Here's a little interview I found with Rob when he was doing WCFYA, you learn a little about him....
ARTIST INTERVIEWS:
Rob Caggiano of ANTHRAX
Here's a guy who's busier than a mother hen at feeding time. ROB CAGGIANO is one of the guitarists in Anthrax, was once guitarist in Boiler Room, and is part of one of today's most sought-after production teams, Scrap 60 (who have produced, among others, ESP-endorsers Dry Kill Logic). Rob, who also endorses ESP guitars, has got a resume longer than an 'E' string. We got him to answer these questions between a couple of projects that are so top secret... well, you'll just have to read on for yourself.
ESP: You've been busy with a number of projects lately. What have you been up to?
Rob: Right now, I'm in the middle of producing (with Scrap 60) the new Anthrax record. This past year and a half has been insane. We produced/mixed the following records: Dry Kill Logic, Ill Nino, Primer 55, 36 Crazyfists, E-Town Concrete, V.A.S.T., Sound of Speed, and a few other bands that are signed to our Scrap 60/Roadrunner imprint. I can't mention who those bands are for now but you will hear about them soon. We've also been doing a good deal of remixes. We just finished doing a remix of Machine Head's "Supercharger" for this big NASCAR soundtrack (MCA). The people over at MCA told us to go nuts with it so we basically kept all of Rob's vocals but I wrote a whole new song around them. I ended up playing all new guitars and bass and turned it into something totally different! As if all this crazy stuff doesn't keep me busy enough, I'm the new lead guitar player for Anthrax. We just finished up a 6 week sold out tour with Judas Priest... METAL!
How did you get involved with Anthrax?
We're all from New York (except John Bush), so I've been friends with the Anthrax guys for a while. When my old band Boiler Room broke up, Charlie asked me if I wanted to play with them. Naturally I said yes, since Anthrax has been one of my favorite bands for as long as I can remember--it's been a blast ever since.
What about producing--how did you get into that?
As far as producing goes, I've been doing it for a while now. I produced all of the demos that got my old band Boiler Room a record deal and it just went up from there! I eventually met my Scrap 60 cohorts (Eddie Wohl and Steve Regina) and we've been making noise ever since.
What do you look for in bands that you produce?
It's hard to say what kind of projects we like to take on because I don't think any of our records sound alike. We are constantly trying to outdo ourselves and keep everything fresh. I know we like to work with bands that have that same attitude and, of course, good songs.
How did you get into music in the first place?
I would have to credit my dad for getting me into music at an early age. He's a music nut. Everything from Sinatra to Dion and the Belmonts to Elton John to The Beatles... I was surrounded by music all the time. My dad actually named me after Bobby Darin, need I say more?
What made you decide to take up the guitar?
I seriously got into playing guitar when I heard [AC/DC's] "Back In Black." Angus Young's playing is just amazing. I remember getting that record at the Yonkers Raceway Sunday flea market with my mom, and it just changed my life. Nobody plays with that kind of fire... nobody! After I heard Van Halen I, I decided to make guitar playing my life. I was nine years old!
What ESP guitars are you using right now?
I'm currently playing ESP Horizons and Vipers, and I'm waiting for two ESP Custom Shop guitars that are being built to my specs. Those will be my main guitars both live and in the studio. All of my guitars are loaded with DiMarzio pickups. They just sound warmer and fatter than anything else out there.
What do you like about ESP guitars?
I've been an ESP player since long before I became an endorsee. I just love the way they feel. The wood is of very high quality and is very consistent (key word). A guitar's tone can only be as good as what it's made of and I've never played an ESP that didn't sound amazing! It's actually pretty funny because every time we have a new band in our studio, the guitar player always falls in love with one of my ESPs. One of my guitars usually ends up being the main guitar for all of the records that we do. They just sound BETTER. A few of the bands I mentioned earlier, the guitarists eventually became ESP players as well... Hail Satan!
What kind of amplification and effects are you using?
My guitar rig consists of the following: Bogner Uberschall head (main), Marshall JCM 2000 head (slave), Nady 950 GS wireless, Korg DTR 1 tuner, 2 GCX MIDI switchers, dbx 1066 gate, Dunlop remote Cry Baby wah, Fulltone "Fat Boost" pedal, Way Huge "Blue Hippo" pedal, Way Huge "Piercing Moose" pedal, Inferno pedal, Boss GE-7 EQ pedal, Boss DD-3 delay pedal, Prescription Electronics "Outbox" pedal, Blackbox "Oxygen" pedal, Voodoo Labs "Microvibe" pedal, Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2, Digital Music Ground Control (to turn things on and off), and four Marshall Vintage B.V. cabinets.
What will the Anthrax be doing in 2002?
As I mentioned earlier, we are putting the finishing touches on the new Anthrax record, and when we're done with that, we'll be hitting the road again. Massive disease spreading world domination!
What other projects do you have lined up?
As far as the producing thing goes, we have a ton of crazy stuff coming up. Unfortunately I can't talk about any of it right now but I can say this: Turn Up, Play Hard, Worship Satan!
ARTIST INTERVIEWS:
Rob Caggiano of ANTHRAX
Here's a guy who's busier than a mother hen at feeding time. ROB CAGGIANO is one of the guitarists in Anthrax, was once guitarist in Boiler Room, and is part of one of today's most sought-after production teams, Scrap 60 (who have produced, among others, ESP-endorsers Dry Kill Logic). Rob, who also endorses ESP guitars, has got a resume longer than an 'E' string. We got him to answer these questions between a couple of projects that are so top secret... well, you'll just have to read on for yourself.
ESP: You've been busy with a number of projects lately. What have you been up to?
Rob: Right now, I'm in the middle of producing (with Scrap 60) the new Anthrax record. This past year and a half has been insane. We produced/mixed the following records: Dry Kill Logic, Ill Nino, Primer 55, 36 Crazyfists, E-Town Concrete, V.A.S.T., Sound of Speed, and a few other bands that are signed to our Scrap 60/Roadrunner imprint. I can't mention who those bands are for now but you will hear about them soon. We've also been doing a good deal of remixes. We just finished doing a remix of Machine Head's "Supercharger" for this big NASCAR soundtrack (MCA). The people over at MCA told us to go nuts with it so we basically kept all of Rob's vocals but I wrote a whole new song around them. I ended up playing all new guitars and bass and turned it into something totally different! As if all this crazy stuff doesn't keep me busy enough, I'm the new lead guitar player for Anthrax. We just finished up a 6 week sold out tour with Judas Priest... METAL!
How did you get involved with Anthrax?
We're all from New York (except John Bush), so I've been friends with the Anthrax guys for a while. When my old band Boiler Room broke up, Charlie asked me if I wanted to play with them. Naturally I said yes, since Anthrax has been one of my favorite bands for as long as I can remember--it's been a blast ever since.
What about producing--how did you get into that?
As far as producing goes, I've been doing it for a while now. I produced all of the demos that got my old band Boiler Room a record deal and it just went up from there! I eventually met my Scrap 60 cohorts (Eddie Wohl and Steve Regina) and we've been making noise ever since.
What do you look for in bands that you produce?
It's hard to say what kind of projects we like to take on because I don't think any of our records sound alike. We are constantly trying to outdo ourselves and keep everything fresh. I know we like to work with bands that have that same attitude and, of course, good songs.
How did you get into music in the first place?
I would have to credit my dad for getting me into music at an early age. He's a music nut. Everything from Sinatra to Dion and the Belmonts to Elton John to The Beatles... I was surrounded by music all the time. My dad actually named me after Bobby Darin, need I say more?
What made you decide to take up the guitar?
I seriously got into playing guitar when I heard [AC/DC's] "Back In Black." Angus Young's playing is just amazing. I remember getting that record at the Yonkers Raceway Sunday flea market with my mom, and it just changed my life. Nobody plays with that kind of fire... nobody! After I heard Van Halen I, I decided to make guitar playing my life. I was nine years old!
What ESP guitars are you using right now?
I'm currently playing ESP Horizons and Vipers, and I'm waiting for two ESP Custom Shop guitars that are being built to my specs. Those will be my main guitars both live and in the studio. All of my guitars are loaded with DiMarzio pickups. They just sound warmer and fatter than anything else out there.
What do you like about ESP guitars?
I've been an ESP player since long before I became an endorsee. I just love the way they feel. The wood is of very high quality and is very consistent (key word). A guitar's tone can only be as good as what it's made of and I've never played an ESP that didn't sound amazing! It's actually pretty funny because every time we have a new band in our studio, the guitar player always falls in love with one of my ESPs. One of my guitars usually ends up being the main guitar for all of the records that we do. They just sound BETTER. A few of the bands I mentioned earlier, the guitarists eventually became ESP players as well... Hail Satan!
What kind of amplification and effects are you using?
My guitar rig consists of the following: Bogner Uberschall head (main), Marshall JCM 2000 head (slave), Nady 950 GS wireless, Korg DTR 1 tuner, 2 GCX MIDI switchers, dbx 1066 gate, Dunlop remote Cry Baby wah, Fulltone "Fat Boost" pedal, Way Huge "Blue Hippo" pedal, Way Huge "Piercing Moose" pedal, Inferno pedal, Boss GE-7 EQ pedal, Boss DD-3 delay pedal, Prescription Electronics "Outbox" pedal, Blackbox "Oxygen" pedal, Voodoo Labs "Microvibe" pedal, Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2, Digital Music Ground Control (to turn things on and off), and four Marshall Vintage B.V. cabinets.
What will the Anthrax be doing in 2002?
As I mentioned earlier, we are putting the finishing touches on the new Anthrax record, and when we're done with that, we'll be hitting the road again. Massive disease spreading world domination!
What other projects do you have lined up?
As far as the producing thing goes, we have a ton of crazy stuff coming up. Unfortunately I can't talk about any of it right now but I can say this: Turn Up, Play Hard, Worship Satan!
Rob Caggiano IS metal
