About Roland Nipp
“The guitar stands for freedom” - The Edge
Roland Nipp is a self-professed guitar geek,
music nerd, and one-trick pony. When not
playing guitar, he is usually thinking about guitars, teaching guitar, listening
to music, reading music magazines or tinkering with gear. While admittedly not very well-rounded, he is
quick to point out he can make a good grilled cheese sandwich.
VIII is Nipp’s 8th
solo record, and continues his quest to offer emotional electric guitar music
to people who like electric guitars and
songs. As with his previous albums, the
songwriting is front and centre - in Nipp’s world, gratuitous guitar playing
ends up on the cutting room floor.
During the creation of VIII, Nipp wore many hats: he wrote, produced, engineered and
played all the instruments. In reference
to other obscure multi-instrumentalists who choose to make one-man recordings,
he says “some of my favourite music comes from people like McCartney, Stevie
Wonder and Tom Scholz, who created really powerful and personal music by
working this way. There are no rules, no
judgment…anything is possible.”
In 2005, Nipp was selected and featured by Guitar Player in their prestigious
Spotlight column. He has also appeared
in Vintage Guitar and 20th Century Guitar
magazines.
·
“Guitar instrumentals from the wank-free zone.” - Canadian Musician
·
“Engaging and enjoyable instrumental music without indulging in the
annoying grandstanding endemic to “guitar” albums… maintains your attention
through seduction rather than coercion…this is an instrumental guitar album
that even non-guitarists will like.” - Guitar
Player
·
“…riveting…strong melodies, outstanding tone and dynamic
accompaniment. First class all the way.” - TV
Week
·
“…guitar fans who enjoy
smart instrumental guitar playing will thrill to In the Cool of the Dawn…his latest CD masterpiece.” - Music Web Express 3000
·
“…In the Cool of the Dawn…continues
bringing beautiful guitar music to those lucky enough to find it.” - The Georgia Straight
__________________________________________________________________________________
From an interview with
20th Century Guitar Magazine:
Musical Background
The family radio was
always on and the pop/rock songs of the day became ingrained in my psyche. In
fact, while in the 5th grade, I remember playing Name That Tune, and being able
to identify songs and artists within the first few notes. I recall the teacher
and kids looking at me in disbelief.
My life forever changed at 13, when I first picked up a guitar. Even though I
couldn’t yet make any musical sounds, I loved just holding it, how it looked,
even how the case smelled! Shortly thereafter and not surprisingly, I began
opting out of after-school sports.
Although I had some formal lessons, I am primarily self-taught, spending
countless hours on my bed with a cassette deck trying to mimic my heroes. At
school dances, I’d be at the front of the stage staring at the guitarist’s
hands oblivious to the fact that people were actually dancing.
Writing and Recording
When writing songs, I
ask myself: “What do I want to hear as a music fan, what qualities do my
favorite CDs have, what brings me back for repeated listens?” The answer comes
pretty quickly - it’s all about the songs. My goal is creating music to
connect, not to impress. Once this ground rule is set, it’s easy to write and
play from the heart, and the songs usually write themselves. To paraphrase Santana:
“to play with soul and purpose, we must first get our ego out of the way.” I am
also drawn to the thinking of the late Philip Sudo, who, in his book, Zen
Guitar, says: “true guitar virtuosity is beyond technical mastery - it’s
about playing with virtue, honesty, integrity, compassion, and gratitude.”
Roland Nipp -
Interesting and not so interesting facts
Place of
residence:
Favourite
guitars: SG, Telecaster, Stratocaster,
Les Paul
Favourite guitar
players: Jeff Beck, SRV, Clapton,
Knopfler, Gilmour, Brian May, Lifeson, Page, EVH, Lukather, Santana, Hendrix,
Mike Campbell, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Daniel Lanois, The Edge, John
Mayer, Vince Gill, Pete Anderson, Albert King, Roger Fisher, Nancy Wilson, Tom Scholz
, Billy Gibbons, George Harrison, Terry Kath, Rik Emmett, Ritchie Blackmore,
Ian Crichton, Jeff Healey, Colin James, Neil Geraldo, many others
VIP list: Brian “Too Loud” MacLeod, Maria McKee, Jeff
Lynne, Brian Wilson, Supertramp, Elton, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Toto, Steely
Dan, Joe Jackson, Norah Jones, Sarah McLachlan, Eagles, Seger, Springsteen,
Mellencamp, Petty, Heart, Benatar, Rondstadt, Rush, AC/DC, Styx, Foreigner, Def
Leppard, Journey, and many more
Canadian music
DNA: Rush, Tom Cochrane, The Band, April
Wine, Pat Travers, Triumph, Saga, Harlequin, Doucette, Loverboy, Chilliwack,
Prism, Streetheart, Headpins, Trooper, Queen City Kids, Max Webster, Ian
Thomas, Bryan Adams, and many others
Favourite guilty
pleasure: 70s pop music
Discography: The Blue Room (1999), By Night (2004), Little
Victories (2009), All We Desire (2012), Ragged Hearts (2015), In the Cool of
the Dawn (2017), Better Days (2018), VIII (2019)
Movie most likely to
quote from: The Big Lebowski
TV show least likely to
watch: Anything with the word “Idol” or
Talent” in its title
Store least likely to
frequent: Ikea
Activity least likely
to do for himself: Shop for clothes
Topic least likely to
be thinking about: Home improvement
Personal care item no longer
required: Hair dryer
Task happy to
avoid: Writing lyrics
Social fad least
likely to do: Take Selfie, post to
Facebook
Top reasons to
practice guitar and not Guitar Hero:
Midnight in Harlem
- Tedeschi Trucks Band
River of Tears - Eric Clapton
Hotel California
- Eagles
Purple Rain - Prince
Slow Dancing in a Burning Room - John
Mayer
The Sky is Crying
- SRV
Into the Mystic
- The Allman Brothers
Always With You,
Always With Me - Joe Satriani
The Waiting
- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Nobody’s Fool
- Tom Keifer and Lzzy Hale
Crazy on You
- Heart
Still Got the Blues
- Gary Moore
Edge of Darkness
- Greta Van Fleet
Favourite question to
be asked: Which guitar would you
like…the red one or the white one?
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