Interview: Instrumental Band LoNero

By Justin Powell

The motto of instrumental band LoNero is "No Excuses" and after hearing their music you immediately know why. They have gone against the grain of popular music by delivering their own unique style of rock that is hard-hitting and, yet, melodic. The band was founded by guitarist Bill Lonero and includes William Baglivo (guitar), Mike McKaigg (bass), and Steve Spicer (drums).

LoNero have also gone against the music industry by taking an independent approach to releasing and promoting their music. They have forged a close, grassroots relationship with their fans which stands in sharp contrast with many established acts. LoNero has taken their music and their career into their own hands and are making "no excuses".

The band took time out of their busy schedule - touring and promoting their new album Relentless - to be interviewed by InstrumentalJams. They are a cool bunch of guys and they offer some interesting insights into their rising career. Without further ado, here's LoNero:

Bill, I know that Angus Young was one of your big influences as a guitarist. What was it about Angus that really caught your attention?

Bill: I think with Angus it was/is his passion and energy. He may be only playing pentatonics but it’s what he does with those notes that make the difference. He has a “no frills, this is me, take it or leave it” attitude. Plus not only is his playing simple but so is his rig. AC/DC has written some of the most crushing riffs of all time and they did it under their own terms. They didn’t compromise and they did it through hard work and good songs. 9 times out of 10 simpler is better.

There are so many “shredders” out there that know every mode inside and out and they can’t say a tenth of what Angus can with just the pentatonic.

Of course, Angus partnered with two great frontmen - Bon Scott and Brian Johnson. Why did you decide to start playing instrumental rock instead of working with a vocalist?

Bill: The whole idea of the instrumentals came about because I was working with a drummer and we were going to start a band. We decided to write some songs until a singer came along. So we wrote and I left openings in the music where we thought the singer should sing. Then as time went on I thought “I’ll just add some melodies so the singer knows how we want it to sound”. Then after we couldn’t find a singer we thought “let’s just do it instrumentally”. These were very very rough instrumentals. They were written like vocal songs (as they still are now) but the melodies were really rough.

When I write a song the solos and melodies are the last thing to go on. If the song doesn’t have a good rhythm then it’s useless. Rhythm is 90% of the song. So if you don’t have that foundation down when you go to write the melody all you’re going to have is a bed of nonsense and nothing will flow. Listeners like to rock out.

Brian Johnson said it best “At the end of the day people just want to go home, put on a good rock record and get laid”.

Who were some of your instrumental influences?

Bill: Honestly I don’t really have any. I don’t listen to instrumental music really. For the most part it’s either fusion that has no groove or it’s just instrumental blather that goes nowhere. I’d rather listen to Social Distortion or AC/DC or Metallica.

I do LOVE Jeff Beck though. His instrumentals are beautiful! “Cause we’ve ended as lovers” is insane! The touch and feel that he has with the bends, you can almost see yourself in the studio with him and hanging on every note as he’s bending them. Before I was doing the instrumental thing I listened to Yngwie, Vai, Satch, Kotzen, Friedman, Becker etc. But I never wanted to play like that. It just wasn’t my thing. Instrumental guitar has become nothing but a competition now. Who can play the fastest? Who can do the widest intervallic sweeps? That’s all great but where’s the damn song? Play me a song. Play me something that has something to say. That’s what I don’t hear in instrumental rock today. That’s why we don’t say we’re instrumental rock. People know us as Guitarcore. We came up with that genre because guitar is at the core of what we’re doing and our songs are more riff based as opposed to solo based. And what I mean by that is unlike most instrumentals where the song is written around a melody or solo, our songs are written around the rhythms.

What was the experience like recording your debut solo album, Slather?

Bill: That was a lot of fun. We had Gigi Gonaway from Mariah Carey playing drums and Stu Hamm from Joe Satriani playing bass. We had two days to record it and having Gigi in the studio is a blast. I’ve known Gigi for about 10 years now and he is one of the sweetest and coolest guys on the planet. Stu was very professional and a pleasure to work with. I recorded most of the solos and melodies at my studio and the rhythms in Belmont, Ca. with Stu and Gigi. Also Mike Mangini of Steve Vai and Extreme played drums on “Sidesteppin’”. That guy is a monster! Funny as hell too!
I actually used one of Vai’s Jems on the album that was given to a friend of mine by Vai. So that was cool.

After Slather, you got together with William Baglivo (guitar), Mike McKaigg (bass), Steve Spicer (drums) to form LoNero. How has the band dynamic been different from when you were working solo?

Bill: Actually Steve and William didn’t come in until later. LoNero has gone through a few lineup changes from it’s first conception in 2003. I formed the band with a couple of friends just so I can get out there, knowing full well that that wouldn’t be the final lineup. Our first show was opening for Michael Schenker on the first date of his North American tour. That was about 2 months after the band formed. That was also my first time fronting an instrumental band. It was a packed house (about 1,200 people) and it was great! A lot of fun.

Our 2nd show was as a featured artist on the Peavey stage at NAMM in Jan. 2004. That was a lot of fun as well. I knew we were on to something when I looked out at the packed room and heads were banging up and down.

So after those two shows it was time for a change. That’s when Mike McKaigg came in. Mike is a complete professional and a musician’s musician. Once he came in the band started to become more solidified. He was kind of the anchor point. Steve had played with Mike in previous jazz ensembles so when the opportunity came along to get him we jumped at it. At the time Gigi was doing some gigs with us. Steve is a phenomenal musician. A huge talent! William joined about 6 months after that. He answered an ad we placed and it’s been great. He’s a great player that brought that 7-string sound to the band.

How were the Relentless recording sessions different than when you recorded Slather?

Bill: With “Slather” it was more of “let’s get in and record and get some songs out”. “Relentless” is more complete. The songs were all written around the same period and we played them live a gazillion times before we ever went in the studio. That was the difference. With “Slather” we hadn’t played live before we recorded the album. Playing the songs live made such a difference when we went in. With “Slather” I demoed all the songs at my studio and kind of rushed through the recording process. With “Relentless” we demoed the songs at mine and Steve’s studio and recorded everything to a click track but we made sure that it still has that human element. We didn’t want this cd to sound sterile. Also there is absolutely no cutting and pasting on either album. That’s one of the problems I have with a lot of recordings now. People use cutting and pasting as a crutch. If they can’t play something they just cut and paste it together. What happened to being a musician and actually playing your instruments? Since when did being a computer engineer become more important then being a musician?

Apple Computer did a big promotion for the release of Relentless. How did that come about?

Bill: Our relationship with Apple goes back to when I was demoing tracks for “Slather”. I had some samples up on my site and one of the VP’s of Apple heard them and liked them and offered to promote the album when it came out. Since then we’ve done half dozen promos with them it’s been incredible! They have been really good to us and we can’t thank them enough!

Mike, you play six-string bass. Although extended-range instruments are becoming more common, a six-string bass is still pretty unusual. What are you doing with all those extra strings, anyway?

Mike: Six strings were popular for a short time in the early '90s then somehow they disappeared off the music store racks. Anything beyond a five string nowadays seems to be more of a special order item. I like the six string purely for its sonic range. In a lot of today's music whether it's rock, pop, country, whatever, the low B is essential. Especially with guitarists tuning down. I like having the extra range without needing to mess with alternate tunings. My hat's off to anyone who does, but I'm really grounded in standard tuning. In LoNero's music, I'm on the low B quite a bit. I've tried playing "Drastic" on a five string and the tapped part in the chorus just doesn't sound right without the high C string. I'm not up in the higher register all the time, but it is there if I need it. Right now I don't see myself extending far beyond six strings. Maybe seven at some point if inspiration strikes and it happens to require the high F string. Until then, six is more than enough. If I don't need the low B or high C for a gig, I love playing my Fender Jazz bass. I let the music dictate which bass is best. Right tool for the right job!

You have a background in jazz. How does that influence your playing in LoNero?

Mike: Most of my jazz background is on trombone. Big band jazz a la the Brian Setzer Orchestra, Glenn Miller, or Tommy Dorsey. I also like latin jazz. If you haven't already, check out the movie "The Mambo Kings". Great music! I'm not a big fan of bebop or fusion. I have a ton of respect for the guys who can play those styles. It takes serious dedication and study, but to me music is about making people feel good. Make them want to get up and dance, headbang, mosh, whatever. Oh, I almost forgot... how does it influence my playing in LoNero? In some small way, I think my jazz background, limited as it is really, influences me to find ways of adding different colors to the music. Not just thumping away on the root note. Sometimes though, the song calls for simplicity and I think the key is not to fight it or over think it. I think a lot of that influence for me comes from bassists like John Deacon or Ross Valory. They can shred on bass when necessary, but most of all it's their note choices that really make the overall sound more interesting. It's all about the "big picture".

William, you're also a player of extended-range instruments. What started you playing seven-string guitars?

William: I was a teenager playing in metal and hard rock bands when Steve Vai's "Passion and Warfare" came out. That album inspired me to dig deeper into the history of extended range guitars, and ever since I always wanted one, but being young in situations where I had to fund my music myself, purchasing an instrument always eluded me due to the price. About ten years later I was in my 20's and had long since forgotten my original infatuation with the instrument, out of the blue my mom gave me a 7420 as a gift. It was a very sentimental guitar for several reasons. I sat down and vowed to figure the thing out, and I've been hooked ever since. I love that I can play heavy, downtuned riffs without having to detune my guitar and still be able to play nearly everything else on the same guitar. I also enjoy how having the extra string opens up opportunities for different chord voicings and scale patterns. Sometimes the guys make fun of me and ask why I can't play a normal instrument, but ask any woman and they will tell you that once you've had 7 going back to 6 seems a bit trite. Some of the stuff we have coming down the pipe is even heavier then what you hear on "Relentless", and the 7 string contributes a lot to that, I think. It'll be up to the fans to decide in the end.

Do you and Mike ever have competitions to see how many strings you can get on your instruments?

William: Heh, no, should we? I've always been amazed by musicians who can tap out intricate pieces on extended range 8+ string guitars and basses, and I've even tried an 8 string guitar to see if it would appeal to me. However, I love playing in a band and being a cog in the machine, and I think that once you get to a certain point, such instruments stop contributing to the band dynamic and start to be a crutch. Mike is an incredible bassist and an amazing musician, and if I was playing an instrument that crowded the space that the bass normally occupies, it would have a negative impact on our music, not a positive one.

Steve, you are definitely a powerful rock drummer. However, like Mike, you have roots in jazz playing. Your dad was also a classical musician. How has that musical background shaped your playing in LoNero?

Steve: There is no question that a diverse background will help no matter what genre you pick to make your main focus. I am more of a rock drummer than anything else, although I have played jazz, blues, and a whole lot of classical music. What I really love to do, is come up with certain rudiments that I have played during a classical piece and incorporate it into a powerful rock fill or rhythm. Having backgrounds in many different styles helps shape groovier patterns in a rock beat. I do love to play a simple rock beat, but I also like the syncopated, groovy, off beat rhythms too, and definitely like to come up with more of my own.

I've seen that Tommy Lee is one of your big rock influences. Any plans for you to do an upside-down drum solo at a LoNero show?

Steve: Tommy Lee is a great rock and roller. I think in this day, he is the rockstars rockstar. Although I don't think I will be doing an upside down drumsolo, I definetley try to keep an energy level while I'm playing like the way Tommy does. Mr. Lee really knows how to keep up the energy, and he seems to have great endurance to keep up the way he punishes his drums for hours at a time.

You've been doing some live dates in support of Relentless. How's that been going? Any plans to come to NJ?

Bill: It’s been going fantastic. Bringing the music to a live crowd is awesome. We love to see the reaction on people’s faces. They are always surprised when we don’t have a singer but after the initial shock they get into it. The great thing about being instrumental is that when we play with bands with vocals people always remember us as the band that didn’t sing. I love that! We’re doing this on our own terms. The way we want. We’d love to tour NJ. We will tour anywhere so long as there is a show and a stage for us to play on.

Mike: It’s great to be able to bring the music we’re so proud of in front of live audiences. Like Bill said, the reactions are priceless. I sometimes see people standing right in front of the stage, looking really confused and asking after our set “don’t you have a singer?” Like they were waiting for the past hour for one to materialize. We’re not the first band out there to go on stage without a vocalist! It’s like they’re surprised that they actually dug the music! I see that as a win every time. NJ?? Yeah let’s go!

So what's next for LoNero?

Bill: Anything and everything! There’s no place we won’t play and no one we won’t play with. We will push this band into the consciousness of as many people as we can. We are planning on going over to Japan in January/February for a few dates. We are very excited about that. Japan is a market that is a must! Right now we are writing for our next cd and playing live as much as possible. This isn’t a band of guys that just records and puts out album after album of just solos. We’re all about playing live!

Do you have any words of advice to other indie performers?

Bill: Don’t give up and promote, promote, promote! If you don’t get out there no one will know about you. You can’t just sit and wait for people to come find you. This is the internet age. There is no excuse anymore for not getting your name out there. Myspace is an absolute essential. A lot of bands just throw up a website and some songs and think that’s all it takes. Take pride in what you’re doing. Your internet presence is the first thing that most people see. Make sure it kicks ass from top to bottom!

Mike: Show your appreciation for those who are supporting you. I can’t emphasize how important our fans are to us. While there were people telling us you’ll never go anywhere without a singer, we have loyal fans who genuinely encourage us every step of the way.

Do you have anything else you'd like to mention to the readers of InstrumentalJams.com?

Bill: Thanks for taking the time to read this. Thanks to everyone out there that have emailed us and shown their support! The response has been overwhelming to the new cd and we really appreciate it!