Sevenstring.org Interview: Steve Bello

Jerich: Name, rank and serial number, and who are your influences?
Steve Bello: Steve Bello, Steve Bello Band, Westwood, New Jersey. As far as influences, Jimi Hendrix, Ritchie Blackmore, Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai, Uli Jon Roth, Prince, Led Zeppelin, Living Colour, Rush, tons of heavy metal bands.
J: How long have you been playing, and What is your practice routine like?
SB: I started on guitar at age 9; I'm 35 now. I don't really have a routine, per se. Sometimes I just throw on a cd and play along to it and pretend I'm 16 again. [laughs]

J: What's your main guitar and string setup?
SB: An Ibanez Universe 7-string U777PBK. For strings, I use DR Strings Tite-fit .009-.052; Dunlop Jazz picks, medium or heavy, depends on my mood. he vibe of the guitar just suits me perfectly. I've owned Strats, Kramers, and various other models, but the Ibanez's have always worked the best for me.

J: Tell us about your rig.
SB: I use an Ibanez TB100 half-stack; my effects are Ibanez Weeping Demon wah, Ibanez FL9 flanger, Digitech Whammy and a Voodoo MicroVibe.

J: Who do you think is pushing the envelope in the 7 string guitar community?
SB: I totally dig Jeff Loomis of Nevermore, Chris Broderick of Jag Panzer, the guys in Meshuggah, the guys in Unearth.. I wish Steve Vai would do more with the 7-string but for some reason he chooses not to. Ah well.

J: Who are you endorsed by?
SB: I'm endorsed by Ibanez and DR Strings.

J: In the studio, do you prefer Micing or direct recording? What about live?
SB: I definitely mic for studio; sometimes I use a Line6 Pod for more tight signal path. For live use, I use a Sennheiser E609.

J: At what Point in your career did/do you feel at ease with your guitar playing?
SB: Lately, I've been the most comfortable I've ever been with my playing. I think I found my niche with the 7-string guitar. I'm still learning new things everyday.

J: Do you consider yourself more of a technicial or a feel player?
SB: I used to be purely technique-for-technique-sake; you know, typical "he-man "shredder! [laughs] But I needed certain techniques to achieve certain "feels" in the music, so, yeah I think I'm a decent balance of style and speed.

J: What's your music education background?
SB: I am purely self-taught. I went to Bergen Community College and received and Associate's degree in Music in 1991.


J: How would your other band members describe you?
SB: Well, right now it's just my bassist Courtenay; our drummer Darren quit and we're auditioning a couple of people. How would Courtenay describe me? Probably "intense". You'd have to ask her; I can't speak for her.

J: What makes you crazy in the music world?
SB: God, there's so many things I can pin-point! [laughs] But you know what? Instead of wasting my energy on what drives me nuts, I'd rather channel that energy into something positive, like the new music I'm writing.

J: What would be your dream gig?
SB: My dream gig? Play in front of 100,000 people. Just one time.

J: How do you warm up for a gig?
SB: I warm up by doing slow repetitive scale runs and playing jazz chord changes to help me limber my fingers up. Sometimes I may even grab a pair of drumsticks and tap out beats to loosen my wrists.

J: What song or riff or lick that you've written are you most proud of?
SB: I'm proud of the All Wired Up CD, but I cannot wait to lay down the tracks for the new songs! My fave tune is "Schizotherapy", from AWU. It's just so slammin'!

J: What is your favorite guitar technique, and what guitar technique do you feel you need the most work on?
SB: I love sweep-picking! My legato isn't as smooth as I want it to be; I was always better at speed-picking, ala Al DiMeloa/John McLaughlin. One day my legato will be where I want it to be.


J: What does the future hold for Steve Bello?
SB: I don't know. I leave it up to God and just go about my business.

J: What do you think the general public's view of 7 string guitars is?
SB: I think people are afraid of a 7-string initially; I should know because I was one of those people. But once I tried it, I never looked back. I sold all my 6-string guitars as a result! [laughs] The people that say comments like "Oh 7 strings is just plain stupid!" are just afraid, that's all. A lot of guitarists have this 'purist' mentality, I think. Bass players seem to be more experimental than guitarists. But I'm glad I tried the 7-string.

J: What would people find strange that Influences you?
SB: I love Living Colour, Prince, James Brown...I used to play in a funk-metal band back in 1990, and that experience forced me to work on my rhythms and chord voicings more than my soloing techniques. Once I learned how important groove is, I couldn't stop! But of course it doesn't hurt to write a Slayer-type riff at 320bpm once in a while.

J: Your Solos are they written beforehand, or improvised?
SB: I completely wing my solos. I hate planning solos out. I always got off on improvisation.

J: To you, who has the best guitar tone?
SB: Best guitar tone? Brian May definitely, followed by Ty Tabor of King's X.

J: What cd's would I find on you if your were on a desert island?
SB: I listen to a lot of stuff, depending on my mood. Some days I will put on Elliot Fisk (classical guitarist) and other times I feel like Led Zeppelin. Whatever works...

J: Steve Vai has a new cd comming out (is out now) what do you think about it?
SB: Gotta be honest, I wish Vai would put away the show-tunes crap and put out an album that flat-out ROCKED! He hasn't done that in a long time.

J: Guitar related Magazines or MTV for your source of Info?
SB: Guitar World definitely is my source of information. MTV used to be when I was 13.

J: Any last words?
SB: I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak my mind. For some reason, I enjoy doing interviews! I also want to thank anyone who took the time to read this! Cheers!