| LoNero “Whatever” |
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| LoNero “Loose” |
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| LoNero “No Regrets” |
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There’s quite literally an endless amount of music genres these days, but none focuses more on the talent and melodic power of a guitar than guitarcore. A new term coined by California instrumental guitarist Bill Lonero (whose band LoNero — same name, different spelling — champions the genre), guitarcore brings a focus on the guitar that is different from traditional instrumental guitar. With two CDs already on the market, LoNero’s guitar-focused music is catching on with fans and drawing attention from industry watchers. While Lonero is humble about his abilities, he’s undoubtedly one of the best “feeling” guitarists I’ve heard in quite some time. Gibson recently spent some time with him discussing his career and the future of guitarcore.
What’s the difference between guitarcore and instrumental guitar music?
Guitarcore is about the song. It’s for all of those people who love guitar but don’t want to hear someone grunting or growling over the top of it and it’s for those who love guitar but don’t want to hear some self-indulgent, 20-minute guitar solo. Our songs have verses and choruses, bridges and solo sections. When we write we write as if a singer is going to sing over the top of it. Guitarcore is also about the band. Everyone in the band gets creative input. Everyone gets a chance to show their chops live and there are absolutely no egos. LoNero is not about cutting and pasting a solo together or fixing it in the mix. If it can’t be played live it isn’t going to be recorded. For years instrumental guitar has been so self-indulgent. But there are a lot of people who don’t play guitar but love guitar music. Those are the people we want to reach.
How are you different from Joe Satriani and Steve Vai?
I don’t play Ibanez and I don’t use a whammy bar. Our music is darker and heavier than Vai or Satriani. In terms of what those guys have done for instrumental guitar, you can’t get better than them for that style of high-energy playing.
However that's just not my style. I'd rather hear Angus Young hit a bad note here and there and feel that tension and feeling in his playing than a note perfect solo any day.
In LoNero the solo is not the focal point of the band. It isn’t about how fast a line is or how many notes I can play. I could care less about that stuff. To me it’s all about writing a song that has a strong melody. I hear so many guitar solos that are so fast yet they don’t say a single thing. What’s the point?
What gear do you use?
I’m endorsed by Peavey and love the Peavey Wolfgang. I have two of them and they are my main guitars. They are both purple Specials with stop tailpieces. I also play the Peavey Triple XXX. On our last album I used those plus a very old Gibson lap steel for slide on a Hawaiian slack key song I wrote called “Lahaina Nights.” It sounded incredible. Instead of using the metal bar for the slide I used a discarded whammy bar. After all what else is the bar good for? I used to have a beautiful 1967 cream Les Paul Custom but it was stolen. That guitar was one of the nicest and most beautiful sounding guitars I’ve ever owned.
Is your recording setup different from your live setup?
Actually it's the same. Wolfgang and Triple XXX. I’m not a gear head. I don’t run out and by the latest toys or effects. My setup consists of my guitar, my amp, a Dunlop 535 wah and a Digitech Whammy II. That’s it. I don’t need a rack of effects to impress other guitar players. I'm happy with my set up and it's done me well.