Guthrie Govan Discussion

[alexkhan]

Well, I always knew Seth and Pete were virtually an inseparable part of Erotic Cakes as well as the Fellowship, but now that I've finally somewhat digested Guthrie's all-encompassing histrionics and ownage, I can now also pleasantly enjoy the amazing bass work of Guthrie's bro Seth and the cool yet incendiary drumming of Pete Riley. Seth and Pete round it out, making this album a true ensemble effort than the typical guitar virtuoso record where big name rhythm sections are reduced to glorified backing tracks.

Seth and Pete are deeply ingrained into the tunes and in the album itself. You can feel and sense their sweat and passion throughout the songs. Their virtuosity is in that they can play along with Guthrie and that they know exactly what to do to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. They exercise restraint and then let loose at just the right time to accentuate the flow and the mood of the songs. They know these songs like the back of their hands because they've played 'em numerous times with Guthrie on stage. They have telepathic communications with Guthrie and you can sense it all around. Seth and Pete are the ones who make it a true band effort and give this album such a lively feel.

My next phase of listening to this album will be in absorbing the interplay and digging deeper into the little nuances of what Seth and Pete are doing. Like Guthrie, Seth and Pete are unassuming down-to-earth guys, but, man, can those guys play! You know, it's easy for people to say that they'd like to see Guthrie play with some well-known monster bass player and drummer, but I can't really imagine a better rhythm section for Guthrie than Seth and Pete - they are such perfect components of the larger Guthrie musical scheme. Major kudos to Seth and Pete for playing such a major part in making this album a stunning artistic statement. It just would not have been the same without them.
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Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.

[frankus]

Agreed, really nice chaps and highly skilled.

One thing I noticed on the album is that there are parts of Guthries solos for Ner-Ner that remind me of John Dutton the Fellowship keyboard player. Probably coincidental
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[treeduck]

Yeah they sound great on there, they compliment Guthrie perfectly...

[trelloskilos]

Too bloody right, Ed. Great job to the pair of them for doing what they do so well.

What really impressed me was how full the album sounded. I'm so used to hearing instrumental guitar albums sound lacking due to a certain amount of poseurism (I just invented a new word) on behalf of the guitarist, and a very generic sounding drum machine/synthetic bass combination, with no real human element behind it.

No question about it, for all of Guthrie's immense talents, Seth & Pete really do bring something to the table, and Jan has done an incredible job of combining the three of them to produce an album of tunes that sound well-rounded, well-polished, and immense!

[Rickh]

Perfectly put, Ed, as usual. What my girlfriend and I observed was that we were listening to a band play together on EC, rather than just a guitarist playing, like on so many other albums.
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The more you learn the less you know

[Onion]

agreed

[Dee]

Well said, Ed. Pete blew me away when I saw his playing on the DVD's, he's a really solid drummer but never overly flash, and I like that. He seems to play for the song. Seth is just as good on his respective instrument. For a while, I didn't realize he was Guthrie's brother. How cool. Seems like a very shy person, though. That's not a bad thing, just an observance!

Both of them -- great players, I can't fault them.

[Alun]

Here here. As a bassist myself, I'm blown away by Seth's playing on this album and I've been a fan of Pete's playing for a while. The second bass run in the trade offs in the title track

Time to transcribe!

Cheers,
Alun
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