Doug Aldrich – One of the Most In-Demand Hard Rock Guitarists on the Planet Right Now (2013)

Author: Aleš Podbrežnik, Jernej Vene
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik, Jernej Vene

Location: Vrba na Koroškem (Velden Am Wörthersee) / Bluesiana Rock Cafe / Austria
Interview date: September 12, 2013

Doug Aldrich is currently considered one of the best hard rock guitarists on the planet. He’s so good that in Whitesnake he stepped into the giant shoes of legendary guitar wizards from Micky Moody to Adrian Vandenberg, John Sykes and, later, Steve Vai. Over his career he also worked with the unforgettable Dio. So there you go. Coverdale and Dio were the ones who once got rock back on its feet, back when Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Black Sabbath and Rainbow were growing and evolving. The guy has pretty much achieved everything he dreamed of as a wide-eyed young man hungry to prove himself. Ladies and gentlemen, the master, Douglas Aldrich!

RockLine: You’re known as an incredibly busy musician! Not long ago you put out a great comeback album, »Epic Obsession«, with your band Burning Rain, this year you’ve circled the globe with Whitesnake again, and now you’re on a new tour. This time with Steamroller.
Doug: This Steamroller tour came about totally unexpectedly. Whitesnake were invited to play a special show in Russia. It was a special night, and David got a special invitation. After that show we were supposed to head back to the US. But Michael (Michael Devin – Whitesnake bass player, author’s note.) and I got to thinking we could extend our stay in Europe. We called Matt Starr to see if he had time to join us, and here we are. Steamroller. You’re absolutely right. It’s hard to line up all these dates, because the schedule is packed all the time. This year especially I’ve been away from home almost nonstop because of my Whitesnake commitments, and a lot of people were also waiting to see what would happen with Burning Rain. And I definitely can’t forget to mention the people waiting to see what move we’d make with Steamroller. A great opportunity came up and we had to grab it, otherwise it would’ve been hard to find a better window for these shows, and who knows when we could’ve played as Steamroller again.

RockLine: Did you manage to find any time to rest this year, with all this flying from continent to continent?
Doug: I’ve got a four-year-old son at home. And that’s my vacation. Being able to be with him. When you asked me if I ever get tired of it all, you should’ve asked it the other way around: »Are you ever not tired of all this?« Because the truth is I’m always tired. We travel a lot. Everybody around us does their best to make these tour trips as low-stress, comfortable and safe as possible and so on, because we all want David (David Coverdale, Whitesnake vocalist, author’s note.) to stay in good shape. Still, traveling is hard. Especially after a few months in a row, which is how long a tour can drag on.

RockLine: Is there any release coming out under the Steamroller banner?
Doug: Hmmm, not for now. I’m not ruling out recording something at some point, but Steamroller is basically about playing other artists’ songs. That really fires up Michael and me, it’s relaxing, it’s fun. We take on these songs that have always lit us up and inspired us with a special fire, I’d even say passion and love. It’s something that’s inside you and wants to get out. And Steamroller is the vehicle that lets us do that. Now we’ve got Matt Starr here, and we feel great. And you know what? All of it gives us the chance to get back to our fans, to be with them. As musicians we love those free improvisation spots where you can loosen up and just let rip with no pressure. This way we get to play a set of songs that we could never play in our other bands, one way or another. I don’t know if you’ve heard of Kings Of Chaos…

RockLine: Yes. The new supergroup, Glenn Hughes and so on…
Doug: … well, they go about it in a more pompous way, while we swear by more intimacy with this stuff. Michael also gets to use his voice in Steamroller. He’s got an incredible voice. I hope we get to write our own music together at some point, but what we’re doing now is a great intro to seeing how we work together and how the whole thing sounds live.

RockLine: At the soundcheck, Michael’s vocals on Space Truckin’ sounded killer.
Doug: We’d played Space Truckin’ four or five times before that, and Michael just »kills« on that song. On this tour I’m paying more attention to how a song turns out, whether I’m still enjoying playing it or not, what could still be improved. You know, when you take on playing an original, it’s far from necessary that everything sounds like the original. We tailor things our own way so they fit us like a glove. That’s the best part of all this. It gives us room to play more. All three of us. To express more of ourselves. To let out what’s inside us. I’ll definitely »bury« some parts of the song the way Richie once played them, if I remember them, but the point is far from playing an identical solo. That would be impossible anyway.

RockLine: Have you ever had problems with your hearing during your career?
Doug: Yes. I’ll be wearing earplugs tonight too. They only help to a certain extent. Did it seem too loud to you two during the soundcheck?
RockLine: We were sitting at the other end of the club and the volume was fine, but yeah. It did seem a touch too loud.
Doug: Aha. Okay. I admit I’ve already lost some hearing, but I figure I’ll feel the serious consequences in about ten years.

RockLine: What about tendinitis (inflammation of the tendons)?
Doug: No, never.

RockLine: Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, for example, have always complained about having trouble with it…
Doug: I’ve never had problems with tendinitis, but on the last Whitesnake tour I felt tension between my thumb and index finger. I was trying out some new things and obviously overdid it. A couple of times that pain drove me so crazy I even threw my guitar in the air,…

RockLine: I remember one particular show when you were playing with Dio. It was in Graz in 2002, and you started bleeding from a finger on your left hand. You were using a black Fender Stratocaster back then…
Doug: I remember that show. That guitar is great. Ronnie loved it. The same guy who built that guitar for me built one for Ronnie too. Same model. I think Ronnie actually had to pay for his, while I got mine as a Fender endorser. A really good guitar. These days it’s in England. It’s in the »Rock Icons« museum. They’ve got all kinds of instruments and related gear on display. I sent them that black Fender Stratocaster. But I’d like to send that guitar to auction to raise money for the fight against cancer. If I could have done anything to help prevent Ronnie’s death, obviously I would have done it already. I’ve already mentioned to Wendy Dio whether she’d be interested in putting together a special auction, but really with guitars belonging to great guitarists. That auction should have, say, the guitar Richie Blackmore used, then Tony Iommi’s, and I’d donate that »black Strat«. Maybe it’ll happen someday. Wendy is working really hard on everything, by the way, and she’s doing really well.

RockLine: You’ve played with Ronnie James Dio, and you play with David Coverdale. If I may put it that way, how would you compare the character traits and differences of your two bosses?
Doug: I definitely treat both of them as big brothers. Ronnie and David made music and albums when I was ten, fifteen years old – and they changed my world forever. I listen to David a lot when it comes to the advice and guidance he gives me. And it isn’t always just about music, but about our everyday lives in general. If I were to compare the two guys as bandleaders… I’ve spent more time with David, of course. I’m also connected to him more intensely when it comes to writing and composing music. That’s wonderful. And David is kind to me, he trusts me a lot. When I was with Ronnie, I still felt like a newcomer. Anyway, I’m extremely happy our paths crossed. I’m truly grateful for the way things came together. Both of them were connected to the people and the times when rock was being created. They worked with Richie Blackmore and the rest… Both of them taught me a huge amount. As far as personality differences go, Ronnie was very focused on one thing at a time, he had a clear vision of what he wanted, whereas David is different. He says: »Let’s give things time and see what comes out of them!« With David, things mostly happen through jams. Both of them are brilliant singers. For me personally, Ronnie is the greatest vocalist of all time when it comes to placing a melody in a song, and the greatest rock vocalist in terms of melodicism. On the other hand, for me personally David is the greatest vocalist of all time in hard rock.

RockLine: How do you and David create music?
Doug: David plays piano or guitar. He’s full of ideas. He has a vision of what he wants, and sometimes he wants us to talk his ideas over together. Sometimes I come up with an idea and present it to him. It often happens that he doesn’t say anything. His silence says it all and we just skip that idea. But sometimes he says: »Hey, I really like this one!« Then he goes on: »We can build on this together!« or even: »I’ll take this!« which means we usually polish that kind of idea to the end and it becomes part of a new song. Often we just sit together with acoustic guitars and try out lots of things. We put together the foundation for a demo recording. Then David sings the vocal line over that demo. Everything is definitely tailored to him. So that he feels comfortable. So that a song sits right for his voice.

RockLine: Are there any plans for a new Whitesnake studio album?
Doug: We’re talking about it. There’s no exact plan, but at some point we’ll definitely start working on a new album. We’ll certainly start recording and writing, but I can’t predict what it’ll be. Whether it’ll be a proper studio album or something else. With Whitesnake, studio albums come out on a four-year cycle, so I doubt a studio album will be out any time soon. I don’t know exactly what David is planning. I think he wants to perform again next year too, and he hinted to me: »Let’s start collecting new ideas together!« I think we all want to change our sound a little. Develop it, explore it and push it toward more of a bluesy feel. So that our sound wouldn’t be so heavy and hard anymore. I think we’ve been »heavy« enough and we’ve been through that phase. It would be nice, and I’ve already talked to David about this, to widen our sound a bit closer to early Deep Purple. The sound of that Deep Purple from the days when David was still singing with them. Or to get closer to the sound of early Whitesnake. I’d also like us to pay more attention to acoustics. Basically, so it wouldn’t sound so metal anymore. And I get the feeling David is open to that challenge.

RockLine: As far as my ears can tell, the album »Forevermore« is Whitesnake’s move toward a more organic sound…
Doug: Yes, that’s true. But it’s still too hard. A bit too hard. I’d like the next album to give more room to David’s voice. There are some great songs on »Forevermore« and I’m glad that with our next new ideas we’ll deepen and build on that quality.

RockLine: Let’s rewind the clock for a moment. How did you and Ronnie James Dio meet? What was the point in your career that led you to him?
Doug: I did a recording session with Jimmy Bain (Rainbow bass player, author’s note.), it went really well and Ronnie was thrilled with my work. Actually, Ronnie had invited me to work with him as far back as 1990. I turned his offer down back then. When Jimmy and I were recording, he said to me: »You know, we’re looking for a new guitarist!« About six months went by and then I met Ronnie. It was December 26, the day after Christmas, and Ronnie said: »We’re in the studio, recording drums. We’re also working on some changes to the guitars.« He didn’t mention songs at all, only drums. He said: »How about you come down here and play a little something?« I replied: »If I come to play, I want to be involved in everything! All or nothing!« And Ronnie said: »Fine. You’re in.« Right away on the second of January, or was it the day after? No, it was December 27th. Right away the next day I came to the studio, and everything clicked brilliantly. Ronnie was thrilled, I was thrilled, we were all thrilled. We had fun. The situation was something like this: I sat on one chair, and Ronnie sat on another next to me. Ronnie was jotting down lyrics, I was playing along and every so often »interrupting« him to ask what he thought of the ideas. And Ronnie would jump in with: »Yes, yes. That’s okay. We continue in this direction. Let’s deliver even more of this.« We had a lot of fun making the album »Killing the Dragon«. Right after that we locked ourselves in a rehearsal room and spent fourteen days straight rehearsing the material. Tours followed. First with Deep Purple and Scorpions.

RockLine: For the last ten years you’ve mostly trusted Les Paul guitars? Is that because of the sound?
Doug: Because of the sound too. It’s actually the guitar I grew up with. A Gibson Les Paul was my first really good guitar. What can I say? I love it. It connects me with my childhood. But I like every guitar. See that guitar in the photo (points at the wall, author’s note.)? Eric Sardinas’s guitar! I want it. I want every guitar. My guitar collection isn’t big, it’s a bit over 40 guitars in total. All kinds of »Les Pauls«, »Strats« (Stratocasters, author’s note.), »Teles« (Telecasters, author’s note.), and a few basses too. There was a period when I was really into acoustics, so I’ve got some acoustic guitars as well, mainly Gibson and Martin. Recently I got a guitar made by the Irish company Lowden…

RockLine: …Aha, Lowden, those are excellent guitars, handmade…
Doug: Yes. An excellent guitar with a fantastic sound, I recently used it on the UK leg of the last Whitesnake tour, the joint one with Journey. It worked great. And I have to mention the guitar made by Zemaitis too. But otherwise I swear by Gibson Les Paul and Marshall!

RockLine: Who looks after all these guitars when you’re on tour?
Doug: I’ve got a tech, his name is Paul Chavez, he’s from Los Angeles, a great guy, a great tech. To this day I’ve gone through eight techs. One for every Whitesnake tour, that is. Sometimes the tech got swapped out in the middle of a tour. And that’s sometimes tough, because you get used to a particular tech. They call me regularly offering their services as guitar techs. This year was interesting, because the first two I’d picked for the job couldn’t join me. The first one had just left on tour with Heart, so he’s working for Nancy Wilson, and the second one, who was expecting a baby at the time, recommended Paul Chavez to me. And I’m very happy with him. In less than a month we head out with Whitesnake on a tour of South America, and I’ll be calling Paul again to take over the duties of my guitar tech.

RockLine: Doug, thanks a lot for this chat.
Doug: Thank you guys. And that goes for all your support of Whitesnake, Steamroller, Burning Rain and me too. I really appreciate it. Enjoy the show!

interview by: Jernej Vene & Aleš Podbrežnik
edited and translated by: Aleš Podbrežnik

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