If you've had any sort of interaction with a boomer lately, you've likely been told that guitar music is over. Now, U2 — everyone's favourite boomer/Gen X cusp band — is looking to throw their hat in the ring to save rock 'n' roll once and for all, according to the Edge.
The band's longstanding guitarist spoke of his hopes to save guitar music in MOJO's latest issue, saying he wants Bono's "noisy, uncompromising, unreasonable guitar album" to be their next move.
"Well, I would love that to be the next U2 record," he said [via NME]. "The lockdown was a very creative period for me, just in composing music. I don't want to jinx ourselves… but there's a lot of great material waiting. I think the guitar is coming back. I really feel it. And I would like to be part of that."
He continued: "I'd like to be the vanguard of this resurgence of guitars! Don't get me wrong — talking to people I know who work at Fender, they're selling more guitars now than they've ever sold. But in terms of popular culture, there's been a drift away from the instrument, it would be fair to say."
Calling the guitar an "extremely expressive instrument," the Edge took the opportunity to acknowledge the musicians still picking up their old six-string: "The few bands that are using it well, it's still fresh."
While trying to bring back guitar music, U2 also brought back their own songs by re-releasing 40 of them for Songs of Surrender, a relatively boneless, slowed-down acoustic album (if my dad — or anyone else's for that matter — is reading this, apologies in advance). A David Letterman-hosted U2 documentary for Disney+ accompanied the release.
If guitar music is truly dead, maybe U2 will have to take Jamie Lee Curtis's advice and play a matinee.
The band's longstanding guitarist spoke of his hopes to save guitar music in MOJO's latest issue, saying he wants Bono's "noisy, uncompromising, unreasonable guitar album" to be their next move.
"Well, I would love that to be the next U2 record," he said [via NME]. "The lockdown was a very creative period for me, just in composing music. I don't want to jinx ourselves… but there's a lot of great material waiting. I think the guitar is coming back. I really feel it. And I would like to be part of that."
He continued: "I'd like to be the vanguard of this resurgence of guitars! Don't get me wrong — talking to people I know who work at Fender, they're selling more guitars now than they've ever sold. But in terms of popular culture, there's been a drift away from the instrument, it would be fair to say."
Calling the guitar an "extremely expressive instrument," the Edge took the opportunity to acknowledge the musicians still picking up their old six-string: "The few bands that are using it well, it's still fresh."
While trying to bring back guitar music, U2 also brought back their own songs by re-releasing 40 of them for Songs of Surrender, a relatively boneless, slowed-down acoustic album (if my dad — or anyone else's for that matter — is reading this, apologies in advance). A David Letterman-hosted U2 documentary for Disney+ accompanied the release.
If guitar music is truly dead, maybe U2 will have to take Jamie Lee Curtis's advice and play a matinee.
