While Swift isn’t widely known for her technical ability with a guitar, the fact that she regularly plays guitar on her record-breaking global Eras tour means she’s getting the six-string in front of millions of fans around the world, which is worthy of note.

The top spot in the poll, however, is taken by Red Hot Chili Peppers’ John Frusciante. Most often a Strat player, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame back in 2022. So what makes him so good? Well, producer Michael Beinhorn, who worked with the Chili Peppers on albums such as Mother’s Milk, has previously said that Frusciante has an expert understanding of composition and music theory and would even transcribe Steve Vai guitar solos back in the day.

1. John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
2. Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys)
3. John Mayer
4. Sam Fender
5. Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead)
6. Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters)
7. Ed O’Brien (Radiohead)
8. Taylor Swift
9. Tom DeLonge (Blink-182)
10. Simon Neil (Biffy Clyro)
11. Jim Root (Slipknot)
12. Keith Urban
13. John 5 (Mötley Crüe)
14. Brad Paisley
15. Troy Van Leeuwen (Queens Of The Stone Age)
16. Albert Hammond Jr. (The Strokes)
17. H.E.R.
18. Adam Hann (The 1975)
19. Ed Sheeran
20. Julien Baker

guitarguitar’s “Playable” exhibition includes a series of limited-edition, hand-painted Fender Stratocasters, each covered in motifs inspired by an artist’s career. These are available for fans to play as they tour around stores until 25 June.

Adam Speck, a spokesperson for the retailer, comments, “Over the last 20 years we’ve welcomed so many guitarists through our doors, whether they are picking up a guitar for the first time, or finally getting their hands on their dream one.

“We’ve even sold guitars to some of the iconic guitarists who have inspired many more to follow in their footsteps. Creating this playable exhibition with Fender is a thank you to everyone who has been on this journey with us over the last 20 years. And whether it’s Under the Bridge, or Seventeen Going Under, we can’t wait to see our customers show off their skills on these very rare pieces.”

Hello This Silent Divide, we’re happy to have you here with us on Rock Era Magazine,

• First of all, your sound shows great chemistry, how did you guys meet? And what’s the story behind the name This Silent Divide?

This Silent Divide began in 2018 when I (Shaun, vocals, guitar) was looking to get back into making music. I’d taken a break from being in a band for quite a few years but stayed close to live music as I’d been focusing my creative energy on gig photography and got to photograph a bunch of my musical heroes onstage in London and New Zealand.

So when I wanted to get back into playing music, I used the old-school musician-wanted ads here in Wellington, New Zealand and online. Through that process I met Sunil, our drummer and a couple of other past members of the band. Kieran (lead guitar) had come to some of our early shows and later ended up joining the band. Jonatan (bass) is working at the same place as Sunil and joined this year as part of a line up change. In terms of the band name, This Silent Divide is whatever the listener makes of it! It’s just a phrase we came up with, after a lot of debate. Coming up with a band name everyone liked proved to be harder than actually writing songs!

The band is: Shaun Jones (vocals, guitar), Kieran Williams (lead guitar, backing vocals), Jonatan Jaworski (Bass) and Sunil Jolly (drums)

Find ‘Morning’ on BandCamp

• Your sound mixes diverse alternative and heavy elements, what are your early influences? And which ones steer your writing now?

All the band members have fairly different and diverse interests in music, across rock, alternative, metal, punk, indie and pop. Together we’re looking to make melodic rock with big guitars and drums and soaring vocals. Bands like Deftones, Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins and Shihad (NZ rock band) are all reference points for us.

• You have layered sound with diverse structures, how usually does your writing process go?

We have a collaborative approach to songwriting – it’s something that’s grown over time as we’ve jammed more together and built our connection with each other. All band members contribute song ideas which we then jam on and shape together in the practice room, adding things, pulling things apart and taking things in different directions until we’re happy with the song.

• What usually inspires you? And what inspired writing Beautiful Creature and Morning?

Lyrically our songs are typically inspired by the stories of people we’ve met along the way. They’re songs of inspiration and reflection really, in terms of themes.

Lyrically ‘Beautiful Creature’ is a commentary on society’s desire to write-off and punish people who lash out when pushed beyond their limits.

We’ve had some great reviews, good support from indie radio in NZ and the track has been played by rock radio shows in the US, UK and Germany. We worked with a really great NZ producer called Toby Lloyd from Tiny Triumph Recordings on the studio recording of it and had it mastered by Robin Schmidt in Germany (Royal Blood, Pixies, Placebo). It sounds huge and we’re stoked with how it turned out.

The music video for ‘Beautiful Creature‘ has also been well received and was a lot of fun to make…lugging our gear up a big hill to film the band in some old, graffitied bunkers and casting a few friends as actors to bring the rest of the video’s story to life. There’s a bit of mystery in the video storytelling.

Lyrically our new single ‘Morning‘ touches on themes of vulnerability and navigating personal relationships in the face of an uncertain future. It’s a blend of the stories of a few people.

• Are you planning on dropping a full-length or an EP or you’re going to take things slow with a bunch of singles?

We’re actually writing more new songs currently and heading back into the recording studio in October to record two new tracks. We’re pretty excited about the directions the new songs are taking and are looking forward to the studio time. The plan is to release the new songs as singles. We’d love to do another EP or record an album at some point though!

• You’re known for your tight performance and from your music I can feel the energy, do you have any gigs planned in 2023/2024?

We always have a heap of fun playing live. We’ve got a bunch of shows coming up in the months ahead, before the end of 2023. We’ll be getting on the road and playing at some different venues and with some bands we’re yet to share the stage with, which is great! The gigs are in Wellington, Napier, New Plymouth and Auckland, within New Zealand.

• What are your future plans for This Silent Divide? Got anything exclusive for us?

Well, after we complete our upcoming time in the studio recording new music, we’ll be looking to release a new single late in November.

• Anything else you’d like people to know about This Silent Divide/your music?

We’d love people to check out the tunes (we’re on all music streaming platforms, as well as YouTube etc) follow us on instagram or facebook and let us know what you think about the new single. We love hearing from new fans all over the world!

This Silent Divide‘s music is available on your favourite music streaming platform.

Thanks for your time guys, wishing you the best. Cheers!

Credit: Alban Bizet

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The alternative rock four-piece band got together in 2021 by Chris Schwarten on guitars and Nicolas Zappa on bass, who have been playing together since 2018. Later, they were joined by Bri Macanas, the vocalist, and they instantly clicked, and finally, Joe Eiffes on drums. Although each of them comes from a different background with remarkable experience and undoubtful talent, they spent two years getting acquainted with one another, playing around with songs and lyrics till they perfected their sound, resulting in an original style, sick tunes, and powerful lyrics. The band’s style is influenced by the likes of Nine Inch Nails, The Cure, Queens of the Stone Age, Deafheaven, and others, but with their own take and angle. 

“Scorpio” is about dark desires, deep emotional conflicts, and addictive behaviors, something that all of us can relate to in our way. Although we might know how pursuing these desires or behaviors could be destructive, or as described in the song “It’ll be the Death of Me,” we still can’t stop. These deep lyrics are accompanied by powerfully controlled vocals, a dynamic drumline, and a subtle bass line. The guitar riffs are heavy, loud, and vibrant, bringing the sound to life. The song has interesting cadences and an overall sick ambiance. “Scorpio” along with “Into Dust,” their latest release, were recorded at Small Pond, Brighton by engineer Josh Riordan, assisted by Liisa Kiis, Bri Macanas, and Nicolas Zappa (who also mixed both songs.) The mastering by Mark Roberts and the remarkable artwork by Chris Schwarten. 

Keep an eye on the band’s socials for upcoming live shows; you surely don’t want to miss it!