For Your Consideration: The La Torre Bros. on Guitar Solos
We thought we’d resurrect an old favorite of our features For Your Consideration, where brothers (and former bandmates), Nicholas and Michael touch on topics of their choosing for you to check out. Many times this includes arguing (because they are brothers after all). However, this latest rendition is quite tame from their glory days (though they were never Gallagher brothers level).
This time, they’re sharing some of their favorite guitar solos. Check out Nicholas’ first and then Michael’s. Then, there might even be some common ground…🤯
“Great solo. Love the tone and the way it plays off the rhythm.” - Nicholas
“I believe that it’s not always about speed but the way they blend different speeds. And don’t overuse effects.” - Nicholas
“But if there’s something they can do to distinguish themselves, make their tone different, style different, different sound.” - Nicholas
“And if you can be the first to do it. People will chase you.“ - Nicholas
“It’s not the most insane solo but Jimmy is basically singing with his guitar throughout the song. And it starts right off the line.“ - Nicholas
“I think Hannah Wicklund is one of the most underrated musicians out there today. She’s absolutely ferocious on the instrument and you can really choose any song she solos on because they’re all great. However, her fire that burns on “Evil is a Corporation” has the power of 1,000 suns.” - Michael
“Nels Cline is the gold standard of indie guitarists for me and he shows it as he shreds near the end of Wilco’s “Impossible Germany” on Sky Blue Sky.” - Michael
“Jim James is a mastermind of the rock and psychedelic genres (psych is my guilty pleasure). There’s no one quite like him and his work on “Dondante” is next-level.” - Michael
“There’s no one quite like J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. who the first time I heard him had me hooked! In my failed attempt at electric guitar (after years on acoustic), I recreated so much of his rig but came nowhere near the heights that this guitar god can.” - Michael
“This may be a late moment with regard to Prince. However, I have such vivid memories of watching the Purple One played the Halftime Show at the Super Bowl in 2007 and he played “Purple Rain” in the rain. I remember he was quoted after being warned about the downpour “Can you make it rain harder” before taking the stage.” - Michael
Nicholas and Michael may not always agree, but there were two things they can agree on. First, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett can solo like few others.
“If I had a gun to my head and had to pick Metallica it would be this probably.” - Nicholas
“When I think of the term shred, with relation to guitar, it’s this solo that comes to mind, especially with how it opens.” - Michael
Second, Dimebag Darrel’s solo in Pantera’s “Floods” is one of their all time favorites.
“There are only a set number of notes. It’s hard to be original in composition alone. But a good guitar solo goes well beyond a break for the singer. Fingers, equipment, style, and skill all play a factor in lead guitar. It’s not about perfection either. It’s about the freedom to add to a song that the rhythm section doesn’t get.” - Nicholas
“Name me a more emotive solo. I’ll wait.” - Michael
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