Matt Ball is gearing up to release his second solo album, Amplified Guitar 2, which builds upon his first solo record, Amplified Guitar. Ball may be a familiar name to you; he’s the shred genius behind the band Big Brave. The first single off Amplified Guitar 2 is “Billows Of Light.”
Ball states:
“The kind of music I like, emotive music, can be done with or without words. And I don’t sing. I don’t write lyrics. So this is my way of doing it. The emotional side of it is quite important; if I don’t feel an emotional attachment or connection to what I’m doing, I’ll drop it immediately. At the same time, it’s just what I gravitate towards with the instrument, these sounds—I’m trying to make the instrument weep.”
Amplified Guitar 2 was recorded and mixed with long time collaborator Seth Manchester at Machines with Magnets. Ball and Manchester employed the use of multiple mics in the studio (up to 15 at a time) when recording the album. Mics placed on the cabs, in the room, in the hallway and near the strings of the electric guitar to capture the un-amplified sounds of picks and fingers and strings, are all mixed together expertly to create a dynamic and nuanced album from a simple set of elements and one big idea: amplified guitar.
Look for Amplified Guitar 2 to drop May 3.
Photo courtesy of Matt Ball
