Well I'm fine thank you. How are you?

On your new album "Fix the Broken", you use more than 9 guitars. What was the idea behind that?

They all make different sounds. Whatever I feel the song calls for, I have a variety of instruments to accomplish those tones. Its the same idea as having lots of tools for construction or a full set of golf clubs.

You also produce more than 95% of the sounds on the album yourself. How did you do that?

I played all of the instruments. I brought in three different drummers who played on various songs and had a guest musician on on song here and there but mainly I performed all of the guitar , bass, synth and vocal parts.

Still, "Fix the broken" does not sound too complicated, was that the intention, to make it sound "obvious" using non-obvious methods?

Well I'm not aware of it sounding obvious. There were really no intentions except to take the collection of songs that I had written and give them the justice they deserved. I've logged many hours in the studio over the years. I simply applied all that I've learned about the recording process and applied it to making this record. The main goal was to have the sounds that were spinning around in my head come to life on the album. I definitely accomplished that. The other goal was to make an album that people will enjoy and connect with. Time will tell. So far so good...

With the guitar skills that you possess, did you ever considering making a record in the veins of other super guitarists like for example Joe Satriani or Steve Vai?

Well I definitely don't consider myself in the class of those guys. I will at some point make a guitar based instrumental album and can guarantee that as much as I respect them, it wouldn't sound anything like an album from either of those guys. I'm a songwriter first and foremost and whatever I do will be based around melodies, not technical guitar skills.

What is the best and worst thing with doing almost everything (writing, singing and producing) alone?

Well I've done ten solo albums and I've recorded them all in so many different ways. From mostly live, to mostly overdubbed, with other producers etc...and so on. Doing mostly everything myself was just the way I chose to handle this album. The next one may have a totally different approach to the recording process. In other words there's advantages and disadvantages in any method that you choose to record. I totally enjoyed everything about making this album.

Who have been the biggest influences on your musical career?

Those influences come in many different ways. Sometimes I can be influenced by something as basic as a piece of gear or the atmosphere in the studio.
Guitar players that have influenced me the most I'd say have been Trevor Rabin, Adrian Belew, Elliot Easton,Teddy Kumpel and George Marinelli to name a few.
I'm also influenced by several recording engineers, song writers, bands and so on.

After 10 albums, what is the biggest challenge you face when deciding to make a new record?

Improving on what I've done in the past. Not just making a new album for the sake of making one. Having some new ideas and inspiration to insure that it will be a satisfying experience. And most importantly, feeling the pull to record the current material that I've written and getting it all to the level it needs to be at.

What is the biggest challenge, in your opinion, that you have to face as an artist today?

There are so many challenges for a true artist to achieve success in this modern version of the music industry. For me personally the current challenge has become balancing the time between traveling around to play gigs, and being a good dad for my incredible son.

Is there a particular song out there that you wish you had written?

Not really. I've published over 100 songs at this point so I'm fairly content with my own catalog. However there are songs out there that I wish I owned the publishing on $$ :)

Who would be your dream guest artist on an album?

Paul McCartney. You did say "dream" right?

What does the nearest future hold for you?

Playing as many shows as possible in support of the newest album, Fix The Broken.

Thanks for answering the questions, any final words for our readers?

Support good music. Spend a dollar or two to download songs that you might like. Even better, go out and support live music.and if you enjoy the artist, buy the cd. That's what keeps it all going.

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