Talk about "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie". Where did you get the idea from?
RG: The idea for the album title came to me, when I saw the cover picture. This photo shoot was originally for a magazine advertisement I was preparing for a hardware manufacture. My dog “Luke“ was with me that day and at the end I asked the photographer, if he could take some shots of my dog as well, just for fun. Usually shooting with animals needs hundreds of pictures to get some decent ones, but we made like five and one became the front cover and the other the back. When I saw this photo I loved the contrast having this somewhat tough guy in the back and this tiny and lovely dog in the front. The saying “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie“ came to my mind, but in German first, and I was hoping it also existed in English and it did!

DN: What is the inspiration behind this album?
RG: Many of the songs on the record have been floating around in my playing for many years in concerts and mainly during clinics at trade shows. I was trying to record some years earlier, but it just didn't feel right back then. When I had the success with my band Lafee, I also felt I would let all those influences of being on the road, help to grow and sharpen my playing. When you look at a photograph, its not only the image you see, it is the thoughts of the person who took it. If it was a concert, then this person was feeling the rush and energy of the show and wants to capture it. If it was a sports event she or he wants to capture the power of people trying to win. You get the idea. I wanted to get some of that life energy into my playing as well and into the songs.

DN: Who are the musicians that play on the record?
RG: Goran Vujic on Bass and Ulf Stricker on drums. Then we have the AMAZING Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater for a guest spot on keyboards on the first song „Tank“. Also a long term friend of mine Holger Dieffendahl on keyboards on the song „Groovemachine“. A great player in a different role is John Guth mixing the record. He is also the main mixer for Jordan Rudess and his solo albums. I worked with him before, when I was playing a guest solo on the Jordan Rudess solo record „The Road Home“.

DN: Who are some of the bands/musicians that influenced you when you were growing up?
RG: I started with Guns´n Roses and Metallica, Extreme, Pantera and Rage Against the Machine and a bit later Dream Theater. Guitar heroes, Joe Satriani was the first one. Because of him I picked up the guitar after I saw him on MTV promoting his new album. This day created a childish fascination for the guitar that lasts until today! Shortly after came Steve Vai. The next guy who totally blew me away and is my absolute favorite to this day is Andy Timmons. Jordan Rudess I see as a great mentor.

DN: Do you have any projects that you are working on right now or any in the future? Any plans to tour?
RG: After 4 very successful years with Lafee, we started a new band called TIEF with the same crew. That will be the priority for this year. Beside that my solo stuff is always alive. I am currently working on a new solo album that will be more of a chill out guitar CD not a virtuoso record. As soon as the new band is popular enough we will go out on tour. I also recently released an instructional DVD for Cort Guitars for their guitar packages and we want to promote that also.

DN: Any cool stories you would like to share with us about the recording process?
RG: The record was done like many of those productions these days with only a small budget in home studios with DAW systems. The coolest part for me was indeed working with Jordan Rudess, as a guest artist. I know him since 1997, shortly before he joined Dream Theater. Trust me, I was and still am as much of fan as you can possibly be and not in my wildest dreams I would have thought the guy would ever work with me together. I mean listen to him, any questions left? Well that dream came true already earlier in 2007 when I played on his record, but of course an offer to do something for my own music is even a step higher. But people like him have a schedule like what I do in 5 years they do in 1 year. So now comes the limitless power of the Internet into play and today’s technology, which offers a guy like Jordan the freedom to be on the road with his band somewhere on the planet sitting in a hotel room with a decent keyboard and recording a fabulous solo over my song. And then upload to my server where I can then import into my project. I do this business long enough to say, I come from a time period, where working like this would have been such a logistical nightmare. If that’s not some of the coolest things ever today, having people work on a project, then I don't know. The album artwork was done by a great guy in Australia named Andrew Saltmarsh. I never met him in person but I am doing stuff with him over the last 8 years or so just online. Mixing the record. I am in Germany and the engineer in New York. Some phone calls, some emails with test mixes, that’s it!

DN: What was the most challenging part of making this record?
RG:Well, a record like this you always want to make it as good possible! And it will have a special meaning to you. Before any commercial interest, you play this music because it is yours, it is as close as it can possibly be for an electric guitar player. You try to express something with your songs, with your melodies. Many times I have big problems to let a song be „done“. When it is time to declare it as finished. And it is very important that you see this moment early enough, so you don't put more paint on the drawing, which might ruin what you have created before. You have a certain quality standard to the production and sound, which might be hard to achieve, because of limited financing. You discover yourself being super confident about everything one day and the other you're questioning all your work again. I think a dangerous process, that hindered many players to put out some great music. They just don't believe in themselves.

DN: Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge for offering support creating this album?
RG:As funny and as it sounds but my dog Luke and I explain to you why: This daily routine you have to keep up, when you have a dog by going out for a walk in the forest for a while every couple of hours or play with him in the garden, and I live very far outside the city in a farmers house, so its amazing to refresh your mind. I think I would have created a much more stressed out record without this daily schedule. Sometimes you have to take a break in your work to avoid messing it all up. You just need somebody or something to stop you. In my case my dog did that for me.