Extreme Guitars Tantric Joe Pessia Interview

Ax facts & Stats vol. 59: Tantric Joe Pessia

By Dave B. Roberts

Welcome to AFS vol.59 with Tantric guitarist Joe Pessia.
My name is:
Joe Pessia
My current job is:
Guitarist for Tantric
My hometown:
Boston, MA
My current album or project is:
Tantric-_’The End Begins’
Former bands:
Dramagods (featuring Nuno Bettencourt from Extreme )
My guitar influences growing up were:
The Beatles, Brian May, Joe Perry, Eddie Van Halen, Angus Young, Jimmy Page
The guitars I use have :
Mostly Strat style guitars (G&L Legacy, Fender Strat)
The strings and tunings I use are:
Dean Markley 9-11-16-26-36-48. Tunings, mostly down a half step w/drop D, (but depending on the songs, DAGDAD , double drop D, and the whole guitar down a minor 3rd w/drop D)
My current rig setup consists of:
From the guitar, I go into a MXR Phase 90, a Boss LS-2 (used as a A/B switch)… one signal looping the preamp section of a old 50watt JCM 800 head (going in to a Boss Octave pedal first), the other looping a three channel Hughes and Kettner Tubeman pedal (followed by a Boss chorus and a Digitech digital delay). Both loops alternate going into the power amp section of the Marshall head.”
“The Hughes and Kettner side also has a additional Whirlwind a/b/y box for adding/alternating an additional acoustic sound via a Boss acoustic pedal going into a Hartke AC120. Last pedal in the chain is a Boss noise suppressor connected, but not in line to a Dean Markley tuner.”
“The ‘meat and potatoes’ run through a Marshall 4X12 re-issue cab with 25-watt greenbacks. The clean and acoustic signals run through a Hartke 4X12.”
The greatest invention for guitars is:
The magnetic pickup and Ace Frehley’s smoke bomb pickup
My normal songwriting process consists of:
One guy comes in with an idea and the rest of the guys try to change it!
My favorite all-time guitar solo:
right now ’Regret’
Favorite all-time song (any artist) is:
well knowns would be ‘Hotel California’, Bohemian Rhapsody, Train Kept a Rollin’, ‘Stairway to Heaven’, and ‘Eruption’ …sorry do I have to pick just one?
Favorite song by another band:
’Hey Jude’_or basically anything by the Beatles
Favorite song by our band:
’Something Better’
Favorite song to perform in front of a live audience:
’Down and Out’ because people get so pumped up
My Career highlight thus far is:
Playing on US national TV
My most embarrassing moment on stage:
’testing’ my equilibrium with a cable wrapped around my ankle with big bell bottoms on.
Other than my guitar and amps, the one piece of my gear that
MXR Phase 90.
The first song I ever mastered on guitar:
probably something by AC/DC
My first guitar was:
a Kay SG copy..i loved it because it looked like Angus’
The first time I ever heard our band on the radio…:
must have been surreal because I can’t remember
If I am only sure of one thing in life, It's:
‘you get what you put into it’
The one ritual I always perform prior to going on stage is:
a glass of wine and a quick huddle with the guys
The pre-show ritual I always perform:
a glass of wine and a quick huddle with the guys
The exact moment I knew I would pursue a career in music was:
when I realized I didn’t have the arm to pitch for the Boston Red Sox
The one thing most fans don't know about me is:
that there’s more than one thing they don’t know about me.
The best advice I could give beginning guitarists:
listen to everything and put the time in practicing…you’ll give yourself a lifelong gift regardless of monetary compensation
CD(s) I'm listening to right now:
a combination of everybody’s current taste on the bus
My 3 all-time favorite albums:
Sgt Pepper, Back in Black, A Night at the Opera
Best gig:
any gig that the connection with the audience made it feel even bigger than it was (regardless of the size of the venue)
Favorite junk food:
nachos
My biggest pet peeve:
laziness
The word or catch phrase I say too much is:
”yeah it is…BIG TIME’
The hardest part of my job:
the long bus rides
What I like to do in my "off" time:
huge baseball fan (Boston Red Sox)
The first thing I do when I come home from touring is:
sleep
Previous or first day job:
Taught guitar for years.
Right after this interview I'm going to:
sleep, or play guitar
I couldn't imagine being on the road without:
per diem!…and Marcus Ratzenboeck
If I wasn't doing the musician thing, I could really see myself working as:
anything creative, I’m not really wired up for monotonous labor
Favorite movie:
Closet STAR WARS geek_(our singer Hugo is too).
My mission in life:
do something I can enjoy now and be proud of when I’m older
My guilty pleasure band or artist:
Vintage KISS
My next goal is:
Tour on this record and go in a make another record ..and make a living at it.
The greatest contribution guitars/music have brought into my life is:
To see the world while getting to creatively express myself .
Check out our Website at:
Myspace.com/Candlebox & Myspace.com/Tantric
The one musician I would love to work with that I have not yet had the chance would be:
let’s go big: Paul McCartney
If I could have three wishes granted, they would be:
work with Paul McCartney, have a great career with Tantric & . an elaborate collection of Corvettes
When it's all said and done, I want the world to remember me for:
just that he had something to contribute musically.
Copyright August 2008 Dave B. Roberts & www.extremeguitars.com is the web home of articles and interviews written by Dave Roberts. All Dave Roberts interviews & articles are available for use or FREE reprint ONLY by Permission and proper credits. Permission can be obtained by contacting dave@extremeguitars.com. All materials are Copyright 1999-2008 Dave Roberts and OnTourGuide Ent., All Rights Reserved.

Contact me at dave@extremeguitars.com