What sort of things are you studying these days?
[ John ] So I think it’ s like what you said, my student mentality hasn’ t really gone away. It’ s exciting. It’ s really cool. Even within Dream Theater, when we’ re backstage, on the tour bus, or at sound check, we’ re constantly sharing ideas, picking each other’ s brains on how you do things. Whether Jordan says,“ Check this out!” or Mike has some crazy rhythmic thing, it’ s just a constant state of mind.
I constantly try to expand my horizons on the guitar and get some new influences. Jazz always comes into play. Some of the Gypsy Jazz stuff is unbelievable and has really drawn me in. But you never know what it’ s going to be, you know? Sometimes it’ s the players that are gonna be at this camp. I go on their YouTube channels and listen to their music. I hear something photo by Nidhal Marzouk and my mind immediately goes,“ What are they doing? How do you kind of music, whether it was Al DiMeola, do it?”
Steve Morse, or Allan Holdsworth really got my attention. I would sit there and learn the [ CG ] In a number of ways Progressive music solos, even violin solos, and try to really expand is kind of like a heavier version of some of the my ability. It was really cool and it definitely seminal Fusion bands. Do you feel a kindred influenced the way I wrote because it turned spirit with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to me on to more harmonic possibilities. Like you Forever, or the Dixie Dregs? said, Dream Theater definitely goes in a heavier direction. That has to do with my age, the music [ John ] Absolutely! Out of those that you that was on the radio growing up on Long mentioned, the Dixie Dregs is the biggest Island, and being turned on to Iron Maiden and influence on me as far as that kind of music. Metallica and all that stuff. It just felt like a very Discovering Steve Morse when I was young, natural thing to combine the Progressive stuff getting all of those albums, absorbing and with Metal. learning all of that stuff, I can’ t even describe the kind of impact that had on me. Same with [ CG ] Last year you showed up incognito at Return to Forever because I was a really big fan Joe Satriani’ s camp the day Steve Vai was of Al DiMeola. Hearing the kind of music they there. That must have been kind of a cool played together and what he did with Chick homecoming for the three of you! Corea was mind-blowing! As a young player, as you start to get better on the instrument [ John ] Absolutely. Our friendship has grown and have some facility, you want to hear things over the years from doing so many tours and and try things that are more challenging. That spending so much time on the road together.
We’ re three Italian guys from Long Island who play guitar that were able to have careers in music. There’ s definitely a kindred spirit thing there.
The other thing about visiting the facility where Joe was doing his event, and where we’ re having the Guitar Universe, is that it’ s not too far from where I live and where I grew up. It’ s a bit further West from me on Long Island, but it’ s on the same coast, the North Shore where Dream Theater has recorded several albums. When we record, we move into a studio and we live there in that town. For me, I get to commute, but the other guys have to pack up and stay there in that town, so we know Glen Cove really, really well. In fact, the Glen Cove Mansion where the camp was being held was one of the hotels that we used when the band was recording there. I am intimately familiar with Long Island, the area and the culture. The history and importance of Glen Cove as it relates to Dream Theater is even more special.
[ CG ] Let’ s talk about the Majesty. The angled headstock, stainless steel frets, neck-through body, mahogany neck with basswood wings, and maple top make for a very unique feature set – it’ s an amazing piece of technology. From the point of design to having played it for several years now, what’ s that experience been like for you and what continues to resonate most with you about this instrument?
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22 May � Jun 2017 CollectibleGuitar. com