Interview 06.24.09: Kevin Gallagher

We are pleased to introduce Kevin Gallagher, who has kindly agreed to an interview at Guitar Theory in Depth.

Kevin Gallagher is an extremely sensitive and highly skilled performer who plays both classical and rock guitar. As a classical guitarist, his rich singing tone, and the relaxation and depth of feeling he exudes make his style a delight. As a rock guitarist, he experiments on the boundaries of the avant-garde.

In todays unprecedented proliferation of styles, artists, and information, it's inevitable to be influenced by many sources. Yet where many fall into a hodge-podge of arbitrary style mixtures, Kevin has not only achieved great clarity in defining his highly contrasting projects, but has excelled in them both.

Kevin Gallagher has won several of the most sought-after awards in the world of classical guitar, including the 1st prize at the 1993 GFA competition. Yet, in spite of that, he is down to earth and unassuming, as evidenced by his generosity and patience as a teacher.

Guitar Theory in Depth (GTiD): Kevin, how do you manage your time between these two projects? I imagine both must be quite demanding time-wise, given the quality of your output. Plus you also teach!

Kevin Gallagher: To tell you the truth, I just seem to gravitate towards one or the other at certain periods of time. I'm always teaching, but some weeks I'd rather study classical guitar, and other weeks I'm more interested in the band and electric guitar. I enjoy them both for different reasons. They both have strengths and weaknesses and I love them both. In my mind, I'm married to the classical guitar, and my electric guitar is my exotic mistress.

GTiD: Is either project more important to you, or are both par? I find this interesting, because many classical guitarists are too uptight and stiff to play popular styles with spunk. And many rock musicians immediately classify classical guitar as boring or for grannies. Do you consider yourself mainly a classical guitarist, or mainly a rock guitarist? Or both?

Kevin Gallagher: I tend to think of myself as a classical guitarist -most of the music I listen to is classical, and even when I'm listening to or working on electric guitar, I'm listening with a classical guitarist's ear -listening to tone, dynamics, phrasing... I learned rock guitar first, so I know the style intimately, but I've never been the "cool rock guitarist" that some of my friends were. Even back then I was pretty nerdy for a rock guitaris... haha!

GTiD: In spite of the obvious points in common between them, the electric guitar and the classical guitar are very different instruments. Do you have any particular practice scheme that you use to allow you to "stay fit" on both? What advice would you give to ambitious guitarists who wish to encompass a wide range of styles and genres?

Kevin Gallagher: You know, to be honest, I practice mostly classical guitar these days. If I practice classical guitar, my electric playing improves automatically, all by itself. I also practice some etudes on electric guitar -Francisco Tarrega's exercises for classical guitar work extremely well on electric guitar as well as some Bach violin pieces. To those who want to explore different styles, my advice is to do it because you really love it -not because you feel like you should. I remember studying jazz when I was 16 because I felt like I "should" know the style. I learned some great ideas from those lessons -especially about jazz harmony, but I never really loved the style. After a year, I had realized that it wasn't for me. Whatever you do -do it out of love for the art and not because of "shoulds".

GTiD: I think that's some of the best advice ever, not only in music... and, how has playing classical guitar influenced your electric guitar playing, and vice-versa?

Kevin Gallagher: I think in terms of interpretation when I play electric -subtle dynamics, color, gradual shadings of tone, etc. When I played rock as a kid I didn't think about any of that, but with the music I play now, there's a lot of thought about how I want to express the ideas -particularly with the more avant guarde music we play. I want to make sure that I'm creating the mood that is needed. Also, when programming effects for live use, I like to use subtle effects to highlight the differences of the composition -this is influenced by my exposure to classical guitar.
For example, in "Broken Glass" by Marc Mellits, it's basically a rock guitar part, but I wanted to shade the colors of the different sections slightly -by using a little wah, some delay at the end, etc. This helps make the guitar part more "orchestral".
When I play classical guitar many of the "rock" techniques -such as damping overtones- get used. Rock guitar has also enhanced my sense of rhythm on classical guitar -you have to play in time with rock music, otherwise you don't play well!

GTiD: That's exactly it! Popular music styles have retained their rhythmic escence, while schools often hinder development down that road.
I find it great that one of your main goals with the Electric Kompany (Kevin's rock ensemble) is to commission new works from "serious" composers for a medium they are not accustomed to. What response have you encountered from them, from the media, and from the public at large?

Kevin Gallagher: Contemporary composers are generally enthusiastic -most of them grew up with rock music anyway, so they love the idea of trying to write contemporary music for a rock band. Rock music tends to be the "gateway drug" for most composers -they grow up with it, then get interested in writing music, then they get interested in composition, and then suddenly they are writing string quartets in college.
Asking these kinds of composers to write for rock band is fun because they already know the sounds, but haven't explored the sounds with their "compositional" mindset. We've had some really amazing pieces written and arranged for the band -very unique for rock music. "Grab it" is a good example of this.
In terms of audiences, I think our most enthusiastic fans are from the Progressive music scene -they seem to have a similar mindset to our own. Contemporary music audiences are appreciative, but I think our music is too "rock" for them - I think we scare them…haha!

GTiD: How much improvisation and/or composition do you do with the Electric Kompany? What is your approach to composing and improvising on the guitar?

Kevin Gallagher: We've been focusing on commissioning composers since the beginning in 2006, culminating in a concerto by Ryan Gallagher (no relation) for rockband and orchestra last December, with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra of Cleveland.

Now I want the band to start writing it's own music. I have some ideas for composition that I want to explore, as do the other members. My compositions will probably be atmospheric -soundscapes without meter. I'd like to compose for drum kit as a percussive instrument, not just a backbeat instrument. I'd like to see us use more effects to create a cascading sea of sound.

I'm not really interested in improvisation -it's beautiful and I love to hear a master improviser, but it's not really my thing. On the Electric Kompany album, "Kick My Hand" by Nick Didkovsky has an improvised solo, but other than that, everything on the album is composed.

GTiD: I would like to change the subject of our conversation slightly. I want to talk a bit about the more practical aspects of life as a musician: namely, music and business.
Kevin, You have built quite a web presence, using your sites, blogs, and social netorking services. You give lots of great stuff away for free, and use these tools to promote your concerts, CDs, teaching, etc. How has this reflected on your career?

Kevin Gallagher: I'm at a point in my life where I really like to give to people -it just turns me on. I also know that if you give things out with your heart, only good can come of that -spiritually and financially. Too often, musicians are only looking for what they can get. I used to be like that. Once you start becoming interested in giving, many of the things you'd like to get come easily with no struggle. The internet is a fantastic tool for musicians -the possibilities of its use are staggering! We're all going to have to get used to it because in 10 years there probably will be no CDs or DVDs. Everything is going to be coming out of the ether.

GTiD: What advice would you give to young musicians trying to build a career in todays fast-changing music business world? And more difficult yet, what advice would you give to those who have taken years to come to grips with the older models, only to see them crumble under the myriad of options available online today?

Kevin Gallagher: My advice would be to stop thinking about how to build your career and start thinking about how you can serve people while doing what you love. Anyone who has a good career serves people in some way. We need to understand that. Good businesses don't think of just ways to make money -they think of ways to serve and help people for a fair exchange of money. As far as the old models crumbling, we can think of it as tragedy or a wake up call for positive change. With the internet there are more opportunities for promotion, selling, and exposure than ever before -and all of it is going to increase as more people get broadband. I see all of this as being extremely positive.

GTiD: What projects are you working on at the time? Are there any upcoming tour dates you'd like to tell our readers about?

Kevin Gallagher: I'm working on a series of videos right now. They should be out by the end of summer. I'm also composing for classical guitar -some pieces for beginners. I'm not playing that much in public much these days, by choice. I'm interested in documenting more than performing. I like being in New York and enjoying my simple life filled with music and the guitar -it's a real blessing.

GTiD: Kevin, thank you very much for the interview, and we look forward to hearing from you again soon at Guitar Theory in Depth!

Kevin Gallagher: Thank you, Alex.

Make sure to visit Kevin's websites: