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- Brett Garsed is one of Australia's highly respected guitar players. He's primarily known as "John Farnham's guitarist", but he's also played and recorded with numerous high-profile artists; Virgil Donati, Frank Gambale, TJ Helmerich, Gary Willis and Dennis Chambers. He's released an instructional video and a new instructional DVD, signed to ESP guitars, and has a regular feature in Australian Guitar Magazine.
On the new Planet X CD he will be playing alongside guitar hero Allan Holdsworth - not a gig that many of us would have the guts to attempt! I caught up with him during his tour around Italy.
>How are the gigs in Italy going? Why Italy?
I met my good friend and fellow guitarist William Stravato when he came to GIT in 1996. He invited me to Italy for some gigs and guitar clinics in November 1999 and it's been a regular thing ever since. This was my third trip there and every time it's just fantastic. The Italian people are amazing and of course the food is brilliant! The emotional side of my playing seems to really connect with Italian people which I understand as they're very passionate about everything they do, so I'm sure they relate to that element of my music.
>Tell us about the "Dancing with the Stars" gig. Fun? Stressful?
It's a really fun show to work on and the music is challenging to say the least. I'm mainly from a rock background so playing everything from big band swing to flamenco to various movie themes is demanding. The fact that it's all done live to air is another challenge as there's not a lot of time to get it together and of course, if something goes wrong there's no going back. Luckily we've had a very trouble-free run which is due to the hard work of Chong Lim who is the musical director. Chong keeps everything under control even though it's incredible stressful at times.
>You've just signed to ESP guitars but mentioned previously that you haven't thought much of most endorsement deals. What changed your mind?
What I always looked for in an endorsement deal was to find a company that valued me as much as I valued their instruments. Most big companies seem to think that musicians should think themselves lucky to have a guitar but I see it the other way around. Guitars are very pretty pieces of sculpture until a musician breathes life into them, so obviously the big companies that rely on long dead legends to sell their instruments were not for me. ESP is a new company looking for new people so it was the right thing at the right time.
I went to Japan in '95 with some of the other GIT instructors and we were allowed to choose an ESP guitar to take home - seeing as the same person that owns ESP also owns Musicians Institute. I chose a Telecaster-style ESP. I ended up playing this guitar for about 5 years but after returning to Australia in 2003 I was contacted by CMI here in Melbourne. They asked me if I'd be interested in checking out an original ESP, and when I saw the Horizon Custom I knew it was the guitar for me. I've played that guitar pretty much exclusively since I got it 2 years ago and it's got the wear and tear on it to prove it.
>You recently opened for Steve Vai, and I personally enjoyed your set more than Steve's. Did you take anything away from that show?
It was a real thrill to be able to play my songs live in front of Steve's audience. I wish I'd been able to have a chat with him but I only got to shake his hand as he's a very busy guy. I must say I was nervous about the gig as Steve's crowd are almost religiously devoted to him so I wasn't sure how they'd respond to an opening act, but the support we felt from the Australian audience was just amazing. I'd do it all again in a heartbeat.
>Tell us what your current rig is. (guitar, amp, effects etc)
The ESP Horizon Custom is my main guitar. I have several amps, a Bogner Extasy, THD Univalve, SWD 2x12 combo which is a company from Ballarat, and will soon have a Masotti Classic which is the amp I used on my recent Italian tour. I've also recently played through Dave Ulbrick's amps and they're just amazing. The only distortion pedal I ever use is a Tube Zone made by MI Audio in Sydney. It's the greatest pedal ever made in my opinion. My fx setup is pretty simple. I have a Yamaha UD Stomp for delays, a Line 6 modulation modeler and that's pretty much it.
>When will Uncle Moe's Space Ranch 2 be out? How is it different from the first?
The new Uncle Moe's album will be out before the end of the year for sure. TJ is mixing it right now but it's difficult for me to say how much different it'll be from the first album. I'm so close to it that it's hard for me to have that kind of perspective, but I think people already know that they should expect almost anything from us!
>What albums should every guitarist own?
Mine!! Just kidding. I recommend a broad selection and not just guitarists. I made that mistake when I was younger and it really limited my perspective, so I'd just say that people should listen to whatever turns them on regardless of style or genre.
>Are you going to do some more gigs in Melbourne, perhaps to promote the DVD?
I'd love to. If anyone knows of a good venue then feel free to e-mail me with suggestions.
>What do you think of Yngwie?
I love Yngwie's playing! I remember hearing him for the first time on an album by a band called "Steeler". I didn't care for the album too much but Yngwie's playing was amazing and still is. Yngwie inspired me to be myself and develop my own voice as much as he had.
>You played on Derek Sherinian's first Planet X album, but I was pissed off with the mix and could barely hear the guitars. What happened?
That's a good question and one I've been asked a lot! Either the engineer didn't know how to do his job or there was another reason. I've been screwed over in mixes a lot during my career which is why I prefer to make my own albums these days. I was completely killed in that album's mix and it really bummed me out, but I figured the best thing to do was forge ahead with my own career so I could make sure it'd never happen again. I'm playing on the new Planet X album along with Allan Holdsworth but I know Virgil will make sure the mix is cool so I'm not worried.
>Any final words?
Sure. Try to follow your instincts and stay as true to yourself as you can. A loyal fan base is the key to having a good career, and they'll allow you to grow as an artist and take chances if they trust that you're doing it for the right reasons. Also, try to support your industry as much as you can by buying your favorite albums instead of just copying them. Indie artists really need this kind of support so try to remember that if you're downloading everything for free you're killing the very industry you may one day hope to be a part of.
>Thanks very much for your time Brett.
Cheers Mate.
Brett has two great guitar lessons available on his website. Check them out and definitely check out his fantastic DVD.