Shinedown Guitarist Talks New Album, Embarks On Solo Tour

Shinedown guitarist Zach Myers says the band will release new material in 2012. Courtesy photo.

Rock News: Guitarist of hard rock band Shinedown embarks on solo tour

Zach Myers is the lead guitarist of the No. 1 charting rock band in the country right now: Shinedown.

So why — on the heels of playing sold-out, 10,000-person arena shows — is he switching gears and doing an acoustic, small club tour?

As Myers explains it, this stripped-down, “souLLow Acoustic 2011 Tour” is something he’s been gunning for a while. He just plans to kick back and share the stage with one of his oldest pals — singer/songwriter Chris Allen of the band Ingramhill — to play originals, tinker around on a few covers and “not take anything too seriously.”

“I think people are expecting something a lot different from what this tour is going to be,” Myers told Audio Ink Radio, just a few days before setting off on the tour. “This is just going to be my best friend and I messing around for two hours onstage, having fun.

“It’s like we’re inviting people into our living room to jam.”

Growing up in Memphis, Tenn., Myers was turned on to blues guitar via greats like Jimi Hendrix and “Stevie” Ray Vaughan, and later, The Edge (U2), Jimmy Page and Brad Paisley. He scored a record deal at age 14, touring and developing a modern, blues-rooted style of playing that earned him gigs with Buddy Guy and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

The heart of making music, Myers says, is the fans.

“We did 470 shows on Shinedown’s Sound of Madness tour, and there were people who were at 150 shows on that tour,” he said. “It’s crazy to think about. Our fan club Shinedown Nation is amazing, and we try to be close with all our fans. When there are people who have been to 40 of your shows, you get to know those people and develop a kinship with them.”

Shinedown news

As of late, Shinedown have scored their sixth consecutive No. 1 single from The Sound of Madness, “Diamond Eyes.” They’ve also kept busy in Los Angeles, working on their new album. Myers reports the band has about 14 songs written, but they probably won’t start hunkering down until late summer. Expect a new album by 2012.

“We aren’t a band that goes into the studio and makes a record in six weeks,” he said. “The Sound of Madness took 24 months to write. Brent has this weird thing when we’re writing, we go into the studio, and there are no clocks around; there are no calendars on the wall. He doesn’t like to have a time limit on being creative.”

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Anne Erickson

Meet the expert - Author, writer and editor Anne Erickson is a Detroit-based reporter and radio host. She has written for the USA Today Network, Consequence.net, Blabbermouth.net, and many more. Anne holds a master's degree from Michigan State University. Contact Anne at anne@audioinkradio.com.

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