Entrevista con - Miguel Mega

GL - Miguel Mega!!, thanks for your time!
MM - Hi There, it is always a pleasure to talk about my music and my career.

GL - Please tell us about your personal history and background for the Guitar fans at Mexico
MM - I got interesred in music when I was eleven right after watch a Queen concert on tv back in 1981 . I already had have contact with music and instruments before that because my stepfather is a great Brasilian jazz guitar player so there were always na acoustic guitar on the couch ..I started to play electric guitar in the mid-eighties about the same time of the Rock in Rio Festival in 1985 . Rock in Rio presented a 10 days festival with very diverse artists and genres such as George Benson , Al Jarreau , B 52`s , Queen , AC/DC , Ozzy , Yes , Scorpions , Pepeu Gomes and a lot of Brasilian artists , so I got amazed with that vibe and because it was everything there , classic rock , jazz , soul , r&b , heavy metal , dance music and brasilian music . That was definitely a Turn On !

In 1990 I formed Last Joker , a classic/hard rock band and recorded a self titled album in 1992 for Metal Rock Records . With Last Joker I used to perform big venues and festivals with the most popular hard/heavy bands from Brasil such as Sepultura , Angra , Dr. Sin , Korzus , Viper among others . In 1994 I quit Last Joker and went to Los Angeles to study music and to do some recording courses . There I studied with Joey Tafolla and Jean Mark Belkadi and did some recording classes in The Music Box Studios in Los Angeles . I got back to Brasil in 1997 and decided to put together some songs and released my first instrumental cd Miguel Mega ( 1997 ) . Intuitive ( 1999 ) it is my second release in a much more jazzrock fusion vein . Both of these cd were recorded at my home studio using sequencers and drum machines .In 2000 I got tired of that mechanic sound of the drums and decide to put together some songs with a real band . Coastline ( 2001 ) would be the result of that experience . I got superb reviews for Coastline and got invited to perform some festivals such as Cascavel Jazz Festival with great names of the world jazz music , Hermeto Paschoal , Yamandú Costa among others .

In 2002 I had the pleasure to get introduced to Mr . Vernon Neilly ( Johnny Guitar Watson , Tina Marie , Billy Paul and CEO/ President of Boosweet Records www.boosweet.com ) and he invited me to be a part of a project with 4 top players in the world music market such as Morris O`Connor ( Stevie Wonder ) , Kevin Chokan ( Diana Ross ) and Vernon Neilly himself . G-Fire ( 2003 ) is the result of this project . I did a Brasilian tour with Vernon Neilly supporting G-Fire , some of these shows were audio/video recorded and they are going to be released as a Live in Brasil CD/DVD by Boosweet Records in 2004 . Also in 2003 I released two instructional videos called "Playing Outside " that are avalable in every music store in Brasil and at my web site . There is also a couple projects coming up for Boosweet Records and 3 releases for tribute cds that will be released by Progressive Arts Music featuring versions for Santana , Greg Howe and Joe Satriani songs .

GL - What motivated you to want to learn to play the guitar?
MM - Music is been my passion for the last 25 years and my stepfather and the Rock in Rio Festival were the things that definitely motivated me to play the guitar !

GL - Tell us about your technique and how you developed it?
MM - I am still developing it ! Since I started to play the guitar I`ve always tried to get any tips from everywhere I could find something like guitar magazines , songbooks , instructional videos , cds and DVD`s . Still with all of these tools I always practice a lot of technics , chords , scales , improvising , comping , arpegios etc .

GL - Who are your main influences?
MM - I am very influenced by almost any kind of music , but my main influences as far as the guitar is concerned are Scott Henderson , Brett Garsed , Angus Young , Eddie Van Halen , Randy Rhodes , Ritchie Blackmore , Pepeu Gomes , Armandinho , Miles Davis , Robben Ford , Greg Howe , Yngwie Malmsteen , Jaco Pastorius , Victor Wooten , George Lynch , Andy Timmons , Jeff Beck and Mark Wood .

GL - Who is your favorite guitar player?
MM - Nowadays are Scott Henderson, Jeff Beck and Brett Garsed.

GL - What type of music do you enjoy listening to?
MM - I really love all kinds of music but the ones I enjoy at most are the Blues, Jazz Fusion and Heavy Metal .

GL - What are your main guitars and amps at the moment and who´s your endorsers?
MM - My main guitars are a couple Tagima ( www.tagima.com.br ) Strats and an all valve Meteoro V12 ( www.meteoro.com.br ) . These are the company`s I endorse and I am very happy with them !

GL - Do you love doing live performances?
MM - Yes indeed ! Live performances are my passion . When I am playing live I feel that great feeling , the response of the audience , it`s like a big test where you apply all the stuff you study on a daily basis . Live shows are the meaning of music actually , I think every player in the world would love to perform worldwide supporting their music!

GL - Where is the line between performer and musician for you?
MM - In my opinion the musician comes first . I think you should become a musician before you start performing . That`s interesting because a great musician have to be great in studio and live situations , that`s why I just love people like Page , Hendrix , Blackmore , Malmsteen , Angus Young , Eddie Van Halen ...

GL - Tell us about your last records ""Coastline" and "G-Fire", that also includes people like Vernon Neilly, Morris O´Connor and Kevin Chokan, what is this compilation about?
MM - Coastline is my third instrumental release but it is actually the first time I could express myself in a proper way . Coastline is a jazz rock fusion with a latin feel cd where I mess a lot with playing inside and outside . I got superb reviews all over the world and got invited to perform in some great jazz festivals , write columns in on-line and printed guitar magazines and to release a couple instructional videos . Right after the release of Coastline I had the pleasure to get introduce to Vernon Neilly and he invited me to become a part of this great project . It is such a big honor to be a part of a project with people like Morris O`Connor ( that I met in Las Vegas in january 2004 , which is a great guy and a monster player ) played with Stevie Wonder , Kevin Cho`kan ( Diana Ross musical director ) and Vernon himself . It is a very fresh cd that presents , jazz , funk , r&b , soul , fusion and latin music . What`s great about G-Fire is that you don`t get bored listening to the music because it is so diverse !

GL - Tell us about your instructional guitar video lessons available through your Web Site. What can a player expect, when first viewing your instructional lessons?
MM - My instructional videos are called "Playing Outside ". Both of them show some performances of Coastline and G-Fire songs and a bonus track that was never released before . I also show some of my favorite scales and aproaches to improvise over jazz fusion style and some comping ideas using some jazz and blues background . The videos were developed for intermediate and advanced levels but any beginer can watch the video and get some information that will be precious in the future , so I think any player can expect a lot of information and tips in both releases .

GL - Have you ever done a song or album that you wish you could go back in time and un-do? If so, which one, and why?
MM - There is some songs in my couple first instrumental cds that have some songs that I actually like and would like to hear it with a full band playing and there is some others I just think I wasn`t mature enough to write and play the way I want , but I would not undo any of them because I think it is all part of our story so I am actually proud of everything I`ve done .

GL - What projects are you currently working on?
MM - I am working in a couple projects for Boosweet Records , recording demos for my next solo cd , write columns for Cover Guitarra Magazine ( www.coverguitarra.com.br ) , live shows and clinics for the brands I endorse and waiting for the release of three tribute cds for Joe Satriani , Greg Howe and Carlos Santana .

GL - What are your thoughts on the state of instrumental guitar these days?
MM - I think is great because of the internet , there is a huge market for independent guitar players all over the world by the net , sites like www.guitar9.com among others . Besides there is also the thecnology point of view , nowadays is much cheaper and easier to find great tools for recording , stuff like Pro Tools , so I think there is a big market growing for guitar players .

GL - What do you think about the new crop of talented Guitar player's that are currently out there making music?
MM - There is always great guitar players around and it always will , thank god ! But there is always people playing amazing stuff that should get more recognized by the media and people in general , players like The Hellecaster`s , Brent Mason , Andy Timmons , Tony Macalpine , Greg Howe , Shawn Lane , Pepeu Gomes , Armandinho among others .

GL - Which is in your opinion the best way for an undiscovered artist to be less unknown with his music?
MM - Well I already answer that in 15th question , in my opinion it is all about the internet ! It is the future right there , as long as you have a nice cd or product and you have your own website , you already have your own record label .

GL - When all is said and done, years from now, how would you want people to remember Miguel Mega?
MM - I just want to be remenbered as a good guitar player and more than that , I would love that people would enjoy my music !

GL - What will be next for Miguel Mega?
MM - As I said before I am already involved with some projects but I am very excited with the demos for my next solo cd !

GL - And can we expect to see you in Mexico any time soon?
MM - Oh yeah ! That`s for sure , maybe if I get in touch with some music schools or music stores maybe we could set some clinics up between december 2004 /january 2005 .

GL - Is there anything else you would like to share with us that I have not asked?
MM - I already have both of my instructional videos in stock in my website , check it out and stay tuned for news about columns , new releases and shows .

GL - Thanks for your time Miguel!, We wish you all the best for your music career you are a really GREAT player!
MM - Thank you very much for the oportunity to share my thoghts , my history and my music with the world by Guitar Lords ! All the Best

GL - And hey Guitar Fans!!.. don't forget to check out : www.miguelmega.com.br , see ya next time.!!