JasonShadrick

Describe your first experience playing music.

I got my first guitar for my 11th birthday. It was a cheap flattop with a bolt-on neck and a floating fingerboard.

I had to stuff cardboard under the fingerboard extension to make the action playable. There was a book called “Play In A Day” by Bert Weedon, a well-known British guitarist.

It had the melody of “When The Saints Go Marching In” written in notation – there was no tablature in those days. One rainy Winter afternoon I figured out how to read it.

What has been your most significant musical experience?

Career-wise, I’ll have to say playing with McCartney, but that really was part of a much larger musical experience. I try to play in the ‘musical moment’, so each performance can be significant.

What is the best advice on pursuing a career in music you were ever given?

I realized at around age 13 that I wanted to make a living being a guitarist, so that became an all-consuming passion. It was a time and an environment where there were constant opportunities and developing the skills to be a pro came naturally to me. I didn’t truly learn about the business of music until much later. The best piece of musical advice came from an old school jazz guitarist who told me to play ‘big notes’.

What is your favorite sound?

The voice of the guitar itself – there’s a sweet spot where the instrument sings and everything resonates. It moves depending on the style, the tune, the kind of guitar, but it’s there on acoustic and electric. Think of Clapton’s tone on ‘Hideaway’ or Django on anything.

Name some of your biggest non-musical influences.

My wife Hope, who helps me focus my creative imagination. Various teachers of Alexander Technique and meditation. Comedians and actors – performers who communicate with humor and drama.

What is the most memorable concert you ever attended?

Jimi Hendrix at the Albert Hall in 1968. He played there twice in one week – the second was filmed, but the first was magical. He played ‘Red House’ on a white SG custom. Second was the Cream farewell concert. Third place goes to lutenist Paul O’Dette who played at a church in West London in the early 70′s. I had never heard notes spinning out of an instrument with such liquidity.

Put your iPod on shuffle and name the first 5 songs that come up.

The Beatles – All My Loving

Bix Beiderbecke -Davenport Blues

Van Morrison – Astral Weeks

Dave Matthews – Shake Me Like A Monkey

Billy Holiday – Stormy Weather

Visit Laurence at www.laurencejuber.com

As Director of Marketing and Artist Relations for NGW, it is my job to keep tabs on what are in the latest guitar magazines, and what guitarists are receiving the most attention.  We advertise in all the major mainstream publications, and several niche magazines. It is interesting to me how the guitar magazines (which aren’t huge publications in the grand scheme of the magazine industry) are effected by the current economic conditions.

In speaking with our students at several campuses, I found out that younger students lean more towards Guitar World and adult students are split between Guitar Player, Premier Guitar and Fretboard Journal (which is an AMAZING new magazine).  Acoustic Guitar Magazine seems to be split fairly evenly among the age demographics among the students I talked to.

This year we had 8 page spreads in both Guitar Player and Premier Guitar.  As far as I know, no company in recent memory has had such a large presence in a single issue.  Both PG and GP have considerably different circulations and even target audiences.  I respect Premier Guitar for their focus on a missing aspect in the mainstream guitar media.  They focus largely on gear with some educational content.  Most of their covers feature some type of gear.  Outside of Vintage Guitar Magazine (which has a smaller circulation, I believe) they have the most gear coverage than either Guitar Player or Guitar World.

How does the coverage that these magazines give to products or artists translate into popularity?

I can honestly say that if I wasn’t for my job, I would probably rarely read these magazines unless there was something very specific I was looking for.  For products such as guitars and amps, it would be relatively easy to see if an increase in press coverage equals more sales of that particular product.  For artists, it’s much more abstract.

If you read about a particular artist in the magazine, does that motivate you to either buy a CD or go to a show?

Obviously who is on the cover is very important to the magazines.  How many times have you seen Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, or Eddie Van Halen on the cover? Trust me, it isn’t because they have something new to cover (for the most part).

My opinion is that there isn’t a single magazine that is representative of guitarists as a whole.  Each magazine has it’s own niche and that is great. 

What are your opinions are the current guitar magazines?