Jeff Kollman
Back in the 90s, guitar player Jeff Kollman of EDWIN DARE fascinated the rock fans with his unique style of a jazz/fusion taste blended with hard rock music. Jeff Kollman went on as a solo musician after working with EDWIN DARE, as well as forming COSMOSQUAD with drummer Shane Gaalaas, who is known for his work with big names such as MICHAEL SCHENKER and B’z. Jeff also joined THE BOMBASTIC MEATBATS, a project formed by Chad Smith from the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS.
Jeff Kollman talked to us about his recently released live album with THE BOMBASTIC MEATBATS “Live At The Baked Potato” and his new solo album “Silence In The Corridor”. Jeff also took time to tell us about some of his insights on music and playing guitar.
Interview / Text Mamoru Moriyama
Translation Louis Sesto (EAGLETAIL MUSIC)
Muse On Muse : Please tell us about the BOMBASTIC MEATBATS “Live Meat And Potatoes” album. How and why did you end up releasing a live album?
Jeff Kollman : The interaction and spontaneous interplay is the spirit of the Meatbats. This sort of improv is always best captured live in front of an audience. We’re having a musical conversation per-say. I think this live cd captured what defines the Meatbats. The band has a sense of humor. We don’t take ourselves serious like many of the bands in the instrumental world. It comes across on the live record. Chad is one funny cat..
MM : According to the credits, the show was recorded at the Baked Potato. Does the album include the whole show from that night? Please tell us how you recorded the show.
JK : The show was recorded on 2 separate nights. The reason being that one of the performances had gotten lost as there wasn’t a backup source in place. Therefore we booked a 2nd evening to capture what we had missed.
MM : We see numerous artists recording their shows at the Baked Potato. You have released a live album recorded at the Baked Potato with COSMOSQUAD as well. Do you consider this venue to be a special place for you?
JK : I do have a Cosmosquad ‘Live at the Baked Potato’ release. This place is very special. It’s the last true remaining live venue in L.A. For jazz, fusion music. We helped celebrate their 40th anniversary of the venue. I grew up listening to live recording from there like Larry Carlton.. I love the potato.. I may have part of my ashes spread on the roof cause I play there so much….
MM : You currently play for the BOMBASTIC MEATBATS, COSMOSQUAD, as well as releasing your solo material. How do you separate each project within yourself?
JK : They are different styles of music. The Meatbats have such a different element with keyboardist Ed Roth in it. His harmonic and 70’s style funk contribution are a very integral part of the Meatbats. My job in the group is to provide a vocal-esque melody in many cases. Cosmosquad is a bit more metal fusion. And since it’s a trio , it’s more like running a marathon at times. There’s not so much space in the music. My solo material stylistically sort of falls between the 2 but I can stretch in different ways musically. There’s much more acoustic, and classical influences in my solo material.
MM : Members of the BOMBASTIC MEATBATS usually play in different bands. Nevertheless the MEATBATS are always able to deliver a great ensemble on stage. How much rehearsing do you do before shows? Please tell us about the rehearsal process and what you actually do during rehearsals.
JK : We really don’t rehearse. It’s just a quick remembering or recalling the bits at soundcheck. Sort of a refresher course. It’s not music by numbers like most progressive rock. There’s the song structure, groove, chord changes and melody, and then room for interplay and interpretation. We never play the same song the same way twice. You don’t need to PRACTICE a melody. If you can sing it or hum it , you should be able to find it under your fingers. It’s all about listening. This is what the younger generation of musicians seem to be missing. Your ears are the most important thing. You gotta listen. DYNAMICS and use of space are such an important part of a great performance. This is something that I could never learn growing up playing in Metal bands.
MM : Is there anything you keep in mind when making your guitar sound? Do you have any tips for sound making?
JK : The gear is not so important. I can go anywhere with any guitar or amp and get my sound. It’s imagining what you wanna hear and then dialing it in with the amp or pedals. If I were to talk gear, I would recommend high end cables, guitars with great tone (not the one that are easy to play).. For example… You can play more shred like on an ibanez, but a Les Paul sounds more woody. A hand wired amp helps the tone. You should seek out the right speakers and or cabinet to match the head. I find it a bit frustrating to discuss gear because it really doesn’t matter. Jeff Beck will get his tone no matter what gear is on stage.
MM : Please tell us about your solo album “Silence In The Corridor”. The songs are very beautiful with impressive melodies, making up a very artistic album. What was the concept behind this album?
JK : The concept was a collection of events throughout 2011 that really inspired or moved me. And there was always a song to follow these inspirational moments. . For example the passing of Gary Moore inspired the title track ‘Silence In The Corridor’. I played a bit more acoustic on this one which I’m happy for. I’ve been really working on my steel string playing. It’s all a work in progress.
MM : “Cosmo Ray Vaughn” has an impressive drive with the rhythm guitar. Did you have Stevie Ray Vaughn in mind when making this song?
JK : Well Stevie is such a huge influence. He comes to mind quite often. The song falls somewhere between the style of Cosmosquad and the funk side of SRV. We tracked it with the Cosmosquad trio Ric Fierabracci ,Shane Gaalaas and I.
MM : There seems to be quite a bit of acoustic guitars featured on this album with songs such as “One Last Remark” and “Steer Clear Of The Border Town”.Who were your influences for your acoustic guitar style?
JK : Tony Rice and Tommy Emmanuel I would say. I’ve always enjoyed playing nylon as well. My guys were always John Williams and Paco De Lucia. There are so many greats.. I’m a mere infant compared to any of them I must humbly say.
MM : You recorded a cover version of Gary Moore’s “Silence In The Corridor”, which is also the title of your album. Do you personally consider Gary Moore as a special guitarist/artist?
JK : Gary was intense. He played every show and every note with such fire and conviction. I don’t feel that from most of these so called guitar heroes. Most of them look like they practice in front of a mirror. Gary is so deep in the song. There’s a vast difference between the two. Stevie was the same way.
MM : “Afghan Headtrip” has a very unique vibe, making it an extremely artistic song. What was your approach in creating this unique sound, both performance-wise and gear-wise?
JK : That was pure Improv. No plan… The gear was a Ceriatone Dumble, a line 6 delay through the effects loop and that’s it. The guitar was a gold top Les Paul. I think the delay was distorting a bit creating the psychedelic sound. There’s a bit of middle eastern influence in there. Not sure where that comes from… I won’t be praying to Allah anytime soon.
MM : “Time And The Inevitable” is a beautiful tune with a mystical arpeggio guitar phrase. Absolutely beautiful!
JK : This one was inspired by the passing of Steve Jobs from Apple computers. I opened my laptop to record one morning and there was the screen saver tribute to Steve whom had just passed away. I was thinking about how he and Mac had changed things for recording and what we do , how we live with the iphone, itunes , etc… Then I started pondering the thought of Steve Jobs, a true success story.. Innovative genius with all the technology and money at his fingertips, but he couldn’t outrun’ Time And The Inevitable’ or his inevitable fate. And this is of course the song title. We only have so long on this earth to do what inspires us and hopefully to make a difference in some way or inspire others. I won’t be inventing some new form of micro processor or adding to nano technology anytime soon, BUT I might inspire or teach a younger generation of guitarists or move someone with a song and that’s good enough for me.
MM : Usually, guitar players start out by copying their idols, practicing, and eventually developing their original styles and songs, licks, etc. How did you learn the guitar and develop your skills? How were you able to acquire your expressive and original guitar style that you have now?
JK : We all start out copying or emulating our favorite players.. This right off the bat is important because if you listen to crap you will probably play like crap. Younger Guitarists that leave me cold with no emotion are listening to famous guitarists that leave me cold with no emotion. It’s hard to teach emotion if possible at all. I had an extremely difficult childhood until the age of 12 when I started playing. I harnessed all of that and channeled it into my music. You have to search for inspiration. Also I was always open to different styles of music, whether it be bebop or classical. I would incorporate different styles of music to keep my hard rock style sound fresh. I always wrote and recorded my music from the age of 13. By creating every day and listening back, I was able to find a voice, style and sound that is my own. You have to capture things on tape and analyze. Hows my tone, time, my dynamics? Hows is the structure of this song? Hows my mic placement, my overall tone. Is this the right approach for this song?
MM : Are there any young and/or upcoming guitar players that attract your attention?
JK : Hmmm.. Young? I know a bunch of old dudes I love. I like great playing but I prefer great songs more. Give me David Gilmour, Jimmy Page , Queen. Allman Bros. Lets see…. New guys in the last 15 years that blow my socks off. Tommy Emmanuel, Jimmy Herring, Jimmy Rosenberg. Michael Landau. More recent Kirk Fletcher, and Allen Hinds. Jamie Kime is a wonderful player in LA.. Mike Sorenson Greg Koch. My buddy Jeff ‘Big Red’ Marshall is a great player.. Yuya Komoguchi from Japan is fantastic. Josh Gooch is an up and coming tasty blues player. It all comes down to tone, feel and a great melody. Jeff Beck is smart because he’ll use ‘Something’ Beatles or Cause We Ended As Lovers’ Stevie.. He knows a great melody and he can make his guitar talk like no one.
MM : Please tell us about your gear. What guitars, amps, effectors, foot pedals did you use for this recording?
JK : Everything around me. Ha!!! Fender strats, Teles, Les Paul, a Hamer Newport, Fujigen from japan. Low output pickups. Pedals, Real McCoy Wha, D3 audio designs, Xotic pedals, Trex delay. I love Fender Wildwood tens strats. 6100 frets. . Amps I use A fender twin mainly with pedals. Fender Machete, Blues Deville, a 67 fender Bassman 2 different Bogner modded marshalls, Budda 45 watt superdrive. Ceriatone OD special. Hughes and Kettner ats120 amp.
MM : What kind of guitar picks did you use?
JK : Fender 1 mm blue tortex picks.
MM : What kind of guitar strings did you use?
JK : Fender 9 to 46 strings or 10 to 46
MM : In the past, you have released some cool hard rock material with a touch of jazz and fusion with EDWIN DARE. Do you have any plans to make new material in the style of EDWIN DARE?
JK : I would like to make a new Edwin Dare record. There is talk. Let’s keep our fingers crossed. I love that band and those guys.
MM : What do you have coming up next?
JK : A new Asia featuring John Payne record . We are in the tracking stages. I really want to get out and play everywhere as much as possible. I’ve been in studios too much. I have so much material and so many records. I just wanna play live right now.. The Bombastic Meatbats will meet in the spring for a new release.
MM : Please give a message to your Japanese fans.
JK : I appreciate your love and support. Stay inspired. Spend some time writing songs, not just practicing. Throw that metronome away. You don’t need it anymore.
Jeff Kollman Official Site : http://www.jeffkollman.com/
LIVE MEAT AND POTATOES / BOMBASTIC MEATBATS
Disc 1:
1.Opps! I Spilled My Beer
2.Passing The Ace
3.Mountain Of Meat
4.The Gunboat Is On!
5.Nightsweats
6.Topps Off
7.Pigsfeet
8.Need Strange
Disc 2:
1.Deathmatch
2.Battle For Ventura Blvd.
3.Moby Dick
4.Shilo’s Forbidden City Blues
5.Breadballs
6.Lobster Legs
7.Into The Floyd
SILENCE IN THE CORRIDOR / JEFF KOLLMAN
1.Cosmo Ray Vaughn
2.West Coast Swagger
3.One Last remark
4.Silence In The Corridor (tribute to Gary Moore)
5.Steer Clear Of THe Border Town
6.Song For James
7.The New Nightmare
8.Afghan Headtrip
9.Time And The Inevitable
10.A Day Of Mourning
11.Unforgettable (dedicated to Helen Kollman)
