When a lead guitarist from a world-class rock and roll group says that all of the good guitar playing is coming from a genre outside his own, we should probably listen.
Chris Shiflett has been the lead guitarist of the Foo Fighters since 1999. He joined the band just prior to the release of the group’s third album (There Is Nothing Left To Lose), and he’s been with them ever since. And in 2021, Shiflett was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with his fellow members of the Foo Fighters.
On occasion throughout his career, the talented guitarist has gone solo or fronted other bands, like Jackson United or Chris Shiflett and the Dead Peasants. Interestingly enough, when he’s broke away from the Foo Fighters – in a good, healthy, non-controversial way – he’s leaned more into the country music style.
His most recent solo album, Lost at Sea, came out in 2023. And it was during his promotional run with that project that he spoke highly of country music and the artists that are in the industry as a whole. I feel as though it’s somewhat self explanatory to say that Shiflett shreds the guitar when he plays with the Foo Fighters. But even he admitted that the best guitar playing wasn’t coming out of the rock and roll world – a world that he’s heavily enmeshed with.
Instead, Shiflett suggested in an interview with Louisville Public Media that another genre has the most unique and impressive guitar playing, and it always has in his opinion:
“All the good guitar playing’s been in country music for a long time. Rock music? There’s a lot of cool stuff. But if you’re looking for someone playing like Don Rich? It’s not coming from the rock world.”
That’s pretty high praise coming from a very talented guitarist in his own right. And when you consider artists like Daniel Donato, Sturgill Simpson, Billy Strings, Marcus King, even more mainstream acts like Zach Top and Chris Stapleton, Brothers Osborne, Charlie Worsham… there’s a lot of dudes who can play.
And I suppose he doesn’t mind saying that because Shiflett himself primarily switches over to country music when he’s not rocking arenas and stadiums with their various, timeless anthems. Apparently from his perspective, fellow rockers don’t look at the country music genre all that fondly:
“Nobody from the country side says, ‘You like rock music?’ But everybody from the rock side is like, ‘You like country?!’ Like it’s some betrayal.”
Since this interview came out a couple of years ago, there’s a chance that point of view has changed for some in the music business. It seems like in just the past couple of years, more and more artists have gotten off the beaten path of their own stylings to try out the country music sound (See: Post Malone, Beyoncé, Ringo Starr). The response by country fans has been mostly accepting… to a certain extent.
Even Shiflett pointed out back in 2023 that genres were becoming increasingly conglomerated in the modern age:
“It all sounds the same now. When I was growing up, everything seemed very separate. Now it’s all one big smoothie.”
I like the description of a “big smoothie” as opposed to a musical melting pot.
And I guess you could also group Chris Shiflett into the list of artists that have traded out their “day job” for a “side project” with country music. Though I will say, in my opinion, most of Shiflett’s country-esque work does a good job of firmly establishing itself as country… rather than just dropping into the genre like other artists.
“Long, Long Year”
Chris’ podcast “Shred With Shifty” also features a ton of great country pickers as guests… if you’re a guitar nerd, it’s a must listen.
