BRUCE KULICK: THE GIBSON INTERVIEW

The Gibson Interview: Former Kiss Guitarist Bruce Kulick
by Elianne Halbersberg 03.03.2010

“The soul of a human being and the hands of a legend” is how producer Jeremy Rubolino describes guitarist Bruce Kulick, with whom he worked on Kulick’s third and most recent solo album, BK3. The disc is receiving outstanding reviews worldwide and entered Billboard’s Heatseekers chart at No. 12.

With two solo albums to his credit, a wealth of touring and session work, and of course his years with KISS, Bruce Kulick is a guitarist’s guitarist. He has an innate understanding of what to play and when to play it, and can approach any genre of music with the necessary finesse or aggression to complement the song.

Throughout his successful career, Gibson has been an important part of Kulick’s story. He spoke to Gibson.com about what makes these instruments so special and integral to his sound.

What were your goals for BK3 as a singer, songwriter and guitarist?

My attitude was to have a no-compromise approach to getting the job done. I had already put out a couple of solo records, although I did those myself. This time I worked with a producer, Jeremy Rubolino, who had a real vision. Our discussions as we were writing and planning were to bring up the level of sounds, the studio, and everything that goes into making a record. We took the time and the money to do this, and it was worth it. We used my favorite KISS album, Revenge, as a benchmark to help guide us. My belief is that if you really strive for something and know what’s at the top of the mountain, you will keep climbing.

How did working with Jeremy take your playing to the next level?

Jeremy hears music differently from the average person. He hears it as a film composer, and he sees it on the music staff rather than on a guitar. Many guitarists work within the patterns that are comfortable for scales and fingering. Jeremy’s ideas are not where the fingers are on the guitar. He threw things to me that were out of the box and challenging because they weren’t comfortable fingering-wise. They weren’t harmonies or choices of notes that I would naturally have gone to. I had to interpret and make them my own. It was valuable for me. I do sessions every month, and I prefer to bring Jeremy with me to be sure that I give them my best.

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