Rob Balducci

Give us a little background on yourself.
ROB: I've basically been playing Ibanez since 1990, and my endorsement with Ibanez started when I released my first record, which was Balance, back in 1996. Since then, I've been working on material, some that's being released through record companies, and other stuff that I did on the internet. I came up with a compilation CD, called I Bleed, that I released off of my website. Most recently though, I signed a deal with Steve Vai's Favored Nations record label and finished my new record, Mantra. It was released in Japan last December, and then released in Europe on September 30th. I'm really excited about that.

How is it working with an artist run label rather than a more “corporate" situation?
ROB: I find it actually a lot better than dealing with a regular record label. I have a bit of experience working with record labels, because I actually worked at two record companies back in the day, called Important Records and Relativity Records. Since I kind of know the industry somewhat, I can see a difference. Dealing with a label-head who's actually an artist himself, makes the company much more artist friendly. Since he's (Steve Vai) a guitar player, he knows where you're coming from. At Favored Nations, they know what you're going through and what you're trying to do. Rather than dealing with people who have no idea what it's like and who are not musicians themselves, this label can kind of steer things in the right direction, because they know the pitfalls that you may fall into. So I think it has definitely been a plus.

What about a U.S. release?
ROB: The way we went about it with Favored Nations was, we released the record in Japan first. Balance had been released in Japan as well as in the U.S., and it did well in Japan. So Steve's idea was to test market Mantra a little bit and see how it did it Japan. It ended up doing well there, so we moved on to Europe. I think, from a business sense, Steve wants to see how things go. I'm an instrumental artist, and, the way the U.S. is now, instrumental music is not such a big thing here. So it seemed to make more sense to release it first in Europe. We're getting a really good response from distributors so far, and if it does well, I think it will eventually be released here (U.S.).

You're playing is known for being technically proficient, while maintaining a strong melodic sense. How do you feel as a player and a musician in today's music scene, where there seems to be a backlash on technical playing?
ROB: Basically, my whole objective is to play stuff that I like to play. You could take a road, and I know a lot of musicians do it, where you kind of hop on a trend that's going on and you try and write music similar to what's out there, and what's popular. I think that, if you are just kind of going through the motions and doing stuff just to try and write a hit song or something, the people listening to your music will pick up on that. That's one of the things about my stuff - I like what I'm doing, and I'm not playing for any other reason than for the enjoyment of it. I think that comes across to the people listening to it. What's going on now, as far as in the music business, I think it's kind of a sad thing. Like I was saying earlier, if the record company is run by someone that's a musician or someone that is truly into music, they sort of develop artists; they develop things. Now, it's mainly just about how much money the company can make and it puts a bad taste in your mouth. My whole thing is that I've got to do what I do, and you know, I think people pick up on that. I can see it when I play. You know, like the scene in New York - I play clubs, and I could be playing with somebody who's doing some heavier stuff that's not melodic at all. But for some reason, I can open up for someone like that, and people respond to what I'm doing. I can open up for someone, like when I played with Steve Morse, or when I've played with other bands in New York that are on the same level, and even though they are playing a totally different style of music, people seem to get into it. Different age groups, too. I'll have people from ages 18 to like, 45, listening to my stuff, and you can tell that they're digging it. I think that since there are fewer people playing around who are doing this stuff, it's almost like it sticks out more than it would have in the past. It's kind of amusing and it's fun.

Cool. Do you prefer performing live or recording in the studio?
ROB: I kind of like both. To me, they are really two different things. You know, I come from the school where live is one thing, and studio is a whole other thing. People who see me play live will say, “You know Rob, on your record you have some rhythm guitars going on, you have maybe a keyboard on a couple of tracks." I kind of think of the studio as a completely separate thing. Live, it's really just a trio. It's me, bass and drums. It's raw and it's a different feeling. I enjoy doing both though, because I get to experiment a little in the studio, and live, it's a challenge to try and duplicate what I did on the record, so it's kind of fun.

You and your group are going to be performing at the UK JEMfest on Oct. 5th. Can you give us a little info on JEMfest and what it's like to perform for that audience?
ROB: JEMfest started in 1999, and I got involved with it basically because I got an email from someone with JEMfest saying, “You know listen, we're doing this thing in New York, it's people that are into Ibanez guitars, and JEM guitars. We're having a little get together, and you know, if you want to stop in, you know, stop in." So, right away, I emailed the guy back and I said, “Well listen, I'm in New York and if you guys are having something, I'll play!" I said, “I don't mind - this is great! You know, I endorse Ibanez, so it'd be fun." So that's how I kind of got into it. I've actually played at every one since 1999. This is the first time I'm doing it in the U.K., and it's a really good thing. It was basically just started by fans of the guitar and fans of people that like to play Ibanez guitars. It's not really strictly limited to Ibanez, because you have a lot of people that play other guitars that are interested in this stuff also. If you don't play Ibanez, it's not like you can't go (laughs). But, it's really fun, and the crowd is always very enthusiastic about what's going on. It's a really good experience and the guys that are doing this in the U.K., Kevin and Simon, they're really good people. A lot of the profits go to Steve Vai's non-profit Make A Noise Foundation, so it's a good thing. I'm really happy to be involved in it.

You frequently do retail clinics for Ibanez. How do you decide what to focus on for your clinics?
ROB: When I do clinics, I'll play some tracks off my record, you know, without the lead and melody tracks. I'll do sort of a performance clinic. To me, it's always like, being a guitar player, and going to see other clinics….you know, you see a lot of people talk about stuff and they answer questions from the audience, which is great, but a lot of the time, the people are there and they want to see you play. So I kind of made it a thing with myself that, when I do clinics, I definitely give some sort of performance. I like to perform songs, and then take questions about playing techniques. It's also an opportunity for me to work with Ibanez, and help them reach out to the public. I have a clinic coming up October 19th, in New Jersey, and I'm going to be playing through the Tone Blaster amps. I've been using the Tone-Lok pedals and I'll also be talking a little bit about some of the Ibanez Acoustic stuff. It's really a great opportunity to get the word out there.

Tell me about your current guitar set up
ROB: I'm a big RG fan. I love the RG series. The Ibanez guitar that I'm using now is, a custom one they made for me, but it's nothing too crazy. I could pick up the guitars off the shelves and play them. It's an RG series, basswood body, with a maple top and a rosewood neck. One thing I like about Ibanez is that their necks and the playability of their instruments make it very easy for me to express what I'm trying to get across. I don't think there's another guitar like it, as far as playability goes. It's one of the reasons I've been playing them so long. Another reason is for the tone of the guitars. The tone that I get out of them is, …you know, it's… different. How can I explain it…there is something to the high register of the neck on the guitars that I play, and the RG series,…the notes, they ring out on the guitar. When you've been playing as long as I have, there are little nuances in what you're trying to get across, and if the instrument doesn't play its part, your going to have a problem trying to do what you want to do. With Ibanez, you know, it comes very easy. I also use the Ibanez acoustic AEF18TVS, and I love the sound of that guitar. In the recording process, I always layer my guitar parts. I like to combine acoustic sounds with electric. The sound of this guitar mic'd is fantastic. And you have a whole other world at your fingertips when you plug it in and use the pick-up. I just recently used the AEF on a track that I did for an up coming Santana Tribute CD on the Progressive Arts Music Label.

What's next for you?
ROB: Right now, I'm going to see how the response is with the European release of Mantra, and of course, I'll be looking into possibly doing a U.S. release on it. I'm also starting to work on new material, because I plan to do another record with Favored Nations. I would say my main concern now is basically trying to promote Mantra, work on new material, and get the new material down. I have a lot of ideas, I just have to get everything demo-ed and start working it with the band. I'd love for people to send email and feedback. I answer everything that comes in (www.robbalducci.com), so please, anyone who'd like to take the opportunity to email me, please do.

From www.robbalducci.com