Shane Bumgarner
Posted by Fun DMC on September 1st 2018
Name: Shane Bumgarner
Band: The Mazed
What guitarists inspire you?
hmmm. Such a hard question. Really requires a great big long answer but I’ll try to keep it short. The interesting thing about this is that a lot of the guitarists I am influenced by, I have spent very little time learning or necessarily emulating. It’s more like inspiration by spirit, or osmosis.
David Gilmour, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, Alex Lifeson,, Randy Rhoads, George Lynch, Van Halen, Hendrix & Page were guys I spent a lot of time learning licks from. Pretty standard 70s & 80s guys that were big when I was growing up.
Other inspirational guys from that era that I listened to a ton of but maybe not learned a lot of note for note stuff:
Angus Young, Robert Johnson, Dave Navarro, George Harrison, James Hetfield, Dave Mustaine, Tony Iommi, Ricky Skaggs, Tony Rice, James Burton.
As I’ve aged blues guys, bluegrass and folk pickers, and really other instruments. Banjo, Mandolin, Fiddle Piano etc. There is always something or someone new out there to inspire you, and I try not to limit myself to any one style or genre. I love it all in some form or another.
What song has challenged you the most?
Probably Cliffs of Dover. I spent a few months memorizing and working on various parts of it, another year relearning with different fingerings from multiple tabs, and eventually just relearned it by ear using my own solutions to solve the fingering puzzle. It really opened my mind to a lot of different kinds of fingerings and phrasing things that I was not getting from other guitarists, and to this day there are probably things that come out in my playing that started with that song.
What’s your favorite song to play in your current band’s set?
“Shine the Light” is the most varied in terms of guitar and also the most challenging to pull off, it’s a blast to play and covers a lot of territory.
What’s the most overplayed song?
I’m sure everyone has an opinion but I play in an original band so it’s not an issue for us. For me, every song I played a million times in the 90’s is the most overplayed song, and I still change the radio station if one of the songs we beat to death back then comes on.
What’s the most memorable thing that happened to you at a gig?
Wow. Well the easiest answer is I met my wife! Other than that there are a few that stand out… a drunk girl placed a handful of dirt, rocks and grass on my keyboards while we were on break.
Another time there was a fight inside a school bus the band was driving to gigs that resulted in a heavily bleeding scalp wound (for me) and a parking lot brawl with the arrest of an unruly bar patron.
We opened for a few national acts over the years but strangely, those were some of the least memorable gigs ever. I quickly learned you rarely meet the musicians and it’s just another gig except nobody is there to see YOU…
What was your first guitar pedal?
My first guitar pedal was a boss DOD distortion pedal, I used it with a giant Ampeg Bass amp and it was LOUD!
What’s your current rig?
Carvin Legacy III, the Steve Vai model. Love the three channels and it’s versatility. I use it with a Marshall 2×12 Cabinet & a Boss GT10. Pretty much stick with my old Mexican Strat & G&L Tele for my guitars. Pretty run of the mill, utilitarian stuff.