Loopocalypse Day 8 (of 17): “Disco Plato”

Plato credited the invention of disco to his mentor, Socrates. However, most modern historians and classics scholars believe the style originated with an earlier, unknown Athenian proto-philosopher.

The guitar is a Steelcaster built by my pal James Trussart. If you’re not familiar with his breathtaking work, stop now and visit his site. (If […]

Loopocalypse Day 7 (of 17): “Lujon”

I’ve been obsessed with Henry Mancini’s music for decades. Here’s an example of his “tropical” exotica side.

My Mancini loved deepened after I joined Oranj Symphonette, a ’90s band founded by cellist Matt Brubeck (Dave’s son). It’s fascinating how accessible and catchy all his tunes are, even though you realized they’re incredibly weird and […]

Loopocalypse Day 6 (of 17): “Monospace”

Are you old enough to identify the sampled sound that starts at 01:25?

Here’s where my title comes from.

I’m playing my Resistocaster, a DIY instrument with Warmoth parts and Lollar Gold Foil pickups.

Here’s an explanation of my live looping rig.

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Loopocalypse Day 5 (of 17): “God Only Knows”

Was a prettier song ever written?

Admittedly, there’s only a smidgen of looping here. I usually play this without a looper, but it’s nice being able to grab that lovely falsetto line at 02:25.

The guitar is a Guild X-15 arch top from the ’90s. It’s had many pickups over the years. This one […]

Loopocalypse Day 4 (of 17): “Shake It Off”

I probably sound like I’m being ironic, but no — I really love this Taylor Swift song.

The Hello Kitty! Stratocaster was a gift from my lovely friend and bandmate Jane Wiedlin. I replaced the factory humbucker with a Duncan Phat Cat (sort of a humbucker-sized P-90). Again, no irony intended. I like Sanrio […]

Loopocalypse Day 3 (or 17): “Just Like Heaven”

Who amongst us does not love the Cure?

I got to interview Robert Smith for a Guitar Player cover story in 1992. It was one of funnest of the 1,000+ musician interviews I’ve conducted over the last few decades. Robert is brilliant, bitchy, and hilarious. We talked most of the night over too many […]

Loopocalypse Day 2 (of 17): “Thunderbeast Park”

For Day 2 of Loopocalypse, here’s an angst-ridden original featuring brutal bit-crushed distortion and Tesla coil samples.

Thunderbeast Park was an Oregon roadside tourist attraction with cheesy plaster dinosaurs. I think I visited here as a kid, though I’m not certain. At least I would have pleaded for us to stop on one […]

Loopocalypse Day 1 (of 17): “Heroes”

On the occasion of a daunting round-number birthday, I’ve just completed Loopocalypse, a concert-length video of my live looping show. I’ll be posting a song per day, each featuring a different guitar, from now till Thanksgiving/birthday. Here’s Day 1 of 17, a tribute to that dearest of the dearly departed, David Bowie. I’ve been playing […]

My Live Looping Rig

I’ve just finished recording a concert’s worth of live looping performances. I’ll be posting these a day at a time, starting later today and continuing through Thanksgiving, 2018. (And there’s a daunting round-number birthday in there somewhere.) I’ve covered my looping setup before, but it’s changed a lot since the last time I wrote […]

Mini-Humbuckers vs. Firebird Pickups: A Head-to-Head Comparison

Man, I’ve been wanting to do this experiment for ages — and largely because it’s been a black hole off ignorance for me. As mentioned in the video, I used to think they were the same pickup. But as you can hear, they’re quite distinct, and the differences are far from subtle.