What Inspired you to start playing Guitar?

I was 9 years old at the time and I had already started learning piano. We had a family band and my dad played guitar and accordion, my sister played keyboards, my mom bass and my brother drums so I naturally went to guitar so that I could do something other than just sing in the band.

Who are your guitar heroes and what was the first song you learned to play?

Whoa well I have so many heroes. Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen, Jeff Watson, Brad Gillis, Steve Vai, Ricky Skaggs, Ray Flack, Big George Moody, Dale Copez are just a few. The first song I learned to play was “Step by Step” by Eddie Rabbit. I got to play the little lead tag at the end of the song on stage with the family. I was 9 or 10 and I didn’t have my own amp yet so I plugged into the second channel on my mom’s bass amp. She would cringe when I played that part just hopin I wouldn’t mess up. I hit some pretty sour hotes ha ha!

Do you remember your first Gig?

My first gig was when I was 7. I didn’t do anything except sing Ben by Michael Jackson and I Only Wanna Be With You by Dusty Springfield. Oh yeah, and I played tambourine. But it was lead tambourine J.

You’ve been on tour with Shania Twain and now Kelly Clarkson. Tell us about your work dynamic between the two Mega Stars – and how they influence your playing.

Well my roles were slightly different with the tour artists. With Shania, I was fiddler first, scavenger parts second. That is to say, when I wasn’t playing fiddle I was covering the extra guitar, mandolin, keyboard and percussion parts left over. In Between the first and the second tour I did a lot of Pro Tools work in the studio for her and her husband at the time, Mutt Lange.

With Kelly, I started out just as a violinist. I played 5 songs in the night and stood side stage for the rest of the show. Then one night she fired one of the guitarists with only one show left in the tour. There wasn’t time to call in a backup guitarist so Jason the music director asked if I could learn the show in a day. I said I wouldn’t let him down and we pulled it off. Kelly was ecstatic and my role in the band changed after that. Now I play guitar and take care of vocal direction for the live show with the odd violin song here and there which is fun.

Your Brother Kevin Churko, has become quite the accomplished producer. His latest Mega project was Ozzy Osbourne’s album “Black Rain”. Is there any sibling rivalry in a sense where your mutual accomplishments motivate each other to further explore the many aspects of the Music industry?

Nah I don’t think there is any rivalry. I’m always ecstatic when good things come his way and I think he feels the same for me. It only helps the both of us when good things happen professionally for either of us.

Ever had an embarrassing onstage moment?

Oh yeah I’ve had a few. My latest was when Kelly did a double tour with Reba McEntire. The stage was 3 levels and with curtain down at the start of the show I would enter the stage from the top level and high five the rest of the band as I made my way down to the bottom level where my home position was. For some reason this particular night the house lights went off early and when they did I was high fiving the bass player on the top level. When the lights went out I knew I had to make my way down to the bottom level before the curtain went up but I couldn’t see very well cuz it was so dark. I ended up stepping into the hole where Reba and Kelly were waiting to rise out of the stage on the elevator that was lowered. I fell right on Reba’s head. The whole thing was slow motion. She and Kelly totally broke my fall and I wasn’t hurt but my guitar smacked Reba in the head and her hair was all messed up. We couldn’t stop the show cuz the intro music had started and the curtain was goin up. I apologized to Reba and quickly ran around to my position. When the lights came on I looked back to see if she was ok. She performed like nothing had happened. I was shaking thinking about what could’ve happened in my head. Nice I can laugh about it now.

What is your favorite piece of gear? Why?

My favorite piece of gear is my Bogner Ecstasy amp. It’s so versatile. I can pull a lot of different sounds out of it and they’re all great. There are a lot of one trick ponies that are amazing in the studio but live I need something that can do it all.

You play a Prestige NYS Deluxe Guitar onstage. Tell us what you like most about it, and how it relates to your playing on tour with Kelly Clarkson.

Well the guitar just feels real solid. The neck is great, the weight is comfortable, the frets feel good, the P90s have the woody P90 sound. The finish is cool. It looks like a different color from every angle. I play it on songs like Miss Independent where there’s a heavy chorus, funk verse, and a jangle in the bridge. I also play it on Breakaway and on an Alanis/Kings of Leon medley cover tune.

What is Vita-Mix? And what is your involvement with them?

Ha ha! Well I follow a raw vegan diet which means I primarily eat only fresh fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds that haven’t been heated over 115 degrees Fahrenheit. A Vita-mix is a blender on steroids that’s great at making raw soups, salad dressing, dips, smoothies and nut milks. I have one at home and I carry one in the wardrobe case for the dressing room and on the bus. I use it almost everyday and quite often I post videos using it on my rawcanrollkitchen.com website which is a pet project of mine. I’m gonna figure out a way to use it on stage and I think it’s going to be the way that Eddie used the drill on his pickups. Can you imagine the sound the vita-mix would make!! LOL

What advice do you have for bands and musician’s starting up to “make it” in the biz

The best advice is to be honest about what your doing and never lose sight of the fact that this is supposed to be fun. Don’t let the industry get you jaded. It’s only rock and roll. Oh yeah, and persistence pays off. Look at Anvil.

Axology