Well, here they are: my ten faves from 2022; a little late (okay a lot late), but it would be a shame if you missed out on any of these terrific releases from the past twelve months. I urge you to go back through the Record Pick posts throughout the year to check out other fine recordings that didn’t make the cut. So, in no particular order.
Happy New Year. My interview with Markus Reuter is long overdue. He has been a major part of the modern guitar community for decades, from his brilliant work with The Stickmen and versions of King Crimson, to his recordings ranging from ambient to prog, to his terrific podcast featuring a number of modern guitarists. He has worked with Tim Motzer, Adrian Belew, Robert Fripp and Mark Wingfield among others. Our conversation ranges wide and long, covering many things of interest to the modern guitarist.
I worked for Electro-Harmonix three times. Once in the mid 70s, once in the later 70s, and finally when I moved back to New York from San Francisco in the early 2000s. By the last time, DAWS and plugins were a thing and hardware effect companies were cashing in by licensing plugin versions of their products. I suggested to Mike Matthews that he consider turning some of his classic pedals into plugins. He wasn’t into it at the time but apparently has now decided to put a toe in the water. Starting with his flagship effect, the Big Muff, he has launched a hybrid pedal/plugin concept.
While many mainstream guitarists were bemoaning that live gigging was ramping up too slowly, avant-garde picker Seth Andrew Davis was doing 50 gigs in the first six months of 2022. Even more surprising, he is based not in the new music scene of Brooklyn but in Kansas City. How is this possible? Check out our conversation to find out.
See some of Davis’ performances below.
Unfortunately not a continuous video but any new Eivind in performance is welcome. Especially interesting because the airline lost his pedals and he had to make do with some borrowed effects. Further proof that the sound is in the mind, heart, and fingers of the player.
