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Orianthi: Lady Plays the Voodoo Blues
Guitar sensation Orianthi cranks it up on her third studio album Heaven In This Hell, but worldwide audiences first noticed the blonde axe slinger as part of Michael Jackson’s This Is It rehearsals. Today, the Australian-born performer calls L.A. home and is guitar royalty around town, having jammed with everyone from Carlos Santana to Steven Tyler.
Whether she’s wielding a blood-splattered guitar on stage with Alice Cooper or playing alongside Carrie Underwood, Orianthi brings her own style to every situation. Although she’ll tell you her first love is the blues, her music embodies pop-rock, instrumental interludes and guitar-driven crunch.
At age six she strummed her first guitar, at 11 plugged in an electric, and never looked back…
CP: You’ve played with some legendary musicians, how do you adapt to each style from Alice Cooper to Steve Vai and Michael Jackson?
Orianthi: I just play the way that I play. Obviously, if I’m learning Alice Cooper songs there are so many different parts to it and you really have to get into his world. Initially, it was pretty daunting because I had a lot of songs to learn, and there are so many parts to his songs. I was a fan before, but I’m the biggest fan now because you really appreciate what goes into the whole recording process of each song and writing pieces as well because there’s just so many guitar parts. It’s funny but it’s a learning process for me. It’s like throwing yourself into the ocean each time.
When you’re working alongside Alice you learn different things as you go along and then you feel more comfortable. The first few shows with Alice I was sort of making sure I didn’t run into Frankenstein or get stabbed [laughs]. Then the music, you know, the crazy parts and songs like “Halo of Flies” is like 11-minutes long, you just learn different things. Alice Cooper is such a great entertainer too, so I love being part of the whole crazy show.
Steve Vai is such an amazing guitar player but such a great songwriter, too, the way that he constructs his songs. That was an amazing experience being in a room [with him] and I just wanted to watch him play guitar. [laughs] I didn’t want to play, you know, because when you’re around someone like that, it’s like, [you’re] sort of “not worthy,” he’s so great. I’ve known him since I was 14, and that was my first support with Steve Vai. I was nervous, it being my first show, but when you’re opening for like the best guitar player, I mean incredible, incredible, he came on stage and he’s like shredding away and playing a beautiful melody, and he’s just a great entertainer as well.
And working with Michael Jackson, too, that was really different as well; played lots of funky different rhythm parts to rock guitar solos--it’s all crazy.
CP: You worked with Michael Jackson rehearsing for what would have been his “This Is It Tour.” What did you learn from him…I can only imagine how that experience was?
Orianthi: You know, it was just like this crazy dream, which I’ll never forget. Obviously, I am very honored to have been chosen by Michael and getting to work with these incredible musicians and dancers and everybody. It was set to be the biggest show, ever. I learned a lot just watching him, the way that he was with everybody. I mean he was such an incredible entertainer, but he knew every part of his songs, and he wanted to make sure the fans would be happy. He was “oh maybe that guitar song can be changed a bit, or this part, and I want you to be over here” just little things that definitely made a big difference. It’s like he had it all stamped in his head [laughs] he kind of knew every part and sound and everything; incredible, incredible person, too.
CP: He sounds very professional and intense?
Orianthi: Really professional, very intense but very personable. He treated everyone the same, very sweet, not completely different to what I though he was going to be, but there was just so much crazy media stuff about that. When I met him (we were with him for three months) but like wow he was very dedicated, very sweet and very childlike.
CP: Was he really as soft spoken like everyone says?
Orianthi: Eh, he had a lot of fun, too, you know, he was very soft spoken but he was like a child at heart, he would be joking around and cussing a lot, and he was really looking forward to putting on the show. So, very sad. I’m very happy that I had the chance to work with him, you know, that was just incredible.
Full interview: http://www.classicrockrevisited.com/show_interview.php?id=946
Guitar sensation Orianthi cranks it up on her third studio album Heaven In This Hell, but worldwide audiences first noticed the blonde axe slinger as part of Michael Jackson’s This Is It rehearsals. Today, the Australian-born performer calls L.A. home and is guitar royalty around town, having jammed with everyone from Carlos Santana to Steven Tyler.
Whether she’s wielding a blood-splattered guitar on stage with Alice Cooper or playing alongside Carrie Underwood, Orianthi brings her own style to every situation. Although she’ll tell you her first love is the blues, her music embodies pop-rock, instrumental interludes and guitar-driven crunch.
At age six she strummed her first guitar, at 11 plugged in an electric, and never looked back…
CP: You’ve played with some legendary musicians, how do you adapt to each style from Alice Cooper to Steve Vai and Michael Jackson?
Orianthi: I just play the way that I play. Obviously, if I’m learning Alice Cooper songs there are so many different parts to it and you really have to get into his world. Initially, it was pretty daunting because I had a lot of songs to learn, and there are so many parts to his songs. I was a fan before, but I’m the biggest fan now because you really appreciate what goes into the whole recording process of each song and writing pieces as well because there’s just so many guitar parts. It’s funny but it’s a learning process for me. It’s like throwing yourself into the ocean each time.
When you’re working alongside Alice you learn different things as you go along and then you feel more comfortable. The first few shows with Alice I was sort of making sure I didn’t run into Frankenstein or get stabbed [laughs]. Then the music, you know, the crazy parts and songs like “Halo of Flies” is like 11-minutes long, you just learn different things. Alice Cooper is such a great entertainer too, so I love being part of the whole crazy show.
Steve Vai is such an amazing guitar player but such a great songwriter, too, the way that he constructs his songs. That was an amazing experience being in a room [with him] and I just wanted to watch him play guitar. [laughs] I didn’t want to play, you know, because when you’re around someone like that, it’s like, [you’re] sort of “not worthy,” he’s so great. I’ve known him since I was 14, and that was my first support with Steve Vai. I was nervous, it being my first show, but when you’re opening for like the best guitar player, I mean incredible, incredible, he came on stage and he’s like shredding away and playing a beautiful melody, and he’s just a great entertainer as well.
And working with Michael Jackson, too, that was really different as well; played lots of funky different rhythm parts to rock guitar solos--it’s all crazy.
CP: You worked with Michael Jackson rehearsing for what would have been his “This Is It Tour.” What did you learn from him…I can only imagine how that experience was?
Orianthi: You know, it was just like this crazy dream, which I’ll never forget. Obviously, I am very honored to have been chosen by Michael and getting to work with these incredible musicians and dancers and everybody. It was set to be the biggest show, ever. I learned a lot just watching him, the way that he was with everybody. I mean he was such an incredible entertainer, but he knew every part of his songs, and he wanted to make sure the fans would be happy. He was “oh maybe that guitar song can be changed a bit, or this part, and I want you to be over here” just little things that definitely made a big difference. It’s like he had it all stamped in his head [laughs] he kind of knew every part and sound and everything; incredible, incredible person, too.
CP: He sounds very professional and intense?
Orianthi: Really professional, very intense but very personable. He treated everyone the same, very sweet, not completely different to what I though he was going to be, but there was just so much crazy media stuff about that. When I met him (we were with him for three months) but like wow he was very dedicated, very sweet and very childlike.
CP: Was he really as soft spoken like everyone says?
Orianthi: Eh, he had a lot of fun, too, you know, he was very soft spoken but he was like a child at heart, he would be joking around and cussing a lot, and he was really looking forward to putting on the show. So, very sad. I’m very happy that I had the chance to work with him, you know, that was just incredible.
Full interview: http://www.classicrockrevisited.com/show_interview.php?id=946
