01-Hello George, how are you? First of all, thanks for the opportunity of this interview! Please, tell us about how you got interested about music and who were your first influences.
Hi Rafael!
I am doing great , thank you so much for the interview.
While growing up, i was really into Theatre work and painting but music never really made an impact on me.
All that changed when i borrowed a Metallica cd from a friend at the age of 14 (it was the live album with the orchestra).
The impact music had on me was something beyond words and the feeling still follows me to this day.
02- Who were your guitar teachers?
When i first started playing the guitar at the age of fifteen i was introduced to an amazing guy called Kostas Paraskevas. He is a true guitar fan and he has a great guitar school called ,Nemesis Guitar School. He was the guy that introduced me to all the Shrapnel rockers and showed me a lot of things about Rock and Metal Technique. He is a great friend to this day. I also took some lessons in jazz by Yiannis Poupoulis, who is really good Ethnic/Fusion musician. Also, before going to Leeds College of Music i had a couple of sessions with a really cool rock guitarist named George Karaspyros, who was the person to actually inform me about Leeds College of Music. When i moved to the UK to study in Leeds College of Music i took lessons with a fantastic jazz musician called Ulrich Elbracht and the amazing Tom Quayle, who is one of the most imaginative and tasteful guys out there.
03- You are now a Fusion player,although you've got other influences.
Please talk us about the transition of being a shred guitar player to a fusion player.
Well, when i first started playing the guitar i was very excited about Speed and Rock/Metal Chops, so all i would do is chase the metronome and try to play faster and faster every day. Even though i gradually started to get into different kinds of music such as Latin, funk and blues the big change came when i went to Leeds.
I remember that it was one of my first days there and we had arranged a jam session with a drummer( who happens to be the same drummer that i play with up to this day, Jamie Welsted he is called, make sure you check him out, great player).
During our session i really found myself in an awkward position as, up to that point, i was mostly used to just solo and not to accompany other musicians. At that moment i made a conscious decision to open up to all music and absorb as much as possible from everything that was around me.
Nowadays i listen to pretty much everything (my mp3 players has songs from Ellie Goulding to Kip Winger to Scott Henderson) as long as it is something that has an effect on me.
I never regret working on chops though. It is a tool and used right it can be a very freeing ingredient for a musician.
04- You played in the live final of Guitar Idol. What was all it like?
Guitar Idol was a great experience for many reasons.
We got to meet some really cool people who organised the event and also get to meet with musicians who share the same passion from all over the world.
In terms of my performance, i guess that this was not really my day, haha, but it was a great live experience!
Also when i performed the day after at the Lick Library stand i
got offered a deal to shoot a tuitional DVD based on my intervallic approach which was a great step for me, as i introduced my music to people from all over the world (more details for the release can be found at www.georgemarios.co.uk)
05- Your latest album sounds very good. What was the recording process like?
Thank you ! Well, the album was recorded in various places.
I recorded all viiolins,vocals,flute,piano and cello in the Leeds College of Music studion with the help of Robert Ashbridge.
The bass was recorded in London in Alex Deligiannidis's home studio and the drums and guitar in my hometown at Nemesis studio.
The drums and bass were recorded first,then followed the rhythm guitars and all the additional instruments apart from the solos, the recording of which i had to delay due to my hand injury.
06- What is the writing process like for you?
In this album i had the concept in my mind and i tried to deliver it musically, which is why the album sounds more like a soundtrack rather than a 'Guitar' album.
I really enjoy this approach, of creating an image that is related to me and then trying to deliver it with music. This i find , makes things easier for me as i know straight away where i wanna go with it.
07- How did you come up with the idea of the story behind the album?
It really just came to me.
I just like the idea of describing the memories of someone who is in such a state where thats the only thing he has left.
08- What are your plans and projects for the future?
I am currently writing with my band, which is a rock/pop project with a vocalist, and we will be hopefully start gigging soon.
I have also started the preproduction for my second solo album which is going to be a lot different from my current works.
As for more guitar related plans, I am doing a Clinic in Greece along with Tom Quayle and i am hoping to get into that line of work more intensely during 2011.
09- Please leave a message for the guitar clinic’s readers.
Thank you for checking this interview and make sure you check this great magazine every month!!!
Also make sure you visit www.georgemarios.co.uk if you want to check updates about shows,clinics or if you want to purhase my work.