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"After you accepted the guitar position in Michele's band, what was your preparation process like?" |
BRAD FERNQUIST (MICHELLE BRANCH)
Hey Brad, tell us a bit about your background as a guitarist.
I started playing guitar when I was seven years old. I got my first guitar for Christmas.
I played it a bit but not that much. Then when I turned twelve or thirteen, MTV was just popping up and I was inspired by the videos that I saw. At that point I really became interested in the instrument again. All I did was play guitar. I played in clubs when I was 15. I left high school, got my GED and started regional touring with cover bands. I moved to Boston and went to Berkeley College of Music for one semester.
Why only one semester?
Well, when I got out there I started working in clubs right away so I was busy. And I remember asking one of my teachers to show me a particular R&B riff and he told me to just learn it off the record myself. The light bulb went off in my head – why pay for school when I could just teach myself. It was cheaper to buy CDs then it was to pay tuition! Then I moved to San Francisco and continued to play in cover bands. The first audition I had in Los Angeles was with the New Radicals. I got the gig and toured with them for a year or so. The band sold a couple million records, it was fun.Then I hooked with Fastball and toured for another year or so. After that I got the call for Michelle Branch. There was no audition for me, I just got the gig and two days later I was in Japan, that’s where I first met Michelle.
After you accepted the guitar position in her band, what was your preparation process like?
Well, I was sent the record and I started learning all the tunes as best as I could but I only had two days before leaving for Japan. I also had to take care of all the non-glamorous things associated with being on the road - packing my clothes, getting my gear together, that kind of stuff. . When we arrived in Japan, I spent a lot of time in the hotel room learning parts, picking apart the songs and figuring out what to play.
Are you the sole guitarist in the group?
I am the only one who plays guitar all the time. Michele plays and our keyboard player handles some guitar as well
There are quite a few guitar parts on Michelle’s CD. What is your process for picking out which parts to play from the record?
I generally learn everything, all the parts – leads, rhythms, melody lines. Then when the band gets together, we decide what works best in a live setting.
 Compared to the CD which is pretty poppy sounding, do you bring more of a guitar presence to the live show?
Oh yeah, totally. Michelle is a big fan of classic rock bands like Led Zeppelin and the Beatles so she wanted the live band to have a bit more edge than the disc. But we stay pretty true to the record.
Do you play the acoustic parts live?
No, Michelle plays those parts.
How much liberty do you have when playing with Michelle Branch? Do you have to comp the parts recorded on her CD note for note?
I play pretty much exactly what is heard on her record. But within certain songs, I get to improvise and go off a little bit with what I play. However, I do my best to comp the sounds heard on the CD as close as possible. I like to find out what amps and guitar combinations were used on the recording – was it a Les Paul or a Strat – a humbucker or a single coil sound.
How many guitars do you bring out with you on the road?
About seven or eight. Every night I use at least six of the eight I have with me.
What guitars are you touring with?
I bring two strats – one is tuned downed a half step, a tele – for Keith Richards’s type comping, A Les Paul, Les Paul Jr., sometimes I bring out a Flying V….
Really, a Flying V.?
Yeah, it is one of the best sounding guitars I own. It has these amazing pickups…Gibson burstbuckers. Unfortunately The Flying V makes people think of ‘80’s heavy-metal stuff but it has been around since the fifties. When I think of a Flying V, guys like Albert King come to mind, blues players.
What are you using for amps?
Well, it depends on the gig. I collect vintage amps so I have a lot to choose from – blackface Fender stuff, Pro Reverbs, Deluxe Reverbs, Super Reverbs, Princetons, plexi Marshalls, Matchless, Tophat…lots of stuff. I have lots of vintage effect pedals too but I don’t take them out on the road though. I use Line 6 pedals live.
What do you feel makes you a valuable sideman?
My ability to copy parts pretty darn exact. I focus in on recreating the sounds on the CD and I really listen to the other players in the band. And I buy the best gear I can. If needed, I’ll go out and buy a specific piece of gear just for an audition. Plus over the years, I’ve played in a lot of bands, covering all types of music. In your current gig with Branch, since you are covering tunes you didn’t write or record with Michelle, do you ever feel like you are in a glorified cover band?
Yeah sometimes. But the pay is a lot better!
Do you read music?
Yes
Do you find that ability a factor in your success as a sideman?
No not at all. For me, it is all about playing along with records and developing your ears.
Do you still find time to study guitar?
Oh yeah, I still buy guitar magazines and run through the tab in the back.
Who are your guitar heroes? Who influenced your playing?
Jimi Hendrix. Axis Bold As Love. To me that is one of the greatest rock records ever. I love Jimi’s lead playing but it is the songs on Axis that really do it for me. And the rhythm guitar playing is amazing. In my opinion, no one since has touched on his brilliance as a rhythm player. Eddie Van Halen’s rhythm playing is incredible too. Both those guys always played for the song.
It sounds like you are a “song” guy.
Oh yeah. Whatever style of music it may be, as long as it is a good song with a strong melody, I’m into it. Any other influences?
Jimmy Page. Nile Rodgers from Sheik. He is smooth! Wes Montgomery – he was so musical.
Are you listening to any current players that excite you?
Yeah, an LA session player named Michael Landau. (Joni Mitchell, Miles Davis)
Yeah I saw him play with his band the Raging Honkies – he was the loudest guitar player I have ever heard!
Indeed – with that band he was running 4x12s wide open in small clubs!
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