Dario Lorina

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by Deb Rao
Staff Writer

These days it is full speed ahead for guitarist Dario Lorina. At age 18, guitarist Dario Lorina is making quite the impact in the music industry. The young guitarist has accomplished more in the past year, than most people do in a lifetime. Dario picked up the guitar, when he was six and knew right then and there that he was going to choose a musical career.

At age 16, Dario landed the lead guitarist spot for Jani Lane. In an interview that I conducted when Dario was performing with Jane Lane in 2006, the 80’s singer commented,” Dario Lorina is a guitar prodigy.” Dario hails from Boston, Mass. and later moved to Las Vegas at the age of 12 to pursue his musical dream.

Dario performs with a passion and skilled technique that can be compared to early guitar heroes Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen. Dario’s love for ’80’s music was sparked by his parent’s love of ’80’s rock, and his father’s musical background.

Dario has check in with Hardrock Haven to discuss his upcoming NAMM appearances, his musical influences, and Instructional Guitar DVDs.

HRH: Dario, Happy New Year, First of all lets begin by discussing your NAMM 2009 schedule. Tell us about the products that you will be endorsing.

DARIO: Happy New Year to you as well. I’ll be at the Coffin Case booth on Friday at 1 P.M. and the Snap Jack Cables booth at 2 P.M. On Saturday I’ll be at the Sfarzo String booth at 11 A.M. Snap Jack Cables booth at 2 P.M. and the Coffin Case booth at. 2:45 P.M.

HRH: Actually, you began your career in Boston. Tell us about growing up in the city. Did Aerosmith influence you at all?

DARIO: Well, I grew up in a small town just outside of Boston, South shore. Yes, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry are one of my favorite duos.

HRH: When did you move to Vegas and how does the music scene compare to the music scene in Boston?

DARIO: I moved to Vegas when I was 12. It’s definitely different. Vegas has a little scene to call its own, Vegas Rocks Magazine does a great job in keeping that. But I spend a lot of my time traveling.

HRH: Who are some of your guitar influences and was the ’80’s genre a big influence on your style of performing?

DARIO: My favorite guitar players and most influential as a player myself would have to be Paul Gilbert, George Lynch, Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen. When I’m performing, I’m just doing what’s me.

HRH: You have worked with some of the biggest names from the ’80s including Jani Lane. What did you most enjoy about performing with Jani Lane?

DARIO: Jani is an incredible songwriter and performer. I’ve learned a lot from him and I loved playing those songs.

HRH: How would you describe your guitar style? Would you say you’re a shredding guitarist?

DARIO: Well, I try to take influence from all styles. I would describe my guitar playing as hard rock/blues/metal and yes, I suppose the word shredding could be used.

HRH: How many guitars do you take on the road with you? What are your favorite guitars and amps to perform live with?

DARIO: That depends but usually three. Live I use Lag Guitars. (www.lag.fr.) These guitars have a very sleek, rock chic look to them, which is a must and they play fast and sound great! As for amps, anything LOUD!

HRH: Tell us about your new band Karneval. Actually, they made their debut at Rocklahoma 2008. How did it feel debuting your band to such a huge audience?

DARIO: KarnevaL was an original band I worked with briefly, but is no longer. Playing this past year’s Rocklahoma with KarnevaL was exciting and the crowd was very responsive.

HRH: What are your thoughts on events such as Rocklahoma? Do you think they are keeping ’80’s music alive?

DARIO: It’s a great festival and yes; they are doing a great job at keeping it alive. Not only for the ’80s, but rock in general.

HRH: Actually, you were scheduled to appear on the day of the tornado at Rocklahoma. How did that is effect your appearance that day?

DARIO: It was crazy. I was just about to go on to play the National Anthem on the main stage, about 6 P.M. and my band was going to play around 9 P.M., but the weather took over and got really nasty. One of the side stages got blown over, the one we were suppose to play on several hours later, and my national anthem performance got pushed due to the weather. The show pretty much shutdown for a while that day and everyone ran for cover to wait out the storm. A lot of the bands for that night had to be rescheduled and come back to play the next day, which we were one of them. We still played and had a great time.

HRH: Do you listen to all types of music? Your guitar playing is quite diverse and infuses many styles.

DARIO: I listen and try to take influence from everything.

HRH: Besides being a great performer, you also teach guitar. What is your favorite thing about being able to share your gift with other inspiring musicians?

DARIO: It’s exciting to teach people who are interested in learning about music and how to play the guitar. I hope I’m at least a little help to them. I really enjoy it.

HRH: Are you a self-taught guitarist or did you have formal training?

DARIO: I started taking lessons when I was seven and took them for many years. A teacher can only teach a student so much; the student has to grow with what they’ve learned.

HRH: Do you have any instructional DVD’S on the market?

DARIO: Yes, two. The most recent is with Icons of Rock and it’s called All Stars of Rock Guitar. It features George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob, Souls Of We), Bruce Kulick (KISS, Solo Artist, Grand Funk Railroad), Jennifer Batten (Solo Artist, Michael Jackson, Jeff Beck) and Darrell Roberts (Five Finger Death Punch, W.A.S.P) as well as some bonus features where I show some cool licks. Visit http://www.livetojam.com/allstar/ for more info. The other is called “Rock Begins”. It’s a few years old and it features me teaching the basics of rock guitar. See myspace.com/dariolorina for more info on that one.

HRH: What goals do you hope to accomplish in 2009?

DARIO: To play “Hot For Teacher” live with Van Halen, but maybe I should put that one in my life-long goals. haha! 😉 New endeavors in 2009 for me. Visit www.myspace.com/dariolorina for all the news.