“SINGING IS WONDERFUL, BUT THERE'S SOMETHING VERY CATHARTIC AND ZEN ABOUT PLAYING LEAD GUITAR”

Myles Kennedy is best known as a singer – for Alter Bridge and for Guns N’ Roses legend Slash. But on his new solo album, he’s taking the spotlight as a guitarist

- Jonny Scaramanga

He’s one of the great rock voices of this generation, but Myles Kennedy sees himself primarily as a guitarist. With Slash and the Conspirators, he rarely picks up a guitar, leaving those duties to the Cat in the Hat himself, and to rhythm guitarist Frank Sidoris. Meanwhile, in Alter Bridge, Myles takes a decidedly secondary guitar role to Mark Tremonti. But on his new solo album The Ides Of March, Myles shows himself to be a gifted and versatile lead guitarist, firing off aggressive solos and memorable slide parts, as well as nods to his guitar hero, country legend Danny Gatton. He tells TG about the crossover between playing guitar and singing and his enviable vintage gear collection.

How was making this record different from working with Alter Bridge or Slash?

When I make a solo record I want it to truly be a solo record. I don’t really collaborate with other songwriters or anything. You come up with a part and think, ‘Okay, is this any good? Should I spend hours and days or even months trying to watch it grow?’ There were a few songs that definitely didn’t make the record, where I listened to the demo like, ‘Well, that was a waste of time!’ Which is the worst feeling in the world.

Your last solo album was 2018’s Year Of The Tiger. But was this one a challenge to make during the pandemic?