The recent departure of Brent Hinds has left Mastodon in unfamiliar territory, as the unique synergy between Hinds’ lead guitar and Bill Kelliher’s rhythm playing was one of the defining characteristics of the band for over 25 years.
The dynamic duo of Hinds and Kelliher stood out, especially because neither of them were the type to dominate the spotlight. Instead, Hinds’ carefully crafted licks meshed seamlessly with Kelliher’s massive riffs, intertwining into complex sonic patterns that immediately captured the listener’s attention.
In 2022, Kelliher spoke in an interview about how often Hinds’ creative input would surprise and impress him, even when Hinds was simply interpreting a part Kelliher had written:
“Typically, I’ll write the rhythm and harmonies since I’m really into harmonies. If it’s my song, I’ll also write the lead and show it to Brent, saying, ‘This is what I did for this part. Can you play it?’ Most of the time, he’s like, ‘Yeah, yeah.'”
“But every so often, he’ll listen to what I’ve written and come up with his own interpretation. Sometimes, he’ll do something that blows me away. For instance, I might add a bridge and assume he’ll play a solo over it. But when he plays his part the next day, he’ll have placed the solo somewhere completely different—like over a midsection I thought would be instrumental. I’ll hear it, and I’m like, ‘Whoa, wow! I wouldn’t have done that, but it sounds incredible.’ When it works, it’s amazing to hear because it adds a whole new perspective to the song.”
Kelliher also discussed Hinds’ approach to writing material and how challenging it could be to perform his parts:
“When Brent writes, it’s like he’s assuming he’s the only guitar player in the band because it’s so wild. I’ll try to learn it and keep practicing, thinking, ‘Man, this is really tough.'”
“He’ll say, ‘Oh no, it’s not hard. Your stuff is hard.’ And I’ll respond, ‘Well, your stuff is hard because it’s like you’re playing a guitar solo the whole time.'”
Kelliher went on to describe how challenging it was for him to learn Hinds’ parts:
“It’s hard for him to teach me what he’s doing. He doesn’t have the patience to sit down and show me. So when he plays, I have to record his exact finger positions on my phone, then learn it from there.”
“But it changes a lot. I’ll work really hard to get it down one way, only to have him change it by the next practice. It’s his riff until we record it, so it’s always evolving.”
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