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Brett Garsed
(14 Jan 03)
The Interview, Part 1
Plans & Farnham
Q: Hi Brett, and thanks for answering some questions for ibreathemusic.com. First of all, what are you currently up to?
Brett: Well, quite a bit actually! I just finished 3 months touring Australia with John Farnham but most of this year was spent working on my solo album although not constantly as I'm doing it independently and I had to raise the funds by myself so it took a lot longer.
Q: How does it feel to be part of the recent John Farnham tour? I know he's a big star especially down in Australia... so how does it feel to be out there playing in front of several thousand people again?
Brett: Pretty great to put it mildly! John is, in my opinion, one of the greatest living male vocalists and it's always an honor to work with him. He's the person responsible for giving me the chance to become a professional musician in the first place so I basically owe everything that's happened since to him. I just can't believe how his voice gets better and better as the years go by. The band is incredible and we're all great friends so it really is a true band in every sense of the word. No-one is just going through the motions. We all give everything to the performance and that's inspired by John himself.
Q: Could you tell us some things about the preparations for a tour like this, like the rehearsals and stuff?
Brett: Rehearsals are usually really easy and quick as we all know each other so well that it's second nature for us but this time it took a little longer as we're using in-ear monitors and they take a lot of tweaking. John is using regular monitoring so it allows him to talk and interact with the audience which is essential plus it also allows him to have total control over his monitor mix without being affected by us.
Q: Do you get to jam with the other guys in the Farnham band, like i.e. during soundchecks?
Brett: Sometimes but usually we like to save our energy for the show. We don't have a support act so we do a 2 1/2 hour show every night with a half hour intermission. We'd be too burnt if we jammed for an hour or so before the gig.
Q: Do you feel a lot of pressure, like, do you notice a lot of guitar players in the crowd? Because I am sure that there are quite a few people who come out to those shows to see you...
Brett: I feel pressure to play well but not from a guitarists perspective as it's not the primary focus of the gig. I just want to represent the songs and play a supportive role in the band. It's a 9 piece band plus John so everyone needs to do their job with respect for the big picture instead of being focused only on their own instrument. That means ALWAYS supporting the vocals and playing for the song. We have total freedom to improvise which once again, comes from John as he never sings the show the same way twice and when it's done with taste and maturity it really works and keeps the band's performance fresh and exciting. We really have a ball on this gig!
Q: What's your gear on this tour?
Brett: I'm using mainly Line 6 gear but I'd just like to let everyone know that I don't have an endorsement. I paid for it like everyone else usually has to! I use the Distortion, Modulation and Delay modelers which I run into a rack-mount Line 6 POD. I'm not using an amp as we'll be touring some of the hottest places in Australia next year and there's concern about amps overheating as they'll have to be isolated under the stage so I decided to bypass the grief and just go direct. I miss the Bogner but sometimes you have to think of the big picture and work around it. Still sounds pretty good though!
I'm using my ESP tele exclusively and a Maton "Messiah" acoustic which is a really beautiful instrument. I don't have an official endorsement with any guitar company which doesn't really bother me. I consider my name a very valuable commodity and most companies don't give enough in return so I'd rather just pay for my gear and be free to use what I want. I suppose I'd be open to an endorsement if it reflected true support of my needs but I still consider most "artist deals" somewhat of an insult.
Part of Brett's live-gear: the ESP Tele and the pedalboard
Q: Could you tell us what CD's you're currently listening to?
Brett: Scott Henderson's new "Well To The Bone" album. I'm a huge fan of Scott and always consider listening to him an education in both playing and tone. I always come back to Mike Landau's "Tales From The Bulge". Just unbelievable songs and beautiful playing. My wife is a country singer and she's really turned me on to some great stuff so I've been listening to Junior Brown's "Git With It" album. He's an amazing player and his lyrics just crack me up!
Q: What guitarists do you enjoy listening to right now? Any new players you checked out and enjoy listening to?
Brett: Definitely Joel Hoekstra's "Undefined" album. He's just amazing. I wish TJ would do a solo album as I'd like to listen to him without myself being there as well! I'll keep hassling him till he does it. Ric Fierabracci has really turned me on to Pat Metheny and I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't heard much of him till lately. A very humbling experience listening to him! Also Wayne Krantz's "Two Drink Minimum" album just kills me.
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Part 2: Big Sky >> |
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