This Month's Featured Artist

Marc Shapiro

(Greasy Hands + Infinite Drift)

RG: Which guitarists have had the greatest influence on your playing style, and how have they shaped your approach to music?

MS: John Frusciante from the Red Hot Chili Peppers is my No. 1. I really love bands that fuse rock and funk, and his playing is the pinnacle of that for me. I love his use of rhythm, his chordal choices, his tone and his eclectic playing styles. His solos, especially live, are a great mix of melodic and chaotic, and he’s great at sitting on notes and bends and then going right into some fast-picked shredding. He’s also not afraid to venture out and see where he lands. I think his funky sense of rhythm and chords has greatly affected my playing, and I take a similar approach to my solos, often trying to build from something melodic into something more shreddy or cacophonous. John also has a lot of Hendrix in him, and that definitely trickles into my playing too.

Jake Cinninger is huge one for me too, and maybe someday I’ll be able to play like him. I’m particularly influenced by his improvisational prowess and his use of out-the-box rhythms and scales that he weaves throughout his playing.

I grew up listening to heavy music, and I think Tony Iommi from Black Sabbath left the biggest imprint on my playing. I’m really into big riffs and bluesy solo runs. I also love Kirk Hammett, Randy Rhoads, Zakk Wylde and Slash.

Funk-wise, I love all the classic P-Funk guitarists, especially Eddie Hazel and Garry Shider. Again, it’s that fusion of funk and rock, and these guys originated it. And again, big influences on John Frusciante. Songs like “Maggot Brain” and “Cosmic Slop” are great examples – lots of sitting on bended notes then getting into some more heavy soloing.

RG: When did you start playing guitar, and do you currently play any other instruments?

MS: I started playing when I was 10. My parents bought a half-size acoustic for Chanukah that year, and I started taking lessons. I’ve stuck with it ever since. I’m left-handed, and I remember my teacher sitting me down and asking me if holding it right-handed felt OK. Left-handed felt more natural, so that’s what we went with. I kind of wish he had convinced me otherwise and imparted how difficult guitar shopping would be, but oh well. I’ve figured it out over time and am happier with my guitar arsenal than I’ve ever been.

I have an electric bass and can hold it down good enough; I’ve gigged a handful of times on bass. I have a couple of ukuleles, which are really fun to mess around with, and I’ve even written a few songs on them. I have a mandolin, and I’m OK on it. I have a drum set as well, but I got that mostly so I could have band practices and jam sessions at my house. I can play a few basic beats, but that’s about it.

RG: How did you first discover the Jake Blade, and what was your experience like the first time you used one on your guitar?

MS: I’m always interested in the gear guitarists are using. I first saw Umphrey’s in 2005 and then went pretty far down the rabbit hole with their music, seeing them every chance I got. I must have read about it and noticed it when I was close enough to the stage to see Jake and Brendan using them. I went to the Summer Camp Festival several times and got to talk to Jake a bit about the blade and how he uses it, so I was really intrigued by it for a long time.

When Umphrey’s first sold them, I emailed the merch folks to see if it was possible to get one custom-made for a lefty. They certainly pulled through! They put me in touch with Mark Benjamin, who was as nice as could be. Through a few phone calls, we decided the best plan of action would be for me to mail him my whammy bar – it’s for a Wilkinson tremolo system, and the whammy has some unique parts, it’s not just a straight bar. He basically copied the end that goes into the tremolo system, and then I had my own, one-of-a-kind Jake Blade!

RG: In what ways has using the Jake Blade enhanced your playing or changed your sound?

MS: For one, it feels great in your hand, and its size makes it easy to tuck away parallel to the bridge when you want to mute strings. It’s easy to grab quickly and get back to picking, and it’s really versatile. I use it the way you’d use a traditional whammy bar in solos, and I use it to add some subtle tremolo to chords when they’re ringing out. I find myself doing that a lot lately. It’s also a great tool for some live theatrics – sometimes, if I’m really getting out there, I’ll grab it and lift my guitar body up by it, almost Steve Vai-style.

RG: What’s your go-to guitar for most of your playing, and what makes it special to you?

MS: My 2004 Carvin Bolt-T, which happens to be the guitar my Jake Blade is on, is generally my go to. It’s a got a beautiful, natural wood finish, a birdseye maple fingerboard and a hot rails pickup for the bridge pickup. I just love the way it looks, sounds and feels. I found it in used shop – I actually spotted it on the shelf as I was checking out, and once I played it, I had to have it. Since Carvin was a small company and this is a lefty with custom features, I’d imagine it’s a one-of-a-kind guitar.

I must give an honorable mention to my new Gibson ES-335, which I only bought a few months ago. That’s been getting a lot of playing time, and it’s a great compliment to the Carvin.

RG: Are there any exciting new projects or collaborations on the horizon that fans should look forward to?

MS: My two bands are both working on new music! Greasy Hands, which plays funk-driven psychedelic prog-rock, is preparing a live EP and working on new music for a future studio project. We also have our annual Pig Roast festival coming up this fall (date and details TBA). My other band, Infinite Drift, which I’d also describe as a funky rock band, is working on some demos at the moment. This is a passion project with some good friends from college whose bands my old bands used to gig with. Both bands are full of monster players who really bring out my best playing. Outside of playing and see shows, I’m always photographing concerts! 

Photos by: Liz Pappas