And Joe Bonamassa hurts my ears with boring songs, I'm more a Billy Strings guitar "hero" feller anymore, I've sworn off all the neoclassical shredmeisters with my younger years. I've trod enough ground with metal, but I'm California Sober (so they say) anymore and don't miss angry rock much.
I've experienced Meet Me at the Creek enough times to know that Billy Strings and neoclassical shredding aren't mutually exclusive.
Yeah, but here's the thing: almost to a man, the biggest "shredder guys" like Yngwie, Vai, Satch ever really wrote any great SONGS, man. Not that weren't solely instrumental guitar solo vehicles anyway, by and large. Jimmy Page is arguably the best rock guitarist ever BECAUSE of the songs he wrote.
It's fair to note that Jimmy Pace did not sing. He needed a singer. Billy strings does not have that requirement. He's a pretty good singer. He's not the best ever, but he's good enough to put him in that rarefied air where he's good at all three things. Great player, good singer, great song writer
And so because of the poor songwriting element and the repetition with which the shredder guys function within that space, it just gets really old and boring really quick.
I agree. Shredding is ultimately performance art, in my opinion.
*Page!