Regardless of being identified for his intricate guitar riffs in Rush, Alex Lifeson admitted in a brand new interview with Guitar World that he’s now not eager about exhibiting off his spectacular expertise by “shredding.”
As Lifeson explains, his lack of want to “shred” (together with in his band Envy of None) is a results of the huge quantity of different guitarists who’re doing so on-line. As a substitute, Lifeson is extra eager about utilizing his skillset selectively, including solos provided that it enhances the piece of music he’s engaged on.
“I’m truly soloing extra, supplied that it’s in service of the track,” he mentioned, evaluating Envy of None’s latest album to the band’s 2022 predecessor. “If the solo suits and does one thing to reinforce, or performs a job within the association of a track, then I’m all for it. However my days of shredding and enjoying like a loopy maniac are over. There are one million individuals on Instagram that do this now.”
He continued: “For me, I simply like to method the guitar from a special angle. I like doing issues that folks don’t anticipate me to do. I strive to not be Alex Lifeson from Rush, you realize? I attempt to create sounds on a guitar that aren’t guitar-like, which is type of enjoyable, camouflaging the instrument. On this document, I’m enjoying much more conventional stuff.”
Lifeson went on to explain his enjoying as being extra textural and atmospheric.
“I believe that’s at all times been part of me. I imply, I’ve at all times thought in these phrases, you realize? [In Rush] Geddy [Lee] and Neil [Peart] had been actually lively as a rhythm part and it type of pressured me to tug again a bit. I believed, ‘If these guys are going to play like this, I can’t play like that anyway.’ It could be loopy and it wouldn’t service the track. So I actually developed a method that’s extra chordal and broad.
“I exploit refrain so much in my sound, simply to get a extra expansive type of tonality and character to the guitar sound, and it was good for Maiah [Wynne, Envy of None vocalist]. She’s a singer who has a stupendous, very nuanced voice that may sit on high of something; the heaviest stuff, the darkest stuff, the bluesiest stuff… she simply suits on something, so it frees all of us up.”