What was the first concert you ever saw?
If I'm 100 percent truthful with you, it was Meatloaf in 1993. My dad took me; it was an amazing show, and it was my first real live rock show. It strengthened my ambition to be a musician.
What CDs are in your changer right now?
I listen to the same stuff as before--more melodic metal; Killswitch Engage, As Daylight Dies; Machine Head, The Blackening.
How many total albums do you own (CDs, vinyl, cassettes, 8-tracks)?
Probably about 500; it's not an obscene amount.
Do you download music, and if so, legally or illegally?
The only time I really downloaded music is for recording.
What was the first album you owned?
Metallica, Metallica.
What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
I don't know; it would have to be some kind of medley. It could be something really touching, or crushing like (Machine Head's) "Davidian."
Musically speaking, what do you love that your friends don't know about? What's your favorite guilty pleasure?
Because of the music I grew up on (my dad was a big rock fan), I listened to a lot of Bruce Springsteen and Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band. I still listen to Bruce Springsteen.
What band or artist changed your life, and how?
Pretty much Metallica, because they are the reason why I wanted to pick up a guitar. They've been my main influence musically and professionally.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Metallica, Metallica.
