Devilrouser

Artist description
Guitarrist/Composer/Singer... in that order. Varied in styles. from hard/punk/rock to soft love ballads and Acoustic Blues. Also some Classical guitar in there.

Music Style
Rock/Pop/Acoustic/Blues Acoustic/70'sCovers/New Wave

Musical Influences
Led Zeppelin,The Who,Hendrix,Yes,Talking Heads,Black Sabbath,Jethro Tull

Similar Artists
SOUND LIKE ALL OF THE ABOVE ON THEIR WORST NIGHT

Artist History
Been playing guitar since 12 years old.Started picking up tunes by ear and playing at my best friend (Jimmie's)basement;he had a snare drum and me with a cruddy 20 dollar acoustic.Finally realized I needed some training so studied Classical guitar for 3 years at the Hampton's Conservatory of Music In Englewood N.J. Formed Montage, a progressive rock band,together with Jimmie on Drums and Ralph Offidani On Bass, Ralph sang very well so I just focused on my guitar playing. Picked up a lot of stuff from listening to LP's at the 16rpm and picking up solos note by note that way.Also got a lot of stuff from fellow guitarrists at Dwight Morrow H.S. and allaround.My SG was always with me whereever I went. At the same time I had a parallel band called Shift; which was the commercial alternative.Shift was another power trio(We were best buddies from High School),but we did covers of many of the then current rockers (ZZTop,Hendrix,Who,Led Zeppelin,Aerosmith,Kansas..etc.) In 1978 I went back to my native country (Argentina)and there Had many bands; "VIMANA" was the first and most creative band,did progressive rock with Jazzfusion and Yes type influences.Then came "Alas Delta" a short stint at covers once more.finally came "Mugre" where these funny songs came from("Ten Cuidado Nena" and "Tema Para Nadie").After Mugre, my best friend and drummer decided he wanted to become a priest and I was put away in a psychiatric Hospital(was over-stressed)... After that, I put down my guitar altogether and disappeared from the music scene for over 10 years. Finally, after being married for 6 years and with two kids, I finally pick up the axe again. This time a younger musician named Claudio Carminati was the one who pushed me back towards my first love(the Guitar), he gave me renewed confidence in my playing abilities and together we formed "Po'Boys" which was to become an Acoustic Blues duo that could have gone very far if it weren't for some differences in opinions I had with Carminati about the future of "Po'Boys".Carminati played
a very mean Harp(blues just poured out of the guy!).Right there my old buddies from the "Mugre" band saw me at a couple of our shows and asked me to join their group"The Mustang Blues Band" which I renamed "Delray" and ...and Delray was my last band to date. We did Covers (40% CCR, and the rest oldies and 70's classics)and played many clubs,bars,and Shopping Centers, private parties and special events.Finally I came back to the States, and am now living with my wife and kids in Florida and hoping to form a new band, or maybe an Acoustic Ensemble.But as of now,I am just a solo Artist looking for any good musicians who want to join in my project.

Group Members
IT'S ONLY ME RIGHT NOW.

Instruments
Ovation Custom Balladeer,Fender Telecaster, Gibson Custom SG '72 ,HIWATT 100 watt Stack,Blonde Stratocaster 1976,Peavey Banditt 80w

Albums
Po'Boys / Delray 2001 / Mugre Live at the CacahueteClu'

Press Reviews
Dirty Player Category -1 = 9- Nice flow. Got that acustic groove thing going on. Vocals are nice and bluesy. Harmonica makes the song. Category -2 =10- Simple and that's all it needs. Not too much and not lacking anything. Category -3 = 9- That guitar player's got it goin on. Wish I could do that. Could be a little tighter though Category -4 = 6- Sounds like alot of other tunes though. Category -5 = 7- This tune has got tons of soul. Vocals seemed a little rushed. Over all rating = 41 I can hear all sorts of influences in there. From some Blue grass, to blues, southern rock. First thing I thought of when I heard the vocals was Joe Cocker. Right on guys. Good tune Just follow the waitress up to the bar. She will line you all up and administer the beer bomb for all of you. ********************************************* Necesito Sufrir great tune strong vox really cool Crazy Little thing called love has a great track , But would love to hear it with the vocal as up front as Necesito . Great work THE BLACK PEPPER GALAXY ********************************************* Necosito Surfrir 1 = 10 Good melody and phrasing 2 = 10 Guitar, harp, and vocals. So simple that its perfect. 3 = 10 This is where you realy impressed me. With so few instruments goin there is no where to hide any mistakes. And I didnt hear any. 4 = 7 Good ole blues tune. 5 = 10 The soul just flows from this tune. Over all rating 47 Well spnaish lyrics in a blues tune was the very last thing I ever expected. That harmonica just makes the whole song. I have not a clue what yall were singing about, but, I liked it. Great Tune !!!!!! ************************************************* circularmusic Nov 06, 2002 at 18:17:16 Devilrouser I reviewed Dirty Player (I prefer to stay away from covers). First thing: the sound is focused in my right headphone speaker - not quite centered. You may want to fix this. At 1:28 the guitar gets a little off rhythm, but only for a couple of seconds. I would start the song at about 1:30, and use the material before that as a
bridge later on in the song (or cut it out completely). This way the song will draw you right in. I can tell that it exists to show off the guitarist's ability (at least a little), but it keeps the song from pulling you in right away. Good personality on the vocals. In key and nice singing style. I like the harmonica, too. At 3:25 the syncopation of the vocals is a little hard to groove with at first, but I get the feeling it would grow on you with repeated listens. When the vocals cut out and the harmonica starts "showing off" as I prefer to put it, you should make that a bridge instead, cut some of it out, and put at least the chorus again at the end, if not one more verse. That, to me, would also make the song a bit stronger and more balanced. Overall, I like the feel of the song, and the workmanship is very talented. There was definitely a good rhythm to the whole thing, and the melodies were strong. ************************************************ "Dirty Player", sounds a bit quiet, but that acoustic grabbed me up until the harmonica came in, then I had a smile on my face. Knew then, that this was going to be good. Nice guitar work. Damn, wish it all sounded closer. "Roadhouse Blues" this is one of my favourite doors tune so i hate hearing covers of any morrisons work. But at least you never murdered it. Again the guitar work was spot on. Sounds pretty good for a live version. Glad you've got a class drummer, hits they ride and cymbals perfect. brilliant, not a fault yet. You actually play this really tight and bring the song across well. Cool. I enjoyed that. Justice done well. ************************************************* Now, the first non cover, Necesito Sufrir show your vocal talents. NTW-It was someone else I was talking about vocal range)... The guitar is a wee bit raw but the vocals took my mind off of that immediately. Dirty player takes a while to get under way but when it does it brings back great memories of London Harp, a small group in the late 90's which has since disbanded. ( intersting word) Well, I love the guitar at the beginning of Dirty so dont take that as a negative, its just that there are certain cannons I grew up with about such things. I think the change in pace before the harp was very nice, almost a prelude to the vocals.. You have a great voice, and although you are mainly singing blues based material here I bet you could sing anything pretty well. Im looking forward to some "experimental" devilhouse ! but if you mainly stay around the blues stuff, I for one think your performance is of a high quality... -rich adonis ************************************************ "Down on the Corner"CCR/cover version 1 = 10 Of course thats borrowing from CCR (Always thought is had a good melody) 2 = 8 I have always thought this tune (Original) was lacking a fullness. 3 = 10 Very tight rhythm section. And I do believe that is the first time I have ever been able to undestand all of the lyrics. 4 = 3 What can I say, its a cover. Reminds me of Dan Fulgleburg maybe LOL 5 = 9 Great feel except the intro guitar. Just a touch rigid. Over all rating = 40 When the vocals first kicked in I was almost fooled thinking it was Fulgelburg. I dont see where you think tune is bad. Sure its a cover, but, play this at almost any bar and you've won the crowd. I quite enjoyed it my self. Good job. ************************************************ "Down on the Corner" well it doesn't suck. the lead guitar riff seems louder than the other,and maybe too loud in comparison to the vocal. I am not picky about the vocal,I actually just found it to be too quiet and maybe a few words could have been clearer. mostly it was that main guitar riff just had a very stiff metal feel,and it was louder than the other instruments. still overall it was alright,and I don't actually listen to this band,so maybe I am not harsh enough **************************************************

Location
Jacksonville, Florida - USA

Chaz the Spaz
How did you first become interested in music?

Devilrouser
It all began back in 1966 when I was 10 years old. I had always dreamed of playing the drums, ever since I can remember, but one fine day I caught a glimpse of my first electric guitar and amp at a neighbors house.

The guy must've been 15 years old or so. Ever since I saw that candy apple finish and smooth lines on the guitar and the twangy sound comming out of the Twin Reverb ... Man!!! I fell in love at first sight!

one blue nine
What does "Mugre" mean?

Devilrouser
Mugre is a word from the spanish language which means "filth".
we thought of our music as Garbage, and in a toungue in cheek fashion we tried to be as horrible as possible. "Mugre" was a band we formed just for fun,,,it was a side project and only lasted one summer,back in 1981.
Jorge/for Mugre

one blue nine
Why did I suspect something like that?

Chaz the Spaz
What classical guitar music did you study at the Hampton's Conservatory of Music In Englewood N.J?

Devilrouser
First I took one year of general guitar technique, sinchopated rythms, and scale and chord studies.
After that I studied 2 years of Music Theory,Scales, Harmony, Counting Time , Reading and Writing music(of course). Among others, I studied Sor, Carcassi, Tarrega, Bach and many others that I forget now.
I later attempted to get into the Princeton University for Music but I did not make the exams. So I decided I would continue the studies on my own, but that never happened.
Classical guitar helped me inmensely to understand the guitar in it's entirety and I recommend this to anyone who is really serious about their guitar playing. The training it gives to posture and finger techniques alone is worth all the time and effort. It gives you insight as to what the instrument is all about and how your body must interact with the instrument.
I have not uploaded any of my classically influenced songs, but I'm planning to do so shortly.

Chaz the Spaz
You must have some interesting stories from playing in "clubs,bars,and Shopping Centers, private parties and special events", could you tell us a few of them?

Devilrouser
We played regularly at a Biker's club called, La Rocola (in English=The Jukebox).
The weird thing about those gigs is that those biker guys just stared at us through the whole set and didn't even clap or hoot. Many of them danced with their women, that was all. Yet when the show was over ,many of them came over to us and told us how great we sounded and how they enjoyed our music. In the end, it was better than clapping or hooting (it was like a private clap).
The shopping centers and private parties haven't left anything so outstanding to tell.
I guess the most outstanding story is the one of our music festival Gig back in 1981 with MUGRE.
We where totally drunk when we hit the stage, I dont remember how we sounded at all, but I do remmember that the crowd hated us thru the whole set.We went up just for that; we wanted to be hated. We had a punk type creed.
To make a story short, I allowed the guitarrist from the last band to play, to use my equipment...they played a 2 hour set and wouldn't stop...I wanted to go home...I told them repeatedly to end the show as I was leaving and needed my equipment...finally with no reply from them I unplugged my amp in the middle of their song...The whole place wanted to lynch me,and the bass player started punching me and cussing...I had to leave through the backstage door as the crowd started to take over the stage...managed to jump in my car and get away unharmed...my bandmates packed up the equipment ,but I lost a boomstand in the process and got some scratches on my Strat and SG...
but I was lucky to be alive!!!
That will always remain as the most unforgetable concert

Chaz the Spaz
What are your goals and what do you have planned for your music?

Devilrouser
First of all Chaz, I wanna tell you that this idea of the interviews is PURE GENIUS!!!
It gives us all the oportunity to get to know a little more about the main mp3.com members (at least the ones we meet more often on the message boards). I also feel it brings us all a little closer together
really! This is the best idea I've seen in years and I truly appreciate you taking the time and also for including me on the interviewed list...
About my musical projects. I am slowly re-equipping myself. As soon as I can get a drum and bass to join me I plan on forming a covers band to do a 70's covers show. The idea is something like "Walk me thru the 70's" beggining from the pre-era 1950's, then gong thru all the stages of psyhedelia and late 60's hippie culture ending with the 1977 new wave movement ,which to me was the FINAL CUT where Rock ended as WE know it and it became this hybrid thing we know today.
My main purpose for this project is FUN, which has always been my motive in playing guitar; to have fun and lots of it! and also a way of getting the Jacksonville Fl crowd to rock some more, as we don't have that many rock bands here.
One more thing...when will these be published in Rolling Stone?
thanx Chaz!

Chaz the Spaz
Practice makes perfect, what's your music schedule like?

Devilrouser
Oh! I thought it was over but , ok, here goes. You may not like this ,but actually I am slacking way too much lately on practice. I seem to practice much more when I have a band together, and at the moment I am all alone , musically. I play guitar about 5 hours a week average, I know that to be really in shape and going forward, I should be playing at LEAST 4 hours daily, unfortunately, I have to work for a living and thanks to god I have 2 wonderful kids and a loving wife who take up too much of my musical time. I love my guitar and my music, I plan to start practicing and composing and learning new music shortly...but right now, I am a musical mess

droll7
I love my guitar and my music, I plan to start practicing and composing and learning new music shortly...but right now, I am a musical mess
Enjoy the time off and let the music cultivate in your head. It's always there.

When you get back in the swing of things it'll take a bit of time to get back to where you were physically, but you'll be way ahead in the way you perceive music.

Devilrouser
Hey Droll! thanks for the insite I believe you have a point there...it's just that I miss my younger days when all I did was play guitar and write songs all day!
Sometimes I think that one must choose...or to be a musician; fully dedicated. or to be a common working man.
I guess I am neither, because my heart is not in my job, and I have little time left for the things I truly have a passion for.
When you get to a certain age, you realize that life will end at one point, and there is a limit to the things you can accomplish in that time.
did I get my point across?

Chaz the Spaz
"When you get to a certain age, you realize that life will end at one point, and there is a limit to the things you can accomplish in that time."
Jorge, realizing that life will end at one point, should only make one more determined to accomplish what can be done. Or you succumb to stagnation, old age should not stop one from growing, intellectually and spiritually.

Devilrouser
That's exactly my point Chaz

The Notorius One
Here's to Jorge. A top-notch guy who has helped us out from the start. I can't thank him enough for all he's done.

droll7
No wonder Van Gogh cut his ear off.
Being subject to a work force filled with people that don't have a habit of using their creativity, while at the same time you might consider giving your right hand for a percentage of the time they waste daily (at least as we view it) is truly disheartening.
Then consider that much of your inspiration came from a school of musicians that played highly technical music that required consitant practice to execute well.
But as we grow in years and acquire different responsibilities we may need to change our focus from speed to nuance, from abundance to taste and from dexterity to dynamics.
I know what you are saying and when you had your sites on a gold medal and you were willing to make whatever sacrifices necessary even if it meant to pass up a kegger with more chicks than guys, it's hard to let go of the expectations that you set for yourself in trade for less tangibly rewarding energy spent.
It isn't that your life is useless, it's just that an important part of your passion for life rarely gets stroked in the way that it did when you were younger.

Devilrouser
Hey Notorius Mr. Jones and Droll!
I am so glad to have Mr. Jones as a co-mp3-er and friend.
and I thank you humbly for your remarks of gratitude
As for Droll7:
That was a very well expressed essay on the human-musical condition of which I am a part of. Very deep and very true
thank you!

  -- Rick Munarriz

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