Marty Friedman (guitarist)
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| Marty Friedman | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Martin Adam Friedman |
| Born | December 8, 1962 |
| Origin | Washington, D.C., United States |
| Genre(s) | Shred metal, thrash metal, neo-classical metal, instrumental rock, progressive rock, enka, j-pop, gagaku |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar |
| Years active | 1982 - present |
| Label(s) | Avex Trax, Shrapnel |
| Associated acts | Megadeth, Cacophony, Hawaii, Rolly Teranishi, Nami Tamaki |
| Website | Martyfriedman.com |
| Notable instrument(s) | |
| Jackson Kelly Marty Friedman Signature Ibanez MFM1 |
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Marty Friedman (born Martin Adam Friedman, December 8, 1962) is an American guitarist. He was the lead/rhythm guitarist for the thrash metal band Megadeth for close to ten years. He now resides in Japan. He hosted his own television programs, Rock Fujiyama and Jukebox English on Japanese television.
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[edit] Career
Friedman is a largely self-taught guitarist,[citation needed] known for his improvisation and for fusing an Eastern musical feel with Western musical styles, such as neo-classical, thrash metal and later on into progressive rock. When playing, Friedman often arpeggiates chords using a picking technique called sweep picking.
Prior to joining Megadeth, he formed and played lead guitar in several other bands, including Deuce, Hawaii, Vixen (not the all-female band of the same name), and notably Cacophony. Cacophony featured neoclassical metal elements and synchronized twin guitar harmonies and counterpoints shared with guitarist Jason Becker on their two albums, Go Off! and Speed Metal Symphony.
[edit] Megadeth
When Cacophony broke up in 1989, Marty Friedman auditioned for the thrash metal band Megadeth after a tip from fellow guitarist Jeff Loomis, and joined them in February 1990.[1] Friedman's audition can be seen as an Easter egg on the Megadeth DVD Arsenal of Megadeth. The first album he recorded with them was Rust in Peace, now considered a classic thrash metal album, and sold platinum in the US.[citation needed] He further developed his style of playing exotic scale solos from the Cacophony era, and integrated it into the music of Megadeth. In July 1992, Megadeth released Countdown to Extinction, which was a more commercial album, aimed at a wider audience, and sold double platinum.[citation needed] Friedman played on Megadeth's further releases Youthanasia (1994), Cryptic Writings (1997), Risk (1999). After a total of five studio albums with Megadeth, Friedman left the band in December 1999.[1] Later, he stated that he got tired of playing metal music and felt that he couldn't develop as a musician.[citation needed] In an interview with Ultimate-Guitar.com in March 2007, he claimed that Megadeth was not aggressive enough.[2] During Friedman's time in the band, they sold over ten million albums worldwide.[3]
[edit] Japanese life
Currently living in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, he travels the world giving clinics, performances and master classes in dozens of countries in Asia, Europe, North and South America. He has become a major force in the Japanese music scene, playing lead guitar in the bands of some of the country's most famous performers. He also appears on Japanese television and as a columnist for a major Japanese music magazine and a national daily newspaper.[4]
Friedman speaks fluent Japanese.[3] He became a regular member of the cast of TXN's musical TV program hebimeta-san (ヘビメタさん) (anglicized as "Mr. Heavy-Metal") with Japanese idol Yoko Kumada before the show came to an end in 2005. He had his own heavy metal TV program called Rock Fujiyama alongside Shelly, Kenny Guy, Rock Ninja Yorimasa and ex-Scanch member, Rolly Teranishi from April 2006 until March 2007. In November~December 2005 he went touring with Japanese singer Ami Suzuki inside her "Suzuki Ami Around the World" Live House Tour, which took place in cities like Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya.
More recently, Marty has been featured in Jukebox, a television program in which Marty and two Japanese people translate the lyrics of various English songs into understandable Japanese.
[edit] Recent activity
Friedman appeared on the track "Born Of Anger" on the album All That Remains by Fozzy. Friedman is a big fan of The Ramones (to whom he briefly paid tribute in the Arizona based cover band Rocket to Russia [5]) , Black Sabbath, Kiss (during its early years) and Frank Marino. He also included the track 'Peace' from the fifth Weezer studio album Make Believe on a list of his 'most listened to' songs on his official website. He has also appeared on Where Moth and Rust Destroy, the latest album of the Christian thrash metal band Tourniquet where he performed all guitar solos except two (which were performed by Bruce Franklin). He has also appeared as a guest on the Firewind album Forged by Fire.
In 2004 Friedman joined psychedelic trance musician Takeomi Matsuura (known by the alias Zeta) as a guitarist. Their full-length debut album was released January 4, 2007, also titled Zeta, and included remixes by psychedelic trance musicians such as Astrix and Rinkadink.
Friedman's album, Loudspeaker, was released in Japan on June 26, 2006. It entered the Japanese national chart at #33. This marks the first Top 40 chart position for any of his solo albums.
Marty's "Exhibit A-Live in Europe" CD and "Exhibit B-Live" in Tokyo DVD were released simultaneously in Japan on 8/22 by Avex. The CD and DVD feature different setlists, but with the same band members, Jeremy Colson, Ron Jarzombek and Chris Catero. The artwork was designed by legendary graphic artist Noritaka Sakai, who is responsible for Queen's most successful Japanese editions.
Marty has collaborated with Mutsuhiko Izumi, a video game composer known for his contributions to Konami's Guitar Freaks & DrumMania series to produce "MODEL DD8", and "LIBERTY", two songs featured on Izumi's album "HEAVEN INSIDE." A shorter version of "MODEL DD8" has appeared as the Premium Encore stage of the latest installment of the Guitar Freaks & DrumMania series, "Guitar Freaks V4 & DrumMania V4 Rock×Rock" as of October 28, 2007 in the e-Amusement network.
Marty also has contributed his voice to a character on the Cartoon Network Adult Swim show Metalocalypse.[6]
Marty has composed a song Kirei na Senritsu for the anime Maria-sama ga Miteru which was sung by KOTOKO in 2007.
On March 12th 2008, his eighth solo album, "Future Addict", was released in Japan. The album features reworked, reconstructed, and remade versions of some of Friedman's past songs from his career, as well as three new songs.
[edit] Equipment
Friedman has played a variety of guitars throughout his career. In his days with Cacophony, Friedman played Hurricane guitars, then Carvin guitars, primarily a V220M model. He also would use Carvin on his first solo recording, Dragon's Kiss.
When Marty joined Megadeth in 1989, he switched over from Carvin to Jackson Guitars. Primarily, he was responsible for popularizing the now highly acclaimed Jackson Kelly guitar, a sleeker and faster version of the Gibson Explorer Z style shape. The first line of KE1s, which were his signature models, had alder bodies with maple neck through construction and a single Seymour Duncan JB pickup as well as a Kahler Fine-tuning fixed bridge. Later versions of the KE1 would have a Floyd Rose double locking tremolo in place of the Kahler.
Marty used Jackson guitars up until 2000, when the company was bought out by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. Since 2000, Marty has endorsed Ibanez guitars. He has produced a signature model with Ibanez (based on the Ibanez SZ line of guitars), but this model is as of now only available in Japan and not in the US.
Marty also appeared as a guest guitarist in one of Metallica's live shows in Seattle, filling in for rhythm guitarist James Hetfield, after severe burns were inflicted on him by the stage effects the day before.
It is hotly contested what amplifiers Marty first used with Megadeth on their landmark album "Rust in Peace." He most likely used either a Bogner Fish or a Bogner Triple Giant and a Tube Works solid-state preamp for solos, along with a VHT 2150 power amp. Marty and Dave Mustaine both used Custom Audio Electronics 3+ Preamps and VHT 2150 power amps on the commercially successful "Countdown to Extinction" and "Youthanasia" albums. When recording started on "Cryptic Writings, Marty switched to Crate Amplifiers. He used these on all of his recordings after Youthanasia, primarily using Crate's highly successful Blue Voodoo tube amplifiers. As of 2007 however, Crate has discontinued the Blue Voodoo and Marty now uses ENGL amplifiers. He uses Special Edition heads and Vintage cabinets from ENGL.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Hawaii
[edit] Cacophony
[edit] Megadeth
| Date of Release | Title | Label |
| September 24, 1990 | Rust in Peace | Capitol Records |
| July 14, 1992 | Countdown to Extinction | Capitol Records |
| October 31, 1994 | Youthanasia | Capitol Records |
| July 18, 1995 | Hidden Treasures (EP) | Capitol Records |
| June 17, 1997 | Cryptic Writings | Capitol Records |
| November 1998 | Cryptic Sounds - No Voices in Your Head (EP) | Capitol Records |
| August 31, 1999 | Risk | Capitol Records |
[edit] Solo
| Date of Release | Title | Label |
| 1988 | Dragon's Kiss | Shrapnel Records |
| 1992 | Scenes | Shrapnel Records |
| 1995 | Introduction | Shrapnel Records |
| 1996 | True Obsessions | Shrapnel Records |
| 2003 | Music For Speeding | MF Music |
| 2006 | Loudspeaker | Avex Trax |
| 2008 | Future Addict | Avex Trax |
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Megadeth.com, Megadeth.com - History at Megadeth.com; last accessed December 29, 2007.
- ^ Ultimate-Guitar.com, Marty Friedman: 'I Didn't Think Megadeth Were Aggressive Enough!' at ultimate-guitar.com; last accessed May 5, 2007.
- ^ a b Martyfriedman.com, BIOGRAPHY of Marty Friedman at Martyfriedman.com; last accessed May 5, 2007.
- ^ J-POPメタル斬り He writes columns about J-pop music in Japanese monthly magazine Nikkei Entertainment (日経エンタテインメント！)
- ^ BLABBERMOUTH.NET - MARTY FRIEDMAN: Video Footage Of 2002 RAMONES Tribute Gig Available
- ^ ::Marty Friedman Official Website::
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Official website (Japanese)
- Rock Fujiyama official website (Japanese)
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