Photo by Mark Alexander
Best known for his death-defying antics as Chastain’s shredding six-stringer, David T. Chastain’s legacy has gone on to grow to heights he couldn’t have imagined. In the years since Chastain’s heyday, which combined Chastain’s seething licks with Leather Leone’s soaring vocals, the Atlanta, Georgia native has gone on to found and run Leviathan Records and Diginet Music. But that’s not all, as Chastain has also released a ton of outstanding solo records of the years, such as 1987’s Instrumental Visions, 1998’s Acoustic Visions, 2001’s Rock Solid Guitar, and more.
But what’s perhaps more exciting—if you’re an ’80s shred fan—is that Chastain is back in action and featuring Leather Leone out-front again, reuniting one of the decade’s finest tandems. And so, of the neo-classical inspired licks heard across albums like 1985’s Mystery of Illusion, 1986’s Ruler of the Wasteland, and 1988’s The Voice of the Cult intrigued you back in the day, to be sure, Chastain’s latter records, such as 2017’s We Bleed Metal, will fill the void.
Looking back on his career, David T. Chastain beamed in with ClassicRockHistory.com to give the rundown on his origins on guitar, his process, gear choices, greatest triumphs, and what lies ahead.
An Interview With David T. Chastain of Chastain
Photo by Steven Taylor
What inspired you to pick up the guitar?
I was always attracted to the lead guitar solos when I heard records while I was growing up. My parents had an acoustic guitar around the house that was almost impossible to play but someone showed me a couple of chords and then I learned the rest on my own through practice, jamming and studying music theory. In high school, my best friend played in a band, and eventually, I joined his band.
Who were your most significant influences? How do they remain within your sound, and how have you diverged?
I have always liked the heaviness of bands like Black Sabbath, but I was attracted to more sophisticated guitarists such as Allan Holdsworth, John McLaughlin, and Al DiMeola as far as the guitar solos go. Growing up in the South, I also liked the improvisational jams by the Allman Brothers. So, I guess that would be it: The Heaviness of Sabbath, the technicality of fusion guitarists, and the improvisation of the Allman Brothers.
Fortunately, the Atlanta music scene had lots of local bands playing original material that covered all three of those styles during my formative years. I believe I have touched on all three of the influences in my career. How have I diverged? I guess I became more influenced over time with classical music. So, that provided another influence that wasn’t a factor at the start although I was fortunate enough to see The Juilliard String Quartet in college so that lit that fire fairly early.
I went back to my dorm room, picked up my guitar, and started playing all these harmonic minor classical riffs that had been hidden within me. Those have been bouncing in my head for decades, and I recorded some of them on Neoclassical Compositions #2. I call them “Classical Jigs.”
Do you remember your first guitar and amp? What did that rig teach you?
I am not sure of the unnamed, very early guitars/amps, but I don’t consider any of the old stuff seriously until I got a Gibson SG and a Marshall 50W with an 8 10s cabinet. What did the rig teach me? That a loud, distorted guitar can change the world!
What was your first professional gig?
My first “paying” gig was when I had barely started playing, and we played a dance, and after two or three songs, they came up to us and said, “We will pay you if you just stop playing!” Pretty funny but true. My first “big” show was a talent show in High School with over 1000 people that went very well. We won!
Was the Sunset Strip as wild as it’s made out to be? Any stories to tell?
Well… we only played the Whiskey once, so I am no expert on the scene, but a visit to the area earlier convinced me that I needed only to play my material if I ever wanted to “make it.” CJSS was planning on moving to L.A. when we started, but we had such a great thing going on in Cincinnati that it would have been financial suicide to move out West. Chastain did play at other venues in the L.A. area back in the day. From what I remember, the Country Club was a great place to play, but it wasn’t on the strip. There are no scandalous stories about the area…. for public consumption.
How do you view the way you play today vs the past? What has changed most?
Generally speaking, I think I still play the “Chastain way” that I always envisioned—incorporating the four things I mentioned before. However, I must admit that I have tried to avoid the “too many” notes playing that I was guilty of during the “super shred” era of the late ’80s.
My last solo album was Neoclassical Compositions #2, which was just acoustic guitars and clean electric guitars. 2 guitar tracks per song and was counterpoint playing. It’s all basically improvised. But I still “shred” down in the studio during my practice sessions each day when writing new music to keep the chops up for any metal recordings in the future.
Tell me about your riff and solo writing process.
Honestly, I write new music every day and always have, and I have hundreds of hours of backlogged music. When I pick up a guitar, it is never to practice scales or solos; it is to come up with new song parts. Fortunately, but also, unfortunately, that music flow never stops coming out of me.
Give me a guitar, drum machine, and recorder, and I can develop enough new musical ideas for an album in an hour. Not the lyrics or necessarily the arrangements, but new riffs and parts… absolutely. I have done just that as a practice exercise. The music never shuts off. Therefore, there is too much music to choose from when it is time to record an album. I usually just go with what I have recently composed.
How do you view guitar solos in the modern era?
Guitar solos today? Annoying! Just kidding, but kind of true. To each his own. There is no correct answer. However, the last thing on earth I personally want to hear is a bunch of arpeggios and a thousand notes in four measures. I like the new players taking the guitar in new directions, such as Marcin, Polyphia, and Steve Vai using the three-neck guitar. Something interestingly different.
There are so many technically proficient guitarists today that the “oddballs” stand out as the true innovators. In playing solos, they are all improvised, so whatever happens happens. I almost never work out a solo in advance. There are just a few rare cases where there are harmony guitar parts. When we do videos of songs we have already recorded, I can’t pick out exactly what the “guy” on the record played. It is pretty embarrassing that I can’t learn my solos.
Tell me about your guitars, amps, and pedals. What goes into those choices?
At this point, and for the past 15 years, it is mainly a Kramer Les Paul model. I think it is called the “Classic.” One of the guitars Kramer gave me for being the model in one of their ad campaigns. (a Baretta ad) The guitar I am left with in my collection “speaks to me.”
While I still have some Marshall cabs and amps, I am mainly just recording and playing straight into a recording console through a Line 6 POD or Digitech RP-90. I only play loud in a band rehearsal or live situation. Fortunately, I haven’t had to do that in 6 or 7 years. At this point, I am not a fan of live performances.
Of all your records, which is most meaningful, and why?
Of my 50 or so albums, none is the most important personally. However, for career advancements, I would say the first Chastain album, Mystery of Illusion, and my first instrumental album, Instrumental Variations. But the Cincinnati Improvisational Group album, Freeform Free for All, has my most intense solos.
And then, my only fusion album, Next Planet Please, and the Chastain album, In Dementia, is the one I’d choose as the closest album of mine to perfection. All the boxes are checked: material, performance, emotion, and production. But then there’s Southern Gentlemen’s Exotic Dancer Blues, which showed my hard rock guitar playing and vocal influences.
Of course, there’s Chastain’s Surrender To No One, which re-established Chastain with Leather Leone on vocals after an over 20-year period of being apart. And lastly, the album 1321 represents the best of that new era.
Do you have any regrets or anything you’d change?
In the late ’80s, we were offered a major label recording contract that I passed on. That might have taken Chastain to another level, but then again, we are still in business, and 90% of the bands who signed those contracts are no longer around. Most of those deals are rip-offs, but a major label can raise your visibility. So, do you want to be famous and broke or able to sustain your existence on a lower level? I chose the latter, but it could have been an interesting ride with the former.
What are your short and long-term goals? How will you achieve them?
At this point, I have reached all the goals that I set out to conquer when I became a professional musician at 18. I have always made a living in the music business in one way or another, so I am thankful for that. I never had a “straight” job. I don’t think I ever set out to be the biggest or brightest star in the universe.
My main goal when starting out was to get a multi-track recorder just to be able to record my musical ideas. Putting out records and touring was just an avenue to support that goal financially. I recently opened these four large boxes of press about me and my bands over the years.
That is something I never really cared about other than helping to sell albums. I was impressed with how much there was. I had a helluva of a publicist in Ida S. Langsam in NYC. I guess someone out there liked us from the tons of positive press generated over the years. I guess the long-term goal as with most people is just “Fighting To Stay Alive.”
Photo Courtesy of David T Chastain
An Interview With David T. Chastain of Chastain article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2023
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