Yngwie Malmsteen has defended his onstage “gimmick” of throwing and kicking guitar picks into the audience, stating that it’s a necessity for him to be able to pull off his complex guitar licks. The Swede made his comments while speaking to eonmusic about new album, Tokyo Live.
Malmsteen, known as much for his flamboyant stage show as he is for his blistering speed on the Fender Stratocaster was asked by eonmusic’s Eamon O’Neill about his habit of “firing guitar picks like bullets” during his live show, to which he replied, “It started out being out of necessity, right? When you play on the low strings, you will get little nicks in the pick, so when you want to do like, a two, three, four, five, or six-string arpeggio, there could be some sort of friction there. So I like to have completely new picks, and when I play those things, I just throw them out.”
He continued, “Those picks I’m using are Jim Dunlop picks. I told them years ago, ‘I want you to make them white for me so people can see them,’ so I made it out of necessity, and I made it into a part of the show too. I don’t like when they’re having nicks, so why not just throw it out, or I’ll kick it out, whatever. So it’s not just being stupid, you know? I mean, it is kind of like a gimmick, I guess, but it’s because I need to have a new pick when I play the fast stuff.”
Elsewhere, Yngwie discussed how the rise of grunge affected him in the 1990s. He said, “Well, it did in a certain way, because in America, up until the grunge wave, America was very formatted, so if you didn’t sound a certain way in the ’80s, you couldn’t be on MTV or or radio, whatever. Then everything changed overnight with this grunge thing; if you didn’t sound like that, you couldn’t do it. But I would still play shows and stuff, even though the shows were not as big in America, but in Japan and parts of Europe and in South America, there was a brilliant market, and now it’s completely global. I mean, I say this to everybody, like, ‘oh, you like Japan?’ Yeah, Japan’s great, but I could play in Wisconsin, and it’d be the same fucking craziness there, anywhere in the States, anywhere in South America, anywhere in Europe, anywhere in Asia. I am so blessed, and I count my blessings every day because I was always doing it on my own terms.”
Read the entire interview here.
Malmsteen has released his brand new album, Tokyo Live, via Music Theories Recordings.
The concert was recorded at the Zepp DiverCity, Tokyo on May 11th, 2024, as part of his 40th Anniversary World Tour. Calling upon an enormous catalogue of material, Malmsteen shredded his way through a furious set, backed by a mountainous Marshall stack wall. Talking about the live experience, Malmsteen adds, “Playing live in front of people is really what it’s all about. It’s exciting and dangerous because you have to take risks and there’s no fixing afterwards.”
Talking about Tokyo Live on the day of its release he says, “Playing live is where the magic is, it’s exciting and dangerous. I interact with the audience and I take chances, completely jumping over a cliff, and when it falls into place it’s the most amazing thrill. This show is a great snapshot and exudes spontaneity and unique musical moments. Enjoy!”
The name of Yngwie Malmsteen has always stood for uncompromising excellence. In a career that now spans more than 40 years he has proven himself to be a unique artist. You can try to categorise him in any way you wish. But the manner in which this supreme Swedish craftsman has continually developed his music makes Malmsteen sublimely transcend any definition you attempt to impose.
He now has a catalogue of 22 solo studio albums, each of which has much to commend. Malmsteen’s artistry has always clearly incorporated a healthy virtuosity, but his talent goes well beyond a comprehensive control of the guitar. The man is a fine composer and, on recent releases, has also showcased a strong vocal presence and now, with only this fifth live release, it captures four decades of relentless fury and blissful artistry of one of the true greats.
Available formats:
– CD+DVD
– 2LP
– Digital
Order here.
Tokyo Live tracklisting:
CD1
“Rising Force” (Live)
“Top Down Foot Down” (Live)
“No Rest For The Wicked” (Live)
“Soldier” (Live)
“Into Valhalla” (Live)
“Baroque & Roll” (Live)
“Like An Angel” (Live)
“Relentless Fury” (Live)
“Now Your Ships Are Burned” (Live)
“Wolves At The Door” (Live)
“Hiroshima Mon Amour” (Live)
“(Si Vis Pacem) Parabellum” (Live)
“Badinere” (Live)
“Paganini’s 4th” (Live)
“Adagio” (Live)
“Far Beyond The Sun” (Live)
“Arpeggios From Hell” (Live)
CD2
“Seventh Sign” (Live)
“Toccata” (Live)
“Evil Eye” (Live)
“Smoke On The Water” (Live)
“Trilogy-Vengeance” (Live)
“Cadenza 1” (Live)
“Brothers” (Live)
“Fugue” (Live)
“Cadenza 2 – Grand Finale” (Live)
“You Don’t Remember I’ll Never Forget” (Live)
“Acoustic Cadenza” (Live)
“Black Star” (Live)
“I’ll See The Light Tonight” (Live)
“Relentless Fury” video:
“Top Down Foot Down” video:
“No Rest For The Wicked” video
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The post YNGWIE MALMSTEEN Defends Onstage “Gimmick” – “It’s Not Just Being Stupid, You Know?” appeared first on BraveWords - Where Music Lives.
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Malmsteen, known as much for his flamboyant stage show as he is for his blistering speed on the Fender Stratocaster was asked by eonmusic’s Eamon O’Neill about his habit of “firing guitar picks like bullets” during his live show, to which he replied, “It started out being out of necessity, right? When you play on the low strings, you will get little nicks in the pick, so when you want to do like, a two, three, four, five, or six-string arpeggio, there could be some sort of friction there. So I like to have completely new picks, and when I play those things, I just throw them out.”
He continued, “Those picks I’m using are Jim Dunlop picks. I told them years ago, ‘I want you to make them white for me so people can see them,’ so I made it out of necessity, and I made it into a part of the show too. I don’t like when they’re having nicks, so why not just throw it out, or I’ll kick it out, whatever. So it’s not just being stupid, you know? I mean, it is kind of like a gimmick, I guess, but it’s because I need to have a new pick when I play the fast stuff.”
Elsewhere, Yngwie discussed how the rise of grunge affected him in the 1990s. He said, “Well, it did in a certain way, because in America, up until the grunge wave, America was very formatted, so if you didn’t sound a certain way in the ’80s, you couldn’t be on MTV or or radio, whatever. Then everything changed overnight with this grunge thing; if you didn’t sound like that, you couldn’t do it. But I would still play shows and stuff, even though the shows were not as big in America, but in Japan and parts of Europe and in South America, there was a brilliant market, and now it’s completely global. I mean, I say this to everybody, like, ‘oh, you like Japan?’ Yeah, Japan’s great, but I could play in Wisconsin, and it’d be the same fucking craziness there, anywhere in the States, anywhere in South America, anywhere in Europe, anywhere in Asia. I am so blessed, and I count my blessings every day because I was always doing it on my own terms.”
Read the entire interview here.
Malmsteen has released his brand new album, Tokyo Live, via Music Theories Recordings.
The concert was recorded at the Zepp DiverCity, Tokyo on May 11th, 2024, as part of his 40th Anniversary World Tour. Calling upon an enormous catalogue of material, Malmsteen shredded his way through a furious set, backed by a mountainous Marshall stack wall. Talking about the live experience, Malmsteen adds, “Playing live in front of people is really what it’s all about. It’s exciting and dangerous because you have to take risks and there’s no fixing afterwards.”
Talking about Tokyo Live on the day of its release he says, “Playing live is where the magic is, it’s exciting and dangerous. I interact with the audience and I take chances, completely jumping over a cliff, and when it falls into place it’s the most amazing thrill. This show is a great snapshot and exudes spontaneity and unique musical moments. Enjoy!”
The name of Yngwie Malmsteen has always stood for uncompromising excellence. In a career that now spans more than 40 years he has proven himself to be a unique artist. You can try to categorise him in any way you wish. But the manner in which this supreme Swedish craftsman has continually developed his music makes Malmsteen sublimely transcend any definition you attempt to impose.
He now has a catalogue of 22 solo studio albums, each of which has much to commend. Malmsteen’s artistry has always clearly incorporated a healthy virtuosity, but his talent goes well beyond a comprehensive control of the guitar. The man is a fine composer and, on recent releases, has also showcased a strong vocal presence and now, with only this fifth live release, it captures four decades of relentless fury and blissful artistry of one of the true greats.
Available formats:
– CD+DVD
– 2LP
– Digital
Order here.
Tokyo Live tracklisting:
CD1
“Rising Force” (Live)
“Top Down Foot Down” (Live)
“No Rest For The Wicked” (Live)
“Soldier” (Live)
“Into Valhalla” (Live)
“Baroque & Roll” (Live)
“Like An Angel” (Live)
“Relentless Fury” (Live)
“Now Your Ships Are Burned” (Live)
“Wolves At The Door” (Live)
“Hiroshima Mon Amour” (Live)
“(Si Vis Pacem) Parabellum” (Live)
“Badinere” (Live)
“Paganini’s 4th” (Live)
“Adagio” (Live)
“Far Beyond The Sun” (Live)
“Arpeggios From Hell” (Live)
CD2
“Seventh Sign” (Live)
“Toccata” (Live)
“Evil Eye” (Live)
“Smoke On The Water” (Live)
“Trilogy-Vengeance” (Live)
“Cadenza 1” (Live)
“Brothers” (Live)
“Fugue” (Live)
“Cadenza 2 – Grand Finale” (Live)
“You Don’t Remember I’ll Never Forget” (Live)
“Acoustic Cadenza” (Live)
“Black Star” (Live)
“I’ll See The Light Tonight” (Live)
“Relentless Fury” video:
“Top Down Foot Down” video:
“No Rest For The Wicked” video
BraveWords Records… home for Paul Di’Anno’s Warhorse, The Chris Slade Timeline, Rhett Forrester & Rob Robbins, Prophets of Addiction, Jack Starr, Crimson Glory, ASKA and Lillian Axe.
Make sure you are following the label on Facebook. >> https://www.facebook.com/bravewordsrecords
The post YNGWIE MALMSTEEN Defends Onstage “Gimmick” – “It’s Not Just Being Stupid, You Know?” appeared first on BraveWords - Where Music Lives.
Continue reading...