Jarod Embree: Guitarist - Student Spotlight

I recently had the opportunity to interview guitarist and songwriter Jarod Embree, a good friend of mine who has studied with me off and on for many years. I wanted to know what he has been up to with the band Dogs of Neptune, and see if he would share some of his musical insight.

Jarod has been playing guitar for around 20 years, played in numerous central Iowa groups, enjoys composing solos, and pushing his own personal boundaries on the instrument.

So here we are, let’s see what’s going on in the mind of this great artist.

1. Jarod, the band you play in “Dogs of Neptune” have been working very hard, and gaining a lot of popularity on the central Iowa local music scene. How did the band come together, and what are your current plans with Dogs of Neptune?

"I was playing in another band before, and the drummer had quit. Then Dan Spain got involved, after a one-off show, Dan and I started jamming together. We hit it off very well, and decided after going at it, and plugging away to start something else. We kept trying out other musicians while writing new material, and now here we are.

Currently, we are about 3 songs away from finishing up material for the new album, it should be done shortly after the first of the year. Then we will most likely play a show in February, go in the studio to record the new album, and start booking shows when we finish that up."

(Video of Jarod playing part of a new song.)

2. It’s going to be very exciting to hear the new album when it is finished. What is your favorite track from the last Dogs of Neptune album titled “One Taste of Blood”, and is there anything you would like to share with us about recording it?

"For me, the title track “One Taste of Blood” speaks volumes as to what the band wants to sound like, and is one of my favorites on that album. It’s probably the most involved track outside of the last 9-minute track “What’s Left of Us” which is just ridiculous.

“Ghost Town” is another favorite, you just don’t hear a lot of minor 6th harmonies being put into rhythms anymore. It’s got a lot of really good changes, the vocals and drum parts are quite good. It’s a blistering song to play, especially when Danny is all heated up, you know, all lathered up, live it’s a great song!"

3. You said the band went through a few different members to arrive at this line-up, it seems the chemistry is as close to perfection as a group can get. Tell me a little bit about the current members.

"We’re good friends, and get along very well. I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys to write music with. Even though some of our musical interest is varied, it still makes a good organic blend with what we are doing.

The main problem was finding a good bass player, but now we have Shawn Economaki who was with Stone Sour. He’s as professional as you can get. Shawn is a great arranger, and he also helps me a lot when my OCD is flying off the handle. He brings a tremendous amount of focus into the writing process.

Aaron Peltz was our singer for a while, he’s also a guitar player, a true riffmiester, and is a diamond in the rough when it comes to writing. He’s also my best friend, unfortunately he had to move to California.

Aaron reached out to Josh Brainard, who was one of the original members of “Slipknot”, they had played in a band called “On a Pale Horse” together. Josh decided to join the line-up, making a seamless transition into the group. He can handle anything I throw at him, he’s very professional, and it’s working out great.

Spencer Fenimore is the singer for the band. Spencer used to sing for Mindrite, a very popular local band, and currently also sings in a Tool cover band. He’s a very good singer, not typically someone you would think of as a metal singer because that’s not his background. Spencer does an incredible job! He makes us sound more original, and his influences mix extremely well with what we’re doing.

Dan Spain, the drummer, who used to play for Atomic Opera and Down the Sun, is the real professional on stage, and even in the studio. I’m biased because he’s one of my closest friends. He has a real sense for the right feel for each of our riffs, and songs. No guitarist could ask for a better drummer."

(Dogs of Neptune: One Taste of Blood)

4. I’m really interested in your influences, I know you are a huge Randy Rhoads fan.

"Yes, Randy Rhoads is at the top of my list. As far as work ethic, playing, and study, if you’re going to model a work ethic after somebody, he’s the guy. I think what he recorded from those two albums, “Blizzard of Ozz”, and Diary of a Madman”, are not so much overlooked, but not used enough as far as a basis for somebody who wants to become a lead player.

Everything he plays on those two albums is obtainable, achievable, has theory and technical merit from a learning standpoint when you first start out. You might not realize it at first, but while learning those songs, note for note, you are learning your chord voicings, scales/modes, good legato and picking technique, all the basics of good song writing.

5. What’s your basic approach to all those well thought out guitar solos you construct in your songs?

I know this subject could drag out for hours, but maybe just a summary of the process.

"Well, I don’t think there’s any one answer that’s right or wrong, there are many approaches, but I’ll do my best to share some of what happens during the process.

We’ll write the song, and decide where the solo is going to go, that’s step number one. I get to the point where I have played that rhythm enough to not have to think about it. Next, we will record the song as a band, at this point I may start improvising over it. I try to figure out how I’m going to get into it.

My style is always developing, but I like to start 2-3 measures ahead leading up to where the actual solo break is going to start. I like to build up to it, I don’t want to just say, okay solo, here we go. I take the recording home, start mapping the solo out, and establish the key. For instance, if we are in the key of Em, I decide if I want to start the solo on the root(e), the minor 3rd(g), the b5(Bb), the b7th (d), or just what note do I want to start the solo with.

I do that with each new chord voicing to find the tastiest note for each change, then I go back and start over to figure out what I want between each of those notes. I’m basically, at this point, trying to find a seamless transition between each change, decide what licks fit best, and get a bare bones structure of the whole thing.

The intro, and exit is then given a considerable amount of analysis. It seems what most people tend to remember is how you got into it, and how you got out of the solo. In Dogs of Neptune, we often go into a chorus after the solo, so I want to keep that in mind as far as the vibe of the exit goes.

That’s how I work. I get all the licks to sound the way I want them to, then I will play it over, and over again. Then I record the solo, and keep practicing it many times. I want to be able to play it in my sleep.

I pay attention to every detail, vibrato, and even practice it with right hand picking only, and left hand only. I’m pushing my boundaries."

6. Excellent Jarod, that’s some very useful information, reminds me of some of our discussions during our lessons. What are some of the most important things you learned from taking guitar lessons, and your study that you took home to the practice room?

"Trust your guitar teacher."

"No really, a teacher can give you much useful information, but if the student doesn’t use it or apply it, then it’s not going to do them any good. Everything you take home from a lesson is of vast important nature. It all comes back to the work ethic for me, if your given information, go home and work on it. It’s all on you, don’t let your teacher down. Five minutes a day is better than no minutes a day.

During our lessons you might give me a scale, 1,2,b3,4,5,b6,7(harmonic minor) I would go home, write it out in every key, 3 note per string forms, and play them until I retain the lesson information. Again, the best thing you can take away from your teacher is to do what your instructed to do. It’s not instant gratification, you must go home and practice, then look back a month or two, and then say what’s next. If you’re looking for instant gratification, you’re in the wrong business, it happens over a period of time.

Anyone can copy, and play others music, but I have learned more about what I know from writing my own music. I know you agree with me, creative conditioning makes you more aware of your knowledge, and skills, we’ve talked about it many times."

7. What is your daily practice routine like.

"I like to get up early, let the dogs out, I’ll make some coffee, then go upstairs and plug in. I’ll start going over all the songs, and solos, I want to play them while I’m tired. I call it “Zombie practice”.

When I’m tired, it’s difficult in a way, but I’m more relaxed, this pays huge dividends, you get to the point where’re you can play without even thinking about it that much. It’s one of those things I just stumbled onto.

I practice in 45-minute increments, take a 15-minute break, around 2-4 hours of playing a day. I Played this last solo I’m working on probably 100 times in the last day or so.

Scales, exercises, theory study, are based around the current material I am working on, as needed. I make sure to prioritize my time, so I show up to band rehearsal prepared to play. I continue to expand my knowledge and technique with lessons, and personal study on a regular basis."

8. Tell me about your current gear setup, what are your main guitars, amps, and effects?

Amps and cabinets: EVH 5150 Stealth, Marshall 4x12 1960 with AX 25watt gbacks, and Avatar 75watt Scumbacks.

Guitars and pickups: Gibson ‘82 Custom Les Paul Silver burst, Gibson ‘82 Custom Les Paul Silver with Tim Shaw pickups, Gibson ‘87 Custom Les Paul White with EMG 81/85 pickups.

Effects: MXR Phase 90, MXR Univibee, Boss DD3, Boss CE-1

Picks, strings, cables, shoes: Jim Dunlop 3.0mm Big Stubby and Tusq 1.mm small picks,

.009-.042 strings, Lava cables, Caribou Costa Rica light roast Vans ssk8 classics.

9. Jarod, what made you want to play guitar?

“Well, I couldn’t really sing, or dance, and had become disinterested in sports. Many of my friends were musicians, and it just seemed like a natural progression for me to get into playing guitar. I didn’t get that serious about it until after high school, I noticed that the harder I worked, the better I got, and the more fun I started having with it."

Thank you Jarod!

"It was a Pleasure."

Dogs of Neptune "One Taste of Blood" album release is available on iTunes, https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/dogs-of-neptune/1127246108

You can also find them on Youtube, and Soundcloud.