Welcome to AFS vol.59 with Tantric guitarist Joe Pessia.
My name is:
Joe Pessia
My current job is:
Guitarist for Tantric
My hometown:
Boston, MA
My current album or project is:
Tantric-_’The End Begins’
Former bands:
Dramagods (featuring Nuno Bettencourt from Extreme )
My guitar influences growing up were:
The Beatles, Brian May, Joe Perry, Eddie Van Halen, Angus Young, Jimmy Page
The guitars I use have :
Mostly Strat style guitars (G&L Legacy, Fender Strat)
The strings and tunings I use are:
Dean Markley 9-11-16-26-36-48. Tunings, mostly down a half step w/drop D, (but depending on the songs, DAGDAD , double drop D, and the whole guitar down a minor 3rd w/drop D)
My current rig setup consists of:
From the guitar, I go into a MXR Phase 90, a Boss LS-2 (used as a A/B switch)… one signal looping the preamp section of a old 50watt JCM 800 head (going in to a Boss Octave pedal first), the other looping a three channel Hughes and Kettner Tubeman pedal (followed by a Boss chorus and a Digitech digital delay). Both loops alternate going into the power amp section of the Marshall head.”
“The Hughes and Kettner side also has a additional Whirlwind a/b/y box for adding/alternating an additional acoustic sound via A Boss acoustic pedal going into a Hartke AC120. Last pedal in the chain is a Boss noise suppressor connected, but not in line to a Dean Markley tuner.”
“The ‘meat and potatoes’ run through a Marshall 4X12 re-issue cab with 25-watt greenbacks. The clean and acoustic signals run through a Hartke 4X12.”
The greatest invention for guitars is:
The magnetic pickup and Ace Frehley’s smoke bomb pickup
My normal songwriting process consists of:
One guy comes in with an idea and the rest of the guys try to change it!
My favorite all-time guitar solo:
Right now ’Regret’
Favorite all-time song (any artist) is:
Well knowns would be ‘Hotel California’, Bohemian Rhapsody, Train Kept a Rollin’, ‘Stairway to Heaven’, and ‘Eruption’ …sorry do I have to pick just one?
Favorite song by another band:
Hey Jude or basically anything by the Beatles
Favorite song by our band:
Something Better
Favorite song to perform in front of a live audience:
’Down and Out’ because people get so pumped up
My Career highlight thus far is:
Playing on US national TV
My most embarrassing moment on stage:
'Testing’ my equilibrium with a cable wrapped around my ankle with big bell bottoms on.
Other than my guitar and amps, the one piece of my gear that you cant live without
MXR Phase 90.
The first song I ever mastered on guitar:
Probably something by AC/DC
My first guitar was:
A Kay SG copy..i loved it because it looked like Angus’
The first time I ever heard our band on the radio…:
Must have been surreal because I can’t remember
If I am only sure of one thing in life, It's:
‘You get what you put into it’
The one ritual I always perform prior to going on stage is:
A glass of wine and a quick huddle with the guys
The pre-show ritual I always perform:
A glass of wine and a quick huddle with the guys
The exact moment I knew I would pursue a career in music was:
When I realized I didn’t have the arm to pitch for the Boston Red Sox
The one thing most fans don't know about me is:
That there’s more than one thing they don’t know about me.
The best advice I could give beginning guitarists:
Listen to everything and put the time in practicing…you’ll give yourself a lifelong gift regardless of monetary compensation
CD(s) I'm listening to right now:
A combination of everybody’s current taste on the bus
My 3 all-time favorite albums:
Sgt Pepper, Back in Black, A Night at the Opera
Best gig:
Any gig that the connection with the audience made it feel even bigger than it was (regardless of the size of the venue)
Favorite junk food:
Nachos
My biggest pet peeve:
Laziness
The word or catch phrase I say too much is:
”Yeah it is…BIG TIME’
The hardest part of my job:
The long bus rides
What I like to do in my “off” time:
Huge baseball fan (Boston Red Sox)
The first thing I do when I come home from touring is:
Sleep
Previous or first day job:
Taught guitar for years.
Right after this interview I'm going to:
Sleep, or play guitar
I couldn't imagine being on the road without:
Per diem!…and Marcus Ratzenboeck
If I wasn't doing the musician thing, I could really see myself working as:
Anything creative, I’m not really wired up for monotonous labor
Favorite movie:
Closet STAR WARS geek_(our singer Hugo is too).
My mission in life:
Do something I can enjoy now and be proud of when I’m older
My guilty pleasure band or artist:
Vintage KISS
My next goal is:
Tour on this record and go in a make another record ..and make a living at it.
The greatest contribution guitars/music have brought into my life is:
To see the world while getting to creatively express myself .
Check out our Website at:
Myspace.com/Tantric
The one musician I would love to work with that I have not yet had the chance would be:
Let’s go big: Paul McCartney
If I could have three wishes granted, they would be:
Work with Paul McCartney, have a great career with Tantric and an elaborate collection of Corvettes
When it's all said and done, I want the world to remember me for:
Just that he had something to contribute musically.
Copyright September 2008 Dave B. Roberts and www.extremeguitars.com is the web home of articles and interviews written by Dave Roberts. All Dave Roberts interviews and articles are available for use or FREE reprint ONLY by Permission and proper credits. Permission can be obtained by contacting [email protected]. All materials are Copyright 2004-08 Dave Roberts and OnTourOnline Ent., All Rights Reserved.