Vol. 17, No. 2: Feb.-Mar. 2012
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| Page added in October, 2009 | More [Interviews] |
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Dan McAvinchey: Sean, looking back, when did you first get interested in guitar, and how did you learn and progress as a player?
Sean Baker: I've been exposed to music throughout my whole life, basically because my parents were such fans of music. I've been a huge fan of the guitar since as far back as I can remember, but I guess it wasn't until I heard Eddie Van Halen's "Eruption" that I decided, "I wanna do that!" I took lessons very early on, but I think my desire to play and learn really helped my progress the most as a player. Dan McAvinchey: Tell us a little bit about your latest CD "Baker's Dozen", released by Finland's Lion Music. How did you come up with the concept and songs for the CD? Sean Baker: The concept for the artwork and everything was basically an accident. I had all the tunes recorded at that point, which was thirteen songs. I was talking to Bruce Bouillet on the phone, and told him I was thinking of calling the CD "Baker's Dozen". He laughed for a bit and said that he thought it was a perfect title. That was all I needed to hear. Just kinda went from there. I spend a lot of time out in Los Angeles, and one of the first things you see when you're landing at the airport is "Randy's Donuts", so I asked for permission to use the likeness and it all went from there. No real concept regarding the songs. I just basically spit out whatever was in my head that day. Dan McAvinchey: What are some of your favorite songs off of "Baker's Dozen"? Sean Baker: I really like the way "Dukes of New York" and "Mike Varney's Mexican Vacation" came out, but I'd say my favorites are "Whichway to Radioland" and "Verbal Skillz". Dan McAvinchey: How has your approach to writing rhythm and lead guitar parts evolved since your first self-titled CD release? Sean Baker: Really, they almost mirror each other. The first CD was a vocal CD before I turned it into an instrumental CD. So, the songs were written for the song's sake, and not just chords to shred over. I just took the same approach when I was writing "Baker's Dozen". I arranged the songs like I would've if it was a vocal album, then threw the guitar melodies over it. Dan McAvinchey: What in your opinion is essential for a great guitar solo? Sean Baker: Most important is... it must fit the song! Dan McAvinchey: How did you hook up with Lion Music? Sean Baker: I sent Lasse Mattsson (head of Lion Music) some songs, he replied he liked them, and asked for more. Within three days he made a offer. I'm very proud to be associated with Lion Music. They are great at what they do, and they treat thier artist great! Dan McAvinchey: Do you get the chance to play your instrumental compositions in a live setting? Sean Baker: Yes. I'm lucky enough to have one of the most talented bands around. We've been playing shows since 2005 I would guess. We've played shows with Joe Stump, Michael Harris, Marc Rizzo, Gary Hoey, Metal Mike, Chris Caffery, and I have shows scheduled with George Lynch, Bruce Bouillet, and Jennifer Batten coming up soon. I can't wait... Dan McAvinchey: Why do you think certain music fans prefer instrumental music over traditional vocal oriented music? Sean Baker: Speaking for myself, I'm just a big fan of guitar. Instrumental music tends to look at the guitar as the thing that carries a lot of the song's melodies. I think guitar has it's own unique voice in instrumental music as opposed to the vocal side of things. Which is still cool, but I just love listening to guitar players more so. Dan McAvinchey: How has the economic slowdown across the world affected how you personally buy and discover music? Sean Baker: I don't think as much as the Internet has affected it. I hear of all these unreal players almost daily on the web. A lot of times their music can be heard on their Myspace pages or thier regular web sites, so that's really how I discover new music, but I only really buy music when my favorite artist release something new. 
Dan McAvinchey: Are you using social media sites to promote your CDs?
Sean Baker: Yep. Myspace. I don't have a Twitter or Facebook account, but I can say a lot of people tell me that they heard of me via Myspace or Guitar9. Sites like those seem to work. Dan McAvinchey: At this point in your career, from where do you feel you draw your greatest creative inspiration? Sean Baker: To be honest, I think my desire to learn and to get better fuels my fire for playing music. One thing you can't teach someone is desire, and I think it all stems from there. Dan McAvinchey: Give us an idea of what's coming up in the future for you. Sean Baker: Lots of shows coming up for the promo of "Baker's Dozen". We'd like to go overseas, but who knows. We hoping to go on a full-on tour with Bruce Bouillet in the late winter/early fall of 2010. Start writting for the new CD.
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