible drummer and his style fits in great with my music. We have been doing some local shows working him in to the mix. I am still in touch with Chris Heinz who has worked with me in the past. Chris is focusing on his jazz project. I am working with Dan because his schedule suits my situation better right now. Dan is able to tour and with the CD being released overseas I need to have my band ready to go if and when the opportunity arises.
I will also have a track on the Progressive Arts music label release "Rewired" a Jeff Beck tribute. keep a look out for it in early 2003. Also later this year I did a track on The Santana tribute and a Dream Theater Tribute CD all on the Progressive Arts music label.
[Jemsite] What have you been working on musically?
[Rob Balducci] I am in the process now of writing material for the next CD. This is the first time I am talking about this. I have two tentative titles right now. "Empress" or "Bleed" I have three songs written already 1) Empress 2) Of The Earth ( a vampire love story) 3) Dementia 4) " Bleed" is the current song I am working on. The new CD will have some more songs on it that are written for the 7 string guitar. I hope to get movin and into the studio before the summer if I can focus and get things done.
[Jemsite] A lot of bands and instrumentalists seem to rush out new releases, or take exceedingly long time between albums. Lets forget about record labels, musical politics and sales for a second! Ideally, how often would you like to release a new album... what timeframe works best at tapping your creativity?
[Rob Balducci] If you look at my current stats! I am just as bad as Eric Johnson hehehhahha .. my last CD Balance was released in 1995/96 and Mantra was released in 2001-2003. What took so long for me to release Mantra is that I was waiting for the best possible situation. I have a lot of faith in the music on Mantra. I did not want to release it on any label. I had to find the right home for it. I had other opportunities to release it but i did not feel good about those labels. With all my time looking for a place to release Mantra, I could not really concentrate on new material because I had this CD full of great music that was not being released. Having this looming over me I could not mentally write new material knowing Mantra was not released etc....
I have different ways of getting the creative spark to happen. I can either have a song title in mind and I will write around what that title is and how it relates to my life. I will have a melody in mind that is specific to something,someone or somewhere in my life or a situation in my life and write the song around that. I also can have a chord progression first and write the song and melody around that.
As you can see! it can be difficult. If and when I feel the spark I must take advantage and try and write before it goes away. I use a lot of different things to get me going creatively. It can be a book that I have read or a movie that I have seen . But it has to effect me emotionally somehow to get the creative process to start. I treat my songs like they are vocal compositions. The guitar is my voice. My music is not just an excuse to play fast and have an hour of guitar masturbation. I am not a fan of playing fast just to play fast etc.... I respect other players that have great chops but it is not my cup of tea etc.....
This creative process that I have can greatly effect the time frame in which a song is finished etc.. so it can be hard to stick to deadlines. I would like to release a new CD ever one and half / two years if possible.
[Jemsite] Most of us own or have played Ibanez guitars. You're endorsed, with access to the Ibanez LACS (Ibanez endorsed artist custom shop). Geek us out with info about your Ibanez Custom axes.
[Rob Balducci] I have been endorsed with Ibanez since 1990 and have been playing them a long time before that. I am very appreciative of my relationship with Ibanez and all the other companies that I have the pleasure of endorsing. ( Dimarzio, D'Addario, Eventide, Morley, Digitech, Mesa Boogie, Soldano, Line 6, Dandrea picks)
I love everything about Ibanez guitars. I love the way they play, sound, look, smell hehhe you name it. Rob Nishida from Ibanez has been very supportive of my music and helping me throughout my career. I have a great relationship with Rob and Ibanez. I am not your typical guitar player who bothers companies and wants things for free etc... I need guitars for specific reasons. I usually get a guitar from Ibanez when I am working on a new project. When I started the Balance sessions I got a beautiful RG USA Custom. It has a rose wood neck and an alder body. The pick-ups are a Tone zone in the bridge and a custom pick-up in the neck. It is a combination humbucker from Hell and a Paf sort of an Humbucker from brooklyn. hehhe Because of my playing style the normal knob placement on all of my guitars cannot be set up the standard way. My picking style gets in the way and I hit the volume knob and turn it off as I play. So on all my axes the knobs and toggle are a bit lower on the body so I do not hit it with my picking hand.
My main guitar I received from Ibanez when I did the Mantra sessions. It is a purple/red RG with a rosewood neck and basswood body with a maple top. The neck shape is very closely matched to a Jem I used to play. This guitar has such a sweet tone. I have a Dimarzio Steve special(named after Steve Blucher of Dimarzio) in the bridge position. In the neck I have an Air Norton. I love this guitar and god forbid something happen to it I do not know what I would do... hehheh
I also have a beautiful Custom 7 string. It is a natural wood color. It has a mahogany body and a maple top. The neck is rosewood. I have the Dimarzio Blaze 11 pick-ups in it. Last but not least is the acoustic model. I love Ibanez acoustics. The model I use is a standard model AEF30TVS it has the XLR Out and the block inlays. It lets me plug direct to the mixing console, and run thru an acoustic amp at the same time. They have such a great sound and they play wonderful. They are the best of both worlds. . This and all my guitars you can see on my gear page at my site at www.robbalducci.com
[Jemsite] What is your next creation from Ibanez?
[Rob Balducci] I am doing some clinics using the Tonelok pedals and Ibanez Amps. The Amps sound amazing. I can plug straight into the amp and get a great sound. They are concentrating on amps that aren't too pricey but sound great. I have the toneblaster 50 watt. I know a lot of people using Crate and stuff like that..... The Ibanez Tone blaster amps blows this stuff out of the water, in the same price range. I recommend checking them out.
As far an my next creation. I hope to be getting a mirror image of my main guitar. The same neck, body type and wood. The only thing that will be different is the color. I like the color of the new purple Ibanez is using. Or it may match the natural wood of my 7 string.
[Jemsite] Dave Weiner showed me a copy of a French Guitar Mag in which you both had a nice layout and interview. Unfortunately many of us do not speak French! do you have scans of that magazine available and maybe a translation the interview?
[Rob Balducci] I am looking into it... I will let you know and send it to you when I get it. Maybe you can post it for the Jemsite members to read etc... Yes this French Mag called Guitar and Bass did a two part interview with me and gave me a great spread in two issues of their mag. Part one was about all my gear and it took the pictures from my site and I talked about each instrument. Part two was about my song writing style, similar to the question you asked in this interview.
[Jemsite] Why don't you tell us a few items that Santa Claus brought this xmas... ones that we might not typically think about when we think of guitarist extraordinaire
[Rob Balducci] mmmm lets see (smile) ... Well I got some black shirts and black pants and black underwear hehehhehhee I love the Austin powers movies. I got the whole series on DVD. My apartment is kind of Zebra influenced so I got some zebra candles and a zebra pillow and umbrella hehhehhe. I want to thank you Glen and thanks to all of the Jemsite members. Have a great up coming year. God Bless.