Brad Delson

Infobox musical artist
Name = Brad Delson

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Img_capt = Delson performing at Smirnoff Music Centre in Dallas, Texas on August 4, 2007.
Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth_name = Bradford Phillip Delson
Alias = Big Bad Brad BBB
Born = birth date and age|1977|12|1Biography, [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:hpfexqu0ldke~T1] ] Agoura, California, U.S.
Instrument = guitar,bass guitar, keyboard
Genre = Alternative rock Alternative metal Rap rock
Occupation = Musician A&R Representative
Years_active = 1996 - present
Label = Machine Shop Recordings
Warner Bros. Records
Associated_acts = Linkin Park
URL = [http://linkinpark.com/ www.linkinpark.com]
Notable_instruments = Custom Red Hybrid Theory PRS

Bradford Phillip Delson (born December 1, 1977), grew up in the Los Angeles suburb of Agoura Hills. He is a musician, lead guitarist, and one of the founding members of the alternative rock band Linkin Park.Brad Delson, [http://www.ugeducation.ucla.edu/aap/35th/champions/#braddelson] ] He is also the A&R Representative for Machine Shop Recordings. He is of Jewish descent, and is Jewish himself.

Biography

Early life

Brad Delson attended Agoura High School with childhood friend and Linkin Park bandmate Mike Shinoda. He played in various bands throughout his high school career, the most notable being Relative Degree, in which he met and teamed up with drummer Rob Bourdon. Relative Degree's goal was simply to play a show, and, after achieving that goal, they disbanded.

After graduating in 1995, Delson, Shinoda, and Bourdon formed Xero, which would eventually become the starting point for Linkin Park.

Delson entered UCLA in 1995 as a Regent Scholar working toward a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies with a specialization in Business and Administration. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and shared a dorm room with future Linkin Park bandmate Dave Farrell for three out of his four years at school. [U. Arizona: INTERVIEW: Linkin Park guitarist discusses highs of rock stardom, [http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-23035270_ITM] ] Delson also had the opportunity to intern with a member of the music industry as part of his studies and ended up working for Jeff Blue, an A&R representative at Warner Bros. Records, who offered constructive criticism on Xero's demos. Incidentally, it was Blue who later introduced Chester Bennington, the current lead vocalist of Linkin Park, to the rest of the band.

After graduating summa cum laude in 1999, Delson decided to forgo law school in order to pursue a musical career with Linkin Park.Biography, [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:hpfexqu0ldke~T1] ] He remains an avid fan of all things blue and gold.Brad Delson, [http://www.ugeducation.ucla.edu/aap/35th/champions/#braddelson] ]

Linkin Park

In 1999, Delson's band, Xero, replaced former lead vocalist Mark Wakefield with Arizona native Chester Bennington and renamed themselves Hybrid Theory. Before long, Delson, along with Shinoda, had produced the six-track "Hybrid Theory (EP)", distributing it to various websites online and earning the band its own cult following. By 2000, after one more band name change, Linkin Park was signed by Warner Bros. Records.

On October 24, 2000, Linkin Park released the overwhelmingly successful "Hybrid Theory". Over the next year, Delson helped produce the remix album "Reanimation" (2002), and added his own creative insight into the remixed interpretation of "Pushing Me Away" ("P5hng Me A*wy").

After "Reanimation", Delson played a key role in the production of Linkin Park's second studio album, "Meteora" (2003), which featured heavier guitar riffs than ones in "Hybrid Theory".

Linkin Park released their latest album "Minutes to Midnight" on May 15, 2007 in the United States. For this album, the band strayed away from the style of music they had perfected in "Hybrid Theory" and "Meteora", and developed an entirely new sound. For Delson, this meant experimenting with different guitars and amps, both new and vintage. It also meant he needed to push aside his disinclination for guitar solos, which are featured in tracks such as "Shadow of the Day", "What I've Done", "In Pieces", and "The Little Things Give You Away".

While the band pieced together the song "The Little Things Give You Away," Delson experimented with an E-Bow, creating a song called "E-Bow Idea," which was later changed to "No More Sorrow". Listeners can also hear him jingling his keys in "Given Up".

ide projects

* 2002 - present - A&R Representative for Machine Shop Recordings, a Warner Bros. Imprint label started by both Delson and Shinoda in 2002. Delson is responsible for scouting artists, such as Holly Brook, and signing them to the label.
* 2006 - Produced "Where'd You Go (BBB Remix)," which was featured on the retail single of Fort Minor's "Where'd You Go".
* 2008 - Aided in the production of and provided guitar parts for Busta Rhymes's "We Made It", which featured Linkin Park.

Personal life

Delson married Elisa Boren on September 16, 2003, in a private ceremony.Fact|date=July 2008 Elisa gave birth to her and Brad´s first child, a boy named Jonah Taylor Delson, on March 25, 2008. He has two younger brothers and is Jewish. Delson also handles many of the business aspects of Linkin Park along with his father Donn Delson. Together, the two created BandMerch, which handles the merchandising affairs for Linkin Park and others.

Philanthropy

* 2004 - Delson and his wife established the Delson Scholarship Fund at UCLA, which annually awards four-year scholarships to extraordinary students from Huntington Park.Brad Delson, [http://www.ugeducation.ucla.edu/aap/35th/champions/#braddelson] ]
* 2005 - Linkin Park established Music For Relief, a non-profit organization founded to aid victims of world catastrophes and combat global warming. Since its founding, Music For Relief has raised almost three million dollars, helping victims of the South Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and the Southern California wildfires.Brad Delson, [http://www.ugeducation.ucla.edu/aap/35th/champions/#braddelson] ]
* 2005 - Signed on as an official supporter of Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit organization that provides free musical instruments and free lessons to children in public schools throughout the United States. Delson has personally delivered instruments to children in the program and sits on the organization's board of directors as an honorary member. [Linkin Park Guitarist, Brad Delson, Joins the Little Kids Rock Honorary Board of Directors, [http://www.littlekidsrock.org/news/press/Delson.html Little Kids Rock] ]

Guitar playing style

Delson has been sometimes criticized for playing simple guitar parts and never performing solos in "Hybrid Theory" and "Meteora". He says that he "doesn't like to show off," giving reason to the fact that performing solos is a rare act for him. He has explained that this is due to the nature of the band, and that he tries to make his guitar playing sound like a keyboard or strings to try to fit in with the hip hop and electronica sounds of the band.

However, Brad put a few solos into their new record, "Minutes to Midnight", after his bandmates encouraged him to do so. Brad's guitar solos can be heard on the tracks "Shadow of the Day", "What I've Done", "The Little Things Give You Away", and, most notably, "In Pieces". Delson's playing style has evolved in live performances as well, as is seen by an outro solo in the live version of "Faint", as well as some occasional improvisation.

Other Instruments

In the early days of Linkin Park, their usual bassist Pheonix was unavailable due to touring commitments with Tasty Snax. So in Hybrid Theory, Delson also became the band's bassist during recording. On live shows, Delson also plays the keyboard during the song Hands Held High.

Equipment

The equipment that Delson uses includes the following: [Randall Amplifiers.com, [http://www.randallamplifiers.com/about/pdf/GP0908_Linkin-Park_MTS.pdf] ] [Guitar World, July 2008]

Guitars

* Paul Reed Smith Custom 24/Standard 24/CE 24 guitars:*Brad's favorite guitar is his custom-made red PRS with the Hybrid Theory soldier on the frame. Delson's Official LPN Site, [http://brad.linkinpark.com] ]
* Ibanez RG470XL guitar
* Ibanez RG7620 7 string guitars
* Fender Rory Gallagher Tribute Stratocasters

Amps and effects

* Randall MTS RM4 pre-amp (x2)
* Randall MTS modules
* Randall RT 2/50 power amp
* Randall MTS cabinets
* Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier heads
* Marshall 1959 slp reissued head
* Voodoo Lab Ground Control Pro floorboard
* GCX Audio Switcher
* TC Electronics G-Major effects processor
* Boss BF-3 Flanger
* Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor
* Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer (x2)
* Boss CE-5 Chorus Ensemble
* Boss expression pedal
* Ibanez LF-7 Lo-fi pedal
* MXR Micro Amp

Other

* Dunlop Picks-Tortex Wedge (0.83mm)
* D'Addario EXL110 XL strings
* DiMarzio pickups:* D-Sonic, Tone Zone, and Air Zone
* Audio technica wireless transmitters and receivers

References

External links

* [http://brad.linkinpark.com/ Delson's official LPN page from LinkinPark.com]
* [http://www.guitarfxdepot.com/rigs/brad-delson-linkin-park-guitar-rig/ Information on Delson's guitar rig]