by Alexandra Mrozowska
– Sr. Columnist —
There are many a path to tread for a versatile musician, and it can be safely assumed Michal Pakulski’s trodden them all. Not only has the Warsaw-based guitar player earned his chops as a leader of many bands and projects – he also got to know the other side of the story while working as the music journalist and the guitar teacher. With Pakulski’s new solo album entitled The Road due to see the light of day in September, Hardrock Haven sheds light on the Polish guitarist and his newest effort.
Hardrock Haven: With your new solo album in the pipeline, could you please introduce yourself to the readership of Hardrock Haven?
Michal Pakulski: I’m a solo guitarist from Poland (Warsaw), associated with the rock scene – but not only – for more than 17 years. So far I’ve worked with many great artists and co-founded many projects ranging from pop and rock to jazz. Beyond that, I played as a sideman for the Polish Radio and was also the editor of the “Gitarzysta” Magazine.
My decision to go solo has resulted in great interest of the audience from all over the world. I’ve become the world endorser of Wampler Pedals, one of the “signature artists” next to the world’s top guitarists (e.g. Tom Quale, Guthrie Govan, Nick Johnston, Brad Paisley, Jon Gomm). In September 2016 my new solo album The Road will be released.
Hardrock Haven: What ignited the spark in you to pick up the guitar for the very first time, many years ago?
Michal Pakulski: I started to play relatively late – I was 15 back then – but it was like a thunderbolt! It all started when I heard my dad playing some bluesy stuff on the very old acoustic guitar, and that made me fall in love with both the sound of the guitar and the guitar playing. It was like I found my calling, literally. There was my best friend next to me and he wasn’t really impressed, but me… I was in seventh heaven upon listening to this and from that moment I knew I want to play. When I’ve heard the professionals play a bit later, I realized I was more than far from playing like this and then I began to train 12 hours a day… It all led me to be where I am now – technically, but also mentally.
Hardrock Haven: As your background is obviously Rock music, what are your main influences? What kind of impact did they exert over your own style of playing?
Michal Pakulski: For a very long time I listened to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Steve Lukather, and Eddie Van Halen and I still consider them my greatest influences. But talking influences, I have to mention Santana, Satriani, Vai, Ritchie Kotzen, Andy Timmons, John Petrucci, Slash and Jeff Beck as well. This is where I come from: a kind of mixture of what I listened to added to my account experiences and influences from various styles of music I dealt with, e.g. Pop, Jazz, Blues or even Classical music. It all helped me to develop my unique sound and style in which I compose today.
Hardrock Haven: Your activity as a musician and a composer comprised many bands and projects – Euphoria, Unicorn, Dream Channel or The Good Stuff, to name just a few. How important were those in terms of your artistic development?
Michal Pakulski: It was my bands where I learned the most. I played with many projects searching for my sound, place, and my own style. I experimented a lot with many different musical styles. I collaborated with people associated with different genres of music, including Classical and Jazz musicians – learning from them, expanding my musical horizons and learning how to look at art as a whole. I also learned a lot about melody, arrangement, rhythmic and – of course – feeling, all of which are still very important for me.
Hardrock Haven: After many projects as well as frequent collaboration with important names of the Polish music scene, you’ve decided to go solo. Why?
Michal Pakulski: I felt I’m just ready for it. I always dreamed about playing solo, and only recently I realized there’s potential for it. A lot of people persuaded me to try, so I decided to follow their suggestions. However, this decision doesn’t preclude any further work with bands as well as session work or any other kind of co-operation. No bridges are burned.
Hardrock Haven: What kind of statement do you want to produce as an artist when releasing an album under your own name – rather than yet another band or project moniker?
Michal Pakulski: For me “The Road” is a very important project, the result of certain experiences and an account of what I always dreamt of. It was natural for me to decide it will be released under my own name, as natural as the idea for the solo activity itself.
Hardrock Haven: The album we’ve mentioned a couple of times is going to be entitled The Road. What kind of material can we expect from it in terms of music?
Michal Pakulski: The album is quite diverse, although stylistically, sonically and conceptually it’s going to be classified as Rock music – or even Hard Rock. Still, it includes a lot of complex waveforms and formidable harmonic melodies. My friends usually joke that each of my compositions could have been a basis for at least a few different songs (laughs), but that’s the main feature of guitar-oriented albums. Obviously, a lot of techniques such as legato, arpeggio, tapping, staccato etc. will be included on The Road as well; fast pieces at the of rate of 200 bpm in the song called “Pain” or rhythmic divisions and meter, e.g. to 11/4 in “Lullaby” or 12/8 in “Memories”. However, I tried to strike a balance between technical feats, which are typical for this kind of productions, and melodies – so as to achieve some level of accessibility. The album is also a kind of story about my way of life as I want to take the listeners on a trip down my road… I tried to reflect my mind, soul and heart on the album. I also tried to sound more “vintage” that anything else, in spite of the fact we worked on the most modern equipment for mixing and mastering. The result might have been something along the lines of Classic Rock style with a modern twist. Generally, The Road will be mostly rock songs, but also please expect some quiet melodic ballads.
Hardrock Haven: The Road was announced as an instrumental album. However, many instrumentalists today decide to incorporate one or two standardized songs into their otherwise instrumental records, either singing themselves or inviting a guest singer. Have you ever considered it while working on the album?
Michal Pakulski: Of course I thought about it and even a few very specific proposals and options were considered at some point. But eventually, I decided that this album will be entirely instrumental. It is just much more difficult to record good instrumental music that will evoke the interest of the audience – it’s more difficult to convince them – and that’s why I decided on such a challenging, backbreaking job (laughs). I’ve already received a feedback that people are actually interested in such a specific kind of thing. I don’t care about recognition or fame, doing everything out of passion. However, with so many people interested in what I do, it turns quite opposite to what I expected.
Hardrock Haven: Some listeners find themselves ambivalent about guitar-oriented albums as they’re often accused of being a “style over substance” kind of stuff. What kind of approach do you think a guitar player should have so as to achieve a balance between a showcase of skill and an actual “substance”?
Michal Pakulski: I think so too! I could have made a very technical album but as I pay equal attention to the melody and musical arrangement, I tried to keep the balance between this aspects. In my attempt to convince the listeners to the instrumental playing, I go unobtrusively and slowly (laughs). Of course, there’s a lot of purely technical playing on the album, so people who like fast shredding will be satisfied. But it’s the climate of the album that I care about the most – even the details, some minor mistakes, fingers sliding off the guitar strings… all flavors that make The Road not as plastic as, unfortunately, most of contemporary albums.
Hardrock Haven: It took you more than a year to finish the album and it’s almost seven years since you started to write the material. What’s your approach to the songwriting and recording process – do you generally prefer to take your time while working on the recordings?
Michal Pakulski: It took me quite a while, but the period’s relatively short if to think of Guns N’ Roses working on their Chinese Democracy album (laughs). It took relatively long for my compositions to be finished, but it’s rather due to my involvement in other projects in the meantime. Doing different stuff for other bands resulted in my solo stuff being shelved for some time. However, throughout this period the material has matured and became slightly refreshed and modified. The recording itself took about four months, but I have to add that the entire production process, mixing, mastering, preparation for distribution, all deals, paperwork, etc. unfortunately, took much longer.
Hardrock Haven: Why have you chosen “Pain” to be the first single? Is there anything special about this track, or perhaps is the story behind the composition particularly important?
Michal Pakulski: This song’s particularly important for me. It’s about the pain of training that each musician has to go through to become a professional, the hardship of the process and a variety of feelings one experiences – often not too positive. I’m more than glad that such an important song for me earned so much appreciation worldwide; I received positive feedback from the US, the UK, Italy and of course, my native country – Poland. I’m really satisfied as the album marks the end of the very important stage in my life. It’s an account of my hard work and the hundreds of hours – and nights – spent in order to achieve what I look for in music.
Hardrock Haven: Speaking of stories behind the songs on The Road, do you pay attention to telling them and expressing your personal experience or is it rather up to readers to find their own meanings behind the songs?
Michal Pakulski: The album is a kind of story and refers to specific events of my life, but I think it’s also universal enough for a large part of the audience to identify with.
Hardrock Haven: Is the release date for the album already set?
Michal Pakulski: Yes. The album will be out in September.
Hardrock Haven: Being also a guitar teacher, what kind of skills and approach do you think a good – if not perfect – music teacher should have? Do you find your experience in teaching to be useful also in other areas of your musical activity, e.g. performing?
Michal Pakulski: Absolutely! Teaching people is also useful for your musical development as the students are incredibly inspiring. Sometimes you do not even realize how well do you play until it’s told to you by your own students! (laughs) My students urged me to record a solo album, so eventually, I could say it’s them who kicked me into action and inspired me to take care of my solo material!
Hardrock Haven: In addition to your impressive resume as a musician, you’re also a music journalist. Towards the end of our interview, is there anything happening currently in the music scene that evokes your particular interest?
Michal Pakulski: Yes indeed – my adventure with music journalism lasted three years. I’m still waiting for the new Van Halen album, which I hope will be finished one day. I’m very curious about the renewed collaboration between Slash and Axl Rose… who knows what will happen! And when Steve Lukather or Jeff Beck drop a new album, be sure I’ll reach for it as well…
Hardrock Haven: What are your current plans after The Road sees the light of day?
Michal Pakulski: Certainly playing the new material live! I’m looking for a new rhythm section to play concerts and prepare material for the next album with.
Hardrock Haven: Is there anything you’d like to add in the end?
Michal Pakulski: I’d like to thank the readers of Hardrock Haven for taking their time to read this interview and, of course, encourage all of you to check out my new album!
Visit Michal Pakulski online: https://www.facebook.com/michalpakulskimusic/
[Photo credits: Łukasz Migda, FD Studio.]
