Post by Bobby Phillipps on Dec 29, 2007 0:46:05 GMT -5
Hello, my name is Bobby Phillipps, and I'm the lead guitarist for Athens.
I was born July 24, 1988, nearly a month premature, in Minot, ND. I later moved to Cheyenne Wyoming at the age of 7. I don't remember much from living in North Dakota, so I consider Cheyenne my home.
I started playing guitar at the age of 12, receiving my first electric guitar on my 13th birthday. My first heavy influence was Stevie Ray Vaughan. My dad had tons and tons of his CDs. If a new one came out, my dad had it within a few days.
After a while, I started getting into some stock stuff. Smoke on the Water, Eric Clapton's Cocaine and Layla, Iron Man, Led Zepplin, etc. A lot of stuff was requests. If someone knew a song and wanted to see if I could play it, they'd ask me. I'd go home, sit down with the song for a few days, and come back with a new part of my repertoire. This was the norm for a few years, with little growth occurring. Due to the trend of music at the time, I became more of a rhythm player after playing all of these requests.
I took a turn back toward lead as I found a new challenge: AC/DC. Each song had a slightly challenging guitar solo that I was determined to learn, as well as their solid, yet simple, rhythms, which started the foundations of my rhythm playing today.
I took a second run through Stevie Ray Vaughan, further strengthening my lead guitar skills.
My first major breakthrough was when a friend, and then-bandmate, introduced me to the music of Joe Satriani. The hybrid blues-rock playing, mixed with the quick pace and odd sounds intrigued me. I subsequently sank my teeth into the works of Steve Vai, Satriani's former student. Their highly experimental styles pushed my skills to the brink as I struggled and persevered to learn to play like them.
My second major leap was when I was introduced to Metallica. Oddly, being a lead guitarist, their rhythms were what brought me to speechlessness. Hard-hitting, and oft fast, they were always brutal and cold, as if they had something to say, and they were going to clutch you by the throat to make you listen. Metallica plays a huge part in my rhythm playing.
My third big eureka moment was when I heard the music of Dream Theater. Their highly progressive music, coupled with the virtuosity of John Petrucci's guitar playing, pushed me to the brink of giving up. But I stuck with it, telling myself I can do it. I'm still learning Dream Theater songs, some of which I am sure I will never conquer, but nevertheless, I try.
These days, my main influence for lead guitar is Joe Satriani, and for rhythm, James Hetfield. Occasionally, I'll draw from my blues-rock beginnings to come up with something new and interesting, but otherwise, that's what my music has become: experimentally brutal.
I'm always searching for new ways to play the guitar, and new sounds to coax out of it.
I play a Fender Fat Stratocaster with a Floyd Rose.
I use Ernie Ball "Not Even Slinky" strings (.12-.56).
I use a Digitech GNX1 Floor Processor for my distortion and effects.
I use a Behringer GX210 and it's built in delay effect.
Enjoy
I was born July 24, 1988, nearly a month premature, in Minot, ND. I later moved to Cheyenne Wyoming at the age of 7. I don't remember much from living in North Dakota, so I consider Cheyenne my home.
I started playing guitar at the age of 12, receiving my first electric guitar on my 13th birthday. My first heavy influence was Stevie Ray Vaughan. My dad had tons and tons of his CDs. If a new one came out, my dad had it within a few days.
After a while, I started getting into some stock stuff. Smoke on the Water, Eric Clapton's Cocaine and Layla, Iron Man, Led Zepplin, etc. A lot of stuff was requests. If someone knew a song and wanted to see if I could play it, they'd ask me. I'd go home, sit down with the song for a few days, and come back with a new part of my repertoire. This was the norm for a few years, with little growth occurring. Due to the trend of music at the time, I became more of a rhythm player after playing all of these requests.
I took a turn back toward lead as I found a new challenge: AC/DC. Each song had a slightly challenging guitar solo that I was determined to learn, as well as their solid, yet simple, rhythms, which started the foundations of my rhythm playing today.
I took a second run through Stevie Ray Vaughan, further strengthening my lead guitar skills.
My first major breakthrough was when a friend, and then-bandmate, introduced me to the music of Joe Satriani. The hybrid blues-rock playing, mixed with the quick pace and odd sounds intrigued me. I subsequently sank my teeth into the works of Steve Vai, Satriani's former student. Their highly experimental styles pushed my skills to the brink as I struggled and persevered to learn to play like them.
My second major leap was when I was introduced to Metallica. Oddly, being a lead guitarist, their rhythms were what brought me to speechlessness. Hard-hitting, and oft fast, they were always brutal and cold, as if they had something to say, and they were going to clutch you by the throat to make you listen. Metallica plays a huge part in my rhythm playing.
My third big eureka moment was when I heard the music of Dream Theater. Their highly progressive music, coupled with the virtuosity of John Petrucci's guitar playing, pushed me to the brink of giving up. But I stuck with it, telling myself I can do it. I'm still learning Dream Theater songs, some of which I am sure I will never conquer, but nevertheless, I try.
These days, my main influence for lead guitar is Joe Satriani, and for rhythm, James Hetfield. Occasionally, I'll draw from my blues-rock beginnings to come up with something new and interesting, but otherwise, that's what my music has become: experimentally brutal.
I'm always searching for new ways to play the guitar, and new sounds to coax out of it.
I play a Fender Fat Stratocaster with a Floyd Rose.
I use Ernie Ball "Not Even Slinky" strings (.12-.56).
I use a Digitech GNX1 Floor Processor for my distortion and effects.
I use a Behringer GX210 and it's built in delay effect.
Enjoy
