Recently, I caught up with Monte Pittman to discuss his latest record, The Power of Three, as well as Madonna, musical influences, and more.
You are known for being involved with a wide variety of musical genres. Which genre is your favorite to listen to? Which one is your favorite to play? Why? Who are some of your favorite artists?
I love the heavy stuff! It’s the most fun to play on the guitar and it’s what I grew up on. Lately, I’ve been getting into Iron Maiden pretty heavily. My all time favorites would be Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Prong, Nick Drake, Ray LaMontagne, Led Zeppelin, Jeff Beck, Freddie King, John Coltrane, and Thelonius Monk.
Do you ever catch any flack from the metal community for being musically involved with Madonna, or do metal heads generally respect your diversity?
Very little. Madonna is one of the biggest, greatest, and most important artists of all time. You’ll find that even if someone doesn’t listen to that kind of music, there’s something she’s done along the way that someone likes somewhere.
Speaking of the pop star, I’ve read online that you taught her the riff from Pantera’s “A New Level”. How did that go over?
I was giving her some tips to make her right hand better and I told her about this time Dimebag came to a Prong show. We were both discussing our love for Tommy Victor and his riffs. There are some things he [Dimebag] mentioned to me that later on changed my playing forever when I was back playing bass in Prong. That led to me showing Madonna the main riff to “A New Level” and she kept playing it all the time. It wound up in our setlist.
How were Max Whipple (bass) and Kane Ritchotte (drums) chosen to join you on The Power of Three? Have you collaborated on any other works?
Kane and Max are two of the best musicians I’ve ever played with. Kane played drums on my last album, Pain, Love, & Destiny. They played in a band together at the time. I was in need of a bass player and Max was the perfect choice. That’s when this band really came together.
What and/or who were your main inspirations, musically and vocally, during the writing and recording of your latest release?
Classic Metallica, Slayer, and Pantera, Jimmy Page, Steve Vai, Randy Rhoads, Acid Bath, Alice In Chains, and Soundgarden. I wrote the majority of The Power Of Three out in Death Valley one weekend and I had an acoustic guitar with me.
“Delusions of Grandeur” is one of my favorite songs on The Power of Three, and it’s the perfect follow-up to the album’s first song, “A Dark Horse”. Was this song written early in the process or was it conceived after you had a better idea of where the record was going?
I actually wrote them at the same time. I always record myself when I’m just jamming on the guitar and listen back in case I came up with anything. I wrote them to work together back to back. I had some of the riffs early on but the lyrics and melodies didn’t come until later.
What was it like to work with famed producer Flemming Rasmussen?
It was an amazing experience. I learned so much about recording and sound. It was great having someone there that made some of the albums that got me to where I am now. He always kept us in the right frame of mind when we were recording. We used a lot of the same gear he made the Metallica albums with. There are certain tones in the microphones and equipment that people are finding familiar.
Do you see yourself putting out any other metal records anytime soon?
Oh yes! I’ve got demos for the next two albums. I like to elaborate from what people say they like from what I’ve done before. Thanks for the questions!
