Your Iconic Image : When Women Rock : From Randy Rhoads to The String Revolution

Janet Robin- musician

Janet Robin Bio:

"Top 20 Acoustic Rock Guitar Players"-Guitar Player Magazine, 2017 

"Top 10 Female Guitarists"-Guitar World Magazine, 2012

Music audiences around the world have seen Janet Robin's incredible guitar work as a former touring member of the Lindsey Buckingham Band (from Fleetwood Mac), Meredith Brooks, Air Supply, and many other international touring artists.

In 2018, Guitar Player Magazine named her as of one of the "Top 20 Rock/Songwriter Acoustic Guitar Players” and Guitar World Magazine listed her as one of the

“Top 10 Female Guitarists.”

Janet has been a guitarist since age 6 and is a veteran musician of the LA music scene. She got her start taking lessons from the legendary guitarist Randy Rhoads. In high school, she joined the all-female band Precious Metal in the 80’s and went on to be signed by Polygram Records and Capitol Records. As a solo artist, she has released her over 6 cd’s as a singer/songwriter and guitarist. Her latest cd, "Take me as I am" was produced by John Carter Cash (Johnny & June's son) and Chuck Turner, and was recorded at Cash Cabin Studios in Nashville.

She is also a dedicated and well respected guitar coach and has given several master guitar classes on the road and online. In 2015, she was asked to teach actress Jennifer Jason Leigh guitar for a scene in Quentin Tarantino's "Hateful Eight" movie. The actress was subsequently nominated for an Academy Award for that role. She tours worldwide as a solo artist and is also a member of the instrumental all guitar band, The String Revolution. TSR currently has over 4 million Spotify plays and in 2019, was invited to perform at The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, CA. They recently released a unique instrumental version of "Crazy Train" that features Billy Idol's long time guitarist, Steve Stevens on the solo. TSR's song was added to full rotation on SiriusXM Instrumental Channel in March 2022. They have since signed a management deal with Miles Copeland International and look forward to touring in 2023.

www.janetrobin.com

www.thestringrevolution.com

www.marlanasemenza.com

Audio : Ariza Music Productions

Transcript: Vision In Word

Marlana  

Today's guest is beyond impressive. A guitarist since the age of six Janet Robin got her start taking lessons from the legendary Randy Rhoads. In high school she joined the all-female band Precious Metal Music, and later toured with the Lindsey Buckingham band, Meredith Brooks air supply and many other international artists. She now tours as a solo artist and also as member of the Instrumental Guitar band, The String Revolution. I have seen Janet play, and she's absolutely incredible. No wonder she has been named as one of the top 10 Female guitarists. Welcome, Janet!

Janet  

Oh! That's quite well, that's a lot to live up to. I'll take it, you know, all good.

Marlana  

So, let me just start by asking why guitar, what drew you to that in the first place?

Janet  

It was my brother, to be honest with you, I have two brothers and the middle brother started taking guitar, he was really into music, like I was always hearing Zepplin and you know, all that Great 70s music. He started taking guitar. And then I saw my mom was going to try it. And I was like, Oh, my mom? And I just was like, you know, I'm going to try. I had tried everything like, you know, dance and karate and all these other things, sports and I didn't have a connection to it on. And when they took a lesson, I actually went around five to the guitar store. And the guy there was like, your hands are too small. Come back next year. 

My brother kept taking lessons, my mom fell off. But I did, I came back at six and I tried it. I can't completely remember it. But I just it felt natural. You know, like, in my hands. Even though like at the time, it was like a big nylon string, big neck. And I have actually quite small hands. I wasn't intimidated by that. And I wasn't intimidated by anything, you know, maybe the sports, it was like all this competition, you know, and then the dance, same thing, all these other people in the class. This was like a one-on-one thing. And I really liked the intricacies of it on. And I think guitar over piano because I saw these like rock star posters in my brother's room of Jimmy Page and all these people, and I was like, they look cool. I want to be like that. So, that's how it started. And I just kept going. My brother's now a dentist. So funny! My mom was a librarian.

Marlana  

I'm troubled. That's funny. So how did it feel the first time you ever got on stage?

Janet  

Well, I mean, it depends on which stage because I absolutely remember the first time like any kind of stage as far as with my guitar was a talent show in second grade. 

Marlana

Oh, wow! 

Janet

In the elementary school auditorium, and I played Tom Dooley and down . It's terrible, like several song like the words. But anyway, I really enjoyed it. I feel natural on stage. You know, a lot of people get nervous and stuff. And I think I'm just a performer, even at that young age. But later when it was like a more professional thing. I mean, the band precious metal, our first show was in high school on the high school choir, you know, lunch time, and you know, all my friends were there. And we had a big sound system and everything that was pretty cool. I just like stages, period. 

Marlana

Do you ever get nervous? 

Janet

Oh! Sure! Definitely! I think sometimes when there's something new, like several new songs, new parts. And I want perfection so much. I sort of freaked myself out sometimes but never enough to be like a stage fright. I do not get stage fright. and usually the minute I'm on stage, something just kicks in, and I'm just like, Okay, I mean, after now, so many years of being on stage, you make it work on. But yeah, I can tell like, Oh, I was a little bit more, you know, nervous and not in the moment. Sometimes if I'm playing too fast, or something like that, you know, and I think that's a Natural? Listen, if you weren't nervous or didn't have some kind of a little anxiety about it, and then you would just be bored, wouldn't you on stage? And no one wants to see a board performer. You know, that would be true.

Marlana  

All right! So, what do you think has been the most difficult part of the music industry to you? 

Janet  

All of it, it's all difficult. Anytime you decide to make a creative endeavor, your career and to make a living off of it, it's all difficult because it's all subjective. And you may have no control over what you put out in some ways, unless you're signed to a major label or something, and they were like, you know, forcing you to do stuff. Not that all major labels, have you done that. But, you know, my point is, anytime you're trying to sell, like, art, it's subjective. So you've got all these other people, you know, deciding whether that's good enough to sell, if they like it, what do they want to buy, I mean, you know, part of me, you're not just like, doing a duty, a duty every day, you know, from nine to five, taking home a certain amount of pay every day, every week which is great, you know, for some people, and it's steady, and all those things. 

I don't think I've ever been, like, I'm conservative, in some ways, we're structured and conservative in some of my decisions and things, and in life and stuff. But I've always been like, wild child, and, you know, free, let me run around and be a crazy person, I can't be in a box, you know, and I think it suits me I do I get bored, you know, if I have to do like, the same thing for eight hours and just sitting there. Unless it's like a guitar part that I have to get, you know. So, I think that it's just by nature, a creative process, a creative art, art that you're trying to sell is difficult. If you are trying to make a living at it, period.

Marlana  

you know, and I've always thought too, with any creative field, in any creative endeavor. I know for me, whenever I create anything, it's like, a piece of you like this child of yours goes out into the world. And you're proud of it, you're protective of it, but also to it becomes it takes on a different momentum and a different meaning than let's say, if you're just creating widgets, or something that you're not attached to, and it's not a piece of you.

Janet  

Yeah, that's true. And over the years, I've had to learn some detachment on a professional level, in order to keep fluid and keep things moving. You know, I used to be really overprotective and really, like, I'm still a little OCD about things. And I don't know if that suited me that. Well, you know, maybe when I was younger, you know, it helped with a few things. But I think it freaked a lot of people out and you know, I had to like kind of just chill about some things in order to move my career forward.

Marlana  

So, let's say if talent is a given, why do you think some people make it and others don't?

Janet  

Oh, clearly, because of it being a difficult, non-stable situation, especially if you if you want to have a family and you want to buy a house and you want to do all these things, you know, I certainly had the grades to become a lawyer, you know, or a doctor or something even though I'm not into science or anything like that. But I went to UCLA; I had great grades I did very well in school. I come from a highly educated family, everybody is a doctor, dentist or whatever, you know. And it just I think some people need that security. And it's too hard. It's too unstable. 

Also, what you were just talking about the personal rejection level of it all on. It was hard when I was younger, yeah. If I was rejected for something or somebody didn't like my guitar playing or my song or I didn't get the audition in this band or whatever, you do kind of take it personal and But then if you love what you do so much, you must move past that and decide, Okay, is there a lesson that I can learn from that, so that maybe the next time around, I won't do that, and it will help me move further. That's too much work sometimes for people too much work. And it's very, like, it's all about you, you know, and that makes it difficult with relationships and family. I mean, there's so much, you know, um, and that's totally fine. For other people want that? You know, you're right, there's certainly so many people I know, that have these amazing voices. And they just didn't, they didn't want this kind of life. It didn't suit them. You know, and that's totally great. I respect that. Yeah. Yeah. It's a battle. It's a battle.

Marlana  

Yeah. And, you know, you hit on something, too. And I think it's also realizing that not all criticism is coming from a place to just target data call. Sometimes, there are things that you really need to take to heart and adjust. And it's true, everybody does that either.

Janet  

What I try to tell guitar students and people who want to be in the music industry is just look at the source. Okay, what was what's the source of the criticism? Who are they? What experience do they have? Because as much as what you just said is true. The opposite is also true. Some people want to tear you down because they're jealous. They're envious, you know, myriad of reasons. Or they're just ***. You know, can I use that word on this podcast?

Marlana  

So how have you put yourself in a position for the opportunities that you've had, riding with heart and touring with Lindsey, Buckingham, and all these kinds of things?

Janet  

Never giving up. Just keep moving forward learning, always striving to get better on relentless pursuing of the art form, getting better at it, learning as much as you can, putting yourself out there, taking chances, all of the above, and that's true for anybody. For example, starting a business, it's not only in this business, that's the thing, this is a business. So, if you want to make a living at it, you have to take chances, you have to take risks, you have to fail. You have to get up again and start over.

Marlana  

What's been your fondest collaboration?

Janet  

Oh, definitely Lindsey Buckingham, you know, working with him, and the end and the ladies in heart, they were the idols of mine growing up because as a woman, a little girl, there was not very many female rocker chicks that I could identify with and they were truly the only ones For me, that kind of music, the harder edge music on. 

But Lindsay came as a surprise, always was like a Fleetwood Mac fan, but I had never dived so deep into that music, and he's under-appreciated guitar icon. I think because he also fits in being an amazing songwriter, and an amazing producer. He's not just this like one thing, you know, where he's like focused on that, he's so many things to me, and an amazing performer as well. He encompasses all of what to me is being a musician, and I really had no idea about that. I knew he was a great guitar player. 

Until I got that gig and started working with him at the right time, in my life on I always look back on that and think, how much it gave me I mean, I've talked to other people about my time with Lindsay and I liken it to like, you know, getting sort of your master's degree, or working on your thesis or something like that, whereas Precious Metal was great. I love the girls and I was so young and that was like the 80s and rock and roll and, you know, all that and we got signed, but when I got the gig with Lindsay, you know, it was another level. 

So that was like college for me, and then I went to this other level with him, and from then on, I sort of never looked back at any kind of lower type of quality. be in as to the music and the musicianship and the kind of how I wanted to align myself with different other musicians. And from then on, and how I saw myself and what could I expect for myself too, really taught me. He was a mentor, he continued sort of to be a mentor, also after that gig, and he's, he's still as I see him every once in a while, and we talk . Incredible person!

Marlana  

So, what would then be your dream collaboration going forward? 

Janet  

You could work with anybody that you haven't. I mean, anybody from Zeppelin? You know, they're amazing, Robert, or Jimmy. But gosh! Isn't it everybody's dream to like, write a song with Paul McCartney?

Marlana  

Yeah. 

Janet  

like, be in the room with him. Or a Beatle of any sort?

Marlana  

unfortunately, they're getting less and less.

Janet  

They are. Yeah. But there's so many amazing people out there. That would be so like, interesting to work with. Just that I still find myself, you know, always like, wanting to experience somebody, something new. Unfortunately, I can't answer your one question that way. But yeah, like childhood dreams. Yeah. I mean, working with the Wilsons that's been fulfilled and what I've worked with them again, sure, but it's been fulfilled. That's amazing. But I mean, moving forward, Lady Gaga, and you know, all these amazing people out there. 

Marlana  

I know that you teach guitar, what do you look for in a guitar player, or in a musician that you're mentoring or teaching?

Janet  

the main thing I look for in any musician, or a student is persistence and commitment. That's all I look for. 

Marlana  

Interesting!

Janet  

 You know, I don't think that, for example, I may have some new music DNA and me because I know I had some relatives that played violin and did you know, my grandmother played piano was very artistic, but I don't think I was a natural born musician. I'm 55, that's a ***load of a lot, a long time to play and be committed. And then, you know, between 1817 and now having just this immense work of professional time, you know, with these amazing artists, and then also experienced putting my own stuff out there and going out on the road alone and doing all those things, that doesn't take talent. You know, that doesn't take musical talent. I'm not saying not having musical talent doesn't help. That takes drive, persistence, commitment, and I’m always trying to get better and better at my craft and just by years of doing it you do you get better. My instincts are pretty spot on. My ears are so much better. I consider myself more of a natural musician, you know, for example, but I don't think I was when I started, like, you hear of Mozart, or these are my teacher, Randy rose. I think they were like these born, savant, right. So, I just think if you're committed, and you're determined, and you practice, and you learn. That's what I look for.

Marlana  

Do you think it took you a long time to sound like you? 

Janet  

Yeah. ***load, a long time. And I mean, when I got it into my 40s and 50s, I started caring less about what people thought about things. When I was younger, I really cared a lot. It's affected me mentally...