I talked with Chad Gerber, frontman and lead guitarist for The Suicide Denial, recently coming off playing the Vans Warped Tour. Chad was very cool and I enjoyed the conversation as we covered topics ranging from extreme weather to the downfall of myspace, to actually playing the guitar.

Chad has recorded with Teddy Zig Zag of Guns N Roses, Aloe Blacc (Stones Throw Records), Aaron Marsh (Colombia Records)and produced albums for Korben, The Suicide Denial, Twog Productions. He took some time to share some of his thought on a number of things …

On his guitars:
Chad’s guitar of choice is a Les Paul because of it’s sustain and he feel that a Les Paul’s tone reflects his inner voice. He’s really digging his Epiphone EJ-200 Jumbo Acoustic at the moment. He’s also a fan of Guild guitars.

On giving away their album, “We’ll Go Down Fighting”:

In 2008, the band had a deal with Target^® to release their album free their stores.

But the recession caused Target^® to back out. So Chad and the band released the tracks for free download online and this was a big success through which they gained a fan base in the US as well as internationally. This was a strategic marketing tactic also used by Fall Out Boy.

On the name of the band, “The Suicide Denial”:
In 2007, the tabloids were buzzing over the suicide attempt of actor Owen Wilson. The band’s name came from the idea that he was denied his attempt at succeeding at taking his own life.

On learning guitar:
Chad took classical lessons when he was younger and found that it was tough to stay inspired to learn guitar because it wasn’t the style of music he really wanted to play. Then one day he started playing guitar along to oldies and realized that there are really no rules … or at least there doesn’t have to be when playing guitar.

Chad feels what’s helped him improve the most as a guitarist is using his ears to learn and recognize what sounds good when playing with a band or other instruments.

However, he does say that the benefit of taking classical lessons was that it gave him a solid foundation in chord fingerings and fretboard techniques.

Who/What he listens to:
He’s a self-proclaimed film score buff and also a big fan of musician/composer/actor Jack White.

Charitable endeavours:
The Suicide Denial has been to Haiti to provide hydration packets to combat the cholera outbreak and to build homes for earth quake victims near the tent cities. Next up is a trip to Japan to help with the tsunami relief effort.

For more about Chad and his music, visit
SuicideDenial.com
Facebook Page
YouTube Channel

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