Dave Reffett - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Dave Reffett is a hard rock and heavy metal guitarist, singer, producer and bassist from Blue River, Kentucky. He currently resides in the Boston, Massachusetts area. Reffett is best known as the singer, lead guitarist, and producer of the album “The Call Of The Flames” from his band project Shredding The Envelope. The album mixes thrash metal and hard rock with very technical and bluesy guitar playing. The release also featured performances from famous musicians George Lynch

George Lynch (musician)

George Lynch is a hard rock/heavy metal guitarist best known as a member of the band Dokken, his own bands Lynch Mob and Souls of We.-Pre Dokken:...

, Michael Angelo Batio

Michael Angelo Batio

Michael Angelo Batio also known as Mike Batio or MAB, is a guitarist and columnist from Chicago, Illinois. His work has encompassed many genres, notably metal and its subgenres. Batio was voted the "No. 1 Shredder of All Time" by Guitar One Magazine in 2003...

, Chris Poland

Chris Poland

Chris Poland is an American guitarist, best known for being a former member of heavy metal band Megadeth.-Early career:...

, Glen Drover

Glen Drover

Glen Drover is a heavy metal guitarist from Missisauga, Ontario, Canada. He currently resides in MississaugaOntario. Drover is best known as the former lead guitarist in Megadeth and King Diamond, as well as his own band Eidolon, along with his brother Shawn Drover.-History:Glen Drover began...

, Joe Stump

Joe Stump

Joe Stump is an American guitarist and composer. He plays neo-classical metal, in a style similar to that of Yngwie Malmsteen. He has released albums with his band, Reign of Terror, and as a solo artist. He also plays the lead guitar for the symphonic metal band HolyHell...

, Mike Mangini

Mike Mangini

Mike Mangini is an American drummer, and the current drummer for the progressive metal band Dream Theater. He has played for Annihilator, Extreme, James LaBrie, and Steve Vai, among others. He lectured at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and is also known for his work as a session musician...

and featured studio mixing from acclaimed producer Andrew “Mudrock” Murdock (Godsmack, Alice Cooper, Avenged Sevenfold) and was mastered by legendary engineer George Marino (Metallica

Metallica

Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...

, Kiss

KISS (band)

Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...

, AC/DC

AC/DC

AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...

, Guns N Roses). Producer Joe Clapp (Sully Erna of Godsmack) was the primary engineer used during the recording of the album.

In 2010 Bruce Dickinson

Bruce Dickinson

Paul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden....

the singer of the legendary heavy metal band Iron Maiden called the album “a must have” on his BBC radio program Friday Rock Show and called Reffett’s guitar playing “fantastic”.
Nationally Syndicated radio show Hard Rock Nights named Reffett’s “The Call Of The Flames” album the #5 album of the year in its “Best Hard Rock of 2010” list.

The album was also in the running for a Grammy nomination during the 53rd annual Grammy Awards voting season in many categories including “Best Hard Rock Performance” for the song “Caravan of Cannibals” and “Best Metal Performance” for “Devils Roadmap”.

In interviews Reffett has named Dimebag Darrell Abbott, Eddie Van Halen

Eddie Van Halen

Edward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen is a Dutch-American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...

, Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix

James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...

, Randy Rhoads

Randy Rhoads

Randall William "Randy" Rhoads was an American heavy metal guitarist who played with Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot. A devoted student of classical guitar, Rhoads often combined his classical music influences with his own heavy metal style. While on tour with Ozzy Osbourne, he would seek out...

, Dave Mustaine

Dave Mustaine

David Scott "Dave" Mustaine is the founder, main songwriter, guitarist, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Megadeth. Prior to Megadeth, Mustaine was the first lead guitarist and a co-songwriter of the heavy metal band Metallica until he was fired from the band in 1983. In 2009, he...

, Marty Friedman

Marty Friedman

Marty Friedman may refer to:* Marty Friedman , musician* Marty Friedman , basketball player and coach-See also:*Martin Freedman, Canadian judge*Martin Freeman...

, Michael Angelo Batio

Michael Angelo Batio

, Zakk Wylde

Zakk Wylde

Zachary Phillip Wylde , best known by the stage name Zakk Wylde, is an American musician, songwriter, and occasional actor who is best known as the former guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and founder of the heavy metal band Black Label Society. He was the lead guitarist and vocalist in Pride & Glory,...

, Slash

Slash (musician)

Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...

, George Lynch

George Lynch (musician)

George Lynch is a hard rock/heavy metal guitarist best known as a member of the band Dokken, his own bands Lynch Mob and Souls of We.-Pre Dokken:...

, Ted Nugent

Ted Nugent

Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...

and Billy Gibbons

Billy Gibbons

William Frederick "Billy" Gibbons is an American musician, actor and car customizer, best known as the guitarist of the Texas blues-rock band ZZ Top. He is also the lead singer and composer for many of the band's songs. Gibbons is known for playing his Gretsch Billy Bo guitar and his famous 1959...

among others as being influential to his playing style. Vocally Reffett has been compared to Dave Mustaine

Dave Mustaine

, Ronnie James Dio

Ronnie James Dio

Ronald James Padavona , better known as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with, amongst others, Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio, which means God in Italian. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser...

, Ozzy Osbourne

Ozzy Osbourne

John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...

, Axl Rose

Axl Rose

W. Axl Rose is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is the lead vocalist and only remaining original member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he enjoyed great success and recognition in the late 1980s and early 1990s, before disappearing from the public eye for several years...

and Sebastian Bach

Sebastian Bach

Sebastian Bach is a Canadian heavy metal singer who achieved mainstream success as frontman of Skid Row from 1987 to 1996. Since his departure from Skid Row, he has had many television roles, acted within Broadway plays, and leads a successful solo career.-Early life:Bach was born Sebastian...

.

Some of his favorite artists include Kiss, Megadeth, Pantera

Pantera

Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...

, Van Halen

Van Halen

Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...

, Metallica, David Allan Coe

David Allan Coe

David Allan Coe is an American outlaw country music singer who achieved popularity in the 1970s and 1980s. He has written and performed over 280 original songs throughout his career...

, Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson

Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...

, Hank Williams Jr, Anthrax

Anthrax

Anthrax is an acute disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Most forms of the disease are lethal, and it affects both humans and other animals...

, Ronnie James Dio, Judas Priest

Judas Priest

Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...

and Ozzy Osbourne. In an interview with Estonia’s Metal Storm, Reffett named “Kiss Unplugged" by Kiss, "And Justice For All" by Metallica, "Rust In Peace" by Megadeth, "Holy Diver" by Dio, and "Powerslave" by Iron Maiden as some of his all time favorite albums.

In late 2009 he formed Shredding The Envelope along with his fiancée and writing partner Nancy Taylor. He is also a very in demand Boston area guitar teacher. He gives lessons in person and online via Skype

Skype

Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system...

. Reffett is also on the faculty at the Real School Of Music in Burlington, Massachusetts teaching guitar and bass.

Childhood and Early Life

Dave Reffett the son of a coal miner grew up in the hills of the Appalachian Mountains

Appalachian Mountains

The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...

in Eastern Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

and began playing trumpet, tuba, baritone, and French horn at age 11 and picked up the guitar at age 13 when he was inspired to do so after seeing the Metallica video “The Unforgiven

The Unforgiven (song)

"The Unforgiven" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released as the second single from their eponymous fifth album Metallica...

” following an episode of MTV’s “Beavis and Butthead”. In 1999 at age sixteen he released one album with the short lived band Graveyard Earth called “Warning Shot”. Reffett was forced out of the group after he voiced his distaste of the bands overall direction. Upon leaving Kentucky and moving to Denver, Colorado

Denver, Colorado

The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...

, Reffett joined the band Moore playing many live shows but releasing no records with the band. He quit during the recording of what would have been their first album together.

Reffett while finishing high school in Denver was contemplating taking the Berklee College of Music up on a scholarship offer that he had been given while attending a summer program there the previous year. He decided to take advantage of the scholarship after he had a chance meeting with one of his childhood heroes Megadeth frontman and thrash metal pioneer Dave Mustaine

Dave Mustaine

. In 2001 Reffett won a KBPI

KBPI

KBPI is an active rock radio station based in Denver, Colorado. The Clear Channel Communications outlet broadcasts with an effective radiated power of 100 kW and has a transmitter in Boulder, Colorado...

radio contest to meet Mustaine and asked him if he should take the Berklee scholarship or hit the road in a band. Mustaine told him “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, if you’ve got the chance to do something like that for free go get as many weapons in your arsenal as you can and make your army as tough as it can be”.

Reffett took Mustaine’s advice to heart and studied hard eventually earning a degree in Music Business Management from the Berklee College Of Music

Berklee College of Music

Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...

. He then went on to work in the business and legal affairs department at the now defunct Sanctuary Records Group and at Virgin Records

Virgin Records

Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...

a division of EMI Music in the radio promotions and marketing departments. During his time at Virgin Records, Reffett helped market and promote acts as diverse as The Rolling Stones, Korn, Meat Loaf, KT Tunstall, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Janet Jackson and 30 Seconds To Mars. He got the idea for Shredding The Envelope in 2009 while he and his fiancée were going though old lyric sheets that they had written together. Reffett has been quoted in many interviews saying, “I really wanted to make an album that I would be the first in line to buy”.

Style

Reffett was a primarily self-taught player from age 13-18 taking very few lessons but ended up studying music and business at the world-renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA from 2003-2007. He was a recipient of the Berklee World Scholarship Tour award and the Berklee Best award. He has been noted for his articulate right hand picking technique and palm muting style. Guitar International Magazine wrote about Reffett “while he can solo with the best of them, what really stands out is his incredible right hand chord work. I have seen and heard a lot of guys speed pick solos over the years at blistering tempos, but few, if any, can match the speed and rhythmic variation that Reffett possesses with his chords." http://guitarinternational.com/2011/02/11/dave-reffett-interview-the-call-of-the-flames/Reffett Reffett is also known for his use of wide vibrato string bending, fretboard tapping, legato articulation, whammy bar dive bombs, use of artificial harmonics and chromatic passing tones in his songs. He often uses the blues scale, pentatonic scale and harmonic minor scale with lots of random chromatic passing tones when soloing. In an interview with They Will Rock You, he noted “Tornado of Souls” by Megadeth

Megadeth

Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...

, “Flying High Again” by Ozzy Osbourne

Ozzy Osbourne

, "Tooth and Nail" by Dokken

Dokken

Dokken is an American heavy metal and hard rock band formed in 1978. They split up in 1989 but reformed four years later. The group accumulated numerous charting singles and has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide...

, and “I Just Don’t Want To Say Goodbye” by Shredding The Envelope as some of his all time favorite guitar solos.

Guitars

Reffett is an artist endorsee of both Gibson guitars and Esoterik Guitars. He has been seen playing Gibson Flying V’s in Guitar World magazine video shoots and has used both Gibson guitars and Esoterik guitars for Guitar World

Guitar World

Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...

magazine’s “lick of the day” iPhone application videos. In the pages of Guitar World magazine he was seen playing a Dean MAB1 Armorflame Michael Angelo Batio signature guitar

MAB1 Armorflame

The MAB1 Armorflame is Michael Angelo Batio's self-designed signature guitar, manufactured by Dean in 2007.-History:A prototype of the MAB1 was first given to Batio in 2007, which he used at clinics and live shows, before it was mass produced and available to pre-order in 2008...

in the October and November 2010 issues respectively. He has also been seen in Indonesia’s Gitar Plus magazine and Poland’s Hard Rocker magazine playing a mix of Gibson and Dean guitars. For the recording of "The Call Of The Flames", Dave primarily used his Gibson Flying V guitars. For a couple of songs that had whammy bar dive bombs he used a BC Rich Bich; and on the clean intro to the song “I Just Don’t Want To Say Goodbye” he used a Yamaha nylon string classical guitar.

In 2011 at the Winter NAMM

NAMM Show

The NAMM Show is one of the largest music product trade shows in the world, founded in 1901. It is held every January in Anaheim, California, USA, at the Anaheim Convention Center...

show a San Luis Obisbo, California

San Luis Obispo, California

San Luis Obispo is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junipero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest communities...

based company Esoterik guitars unveiled a Dave Reffett Signature Model Guitar known as the DR-1. The guitar features all of Reffett’s favorite specifications such as a Floyd Rose tremolo system and Seymour Duncan Blackout Pickups. It also features his favorite wood combination a 5 piece Walnut neck with figured maple strips, a genuine Honduras Mahogany body and ebony over-lays, volume knobs and fret-board .

Reffett made headlines on popular heavy metal news sites for his jams with Chris Poland and George Lynch at the 2011 NAMM event. Guitar World Magazine tweeted photos of Reffett performing at the Eminence speakers booth and Premier Guitar magazine filmed Reffett and George Lynch jamming together at the Mr. Scary guitars booth.

Pick-Ups

In Guitar World video appearances Dave can be seen using a Seymour Duncan Dimebag Darrell Abbott signature “Dimebucker” pickup; a personal favorite of his in the bridge position. For the neck position he often uses a Seymour Duncan “59” Model Humbucker. In his Dave Reffett Signature Model guitar, he uses Seymour Duncan

Seymour Duncan

Seymour Duncan is a company that is best known for manufacturing of guitar pickups, and currently has a line of effects pedals. The company was founded in 1976 by guitarist and luthier Seymour W. Duncan and his then-wife Cathy Carter Duncan in Goleta, California, USA...

Blackouts.

Effects

On the Shredding The Envelope record Reffett uses a vintage 1978 Morley Power Fuzz Wah pedal that he has mentioned in many interviews. The pedal is the same model that Cliff Burton used on the first three Metallica albums; “Kill Em All”, “Ride The Lightning

Ride the Lightning

Ride the Lightning is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on July 27, 1984 through the independent record label Megaforce Records. The album was certified gold by the RIAA on November 5, 1987 and was most recently certified 5x platinum on June 9, 2003...

”, and “Master Of Puppets

Master of Puppets (song)

"Master of Puppets" is a song by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It is the title track and was released as the first single from their album of the same name....

”. He occasionally uses a Crybaby Wah pedal and uses various effects when producing in the studio.

Amplification

Reffett typically uses a Peavey 6505

Peavey 6505

The Peavey 6505 is named in celebration of Peavey's first 40 years, 1965 to 2005. It is identical to the 5150 series amp down to everything except the stock tubes and the name. The 6505 is well known for its high gain overdrive channel, and has seen widespread use throughout rock, hardcore and...

+ amp head. In the studio for “The Call Of The Flames” album Reffett ran his amps through a 4x12 Marshall cabinet loaded with Celestion vintage 30s and Greenbacks in mono and stereo. Now he endorses Eminence speakers and favors their Red Fang, Cannabis Rex and Wizard models. In the studio for some of his rhythm guitar parts he uses a Mesa Boogie

Mesa Boogie

Mesa/Boogie is a company in Petaluma, California that makes amplifiers for guitars and basses. It has been in operation since 1969....

dual rectifier amp.

Microphones

For recording vocals Reffett uses a combination of Shure

Shure

Shure Incorporated is an American corporation originally founded by Sidney N. Shure in Chicago, Illinois in 1925 as a supplier of radio parts kits. The company became a consumer and professional audio-electronics manufacturer of microphones, wireless microphone systems, phonograph cartridges,...

and Manley Gold Reference Microphone’s. For drum recording he uses Blue Ribbon Condenser mics and on his guitar parts he uses a combination of Shure, Sennheiser

Sennheiser

Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG is a private German audio company specializing in the design and production of a wide range of both consumer and high fidelity products, including microphones, headphones, telephony accessories, and avionics headsets for consumer, professional, and business...

and Manley mics.

Strings

Reffett uses D’Addario

D'Addario

D'Addario is a manufacturer of musical instrument strings, primarily guitar strings, currently headquartered in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York...

guitar strings, favoring the .009 to .046 models for soloing and most rhythm guitar parts while thicker gauges are sometimes used for alternate tunings and rhythm. Reffett’s favorite acoustic strings are Martin Lifespan SP gauge 0.12 to .054. He has also been known to sometimes uses Elixir brand strings.

Picks

Dave uses black and red Dunlop Jazz IIIs exclusively. For bass guitar he alternates between using finger style and Jazz III guitar picks.

External links

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