An Interview with Bill Peck

IC: Please start by telling us a little bit about yourself and your music.

Bill: I have played in multiple genres of music during my career, but lead guitar in the style of rock / shred has been my passion for a long time. I endorse Dean Guitars, Dean Markley Strings, and Morley pedals and have been lucky enough to perform in stadiums as a hired gun and with some of the top shredders in the business.

IC: So what material have you released so far?

Bill: I first released “Internal Flames” which was an instrumental guitar CD in 2000. I was 19 and 20 when I was writing and recording the music and it was a transitional period in my life when I finally got it packaged and released. It was quite possibly the first shred CD that was video enhanced and I wrote an article on guitar9.com many years ago describing how to do it before it was more common. I am proud of the music, but I have improved my all around guitar skills since then. I laugh at the artwork now because I looked 80’s, but the guitar was actually on fire in front of my parent’s house in the street. The neighbors were coming out and there I was posing in leather pants with professional lighting and buckets of water. They were freaked out!

IC: [Laughs] I bet! That’d have to be the quickest photo shoot in history – the guitar would burn up pretty fast!

Okay, so who did you listen to growing up?

Bill: I really was blown away by Randy Rhoads and Zakk Wylde when I was 15. I actually learned the first Rage Against The Machine album nearly note for note and that was my first time being able to mimic a sound and learning with tablature. I loved Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Morse, Paul Gilbert, but Steve Vai was my favorite. I learned a bunch of his stuff and I definitely had a lot of that in my playing. I got criticized a lot for this and every time I have been around Vai he has never given me much respect. So that hurt my feelings, but then I really made an effort to evolve and improve my style. I really worked hard on the 8-finger tapping stuff and country style shred.

IC: Yeah, I’m looking forward to hearing your new stuff. Still, nothing I’ve heard from you has distinctly brought Vai to mind. These days I’ve heard so many guitarists that I tend to focus more on listening to the song itself than making comparisons.

So, standard question: How much time do you spend practicing and playing nowadays, and how does that compare with your practice schedule when you were younger?

Bill: I go through spurts of practicing. A lot at night, every day for about 3-4 hours, but then I might go a week without playing! I am a busy guy and I do a lot of things other than music. I mean it’s 2007… if you think being known as a super shredder will pay your bills, you might consider waking up! There are guys doing it successfully, but very few “new generation” players.

But I really like where my playing is right now and I feel like the hard work is paying off. When I was 16, I played eight or more hours most days… Then after playing in stadiums with Gotti 13 on the NYSNC tour when I was 23 and being broke, my parents were ready for me to move out. Orlando is an expensive city and they hate shred here so getting a day job was the answer.

IC: Yeah, shred is none too popular anywhere. The important thing is that you’re staying true to yourself and continuing to make music.

(M.A.B. and Bill Peck - Nuclear Blues)

So you mentioned the “new generation” of players… which of them have caught your attention?

Bill: I would say Rusty Cooley of course, Mark Tremonti even though he is one of my best friends, and there are plenty of newer metal bands like Dragonforce and Trivium that are shredding.

IC: Do you listen to any non-guitar oriented music? If so, which artists, bands or genres do you like?

Bill: I really do not listen to that many purely instrumental guys anymore. I like a singer with the song the best. I think the new Alter Bridge album is amazing and Myles Kennedy can sing better than any new rock vocalist out there. I love Soundgarden and especially Badmotorfinger, Audioslave was awesome for the most part, Smashing Pumpkins from the early nineties, and then there are a lot of bands that I like one or two songs from. I respect bands that can write a hit song and travel the world doing it. Chris Henderson from 3 Doors Down is a super cool guy and they are huge. Yes the guitar parts are not insane, but millions of people are hearing them and you have to respect that. A kid sitting at home on the internet trashing guys doesn’t understand that bedroom shredding doesn’t pay and when you are an adult you got to feed yourself and your family.

IC: Absolutely. Making it as a professional musician is a tough thing – especially in this genre. But it’s great to see guys like Rusty and Tremonti doing so well. (By the way, that new Alter Bridge single is sick as hell!)

So are there any guitarists who you look up to?

Bill: Absolutely! I really admire Mark because he is the most dedicated rock star there is when it comes to constantly wanting to improve. Instead of being satisfied with his commercial success, he wants the respect that comes with being a sick guitarist. We have jammed well over a 100 times and let me tell you, his playing right now is better than any other modern rock player you might hear on the radio. Michael Angelo Batio has been very kind to me and helped me get a lot of exposure. I played a solo on his “Hands Without Shadows” album and have performed live with him five or six times. He came over to Mark’s one day and we just showed each other ideas and jammed over backing tracks. He is so insane and innovative that I look up to him a ton. When you watch his hands up close it is mind boggling how quick he is. Rusty Cooley will just destroy people, and I have been on the receiving end of this! I played right before him at Jemfest ‘02 and it was daunting. His 4-note per string stuff was something fresh for us guitar geeks! I had done some of it, but obviously never to the extent that he does, and certainly not as fast. I have worked hard on picking it up and I have incorporated it into my style. There are definitely more guys, but I would be going on and on…..

IC: Yeah, Rusty is incredible. It’d be cool to see more people doing the 4-nps stuff, and generally taking technique to the next level like he has.

(Bill Peck and Rusty Cooley at NAMM)

So how important a factor is improvisation in your music?

Bill: Extremely important! I improvise the majority of my live solos that are not my own songs. I do a lot of jamming over cover songs or tracks and I improvise most of it. It is hard to come up with brilliant stuff off the cuff standing next to Michael Angelo, but I have been happy with my performances. Mark and I always solo over either jam tracks or Alter Bridge songs, and improvising is like getting into the ring. I joke about playing people into submission. [Laughs]

You have got to get used to playing over changes, because when you are given the opportunity to jam with a band onstage you have to be able to bring it. I learned this the hard way when I was 18 and first playing in bars. I realized I needed to understand scales and how they relate to chords.

IC: Speaking of all that… Have you previously released any instructional material, and do you have anything planned in that department?

Bill: No, I have not officially released anything, but I did an 8-finger tapping lesson for Guitar One that appeared in the September 2006 issue, and I was on their DVD that came with the mag. I am planning a tapping video that will be released through Chops From Hell. I have been putting it off to try and build demand for it and wait until I thought it would make sense.

IC: Sounds cool. I demand you do it now! [Laughs]

So you mentioned that you play some covers and stuff. Do you have a favorite song of yours to play live?

Bill: I have a band called Exit The Ride and I really liked playing our song, “Letters”. I like the solo a lot, and Sam Stone - our singer - shines on this song. He is a great guy and a cool singer. I love playing covers these days because it is so hard to get the audience to stay into your originals if you are shredding like crazy and they know none of your music. I always play ZZ Top, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen and blues stuff so that I can go crazy and still keep the audience.

IC: Do you have any advice for aspiring young guitarists who want to pursue a career in music or just better themselves as players?

Bill: Yeah, I always tell kids who approach me to stay in school and go to college. I have an Economics degree which I am very proud of. I play guitar for the feeling of knowing that I can do what I want to on the instrument, and I get a huge thrill out of knowing that people like what I am doing. Jeff Hanson who managed Creed and helped out ETR for awhile always told me to keep other things going on. People are not buying as much music, and being known for sick chops is a hard market. I have it in my blood - I want to play extreme guitar licks, and I have no interest in stopping. So play your music, but keep in mind that it’s hard to make a living when you want to be a shredder. As far as being a better player, just practice your ass off and keep learning as much as you can. Try hard to play with other people so that you can perform live, and get used to playing under pressure. I have had a few bad performances with technical problems and such, but when you fall you have to get back up and keep pushing. Get people to know who you are.

IC: What are some of your hobbies outside of guitar and music in general?

Bill: I love marble and granite. I remodeled my condo with it everywhere! Even the ceiling in the bathroom is stone! I enjoy cutting it and making it happen. I pay close attention to financial markets, real estate, sports, and obviously I like chicks! I have been playing Nintendo Wii a lot lately, and my friends and I are pretty competitive with it. I am a bad ass at the tennis game!

IC: [Laughs] “Bill, stop playing with your Wii, and do that instructional!” Just kidding – I have spent a bit too much time swinging that controller around, too.

Okay, so final question: What’s the one thing you want people to know about you?

Bill: I am very approachable and happy to hear from people, so if you see me at NAMM, Dean Owners of America, at a guitar store or wherever, say hello!

I admire anyone who is willing to put themselves out there and try and get recognition.

IC: Bill, thanks again for coming by, it was a pleasure talking with you.

Bill: Thank you for the interview and best of luck with the site!

Essential Bill Peck links:

www.bill-peck.com

www.myspace.com/billpeck

www.myspace.com/exittheride

... and don't forget to buy "Internal Flames"!

-- Dave B.