Alice in Chains kept hard rock alive in the face of the 90s alternative explosion. The Seattle band was certainly as eclectic and as experimental – as alternative – as the best of them, but never lost its rocking edge, thanks in large part to the crunchy guitar work of Jerry Cantrell. They succeeded in bringing the heritage of the Stones, Van Halen, and AC/DC into the grunge arena, and in having it seem fresher and more dangerous than ever – which is exemplified on 1996’s Alice in Chains album, and the standout cut Over Now. Over Now began life as a home demo by Cantrell and was brought to the band, along with “Grind” and “Again,” shortly before the sessions. (more…)
You can learn more about rhythm and the real Keith Richards from the first 10 seconds of Start Me Up than from volumes of chord books. Start Me Up is one of the ultimate groove tunes in rock history with one of the most memorable guitar hooks of all time. A definitive track from the modern Stones era, it reached No. 2 as a hit single in 1981, and contains one of the most essential Keith riffs in the band’s entire catalog – and there are many in that 30-year-old catalog. Interestingly, it began life with a reggae feel, was recorded and discarded, and remained in the vault for a couple of years until the Stones revisited the piece for the Tattoo You album. (more…)
If the “Black Album” of 1990 presented a new Metallica for the coming decade, then Load upped the ante still further by going off in even more unpredictable directions. Case in point is the unusual textural offering Hero of the Day, a track that is a study in dark and light musical shading, and a brief glimpse at the future of Metallica and metal as it evolves into a hybrid for the alternative generation. (more…)
Collective Soul’s mega-hit Shine is an anomaly in the angst-driven, grunge-dominated scene of contemporary rock. This upbeat, feel-good song stands in direct contrast to the darker offerings by contemporaries like Soundgarden and Stone Temple Pilots. And why not? The three-guitar band from Georgia describe themselves as “positive guys” who know they’ve “got it pretty good.” Ed Roland is the leader, primary songwriter and part-conscious background rhythm guitarist. His brother, Dean, is the bashing, heavy rhythm player with Marshalls up to 10. Ross Childress is the “guitar player” of the group, who leads the way musically and adds the sophisticated touches. The lineup is rounded out with Shane Evans (drums) and Will Turpin (bass). It’s obviously a “pretty good” arrangement. (more…)
Born and bred in the rough and tumble New York City bar circuit, New Jersey’s Blues Traveler have come a long way. They were high school students when they first got together playing whatever jam nights they could, but grew into solid musicians and, through a relentless self-promotion campaign, eventually got the attention of A&M Records. An American success story, they were signed and they released an eponymously titled debut album in 1990. Four albums later, Blues Traveler broke into the Top 40 with Run-around, the first single from 1995’s Four, a track that features the incomparable harmonica work and vocals of leader John Popper, and the solid rhythm guitar playing of Chan Kinchla. (more…)
The ever-helpful we show you how to apply chord tone ideas to a funky backing track… The are some fiddly moments towards the end of the piece, but the basic principle of supplementing your pentatonic vocabulary with chord-tone ideas is one you should be able to put into practice pretty much straight away. The word arpeggio is most commonly defined as a ‘broken chord': the effect you get when your fretting hand holds down a chord shape and your picking hand strikes each note individually for that ‘House of the Rising Sun’ texture. (more…)