| NAME: Broderick Gray DOB: 3/5/69 ZODIAC SIGN: Pisces PLACE OF BIRTH: Massachusetts, USA STATUS: Married OCCUPATION: Musician, Owner (Mythic Force Records) INSTRUMENTS: Guitar, Drums, Keys, Vocals GENRE: Rock, Metal, Classical, Power Metal, Neo-Classical Metal GEAR: ESP MH-1000, ISP Theta Pro EXPERIENCE: Live Performance (17 yrs), Studio Recording (20+ yrs) YEARS PLAYING: 30+ TRAINING: Music Theory (2 yrs) INSPIRATIONS: Truth SUPPORTERS: Heather FAVORITE FOODS: Buffalo Wings, Pizza, Chinese FAVORITE DRINK: Strawberry Milk FAVORITE BOOKS: Dune, Rendezvous with Rama, 2001, 2061, 3001, Cosmos, Job: A Comedy of Justice FAVORITE WRITERS: Carl Sagan, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert A. Heinlein, Frank Herbert FAVORITE MOVIES: Star Wars IV V VI, Excalibur, Little Big Man, The Matrix 1 2 3, The Terminator 1 2, Blade Runner, Superman 1 2, Jacob's Ladder, THX 1138, Dark City, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Dune, The Game, Shawshank Redemption, Dragonslayer, Groundhog Day, Close Encounters, The Princess Bride, Tron, Spinal Tap, Jaws, Bad Lieutenant, Hardware FAVORITE TV SERIES: Family Guy, South Park, SNL, Ren and Stimpy, In Search Of, Psi Factor, Dr Who FAVORITE BANDS/MUSICIANS: Yngwie Malmsteen, Iron Maiden, Fates Warning, Megadeth, Metallica, Helloween, Annihilator, Apocrypha, Uli Jon Roth, Scorpions, Paul Gilbert, Marty Friedman, Jason Becker, Racer X, Vicious Rumors, Queensryche, Tony Macalpine, Dream Theater, Adagio, Symphony X, Nocturnal Rites, Kamelot, Time Requiem, Stratovarius, Angra, Majestic, Sonata Arctica, Elegy, Gamma Ray, Edguy, Impellitteri, Rhapsody, Primal Fear, Vitalij Kuprij, Savatage, Blind Guardian, Michael Angelo, Vinnie Moore, George Bellas, Borislave Mitic, Judas Priest, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Kiss, Rush, Pink Floyd, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Paganini, John Williams, Andrew Lloyd Webber BACKGROUND: I grew up in Georgetown Massachusetts. I became very interested in music when I was about four or five. I used to watch my cousin Tommy play the drums and I was mesmerized. He really made me want to be a musician. I started playing drums when I was six or seven. When I didn't have a drum set, I would grab some sticks and pound on anything from cardboard boxes to old tires. When I was about eight, I became interested in guitar because of rock music. Bands like Kiss, Led Zeppelin and other 70s rock bands were a pretty big influence. I became very interested in classical music at an early age as well. I was a big fan of John Williams and one of my favorite records was the Star Wars soundtrack. I got a piece of junk little guitar when I was about eleven and figured out a few things on it. That guitar didn't last very long though and a few years later I got a decent one that came with a chord diagram booklet. I learned a few chords from the booklet and almost everything else I taught myself. I pretty much locked myself in my room and didn't come out until I could play the guitar. I got a keyboard and took two years of music theory in high school. The theory helped with my keyboard playing and with writing. It was around this time that I became interested in metal. My brother had the tape "Power Slave" by "Iron Maiden" and I just about wore it out. About a year later, in 1986, a friend had me listen to his Yngwie Malmsteen record, Rising Force. I was totally blown away by Yngwie. Not only was he so classical and melodic, but I remember wondering how someone could pick all the notes individually so friggin fast. It was incredible to me and I was hooked. I later heard Tony Macalpine and was amazed yet again, then the incredible Paul Gilbert who became another favorite. I was determined to teach myself synchronized picking and alternate picking, as well as sweep picking arpeggios, and within about 2 years my guitar playing skills improved significantly. Throughout the nineties I played in rock and metal bands such as: Amethyst, Allegiance, Nyxx, Metal in Action, Final Prophecy and Mythic Force. In 94 I studied at the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Phoenix. I did an internship at Joy Productions where I met Richie Havens and helped on his album, Cuts to the Chase. |
