Here's a cool interview Gorilla had with the one and only...... Chimp Spanner!!


Hello Paul! How's the insane ChimpSpanner doing?
Hi Kenny! Apart from being utterly rubbish at replying to messages, I’m doing fine. Slowly working on new material – I’d be quicker if I wasn’t so fussy but, ultimately it’ll be worth it for everyone involved!

One question I always wanted to know… How did you get the name ChimpSpanner?
That information no longer resides in my memory banks. Well, okay, it does. But the story is really dull!! I’ll give you a clue; find some other words similar in meaning to “chimp” and “spanner”. You’ll get it soon enough ;)

When did you first start playing guitar?
I started playing guitar towards the end of high school/beginning of college, around 2000. I’d been playing keyboards for a long time before that though (since around 4 or 5).

Who were your influences while learning to play?
When I first started out, I was listening to a lot of Nu and industrial Metal. So bands like Korn. Fear Factory and Slipknot introduced me to low tunings and samples/layering/etc. It wasn’t until quite late that I was introduced to Mnemic. They were my gateway to stuff like Meshuggah, In Flames, and all the other crazy-ass stuff coming out of Europe.

Do you play any other instruments?
Sure! I was a keyboardist first, although I don’t play that nearly as much now. I also play bass. And like most techy/djenty guitarists, I’m a closet drummer. I only owned a kit for about a year before I took up guitar. But for some reason, every time I get behind a kit (about once a year) I’m able to play most of my ideas. If I can ever afford a V Kit I’d like to get my drumming up to the same level as my guitar playing!

What's your main guitar right now?
A lot of people assume it’s my RG2228 but I’m actually playing more 7 strings than anything at the moment. In particular my RG7420 is seeing a lot of action, even if the stocks don’t sound great on it. I just love the feel of it, especially for lead work. I still have my old 1527 Prestige kicking around as well. Love that guitar!

Have you tried or do you own a Axe Fx?
I’ve tried one, very briefly, when Misha brought it to my house! But at the time he was still getting to grips with it, and it was loaded full of his presets which work better for his playing style. So at the moment my experience is really quite limited.

Would you use one for 'live' shows?
Perhaps! I mean, it’s an expensive piece of kit and living in the UK means that effectively I’d need to own two in case anything goes wrong. Currently I use Line 6 gear. It hasn’t crapped out on me yet, but at least if it does I can easily get spares or repairs. I had a chance to take my X3 Pro out on tour and it performed admirably against an Axe FX and a bunch of real amps. For now I’m happy with what I have…but if anyone feels really generous…

Can we expect some new material from Chimpspanner soon?
Man I hope so haha. Last year was kind of difficult, in that there was a lot going on with Basick, the album, and also some family health issues. So I’m a little bit behind in my efforts. Plus I’m just a bit of a slow poke. But it *is* coming. When I’ve finished this interview, I’ll go straight back to recording!

EP or full length?
EP, but also working on tracks for a full length. I’m not sure I want to include the EP tracks on the album, although it’d make life easier. But unless I could really do something new with the tracks I’m not sure I’d be cool with asking people to buy them twice. We’ll see!

Do you still do everything on your releases?
Sure do. Live wise, I’m open to changes here and there – my drummer often adds in little phrases or tries new things. Maybe at some point I’ll write with the other guys, but because of distance it’s just more practical to do it all here in my room. It’s also kinda lonely too. Isn’t that sad!

If so, just how hard or easy is it for you to do everything?
It’s easy in as much as realizing ideas is, in theory, a very fast process. But it’s hard in that sometimes I just sit banging my head against my desk with the same 8 bars on repeat. Without another set of ears it’s really hard to know what’s working and what’s not. Where I previously would upload material to the internet and get reactions from forums and online communities, I’m having to keep a tighter lid on stuff so as to give Basick as much to work with as possible. So yeah it’s a little frustrating sometimes, and when it’s not “happening” it’s really demoralizing! But you kind of just keep plugging away in the hope that one day you’ll wake up and it all fits together.

Do you still use ToonTrack for drums?
Always! Toontrack very kindly added me to their artist roster and sent me their entire collection of products. I’m being really predictable at the moment and using Metal Foundry for everything, but once I’ve caught up with everything I have to and am free to start experimenting more, I can’t wait to dive into the other collections.

What's a typical day for you when your not shredding on your guitars?
I do a lot of digital art in my spare time, learning 3D software and making geeky or abstract nonsense. I love films. Oddly enough I don’t listen to so much music!

Thanks Paul for this speed interview!

Here's a video of ChimpSpanner in action!

photo is property of rightful owner and 100% goes to them!