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Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Meet Dave Gellis - Guitarist

               


                     An Interview with Dave Gellis - Guitarist

Hi Dave, how many years have you been playing?
It will be 60 years soon since my first piano lesson.  That sounds ridiculous to me so I checked today's date and then looked at my birth certificate.  It seems like it's correct.  I've been playing the guitar for 46 years.

What was your first instrument?
the piano

What musicians influenced you?
John, Paul, George and Ringo were the first and there were many others after that.  As far as guitarists, the usual list of Jimi, Jeff Beck and Clapton were tops.  There were lots of instrumentalists like Larry Carlton, Robben Ford, Kazumi Watanabe, Weather Report and Herbie Hancock's funk stuff.  There was also lots of British prog like Gentle Giant, King Crimson, Yes, ELP etc...

How many bands have you been in?
Yikes. It's impossible to remember them all but most notably was Blood Sweat & Tears (off and on for 31 years), Meatloaf, Chuck Negron (Three Dog Night), Roger Glover (Deep Purple), Pieces of a Dream, Stanley Clarke, Phoebe Snow and dozens of local bands.

What's it like to gig?
That's a little like asking what it's like to eat, as it encompasses a wide range of experiences.  My experiences go from playing a duo gig in a restaurant where you're being ignored and talked over to being a featured soloist at a sold out Madison Square Garden with lots of friends in attendance.  Generally, when I'm playing my guitar, I'm a happy guy.  I get even happier if the gig is good.

How often do you practice?
I'm not proud to admit that I don't practice, but that's the honest answer.  My playing at home mostly consists of learning new material for live gigs.  I wouldn't recommend my practice habits to aspiring players.  I actually put the guitar away for twelve years in the 90's - 00's to start a business.  I sometimes wonder how much further my playing would have advanced if I'd been more focused.  It's a small regret, but I have no complaints.

What was one of your accomplishments as a musician?
If I may cite two highlights, the first was touring with the Allman Brothers Band, as a member of Meat Loaf, which was pretty inspiring and the second was opening for the Miles Davis Band featuring Robben Ford at the Hollywood Bowl!!!

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