INTERVIEW WITH SISTER HAZEL’S RYAN NEWELL
Sister Hazel emerged onto the rock scene in the mid 1990s, a period
I like to refer to as the “southeastern invasion”; a time when Seattle
was no longer the main focus of the music industry. Hootie, Ben Folds
and several other bands brought focus to the southeastern musical
scene bringing along with it the acoustic pop-rock sound of Sister
Hazel.
While most of the artists of that era faded away, Sister Hazel proved
their staying power as they now enter 2004 with over 10 years, 4 albums
and over 1,000,000 records sold under their belt. I am very pleased to
have here joining us at extremeguitars.com, Sister Hazels lead
guitarist, Ryan Newell.
– Dave Roberts
Copyright 12-2003 Dave Roberts/Extremeguitars.com, All Rights Reserved.
My name is: Ryan Newell
My current job is: Lead guitarist for Sister Hazel.
My hometown is: Fairfax, Va growing up, Atlanta, Ga now.
My current album or project is: “Chasing Daylight” with Sister Hazel.
Former band(s): Waterdog, Black Creek Band.
My guitar influences growing up were: Jimi, SRV, Jimmy Page,
Steve Morse, Brian May, Van Halen, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Pat
Metheny, Angus Young, Pat Martino, Wes, Gilmore and many more.
The guitars I use are: Gibson SG (main live guitar), Les Paul, Fender
Tele, Strat, Martin, Takamine acoustics.
The strings and tunings I use are: D’Addario strings,Mostly Play Slide
in standard. I use several tunings in the studio; I start twisting the
tuning pegs until it sounds right (or wrong if that’s what I’m going for).
My current rig setup consists of: Matchless DC 30 and some pedals,
Tube screamer, Vox wah, Boss delay, Boss tremelo, A/B box… I
use one of everything in the studio!
The greatest invention for guitars is: The amp.
My normal songwriting process: messing around in my studio.
My Career highlight is: Every time we play Red Rocks in Colorado.
My most embarrassing moment on stage: Zipper was down for first
couple of songs.
The one piece of my gear that I cannot live without is: My Slide.
The first song I mastered on guitar was: The guitar solo in “D’yer
Maker” by Led Zeppelin.
My first guitar was: A cheap acoustic. My first electric was a 1967
Gibson SG for $200. I still use it!
If I am only sure of one thing in life, it’s: all in how you perceive
it.
The exact moment I knew I would pursue a career in music was: (8 or 9?) Don’t remember an exact moment.
The one thing most fans don’t know about me is: I’m not shy!!
The best advice I could give beginning guitarists is: Play/practice
everyday. The more the better; you have to work for it.
The CD(s) I’m listening to right now is: Queens of the Stone Age,
Rated R, Beck & Midnite Vultures .
My 3 all-time favorite albums are:
1. Rolling Stones, Exile On Main Street
2.Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon
3.Pat Metheny, Bright Size Life
My favorite junk food is: Cheese Burgers!!!
The word or catch phrase I say way too often is: “Dude” or “Cool”
The hardest part of my job is: Being away from loved ones for long
periods of time.
The first thing I do when I come home from touring is: my wife!!
If I wasn’t doing the musician thing, I could really see myself working
as: a producer.
My first band was: TNT in 4th grade.
My next major step is: I am working on a new record with Sister Hazel.
We just finished a DVD as well as a Live Record.
Check out our Website at: www.sisterhazel.com
The one musician I would love to work with that I have not yet
had the chance would be: Stevie Wonder.
If I could have three wishes, they would be: To be healthy, to be happy & Three more wishes.
Points of Interest: Courtesy Sister Hazel’s bio
Sister Hazel’s five talented members joined forces just over 10 years
ago in Gainesville, Florida.
In that ten year span, Sister Hazel managed to put 4 releases out
generating over one million units sold!.
This group also devotes much of their free time sponsoring events and
organizations they
have strong personal beliefs including their own Lyrics For Life, which
sponsors charitable
events to raise money for and awareness of cancer research.
There are many more interesting facts in the bio section of the Sister
Hazel website … Go check it out!.
Thank you once again Ryan for joining us and we are all looking forward
to ten years more years of Sister Hazel! I’m always thrilled to have
great guitarists join us as we compare notes with other guitarists and
fans alike in “Ax Facts & Stats”. I want to invite our visitors to
check out Ryan and the rest of Sister Hazel at their official website
at www.SisterHazel.com.
– Dave Roberts
You can find Dave’s rockin’ website at www.extremeguitars.com