PAUL NELSON By The Fuze 2003-2004 Paul Nelson has worked side by side with - and earned the respect of - some of the most revered artists in rock and blues, from drawling Texas blues king Johnny Winter to guitar wizard Steve Vai. And he can hold his own with the best of them. Sure, it helped that he went to prestigious music schools. And having some of the best guitar teachers in the business certainly didn't hurt. But the proof is in the pudding, as they say Ð where it really counts is in the studio and on the stage. Paul Nelson first made a name for himself in the Metal Blade Records power metal band Liege Lord. The group recorded two influential albums with Paul Ð albums that are still sought among music collectors today. He has long been a guitarist-on-call whose work has graced radio and television around the world. Perhaps you heard his playing while you were drinking beer and shouting at the TV during the XFL's short-lived debut season. Or maybe you saw the name Paul Nelson on a CD among a list of guitar heroes, and wondered how he got on there. Well, wonder no more Ð we at The Fuze got hold of Paul and asked him to help us fill in the blanks. Paul told us what it's like to work with the elder Winter brother, he told us about the great deal he got on guitar lessons and he revealed the drink that just may be the reason he can play so damn fast. Paul recently released a new solo album entitled "Look", which has been praised for its intelligent, passionate fusion of shred, pop and all that jazz. It hasn't been out of our CD player since we got it! So read on, and join us as we take a closer "look" at guitarist Paul Nelson. Johnny Winter's seen and done it all. Yes he certainly has! It had to be quite a kick in the pants to learn that you were not only going to be performing with him, but that he was recording your songs! I can't begin to tell you how many amazing stories he's shared with me over the past several years, from Hendrix to Woodstock and beyond. As far as our collaboration on his new CD, he had asked me to sit in with him on several live dates on the West coast for his 2003 tour. I had already written the song called "Shakedown" for the release, and it was when we were in California rehearsing that he asked me to join him playing on that song. Soon Johnny told me he was still looking to record a few more songs, so together with Scott Spray (bass) I co-wrote "Pack You Bags" and the title track, "I'm a Bluesman". And again while Johnny and I were in Germany he asked me to join him not only on those two new tracks, but on the rest of the CD as well. Next thing I know I'm in the studio playing track after track, side by side with Johnny, tearing it up. How'd you hook up with Johnny? I had met him when I was just finishing up composing and laying down guitar tracks for the WWF's extreme football league [XFL] at Carriage House Studios on the East coast. Johnny was booked to record tracks for his own project after us. We met there and the rest is history. The CD will be out mid-May 2004 on Virgin Records. There's a great photo floating around of you with both Johnny and Edgar Winter. When was that taken? That photo was taken backstage after a show I did with Johnny at LA's House of Blues in January of 2003. His brother was hanging out rippin' on the sax in the corner of the room and came over and got in some magazine publicity shots with the group. That was a fun night. What kind of preparation do you do to get ready for a blues show with Johnny Winter, as opposed to a crushing metal gig like the Wacken Festival? The difference is like night and day, but early on in my career I learned the need to be able to adapt to any musical situation and found it the only way to survive in the industry. I personally enjoy many different styles of music - some more than others. I find it keeps things fresh and so far it's been working! I find it helpful to totally absorb myself in the style I'm preparing to perform, depending on the time limit before the next job. I almost always chart out the material I'm working on, unless charts are supplied. It gets you really comfortable with the form of the songs, and even more so the feel. I use my own short-hand form of chord and note transcribing. In the long run it's easier to commit to memory. I usually run whatever show I'm doing all the way through a few times on my own, then one or two full rehearsals and I'm done. Rehearsals help me fine-tune the characteristic sounds I'll need and to feel how much room the other musicians leave for me in finding my own pocket. It also helps to listen only to music related to the style you're preparing for during that period. I do this with all the groups I've worked with, and in doing so, over the years it has improved my on-the-spot session work as well. By the way, I think that show we did in Germany is floating around on a Warner-released DVD called "Wacken 2000". Are you more comfortable playing one style of music over the other? I really try not to be, and if I am I'll work harder on trying to improve that style which needs tightening up. Paul, what was the metal scene like when you joined Liege Lord and signed with Metal Blade in the late 80's? Fresh, new and exciting! ou really felt a sense that something was being created, especially as new terms were popping up overnight to describe the many offshoots of that particular style of heavy music. There's a book that just came out by Gary Sharpe-Young that I'm in that really describes that time in much more detail. www.cherryred.co.uk/books/powermetal.htm Those were "the Shrapnel years", as it were. There were literally dozens of guitar virtuosos emerging on the scene. What was Metal Blade looking for in bands that perhaps Shrapnel wasn't? Bands mainly! The scene was saturated to the point that top groups looking for guitarists would specifically state that "Shrapnel Shredders need not apply". I have nothing but good things to say about Mike Varney. We met at NAMM [International Music Products Association]. He really liked the way I played and recommended me to Ronnie James Dio, which led to a lot of other good opportunities. These things happen. It seems strange that you were taught at one point by Steve Vai, who only a few years before was being taught by Joe Satriani. How long were you associated with Steve? We met at Berkley College of Music in Boston. He was an excellent player even back then; the only problem was that his sight reading wasn't so great! We would get together and read music from saxophone books. I knew him for about a year and a half. What kinds of things did you study with Vai? He would show me some amazing stuff like intricate finger and cross-picking exercises, modal work and some amazing chordal stuff that I found out later was from his studies with Joe Satriani. And get this - the payment plan that we worked out was that I would supply him with a carton of cigarettes for every one-hour lesson I took! I think I got the better end of the bargain. We recently ended up on the same CD together, called "Warmth in the Wilderness, Vol. 2", a tribute to Jason Becker on Lion Records, a follow-up to "Vol. 1", on which I was performing the song "Blue". Funny how things come full circle. Liege Lord had kind of a progressive power-metal thing going on, a bit like Exxplorer, Heir Apparent or Fates Warning, as opposed to bands like Armored Saint or Lizzy Borden. What kind of influences were you incorporating into your sound? Ah! I see you've done your homework!!! Yes, that's true! We kind of started that sound. At least that's what they say now. The music was a combination of all the heavy bands we listened to growing up, as well as guitarists like Schenker and Uli Roth. The weird thing is that I had just come right out of Berklee College of Music, which was basically a jazz/rock fusion school, and stepped right into a two-CD Metal Blade deal. So that could explain the progressive end of it. What do you remember about working on the Liege Lord album "Burn to My Touch", with Joe Bouchard of Blue Oyster Cult in the producer's chair? Looking back, I now realize how new he was at producing, and that he could have brought more to the table. Working with Terry Date (Deftones, Soundgarden) on our "Master Control" CD was very enlightening. He has a great style, especially his drum mixes. I've also been fortunate to have recently been in the studio to see Bob Ezrin (Kiss, Pink Floyd, Jane's Addiction) work as well, and was very impressed with his guitar tracking techniques. And I can't forget working with Dick Shurman on Johnny's new CD. He really captures the live spontaneous qualities in an artist, with very little editing. What'd you end up doing when Liege Lord came to an end? Worked, recorded and toured like crazy right up to the present! Have sessions been more lucrative for you than your band situations? It's hard to say. It's pretty much an even split, the differences being session and hired gun work is a quick fix, whereas band situations are more long-term as far as touring and song writing residuals are concerned. That's why I enjoy doing both at the same time. Which session has been more memorable for you? The WWF's extreme football league (XFL) would probably be the one. I laid down twelve loops for the opening season. Turns out these loops were to be all-original, and completed the following day for the next week's airing on NBC, TNN and UPN for 13 million viewers. The session consisted of creating mini songs on the spot - recording bass, drums and keys tracks first; next laying down guitar rhythm parts and doubling them, and then creating lead guitar melodies on top, followed by various guitar fills - all to twelve completely different grooves, at the same time keeping with the well-known raw, edgy, powerful WWF sound. It was totally a put-up-or-shut-up kind of gig. I've heard your comments in other interviews regarding your love of fusion and progressive instrumental music. Why didn't you pursue that style of music early on? I was just to busy with other projects. Something was always coming up - recording, touring etc.. Let's talk about your solo album "Look". What's the title about? This may sound strange, but I relate to music in visual terms - especially when it's comes to the instrumental type. I feel that music, although heard, evokes a visual picture in the listener's mind. So the title "Look" actually states the end result of how I hoped the listener would "feel" the music. That is, as if they where watching a movie, so to speak. Plus the "eyes thing" on the cover was really cool! (laughs) Do you find that you have to be careful to write music that will appeal to a wider audience, or do you write with guitar fans in mind? I think I keep the wider audience in mind much more. Jazz/rock fusion /progressive music, or whatever you want to call it, can focus too much on guitar acrobatics. That's why I try to concentrate more on the song and melody. It's a tricky balance. How long did the album take to record? "Look" took about a year to record, again because of all the other projects I had going on at one time or another. I used Phil Magnotti (Steve Khan, Mike Stern) for the final mastering, which really pulled it all together quite nicely. Chris Poland, Alex Skolnick and Marty Friedman toured together last year under the Guitarevolution banner. Have you had an eye set on doing any type of solo touring, perhaps with like-minded guitarists such as Marty or Tony MacAlpine? I'm currently working on putting together a solo tour. Maybe not with those players, but it does sound interesting. I'll keep you posted. What's next, after your upcoming series of dates with Johnny Winter? Well, I just signed on as part of the Guitar Center's "Guitar School" guest celebrity faculty along with contributors Alfonso Johnson (Weather Report), Skunk Baxter (Steely Dan), Dweezil Zappa, Steve Vai and Steve Lukather (Toto). I'm starting to working on a track for an upcoming Shawn Lane tribute. I'm already working on my next CD, songs for Johnny, a Sweet song for FastLane records, clinics for Ernie Ball/DiMarzio and maybe even an instructional guitar book. Much more info on what I'm up to can be found at my site. We ask everyone this - what's your drink of choice? Alcohol drink? Kamikaze. Non-alcohol drink? Mega Jolt Cola!!!