and you thought you knew.. Adam Lastiwka
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"Against all advice I have tried to diversify my interests in music and apply them to being the most versatile guitar player I can be. They say you gotta pick a style and stick to it if you want to make it in the music industry… So I guess I can say I make “film music” (if we have to narrow it down to a single genre)… but that genre enables me to create any style of music I can think of, and still be classical." |
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I went to meet a friend of mine at his girlfriend's store 'Vintage Funk' in Lethbridge, Alberta. He was playing me some demo tracks of his band and a friend of his, (who turned out to be Adam Lastiwka), was listening rather intently too. We passed comments and exchanged thoughts on the recordings and, after a while, it soon emerged that Adam was also an accomplished musician who would be interested in getting his music online. I suggested one of the ore reputable OMDs.. and sure enough, after a few days, Adam uploaded a few tracks as promised. When I heard 'Porta della ginstra' I was absolutely amazed at how this Canadian 18 year old could have the unmitigated audacity to compose and produce such an astonishing piece of music. I wasn't alone.. everyone here was just as knocked out as I was! Adam's guitar playing in particular was incredibly skilled and accomplished but it was the rich assortment of ear candy that his music in it's entirety represents that is truly bewildering. I knew then that I would not have been able to sleep nights if I hadn't dragged him in to answer the inevitable questions and answer for his sins..
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The Interview - August 2004 |
| Welcome to IOM Adam.. can we begin with you telling us a bit about your background in music? |
I started to play guitar at the age of 14 ( January 11 th , 2001 , to be exact haha) and I haven't put it down for a day since. I hadn't touched a musical instrument prior to that date, but I felt an incredible drive to just being playing something. I started by making really bad electronic music with an immense passion for “ambient” stuff… unfortunately I had absolutely no musical knowledge, so it was all out of key and badly sync'd… I played guitar for eight months before my parents encouraged ( begged *cough cough) me to take lessons… I reluctantly agreed to swallow my pride and enrol in some kind of formal music instruction.
My ego was destroyed when I began (and still is for that matter) because I thought I knew everything. Ahah I'm glad to say that Mr Jeff Beal advanced my playing cosmically… he decided to stop teaching guitar and I went to a prog rock obsessed guy named Jim McLaren who really expanded my appreciation for complicated music.
I started composing theatrical pieces for originally written school plays directed by Sharon Peat, this encouraged my dislike for drama, but nurtured my love for film and theatre composition, I owe her much for giving me those opportunities (not only for the experience, but because I won awards from them).
Recently I've been playing a lot of acoustic guitar and trying to innovate the techniques used by Michael Hedges, Leo Kotke, Chet Atkins, Lenny Breau, and Pat Metheny… Against all advice I have tried to diversify my interests in music and apply them to being the most versatile guitar player I can be. They say you gotta pick a style and stick to it if you want to make it in the music industry… So I guess I can say I make “film music” (if we have to narrow it down to a single genre)… but that genre enables me to create any style of music I can think of, and still be classical. |
| What would you say have been your pivotal musical influences? |
| 90 percent of music comes from other music, so I think it's safe to say that 90 percent of my music has come from listening to other music. I love guitar oriented stuff like Steve Vai, Satch, Tony MacAlpine, all that cool stuff from the 80's haha, I love soundtrack music and ambient stuff and will always have a place in my heart for electronic music. I think my best music comes from that 10 percentile region that isn't inspired by other music… the kind of stuff that is a surprise even to you as you create it… |
| What could you tell us about “high points” in your musical career? |
| I think just being able to wake up every day and play and record is as high as I think it has to get… whether I'm being paid for it or not is regardless… it keeps me sane… hahaha |
| How about low points? |
| Being a completely serious and devoted musician at such a young age is a pretty low point because not many people take you that seriously, so it's hard to get work. I guess I'll just practice alone in my room for endless hours until I think I'm good enough to take on the world. |
| If you could turn the clocks back, is there anything you would have done differently? |
| I would have liked to gotten into music at a younger age, but maybe it took 14 years of suppression in order for me to be so driven... who knows, I don't like to regret things though. |
| Who did you work with on your most recent projects and what would they be? |
Almost always just me. Sometimes me and a friend will do a collaborative tune, but it usually never gets anywhere.
The last thing I did was a soundtrack for a theatre piece called “less?” that I won “ best sound design and execution” or something like that… the award was kind of offensive to my artistic side because It was placed under a “technical” category… and I don't think the judges knew that all the music was originally composed.. but whatever, I got recognition for it so I don't like to complain… it was great experience too… right now I'm just working on getting some good recordings done and advancing my musicianship. |
| If you could pick a favourite track from your recent work what would it be? |
| Right now I'm working on a track called “northern lights” that is utilizing my (what I like to consider) innovative acoustic guitar techniques to convey the feeling you would get if you where watching The northern lights… A few days ago we were out at my friend's acreage watching them, it's just an amazing thing to experience. |
| What musical instruments/equipment do you normally use? |
Ibanez RG-770 with divided pickup, Ibanez Salvador classical, and Ibanez Soundgear 6-string bass… I'm quite fond of Ibanez guitars. Ahhaha. Also a Song “original” … that is hand made up in Calgary , they are quite amazing guitars. As well as a Garrison G-20 acoustic and a Juan De La Mancha flamenco guitar. I'm using a Laney pro tube lead amp, and I have a few Boss micro rack effects. For a guitar and keyboard synth module I use the Roland GR-20, its spectacular. I use a Radium USB-49 softsynth midi controller for keyboard stuff…
For recording equipment, a PC I built, an old Yamaha 6 channel mixer, 3 Samson R21 mic's, I use FruityLoops and Cubase for mixing and sampling in… I like FruityLoops because although it has a really easy learning curve, it can get as complicated as Cubase if it has to. |
| Do you have a favourite instrument either as a player or appreciator? |
| My Ibanez RG-770 that I “modified” to suit my artistic needs… I pretty put a collage of guitar places faces eyes and mouths behind the clear pick guard… to me, its quite lovely, hahah |
| Can you remember your first stage and/or studio experience? |
| I was playing “Fly me to the moon” with a jazz quartet in front of maybe 250 people… that was huge for me, I couldn't even look up at them. Ahhaha actually that still is huge to me, I'd do anything to have that opportunity again. Haha I'm not sure if I'm kidding :0 |
| What five albums would you want to find if you were stranded on a desert island with enough food, water, a copy of IOM, an amazing audio/video editing suite, and the world's first thought controlled CD player? |
| Steve Vai – Alive in an Ultra World, Michael Hedges – Oracle, Pat Metheny – One quiet night, Tool – Lateralus, Adam Lastiwka – haha ( sure it might be kind of eccentric, but I love listening to my own music). |
| Do you have a favourite album cover of all time? |
| I think it would be King Crimsons “ the court of the crimson king” that's a face I would never want to look at when I wake up! |
| and what, may we ask, are the five albums you listened to most recently? |
| Paco de Lucia – Luzia, Michael Hedges – Aerial Boundries, Thornley – come again, Phillip Glass – North Star, Pulse Ultra – Headspace. |
| What five movies did you watch most recently? |
| Scarface, The Last Samurai, The Godfather Pt. 2, Donnie Brasco, and Fahrenheit 9\11. |
| Which artist would you most like to meet or borrow a bag of sugar from as a next door neighbour? |
| Mr Steve Vai, ever since I started playing guitar I've been listening to his music and learning his songs… they are entire lessons! |
| If you could have been responsible for writing the best song or piece of music ever written, what would it be? |
| Easily, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, written for the Russian Orthodox church, such an amazing and inspirational piece that I grew up listening to (in fact I'm listening to it right now, he he). |
| If you could have three wishes, what would they be? |
| My first selfish wish would be to know what people are thinking. Ahhahahahhaha, also to be known as an artist by everyone, and make a wonderful living from it. Haha you guys forgot to say “ and it can't be more wishes” hahaha I WISH FOR MORE WISHES! he he. |
| On to the more intimate side of Mr Lastiwka.. what did you dream about last night AND you can't say 'I do not remember'... |
| I dreamt me and a bunch of my friends where trying to hunt a sasquatch in this really big forest, in a place called sasquatchewn, we eventually got him but realised that the sasquatch was a part of all of us… and everyone's mom was really hot, it was so weird… |
| And, if we were to “shadow” you on a typical day, what might we do? |
| Wake up, practice for a few hours; go teach guitar for a bit, go to the gym, then running ( no one likes a chubby guitar player now…hahah) then come home and either go out for a bit, or record music. I couldn't ask for a better life. ahha |
| What did you do, the day before yesterday? |
| Geez, I was swimming in a huge pond thing at my friends house and I found a leach on me and I went insane and took 3 showers just to make sure there weren't any more… ahha I'm sure I played guitar and a read a book too! |
| If someone were to tell you to pack your bags and 'never come back' what would you take? |
| My guitar, some underwear, but only the pairs that I like wearing… why do we call them Pairs of underwear too? I mean there is only ONE … and…When people say “the wind is blowing” that's just crazy… if it wasn't blowing, it wouldn't be the wind? Right… |
| What bugs you most? |
| BUGS!! I HATE BUGS… I once found a centipede in my bed and I slept terrible for days after! |
| What makes your day really shine? |
| When I can wake up and feel like doing something, and go do it… hahah |
| I hate to end it all like this Adam but.. finally, what are your plans for 2004? |
| To work my ass off and hope something unexpected happens… |
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Adam Lastiwka was interviewed by Colin Lynch - August 2004 |
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