Everyone Loves Guitar- with Special Guest Craig Garber

Craig Garber Podcast
Wed, 3/30 12:52PM • 46:43
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
play, guitar, guitar player, interviewed, craig, music, love, drummer, people, learn, podcast, players, song, musicians, george lynch, business, guests, learning, practice, called
SPEAKERS
Craig Carber, Intro, Sam Fischer, Craig Garber

Intro  00:01
Welcome to cowboys, not a big hits home of the brief, not home of the fearful. The world needs more cowboys and fewer exits. We're everywhere podcasts are found. So tell your fellow cowboys and let's keep the conversation alive on Facebook and Twitter. And now, cowboys, not a gets with Sam Fisher.

Sam Fischer  00:33
Today is a kind of a groundbreaking episode of cowboys, not eight heads. Craig Garber is the host of the popular podcast and YouTube channel. Everyone loves guitar. A lifelong music enthusiast. Craig didn't start playing guitar until he was 52 years old, starting from zero. And with absolutely no contacts or background in the music industry. Craig has grown everyone loves guitar into the largest long form celebrity musicians interview platform with over 860 guests. In four plus years, the show's had over 2.1 million with an M podcast downloads in over 1.6 million views on YouTube. Wow. Congratulations. And welcome, Craig.

Craig Garber  01:20
Thank you. And thanks for having me.

Sam Fischer  01:23
You bet. You're my first guest on where I didn't know you prior to us taping the podcast. So it's just this is really exciting. For me. I'm a little nervous. I've always just had friends. So this podcast is sort of the story of my life with friends. And so I welcome you into the story of my life.

Craig Garber  01:40
Well, thank you very much for having me. And don't be nervous. I'll be I'm breaking your cherry but I will be gentle.

Sam Fischer  01:48
I was intrigued by you, Craig, because you and I are kind of similar. I think you're a few years older than I am. I'm 53. But like you I started playing guitar after I played a little in college, but started playing guitar and got serious about it started taking lessons coming up upon three years ago, so I was I was 50 when I got back into it. I recently retired. And so I'm a podcaster and a guitar player and a want to be comedian good for you. Congratulations on that. Thank you. Pandemic did a lot of strange things to us actually started this podcast. But I've I've I didn't know you were in and I came across we have a service that's called pod match. And you came up as a match. I'm like, Yeah, I think so. So, welcome. I'm really excited to have you on today.

Craig Garber  02:44
Well, thanks again, appreciate.

Sam Fischer  02:46
So one of the things that I want to explore kind of several different topics today. One is just podcasting or in general, your your show is fantastic. And I don't know how you do it. But you have this innate ability to just ask a question, and the guest just takes it from there. So guess what, you get to take it from here. How do you do that?

Craig Garber  03:12
First, thank you. I appreciate all the kind words that you said. That's really nice of you. Okay, that I get that question a lot. And so there's a few, a few different answers. The whole my approach to stuff in general is, is there's an old? I don't know if you're familiar with Charles Bukowski, the writer? No, he was a guy like in the back in the 60s and 70s pretty much and he wrote fiction but based on reality, he's a great writer anyway, he had this thing he said don't try. And and I wrote it down. He said don't try. Don't try for Cadillacs, creation, or immortality. You wait. And if nothing happens, you wait some more. It's like a bug high on the wall, you wait for it to come to you and it comes in it gets close enough you reach out and you slap it and kill it. Or if it looks like if you like its looks you make a pet out of it, and what he meant, but my interpretation of what he meant by that is let things happen naturally, you know, and that's been my personal experience in life that when you do that, things happen naturally. You can't force things to happen naturally. That's just like opposites right?

Sam Fischer  04:27
I agree. Be authentic. Be yourself. Okay, due cera cera Ah, yeah, it's

Craig Garber  04:35
so I don't try to make that happen. Just but there are a few things that are going on that probably allow for it to happen. The first is I don't have an agenda with anybody is zero. I have no agenda, no expectations other than we're gonna have a good conversation. I'm going to get to know you. But I have no like, you know, a lot of people come on, we're all have we all have baggage. I don't really give a shit about baggage. Can I curse on here a little bit? Absolutely. I don't care about baggage.

Sam Fischer  05:05
We'll bleep the F bombs out. Yeah, no,

05:06
I won't, I won't. I don't care about baggage. I'm not everybody's got stuff challenges. And I'm not interested in that, per se. It's none of my business. Quite frankly,

Sam Fischer  05:15
one of my sayings is we are all hypocrites. Or excuse me, we're all hypocrites. And we all have our demons.

05:20
Yeah. And that's none of my business. So that's number one. I don't have an agenda. And I think people know that. I don't, especially now, this shows, I have enough shows under the belt that somebody knows someone who's been on here, and they'll probably call him or I'll get referred to them. They'll say, What's this dude all about? The other thing is, I'm a pretty good listener. And so I try to listen for things that are important to my guest. Things that are not important to the guests. things that bother them and things that make them happy. And if I know that this is something that is they have a bone to pick with it. I'm not going to talk about that stuff. So I don't I try not to make people uncomfortable. That doesn't mean I'm not being sincere. But like, again, this is about their life. If I know there's an area that they're uncomfortable, why would I ask them about that?

Sam Fischer  06:12
Well, it's their story. And they're going to tell it the way they want to write regardless

06:15
of whether I ask stupid questions or not. So let me just ask nice questions. The other thing is, as you've done to me, I get all the questions, I get them the questions ahead of time, so there's no surprises.

Sam Fischer  06:27
And I'll be honest with you, Craig, this is only the second time I've done that.

06:30
That's a great thing to do. I mean, I appreciate it. When I got the questions. Well, what's

Sam Fischer  06:34
what my wife, my wife has told me, I would never do that without knowing what the questions are. So it's,

06:39
well, I haven't interviewed it like next week, and I don't know what the questions are. And I'm okay with that. But it's nice to know what's going on. Right. The other thing is, most of my guests are referred to me by other guests, and now most of a lot of them are coming from PR people, but the PR people have had other people on, I don't deal with every PR person, I just deal with a certain handful. And they've had other guests on there. So they can go and say, Oh, I did so and so is on this guy show and, and a lot of musicians just kind of like know the show for some reason. So it's it because they listen to it, my friend. Yeah, I think so. You know, I think I think that that's going on. Also, we've done like close to 900 shows I have a pretty good reputation for not I'm exhausted

Sam Fischer  07:24
just listening to that, Craig. Yeah. That's a lot of work.

07:29
Thanks. Thanks. It's been a lot of fun. But thank you, but I have a good reputation in that. And I haven't, like you could ask someone who's on Episode Four and ask someone is on episode 850. And they're not I don't think they'd give you a too much of a different reaction about me. The another thing is I again, I, I honor my own commitments, whatever I say I'm going to do I do and I respect their boundaries. If they say, Well, we did this, but I can't really talk about that. I'm not gonna say, Well, why not? That's not again, I don't listen to my business. If someone doesn't want to talk about it, it's fine. That's their prerogative. And then the other stuff is I don't talk about, like politics or religion, not because of any reason, honestly, other than I'm not qualified to talk about either one of those. And I, just as a person, I don't like to talk. I'm not one of these guys that has an opinion on everything. I don't know anything about either of those two, so I don't why would I discuss it? Stay in your wheelhouse? Yeah, yeah. I mean, you want to talk about marketing or business or music or guitar? I know a little bit about those things. But I can't talk about I just don't know, politics and religion. So I don't know it. It's controversial. It just makes no sense to discuss it. So that that's, I mean, it's great. If there is an answer of how do I get people open up? And I don't know if that's the answer. That's from my perspective, maybe it is i

Sam Fischer  08:50
Well, it's working. It's working. Yeah, I get these these guys that are legacy legend players. They come on, and they just, they open up. They're very comfortable with you. And you know, it's a it's something that I'm examining as a podcast host myself, how do I how do I get more out of my guests? So that's, that's very helpful was very, very helpful. What so obviously, there's, there's a ton of guys out there you haven't interviewed and it's not just guitar players, correct? I mean, it's drummer. Yeah, drummers and bass players and singers, but it's mostly guitar players.

09:26
80% probably guitar players and you know, 20 to 25%. Miscellaneous.

Sam Fischer  09:31
So is there one, can you can you share with this one that that that you haven't interviewed yet that you'd like to?

09:38
Oh, yeah, I'd love to have David Gilmore on but he won't come on. He'll never come on. Because he just he doesn't do that. No, he doesn't do those. He's a very private guy. He's quiet. He certainly doesn't need me to help sell his records. by a longshot. And I've had I've had his drummer on his longtime drummer and his bass player guy pratt has been with him who's you know, the know each other from England he guys probably play with them for 30 years. And I flat out just said guys are any chance I'd ever get David on here and he goes, No, no, no and that's, that's about it. I mean, he's the guy. I mean, I, he's, he's moved me, you know tremendously musically I'd love to sit and talk with him, but that won't happen.

Sam Fischer  10:21
Now, one of the things how many of your interviews there's been a couple of snippets from your interviews that made the the old famous blabber mouth which is which is great. Is there any any any great news that you dish that made it to blabber mouth?

10:35
No, but blabber mouth follows sort of like metal people. And and they're like, very HYPEE. So, for example, I had Mike Portnoy on the drummer from Dream ex drummer from Dream Theater. And he was saying something about it goes even this interview is nothing controversial here, but it'll probably be on blabber mouth. And literally the next day, Mike Portnoy said, you know, the reason why Dream Theater broke up, and it wasn't I mean, it's old news at this point. He wasn't he didn't say anything. Rude, disrespectful, you know, it was it was clickbait you know, yeah,

Sam Fischer  11:14
what's your mouth? I just destroyed my chance of making blabber mouth because I call them clickbait.

11:19
Yeah, I don't think it's clickbait as much as that's just their news, what they report on that genre and they lie they

Sam Fischer  11:25
have a lot of followers. I'm one of them. I read a lot of their stuff. So it's been tricked by that I considered it's a badge of honor that you've one of your interviews is made it to blabber mouth. Thanks. That's my goal in life. Well, thanks

11:38
yeah, Ray Luzier, the drummer from Korn, a lot of the metal guys and some of the punk guys too, I think, Ricky Warwick interview or something.

Sam Fischer  11:48
The one that stood out to me was what are we five minutes this interview and I'm really gonna tell you my favorite guitar players, but is and I don't think you've interviewed him yet. Is George Lynch. And Jeff pilson. You interviewed Jeff? Yeah. And he sets up in the lineup when George is on. He's there's no better guitar player in the world than me, you know, which I happen to agree with. But he's a great guitar player. Oh, phenomenal. Obviously, I agree. I agree, Craig.

12:16
Oh, one more thing. I just want to tell you the other thing, Mike, about getting people to open up. I don't take that for granted. So when someone does that. My thought is they've just given me a gift. Nobody's under an obligation to do that. So someone feels that comfortable that they're sharing, you know, sobriety, sexual, physical, you know, any, you know, alcoholism in the family? That I feel like they've given me a gift. And I, and I think I treat it like that. And I think that probably makes I don't take that for granted.

Sam Fischer  12:53
I I've had some of the same, you know, had some of those topics discussed in previous podcasts and I feel like it's sacred ground. Yes. You have to be trusted. Or you know, it's not not anything to be taken lightly. Absolutely agree. So let's get to the good stuff. Guitar. Tell me about your guitar playing? How good are you? How bad are you know, I'm probably how good you want to be. I haven't yet I have a really

13:18
good ear. I'm an intermediate guitar player. You know, I'm one of these people like most people, I the more I practice, the better I get. Imagine that right? Now it works. But I take lessons. And you know, I'm not under any I'm not I don't put pressure on myself. I just am trying to enjoy the journey. I would love to be able to start playing with somebody and I just got ever go to this website called …..Hang on..… It's called band mix.com.

Sam Fischer  13:56
I have not I'll check it out.

13:58
So band mix is a website. It's like matchmaking website for musicians. I'm sure there's a bunch of these. Anyway, someone just reached out to me on there the other day that he's looking for cause I'm looking, I'm looking to play rhythm. I'm not strong enough to play lead in. I've never played in a band. I can't go play lead guitar. And so I think I'm going to you know, I said to my wife, boy, someone just she said, I said I don't have any time she was and I think you have more time than you than you think. And so I bounce it off my music teacher as well. And he goes, Yeah, man, you should do it. So I'm going to get back to the guy, see if I can do it.

Sam Fischer  14:36
Awesome. Good for you. And that's my goal. I've stated it the season when someone interviewed me on my own podcast, but anyway, that was my goal is I want to be able to play on stage just one song. You know, by the time I'm 60 and tell you what rhythm is. I just got back from the Monsters of Rock cruise with Oh, cool, you should actually go cuz you can get a ton of interviews because everybody's there, but you know, it was not seeing live music for it to any extent in the last couple years. I just really went in absorbed and appreciated these players. I mean, phenomenal players on this boat. You had Richie Kotzen and you had Nita Strauss, you had Adrian Vandenberg, who had played in America for the first time in 30 plus years but I was able to get up close to these guys and very casually watch them play guitar and it's all you know you for me is to be about the left hand no man it's the right hand these guys are so impeccable I just had tremendous appreciation for for rhythm playing that just they're picking style or how they pick or their their sense of time is is incredible I have no time whatsoever i I'm horrible and I have to it's something I have to work at but these guys it's just it's it it's just it's in tuned to them and it's so much fun to watch you watch guy like Richie Kotzen and who and I flat told him you're able to like talk these guys afterwards there's walking on the ship like everybody else. I discredited Richie Kotzen because you know what he played in poise and he can't be that great all baloney He's a great player phenomenal player. He's it was such a pleasure to watch him play and he doesn't of course play with a pick hasn't for years and it's the field that that guy has I've never seen anything like it is just you know you're you just know you're in the presence of just just elite talent

Craig Garber  16:37
and he plays a Telecaster right

Sam Fischer  16:40
he gosh I'm trying to think it's for those things you saw like six bands and like six hours on hours I think so yeah I some yeah something very simple. I mean it's not nothing fancy but he just the feel that that guy had it was unbelievable and incredible singer as well. So Good on you for the rhythm part. I mean there's you know, well I've learned to lead player until you're good rhythm player that's what they say it's

17:07
bingo. And that's why I want to do that and it helps you gain your playing all these inversions to you really learn the key the neck much better.

Sam Fischer  17:14
Right? Now, speaking of learning, how are you learning guitar? Did you go to your guitar teacher and say, teach me theory? Or did you say teach me this song? Neither. Okay.

17:26
I didn't feel I was qualified to tell them what to teach. If I was qualified to do that.

Sam Fischer  17:30
I would have just a bigger fine paying. I can tell them whatever.

17:33
Well, no, I want that. You know, I've gone through a few guitar teachers and my current teacher. Can I mention his name? Sure. Same as Rob Garland. He's a if anybody wants lessons. He's a phenomenal teacher. He's Rob Garland. Yeah, Rob Garland with the children

Sam Fischer  17:49
while we're on this, I might my guitar teacher would be angry if I didn't mention him. His name is Zachary Adkins. He's on YouTube. You can find me one. The Ibanez is fastest fingers award several years ago. Great guy. That's a guitar Academy here in Omaha. It's got 500 students or something. But that's awesome. So yeah, check those guys out. Teachers are good. They're hard to find

18:10
good to Yeah. And Rob's Great. He teaches at EMI and he's played professionally for a long time. And I trust every I don't ever, you know, I used to have I've had other music teachers and I'd walk they'd walk in and say, Hey, so what do you want to do today? And I'm like, Oh, how the hell am I supposed to know that? I mean, I didn't have like, you know, like, and it wasn't like I came to learn a song like, How can I answer that? I'm very poorly qualified to answer that question to learn how to play guitar. So Rob's great. I do learn theory, but it's within the context of an application of playing, you know, it's not well learn your scales. It's always within the context of plain

Sam Fischer  18:55
Does he let you choose what you get to learn, or does he pick it for you?

19:00
Um, no, like, we talked about learning a song and he knows the music I like and we talked about, I said, How about a Gary Moore song and we know it's kind of like mutual. He knows what I liked. He knew I'm a blues guy. So he, you know, he kind of knows that. So

Sam Fischer  19:21
interesting. So what inspires you to play the guitar?

19:24
And I feel so good. When I play. I was a musician. When I was a kid. I played saxophone. Okay, and I was very good at I played current played at Carnegie Hall, and I love music. I just never. I didn't really have that kind of support at home. So it wasn't something I got to do. Then I got married, had kids young, and I just loved playing. It's such an expressive thing. It's literally outside of spending time with my wife. It's probably the thing I love to do the most.

Sam Fischer  19:50
So learning a new song is is just you just enjoy the challenge of playing the song or enjoy learning it. For me, it's No,

20:00
no, no, I don't know the challenge. I enjoy the feeling of expressing of emotions through the instrument.

Sam Fischer  20:06
Right? Yeah, right. It's for me, it's, it's more of, I just go in there. I mean, I just, it's terrible, because it's probably not the way to do it, but it's the way I do it. And I'll just, you know, all I learned is George Lynch stuff.

Craig Garber  20:23
That's it. The great thing about music.

Sam Fischer  20:26
I mean, it's like, you know, I know, like, probably 15 bits and pieces of 15 songs that he's done over the years. That's great. And that's the only thing that I would only use my plug in because I can make it sort of sound like that. It's like, it's once you hit that particular thing, whatever it is, that's been ingrained in you since 1985. Or whatever. It's, it's a cathartic as you and that's where I guess where we can meet on it's very cathartic. It's very, like, Holy Toledo. This is it's it's fun, it's

20:57
yeah, it's fun. It's placid all the guys on my show, it's playing guitar. And I am very aware of that, because that's a big source of joy and fun for me.

Sam Fischer  21:06
So you probably so if you're learning by theory, you don't you you're learning scales or you're learning notes or you're learning to me, guitar is a linear thing I look at the guitar as a linear instrument, in the sense of a song to me is just a roadmap and I just got to figure out how to get from point A to B. And every new every day, it's something new, like Oh, stop here, you know, jump up and down with one leg, do a twist or whatever this point and then you got to go to that point. That's the way I sort of connect how to play guitar in my mind, which is probably probably what there's no right or wrong way. That's the way that I learned that's not the way that that that doesn't sound like the way that you learn.

21:51
I don't really learn scales i I'll learn like Okay, so here's a seventh chord and or on the 1-4-5 and a major you're playing major on the first but the minor works on the four and here's why.

Sam Fischer  22:04
And I already am lost I don't know any of that.

22:07
Yeah, so when I learned that you know, i know chords because again, I used to play years ago sax when you had to read and stuff. So I know chords but now you know, it's just a question of learning the neck better and better and better to to understand what notes go you know, my brain is faster than my hands because I don't have the skill yet.

Sam Fischer  22:30
How how inspired by tone Are you? I mean, are you a gear freak? Do you have to have XY and Z hookup? You just just plug it in and do kind of guy not at all I've plugged in I have a couple of power means that it means it's in your hands my friend I yeah, I like it's gonna it's gonna be here, here and in your hands.

22:48
I just don't I'm not a technical guy with anything. I don't you know, I get in a car and put the key in and drive I don't know how the engine works. The engine works I could change my oil if I had to and change tires. But I I don't not interested in I just like the end. But like, I'll just plug into the guitar. I love the warmth of an amp. I love the warm sound of a tube amp with tubes breaking up, you know, I'd much prefer that over a pedal. Yeah. Again, it's just a personal preference. You know, there's absolutely zero right or wrong on that. That's why

Sam Fischer  23:21
there's so many good guitar players on your shows. They're all different. I mean, it's it's everybody views it differently. Yeah. That's great. So is there one lick that you've learned recently? That just like wow, I got it or one? It was one like, you know, for me the first time I heard AC DC back in black, it blew my head off. And and who knew it was going to be so easy to play, but you can still nobody can play it like that other than AC DC. Alright. Is there? Is there? Is there some some kind of like, something like that. So comparable for you?

23:58
Yeah, there was the first full solo I ever learned was on a Rod Stewart song. And I'm drawing a blank on the name of it. But what happened was I learned the lick. And it was a little complicated because I think the guy tuned down. I had to learn it like B flat. And he probably tuned down so he's playing in A. So it's a little complicated, but it's a great sense of accomplishment. And I went out and found the guy because it wasn't one of the big wasn't Jeff Beck. Right, right. It was Jim Creegan. And so I found him and it was so gratifying. I had him on my show. And he was a great interview man, he talked about so many things. And that was really cool. Like learning that being the first solo I learned and then having him on the show, you know, like it's a bit of a connection, because he's already moved me so much emotionally. Which is a cool thing to do. Absolutely not want to have guys on my show that I very well. I mean, because I've had 900 People basically I'm not familiar with most of them. work. Right?

Sam Fischer  25:01
Right. Well, so is what's the most rewarding thing that you've learned on the guitar? Was it was at that particular moment, or was it something else?

25:09
No, I don't know, everything just that I get to pick up and play every day is I've become less goal oriented as I've gotten older and more experience oriented. So I'm, um, I'm just looking, you know, trying to be present more so like that. Today, I really enjoyed my practice. I'm not really, I don't I don't put pressure on myself to accomplish stuff the way I used to. I don't. I did that for most of my life. And it wasn't as rewarding as I thought it would have been. So I just enjoy the moment.

Sam Fischer  25:46
Just like you do podcasts? Yeah, kind of,

25:48
I've tried honestly, like, I do everything. Now. I don't. I'm really I mean, I'm not. I work at it like

Sam Fischer  25:55
everybody else. Isn't it interesting. The older you get, the more grateful you get. It's just Oh, god. Yeah. Yeah. It's, it's just a different frame of mind. And so you'll approach everything differently, whether it be guitar or podcast, or how you treat your wife or whatever. I mean, everything is different once you you kind of embrace being grateful. And just kind of give that up.

26:17
I would say so. And I just being present is really important to me. Because, again, you get an older man your window, you realize your mortality. And you're like, Well, I bet to enjoy right now. I mean, I have tomorrow, not that I'm walking around actively thinking like that. But you know, right.

Sam Fischer  26:32
Well, my dad used to say when he was by my age, he said, I only got I got only got 30 years left only half are gonna be worth a shit. So you know, there's something to that. Yeah. So where are you at in your journey from playing guitar? Are? You're just Are you satisfied? Are you trying to get to that next level? Do you have any set or written goals? Or you're just just present? Like we talked about?

26:59
No, I mean, I'm just, I'm just playing every day. And I know, I'll get better the more I play. I'm not really, if I put a goal on it, man, then it takes the fun out of it. For me. It takes the fun out of it. Like I could see though, if you start playing this when you're 14 or 13, like most people play when they're young, you need to because you need a lot of time to get good. Then I could see well, I got to nail down this solo. Because then it's like, you're, you're accumulating. Yeah, you know, I'm not really accumulating. I'm just learning and just trying. I just, it feels so good to express. And although I'm not a gear guy, I am a tone guy in the sense that I like a warm tone. And it does feel I do feel it. And I mean, I love playing strats but they don't have as warm a tone for me as my Gibson's but they're so freakin easy to play. It's always a dilemma from for me, anyway.

Sam Fischer  27:56
Yeah. Is there anything that's that you've been along your journey that you were like, surprised that you could play it or surprise that? Like, holy cow, I just played that? Oh, yeah.

28:09
I'm like, all the time. That happens all the time. And it's this it's man, it's so simple. It's just practice. You know, it's like taking foul shots, you know, at a certain point in time, you're going to start making more of them. Repetition. Yeah. And, and so like, when I can play a chord change and go from one chord to the other to the other. The first time I did it, it was like, you know, 20 seconds till I can get the fingering, right. And now I'm down to like three and a half. I'm like, Man, that's pretty. It's uh, it feels good. You know, you're you. You get to see your progress.

Sam Fischer  28:43
Yeah. So you talk about practice. It's something that I, I don't do enough of. I don't have a set time for it on my guitar. I walked by it every time I come to my office. And sometimes I'll just sit down and all of a sudden, an hour and a half later, I'm done. Do you have a set schedule for practice? Do you make it that way? Or do you want to like say, hey, you know, Craig, I've got to get, you know, an hour day in this week are? How do you approach practice?

29:15
You know, if I see it, my ideal day is like, I'm up at like, 530. If I can get up early, I will come here and play for 30 to 45 minutes. And I'll do my quote, like technical stuff. I'll do you know, not I don't practice scales, but I'll do the more technical stuff, right? Practice Pentatonics or just learnt neck learning stuff. And then I like to ideally come back later in the day and play another 45 minutes to an hour and then I have all the fun stuff. That doesn't always happen. So what I'll wind up doing is I'd like to play every day. I don't if I can get five days a week in like, I'm okay with that. And, you know, I'll play for an hour to two hours. Doing whatever.

Sam Fischer  30:01
So if you go on vacation for three weeks do you take a guitar with you.

30:04
No, no, I did that once. And you know, I don't if I vacation all the time I would, but I don't. So like when I'm on vacation, I'm on vacation, you're on vacation. Yeah, plus, I get it. Like, I'm with my wife. I'm like, Hey, hon, I'm gonna play guitar, and she would not care. But I wouldn't want that. I just don't cool doing that, you know.

Sam Fischer  30:22
So I just got back last night from being out of town for six days. And sometimes I find I'm so refreshed from not touching guitar in six days. I'm like, there you go. You know, you're like, Man, I'm not so bad.

30:37
You know, time off does do that. I have found that too.

Sam Fischer  30:41
Yeah, it's a it's interesting, but I do need to practice more. And it's, I think everybody feels that way. Even if you're, well, you've inspired me. I mean, I, I, you know, your attitude and philosophy towards it is on point. And I and I need to be because eventually I know to get better, I'm gonna have to do things like use a metronome. I use them I do. I know you do. Because you want to play and your your, your, your, an ntermediate guitar player. I'm not and I'm not going to get there until I start using one of those stupid things.

31:17
Well, Jeff Carlisi I from 38 special, he's a buddy of mine, and we were talking, you know, I became friends on the show. In fact, I owe him a call. And I'm sorry, Jeff. He said to me, without his credit, you gotta use a metronome. And I'm like, okay, when Jeff Carrlisi tells you to do some. It's like, even though my teacher said to me when he tells me I'm like, and I have I picked it up, and I've never not used one since.

Sam Fischer  31:39
Yeah. You know, and I don't know if you play along to songs. Yes, of course. Okay, so I, that's what I do. And it's funny because I never knew what a phenomenal drummer Mick Brown was until I started playing. Talking songs, you know? Yeah. And now listening to it, to a drummer to show is a different experience for me.

Craig Carber  32:02
That's you. Drumming is so important.

Sam Fischer  32:05
Yeah. Do you? Do you? Do you play with a live drummer ever?

32:09
No, I've never man I've never I've played with like one person. My one of my business partners is a guitar player. And I was out visiting him and we played so but that's part of the problem. I need to do that. Now. That's my next step. Because I'm not going to get better playing every every guy on my show is said, when I say guy, every guest on my show has said get you got to get out and play with people. Please don't be the guy who just sits in his room, because that's when you get better.

Sam Fischer  32:35
Yeah. Giggin. I mean, that's right. I mean, I even Elan become the best guitar player in the world because they gig their asses off in the 70s. Yeah. All the time. All these

32:46
bands do that. Yeah. That's the best players the guys have played the most. It's not that complicated.

Sam Fischer  32:51
Yep. And no gig is too small or big. They just do it. Yeah, just play. Okay, so what what, you know, what is the guitar player that most parallels your life? And why?

33:03
Yeah, I didn't, you know, I have no clue. I really have. I mean, I've I've had a couple of guys that I've become friends with on my show. I don't know that their lives of parallel have paralleled mine. I don't really know. It's, you know, everybody. If that was me. I don't know your life story. How would I?

Sam Fischer  33:25
Well, it's kind of a tricky question. I mean, a better way to ask that question is Who? Who? Who is your biggest inspiration in guitar?

33:35
Oh, Gilmore. I mean, and that's one of the that's one of the reasons why I wanted to learn chord tones, because I gotta be honest with you. Gilmore's not playing advanced stuff. He just knows all the right notes to hit. And generally, they're all within the chord and scale he's playing. I'm like, well, I could do that. Yeah, you know, he's not like, I'm not a shredder. I don't I don't listen to that kind of music. You know, I love a guy like Lynch, but that's not what I would play. Right? It's just not my thing. But I could play Gilmore stuff. I just got to learn it. That's why I kind of pursue the structure a little bit.

Sam Fischer  34:09
Sure. Is he the first guy? I mean, when you were? When was that moment where you knew that you'd love music? Or that you knew like someone asked me? When did you know that you love rock and roll? And for me, it was the AC/DC moment. I was in sixth grade. I mean, I can I can tell you exactly what I was doing where I was at what happened. You know, what everybody was wearing? I mean, it was it was it was very powerful moment. Do you have a moment like that? That you remember history hearing something as a kid like, holy moly.

34:39
I always listen to music. You know, there was always music on in the car. And I just loved it. And I remember going out and buying, begging my parents to get me a record player. Which is what they called him back then. You know? Yeah, and

Sam Fischer  34:53
yeah. 45s and that was the big ones?  albums, LP albums. LPs, LPs and 45. Yeah,

34:59
and So it was yeah musics always it's always been important to me since from that something about it from the time I heard it, I just liked it. And it was always a great feeling and a bit of an escape as well.

Sam Fischer  35:14
Now you've you've obviously interviewed a lot of folks and, and got to know some folks, as you just mentioned, have you ever so I you already answered the question, but you haven't jammed with any of them yet. But if you could, would you be if you had an opportunity? So I had an opportunity to, to play I'll tell you a quick story. I had an opportunity. I George Lynch custom made me one of his guitars. He has this playing called Mr. Scary guitar. Sure. And he he built this guitar and he loves that guitar, as do I. And we kind of have arrangement that if he's on the road somewhere I'll I'll show up at a soundcheck and give it to him and he plays the guitar that night. So, one time in Vegas, it's been several years but showed up and I said, you know, I literally handed the guitar he goes, Why don't you come up here and see what you've got. And I'm like, I go, George, there'll be no playing of the guitar. I'm like, Yeah, boy in God's green earth would I play? So would you ever? Would you if you had an opportunity to jam and play with Gilmore, would you?

36:18
Yeah, why not? I mean, I have to be a little better. I have to be a little better. But like, like, I'm good friends with several. You're not a bunch, but like several of the people on my show and I have no problem playing with any of them. I played with my business partner, John de Faria. He's a great guitar player. And it was just so nice sitting with him. I'm buddies with David Amoto of REO Speedwagon. He's one of the greatest guitars I've ever seen, believe it or not, you think are the greatest

Sam Fischer  36:43
bands I've ever seen? You know, 38 specials also phenomenal, amazingly amazing. I mean, you just look at I'm like, God, these guys have done this once or twice. You know it holy.

36:55
I would totally play, I just need to be a little more fluid. You know, Greg Martin from the Kentucky head honors a good buddy of mine. He we like the same kind of music. I played Greg's guitar when he was here. I could, I would have no problem playing with any of those guys. They're all really cool guys. I just, I just got to build my chops up a little more. Yeah, to get to the point and probably know a few songs besides a blues jam, you know? Right. Right. Yeah, I'd have no problem playing with anybody.

Sam Fischer  37:21
You've just answered. I want a better guitar player. You are than I am. Because I just I don't have the Kahunas. I mean, I'm one of the one of those. There's a funny video that went around, I don't know, a while back when it showed the different types of people in a music store, you know, playing guitar, like the guy who thinks he can play every note, Smoke on the Water guy, the guy that the guy that wants to see every guitar in the store, know everything about it, the guy I mean, it's just hilarious. But I'm the guy that that like you're playing something and somebody like walks by, and you're like, you know, you're like, very shy, you know, so,

37:56
yeah, I don't care. You know, I don't care what people think of me to be honest with you.

Sam Fischer  38:00
Well, I don't either, but I want to be respected. And I don't feel like my playing right now is respectable. So I get that, sure. I got it, I got a kick it up. Gotta kick it up, I get that. You gotta pick it up. So you're, I've done a little research on you and you, you're a guy that keeps in shape and goes to the gym. And it's something that I, that I, it's very important to me, I go to the gym every day, and do crazy things at this cult called CrossFit. But how is keeping in shape the same as learning or practicing practicing guitar?

38:38
And I think it's like, for me, anyways, discipline, it's realizing that repetition, over time is guaranteed to give you improvements, you know, especially if your expectations are realistic, you know, you're not going to go to the gym and train for six months and get ready to compete. That doesn't make any sense. Makes you feel good. It makes me feel good. Anyway. It's, it's, you know, kind of spiritual in a sense that you're connected to your body, you're doing something that's a benefit for you both short and long term and men, you know, long term, who would have ever thought I never thought it would I? I never thought when I first started training that, you know, you go to start training as a kid to be vain to get muscles and now, I mean, I'm happy that I have muscles, but I'd rather but um, so my focus is health and fitness. You know,

Sam Fischer  39:31
well, you're my doctor likes my blood work. And that's, that's really my Yeah, you know, to me, that's, that's, that's where it's at.

Craig Carber  39:40
Absolutely. Plus other stuff feels good.

Sam Fischer  39:43
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. So what are the top three things you've learned about what makes celebrity musicians and artists different from the rest of us?

39:57
Okay, that was a good question. Honestly. It's, I've learned some things, but I don't think they're that different. I don't think we're that different. They've just practiced a different craft. They've done their reps. They've done their reps. And now there is certain characteristics I feel that creative people have that other people don't necessarily have that are pretty common. And I wrote a few of them down. First of all, they're very, all overall much more open minded to stuff in general, whether it's ideas, philosophies, how other people think they are in, they do what they do to have fun. Again, it's playing guitar, you know, it's not working that so they're very playful people. Basically. They are more emotional in general, as far as willing to share and be a little more vulnerable. They're more comfortable as you're Richie Blackmore. Um, yeah, I haven't had him on the show. I don't know. He's a piece of work. So I'd saw it. So I've heard Yeah, I don't I had, you know, Ian this show, but not Richie. They're more emotional. They're, they're comfortable being vulnerable. Like I said, they are also very comfortable pushing boundaries, because they've had to do that their whole career to get better. Whether it's playing with an artist, they don't know or playing a genre of music, they don't know or, Hey, do you play banjo? Yeah, you know, and they don't. So taking on things that are part of their career. They also overall, more so than business people because I'm sort of both they they're more focused on being better people not that this I'm not judging. I'm a business person myself, so I'm not saying anything, but more so their pursuit of higher learning and self actualization tends to be a little more a little higher, and they're less guarded. They're, again, they're more comfortable being vulnerable, but that's why there's they are also more susceptible, like in a business setting to sign bad deals to not understand things.

Sam Fischer  42:08
Yeah, I once heard well, Wild Mick Brown say that the business side of the brain the creative side of the brain are just too different. You have to be good at both and there are players out there lucky enough to realize that you know, guys like Steve Vai or Billy Squier the guys that own their publishing from day one right that totally get the business to protected you know, protect yourself protect your product, but it's just not you know, that's those two brains are very unique to find someone that has strengths from you know, the understand both sides of that brain

Craig Garber  42:42
very much

Sam Fischer  42:45
so I'm going to close kind of Thank you This has been great by the way I think you really really enjoyed it you say happiness as a choice Choose wisely could not couldn't agree more. I mean, many years I did you know I used to say i i had a love hate relationship with my career. I loved it a little bit more than I hated it. And then it went once that sunk I'm done. What did what do you really What do you mean by that? What do you mean by happiness is a choice choose wisely.

43:17
And like how you feel is a lot more up to you than you think and we all have unpleasant things to deal with, from time to time. But how you react to that is really up to you. You can look at it negatively or you can look at it positively. And so it's your choice and so I say that to remind myself of that just as much as I like to share that with others because it's up to you what you know to be happy it's totally up to you you don't need to rely on other people or life circumstances sure we all go through stuff that is unpleasant. But then you can find things that are you need to be grateful for.

Sam Fischer  44:02
Couldn't couldn't agree more. Craig I really appreciate it tell it tell my listeners where where they can find you how they can contact you. Yeah, contact you.

44:12
And also if you're cool I'd like to just mention a project I'm working on first of all please please thanks everyone loves guitar is all over the place you can find us on everyone loves guitar comm on the YouTube channel or on all the social media channels everything is under everyone loves guitar.

Sam Fischer  44:27
If you want to reach us podcast title is going to have this episode is gonna be called everyone loves cars, it will be easy.

44:33
If you want to reach out to me we have a contact form on the everyone loves guitar page. I try my best to respond to everybody so but just give me some time and patience.

Sam Fischer  44:43
I haven't …. you’ve got a day job still. Right. Well, I

44:45
have a bunch of things projects I'm involved with. Yeah. We just started a new business called Music Licensing profits and basically that is an online program to teach musicians and composers how to get into the music licensing business. My partner in that his name is John de Faria, I've mentioned a couple of times he has placed close to 9000 songs into, you know, movies, commercials, trailers, documentaries, any kind of, you know, online streaming media, anything that's out there, he's done it over the last 20 years. And music licensing is becoming very popular for a number of reasons, most likely, because it's the last bastion of a musician's ability to get royalties. If your song gets picked up, you get royalties on it. And so that this program we put together teaches you how to get into the business, how to make your own music, much more licensable key players in the industry, royalties, legal documents, and anything that you need to know. And I just wanted to say if you're interested in it, we have two things you can look at, we have a free webinar. It's called the five biggest mistakes musicians and composers make when trying to get your music license and you can find that at music licensing. profits.com Or if you want to go straight to the program and learn about that just go to MLP for music licensing profits MLP.life/MLP. So thank you, those that's all the places you

Sam Fischer  46:16
can awesome. Just just the stuff we just mentioned. That's so important to have license on your creative product. I mean, it's, it's awesome. Well as service Yeah, it's

46:24
becoming more important.

Sam Fischer  46:27
All right. Thank you, Craig. Let's do this again real soon.

Craig Garber  46:32
Thanks, Sam. I appreciate your time. Best of luck with everything and thank you for having me. You bet you