Jump to content
Hamer Fan Club Message Center

Kotzen for the win


Recommended Posts

The song, the voice, the musicians and musicianship, individually and packaged ... This could be the best five minutes of music I've experienced in years.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Jeff R said:

The song, the voice, the musicians and musicianship, individually and packaged ... This could be the best five minutes of music I've experienced in years.

Couldn't agree more!

I had to laugh when the drummer reaches to scratch his back with a drumstick at 1:30...

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, geoff_hartwell said:

Has he always played 100% fingerstyle, no pick?

If I recall, he originally played with a pick, but while on tour one night, decided to just fingerpick. Could be Urban legend. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, I have seen him live in 2015 and 2017 and with the Winery Dogs in 2016 (I really love their 2nd album). I think his drummer Mike Bennett plays very well and his bass player Dylan Wilson is fantastic, he has a very good groove. Richie Kotzen one of the few contemporary music artists that I really enjoy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/richie-kotzens-top-5-tips-for-guitarists-610168

Kotzen knew that he had to try to shake things up, so he did something radical – he ditched his pick. "I’d done little things with fingerpicking, but I never played a whole show like that," he says. "I went on stage without a pick just to see what would happen. You could say I was out of my comfort zone."

Immediately, Kotzen eliminated a few things technical elements from his repertoire. Alternate picking went out the window; the same with sweep picking. "Two big parts of my sound – gone just like that," he says. “I was kind of handicapping myself in a way, but I found that when I went into a solo, I was connecting more with the instrument. My phrasing changed, I slowed down a little bit, and even my tone changed.

"It was cool, so I decided to follow that thread," he continues. "And now, years later, I’ve developed a whole new skill set on the instrument, and I’m able to bring back some of the things I lost. I found a way to execute some of the sweep picking things I couldn’t do; the alternate picking sound is coming back because I’m utilizing my fingers in a way that I never did. The whole experiment really paid off. So there's kind of a tip that I discovered on my own: If you're uninspired and in a rut, get out of your comfort zone."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of my favorites and yes he is super talented all the way around. I remember taking some heat here when I compared him to Prince. If he lacked anything vocally in the comparison, he more than makes up from playing perspective. IMO Seen him solo (meet and greet) and with The Winery Dogs, stellar both times and he was a  super cool dude, tone to die for. Top notch all the way around.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

45 minutes ago, jettster said:

I remember taking some heat here when I compared him to Prince. If he lacked anything vocally in the comparison, he more than makes up from playing perspective. 

True. Prince was an excellent overall musician, but his guitar playing is nowhere in the league of RK. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/15/2018 at 10:30 AM, MCChris said:

Great stuff, and definitely more toward his technical side. I prefer when he rolls back on that a bit:

 

Sheesh. I couldn't find anything negative about that cut. At all. Tight rhythm section, perfect vocal inflection and phrasing, the guitar work was tasty and fit the song like a glove. His phrasing in the closing licks sounded like George Lynch at his best. Impressive.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I have seen him last year. So, I'll wait when he has a new album out. I also don't like driving hours an a way to a concert. Just this month I went to Ringo's All Starr Band, Jeff Beck and Queen/Adam Lambert, and Billy Joel will follow next week, and I am weary spending so much time on a highway (lots of aggressive and dumb drivers, and you know, there is no tempo limit in Germany, except for roadwork, and there has been lots on my way to Berlin and Hamburg). I have seen Kotzen in Hannover two times (a two hour drive) and both concerts were great.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/16/2018 at 8:36 AM, Jeff R said:

https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/richie-kotzens-top-5-tips-for-guitarists-610168

Kotzen knew that he had to try to shake things up, so he did something radical – he ditched his pick. "I’d done little things with fingerpicking, but I never played a whole show like that," he says. "I went on stage without a pick just to see what would happen. You could say I was out of my comfort zone."

Immediately, Kotzen eliminated a few things technical elements from his repertoire. Alternate picking went out the window; the same with sweep picking. "Two big parts of my sound – gone just like that," he says. “I was kind of handicapping myself in a way, but I found that when I went into a solo, I was connecting more with the instrument. My phrasing changed, I slowed down a little bit, and even my tone changed.

"It was cool, so I decided to follow that thread," he continues. "And now, years later, I’ve developed a whole new skill set on the instrument, and I’m able to bring back some of the things I lost. I found a way to execute some of the sweep picking things I couldn’t do; the alternate picking sound is coming back because I’m utilizing my fingers in a way that I never did. The whole experiment really paid off. So there's kind of a tip that I discovered on my own: If you're uninspired and in a rut, get out of your comfort zone."

Well, maybe it was that, or maybe he was watching PGS Andy's demos on YouTube and was like "Huh..."

;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

He's so where I want to be as a player - bunch of tasty, perfectly placed licks with a huge reservoir of tech chops when he feels like throwing it in. 

One of my favorite performances of his ALMOST ruined by a boisterous Billy Sheehan. 
 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...