Interview with Mike Bino Project

Metal Express Radio recently hooked up with Mike Bino from The Mike Bino Project… and here are the insights he provided:

Metal Express Radio:
How did you all meet and how did you end up forming the band?

MIKE:
I was in a band called Rattlebone with both Tommy “Earthquake” Doud and Mike Lepond. We had great success as a band opening for many national acts and released a self-titled album. Rattlebone was showcasing for record labels at SIR Studios in New York City when Mike Lepond got the chance to join Symphony X. When Rattlebone did a reunion show 5 years later, I asked Tommy and Mike if they would be willing to help with my solo album. Originally I had Dale Toth slated to sing on the album, but he was busy with his opportunities to try out as the new singer for Ratt and Velvet Revolver. I ended up placing an ad in the Aquarian (Music Newspaper) stating that I needed a singer to help finish my album. I was fortunate enough to get a response from Wicked Sins vocalist Dyer Knight. Dyer was an integral part of making On the Verge Of Reality, but due to his commitments with his band we had to part ways before he could begin work on my next album. I again placed an ad in the Aquarian and was able to secure the vocal talents of Wayne Monz. Wayne is currently working on my follow up CD, Sands Of Time, that is due out in summer 2011.

MER:
How did Mike LePond enter the picture and how were you able to get him to come over from Symphony X to join your band as a side gig?

MIKE:
Mike Lepond and I have been in bands together since early 1995 and have stayed friends all this time. When he left Rattlebone to join Symphony X, we always stayed in touch through his early tours, and in 2004 when Rattlebone did a 5-year reunion show, Mike agreed to help out with my first solo album. We have recorded 4 albums worth of material since 2005, and I am currently working with Mike Lepond on bass, Wayne Monz on vocals, Tommy “Earthquake” Doud on drums, and engineer CJ Scioscia to help finish Sands Of Time. Visit my website to stay updated with how the album is progressing.

MER:
Did you take guitar lessons or are you self taught? When did you pick up your first guitar and begin playing?

MIKE:
I started playing guitar when I was 5 years old from a local music store owned by a biker. He taught me for a year until I was better than him, and he recommended a teacher named Eddie Berg who is a famous Jazz/Fusion player. As I excelled under his teachings, he recommended me for the Juilliard Music School, but at the time they couldn’t accept me since I only played guitar and they didn’t have a program at the time. I applied to Musician’s Institute in Los Angeles at the end of High School and was going to go out there with my musician friends, but couldn’t afford it. I ended up teaching myself theory and studied many styles on my own, which I think has enabled my vast diverse playing style to flourish, which is what you can hear on my recordings.

MER:
Did you get any pointers or lessons from well-known or famous guitarists over the years? If so, from who?

MIKE:
Having had the chance to open for many well-known guitar players, I have been lucky enough to talk to them about helpful hints/playing styles and most have said that practice and the thirst for new techniques will always make you a better player. Slash from Guns & Roses, Warren DeMartini from Ratt, Alex Kane of Life Sex & Death, Karl Cochran, and many more guitarists.

MER:
Outside of your current band, what would be your ideal line-up if you could put together a group of musicians (whether they are alive or not) to form your own supergroup?

MIKE:
Drums-Tommy Aldridge (Ozzy-era) or Terry Bozzio (Zappa-era).
Bass- John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) or Dennis Dunaway (Alice Cooper).
Vocals-Mark Tornillo (Accept/TT Quick – almost the singer on my CD, but we couldn’t connect through mutual friends before he joined Accept) or David Coverdale (Whitesnake).
Keyboards- Kevin Moore (Dream Theater).

MER:
If you could play in any band (whether they are together or not), which band would it be?

MIKE:
My biggest influences are Alice Cooper (1969-1972), Led Zeppelin, Randy Rhoads-era Ozzy, Life Sex & Death, Van Halen, Overkill, Anthrax, early Thrash bands, and many Hair Metal bands (too many to mention). I would love the chance to jam with them just one time. Joining any of these groups would be a dream come true.

MER:
How many guitars do you own and are there any favorites that you prefer to play?

MIKE:
I own over 65 guitars… Gibson, Fender, Jackson, Kramer, Hamer, GMP, Peavey, Wolfgang, Taylor, Washburn, BC Rich, Ovation, Charvel, Ibanez. My favorite is my 1972 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe and my 1982 Gibson Les Paul standard with the flame graphics. They are used on most of the albums I record. For acoustic recordings, my Taylor is my main guitar. One of my favorite guitars to use on tour is my 1988 Jackson Custom Shop. Only 300 were made and you can see the guitar in “The Real Me” video by W.A.S.P. If anyone has one of these guitars I would pay dearly to have another one to use on tour.

MER:
What types of tweaks, changes, or upgrades do you make to your guitars?

MIKE:
I have each guitar outfitted with custom pickups by DiMarzio and Seymour Duncan. Most of the guitars are set up by John Orlick at his music store called HyWay Music in East Brunswick, New Jersey.

MER:
Do you have any preferences regarding instrumentation?

MIKE:
I endorse Soldano Amps, VooDoo Lab effects, and use their Ground Control system with my rack of effects. All of my unique sounds come from my guitar, rack, amp, and hands. I recommend the Soldano SLO100 amp, and my picks are by Dunlop and have the Mike Bino logo on them.

MER:
Who are your favorite musicians past or present?

MIKE:
Guitarists: too many to list, but some of my top choices are Randy Rhoads, Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Page, Alex Kane, Glen Buxton, Steve Vai, George Lynch, Jeff Beck, Bill Nelson, and most Hair Metal and early Thrash players.
Drummers: Tommy Aldridge, Terry Bozzio, John Bonham, and Alex Van Halen.
Bassists: John Paul Jones, Mick Karn, Rudy Sarzo, and Steve Harris.
Vocalists: Mark Tornillo, David Coverdale, Dio, Bon Scott, Robert Plant, Alice Cooper, early James Hetfield, and Joey Belladonna.

MER:
What are your top five albums of all time?

MIKE:
Ozzy Osbourne – Diary Of A Madman
Van Halen – Fair Warning
AC/DC – Highway To Hell
Led Zeppelin – Bootleg “For Badgeholders Only” (1977)
Life Sex & Death – Silent Majority

MER:
What are your top five bands of all time?

MIKE:
Ozzy Osbourne (Randy Rhoads era); Led Zeppelin (1975-1977); Alice Cooper (1969-1972); Van Halen (Fair Warning era); early ‘80’s Thrash Metal (Overkill, Anthrax, Metallica, etc.).

MER:
What venues do you prefer to play in?

MIKE:
I like to play in venues where the fans are close to the band. The farther away the band is from the fans, the less energy there is to feed off of. Larger venues tend to lose some of the intimacy of when I first began to play. Plus, it’s nice to see the fans enjoying my playing. Another upside is it’s easier to spot the cute girls in smaller venues.

MER:
If you weren’t a musician, what would you like to be doing instead?

MIKE:
I would be a stunt penis in the adult film industry, or fix Snoopy Snow Cone Machines (they actually break pretty easily and there is no place that fixes them — it would be a gold mine). If all of that wasn’t going to happen, I would open a recording/rehearsal studio.

MER:
Is there any special project that you haven’t been able to get done or accomplish as of yet for whatever reason that you hope to do in the future?

MIKE:
I would love to get the chance to record a classic early ‘80’s Thrash album that I have written but haven’t been able to find the right musicians to help record. Most players have forgotten what made those early albums so classic and end up playing more modern, and it just doesn’t kick ass like those old albums. I feel that if I get the chance to record it, then people will respond like I did back when I first heard those albums.