Weezer's Rivers Cuomo sits down with Shifty to talk Yngwie, Phish, and the outro solo to "Only in Dreams" off the “Blue” album.
"I don't use effects," Rivers Cuomo states, matter-of-factly, to Chris Shiflett on this second episode of Shred With Shifty. That might come as a bit of a shock to all the Weezer fans out there who went and bought a Big Muff in an effort to imitate the alt-rock guitarist's sound. For his tones on the band’s famous debut album, he went straight into his amp, and the only effect heard on that record, he says, was a bit of delay on the swells in "Only in Dreams."
The outro solo to "Only in Dreams," the final song on the album, is the subject of this ep. And after the guitarists spend a few minutes discussing Cuomo's inspirations, influences, and the production of both that album and the band's sleeper success, Pinkerton, Cuomo walks Shifty through the solo lick by lick. There's the sequence of octaves high up on the neck, colored by an unexpectedly placed major 7th chord ... and Cuomo's vibrato, which reminds Chris of Brian May. What shapes a guitarist's vibrato? “Must have something to do with your nerves between your brain and your fingers,” Cuomo says.
Before the recording of the album at Electric Lady Studios in NYC, Weezer's label insisted they work with a producer, which Cuomo rejected at first. Then he heard the Cars' "Just What I Needed" in the supermarket one day, and sought out the band's guitarist, Ric Ocasek. Ocasek was the one to push Cuomo to record an outro solo over the previously stripped-down, rhythm-section-based final three minutes of "Only in Dreams." After weeks of Ocasek's encouragement, Cuomo found himself alone in the studio one weekend and improvised his way through the solo. "This might be hard to believe, but when we started out, we were much more like a hippie band," Cuomo explains, describing his past devotion to Trey Anastasio. As it turns out, part of the "Only in Dreams" solo came out of Weezer's jamming portions of the song during their live shows.
Credits
Producer: Jason Shadrick
Executive Producers: Brady Sadler and Jake Brennan for Double Elvis
Engineering Support by Matt Tahaney and Matt Beaudion
Video Editors: Dan Destefano and Addison Sauvan
Special thanks to Chris Peterson, Gregory Nacron, and the entire Volume.com crew.
Did you ever wonder how the most epic guitar solos of our time were crafted? Let Chris Shiflett of the Foo Fighters be your tour guide and listen in as he breaks down legendary guitar solos with the artists themselves.
“I love guitar playing, and in particular, I love lead guitar playing (not to mention all things related to lead guitar playing: amps, pedals, stories about recording, and of course, guitars). My new show, SHRED WITH SHIFTY, was born out of the fact that I spend an awful lot of time watching people on the internet explain guitar parts almost right, so I thought, what if I could just go to the source and find out what my favorite players actually did on the solos I love? I’m about halfway through doing the interviews for this first season and the lineup is insane plus I’ve already got a big new bag of hot licks to learn. Working on launching this show has been a good reminder of why I picked up a guitar in the first place - because it’s really, really fun.” - Chris Shiflett
Each and every episode gets inside what it was like in the recording studio where some of the most iconic guitar solos were created and highlights aspects of each solo that only the artist knows. Alex Lifeson talks about how the “Limelight” solo was pieced together in the studio, while Rivers Cuomo discusses why his go-to “guitar store” lick is a classic from super shredder Yngwie Malmsteen. Wonder how Richie Sambora put together the “Wanted Dead or Alive” solo? We have you covered. Need a breakdown of the chords to Diana Ross’s “I’m Coming Out?” No one knows the nuances better than Nile Rodgers himself.
Shred With Shifty Guests Include:
- Nile Rodgers
- Brad Paisley
- Alex Lifeson (Rush)
- Mike McCready (Pearl Jam)
- Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi)
- Rivers Cuomo (Weezer)
- Charlie Starr (Blackberry Smoke)
- Lindsay Ell
- Blake Schwarzenbach, (Jawbreaker)
- John Osborne (Brothers Osborne)
- Brent Mason (Session Legend)
SHRED WITH SHIFTY is produced by Jason Shadrick, Chris Shiflett, leading music podcast company Double Elvis, and Volume.com along with Premier Guitar. Full video episodes will be available exclusively on Volume.com. Audio versions of every episode will be available on all major podcast platforms. Go to Volume.com/shifty and follow to get alerts as new video episodes are released.
Fans can smash play on Shiflett’s latest singles "Black Top White Lines" (written with alt-country heroes Jaren Johnston and John Osborne) and"Dead And Gone" right now, and stay tuned for a forthcoming full-length album announcement later this summer. Want to know what’s in Shiflett’s personal guitar vault? Check out his Rig Rundown via Premier Guitar.
"Double Elvis thrives on the power of music and storytelling. With 'SHRED WITH SHIFTY,' we're embodying these values by diving into the world of guitar legends, the solos that define them, and the untold stories behind those iconic moments. Chris Shiflett's passion for the craft, his curiosity, and his unique ability to connect with other musicians makes him the perfect person to lead this exploration. We couldn't be more excited to partner with him, and with Volume.com to bring this truly unique and entertaining new show to life.”
-Brady Sadler, Executive Producer & Co-Founder of Double Elvis
We are beyond thrilled to bring SHRED WITH SHIFTY to life with video on Volume.com. What we love about having this podcast on Volume is the visual nature of the content. The incredible material that Chris covers with these Legends is more compelling with the additional video component. We believe fans and guitarists being able to see the frets and fingerings up close and personal creates an enhanced viewer experience.
-Greg Nacron, COO, Volume.com