Michael Angelo Batio

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Michael Angelo Batio

Background information
Also known as Mike Batio, MAB
Born Chicago, Illinois
Genre(s) Instrumental rock, heavy metal, neo-classical metal, glam metal
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, producer, columnist
Instrument(s) Guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals, drums
Years active 1985–present
Label(s) M.A.C.E.
Associated acts Holland
Nitro
C4
Website Angelo.com
Notable instrument(s)
Dean Double-Guitar
Dean Quad Guitar
Dean MAB 1 Armorflame

Michael Angelo Batio (pronounced /ˈbætioʊ/)(born in 1956) is an American virtuoso guitarist and columnist from Chicago, Illinois. He attended Northeastern Illinois University and received a Bachelor of Arts in Music Theory and Composition. In 2003, Guitar One Magazine voted Batio the fastest guitar player of all time[1][2]. MAB was also mentioned and listed recently in Guitar World Magazine in an article where he was listed as one of top 50 fastest guitarists in the world. The names were in alphabetical order, not by who they thought was the fastest.

Contents

[edit] Career

[edit] Early years

Batio started playing the piano and composing music at the age of five, and first played guitar at the age of ten, reportedly playing faster than his teacher within two years. At the age of fourteen, he started playing jazz guitar, and within two years he had won the Chicago-based "All-State Jazz Solo Award". Angelo attended Northeastern Illinois University, and achieved a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Theory and Composition. After he had graduated, Batio looked to become a session guitarist in his hometown. When he asked for a job at a nearby studio, he was given a piece of music and simply asked to play it. Naturally, Batio managed to play it and added in some of his own improvisations and fills, making him the studio's primary call-out guitarist[3].

[edit] Holland (1984-1986)

MAB began his recording career in 1985 when he joined new Chicago-based heavy metal band Holland, a project set up by ex-Steppenwolf vocalist Tommy Holland. The band released one studio album in 1985, entitled Little Monsters on Atlantic Records, which saw moderate success in the States. Holland split up soon after, releasing a compilation of material from the Little Monsters sessions, Wake Up the Neighbourhood, in 1999, through Batio's label M.A.C.E..

[edit] Nitro (1987-1992)

After the split-up of Holland, Batio joined glam metal singer Jim Gillette on his solo album, Proud to Be Loud. The two metal stars, along with bassist T.J. Racer and drummer Bobby Rock, then founded the band Nitro. In 1989, Nitro released their first studio album, entitled O.F.R., from which they released two singles, "Freight Train" and "Long Way From Home". The video for "Freight Train", which received much airplay on MTV, was notable for having Batio on his now famous "Quad Guitar", on which he 'played' the guitar solo.

By 1992, Rock and Racer had been replaced by Johnny Thunder and Ralph Carter respectively, and it was in this year that they released their second (and last) studio album, Nitro II: H.W.D.W.S.. Included on the album was a cover of Ted Nugent's "Cat Scratch Fever", which the band also recorded a music video for. The band split up soon after, but Batio was now recognised as a very advanced guitar player, and this gave him the chance to progress through the business.

[edit] Solo (1992-present)

After Nitro split up, Batio started a new band known simply as the Michael Angelo Band. This set-up was short-lived and featured singer Michael Coredt, bassist Allen Hearn, and drummer Paul Cammarata. The MAB did not release any albums, but three of their songs appeared on the 1998 Nitro compilation Gunnin' for Glory[4].

In April of 1993, Batio started his own record label, M.A.C.E. Music[5], which became one of the first labels with a website in 1996. He used this label when he began recording his first album, No Boundaries, which he released in 1995 under the name Michael Angelo. In 1996, Batio released his cover album of classical Christmas music, Holiday Strings.

Batio's next studio album was Planet Gemini in 1997, which showed a very progressive, experimental side to Angelo's music. Planet Gemini was released under the name Angelo. In 1999, Batio released his first instructional video, Jam With Angelo, as well as a companion CD entitled Tradition.

In 2000, MAB released his fourth full-length album, Lucid Intervals and Moments of Clarity, which was credited to Mike Batio and Rob Ross, the drummer. In 2003, Batio released his first DVD, the title release in his Speed Kills series, followed by the second, Speed Lives, in 2004. It was also in this year that Batio released a compilation album, Lucid Intervals and Moments of Clarity Part 2, which featured songs from his previous two studio albums.

In 2005, MAB released his highly anticipated cover/tribute/studio album, Hands Without Shadows, which featured guest appearances from such musicians as Mark Tremonti (Alter Bridge) and Rudy Sarzo (ex-Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake and Dio). In 2006, DVD Speed Kills 2 was released, in addition to the first in the new Hands Without Shadows DVD series, Performance.

Batio's latest release came in 2007, when his first two albums (No Boundaries and Planet Gemini) were remixed and remastered with additional drums, for an album entitled 2 X Again. Angelo also released three DVDs in 2007, namely Speed Kills 3, 25 Jazz Progressions and MAB Jam Session.

[edit] Style

Batio is ambidextrous, and can play two guitars at the same time - either in synchronization or using separate harmonies, as shown when he plays his famous Double Guitar. When playing one guitar, he plays as a right-handed person even though he is naturally left-handed. He is noted for his "MAB Over-Under" technique, which he invented, where he flips his hand over and under the neck, approaching the strings from above, then below, instead of from under the neck like other guitar players. Batio often plays with his fret hand above the neck, in a piano-playing style.

Batio taught guitarist Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave fame) while Batio was attending college. Tom has credited MAB with teaching him in a feature article in Guitar World Magazine in 2005. Batio also gave lessons to guitarist Mark Tremonti after Creed broke up and Tremonti wanted to learn more techniques.

[edit] Equipment

[edit] Guitars

Batio is an exclusive user of Dean Guitars[6]. He has also developed a signature guitar with Dean, known as the "MAB 1 Armorflame"[7].

[edit] The Double-Guitar

Batio was the inventor of the "Double-Guitar", a V-shaped, twin-neck guitar which is truly right and left-handed[8]. The first version of this Double-Guitar was actually two separate guitars simply played together, as opposed to being one entity. A Flying-V was fastened to a snare drum in a left-handed position, while another Flying-V was strapped around his shoulder, and they would be played separately and at the same time. The next version of the guitar, as designed by Batio and guitar tech Kenny Breit, featured a flight case latch attached to the back of each guitar, which could be assembled in five seconds. In October 2003, Dean designed and built the "Mach 7 Jet", and on March 6, 2007, the newest version was delivered to Batio. The first Double-Guitar ever built is now on display at the Chicago Hard Rock café, on the "wall of fame".

When the Double-Guitar was first used in concert, Batio noticed that the guitars created a lot of feedback when played together. He decided that he needed to invent a way to 'dampen' the strings when both guitars were played at the same time, and this resulted in the "MAB String Dampener", which is now available to buy from M.A.C.E. Music[9].

[edit] The Quad Guitar

As well as the Double Guitar, Michael Angelo also invented and designed the Quad Guitar[10]. The guitar was originally built in conjunction with Gibson, and built by Wayne Charvel in southern California. The top two guitars have seven strings, while the bottom two have the regular six. The first Quad, as used in the video for "Freight Train" was stolen in El Paso, Texas after the second show of Nitro's O.F.R. tour. When Batio was performing in November 2004, a young fan named Simon Jones and his father turned up with a guitar case which held inside the two seven string guitars of the Quad, as found by Mick Seymour. Dean also designed and built a Quad Guitar in 2007 for Batio.

[edit] Effects pedals

Batio's effects pedals are exclusively made by T-Rex, with whom he has also developed a signature model, the "MAB Overdrive"[11]. In his years with Nitro, Batio used Boss overdrive (DS-1, SD-1) pedals.

In the studio, Batio also uses the following effects pedals:

[edit] Pickups

Another signature piece of equipment Batio has helped develop is the "MAB Hands Without Shadows" pickup, which he uses in his Double Guitar when touring. The pick up is specially designed for shred guitar, and provides the clean tone Batio is accustomed to.

[edit] Strings

Batio is a keen user of Ernie Ball guitar strings, and uses the .009 to .042 models for soloing and most rhythm guitar parts, while thicker gauge strings are used for detuned guitars. The acoustic gauge is normally .010 to .046 or .011 to .052.

[edit] Picks

Michael uses black Dunlop Jazz IIIs as his guitar pick of choice, and has used the 'teardop' shape of pick since he first started playing. Different picks are sometimes used for acoustic playing.

[edit] Amplifiers

Batio uses Marshall JCM 800, 900, 2000 and JMP 1 amps and pre-amps. In the studio, he also uses a Rocktron Chameleon pre-amp and a Rocktron Voodoo Valve pre-amp. During his years with Nitro, Batio also used Randall amplifiers.

[edit] Cabinets

Batio's cabinet setup consists of 4x12 Marshall cabinets loaded with Celeston vintage 30s and Greenbacks in mono and stereo.

[edit] Discography

Main article: Michael Angelo Batio discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] Videos and DVDs

  • 1999: Jam With Angelo
  • 2003: Speed Kills
  • 2004: Speed Lives
  • 2006: Performance
  • 2006: Speed Kills 2
  • 2007: 25 Jazz Progressions
  • 2007: MAB Jam Session
  • 2007: Speed Kills 3

[edit] References

  1. ^ FASTEST GUITAR SHREDDERS. Phil Brodie Band. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  2. ^ Top 10 Fastest Shredders of All Time. Guitar One Magazine. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  3. ^ Michael Angelo Batio - Speed Kills - The #1 Fan Site. Speed Kills. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  4. ^ Nitro - Gunnin' For Glory. Encyclopaedia Metallum. Retrieved on 2008-05-31.
  5. ^ About Us. M.A.C.E. Music. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  6. ^ MAB Equipment. Angelo.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  7. ^ Michael Angelo Batio - MAB 1 Armorflame. Dean Guitars. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  8. ^ The Double-Guitar. Angelo.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-28.
  9. ^ The MAB String Dampener. Angelo.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  10. ^ The Quad Guitar. Angelo.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
  11. ^ PRODUCTS - MAB OVERDRIVE. T-Rex Engineering. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Michael Angelo Batio
Studio albums
Cover albums
Compilation albums
Videos/DVDs
Jam With Angelo · Speed Kills · Speed Lives · Performance · Speed Kills 2 · 25 Jazz Progressions · MAB Jam Session · Speed Kills 3
with Artists
Bands
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