PGA999 + Musician in Boise, ID

SEEKING

ABOUT

I have been a musician for around 40+ years; playing and teaching professionally on and off for around 20 (not much since coming to Idaho). As with many musicians, my playing spans a diverse range of styles--across many genres. If you don't want to read my my lecture series on the wonders of being me (seen after this paragraph), let me sum up: Heavy end guitar/bass, Lighter vocals and backup...big on technique driven metal and only interested in either original projects for pro/semi-pro/fun or professional cover/original work -- in short, pay me enough and I will play whatever you fricken want. Now on to the troll chant about myself:

I have played rock and metal guitar for around 39 years; in addition, I studied classical viola for around 3 years prior to studying guitar, learned piano in college functionally (not my greatest instrument), done about 3 years of vocal lessons in KTVA (Ken Tamplin vocal academy), and have played fingerstyle bass for about 20 years. My main style has always focused around hard rock of some sort; currently this is still the case. I studied classical guitar for around 25 years and went to college for music; was the first chair guitarist in my Ensemble for a couple of years -- if that means anything to anybody...lol. I left the music program and took a break from playing for a while; finishing up school with a degree in Philosophy and an M.A. in Sociology--converting my time in the classical world into a music minor. While at the university I also played a bit of jazz for about 3-4 years, and played various folk and traditional music on acoustic and electric guitar.

Eventually, I hope to find a tight writing team that can get a mostly original metal act together, with a focus on recording, and potentially touring if things go in the right direction. Truth be told, I am not the greatest producer in the studio, and have lazily allowed bandmates to run that side of things. I have recorded a bunch of temp track material for many years, and know my way around a DAW, but never really liked my sound engineering to be honest. So the live show is really where my interest tends to peak, but I am certainly interested in recording -- just not likely to be the one engineering and producing...lol

On guitar, I am interested in a mostly originals, modern progressive band in a metal/hardcore/rock format of some sort; a band that while incorporating outside styles (classical, pop, jazz, funk, even folk or traditional music), falls into the heavier end of metal. Ideally, I would love to find a progressive rock project that incorporated a little of everything; instrumental or vocal.

My singing, when I am practicing (blew a hernia a while ago and though I got surgery, still doesn't feel like it did when I sing), is actually a bit mellower than my guitar and bass playing; I learned a great deal of gospel, R&B, and classic rock material when I was in lessons. I sing a bit of metal, and do sing lead pretty well when forced, but really rather just help as a backup, or on my guitar/bass...lol

On Bass, I do tend to do a lot more cover work and play a great deal of material that is from the funk/R&B/pop-rock genres; though really do mostly metal if I can help it. I have worked as a bassist, but really use bass to get my classical chops and fingerstyle on, now that I quit the classical guitar thing. I am open to working outside of rock and metal a great deal more on bass, so hit me up and we shall see...

Overall, I am generally a good sport about most styles and open to most progressive music not just extremely hard rock, either acoustically or electric…so feel free to hit me up with your ideas and projects!

I am open to both amateurs and professionals contacting me; but am only interested in those who are serious in their craft. I do read on vocals/guitar/bass/piano and am a big theory guy, and while I have worked with many musicians that aren't literate, they are always pretty damned professional with regard to their work product at the end of the day. I always looked at music as a passion, something you learn as much about as you can, if you are really interested in it...that of course would include music history, theory, ear training, etc... When someone fails to expend any effort into learning theory, reading music, learning singing, learning about musical styles outside of their own, I take it as a good indication of someone who is just dabbling, and isn't serious. Just a plug for theory and reading...lol I really don't have to read much anymore, except on vocals, or on bass, but by leaning to read and learning theory, I was exposed to a world that included timing and rhythm skills, arranging and composition, and much more advanced concepts of improvisation and musicianship. So if you are a by-ear musician I don't mind giving it a try, and seeing if we work together well, but there are very few Misha Mansoor's out there...most players just struggle and kind of suck without some training...just saying...

So be aware that I do take a fairly technical approach to my work, and my guitar playing is a bit shreddy -- tasteful, but pretty shred rock; so if you don't like that style, and want a blues/rock 3 chord player, please realize - I am not your guy.

I also am available as a teacher on both bass and electric guitar; I am big on technique, reading, and theory…with a focus on practical applications in popular music (mostly metal and rock) rather than purely academic ones.
txt 208-600-9343

Screen name:

PGA999

Member since:

May 28 2012

Active within 24 hours

Level of commitment:

Touring

Years playing music:

30

Gigs played:

50 to 100

Tend to practice:

More than 3 times per week

Available to gig:

4-5 nights a week

Most available:

Nights

Influences

True or not, I don't like to give a trite answer--such as "too many to list," so I will give a partial list of my favorite influences:
Classical: Bach (big Bach fan during college), Paganini, Sor, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt (especially his use of folk melody), R. Korsakov, Villa Lobos, Tarrega, Barios, Albeniz
Blues/Jazz: S.R. Vaughn, Al DiMeola, John M., Paco D. Lucia,, C. Parker, Coltrane (influenced my sweep picking pretty heavily), Miles Davis, V. Wooten, Bill Dickens, John Pat., Scott Henderson, Joe Diorio.
Rock/Metal/Contemporary: Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin, Hendrix, Cream, Black Sabbath, Nazareth, C. Santana, Solo Ozzy, Dio, Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Testament, Savatage, Dream Theater (very big influence), Disturbed, Arch Enemy, Avenged Sevenfold (especially their heavier stuff), all of the Bach rock/Fusion metal school of shredders--especially J. Becker and Vinnie Moore, Joe Satriani, Vai, J. Loomis, R. Cooley, Z. Wilde, Alex Skolnick,and J. Petrucci. More modern stuff like Periphery, Polyphia, Archspire, and recently have been loving Ad Infinitum.

Instrument experience:

Rhythm Guitar:

Expert

Lead Guitar:

Expert

Acoustic Guitar:

Expert

Bass Guitar:

Expert

Vocalist:

Intermediate

Keyboard:

Intermediate

Piano:

Intermediate

EQUIPMENT

Guitars: I only play Ibanez j. Custom guitars for the most part, and currently have a 8570 U.S. market, and an 8420 Japanese market. Using Jake's Dimarzio Titans in the 8570 and a mix in the 8420 with a PAF pro in the front, with a rhythm pickup Titan.

Bass:
Kiesel 6 strings with classic radial humbuckers for both.

Guitar Amp: Marshal JVM combo, using the KSR Ceres and Apex preamps into the pre-tone stack channel. Using Misha M.'s Precision overdrive, KSR overdrive as well, mostly Eventide effects.

Bass Amp: Darkglass Alpha Omega, with very few effects -- a Darkglass microtubes overdrive, a simple reverb and an envelope filter.

Sound Gear: Use PreSonus Artist Professional DAW with a Presonus Interface/mic pre.