01- Hello Joe, how are you? Thanks a lot for the opportunity of the interview! I would like to start by talking about your beginning with your guitar. When did you start playing and who were your instrument heroes?

My Dad listened to a lot of great bands like: Purple, Hendrix, Zeppelin, Sabbath and etc. These bands used to take my attention and I felt happiness listening to this, I think the essence came out in these moments. After some time (Buying my own records), I got introduced to Ted Nugent and Van Halen to spice it up, and some time after my mom (To her own future despair kkkk) took me to watch a movie named “Fama”,On this movie , the director showed the hard life of becoming an art professional. After this episode music totally took over me and nothing I felt at this planet could get closer to Must.

 

02- Who were your instrument teachers?

Before Knowing music would take all over me, I had some guitar lessons (Poor teacher, he was great acoustic guitar player…He was so patient), after that I had my first electric guitar lessons with França (Blues Guitar Player). At this moment, even enjoying playing guitar and studying it, becoming a professional wasn’t in my mind, but the pleasure was pretty cool and from it the hours of study start to grow and then there was the divorce of my mom and dad which added to the constant sound of the electric guitar made my mom to freak out. It reached a level that my mother broke my guitar into the floor and I stopped having meals with her. I left home and I went to live at the home of the drummer of Odisséia (My band at that time), Dimas Ok, to summarize after some time we got all our equipment stolen LOL, but my perseverance came from inside… I kept doing that even against my family… I joined Souza Lima to study with Ney Marques (Leonardo’s musical director, a musical monster) and this angel told me at a Saturday afternoon that I sould consider music for a living and I totally “Freaked out”’. Sincerely, I couldn’t believe in what I was listening, but I decided to take it seriously. The owner of Souza Lima (Antônio Mário) was very sensitive to my situation, because I was completely out of money since I left home. Mário had a document which had all my bills with the school , but after he talked to Ney , he just  forgot about it and asked me if I would like to teach there. The rest you guys probably know. After this I started doing an incredible improvement with the master, Mozart Mello (the key of my professional life) which made understand clearly the guitar. It’s very important the new talents to understand that nowadays my mom respects what I do and is so proud of my effot! Thanks to God!

03- You were teacher of several musicians nowadays, how do you see the access to information nowadays if compared to 20 years ago?

Wonderful,I think internet is an economic and cultural revolution. I study and teach on the internet. In a country where the Folklore is rich, but culture is so poor, we feel how information is important. We have to be optimist people and conscious then, globalization can be a necessary way to total re-education, including this actual economic situation where institutions and countries help each other. I think we need to improve a lot. We a grain of sand, but honestly I see good perspectives for the future, it’s probably that if the guy doesn’t work with intelligence and sensibility , he will be out , because it’s a really seldom to find out the ‘jerk” nowadays, thanks to god!

04- Qual caminho, você sugere aqueles que estão iniciando? What are your advices for “Wannabe professional guitar players”?

I have a tip. After you want to join the guitar market, in other words, respecting metal, country, samba, jazz, blues, knowing all the techniques, harmony and etc. Don’t forget about listening other people, being  polite and deleting any prejudice. Don’t forget it, because you can find out that being a excellent guitar player is 20% to become a well succeed guitar player, after you play some fast legato don’t think it’s over, because it’s just your duty.

05- You are a teacher in one of the biggest guitar schools in Brazil, EM&T. How does it work?

Working at EM&T is totally first class dude. The mood is pretty good, teachers always talk to each other looking for improvement, a lot of people don’t know, but the awesome structure of EM&T, the school library (created by the teachers) is an example to several schools. Instead of talking about other schools, our concernment is about improving the school we work for; I am a fan of EM&T. I was invited to work there after 23 years of teaching and I still learn a lot with them.

 

06- You lecture several courses with others well known guitar players, how did this idea come up? What’s the response so far?

Well, I think we are just able to learn in group and due to this I have enjoyed to be with my friends playing , because I‘ve always enjoyed working in group , because that way I can feel in the middle of the boiling, rush and etc. To go through guitar being away from my friends is not colorful.

07- Talking about your solo career, please, tell us about your discography:

Ok, the first Cd I took part in (Writing the biggest number of songs) was Bipin’, after Voga (Also writing a lot) , and nowadays I made the decision of recording my songs at home, because it saves a lot of money and the sound result is Pretty good. Understading the musical process throught out the informatics is a huge positive point for a musician. When comes about this kind of stuff is pretty important to mention the musical concept of a record label, the money spent to promote and record it on a studio would not leave me comfortable to work on my songs, I am 47 years old and when I record at home whatever it is a MP3, a video or a Xeroxed text for students the result of recognition and money comes as soon as it is published, so it’s quietly ok! (My main goal is that, to be quietly ok).

08- Talking about equipments, tell me about your equipment live and in the studio. Who are your sponsors?

Nowadays I am using my new signature guitar by Tagima (We released it on Expomusic 2008), a Staner amplifier (also signature) model Fúria and cables by Tecniforte.

09- What are your plans for the future?

Dude, check this out,You caught me up in the middle of my new project. Talking about computers, I thought it would be cool to study softwares which edit videos in the last year and to buy a much better camera in order to record my first DVD instructional lesson at my home. It’s the first of a series and my actual project is to record several Videos with my lesson conception, in others words, I am pretty objective with my students. Regardless the level they are, to deliver them these videos is my main goal for this year.

10- Joe thanks a lot for the interview! Please, leave a message to Guitar Clinic’s viewers.

Hey guys, the planet needs tolerance, do you need the planet?