Artist Spotlight :: Jack Miele

Bio

Jack Miele is an 11x Platinum, 6x Telly, and 5x Global Music Award-winning audio engineer/producer/composer/multi-instrumentalist. He is also an audio and/or mix engineer on 1 Grammy Award-winning and five nominated albums, as well as Emmy Award-winning television promos. Based in New Orleans, he is the former owner of the world-famous Fudge Recording Studio. After Fudge closed its doors in 2012, Jack moved to The Music Shed recording facility as their head of operations /chief producer (2012-2018). He is now the owner of Jack Miele Productions LTD and runs his studio in the Garden District of New Orleans. Jack is also a guitarist/vocalist for The Molly Ringwalds. He has also been a guitarist for such artists as Michael McDonald, Yungblud, and Chapel Hart.

His production/engineering credits include Rod Stewart, Chris Stapleton, Steve Vai, Yungblud, Dr. John, Rickie Lee Jones, Jamie Foxx, Aloe Blacc, American Horror Story, The Family Guy, Trombone Shorty, Marc Broussard, Zac Brown Band, Better Than Ezra, Alex Clare, Flea and Blues Traveler.

What/Who inspired you to pick up your instrument?

I was about 14 or 15 when I started playing guitar. I was a drummer first and definitely still think like a drummer when I'm playing. It's kind of where my first love was. Although I just feel guitar calling. I grew up a huge Kiss fan, and Ace Frehley was the reason I wanted to be a guitarist. So, at about 15, I transitioned from being the drummer in bands to the guitarist, and I never looked back.

What piece of musical advice would you give yourself if you could go back in time to the beginning of your musical journey?

To practice WITH an amp! I made that mistake for years. I would practice for hours and hours, but never with an amp. It's a whole different ballgame. You learn so many things about the way tone works and pedals and amps. Which sounds work for your playing style and which don't. It's super important. I have to credit fellow guitarist and amp maker John Dandry for that. He's the one who taught me to always use an amp when practicing.

What keeps you excited about playing?

I think knowing that I'll never get to where I wanna be. It's a lifelong journey with no destination. I'll have days where I think I'm a great player, and then all I have to do is turn on some Eric Johnson, Pat Martino, or Wes Montgomery records, and I'm like.....I have to really get my shit together. Haha

Desert Island 3 pedal pedalboard (not including tuner)

Oh wow. OK. I'd have to say an MXR Carbon Copy, Walrus Voyager Overdrive, and maybe an IK Multimedia Tonex. I'm not big on emulator pedals, but the Tonex has so many great options that if I were on a desert island, I could dial in a bunch of different options in one pedal. The Voyager by Walrus is just such a simple and beautiful pedal. The midrange is absolutely perfect, and you can get a transparent subtle distortion or really push it to produce angrier tones. And what can you say about the MXR Carbon Copy? I've owned 4 of them. I've heard that the analog delay sounds better than any modern pedal. I have an old Boss Analog Delay from the 70s that I love, and the Carbon Copy is the only pedal that can compete with what it does that you can get today, in my opinion.

When you find yourself in a musical rut, what techniques do you use to break out of it?

Well, the first thing I do is listen to music. I try to find some song or solo that inspires me, and then I will attempt to learn it. It happened the other day. I was learning some of Pat Martino's solo on "Special Door," and I came across this lick that was so interesting and was phrased in a way that I would have never thought of. I practiced the hell out of it and then started using variations of it at my next gig. It took me in New directions after that.

Who is your favorite artist/band today? And who was your favorite artist/band ten years ago?

I still listen to a ton of classic rock. I love 60s - 90s rock music. It's what I grew up on and what I identify with. As far as new artists, I really love Yungblud. I had the good fortune to work with him and producer Paul Meany, and he's just so creative. Dom has a ton of energy, and it was just like a never-ending stream of good ideas coming out of him when he was writing. My favorite artist ten years ago is another band that I was fortunate enough to work with once, and that is Generationals. They are a duo from New Orleans, and they're just such great writers who crank out these great and memorable songs.

When you find yourself in a music store - what is your go-to riff when test drive gear?

Haha. I don't know that I have one! It's usually "solo in A." I find myself unconsciously doing that!

What is your most prized/cherished piece of gear? And why?

Another tough question because I definitely have a lot of "stuff." As far as guitars, it's probably my 1989 Fender Telecaster Plus Deluxe. It's certainly not my most valuable guitar or piece, but it's the one that I've been through the most. I got it when I was probably 19, and we've been through a lot together.... thousands of gigs. I told my wife, when I die, take my ashes and dump them into a can of paint and paint that guitar with it! My DNA is literally in the wood of it already. It's the one guitar I would grab if the house was burning down.

What is the next big musical purchase you're hoping to save for?

I currently don't really have anything on my radar. I'm more of a "find a deal" kind of guy. For instance, I just got an amazing deal on a 1970 Fender 2x12 cabinet that I completely didn't need, but I got it for an amazing deal. I plan on getting Weber Speakers to make some Alnico Gray Wolf speakers for it because the original speakers from the cab were missing.

Gear Breakdown

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