GuitarGearHeads.com Exclusive Interview Chuck Schiele DIY Entrepreneur - Renaissance Man By: John Seetoo 2006 and 2007 San Diego Music Award Winner (for his roots music group, The Grams), Chuck Schiele wears many different hats. He is a singer/songwriter as well as collaborator and bandleader for a number of musical ensembles, that have toured across the USA. Additionally, Chuck is a record producer and owner/chief engineer of StudiOB92107.com in San Diego. Hailed as the “Music Mayor of Ocean Beach”, Chuck is also in charge of organizing and staging music programs for many community events, and is active in booking bands for numerous clubs within the San Diego music scene. Using music as a vehicle, he is also heavily involved with community activism, raising, food, money, goods for a variety of beneficiaries ranging from leukemia research, education, homeless, children, etc. Finally, Chuck is an advertising/marketing designer for private and corporate clients and has recently branched out into producing music videos. He's a true example of the DIY entrepreneur – Renaissance Man. 
Acoustic:
I like my Takamine Santa Fe a lot. I consider it a friend. One of "those" guitars... i keep things simple. If the ax is good I let it be what it wants to be. This guitar is a jumbo with impressive projection across the spectrum. It wants to be played percussively much of the time. Since I'm a sort of 'wanna-be' drummer, this works out. I also love the neck which is seemingly made for my left hand, personally. Therefore this is a great guitar for my fingerstyle, alternate tuning stuff. The guitar also likes to be articulate.
Lately, on louder thicker sounding shows I've been incorporating my Line 6 Variax, which is actually an electric computerized guitar that simulates an excellent acoustic guitar sound. It features a compressor which i like very much, because i can fit myself into the mix without starting a volume war..... just nestle myself "in." It also - being a computer and all - has the ability to switch to a predefined alternate tuning at the click of a button. (The strings don't move and stay in standard tuning, while the signal going to the cable is respecting the tuning assignment; and then sends that to the house.) I write in DADGAD, and G tunings, among others frequently, so this is also very, very handy.
Electric:
Early 70's Les Paul prototype hybrid, never issued to market, kinda like a Junior and kinda like a Special, yet neither. I got it from a buddy named Gastaldo. I call the guitar "The Gastaldo" by now. It's a mean little brat, super warm, old school sounding. I cram it through an AC30 Vox.
I also like my Rickenbacker 610 which I actually "do things to" for irreverent studio applications.... such as my "glass" guitar technique.
• Record store is gone.
• The whole industry is up for grabs.
• What a concert venue can be just changed with the advent of live streaming and YouTube culture.
• Everybody is online. I'm equally interested in finding all the people in the world - or connected online - that might be interested in our music than I am in spending the same energy into getting the local peeps into a show down the street, especially in these times. I'm here to save you some gas money and come to you in the comfort of your own home.
Cool little renaissance happening here. Video culture is part of it. I love the chaos its in. I love change. So I went for it. We plan to make online streaming concerts a regular thing. I don't know about anyone else, but our first was very successful.
The video happened when I accidentally discovered that my laptop was also a video camera which connected to the stock installed i-movie. I just wanted to learn how to make a movie. The band needed a video and i just made myself a project out of those two concerns. I have a blast making them, so again its a case where making pictures is simply my natural thing to do.
It is also important to decide what music success means to you. For some, it's all about getting signed, and limos and jets. For others its to simply play better. Or to get some gigs now and then. Or to hear one's own creation recorded. In the end its a case where you have to decide what your freedom means to you.John: You have been a DIY exponent for years. What advice would you give to someone starting out in the current musical climate?Chuck:
• You have to really want this. You do get beat up along the way.
• You have to really be disciplined to self start, even when you don't feel like it. Period.
• In the "music business" you have to remember that the emphasis is one the word "business."
• Learn more about music everyday. Learn to read and write it. Keep learning new trends in music and in music business.
• Be nice and genuine. People who approach me this way, I remember first . Especially when I can help them.
• Get involved with your scene. If everyone contributed energy into making the scene better, we'd all find ourselves in a better scene.
• Most importantly, find yourself. Really find your self and stick-up for what is unique about yourself. Mine it. Every music hero in our collections did this. Until you do this, you will not discover your own sound.John: You're kind of all over the place stylistically. If you were to name some quintessential tracks that exemplify Chuck Schiele as a musical artist, which ones would you name?Chuck: The link that contains my recordings, of which I feel are emblematic of my craft, are as follows:
http://myspace.com/StudiOB92107cs
I'll update it soon, prior to your publishing date. Please advise that date so I can schedule it.
Emblematic of myself as an artist (my material)
"Perfume" / Love Factory / The Grams
"Daymaker" / Chuck Schiele & the Mysterious Ways
"Rise Up" / Therefore / Bad Science Fiction
"Sixteen Seconds" / The Grams / The Grams
"Goin' Down" Love Factory / The Grams
"Dorothy" / Chuck Schiele & the Mysterious Ways
Emblematic of my role as producer:
"Introduce Myself to You" Coco & Lafe, from album Cafe Loco 2008.
"Gonna Find Me" John Miller & the Payback
"Junkie Love" Podunk Nowhere
"Kung Fu Soul Brother" Bass Clef Experiment
Thanks, John.
CHUCK SCHIELEhttp://CharlesSchieleCreative.comhttp://StudiOB92107.comhttp://Facebook.com/ChuckSchieleTwitter @ Chuck Schiele TheGrams.net BadScienceFiction.net |
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