With
The Power of Three gaining rave reviews we caught up with Pittman to
try and find out how this metal guitarist could trace the beginnings
of the band in the long road since he began in his home town band Myra
Mains...and it turns out there is a common linkage between Madonna
and Prong, whom he also played with.
“There
are more similarities than you might think,” he explained. “They
both come from CBGB's in some way. Madonna played in a band that
played CBGB's and Prong formed from working there. Tommy Victor was
the soundman. These
things didn't happen at the same time but part of that seed is there
with both.
“Sometimes
I think of Prong as heavy dance music. The music can be complicated
but the tone is pretty straightforward. For Madonna, the song
structures can be complicated.
“There
is [sic] some genius songwriting techniques when you break some of
them down. It's more about what you don't play rather than when you
do play. Just like a painter doesn't just throw one color of paint
all over the canvas.”
With
that explanation it may not be 'metal' but what is Pittman's
favourite Madonna track to play?
“ 'Hey
You' might be my favorite,” said Pittman. “That was the very
beginning of the "Hard Candy" sessions. There were quite a
few acoustic tracks originally. Madonna and Pharrell left me in the
studio and trusted me with what I would do with the acoustic.
“It
was just me and Pharrell's engineer so I got to experiment with the
mics and parts in a killer studio. I layed down an assortment of
ideas for them to go through later."
Leaving
aside his work with Madonna The Power Of Three saw Pittman hook up
with the legendary producer of Metallica, Flemming Rasmussen.
“He
gave me a lot of tips and advice when I was working on the demos.
When it was time to start recording the album, I put him in complete
control,” he said.
“He
would always get us in the right frame of mind. There were times he
pushed us. There were times you almost forgot he was there. It was
wonderful having someone that I could completely trust with sound.
Amongst
the collaborations on The Power Of Three were Alex Skolnick and Chris
Barnes.
“I
loved having those guys on the album. They are both friends of mine
and people I also grew up listening to,” said Pittman. “Alex has
played live with me as our fourth member a couple of times.
“Chris
hasn't yet but Chris joined us during a Prong show one night when we
were opening for Danzig on 'Whose Fist Is This Anyway?'.
“ It
was awesome. Imagine the ending with him singing! Me, Chris, and Alex
should start a side project or something!"
Given
the people that Pittman has played with and recorded with we wanted
to know which one was the most unlikely 'metal' fan.
“The
only two main ones I've played with are Madonna and Prong so I guess
Madonna. She's the kind of artist that appreciates a little bit of
everything though,” he said. “Melanie C and Sophie Ellis Bextor
were just studio sessions and weren't there when I recorded so I have
no idea what they are into.
“Adam
Lambert and I had a band together before he went on American Idol and
he liked a little bit of everything too.”
Given
the range of musicians Pittman has played with are there still
collaborations he yearns to be part of?
“I
have always wanted to collaborate with Ozzy. Kelle Rhoads and I have
talked about writing some Ozzy type songs for fun,” he said.
“Kelle
played piano on my last album, "Pain, Love, & Destiny".
I have no idea why those two haven't done anything before.
“Kelle
and Randy's mom, Delores, is a musical genius. She has a unique way
of teaching and a unique way of how you perceive the notes like I've
never seen before. Kelle has that information. I would love to see
what all three of us could come up with.
“I
would collaborate with just about anyone as long as they're cool
personally. It would be cool to do something with Chris Cornell too.
But then again, both of those guys are now back with their original
bands, thankfully! Steve Vai would be cool.
When
Belfastmetalheadsreunited and Rockradioni reviewed the Power Of Three
all the editorial team thought 'Blood, Hunger, Thirst' was the stand
out track, and felt like a statement of intent for the three-piece;
but how did the writing of the music and lyrics come about?
“That's
one of those songs where I had different lyrics but then "Blood
Hungry Thirst" came to me and made much more sense,” he said.
“The music came from me jamming on the guitar. Sometimes you get in
a certain zone where everything flows just right.
“It's
kind of a fine line of being conscious and unconscious at the same
time. That's the case with this song.”
What
is sure to us, having had the glimpse into the range of musicality of
Pittman, and his band on The Power Of Three his answers to these
questions shows a man who has enjoyed a privileged break in the music
business, but is grounded enough to keep on exploring his metal
roots, his playing and ambitions to keep on growing.
The
Power Of Three is available now on Metal Blade.
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