Dario Lorina Interview

DARIO LORINA INTERVIEW:
May 11, 2008

For only being 18 years of age, Dario Lorina is far beyond his years in experience, technique, and ability. Having been in the spotlight since he was 16 when he auditioned for and landed the coveted lead guitarist spot for Jani Lane (Warrant lead vocalist/primary songwriter), Dario has traveled the country more times than those 3x his age! Besides playing with Jani, there are the gigs around Las Vegas with the likes of Jizzy Pearl (ex-LA Guns/Ratt) and Les Warner (ex-The Cult), the Motley Cruise in early 2008 that saw him jamming with John Corabi and the guys from Lynam, and more recently forming his own band, Karneval! Justin “Crash” Crafton recently caught up with Dario for a trip down memory lane as well as look into the future. If you haven’t seen or heard him already, do yourselves a favor and check him out, his talent will blow your mind!

Sleaze Roxx: Can you give readers a little background on yourself (age, birthplace, hobbies, etc)?

Dario Lorina: I’m 18, I was born in Boston, MA and lived there until I was 12, then my family moved to Vegas. I started playing when I was 7 years old. I love to read, watch movies, and think I can play golf.

Sleaze Roxx: When did you first take interest in music?

Dario Lorina: I’ve always loved music from a young age, I have memories of being 5 or 6 years old driving with my parents to their work on the weekends, going through the glove box and pulling tape after tape out to listen to, bands like Van Halen, Metallica, Skid Row, Motley Crue, Dream Theater, Johnny and Edgar Winter, The Beatles, Tower of Power, I had a fairly eclectic mix and I loved it all.

Sleaze Roxx: Are your parents musicians?

Dario Lorina: You could say music and art runs in the family!

Sleaze Roxx: Did you start out playing an instrument other than the guitar?

Dario Lorina: No! Guitar was the first, but there’s always been a drum set and piano in my house.

Sleaze Roxx: When did get your first guitar?

Dario Lorina: Christmas of 95.

Sleaze Roxx: What kind of guitar was it and do you still own it?

Dario Lorina: Yes, I have it hanging on my wall. I’ll never get rid of it. It is a turquoise Samick guitar, strat type.

Sleaze Roxx: Who were your influences when you first started playing?

Dario Lorina: Eddie Van Halen was my first! The “Van Halen” tape got played to death. He was who made the guitar the instrument I wanted to play.

Sleaze Roxx: It has been stated that at age 12, your family and you moved from the East Coast to Las Vegas, what prompted the move?

Dario Lorina: My parents have been coming out here on vacation for 25 years before they decided to move out here. The main reason was that my parents were sick and tired of the Boston weather. You can’t really beat Vegas on the rain to sun ratio.

Sleaze Roxx: How many hours a day do you practice?

Dario Lorina: Most of the time I’m playing all day long, whether it’s giving lessons, writing or recording, which in my opinion, all of those are considered practicing. I dedicate a few hours to scales and keeping the licks fluid.

Sleaze Roxx: Were you in any bands before joining Jani Lane & The Formerly Of’s?

Dario Lorina: Haha! Jani Lane “and the formerly of’s” I believe was a comical name that stuck. I played in an original band when I was 15 called Cyrus Zain. The other guys were in there 30’s. I had a fun time with that.

Sleaze Roxx: Had you recorded any material prior to joining Jani? Is it available?

Dario Lorina: Yes I did, with Cyrus Zain and a few tracks on my own, I don’t believe it’s still available.

Sleaze Roxx: It has also been stated that you are a Guitar teacher. When did you begin teaching guitar?

Dario Lorina: I was 15 when I began teaching. I really enjoy it.

Sleaze Roxx: Do you primarily teach to the younger players or do you have a variety of age groups in your class?

Dario Lorina: There are a variety of ages, from 6 to 50.

Sleaze Roxx: How did you hear about the auditions being held for Jani Lane?

Dario Lorina: The wonderful world of MySpace!

Sleaze Roxx: Were you nervous going into the audition?

Dario Lorina: Yes, of course. At 16-years-old, I felt like a minnow in shark’s water, but once we got playing the nerves started to die down.

Sleaze Roxx: Were you a fan of Jani or Warrant before going in for the audition?

Dario Lorina: Definitely. I knew the Cherrie Pie album front to back.

Sleaze Roxx: How long after the audition before you found out that you had gotten the gig?

Dario Lorina: The audition was in LA, a few days after the audition I was back in Vegas. I had to record a couple of his songs, I panned my guitar track to one side and the actual song to the other and sent them over to Jani and his management. It was about 1 week after.

Sleaze Roxx: How long did you rehearse with Jani before going out on tour?

Dario Lorina: Several 12 hour days.

Sleaze Roxx: Where was your first gig with Jani and how do you feel it went?

Dario Lorina: It was in Long Island, NY at a venue called Mulcahys. Well, considering Jani and I never played on stage live together before, and the band members were new to each other, it went great and was a blast.

Sleaze Roxx: What are your three favorite Jani/Warrant tunes to play live?

Dario Lorina: Machine Gun, Down Boys and Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

Sleaze Roxx: Are there any songs in Jani’s vast catalog that you wanted to play live but haven’t?

Dario Lorina: Bonfire, definitely. That song rips!

Sleaze Roxx: How did the “Las Vegas All-Stars” gig come about?

Dario Lorina: Sally Steele from Vegas Rocks Magazine called me and said that Lez Warner (ex-Cult) was putting a band together and was looking for a guitar player. Lez and I then got in contact, I went down to his studio for a jam and it went from there. I’ve always been a fan of Jizzy Pearl’s as well, who was and is fronting the band.

Sleaze Roxx: Any gigs with either Jani or Las Vegas All-Stars stand out in your mind as memorable? Why?

Dario Lorina: The Las Vegas All Stars is just a side project that we do for fun when everyone is in Vegas., and for memorable Jani shows, all of them!

Sleaze Roxx: Without getting yourself or anyone else in trouble, what is the craziest thing you have seen while on the road?

Dario Lorina: That’s a tough question to answer, hahaha! It’s a crazy place, especially at 16-years-old. I’m sure you’ve heard your share of standard rock n roll road stories, and I’m sure I’ve experienced my share of them and then some.

Sleaze Roxx: How does it feel or how do you handle when people call you “The Next Randy Rhoads” or compare you to him?

Dario Lorina: He is definitely an idle of mine. For people to think that, I am honored.

Sleaze Roxx: Now that Jani has re-united with Warrant plus has commitments with Saints Of The Underground, if he were to do some solo shows or a solo tour in the next year or so, will you be playing with him?

Dario Lorina: Possibly.

Sleaze Roxx: You have recently announced the formation of your own band called Karneval. When and how did this band come together?

Dario Lorina: My main goal is to become successful with my own original band, but I could never find kids my age who were interested in doing the same thing, bringing big Rock n Roll back. The bass player and drummer were found on MySpace, and the lead singer I knew through a mutual friend. They met with me at my studio in Vegas and jammed and it went from there.

Sleaze Roxx: Who all is in Karneval?

Dario Lorina: Feathers (vocals), Tyler Burgess (bass) – he wrote a song that went on to win recording time on the John Lennon tour bus – and JL (drums).

Sleaze Roxx: When can fans expect Karneval’s debut album?

Dario Lorina: Something a little different. We are trying to bring some of the old-school hard rock influence back in a very modern yet different way.

Sleaze Roxx: Any touring plans for Karneval?

Dario Lorina: We are debuting Saturday, July 12th at this year’s Rocklahoma.

Sleaze Roxx: You also have an instructional DVD out that is geared towards younger and beginning players, how did the idea for such a DVD come about?

Dario Lorina: I was 16 when it was shot. I had been teaching lessons for a year and that is what inspired the video. With my age, kids who interested in learning rock guitar could learn from someone in there same age demographic.

Sleaze Roxx: What can people who buy the DVD expect?

Dario Lorina: To learn the basics of Rock guitar as a beginner. I go over how to tune the guitar, power chords, pentatonic scales, how to play the blues and a few cool lead licks.

Sleaze Roxx: When I saw you live for the first time in July 2007 with Jani, I attended the sound check before the gig and was shocked at your diversity as a player because not only were you fine tuning the Warrant songs (and playing them better than I had ever heard them played before) but you were also jamming some AC/DC tunes as well as playing some mean blues phrases and metal licks. Do you get a lot of people coming up to you surprised with your playing diversity that had maybe unfairly pigeonholed you as I did as just a ‘shredder’?

Dario Lorina: Thank you so much, and to answer both of your questions, yes. I can listen to Johnny Winter play slide, or Skid Row’s Monkey Business.

Sleaze Roxx: What players have influenced you the most and how?

Dario Lorina: Van Halen, he got me started. Once I learned more of the instrument, I then became a huge fan of Paul Gilbert, George Lynch and Randy Rhoads. There styles are very different, but influence me in an intense way. Paul’s bluesy/metal notes, George’s weird, out there sounding riffs, and Randy’s classical/metal riffs all inspire me.

Sleaze Roxx: Any plans or aspirations to go the Richie Kotzen or Zakk Wylde route and sing as well as play guitar in a band?

Dario Lorina: No, I’d rather just play…but who knows.

Sleaze Roxx: If you were afforded the opportunity to put together your own “Supergroup” of musicians either dead or alive and record an album of eleven cover tunes. Who would be in your band and what tunes would you cover?

Dario Lorina: Sebastian Bach, Michael Anthony and Tommy Aldridge. The songs would be hard to pick, just jamming with those guys would be incredible. I’d definitely love to do The Immigrant Song with them, I think that would rip!

Sleaze Roxx: Who all are you endorsed by?

Dario Lorina: LAG Guitars, Crafter Acoustic Guitars, Sfarzo Strings, Snap Jack Cables, PikCard and Coffin Case.

Sleaze Roxx: Is there anything we didn’t touch on that you would care to tell everyone who is reading this or is there anything you would like to plug?

Dario Lorina: MySpace – http://www.myspace.com/dariolorina…New original band: Karneval – http://www.myspace.com/karnevalband

Interview conducted by Justin “Crash” Crafton