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by Dave B. Roberts
Ax facts & Stats vol. 39: Tommy Shaw (STYX)
By Dave B. Roberts
Welcome once again to another edition of Ax Facts & Stats. We are thrilled to have Tommy Shaw from the legendary rock super group STYX, as well as Damn Yankees and his many successful solo projects. I generally write a bio blurb about our featured artist here, but who out there hasn’t heard of Tommy, Styx or the many Shaw songs that have become great classics in the world of rock music? Styx songs written by Shaw include "Fooling yourself," "Blue Collar Man" and "Too Much Time On My Hands," and several others. Tommy’s powerful, distinctive guitar playing technique intertwined with his exceptional song writing and vocal skills are all major components in the Styx equation that resulted in the iconic, legendary standing they currently embrace and have justly earned. Tommy joins us from the road as he and STYX tour in support of their latest effort entitled Big Bang Theory due for release on May 4, 2005. Buy the album and check Styx out on tour, but first, read this.
My name is:
Tommy Shaw
Describe yourself in 5 words
Open-minded, hard-headed,
creative, fun-loving, loyal (I would make a good pet).
My current job is:
Questionnaire answerer.
My current Project is:
"Big Bang Theory" (STYX) and "Influence" (SHAW BLADES).
My hometown:
Montgomery, Alabama.
Former bands:
MS Funk, Damn Yankees.
My guitar influences growing up were:
Wes Montgomery, Duane Allman, Dickie Betts, Jimmy Hendrix, Eric Clapton.
The guitars I use are:
Gibson, Fender, Taylor, PRS, Gretsch, Dobro, Martin, Guild, Rickenbacker
.
The strings and tunings I use are:
GHS, so many tunings, so little time.
My current rig setup consists of:
Marshall TSL 100 and 2 Marshall 4/12 cabs in iso boxes
.
The greatest invention for guitars is:
The wah-wah pedal.
My normal songwriting process consists of:
introspection, writing, demo, tweaking, then reluctantly handing it over to the universe for appraisal.
My Favorite STYX song is:
"Renegade".
My favorite All-time solo is:
Wes Montgomery's "When I Look Into Your Eyes"
My Career highlight thus far is:
Being this far along in this questionnaire.
My most embarrassing moment on stage:
At a show in Las Vegas a few years ago, I had these great leather pants on and about halfway
through the set a note got passed up from a pregnant lady at the edge
of the stage which read, "The crotch of your pants is ripped out..."
She'd gotten a lot more of a show than was advertised.
Other than my guitar, the one piece of my gear that
I cannot live without is:
My SLR digital camera.
The first song I ever mastered on guitar was:
"Ghost Riders in the Sky" when I was 9.
My first guitar was:
Marco Polo nylon stringed beginner guitar.
If I am only sure of one thing in life,
It's:
Life is good.
The one ritual I always perform prior to going
onstage is:
My tech and I always give each other the high sign, which is arms crossed
like an X in front of our chest, fists closed. If we get the chance we
give it to our fellow band and crew members, but ALWAYS to each other,
typically right after he hands me my wad of picks to stuff into my
back pocket.
The exact moment I knew I would pursue a career in
music was
I'm still contemplating doing this long term.
The one thing most fans don't know
about me is:
That I have this one thing most of them don't know about me.
The best advice I could give beginning
guitarists:
Don't just be a shredder. Be a lyrical soul man first. Sometimes that one note held
just so trumps a thousand 32nd notes played perfectly
The CD(s) I'm listening to right now are:
Green Day, Jet
My 3 all-time favorite albums are:
"Abbey Road," "Buddy Rich's "Big Swing Face," "Joshua Tree".
Best gig:
Perhaps our first Superbowl performance in Tampa 3 years ago.
My favorite junk food is:
Fuji apple with soynut butter.
My biggest pet peeve is:
Standing on the headphone cable, and ripping them off my head as I stand up. Never ceases to surprise me.
The word or catch phrase I say too often
is:
"Tippy Canoe and Tyler Too".
The hardest part of my job is:
Answering questions about which catch phrase I say too much.
The first thing I do when I come home from touring is:
Get mauled by my two dogs as I try to hug my wife.
Previous or first day job.
When:
STYX is my day job.
Right after this interview I'm going to:
San Francisco/Crescent City, CA.
I couldn't imagine being on the road
without:
My sweet guitar collection.
If I wasn't doing the musician thing, I could really see myself working as:
a photographer.
Favorite movie:
Tombstone.
My mission in life is:
Outlive Keith Richards.
My Guilty Pleasure is:
the music of The Carpenters.
My first band was:
The Vagabonds (Band of the South)
My next major step is
2005 STYX European tour, new STYX album and new SHAW BLADES album.
The greatest contribution guitars have
brought into my life is
If I was a kid now, the school doctors would have me on A.D.D. meds because I certainly qualify, even now, but ever since I first laid hands on the guitar at nine years of age, I found an uncanny ability to focus and commit my energy in a way that gives me such a constant sense of self-worth and well being that I am not troubled my shortcomings in other areas.
The coolest toy I had growing up was
SnowWalkers from Star Wars.
Check out our Website at
StyxWorld.com or TommyShaw.com
The one musician I would love to work with
that I have not yet had the chance would be
Billy Gibbons.
If I could have three wishes, they would be
Peace on Earth No more hunger No more cruelty to animals.
When it's all said and done, I want the world to
remember me for
Offering light where there was darkness, peace where there was turmoil and some momentary distraction from everyday life.
Copyright 2005 Dave B. Roberts & www.extremeguitars.com is the web home of articles and interviews written by Dave Roberts. All Dave Roberts interviews & articles are available for use or FREE reprint ONLY by Permission and proper credits. Permission can be obtained by contacting dave@extremeguitars.com. All materials are Copyright 2004 Dave Roberts and Oceanbreeze Ent., All Rights Reserved.
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