Interview with Stevie in Modern Guitars Magazine
June 26, 2006 - by
Go back in time and catch Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure then guess who played those fiery guitar riffs flying off the fingers of George Carlin's character, Rufus. If you answered, Stevie Salas, then a big, No way, yes way! to you.
Considered by many to be one of the top fifty guitarists of all time, Salas has gained the attention of musicians around the world as well as classic rockers like Mick Jagger, George Clinton, Billy Gibbons, Zakk Wylde, Billy Idol, Rick Neilson, and Rod Stewart.
A self-taught Native-American (Mescalero Apache) guitar prodigy and creator of his own rock genre, Salas aggressive dark punk-funk style reflects the journey he's taken from the streets of San Diego to concert arenas. It was a hard stretch of road, but his career took off when funkadelic master George Clinton asked if he'd sit in as his studio guitarist.
The Clinton connection helped pave the way to a recording offer from Island Records - the most attractive in the company's history. Salas soon became an item in the music world and was embraced by fellow musicians Bootsy Collins, Was (Not Was), and Eddie Money. It wasn't long before young Stevie was flying around the world in the private jet of classic rocker Rod Stewart.
Then, Mick Jagger rang him up for another unbelievable romp in stardom.
Stevie's first solo outing, Stevie Salas: Colorcode (1990) shows heavy classic rock influences with is heavily influenced by a broad spectrum of early rockers. His second CD, Back from the Living (1994), outran big guns like the Stones and Aerosmith on the Japanese music charts.
Today, Salas music resume lists 18 solo albums and his contributions to a series of compilation works as a guest artist. Modern Guitars caught up with singer-songwriter-producer Stevie Salas after he landed from a bit of surfing in Costa Rica and laying down some new tracks for his next CD that he tells us will be called, Stevie Salas: What It Was to Be, What It Is.
Tell us the circumstances when you first realized that music was more than a passion. Where you realized it was going to be a career.
Stevie Salas: When I was fifteen and in high school in Oceanside, California, I had no idea what I was gonna do with my life. I was thinking about the Coast Guard. I loved the ocean. But, I got a guitar that my brother-in-law made and it just fell into place. I played my first party that summer and started playing high school dances and clubs. That was the first step. Then, after high school the hardest thing to do was to realize that my super popular local band had no future.
I had to look at it realistically and leave the comforts of home for Los Angeles, where I went from somebody to nobody. In LA, I had no choice but to focus and make it. Thank God I got lucky!
What artists did you listen to growing up that influenced you to play guitar and develop your own style?
SS: It's funny because I grew up in a mixed cultural area in San Diego due to the military. So we hung out listening to Led Zep, Kiss, Ted Nugent, Aerosmith, Judas Priest, the Ohio Players, Van Halen, Bowie and then the Ramones and the Police.
But I also played sports in high school and the black kids would say, "Hey, check out George Clinton, he's like the Kiss of Funk music!" I never dreamed that in a few years I would be recording with George and hanging out with
Jimmy Page and Paul Stanley and opening for Aerosmith! I ripped all those guys off!
When I got back to L.A. I knew that I would never be as good as Eddie and I loved rock, but I aslo loved funk, like Earth, Wind and Fire. By the way, Eddie is the funkiest brother out there! So, I decided to find some middle ground and fill a void by mixing rhythms and a heavy sound.
Growing up I never cared about guitar players unless they were from a band with great songs. I like bands that use the song as a vehicle for the guitar to stand out.
What gear do you currently use on stage? In the studio?
SS: I have so much stuff in the studio. I always use a '65 Fender Deluxe Reverb and some old Marshalls. But I also use a Cornford, Ashdown, Boogie cabs, Yorkvilles Sound cabs and for guitars I'll use anything for a tone, from a ten dollar garage toy guitar to a $100,000 Les Paul.
I think I've around sixty to eighty guitars now, includng Gibson, Fender, Music Man, Aparision, Washburn, Cort, James Trussart and tons of others. I think that the tone comes from the hands, but unique guitars and amps help bring it.
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