All Access Magazine Journalist Alison Cohen – Interview with Chris Sanders (Lizzy Borden Guitarist)
All Access Magazine: What are you currently up to? What’s going on with Lizzy Borden? Are you recording, rehearsing… What’s next?
Chris Sanders: We are always writing songs. It’s a never ending process. There’s always ideas, new ideas… We’re always working them, gelling them, and meshing them. And rehearsing… Rehearsal stuff, you gotta do.
AAM: You played Rocklahoma over the summer?
CS: We just did Rocklahoma, which was a great show. We had a great time there, great fans… really well received, everything was good.
AAM: Can you see yourself playing Rocklahoma next year?
CS: I would love to. Absolutely. Who’s to say what’s to happen. It’s 100 and some odd degrees out there. That’s all up to the promoters.
AAM: I’m going next year, and I would love to be the girl you kill on stage.
CS: Well if you’re going, I’m definitely going! (laughs) I’d love to have you. That’d be great.
AAM: You were also supposed to play Rock Gone Wild in Iowa, and the entire festival got cancelled. How did that affect you and Lizzy Borden?
CS: It was kind of a drag Rock Gone Wild got cancelled. I was looking forward to that. I was looking forward to going to Iowa, playing with some of my favorite bands and making it happen.
AAM: Lizzy Borden did end up playing the Kobetasonik festival in Spain with Motley Crue. It seemed really last minute. Can you tell us more about that?
CS: I’m not even sure how it came about. Lizzy called me and said, “we’ve got this show in Spain, do you want to do it?” I’m like “hell yeah, I want to do it!” I had all of six hours to get packed, loaded, get on the plane, and go to Spain. So I drove to the airport and jumped on a plane. There were some issues when we got there. The guys’ luggage got lost…and the banners.
AAM: So your luggage got lost?
CS: No, everybody’s stuff got lost but mine (laughs). It ended up being okay. Their stuff showed up eventually, 15 minutes before the show.
AAM: How was the show?
CS: The show was amazing. The show was absolutely great. It started out hectic though. It was still a complete disaster before we went on. There were no banners, no costumes, no gear, no nothing… Everyone else is playing great. Dragonforce sounds great. Buckcherry sounds great. All the bands sound great. Finally the gear showed up! Everything came together. We hit the stage and it was phenomenal. We did a great show. Musically, performance wise... There are a lot of Lizzy fans in Spain. We had a great time, and would love to play there again, any time. Even with all the turmoil, everything turned out perfect. It’s definitely one for the history books.
AAM: Definitely. Now, how did you join Lizzy Borden in the first place? I think you’ve been in the band since 2007?
CS: I’d been in L.A. for a few months and I was playing with Nadir D’Priest from the band London at the time. You know London and Lizzy Borden were both in “Decline of the Western Civilization II,” so they had history there already, and I was a huge Lizzy fan. I had been playing that stuff my whole life growing up. The Lizzy Borden style was really imprinted on me. It was really my first influence as far as my guitar playing, my song structure, and all that stuff. So I already knew the material, and I ended up having a mutual friend introduce me to Marten (Andersson). I was familiar with some of his solo projects and I knew Marten played in Lizzy. He said they were looking for another guitar player, and I said “Hell Yeah, I’d love to do that.” And I went on down there… It was just the four of us…Joey, Me, Lizzy and Marten… I showed up, I jammed it out, it was great. It kicked ass! From there on out we’ve done nothing but tear it up and play great shows, play great music, and have a great time.
AAM: What’s your favorite part about being in Lizzy Borden?
CS: I love playing the songs, I love playing the music, I love the tours, and I love the chemistry we have. It’s just a great gig!
AAM: What about the stage performance aspect, had you done anything like that before?
CS: Well you know what’s crazy, as long as I’ve been listening to music I’ve been a Lizzy Borden fan, and I had no idea that they had a stage show like that. I never did, because I never saw a Lizzy show, and I’ve still never seen a Lizzy show, because I’m on stage now! That was kind of like the icing on the cake, it just made things that much more cooler. It’s not just that we show up, kick ass, and play great music, there’s also something to watch. I think it definitely adds to the show. It’s great to get out there and be able to play with great musicians, and have a great show. I love the stage show. It’s more than what I ever could have imagined.
AAM: What are your thoughts on Ira Black leaving the band?
CS: Ira and I were great friends. We had a great time on the tours, we really did. I remember in Greece some of the guys were catching up on sleep, and Ira and I toured the city of Athens. There was never a dull moment between us. We were bunk buddies.
AAM: Are you in contact with him at all?
CS: We talk now and then, from here and there, email or what not... I can’t stop by and visit him as much as I would like. I wish him well, and continued success.
AAM: How are things going with new guitarist Dario Lorina? It’s hard to believe he is only 19 years old.
CS: We have a good time, we do. And it’s funny because now Dario and I…We room together. It’s good. He seems really receptive to learning and the Lizzy Borden way. I’m happy to show him parts. It’s great to have a guitar player that can play dual leads with me. We go out there, and we give it 110%. We have a great time onstage, and we have a great time offstage too.
AAM: Prior to playing with Lizzy Borden, you mentioned that you were playing with Nadir (D’Priest). Tell me a little bit more about your background before Lizzy.
CS: Before Lizzy, I played with Nadir D’Priest… The notorious L.A. “Bad Boy” as seen on “Decline of the Western Civilization II.” He contacted me about playing guitar. I don’t know the logistics as to how he ended up knowing about me, but he got a hold of me through myspace, and said he was putting his band back together just like it was in the 80’s, and wanted me to come on down and jam. I said, “hell yeah!”
I can remember saying Nadir D’Priest, and I was thinking back to “Decline” and I was like ok, the guy that caught the Russian flag on fire…The guy that’s notorious for saying, “oh no, not more fog!” So we jammed. We played some great shows. We had great times, great rehearsals... We played the Key Club, played the Whisky, some other shows, did some photo sessions, etc. It was a great vibe.
AAM: What about before Nadir?
CS: Before Nadir, I played in a House band here in L.A. for a while. That didn’t last long. As soon as I moved to L.A. I just jumped into that, and that got me out there on the Scene… And the next thing you know I’m in with Nadir, and then Lizzy…So ever since I’ve been in L.A. things have been great.
AAM: How long have you been playing guitar, and what type of training have you had?
CS: I’m going on my 15th year now. I’ve always been a musician. I have a symphony and orchestral background. I read score. I hear all the parts, all the various tracks, I hear all the instrumentation. That’s how I write. I’ve always had a lot of drive, a lot of desire… I ended up getting guitar lessons for half an hour a week for several years. I had a great teacher. It’s one thing to be a great guitar player, but to also be a guitar player that can teach… That’s something else. And, my guitar teacher had that. I was able to show up every week and had the willingness to learn, and of course my own drive and desire. He was able to answer any questions for me and I was able to learn how to structure my rehearsal so it was the most effective. I could primarily spend my time on technical stuff, and that’s why I play so fast. I study the basics, technique, sight reading, ear training, harmony, theory, and all that stuff. If you put the work and you put the time in… you’re definitely gonna get good results. And that goes with anything.
AAM: Are you teaching guitar now, when you’re not playing with Lizzy?
CS: I do. I was teaching a broad spectrum of players, from entry level, to intermediate, to advanced. Now I am primarily teaching Master Level to people who already have a pretty good idea of what they’re doing, and giving them new ideas. I correct their technique and get them playing what works for them…The notes of the scale, every key, and so then as soon as they hum a melody they know where to play it and they know how to play it correctly. It’s something they can carry with them the rest of their lives. You can contact me at myspace (See Below) to arrange lessons if you are interested.
AAM: Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers?
CS: “Don’t try this at home; you’ll blow your fingers off!”
AAM: All Access Magazine would like to thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with our readers. We also wish you a HUGE success with any of your future endeavors.
