The Prolific Fin: LARS ERIC MATTSSON!

Mon, 03/03/2008 - by Rory Sullivan

Today's Elevenses Throws Eleven Quick Questions At 'The Prolific Fin' Lars Eric Mattsson!

Lars is the well respected Finnish guitarist, who has released 4 solo albums as "Lars Eric Mattsson" and 4 albums as "Mattsson", as well as a buch of albums with bands such as Condition Red, Book of Reflections, Vision, Astral Groove etc.

The new MATTSSON album is out on March 21, 2008 and called "Dream Child" featuring singer Adrienn Antal. It is the home of 12 tracks of symphonic metal with gothic and progressive metal spiced up with ethnic sounds.

So what’s your drink of choice at 11am in the morning?

Coffee!

Which song/album really made you want to play guitar?

Deep Purple Made in Japan and Van Halen’s Eruption.

Who’s the world’s greatest guitarist?

Jimi Hendrix because he is the inventor of so much cool stuff.

Who’s the world’s most underrated guitarist?

There are many great musicians that are totally unknown but still as good as the “big guys”… fame has nothing to do with quality and the guitar magazines just want to sell their magazines, so these guys won’t get a chance.

So what are you up to at the moment?

Finishing the new MATTSSON album “Dream Child”.

What was the last gig you went to (as a member of the audience)?

Who would be in your dream line-up?

Either the release party of House of Shakira or when I went to see Elias Viljanen with Sonata Arctica…

Ronnie James Dio, Mike Portnoy, Jaco Pastorius and Jordan Rudess!

How many guitars do your own and which one is ‘your precious’?

About 16 – my precious would be my 1961Stratocaster!

What’s the last great album that you bought (or were given)?

Haven’t bought an album for years as I get so much free stuff all the time… but recent stuff I like is Anoushka Shankar and Mind’s Eye or if it would have to be guitar music, I would like to recommend Electric Outlet, Martone, Michael Harris’ Orchestrate and the coming George Bellas and Marco Sfogli albums.

Do you suffer from stage fright?

No – I have done lots of gigs in the past.

So what’s your drink of choice at 11pm in the evening?

Depends… I try to live a healthy life these days, so it’s probably water but a cold beer is never wrong…