Interviews

Interview w/ guitarist Adrian Galysh

Published

8 years ago

August 10, 2018

Interview w/ guitarist Adrian Galysh

by Anthony Bernardi

Today I had the an opportunity to speak with a musician, author, columnist, and teacher who is undoubted on the path to being one of the greatest guitarist’s of our age. Aside from writing and preforming his own blend or blues tinged rock on his solo releases, he is an accomplished session musician and the author of ‘Progressive Guitar Warm-ups and Exercises’. Adrian Galysh is lesson columnist for Guitar World Magazine and Education Coordinator for Guitar Center.

We were please that he took some time out of his busy schedule to speak with us about his newest release and future plans.

Thanks for taking the time out of your schedule to chat with us today, how are things going?
Been going good lots of gigging, playing and teaching, and talking to people such as yourself. But I can’t complain because nobody would listen.

Right! I get that. I hear so many different styles in you music I can’t really nail one this down. So I have to ask, in your formidable years what were your biggest music influences?
Man, there are a bunch. If I were to list like five then it would have to be the ones that really got me into music and really playing guitar. Ozzy Osbourne with Randy Rhodes. Man, after I heard Randy Rhodes I just wanted to do that and learn to play guitar. Then of course you have guys like Van Halen, then the Scorpions’ Michael Shanker, old Rainbow and Deep Purple. That era of music really spoke to me at the time. I probably was really too young to be listening to that music. But that’s what my older brothers and their friends were listening to. That’s probably how I got into it.

When you say “You probably shouldn’t be listening to that music”, would you say that your parents were supportive of your musical choices and you picking up the guitar?
My parents were pretty conservative. I grew up in a household that listened to classical music and the occasional pop or rock album such as Pink Floyd The Wall some Abba something like that. So when I got into it I think they were a little surprised . At the same time they were musicians themselves, my mom played the piano and my dad played the violin,o I think they were into it. I remember at the age of ten really, really wanting to play guitar and taking lessons. After two years of begging they finally gave in. When I was twelve I finally got my first music lessons. They said if your going to play guitar you are going to take classical guitar lessons. I’m thinking most people would be disappointed, but me being such a Randy Rhodes freak by then I thought “Well that’s something Randy did.” sign me up!

What was your first guitar?
My Fist guitar was a classical guitar. I still have it, then I save all my birthday and Christmas money for a good couple years then I bought a Gibson Les Paul, which was a pretty happening guitar at the time. They weren’t nearly as expensive as they are now. I used to have a poster of Randy Rhodes with a black Les Paul and I wanted one of those.

Do you remember your first concert experience?
You know, I probably saw some small shows and local bands before this, but the first big arena rock show I went to was Whitesnake with Steve Vai on guitar. I was in high school. It was early nineties and I had cheap seats all the way in the back.

You have just released the 20^th anniversary edition of Venusian Sunrise, how was reliving that, and what about this edition makes it different?
The obvious things that have changed is I have an unlimited amount of production value. Meaning I can do as many tracks as I want . That makes the sound light years better than before. You have the ability to edit and get better guitar tones and life-like strings and pianos. The biggest difference this time around is that instead of program drums, which was kind of a thing back then, you know Joe Satriani and guys like that were using drum machines. Now we are using real drums. It really takes on a life of its own.

Did you completely re-record the whole album?
Literally re-tracked the whole album. Every single instrument.

That’s a real undertaking, are you more satisfied with the way it turned out?
You know hind sight is 20/20, but when I listen to the original album I cringe at parts . I’m like “WOW I wish I would have played that differently” or “I wish I had real drums” or “My drum timing was off” or whatever it is. You know I was twenty-two at the time and I was seeing what I could get away with.

From you perspective, how has the music industry changed since you began? And do you like the way its going?
Oh that’s a big question. It used to be, to get your music out there you had to be on a record label. Then there would be these people that would decide if your were good enough.Then they would print records and they would eventually give you some money if your good and screw you if your not. So there’s that. The thing that has changed the most is that anybody can do this. With a laptop anybody can get their music out there. The pond is much bigger and your competing against anybody who can record music.

Who haven’t you played with that’s on your bucket list?
I have met and played with everyone that I wanted too. Before I moved to Los Angeles I had imagined wherever I would turn I would run into members of Van Halen, or maybe Steve Martin or something like that. I have yet to see any of them, but have seen everybody else. Eddie Van Halen is a guitar GOD and a LEGEND, I would be happy to just be in the same room with him.

Do you have a favorite group now?
As far as what people consider contemporary music, I would say the closest thing I get to that is I listen to a lot of Devin Townsend. I think that he is a real artist, who does different kinds of music. He likes to explore things and he does it all himself. I can kind of relate to that. Producing his own work, recording his own work, writing his own stuff and playing most of it. That’s kind of where I come from as well. Plus he has such a unique voice on the instruments and otherwise. Artists like that are what I enjoy the most.

When music isn’t taking up 90 percent of your life what do you like to do for shits and giggles?
Ha, I drink a lot of wine. I’m here in California in wine country. I really enjoy that. I do a lot of trips up to Santa Barbra County ,its just a way to get away and explore a whole different facet. I am also into cooking. Today I am baking a loaf of bread from scratch.

Are you still writing? Do you have anything new in the works?
You know people ask this all the time and it makes me giggle, but it’s a perfectly fine question. I literally just released the last record two and a half weeks ago. While I have yet to even start thinking about anything else there is always stuff in the back of my mind.

In the immediate coming future in the next couple months, I will be doing what I usually do for all my records. I release an album of backing tracks. It’ll be Venusian Sunrise, but without the lead guitar and things like that so students and other people can practice their chops and jam over these tunes as well. I’ve got a couple other versions of the previous few so ill be doing that.

Then I’m trying to… and I say this all the time. I have a book out called “Progressive Guitar Warm-Ups and Exercises” and its did very well and I’m probably going to do a follow up called “The Ultimate Guitar Workout” or something like that and its going to be a combination of all the lesson columns I have done for Guitar World.

What are your plans for the rest of 2018 this year are we going to see you touring?
Touring is very complicated and very expensive to do. However somebody like me is interesting for the guitar type guys out there. What I’ll end up doing is guitar clinics, visiting some schools and festivals. While there is nothing I can talk about yet, I would definitely keep an eye open for that. That’s usually where I end up doing my traveling and meeting most people out there.

After 20 years do you have any regrets?
Ha, Ha, any regrets. You know what’s funny is Stu Hamm is on this record and he has a tattoo on his arm that says no regerts. I think its one of the funniest things I have ever seen. Talk about having the balls to actually get a tattoo of that. That just killed me when I saw that. It’s totally his personality. Anyways regret wise there was probably a period of a round ten years ago, when I moved to Los Angeles . I ended up taking a couple different office jobs. These were jobs in the music industry, but it was when I should have been focused on making music, performing, and pursuing that. I think It kind of gave me security that I liked, but in the long run it held me back for some time. Just like anybody that has a job and loves to play to guitar, but after a nine hour long day doesn’t want to practice . They just want to veg-out on the couch. That happened, but I stopped doing that and I have been doing music for the last nine years and I don’t regret doing that!

Okay and I always ask this question as a closer, Star Wars or Star Trek?
Star Wars is the go to, but I can go on and on about everything that has gone wrong with Star Wars over the last couple years. The original three movies are fantastic! Star Trek I do like, but I generally don’t consider people that like and watch Star Wars to be geeks or nerds, however the people that like Star Trek kind of are. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I am the Star Trek fan that likes the first movie The Motion Picture. I like the headiness of it the high concept of it. The idea of Voyager satellite going into outer space and coming back as something unidentifiable at first and the artificial intelligence of it. I think later on Star Trek became good guy -vs- bad buy space-cowboy kind of stuff, with the Wrath Of Kahn.

Well folks that was a hell of an interview, I truly enjoyed having a chat with one of the country’s leading guitarists. So If you are a student or just have a passion for music I recommend you get your copy of Venusian Sunrise 20^th Anniversary Edition, You won’t be disappointed.

www.adriangalysh.com

There you have it another awesome interview brought to you by www.EmpireExtreme.com

Catch you on the flip-side!
Anthony

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Anthony Bernardi

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Interviews

EIHWAR COME TO BALTIMORE TO BRING THE VIKING WAR TRANCE

Published

6 days ago

August 20, 2026

Ron

IVE BEEN SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THE UPCOMING TOUR FOR EIHWAR. I FOUND THEM ON THE INTERNET AND THEY BLEW ME AWAY WITH THEIR VIKING/FOLK/PAGAN MUSIC MIXED WITH ELECTRONIC. EIHWAR WILL BE COMING TO THE RECHER IN TOWNSON MARYLAND ON AUGUST 30TH. EMPIRE EXTREME GOT TO ASK THE DUO A FEW QUESTIONS BEFORE THE SHOW.

ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT DOING YOUR FIRST AMERICAN TOUR? ANY AMERICAN THINGS OR PLACES YOU WANT TO EXPLORE?

ASRUNN: For now, I have to admit I’m still completely stunned. I’m not excited or imagining it yet at all. Right now, I feel like I’m about to go to a country that only exists in TV shows, so I’m still kind of wading through disbelief.

Once I’m actually there, though, I’ll probably start talking way too fast and way too loud, and I’ll want to go way too everywhere.

HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN VIKING WAR TRANCE AS A GENRE OF MUSIC?

MARK: Viking War Trance is basically what happens when you mix Nordic folk influences, tribal rhythms, electronic music and something much more primitive and aggressive. We wanted music that makes you want to dance, fight and enter some kind of trance at the same time. So instead of trying to fit into an existing genre, we just called it Viking War Trance. And about the word “war”: it’s not a war against others, but a war against ourselves. Against our rigidity, our limiting beliefs, our fears. Victory is letting go.

WHAT CAN FANS EXPECT WHEN SEEING THE BAND LIVE?

MARK: Our concerts are much more physical than people sometimes expect from listening to the albums. We want people to dance, scream, jump, crowd surf and completely lose themselves for an hour. It’s somewhere between a concert, a rave and a pagan ritual, but with a lot of joy. “Joyful chaos” is the word that Asrunn often use.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE PLAYING HELLFEST AND WACKEN?

ASRUNN: It’s basically spending an entire hour on stage thinking, “Seriously, what the hell am I doing here? This makes absolutely no sense,” and then, the second it’s over, thinking, “Fuck, that was WAY TOO SHORT!”, hahahahaha!

In reality, it’s a mix of intense concentration and this explosion of joy inside when we manage to bring such a huge crowd into our madness with us. It’s as if, all of a sudden, we’re no longer men and women, but one human tribe, united by joy and raw energy.

HOW DO YOU FEEL THAT YOUR STYLE OF VIKING MUSIC AND IMAGE DIFFERS FROM OTHER VIKING AND FOLK METAL?

MARK: What sets us apart from folk metal is simply that we’re not metal. We don’t use distorted guitars or acoustic drums. As for pagan folk, I think the differences are pretty obvious too. Most pagan bands take a fairly ceremonial approach, resulting in atmospheric, ambient music. Some of them are even very serious. From our point of view, seriousness is a symptom of bad digestion. We prefer to fool around.

As for the peace you find in atmospheric ritual music, we don’t know much about it. Asrunn, our leader, is nothing like a priestess in a linen dress singing with butterflies in the forest. She’s living anger. Our music is joyful and brutal, primitive techno made to dance to until the end of the night.

The biggest difference is also, and perhaps above all, harmonic, in the musicological sense. With ancient instruments, it’s difficult to modulate frequently or to play every note in every octave. We use machines, and that gives us much more freedom to create melodies and chord progressions that evolve constantly and are far more pop-oriented than ancient instruments would normally allow.

DREAM TOUR: YOU CAN GO ON TOUR WITH ANY 2 OTHER BANDS, WHO DO YOU CHOOSE?

ASRUNN: MmmmdzgebhfugzFDBZueisfg that’s WAY too hard to choooooose HAAAAA! I’d say……….. NIN and… well, Sofia Isella, lately. She’s tooooooo good to be true.

MARK: The Prodigy and Peter Gabriel

FAVORITE GAME OF THRONES CHARACTER?

MARK: Don’t know, but I like the soundtrack.

ASRUNN: Bree Van De Kamp.

IF YOU COULD RESURRECT ONE HISTORIC VIKING WHO WOULD IT BE?

MARK: Honestly, my memories from that time aren’t clear enough for me to really know. But I was very fond of the monk Eadwig of Durham, and I’d be curious — and happy — to see him again.

ASRUNN: Lagertha, to prove to Mark that he’s wrong when he says she had bigger boobs than me.

IF YOU HAVEN’T BOUGHT UR TICKETS YET GET THEM HERE

About Author

Ron

Ron has keen eye for new talent, a love for the underground, and a tremendous passion for music of any genera. You’ll probably bump into him at a horror convention or some seedy club checking out the next need-to-know band.

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Interviews

INTERVIEW WITH KURT DEIMER

Published

4 months ago

May 8, 2026

Ron

EMPIRE EXTREME GOT TO INTERVIEW KURT DEIMER ABOUT THE NEW ALBUM “A GROG IS BORN” HIM WORKING WITH GEOFF TATE AND JOSH TODD AND BEING KILLED BY MICHAEL MEYERS AND HORROR MOVIES

About Author

Ron

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Empire Interviews

Inferious—Interview

Published

4 months ago

May 5, 2026

Josh Drespling

by Josh Drespling

I was at Preserving Underground to cover Filth and Resistor. I was all set with my photo pass and cameras at the ready. And then this young band exploded onto the stage. No grand entrance, no intro music, no flashy lights—just a wall of noise from the first guitar chord and a guttural growl that seemed to come from somewhere below the floorboards. I was blown away. Thoroughly impressed.

This band was Inferious, out of Dayton, Ohio. If you look up the word “inferious,” most dictionaries will tell you it means something low-status, submissive, or fit for sacrifice. But this Ohio metalcore outfit Inferious has spent the last several years proving that definition couldn’t be more wrong. Tonight in the basement of a converted church, Inferious delivered raw, sweat-soaked fury to all who were smart enough to show up early.

Before their set was even half over, I made up my mind that I had to talk to them and let our readers know about this band. Here is how it went:

Empire: This was the first time I have ever seen you guys. I’ve heard your name before but never had the chance to listen. The show tonight was freaking awesome. I loved it from the first few notes. The vocals and the guitar tone just hit ya right in the chest.

Since I am a new fan, can you give me the nickel tour of how you came together and I understand you are from Dayton, Ohio.

Shaun O’Shaughnessy – Guitarist: I live in Dayton, and the original band members all formed in Dayton, but it was kind of a collage of multiple band folks. People from the southwest Ohio area. Gabe [McQueen – vocals] and I were there at the beginning, and then through some line-up changes, this is our current and most solid touring line-up so far with Cody and Kyle. They also are from the area and have been in several bands. So they were always in the same circles, at the same shows, talking to the same people. It all worked out one day.

Empire: Given that, it seems like there is a healthy music scene in Dayton. Are there any good clubs, any fields to play in?

Shaun: It’s hard to say Dayton, Ohio, specifically so much as just southwest Ohio because of the way that Dayton, Columbus, and Cincinnati form like a little triangle. You’re only an hour apart from each other. So we can get into that larger music scene pretty easily. So Dayton itself has venues, but the whole collective area has stuff. There’s some house venues, like Gnome House, there’s Bob’s, but then Cincinnati has Madison Live, and Design Collective [DSGN CLLCTV] was doing shows for a while, but I think they got in trouble.
Cody: Yeah, it some code stuff.

Empire: I think there are a couple decent places in Akron, and even across the border is Huntington, WV?

Shaun: Yeah, that area still does have sick stuff. It’s just farther away from our personal local scene. Cleveland is kind of separate from us too.

Cody: That’s not necessarily our scene, but there is such a good underground local scene from the Huntington / Athens / Charleston area. Shout to Feverwar.

Shaun: We were just at the Grog Shop [outside Cleveland].

Cody: We were at the New Foundry not too long ago.

Empire: Oh, yeah, like upstairs?

Shaun: No, it is Foundry’s new location.

Empire: I’ve not been there.

Shaun: It looks basically like the old one, but it’s new.

Empire: You mentioned the Grog Shop. Were you guys there with Filth and Resistor?

Shaun: Yeah, we’ve been on tour with Filth and Resistor. The first half of the tour had Two-Piece on it; we missed them, but now Mono’s [Monochromatic Black] on for the second half, and they’re homies.

Gabe and I toured with them in Inferious a couple years ago with band called AMTAE, and Monochromatic Black. So, those are long-time homies as well. So, we’ve known Tanya [Elizabeth (Beickert) – Vocals] and Eddie [DeCesare – Drums] for a long time, and Pierce [Akers – Guitar] is our new best friend as well.

Empire: So, it’s just like a big hang for you guys.

Shaun: Yeah, all the homies are back. We’ve toured with Filth before too; we were out with them on the Oceano tour, and then actually a year ago, I think like right now, like today a year ago, we toured with Filth also. So, it’s Filth and Oceano, and then Filth again.

So, it’s been fun to have a full circle of friend hangs, and every night’s been sick. The show turnouts have been amazing, and then just hanging out with all our friends has been amazing.

Empire: That’s part of what makes it fun. Whether you have 50 people or 1000, you have that camaraderie and shared experience.

Empire: So do you currently have an album out? Where do you guys stand with that?

Gabe: We have music out everywhere, on all music platforms: Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and YouTube Music. Shit, if you even got to rip that shit, YouTube to MP4, do it, man!

Shaun: We got your back. We got three full lengths and an EP. We are working on a new EP with a label we’re signed to that we’ll announce here soon, but that’s going to be really exciting stuff, and just stoked to be able to get that out soon.

Empire: Cool. So don’t say the label name, but your deal is in place, and then the new album in the fall, winter, spring?

Shaun: Yeah, the EP should be coming out sometime this year, if all the schedules align and everything, but that’s in the works.

Empire: Cool. Filth tour, what’s after that?

Shaun: Finishing up the EP. Record release cycle, and then hopefully touring in support of that. Whether it’s co-headlining with somebody or doing some more support stuff, we’re down for whatever. Hopefully we can fill up the rest of the year.

You know, touring is hard financially, so while we’re able to still make ends meet on the road, it’s hard to pay all the bills, so we’ve got to go home, stack our bread back up, and then be ready to go back out again.

Empire: I understand. Is this your first time in Pittsburgh?

Shaun: We’ve actually played Preserving. This is at least the fifth time.

We played the DIY room, we played this room, this orientation, we played this room when it was facing the other direction. AJ, the owner, has been good to us. He is a rad dude.

Empire: AJ is great.

Shaun: The record shop and merch store upstairs is sick, I just bought a shirt, a Never Ending Game shirt, because we have to do a laundry soon, and I bought a shirt to extend one more day to get through.

Empire: Anything you guys want to add, anything going on? Shameless plugs?

Shaun: This has been a kind of sick tour, because I think we’ve all got to see family members. Gabe’s dad dropped him off, so we got to see Gabe’s dad. We got to go get breakfast with my mom and some family, I saw my aunt. Cody’s mom let us stay at her crib, and we got to hang out with her and his family. Kyle’s family came out last night and hung out, and that was pretty sick, so it’s been a good time.

Empire: Kyle hasn’t said anything, so tell me about your family coming out and seeing the show.

Kyle: I mean, it was my sister’s first time seeing us live.

Empire: What did she have to say? I mean, I’m sure she knew the style.

Kyle: Oh, yeah, she’s conditioned to it.

Empire: She’s not like a Britney Spears fan at a hardcore show?

Kyle: No, no, she’s by far not a normie, but close to it.

Empire: Thank you, gentlemen. That’s all I have today. Appreciate it, and thanks for the show. It was great; loved it.

Shaun: See you next time.

Before that night at Preserving Underground, I’ll be honest: Inferious was just a name on a show flyer. Another opening band before the acts I actually came to see.

That’s the thing about this level of heavy music. The headliners get the lights, the longer set, and the crowd that’s already warmed up. But the openers? They get twenty-five minutes, a soundcheck that barely counts, and a room full of people who are mostly looking at their phones. Inferious didn’t just overcome that. They incinerated it.

What struck me most, sitting down with Shaun, Gabe, Cody, and Kyle after the show, was how unpretentious they were. No egos. No rock-star posturing. Just four guys from southwest Ohio who’ve been grinding in the same circles, playing the same basement venues, and slowly building something real. They talked about the small venues with the same reverence other bands reserve for stadiums. They shouted out Feverwar. They bought merch from the shop upstairs to make it through one more day on the road.

That’s the part you don’t see from the crowd. The financial grind. The van trouble. The “stack our bread back up” reality of modern touring. And yet, here they were—genuinely stoked to have seen family members at shows, genuinely grateful for AJ at Preserving keeping the doors open for underground bands, and genuinely excited about an upcoming EP they couldn’t even name the label for yet.

Inferious may have a name that suggests something low-status, something sacrificial. But after watching them level a converted church in New Kensington, and after listening to them talk about their scene with the easy confidence of people who have nothing to prove, I think the definition needs an update.

Check them out on all the streaming platforms. Catch them when they roll through your town on the next tour. And for the love of God, show up early.

You never know which opening band is going to blow your doors off.

About Author

Josh Drespling

Josh is the Publisher and creator of Empire Extreme and it’s sister publication Kingdom Extreme Magazine. He is an accomplished writer, photographer and graphic designer. He is always conjuring up new ideas and has a amazing passion for the music industry and all the things that surround it.

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