Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Continue to Influence the Guitar Work of Teague Stefan

I first heard Teague Stefan out behind a little local cigar lounge, playing in the parking lot next to the dumpster. That's where I go to hear some of the best blues in Central Florida. Teague's talent immediately caught my attention and I consider myself somewhat of a critic. His guitar work and original material kept me listening from the first song of the first set to the last song of the evening.

Since then, 26 year old Teague Stefan has been playing many more venues throughout the state of Florida. The first question I asked him was: Will you still remember me when you're famous and I ask you for an interview? Although he said he would, I figured I'd better do the interview now, just in case he followed in Derek Trucks footsteps. (I saw Derek Trucks in a local club in the '90's when he was in his early teens; I saw him again last October on stage with Eric Clapton! Needless to say, I was too late for the interview.)

What kind of music do you specialize in?

"Blues and blues flavored rock. It's kind of a combination of my two favorite styles of music; it's a great sound that you can move your feet to and is always open to musical interpretation. I like the power of the 1970's style rock trio; it also creates a great dynamic between musicians while you're playing. Everyone has the freedom within the music to experiment and drive the song to new places without disrupting it."

Who is your biggest influence?

"My biggest influence is Jimi Hendrix. That guy was amazing, as far as I'm concerned if you play modern electric guitar of any style he's your biggest influence. His abilities as a songwriter, poet, and guitar player far exceed anyone to date. He transformed music forever. I remember my dad giving me a copy of 'Are you experienced?' when I was 8 or so and I played that tape to death. I was totally taken with the power and insanity of that music. I really wanted to be able to recreate it instead of hum it and finally when I started on guitar I focused solely on the song "Fire" for like a month. Of course there are other players that have had a major influence on my playing and songwriting, like Billy Gibbons, Freddie King, Robin Trower, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Jimi is definitely my biggest influence though."

So you write your own material?

"Yes, I really enjoy writing my own material, having people get into a song that you've written is a great feeling. I like the process of watching a song grow from the early stages all the way to playing it out for a live audience. Once a song reaches that stage it really continues to grow, in smaller steps, but always growing."

What got you interested in Blues at such a young age?

"When I got started playing guitar I was really into Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Billy Gibbons. I thought those guys were like Blues innovators," Teague said with a laugh. "I really cut my teeth on playing along with their CDs. But I went to a blues jam one night after I'd been playing for about three years in Asheville, North Carolina. I had a friend get me onstage with some insane story, but I got up there and played for my first live audience and the guy that was hosting thought I did a pretty good job. Chuck "Dr. Blues" Beattie was the man and began a year long journey of teaching me all about who were the real blues innovators. That is where I discovered Freddie King, Johnny Watson, Earl King, Albert Collins, Albert King, Hound Dog Taylor, Eddie Jones, all these guys who just blew my mind with their guitar playing. I got deep into the Blues and began to build my own style of guitar."

Where does the Teague Stefan Band play?

"Right now, The Teague Stefan Band plays throughout the state of Florida, from Jacksonville to Ft. Pierce, in Orlando, Tampa, Gainesville and pretty much anywhere he can. I'm always looking to extend the footprint and any opportunity to play in a new area is a good opportunity."

How long have you been playing guitar?

"I've been playing guitar for 10 years. I started on the trombone when I was 9 and that was the start of things to come. I used to get frustrated because 'Smoke on The Water' just didn't sound right on the Trombone. But I was able to get a great foundation in music and playing for an audience through the school band."

Have you done any recording?

"Yes, I've done a little recording. I did a demo CD about 2 years ago, but recently we were able to get in the studio and do the first Teague Stefan Band complete album, "Hard Eight". It was a great experience and the project as a whole came out way better than I ever could have hoped for. The engineer we had at Phat Planet Studio's, Aaron Gandia, did an incredible job of taking what each of us were looking for in the sound of our particular instruments, and reproduced on the album. It was pretty grueling to record a full album in only two days but very satisfying to hear the end result. I've also been able to do some studio work since the recording of the CD as well."

What can you tell me about the band that will convince me you are on the way up?

"Recently one of the songs off the CD, "Dance With Me" was picked up by the 105.1 FM Scott and Erica morning show, and they now use it in the opening of their show. I also received an invitation to play and this years Springing The Blues festival in Jacksonville, Florida. This is a huge opportunity for me that I'm extremely excited about. I'll be playing on the same stage as a lot of my musical heroes with a chance to entertain the biggest crowd I've ever played for."

What is your goal as a musician?

"My goal as a musician is first, to be able to continue to do this for a living. Most importantly though, I think my goal is to play the style of music that I love to the best of my ability and to let people know that the Blues is what you make of it. It's such a freeing, emotional style of music that it can come in many forms and that no matter how you disguise its still the Blues. Granted, I'm never going to be mistaken for a Blues traditionalist, but make no mistake, it's where I get my influence."

Do you feel any momentum gathering?

"I really do feel like things are starting to pick up a little steam. It's hard to look at it in context of a week, or a month because things happen so slowly; but to look at a bigger picture like three months, six months or a year you can see that things are starting to happen faster and more frequently. More people know my name now than ever before and it seems like bigger things continue to come my way. It's like this snowball your pushing down a mountain, you pack it in your hands and drop it but it goes nowhere, but every time you kick it, it picks up a little more snow and rolls just a little bit further."

All I can say is that I hope I will be able to afford a ticket when Teague Stefan is playing at the Amway Arena!