Artist Profiles

Jefferson Starship

// Craig Chaquico, former lead guitarist

JEFFERSON STARSHIP was a psychedelic folk-rock band from San Francisco, California. “Dragon Fly” (1974), “Red Octopus” (1975), “Spitfire” (1976), “Flight Log” (1977), “Earth” (1978), “Gold” (1979), “Freedom At Point Zero” (1979), “Modern Times” (1981), “Winds Of Change” (1982), “Nuclear Furniture” (1984), and Starship’s “Knee Deep In The Hoopla” (1985), “No Protection” (1987), and “Love Among The Cannibals” (1989) were all available from Grunt Records and RCA Records. Craig Chaquico is a composer, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and producer living in Ashland, Oregon. He has sold over 1 million records worldwide, was former lead guitarist, principal songwriter, and founding member of Jefferson Starship.

Websites: www.jeffersonstarshiptreeofliberty.com and www.craigchaquico.com
Photo: Craig Chaquico / CraigChaquico.com

Interview:

I’ve always felt like music was an art and a science. Somewhere between the algorithms and arithmetic, angels and auras, science and spirituality, math and magic, mind and medicine, there is the light and shadow of music. I think musicians are really lucky to be able to help spread that light, even though I don’t think we are the light, we are just the light bulb. The electricity and energy to make the light bulb glow must come from somewhere else. Maybe something magnetic that aligns the heart and soul with the spiritual north pole. Music can often be something that unites us all as it is the universal language and speaks to us about feelings, emotions, and experiences we all have in common without having to say a spoken word.

It’s invisible but can fill a room and inspire a heart. I love it when I see the emotions we all share, no matter who we are or where we come from, these emotions can be lit up by a melody or a song. No matter what country or language, when I play a romantic song I love to see it make people get teary-eyed or hold hands. An adventurous song can make people sit on the edge of their chairs or stand up and play air-guitar.

“Somewhere between the algorithms and arithmetic, angels and auras, science and spirituality, math and magic, mind and medicine, there is the light and shadow of music.”
– Craig Chaquico, former lead guitarist in Jefferson Starship

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