EMQ’s With Jake Gillette
EMQ’s With Jake Gillette
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with USA Metal solo artist, Jake Gillette. Huge thanks to him for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
Jake Gillette, I play guitar and bass primarily and sing but I do program keyboards and drums as well. I had spent 20 years in the local music scene playing in cover bands and so I have split off from doing that to writing and recording my own original music.
How did you come up with your band name?
I had a band name originally, then just decided that it was basically me doing everything and coordinating any other guest musicians, so I just decided to release the music under my name as a solo artist.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
I am from the Midwest (Fargo, ND), United States. The original scene isn’t crazy big up here, there are some groups that are writing and recording currently, but it’s not a large population or overall scene. My close family friends have an original Rock band called ThOle, and Lyle and Justin Helgeson were two people that I have played music with the longest and where I got my start. They are a father and son team and have numerous records and releases that I have been able to appear on over the years doing lead guitars. The biggest act to come out of here in the Metal world was Sons Of Poseidon. Those guys had an awesome run, and recorded some fantastic records. I got a chance to open shows for them when I was a teenager all over the upper Midwest. I got to learn from those guys what a real touring band was like, and the hard work they put in was incredible. A current artist really doing some great things is Travis Woyen, he had a concept record a few years ago called “Echoes In The Dark” that he did everything musically and engineered, and it is really an incredible release. I learned so much from a guitarist here named Colin Blaine, one of my all time favorite players, and he got so many opportunities for me over the years in bands or even opening up for his bands.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
Jake Gillette – “Stratos” (EP)
Who have been your greatest influences?
I am a big fan of Symphonic/Progressive Metal bands. I got really big into the shred guitar thing when I was young and people like Yngwie and Paul Gilbert were huge influences to me. As I got into Metal, bands like Megadeth, Dream Theater, Pantera, Stratovarius, Sonata Arctica, Kamelot, Ayreon, Circus Maximus and Adagio were huge influences on me.
What first got you into music?
I always enjoyed listening to everything I could as a kid. I first really discovered music listening to my dad’s old eight-track collection. The first one that really stuck in my mind was “Dark Side Of The Moon” by Pink Floyd. I listened to that thing over and over and it just took me. I listened to everything when I was young, from Country to Pop, and once I discovered Metal I was really off on a lifelong journey. I was bitten by a big fire-breathing Metal bug, lol.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
My favorite producer/engineer is Jacob Hansen, so he would be a top pick. The guy can do everything from singing, to guitar, and is literally my favorite mixing engineer of all time. Everything he does is instantly recognizable and has the biggest, most immense quality. Every element of the mix is perfect every time.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Wacken to me would be the ultimate experience. Just massive and so many great bands on many many stages covering so many types of Metal genres.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
I got a napkin with a little drawing on it, and some contact information but it referred me to not contact her at home but at work, lol. I never did contact them, but I always thought about what it would have been like if I would have, lol.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Keep supporting music you love, because every dollar and every share and message counts. The industry has gotten strange in terms of profitability for small artists, but real and supportive fans make the entire thing work. I will always make music regardless of its commercial viability because I know how much it has meant to me and gotten me through every part of my life, and it really does impact people. Sometimes in ways you would never expect.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
I would have to bring back Hendrix, as it would be astonishing to see what he would still be creating or doing with the digital technology available today. He was a true innovator, and I have no doubt the stuff he would be creating now would be just as interesting.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
I enjoy the feeling of achievement when creating something that turns out the way you wanted it to. It doesn’t always hit the mark, but music is so satisfying to create, and also having those interactions with other musicians is a one-of-a-kind experience. You cannot duplicate the connection and sensation that music can evoke, or how it can bring even people who don’t like each other together. The thing I hate the most is judgmental people, and also non-constructive criticism. It’s fine if you don’t like what I do, but tell me why, or give me a reason for what you don’t like. Don’t just sling an insult cause it’s easy to do from a keyboard. I also hate how trendy music can be, and if you aren’t following a trend, then you tend to get buried from any real coverage.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
I would change the prevalence of marketability versus quality. So many artists get pushed due to the overall package of selling points rather than actual ability or creative contributions. There are so many bands that have some of the best and brightest musical “geniuses” walking the planet, but they will never get any major recognition.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Megadeth – “Countdown To Extinction”
For me, this bridged the gap between Thrash and commercially produced Metal with Pop hooks and the best possible production. Even to this day one of my favorite records to listen to.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs or Downloads?
I was coming up in the cassette era, so those I remember the most and are probably my most favorite, even though they’re the worst quality. I still have many releases I listened to for years when digital came out, that I never had the same feeling I did when listening to them on cassette. That noise and hiss and “warmth” from the tape equipment gave the music not only a sound but a feeling, and I spliced many tapes together with scotch tape to give them “one more listen”, lol. Next for me, CD’s just for sound quality and ability to store them, and I love the artwork and booklets. I do take part in downloads now as well, but I do find a lot of them can suffer horribly from artifacts or low bitrate encoding, which can kind of wreck certain songs. I never did Vinyl, had a bunch when I was a kid, but never bought anything newly released today on vinyl.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
My favorite gig from when I was young was playing in an old theatre they converted to a music hall called the Ridge. That was an amazing venue, and it was back when people younger and older really got into the music.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
I would be writing and making films. My plan is to continue to release new music from myself and other artists as well as build my label into a production company for films, TV shows, podcasts, and other creative ventures.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
John Petrucci
David Gilmour
Yngwie Malmsteen
Paul Gilbert
Greg Howe
What’s next for the band?
I am always working on new material and will doing an ambitious project with bigger orchestral sounds and possibly choirs. It will be big, heavy, Symphonic, and chock-full of Metal goodness, lol.
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
www.MINDCOREDIGITAL.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/JakeGilletteMusic
https://www.facebook.com/MindcoreDig/
Twitter:
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/mindcoredig
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4FBORKUyAROAFbr2lLfRgm
Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@mindcoredigital
There’s a long-standing food-based debate here in the UK. And we’d like your help. So… A Jaffa cake – is it a cake or a biscuit? Discuss!
You know I have never had one of those, but if it says cake, I am going to treat it like cake, and I love cake, so it sounds like something I would certainly love to eat!
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
I just want to thank your platform and everyone out there who supports music. It really is worth it to create things for people who care about them, as you never know who will take inspiration or have a life-changing experience just hearing a melody or a lyrical idea. Music to me really is everything that makes the world great. Thanks for listening!
