Joey Santiago

Joseph Alberto Santiago (born June 10, 1965) is a Filipino-American guitarist and composer.

Santiago was born in Manila, Philippines, on June 10, 1965, the third of six sons of an anesthesiologist.

Santiago soon introduced his new roommate to 1970s punk and the music of David Bowie.

He later recalled their time together in college: "Charles and I had a suite at the college dorm. We'd go to shows, I remember seeing Black Flag and Angst. Initially, I think we just liked each other. I did notice right away that he was playing music ... He'd write 'em [the songs], and I'd throw my ideas on the guitar."

In their second year of college, Thompson traveled to Puerto Rico as an exchange student.

After six months there living with a "weird, psycho roommate," Thompson sent Santiago a letter with the words "We gotta do it, now is the time, Joe, we gotta chase our dreams"; Santiago replied, saying "Yes, now's the time."

Upon receiving this reply, Thompson decided to return to Amherst to start a rock band with Santiago.

Upon Thompson's return to Massachusetts, the pair dropped out of college and moved to Boston.

They both took temporary jobs in warehouses, with Santiago working for a butcher block company.

In 1972, when President Marcos declared martial law, the family immigrated to the United States.

After two years in Yonkers, New York, the family moved to Longmeadow, Massachusetts, where Santiago attended Longmeadow High School and graduated from Wilbraham & Monson Academy in 1983.

His first experience with a musical instrument was playing a Hammond organ at the age of eight, but he never took on the instrument seriously because he had to share it with five brothers.

Santiago first played a guitar at the age of nine after he noticed a classical guitar hanging on his oldest brother's wall for decoration.

The first song he learned to play was The Velvet Underground's "Rock and Roll".

As a teenager, Santiago became interested in computer programming, naming his first program "Iggy" and his second "Pop" after punk rocker Iggy Pop.

He participated in a cycle ride across the United States in aid of charity, but on completing it did not bother to collect the sponsor's money.

After graduating from high school in 1983, Santiago studied at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

He remained without a major as long as the university would permit him to, but eventually chose economics.

He met Charles Thompson, an anthropology student and the future Pixies frontman, after he heard Thompson and his roommate playing their guitars.

Santiago rushed home to collect his guitar, and was soon playing "non-blues-scale, non-cover-song rock" with Thompson.

Santiago and Thompson shared a room at the start of the second semester.

Active since 1986, Santiago is best known as the co-founder and lead guitarist of the American alternative rock band Pixies.

In January 1986, Santiago formed the Pixies with Thompson.

Santiago made the choice to play lead guitar over Bass.

The pair arrived at a name after Santiago selected the word randomly from a dictionary and liked the definition, "mischievous little elves."

They recruited Kim Deal a week later after placing a classified ad in a Boston paper for a bassist "into Hüsker Dü and Peter, Paul and Mary."

Drummer David Lovering was later hired on recommendation from Deal's husband.

The Pixies rehearsed throughout 1986, and began performing around Boston in late 1986 and during 1987.

The band signed to the English independent record label 4AD in 1987.

On meeting the head of the label, Ivo Watts-Russell, Santiago remarked: "All I care about is that you make me famous in the Philippines because all the chicks are really pretty".

Watts-Russell later said "that's probably all I ever heard Joey really say," and by that time, Santiago's quietness had been noted by those close to the band.

The Pixies' first release, Come On Pilgrim, featured his trademark angular lead guitar on tracks such as "The Holiday Song" and "Vamos".

After the band's next two albums, Surfer Rosa (1988) and Doolittle (1989), the relationship between the band members became strained; the Pixies were constantly touring and had released three albums in two years.

During their homecoming Boston concert, on the post-Doolittle "Fuck or Fight" tour, Santiago smashed up his instrument and stormed offstage.

The band announced a break soon afterwards.

After the band's breakup in 1993, Santiago produced musical scores for film and television documentaries, and he formed The Martinis with his ex-wife, Linda Mallari.

He also contributed to albums by Charles Douglas and former Pixies band-mate Frank Black.

Santiago resumed his role as the Pixies' lead guitarist when they reunited in 2004.

Santiago has described his guitar technique as "angular and bent", and he cites Les Paul, George Harrison, Chet Atkins, Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass and Jimi Hendrix as major influences on his style.

His guitar playing, as part of the Pixies' sound, was held in high regard by critics: MTV's Laurel Bowman commented that Santiago's "sonic plow was the key element in the Pixies' monstrous presence".