WHY WERE YOU NAMED JUDE? A few weeks before I was born, I visited my mom in a dream and told her my name was Jude. She went with it.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PLAYING GUITAR? Man, I don't know. It's been at least 17 or 18 ... weeks [Laughs.]
WHAT'S THE MOST BIZARRE GIG YOU'VE EVER PLAYED? That'd probably be having a head-cutting duel at San Francisco's Moscone Center with none other than SPINAL TAP's David St. Hubbins [actor Michael McKean]. We bloodied that stage, but both survived.
.... AND THE MOST CHALLENGING? Playing electric guitar and bass for Anthony P. DeRitis's piece "Devolution" with the Oakland Symphony -- which should've been a piece of cake 'cause I WROTE some of the melodies!
HAVE YOU PLAYED ON ANY RECORDINGS YOU REALLY CAN'T PLAY FOR YOUR MOTHER? Actually, yes -- I played a wild solo on 2 LIVE CREW's "When We Get Them Hoes, We --" you know what, I can't even say the rest of that song's name.
IT MUST BE COOL BEING AN EDITOR AT A GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE. You know what? It is. Like many guitarists, I fantasized about working there when I was a kid, so it's very exciting to be there -- seven years and counting -- humbly chronicling the evolution of the world's favorite instrument. GUITAR PLAYER is Grand Central Station for all things guitar, but it's a ton of work getting those trains to run on time.
WHAT'S NEW?
Well, playing with HOT FOR TEACHER is just too much fun. I love Van Halen licks, and getting paid to crank up a half-stack and play Van Halen licks onstage for drunk Van Halen fans is just killer.
And playing around the country with [DJ/producer] MIGUEL MIGS and his band PETALPUSHER has been a blast. It's live soul-funk-tronica with LISA SHAW and TIM FULLER on lead vocals. Many of our tunes can be heard on Migs' new album, THOSE THINGS
I also have to mention the great gigs I'm doing with CATHY RICHARDSON--she also sings with Big Brother & the Holding Co., Jefferson Starship, and is the star singer from the musical "Love Janis." She just plain wails!
WHAT ELSE IS NEW? Well, I toured Asia and did two U.S. tours with BX3, the bass extravaganza that features bass legends STU HAMM, JEFF BERLIN, and BILLY SHEEHAN. [Drummer] JOHN MADER -- who also plays in PETALPUSHER with me -- and myself back each bassist for a set, kind of like G3, and then all three bassists come onstage with us at once. It's a raging show. You can here some of it on Stu's live album, LIVE STU X 2.
WHERE DID YOU LEARN TO SLAP GUITARS LIKE THAT? Probably from the fact that when I first turned on the radio as a kid, funk groups like Earth Wind & Fire, Lakeside, Heatwave, The Jacksons, and Kool & The Gang ruled the airwaves and I loved that music and still do. Do that slap stuff on a baritone guitar through a Marshall and you can have some fun.
WHO'S YOUR FAVORITE GUITARIST OF ALL TIME? Too many to mention! Right now ... oh ... I'd say Aubrey Ghent, who plays gospel tunes on a lap steel.
DID YOU EVER PLAY WITH JERRY GARCIA? No, but for three years I toured and recorded with JGB, which, during my time in the band, featured four original members of the JERRY GARCIA BAND, including Jerry's star of the Hammond B3, MELVIN SEALS.
HAVE YOU PERFORMED WITH ANY OTHER BAY AREA GREATS? A few -- MERL SAUNDERS, DAVID GRISMAN, ERIC MARTIN, and others. I played with EDDIE MONEY at the 2000 Bammy Awards, and it was a total time warp. People rushed the stage.
DID YOU EVER STUDY MUSIC FORMALLY? I do have a bachelors degree in music from UC Berkeley -- go Bears! -- but you could also say I got an education at night playing in the Bay Area club scene.
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