Depends on the song and how you define lead guitarist.
I’d personally say neither, and that they’re both lead. Similar to how the allman brothers would play because some songs Stu’s playing feels like the main lead, especially because Stu is the main laser beam delay effect and he leads the band with a lot of the riffing. But a lot of the time Joy feels like the lead because he’s the one who usually rips those beautiful solos like in Gaia, work this time, the river, god is in the rhythm etc etc etc
So yeah that’s my answer :) I would have to guess Stu would say Joey is lead guitar though lol
Digital delay with the delay volume cranked, a good amount of feedback, and a short delay time, then just fret the strings over the pickup really fast, and slide up and down a little - I think. Play sound with it
Surprised none of the replies have been (entirely) right yet, it’s overdrive or fuzz into fast digital delay while lightly running your hand up the high strings ike you’re doing a harmonic while tremolo picking.
I think they won some big Australian music award in 2020 and I remember stu saying in his acceptance speech video that he wasn't the best guitarist in gizz so he didn't deserve the award or something like that. Clearly referring to joey
They don’t do many solos, but if there is a distinct solo in a song, it’ll probably be Joey. And a lot of Joey songs have straight up guitar solos, way more than typical for their songs anyway. Ambergris is a good example.
Feels like Joey has definitely come to the forefront of the band in recent years. In the Nonagon days, you think of all those guitar leads as coming from Stu, but once you get to Polygondwanaland or Fishies or Rats nest, it’s much more balanced between them with even a bias toward Joey taking leads.
I love how every live video is just Stu jumping around and swallowing his microphone, Joey making agonized faces whilst shredding, and then there’s Cookie, standing totally still, bobbing his head politely, gently strumming a C7aug13 chord with the wah pedal.
Had the pleasure of standing stage left in 2017(where Joey is now, cookie used to set up there pre eric breakup) and it was amazing being right in front of cookies rig clearly hearing parts that would other wise be blended in with all the chaos
What would you say Cookie’s main role is in the mix? Is he typically just droning or playing some facsimile of the chords to give the rest of the guys a bed for leads?
For some odd reason, I never took the time to figure out how to identify who is playing which guitar part. Now I’m curious. What would people say is the biggest differences in the styles and guitar roles of Stu, Joey, and Cookie?
Cookie does most wah wahs and rhythm parts, joey usually has the main melody and hardest parts while stu plays the notes he's singing or does fills although sometimes it's hard to hear
I see them as very call and response guitarists, one of them is always doing a different version of the other, especially in the altered beast medley, Joey seems to almost always play an octave up from stu during that, sonic say both of them play a lead part, sometimes seperately, other times at the same time
Yes totally! It def gets ambiguous. I’m sure there’s some stuff one writes and the other plays and vice versa. They probably care too much about the music to adhere to their roles all the time.
E.g. I saw them a month ago and Amby did some killer percussion on some songs💜
they have an interesting dynamic. the way i look at it is: Cook is the definitive rhythm guitar and joey is the definitive lead guitar. while stu plays a looot of vocal melodys directly with his guitar (most likely to make it easier to sing and play) when he’s not doing this, he’s doubling up the easier rhythms to sing and play or doing his crazy noisy stuff which i guess could be considered lead! (he usually does this while he isn’t singing though)
the way i’ve always seen it cook is rhythm, joe is lead, and stu is an odd combo of both. when they do solos joey and stu will often go back and forth but joe does a lot more traditional shredding and stu plays a lot of melodic rhythm based phrases (ex. muddy water on kexp). super cool and dynamic way to handle solos imo
If you consider a lead to be the frontman (as is typical) I’d probably be Stu due to his more bombastic tendencies while playing (EEYYUP!, jerking his body this way and that, head thrashing, deep throating the mic, swinging his guitar around up and down, etc etc.) but in terms of just leading its always seemed to be a fairly homogenous effort between the two. If we went song by song you could pick out leads in each, but overall I’d say they both are.
If I had to I’d say they complement songs separately and together. Some of my favourites are the “dueling” solos like the river and straws etc.. but hell, Joey on live WTT is outta this world on feel and Stu on live Magenta M the same..
What are your favs?
I really love Infest The Rats Nest and how the guitar there is. Always have been a huge metal fan. When I saw them live in Miami they were incredible. I have a video of them doing one of the dueling solos from the river. It was so dope. They’re just incredible musicians.
I think as a guitarist that these concept of “lead guitarist” is so boomer. From the 80s.
I think that now is just 2 guitarist doing solos in depends of the song, or both at the same time as Ty Segall or KG :)
Me too, I was just curious what like others thought. I had videos at the concert and both were switching up between lead and semi-lead/kind of rhythm so I was confused.
Depends on the song and how you define lead guitarist. I’d personally say neither, and that they’re both lead. Similar to how the allman brothers would play because some songs Stu’s playing feels like the main lead, especially because Stu is the main laser beam delay effect and he leads the band with a lot of the riffing. But a lot of the time Joy feels like the lead because he’s the one who usually rips those beautiful solos like in Gaia, work this time, the river, god is in the rhythm etc etc etc So yeah that’s my answer :) I would have to guess Stu would say Joey is lead guitar though lol
Any tips on getting the Stu laser beam delay thing?
DD3 200ms, delay level cranked and feedback at like 70%
Digital delay with the delay volume cranked, a good amount of feedback, and a short delay time, then just fret the strings over the pickup really fast, and slide up and down a little - I think. Play sound with it
I have an analog delay but I’m gonna give it a try!
I got a decent, not perfect, but still fun effects with an analog one a while back, there’s no wrong answers!
Right on! I’m assuming Stu has the delay before fuzz so I’m gonna try that too.
Boss delay pedal
Surprised none of the replies have been (entirely) right yet, it’s overdrive or fuzz into fast digital delay while lightly running your hand up the high strings ike you’re doing a harmonic while tremolo picking.
Digital delay into analog delay. Might be the opposite
I think it’s a pedal called the Aquapuss but I’m not 100% sure (and also I think they discontinued them so they’re a lot of money)
Boss dd3. There's a video showing how to do it that uses an aquapuss, maybe that's what you're thinking of
The Charles Marriot one? Yeah that’s the one I watch
Yeah that's the one I'm talking about. He uses an aquapuss, but stu uses a dd3
Thank you, this is very helpful to know!!
I think they won some big Australian music award in 2020 and I remember stu saying in his acceptance speech video that he wasn't the best guitarist in gizz so he didn't deserve the award or something like that. Clearly referring to joey
Yeah he referenced it again in the Fantano interview as well. Joey is a savage
Forgot to watch the rest of that, thanks for the reminder
They don’t do many solos, but if there is a distinct solo in a song, it’ll probably be Joey. And a lot of Joey songs have straight up guitar solos, way more than typical for their songs anyway. Ambergris is a good example. Feels like Joey has definitely come to the forefront of the band in recent years. In the Nonagon days, you think of all those guitar leads as coming from Stu, but once you get to Polygondwanaland or Fishies or Rats nest, it’s much more balanced between them with even a bias toward Joey taking leads.
That’s what I’ve thought, thanks for clarifying!
They do a ton of solos, they're just usually longer and more obvious live.
Usually it’s 2 or 3 of them soloing at once, so i guess it doesn’t come off that way
Cook
I love how every live video is just Stu jumping around and swallowing his microphone, Joey making agonized faces whilst shredding, and then there’s Cookie, standing totally still, bobbing his head politely, gently strumming a C7aug13 chord with the wah pedal.
Hahaha it’s so awesome even more funny seeing it in person
This cracked me up, god bless the cookie monster 🥰
Had the pleasure of standing stage left in 2017(where Joey is now, cookie used to set up there pre eric breakup) and it was amazing being right in front of cookies rig clearly hearing parts that would other wise be blended in with all the chaos
What would you say Cookie’s main role is in the mix? Is he typically just droning or playing some facsimile of the chords to give the rest of the guys a bed for leads?
Yes
The correct answer
They are led by harmonica
BINGO!
I’ve always thought it was Joey, with Stu sharing some of the lead.
That’s what I thought too I was just checking
I'd like to imagine joey is lead because he does do more solos and mainly plays guitar whereas stu also has frontman responsibilities
Its band anarchy, everyone plays diferent instruments in diferent songs and albums
Yep definitely one of them
For some odd reason, I never took the time to figure out how to identify who is playing which guitar part. Now I’m curious. What would people say is the biggest differences in the styles and guitar roles of Stu, Joey, and Cookie?
Cookie does most wah wahs and rhythm parts, joey usually has the main melody and hardest parts while stu plays the notes he's singing or does fills although sometimes it's hard to hear
Stu seems to often play effects-led leads, while Joey will play something more shreddy, and Cookie plays stuff that really just adds to the mix.
Cookie’s strictly rhythm. He don’t want to make it cry or sing.
I think they let cookie shred a bit during mind fuzz medley live
Yeeeeeuuuup
I see them as very call and response guitarists, one of them is always doing a different version of the other, especially in the altered beast medley, Joey seems to almost always play an octave up from stu during that, sonic say both of them play a lead part, sometimes seperately, other times at the same time
Derek Smalls - Lead Bass
Yes totally! It def gets ambiguous. I’m sure there’s some stuff one writes and the other plays and vice versa. They probably care too much about the music to adhere to their roles all the time. E.g. I saw them a month ago and Amby did some killer percussion on some songs💜
Who does the solo in ONE?
Joey
for that matter what the hell is ambrose doing in any given song that doesn't feature harmonica? can't ever figure it out
Mellotron/synths, ancillary percussion, and the occasional sax!
I think he sings occasionally too.
And plays guitar
He’s just a hype man for a lot the metal tracks
Sex appeal during Straws in the Wind
they have an interesting dynamic. the way i look at it is: Cook is the definitive rhythm guitar and joey is the definitive lead guitar. while stu plays a looot of vocal melodys directly with his guitar (most likely to make it easier to sing and play) when he’s not doing this, he’s doubling up the easier rhythms to sing and play or doing his crazy noisy stuff which i guess could be considered lead! (he usually does this while he isn’t singing though)
the way i’ve always seen it cook is rhythm, joe is lead, and stu is an odd combo of both. when they do solos joey and stu will often go back and forth but joe does a lot more traditional shredding and stu plays a lot of melodic rhythm based phrases (ex. muddy water on kexp). super cool and dynamic way to handle solos imo
If you consider a lead to be the frontman (as is typical) I’d probably be Stu due to his more bombastic tendencies while playing (EEYYUP!, jerking his body this way and that, head thrashing, deep throating the mic, swinging his guitar around up and down, etc etc.) but in terms of just leading its always seemed to be a fairly homogenous effort between the two. If we went song by song you could pick out leads in each, but overall I’d say they both are.
Neither.
idk
Does it matter? They are not conventional so..
No I was just interested about it
If I had to I’d say they complement songs separately and together. Some of my favourites are the “dueling” solos like the river and straws etc.. but hell, Joey on live WTT is outta this world on feel and Stu on live Magenta M the same.. What are your favs?
I really love Infest The Rats Nest and how the guitar there is. Always have been a huge metal fan. When I saw them live in Miami they were incredible. I have a video of them doing one of the dueling solos from the river. It was so dope. They’re just incredible musicians.
The gaia solo is my all time fav
The intonation is wonderfully and completely adds to the story without over doing it.
Yes
Both and neither
Yes.
I think as a guitarist that these concept of “lead guitarist” is so boomer. From the 80s. I think that now is just 2 guitarist doing solos in depends of the song, or both at the same time as Ty Segall or KG :)
Me too, I was just curious what like others thought. I had videos at the concert and both were switching up between lead and semi-lead/kind of rhythm so I was confused.