Interview with Miles Schon
Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 12:06 pmhttp://www.marinij.com:80/lifestyles/ci_13415960
Schon follows in father's footsteps, but his own way
Paul Liberatore
Posted: 09/24/2009 08:54:53 PM PDT
Miles Schon says on his MySpace page that he comes from a musical family and was "raised on good old rock 'n' roll."
He's too modest to say that his father is Neal Schon, one of the great American lead guitarists, a founder of Journey, the only member to have played on all the band's albums.
Miles is his father's only son. He has five sisters and grew up in Novato. He decided to follow in his dad's footsteps after injuring his knee playing football at Novato High.
Now 21, he wrote all but one of the songs on his debut album, which he's now recording at Prairie Sun Studios in Cotati. On Sept. 26, he'll be fronting the Miles Schon Band at the seventh annual Rock'n Blues by the Lake, a fundraiser for Novato public schools. The outdoor concert, at Stafford Lake County Park, also features the B-52s and top 24 American Idol contestant Blake Lewis. Schon performs from 11:05 to 11:35 a.m.
Q. Did you ever think, "My dad is a famous guitar player, maybe I should try something else?"
A: I still have thoughts about that. At the same time, you have to do what makes you happy. And that makes me happy.
Q. What was it like growing up with a famous rock guitarist for a dad?
A: It was great in the sense that I always had someone to look up to and to show me how it's done. He set a high bar, and I had high expectations for myself because of who he is and what he does, especially after I decided I also wanted to choose that path in life.
Q. Did he encourage you?
A: He was always encouraging, but he didn't push me into anything. He always let me do what I wanted to do. I was much more of an athletic guy. I was really deeply into football, basketball, baseball. I blew my knee out halfway through the football season. So I was on the sidelines the year my team won the championship. I'd already been playing guitar since my freshman year, but I really got into it at that point.
Q. Does you father give you guitar lessons?
A: When he's on tour, I talk to him when I can, mostly by texting back and forth. But it's just about watching him. It's not about sitting down with him and playing. It's seeing what he does and hearing how he approaches the guitar. A lot of it is instinctual for me and a lot of it I don't have a clue about, and that's what makes me different than him.
Q. In what way are you different?
A: My dad's a very melodic player. He's a super soulful dude and shreds like mad. He turned me on to other guitar players at a young age, saying, "Check this guy out and that guy out." But I'm working on my own style.
Q. Who'd he turn you on to?
A: Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, a lot of classic rock dudes. Jeff Beck's got to be my all time favorite.
Q. Do you often get compared to your dad?
A: More in looks than I do in our playing styles. People find similarities and everybody's got their own opinion, but I don't worry about that because I've heard that stuff my whole life. I just pay attention to what I sound like and what I try to do.
Q. You're working on your debut album. How would you describe your sound?
A: Progressive hard rock with blues and jazz and punk mixed into one melting pot.
Q. What kind of a career to you see for yourself?
A: I'm trying to stay healthy. I'm looking at longevity and being able to play my whole life. I struggle with a little bit of tendinitis in my left hand, and I've heard so many stories about guitar players not being able to play the rest of their lives because of issues like that. I just want to be able to continue to be creative, to learn music and listen to all sorts of music and maybe pick up and learn some different instruments along the way.
IF YOU GO
What: Seventh annual Rock'n Blues By the Lake
When: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 26
Where: Stafford Lake County Park, Novato
Tickets: $15 to $200
Schon follows in father's footsteps, but his own way
Paul Liberatore
Posted: 09/24/2009 08:54:53 PM PDT
Miles Schon says on his MySpace page that he comes from a musical family and was "raised on good old rock 'n' roll."
He's too modest to say that his father is Neal Schon, one of the great American lead guitarists, a founder of Journey, the only member to have played on all the band's albums.
Miles is his father's only son. He has five sisters and grew up in Novato. He decided to follow in his dad's footsteps after injuring his knee playing football at Novato High.
Now 21, he wrote all but one of the songs on his debut album, which he's now recording at Prairie Sun Studios in Cotati. On Sept. 26, he'll be fronting the Miles Schon Band at the seventh annual Rock'n Blues by the Lake, a fundraiser for Novato public schools. The outdoor concert, at Stafford Lake County Park, also features the B-52s and top 24 American Idol contestant Blake Lewis. Schon performs from 11:05 to 11:35 a.m.
Q. Did you ever think, "My dad is a famous guitar player, maybe I should try something else?"
A: I still have thoughts about that. At the same time, you have to do what makes you happy. And that makes me happy.
Q. What was it like growing up with a famous rock guitarist for a dad?
A: It was great in the sense that I always had someone to look up to and to show me how it's done. He set a high bar, and I had high expectations for myself because of who he is and what he does, especially after I decided I also wanted to choose that path in life.
Q. Did he encourage you?
A: He was always encouraging, but he didn't push me into anything. He always let me do what I wanted to do. I was much more of an athletic guy. I was really deeply into football, basketball, baseball. I blew my knee out halfway through the football season. So I was on the sidelines the year my team won the championship. I'd already been playing guitar since my freshman year, but I really got into it at that point.
Q. Does you father give you guitar lessons?
A: When he's on tour, I talk to him when I can, mostly by texting back and forth. But it's just about watching him. It's not about sitting down with him and playing. It's seeing what he does and hearing how he approaches the guitar. A lot of it is instinctual for me and a lot of it I don't have a clue about, and that's what makes me different than him.
Q. In what way are you different?
A: My dad's a very melodic player. He's a super soulful dude and shreds like mad. He turned me on to other guitar players at a young age, saying, "Check this guy out and that guy out." But I'm working on my own style.
Q. Who'd he turn you on to?
A: Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, a lot of classic rock dudes. Jeff Beck's got to be my all time favorite.
Q. Do you often get compared to your dad?
A: More in looks than I do in our playing styles. People find similarities and everybody's got their own opinion, but I don't worry about that because I've heard that stuff my whole life. I just pay attention to what I sound like and what I try to do.
Q. You're working on your debut album. How would you describe your sound?
A: Progressive hard rock with blues and jazz and punk mixed into one melting pot.
Q. What kind of a career to you see for yourself?
A: I'm trying to stay healthy. I'm looking at longevity and being able to play my whole life. I struggle with a little bit of tendinitis in my left hand, and I've heard so many stories about guitar players not being able to play the rest of their lives because of issues like that. I just want to be able to continue to be creative, to learn music and listen to all sorts of music and maybe pick up and learn some different instruments along the way.
IF YOU GO
What: Seventh annual Rock'n Blues By the Lake
When: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 26
Where: Stafford Lake County Park, Novato
Tickets: $15 to $200
