Guitarists From The United States

"I… am Steve."

"...the most recent tracks I've written on (the debut CD) were ... Frozen' and 'I Believe You."

"I grew up as a teenager listening to a really lot of heavy stuff. I was definitely a Slayer kid and Testament and the harder metal. I was definitely not a glam rocker."

"At some point along the way, people had introduced me to bands like Depeche Mode and stuff that was on the softer side of electronic music and that completely intrigued me because of the sonic capabilities and possibilities. I got intrigued with that and then somewhere along the way somebody handed me a Skinny Puppy record and I think that changed my musical life."

"...primarily when I write, I use guitars and organic instruments because that's easier to write to but at the end of the day, the electronic side of things, that's my true passion."

"(The story behind the name Celldweller) is hard to trace back completely but I guess in 1992 sometime, I wrote a song called 'Helldweller' and my studios and even places I have lived have traditionally been in basements. In cellars, so to speak. I am also a fairly introverted guy and I hardly ever come out. It was almost a joke initially from family and friends calling me a cell dweller or a cellar dweller. It evolved into Celldweller although that name holds more significance than that. Celldweller is more symbolic of an internal bondage, being restricted and retained internally so the name has many meanings. At the end of the day, it rolls off the tongue very easily so there it is."

"As unpredictable and flamboyant as Hendrix, Van Halen has had an unmeasurable impact on the guitar community. By the mid Eighties, his self-described “brown” sound, over-the-top techniques (including two-handed tapping), and revolutionary trem-bar effects inspired a generation of aspiring guitarists who bought the one-pickup, one-volume-knob, Floyd Rose–equipped Strat-style guitars that Van Halen made famous."

"The incredible speed and consistency of his take on [the tremolo picking] technique has been a source of fascination for 35 years. In Van Halen’s approach, the picking hand hangs suspended in mid-air, with no anchoring or muting at all, and uses a middle-index pick grip to generate positively giant picking movements. It really seems to break all the rules."

"Eddie’s smile reflects the sheer exuberance bursting from the grooves on the first Van Halen album. [...] Eddie’s licks had soul, even when he was showing off. Then there was the tone. It’s doubtful the electric guitar has ever sounded better. Guitarists have devoted their lives to trying to discover how it was done. [...] The 23-year-old Eddie didn’t just invent 80s rock guitar; he did it in a way that no one would ever surpass. A generation of shredders took his technique to new heights, but no one had the tone or the vibe, and no one else looked like they were having nearly as much fun."

"In 1978, Edward Van Halen redefined virtuosity on the electric guitar."

""Eruption" changed everything. Sure, it clocked in at less than two minutes and never came close to being a hit. As presented on the first Van Halen album in 1978, it seemed like an instrumental introduction to "You Really Got Me", the band’s debut single. But it was obvious to anyone who heard the Eddie Van Halen masterpiece that the world of rock guitar had changed dramatically. [...] Before Van Halen, guitar heroes were known mainly for their mastery of the blues and ability to pull a rich, vocal tone from their axes. [...] With Eruption, Eddie Van Halen set new standards on both fronts. He not only ripped through demisemiquavers with a speed and clarity that made McLaughlin seem splay-fingered; his mastery of feedback, tremolo and pinged harmonics made his guitar sound as fluid as a synthesizer."

"Eddie could play his borrowed Clapton licks at four times their original speed. But describing EVH’s guitar playing as “fast” undervalues it, like describing the Great Pyramid of Giza as “large”. Not just the best soloist on the planet, Eddie was possibly even better at rhythm – effortlessly grooving, extremely dynamic, and with the best swing in the game. Debates about whether he invented tapping (answer: no) are beside the point. Eddie Van Halen also did not invent harmonics, divebombs, palm muting, legato, or high gain tones, but no one had combined them seamlessly into one coherent guitar style, let alone perfected it on their debut album. [...] Where he hits a wrong note, he styles it out and keeps on wailing. Like the gymnast Simone Biles, no matter what acrobatics happen in the air, he always sticks the landing."

"[Eddie's solos are] short, concise and brilliantly crafted. They’re not just about speed. He can do a bit of something that’s quite gentle, and then throw in something that just blows you away because of the sheer pace of it for a second—and then he goes back to something else."

"Like Jimi Hendrix a decade earlier, Van Halen caused guitarists to look at their instruments in an entirely new way, and, arguably, no single guitarist has had such universal impact since."

"It’s an incredible technique for what he does. I can’t do it. I can’t smile like him either."

"Practice. I used to sit on the edge of my bed with a six-pack of Schlitz Malt talls. My brother would go out at 7pm to party and get laid, and when he'd come back at 3am, I would still be sitting in the same place, playing guitar. I did that for years — I still do that."

"I don't like doing interviews, I don't like doing what I'm doing right now. I'd rather be at home playing my guitar."

"Playing together without having to compromise our sound was a dream come true."

"In 1971, a young Eddie witnessed Page’s one-handed solo for Heartbreaker, “took the idea and ran with it”. And then some."

"Just cause things aren't what they seem, it doesn't mean you shouldn't dream, just don't get your hopes too high, cause once things don't turn out right, your world comes crashing dow."

"I don't want to love you, but it's something that I love to do."

"life is only as good as the memories we makeSo long astoria i found a map to buried treasure and even if we come home empty handed well still have our stories of battle scars, pirate ships and wounded hearts, broken bones, and all the best of friendshipsand when this hourglass has filtered out its final grain of sand i raise my glass to the memories we had this is my wish this is my wish im takin back im takin them all back"

"you're not the only one that's tried to make a coal into a diamond."

"In heaven so wonderful Why are we oh so afraid of dying young We are dying young"

"Maybe i'll bring you sunlight after all i'm sorry"

"There's a lot on my mind so I guess that I'll take it one thing at a time, still sometimes I can't help but wonder why..."

"Stevie Ray Vaughan played blues like a man possessed. The perfect combination of chops, taste, conviction, tone and showmanship, Vaughan and his ’59 Fender Stratocaster exposed a whole new generation of listeners to the blues and, in turn, Stevie’s own influences: Albert King, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, Otis Rush and Buddy Guy."

"Stevie Ray Vaughan did to music what Michael Jordan did for basketball. Stevie brought blues alive at a crucial moment, as far as I'm concerned."

"I don't think Stevie ever knew how incredible he really was."

"I was driving, and "Let's Dance" came on the radio. I stopped my car and said, 'I have to know who this guitar player is today. Not tomorrow, but today.' That has only happened to me three or four times ever, and probably not for anyone in between Duane Allman and Stevie."

"Yeah I love my baby, heart and soul Love like ours won't never grow old She's my sweet little thang, she's my pride and joy She's my sweet little baby, I'm her little lover boy"

"Up and down that road in our worn out shoes. Talkin' 'bout good things and singin' the blues. You went your way and I stayed behind. We both knew it was just a matter of time. You're liv-in out dreams of you on top. My mind is achin' and, Lord it won't stop. That's how it happened livin' life by the drop."

"You got me flippin' like a flag on a pole."

"The first time I heard Stevie Ray Vaughan was seeing "Let's Dance" on MTV, and I was jumping out of my seat screaming, "Who the hell is playing guitar?"

"You know, [Jojo] right now, the most important thing in my life is to make sure you understand that, first of all, I thank God I’m alive today, and I mean that. You see, I spent too many years of my life thinking that the big party was the whole thing. It took me quite a while to find out that the real deal is to be able to be enough of a person on your own to know when somebody loves and cares about you. You see, we are here, as far as I can tell, to help each other — our brothers, our sisters, our friends, our enemies. That’s to help each other, not hurt each other. Sometimes, to help them, we've got to help ourselves, so that we’ll know that they’re around in the first place. You see, it’s a big world out there with enough pain and misery in it, without me going around and helping it out by hurting myself, and consequently, those that care about me. What I’m trying to get across to you is: Please take care of yourself and those that you love, because that’s what we are here for, that’s all we’ve got, and that is what we can take with us."

"I hit rock bottom, but thank God my bottom wasn't death."

"I am stranded, caught in the crossfire."

"Walkin' the Tightrope, steppin' on my friends Walkin' the tight rope, it was a shame and a sin. Walkin the tight rope between wrong and right. Walkin the tight-rope both day and night."

"Stump’s belts are as iconic as the band’s biblically long song titles."

"Fall Out Boy are a lot more influenced by pop these days, but no matter the era, Patrick Stump has always possessed an inimitable style. Influenced by the Get Up Kids and Saves the Day, he uses his soulful, gigantic voice to increase the drama and atmosphere, which is aided by Pete Wentz’s evocative lyricism. It all adds an abundance of swagger, personality, and theatricality to his impressive vocal runs."

"There are some things in life that make you happy, and make you like your life. Then there are some things in life that you witness, that make you not like your life as much. I think that's one of them. I'm sorry, Juan."

"I started playing music when I was really young. I didn't start off on guitar because I couldn't fit my hands around the neck and fret board. So I did the drums. And back then, all I did was hit things."

"I used to work in a record store. I'm kind of a record nerd."

"I mean, if I had a piccolo in front of me I would probably figure out how to play ‘Hot Cross Buns’ or something."

"I don't know, we played a show for like, ten kids, but those ten kids were just insane. It's really quantity, not quality, and that's what I really -- (Pete cuts him off) Pete: It's quality, not quantity. You said it backwards. I don't want you to look like a dumbass... on film."

"This one's for all the homies who couldn't make it to the party!"

"Everything was plugged in and should’ve been working, but it gave me a communication error. I got like a cave man and got so mad at it. I was completely fed up. I’m not an engineer, I’m not a computer whiz. I don’t know anything about electronics. All I know is that I want this thing to make noise, I want to write music, and it’s not working."

"These are the dude version. They couldn't possibly be your pants!"

"We're meant for each other 'cause we smell bad."

"Woah! Nope... *screams* Boo..."