"I don't think I knew that making music was my vocation until, honestly, I was 18 or 19," says the now 24-year-old Jakob. "I had already graduated high school and I'd been playing with the guys in my band for a long time. I tried going to college, but after about a year I realised that I did not enjoy it. I missed playing music so much."
Fronted by Armstrong, the principal songwriter and rhythm guitarist, Ultra Q also features brothers Enzo and Chris Malaspina, who handle lead guitar and drums respectively, and bassist Kevin Judd. They're a tight-knit bunch with a chemistry that traces all the way back to when Armstrong and the Malaspina brothers met as five- or six-year-old playmates. Around the same time, Green Day were at the height of their second wave of popularity and Jakob had already begun subconsciously "soaking in all of this stuff," although he describes a childhood surrounded by rock stars as being "just normal" to him at the time. "Looking back on it, I can see that it's absolutely a large part of the reason I wanted to play guitar and be in a band," he reflects.
In their teens, Jakob and the Malaspinas began releasing music under the name of Mt. Eddy, with Judd joining the brotherhood later in high school. The brief dalliance with further education only served to crystallise their ambitions. "When we decided to come back together," Jakob recalls, "that's when we were like, okay, we're Ultra Q. We're a band and we want to do this as a career."
Denne historien er fra September 2023-utgaven av Total Guitar.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra September 2023-utgaven av Total Guitar.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
"You Can Imagine a Song in a Completely Different Genre" - The mysterious Lord Phobos, guitarist for TWRP, has covered everything from disco to Def Leppard in his collaborations with tongue-in-cheek duo Ninja Sex Party.
The mysterious Lord Phobos, guitarist for TWRP, has covered everything from disco to Def Leppard in his collaborations with tongue-in-cheek duo Ninja Sex Party. He explains what makes a great cover version - and reveals the one guitar and the one pedal he couldn't live without...
Some Things You Want to Tweak and Make Your Own- How the Foos' Chris Shiflett reworked two rock classics on his recent solo EP
Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett is also a solo artist in his own right, and his latest EP Starry Nights & Campfire includes Lights covers of two great old rock tracks - Thin Lizzy's Cowboy Song and the ballad Don't You Ever Leave Me by Hanoi Rocks, the Finnish band that did so much to inspire Guns N' Roses.
"It Gives Me Physical Satisfaction To Play Funk Riffs!" - Into the groove with Giacomo Turra, the Italian guitarist who made his name covering classics by Stevie Wonder, Bruno Mars and more...
Into the groove with Giacomo Turra, the Italian guitarist who made his name covering classics by Stevie Wonder, Bruno Mars and more... Born in Milan, his funk guitar sensibility can be traced back to the dance studio where his mother taught, and the tunes he heard blasting out of her boombox. "I like to experiment with a lot of genres, but the really interesting thing for me is I really grew up on funk, and a little bit of jazz and fusion music," he says.
- Try out these creative tips and make your cover versions stand out
Try out these creative tips and make your cover versions stand out
BEAUX GRIS GRIS & THE APOCALYPSE
Heavily requested on rock radio stations thanks to their unique twist on bluesy Americana, Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse are the kind of band that thrive in front of large crowds on hot summer days just as much as more intimate performances inside sweaty underground basements.
BOSS KATANA-50 GEN 3
The Japanese giant cuts through the noise with its new practice amp
SOLOKING MS-1 CUSTOM 22 HH
A great value guitar looking to clash headstocks with the big boys
IK MULTIMEDIA TONEX ONE
The most powerful amp modeller for its size, bar none
YAMAHA PACIFICA STANDARD PLUS PACS+12M
Yamaha's long-running doublecut finally gets a makeover
NO MORE MR.BRIGHTSIDE!
The 10 songs you should never cover. Or at least think twice before trying...