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All images courtesy of Kiko Loureiro/5Bam Management

By Andrew DiCecco

By bridging professional and personal divides and putting an end to the seemingly ceaseless revolving door of guitarists, Kiko Loureiro has prominently catalyzed Megadeth’s indisputable momentum since joining the seminal thrash metal outfit in 2015.

With his signature Ibanez KIKO100 in hand and innovation at his fingertips on stage, Loureiro, a native of Rio de Janeiro, quickly found himself in constant unison with Dave Mustaine – Megadeth’s inexorable leader, vocalist, and lead guitarist – sowing the seeds of future success.

A multi-faceted musician with a musical repertoire that encompasses heavy metal, jazz, fusion, and progressive rock, Loureiro has brought a unique perspective to Megadeth. As his relationship with Mustaine has blossomed, so too has Loureiro’s influence.

Although Loureiro’s initial immersion into the complex world of Megadeth came via 2016’s Dystopia, the veteran axe-slinger took the metal world by storm in the wake of a masterclass performance on the band’s latest album, The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead!, crafting several of its most riveting riffs as well as serving as a primary songwriter alongside Mustaine.

During our conversation, Loureiro and I discussed Megadeth’s creative process, his ever-evolving relationship with Dave Mustaine, riff writing philosophy, modifying his nuanced style to correspond with the band’s blueprint, his approach to interpreting the solos of his predecessors in a live setting, and more.

Andrew:
Kiko, take me back to the 2019 demo sessions with Dave [Mustaine] and Dirk [Verbeuren] in Nashville. How do you remember those initial sessions?

Kiko:
So, I started writing some ideas before that. We were supposed to play a summer tour with Ozzy, but then he postponed the tour or canceled it; I don’t remember. So then, we decided to go to Nashville to start writing songs and pre-production. Then right after this decision, Dave called me saying that he had throat cancer. So, everybody was in shock, and we didn’t know what to do, but [Dave] said, “No. Let’s keep our plans and go to Nashville.” So, everybody went there. Then I was listening to my ideas that I made prior to that trip, then I started playing those ideas and started building the songs for almost three months. Dave was doing the chemotherapy, and it was pretty tough; hard moments because we didn’t know what to expect, although Dave was there almost every day. So, some days he was tired; he had chemotherapy every Thursday, so we were just taking a day off. Sometimes, Friday, the day after, he was very tired. But most of the time, [Dave] was there. We were working on the ideas, and the album started to happen during those two-and-a-half or three months.

Dave had the second part of the radiation treatment, and it was harder; I don’t know much about it. Then we went home, and we had almost a six-month break, the second half of 2019, just waiting to get the news from Dave. But he did the full treatment, and then he was brand-new. In January 2020, we went on tour in Europe; it was amazing because we were not expecting Dave to heal so fast. It was great news. So, we went to Europe with the album in mind, right? We had mainly all the songs, the pre-production was kind of done, and it was just time to go to the studio now. Then we had the pandemic situation right after the tour, and now we had to wait like three, four months until we figured out what to do, like all the rest of us. Then Dirk went to record drums, and then later, around September 2020, I went to Nashville; then we were like seven months in this pandemic.

We were like on a farm by Dave’s house, so it was very convenient for him during the treatment because every time he felt he was tired, he could drive, like, five minutes home; it was just a farm around the corner. We were at a house that had a studio there, and we were staying at that house, so when I came back in September, I stayed in the house, and everything was there. So, that helped, as well, to be in the middle of nowhere on a farm. So, during the pandemic times, it was easier to go there because we were totally isolated. So, then, I recorded the guitars and kind of refined the songs with Dave there and Chris Rakestraw, the producer. Then I flew back home, and Dave did all the vocals. Some solos I recorded remotely after the vocals. In fact, you just need some extra solos or some overdubs, some extra guitars. So, I just did this remotely, and we had the album.

Andrew:
Dave has mentioned that you and Dirk increase Megadeth’s level of creativity. Describe the creative process of The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead!.

Kiko:
I think doing Dystopia; I was very new in the band – I was like five days new in the band – I met Dave, and then like a week later, I was there at the studio learning the parts and open for suggestions. So, it was already a thing for me to have some credits, some collaborations, with Dave on Dystopia. And now, of course, after so many years of understanding Megadeth better – not only Dave and getting the confidence from Dave – but also understanding the fans, the band, the catalog, and playing the songs. As a metal fan, I know Megadeth, but of course, after four or five years of playing so many different countries and seeing fans’ faces and their reaction, playing the songs from the ‘80s and the ‘90s, you understand the band better.

So, when you bring ideas, you know, “Okay, this will fit. This is Megadeth. I know what I’m bringing is still something completely related to Megadeth.” I think Dave just felt like, “I’m in a safe place with those guys.” So, I was always bringing ideas and giving suggestions – not only in the ideas that I brought – but also his songs and his guitar stuff; I would say something. No fear, you know? I think creating a creative environment is like feeling that you’re in a safe place because you might give an idea that’s not good, that sucks, but it has to be okay to receive a “No, this doesn’t fit.” It has to be okay, and then try again and propose something else. And then, vice versa; the person who is receiving that idea has to be open to be like, “Okay…” Maybe the person doesn’t like the idea that much but can say, “Okay, let’s try.” So, it’s both ways, right? We have to be open to receiving a no, and the other person has to be open to trying the idea, even if, at first sight, the idea is not that great.

I think I understand Dave. Sometimes – it’s hard to explain – he has a very artistic vision of things. Bringing elements that you have no idea where he is coming from; can be colors; can be an old movie; can be the soundtrack of something that I don’t know; an old T.V. show. Things like that. And then, when you listen to the theme of the old T.V. show, it has no correlation to what the riff is presenting. But there’s something there that reminds him. So, you have to give time to understand what the person is thinking. Sometimes it’s just a feeling of, “I want something like that intro of that old T.V. show from the ‘60s.” Then it’s like, “Let’s hear that. Let’s go there.” Then, I think, because I have my past music experience with other composers or me writing my songs, I know that.

So, I kind of understand where he is coming from, so I think Dave feels safe saying those crazy ideas out loud. Then it’s a creative process, and everybody is free to bring their own ideas. Then I think Dirk felt, “You know what? I can bring some ideas, too, because that’s a cool environment.” So, during the process, [Dirk] just brought some riffs – because he plays guitar – and then Dave helped him get what he wants because he has certain guitar techniques. So, then we play, and it’s like, “Oh, we can refine your idea.” The same goes when we suggest a drumbeat, and then Dirk goes and plays something like one hundred times better, but coming from what we are suggesting. So, that’s a mutual collaboration.

Andrew:
As you and Dave appear to be in lockstep, in what measurable ways have you seen your relationship and trust develop over the years?

Kiko:
I think it’s just getting to know the person better. And for me and Dave, in general, for Megadeth, I think about Megadeth. It might sound funny, [but] I don’t think about Dave; I’m not pleasing Dave; I’m pleasing Megadeth. Because I know that if I please Megadeth, I’m pleasing Dave because it’s almost like the same entity. But then, sometimes it’s different because there’s a person and the other thing is a band, with a history with the fans and things like that. Sometimes, I think, “This is good for the band.” It can be regarding a song or song idea; it can be regarding the stage set or ideas for merch.

Dave doesn’t have the perspective to listen to Megadeth outside of Megadeth. He doesn’t have this perspective. He was always inside Megadeth, so he was always the leader. So, we were, at some point, a fan and a listener. So, we do have a perspective he doesn’t have, and they need to understand this as a good thing, not a bad thing. Of course, if we would have been here from the beginning, that would be a great thing as well. But we have to take advantage of his perspective because it’s a plus. It can be a minus, but it can be a plus. That’s the way I see it. So, I say, “For Megadeth, I think this is good.” And in the end, if you’re fighting for something Dave fought his whole life for, I think that creates a greater bond between us.

Andrew:
In terms of how a solo should fit within a song and how it should feel, what are those discussions like with Dave?

Kiko:
Dave knows what he wants, so he’s very direct. He’s experienced; that’s his thing. So, he’s very strong and bold when he says something … “I think the solo is here,” or “I want a fast solo in this part.” So, then, you listen and try, or you propose something, like, “I think instead of a fast solo, it would be nice to have a melody.” That kind of happened at the beginning of the opening song, “The Sick, The Dying… and The Dead;” the intro was an improvised guitar solo, and I found my way to tell Dave, “It’s not this solo. I don’t know what it is, but it’s not this.” Then he created that part because it was his song. So also understanding that he wrote the song where it’s already almost done, so it’s like, “Maybe don’t improvise the solo. Maybe something else: maybe a melody, a theme, or something.”

Then we were discussing a bit and talking, and then he figured it out, “Kiko, I think I know,” and then he did it. So, he did it; that’s his song. I think that creates a safer place or a bond because I was not in a position like – maybe in other bands, it would happen like this – “I don’t like your solo, so I’m gonna do my solo.” And it’s not that the solo was bad; it’s just like, “Maybe don’t improvise the solo in the opening of the album.” And then if [Dave] thinks, “I think an improvised solo is better,” he knows what is better for Megadeth at the end of the day. So, I also respect that. If he thinks, “That sounds Megadeth,” who am I to say, “This is not Megadeth,” you know? [Laughs].

So, it’s always like, “What is Megadeth?” because we have so many possibilities in music to create many different atmospheres, chord changes, and melodies, but he has to go into this Megadeth world. And it can be ‘90s; it can be ‘80s; it can be old school Megadeth; it can be something more modern. So, that’s always a discussion. It’s always about being Megadeth.

Andrew:
You and Dave are the primary songwriters on The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead!. Which song are you most proud of?

Kiko:
To be honest, the songs that I brought most of the parts or entirely the guitar parts, like “Celebutante” or songs like “We’ll Be Back” – not all the parts to “We’ll Be Back” – or like “Night Stalkers,” that I brought those main riffs, the opening riffs of the song. People normally ask, “Hey, Kiko, your solos…” People think my position in the band is to play the solos. But also, I have a lot of fun, and my thing is, “How can I create and write a song, or write a riff, that fits into the Megadeth environment and is accepted by Dave?” Because Dave is the guy who created the style, so that if I write something that he likes, like the first single – a riff that I wrote for the first single – that’s a great thing for me, because I feel like, “Okay, I know how to do this.”

So, those songs are important because of that, because I wrote the riff; I’m part of the composition. Some of the songs that I have a collaboration with, like “Dogs of Chernobyl,” is more like I did the intro part because it’s an acoustic thing, and it’s kind of my thing, playing classical guitar. I love playing classical guitar, so I was trying to be a bit more ethnic in a way. I did that intro, but the whole song is Dave’s concept; the whole idea, all the riffs, the middle part, is all Dave. So, sometimes you have this collaboration, too, which I like. It’s like adding something to a song that’s already there to make the atmosphere better or to make the song more interesting.

Andrew:
When it comes to writing riffs, do you have a specific process or method?

Kiko:
Yeah. Well, I like to improvise and keep playing and playing. Actually, before this call, I was playing a bit and trying to play something Megadeth-like. You know, I’m here on the tour, so I’m in this mood, and I was trying to just play some stuff. Sometimes, you’re just playing, and it’s like, “Oh, this is cool,” and then I record somehow – it could be on my phone, it could be on my laptop or something – and then I label it ‘Megadeth,’ so I know, “Okay, this idea can be used for Megadeth.” So, it’s kind of the way we did it. I also, with [Chris] Rakestraw, the producer, just sat down and played with him. And he was recording, and then it’s, “Oh, this is cool. Let’s select this.” We were just improvising, but it was an interesting technique, as well.

We basically spent like three or four days, for eight hours – a full working day – wake up, go there, grab the guitar, and start playing riffs. And then, at 7 PM, you stop. Then what’s gonna happen if you do that for three or four days, you have some ideas, then at some point, you don’t have anything. It’s just done. I don’t know what to play. And then I start thinking, remembering bands or movies or techniques, or different chords, different keys, and then start exploring and, at some point, go, “This is cool. Okay, record and label.” So, we did this process, as well, which was really go. I should do this more. [Laughs]. After three or four days, we had a lot of stuff. All those riffs that I’m mentioning, I mean, most of them – “Night Stalkers,” “We’ll Be Back,” “Celebutante,” and some other stuff – it came from those three or four days.

Andrew:
Dirk’s“Night Stalkers” riff may well be my favorite on the album. I think it’s fantastic.

Kiko:
It was not as fast originally. [Laughs]. I think Dave got excited, “Yeah, we can play it faster. All right, so let’s try.” … “Yeah, make it a bit faster, and a bit faster.” Then it got into this place because Dirk, his technique, he’s able to play easily. So, when you have the musicianship where you’re like, “Okay, let’s go further. Let’s go further.” “We’ll Be Back,” too, I think, is a pretty fast song; I think it’s 180; “Night Stalkers” is 190. That’s pretty fast for thrash metal.

Andrew:
Megadeth implemented “We’ll Be Back” into the setlist a few weeks ago at FivePoint Amphitheater in Irvine, CA. How has that new addition translated to a live setting?

Kiko:
That’s a great question because that’s something I was discussing with Dave the other day. It’s mainly sonically, it changes. When you play, like let’s say, songs like “Symphony of Destruction” and “Trust,” songs with different bpm’s – beats per minute – the EQ for the in-ear monitors is one thing. When it starts blasting double bass and a lot of notes from the guitar, it’s very hard to play live and be very accurate because you just create this mud. So, then the EQ and the loudness and the whole thing on stage have to be a bit different. The sound has to be a bit more boring, let’s say – more crispier – with less low end, so it’s not so fun. But it’s easier to play tighter. And songs like “Trust” and “Symphony,” slower tempo songs, then you can have louder bass and more bass drums and things like that. And also, the front of the house, Stanley, he also knows that. So, you have to tweak a bit. It depends on the tempo of the song. It’s an interesting thing for you to play comfortably on stage and to know that your playing is correct.

Andrew:
James [LoMenzo] tells me about the Megadeth jam room setup, where you guys essentially touch on every genre of music. Has anything noteworthy come out of these sessions, such as recordings?

Kiko:
Not related to new songs; we don’t do that. It’s interesting; it could be. We do jam, actually, I post that on my YouTube channel. Sometimes we’re practicing those songs; sometimes, we’re just improvising over a blues progression or something like that. Just having fun to kind of go to a different place. If you wanna play, let’s say for an hour straight, you can play the songs, but you’re playing every night. You’re not gonna be playing “Symphony of Destruction,” “Trust,” and all those songs again. So, you just wanna practice your skills and your musicality. So, it’s very good to improvise. I like doing this a lot; James likes to do this a lot. Dave is not this guy. He likes to come here and play the song, “Are we working on “Night Stalkers? Okay, let’s work on Night Stalkers.”

Me, James, and Dirk – Dirk likes to practice like to warm up and play technical things fast – so when he plays “Night Stalkers,” for him, it’s like playing a ballad. [Laughs]. I’m not exaggerating because [Dirk] can play over 200, 220-230, so when we play “Night Stalkers,” that’s 190, we’re struggling to play because me and James are playing blues and other stuff. But sometimes, we just improvise and play whatever we feel like. It’s a nice way to relate to music, and I like that. And James is this kind of guy; I think he used to do this with Zakk Wylde in Pride and Glory times. It’s an improvised rock in a kind of ‘70s vibe, in a way; you don’t hear those things anymore that much. It’s like Allman Brothers kind of thing, in a way, and we kind of do it in a bit more metal way. But just keep improvising, and when an idea goes and flows, we play for an hour, and we don’t see the time passing by. It’s great.

Andrew:
What gear did you use to record the album?

Kiko:
I used my Ibanez. So, I have a signature Ibanez Kiko 100, so I did all the solos with that guitar, mainly the two signatures that I have. I also used an Ibanez RG with an EverTune bridge, which is like a special bridge that is always in tune. It’s very good for rhythms because then you double. Dave used his Gibson’s with that bridge as well. Because I play, then I double, I play again the same thing – and then Dave comes and plays the same thing, and then he doubles – so we have four guitars play that. So, intonation is a key thing. We had to use that special bridge.

So, basically, my Ibanez, and then we had some Gibson’s there that I did some overdubs and some melodies and some odd stuff. But mainly, my Ibanez for the solos, my signature models for the solos, the Kiko 100, and that Ibanez RG with the EverTune for the rhythm guitars. And then I used the Bogner Amps and some Marshall JCM800. Dave is Marshall JCM800 one hundred percent of the time, so it’s good for me to use a different head – and I didn’t use the same pad – so I have a different tone so it can separate a bit. Of course, the way we play on the guitars already, I think that we differentiate ourselves. Also, using the Bogner, which is like a Marshall lite, but it’s a bit more modern, is a great solution to match the four guitars we track.

Andrew:
In my estimation, the current configuration is the best-sounding version of Megadeth. What makes the cohesiveness and chemistry so unique?

Kiko:
I think our experience. Playing for so many years, and getting along, as well. This is important because it goes beyond our skills, you know? Because you feel good jamming, or you feel good talking to the guys having lunch or whatever, then when you go on stage, you feel good. You’re not pissed off or mad about something. You wanna be there; you wanna give your hundred percent. Everybody’s in a good mood despite some difficult stuff sometimes during the tour. And then, of course, our experience; I’ve been playing guitar, like, twenty-something years trying to improve my play. The same goes for Dave, Dirk, and James. And we have great songs to play, so that makes everybody excited as well.

Andrew:
In circling back to your Megadeth origins, Kiko, you were in the Brazilian power metal band Angra before joining Megadeth. How did the vacancy come across your radar, and what were your audition criteria?

Kiko:
So, I got an email first to ask for my number because I think [David] Ellefson had my email. So, he sent an email, “What’s your number? Dave wants to call you.” It’s like, “Wow, okay,” so I gave my number, and Dave called me the same day. I was coming from a tour, and then I was a bit sick and coughing, and they were not very patient. [Dave] said, “Kiko, when you’re better, you call me back.” And then I called him maybe a day after or two days after. We talked a bit about it; the possibilities, and then I asked if I could send him some videos. So, I sent four videos – I actually put those videos on my YouTube channel – and I kind of learned the songs fast because I was imagining, “Oh, there must be a lot of guys trying to send videos as well.”

So, in a weekend, I learned the four songs and then sent the videos, and then the management sent a ticket to Nashville from L.A. Then I flew to Nashville and spent the full day with Dave. I was expecting some sort of audition; to go into the rehearsal room with all the guitar players. That’s what you expect from an audition, right? I’m not a side-man kind of guy; I never had that experience before. I was in Angra, playing with my own band, so that was my experience. So, for me, this was completely new. Basically, Dave picked me up at the hotel, and then we went to have lunch and then coffee, and then he was driving me around, then we went to his house because he had to do something. Then I was just there, while he was in his office, waiting for him. I was prepared to play the songs, but he didn’t ask me to. He wanted to get to know me better, basically. That’s the most important thing. Because of my musical skills, you can listen to my previous work, you can watch my videos on YouTube, you can ask around, “Is this guy able to play my songs?” – he probably did that – and then it’s all about the personality.

So, then I came back home; great feeling because I thought I fit with this band because I’ve been playing metal for 25 years professionally. I traveled the world; I did all those festivals. I played with Megadeth at different festivals before. We even did a cover for a magazine in 2008 in Japan. He didn’t remember that. I told him, “You know, we did a photo session together once,” because Angra was pretty big in Japan, so the magazine organized that photo session for me and Dave. But it was a fast thing, like 30 minutes for the photo session. So, I had this experience, and I know how to play the songs, and I like this style. So, I was pretty confident. Of course, there are probably other great guys here, but I was pretty confident because of my experience in playing in bands. I think it counts a lot; Dirk has this, and James has that experience in playing in different bands. You understand how things work.

Andrew:
How did you find out that you got the gig?

Kiko:
Well, I had a great feeling, so I thought, “Well, I think I got it.” But that was my feeling, by the way, that Dave was talking to me already, showing me how things work and things like that. It was not like, “Okay, play this song. Great. Wait, and we’ll call you later.” He was already explaining to me how the Megadeth corporation works. So, I had this feeling, but it was just a feeling. But I think, at some point, the management sent me a ticket to go back to Nashville, like a week later, to join them in the studio. So, I was like, “Wow, that must be it. I take that as a yes, I’m in.” There was no celebration, here’s the welcome, so when I was there, and then I flew back, maybe one or two days later, they announced. Then I felt like, “Okay, I’m accepted. That’s real; that’s legit.”

Andrew:
In light of your intricate and technical playing style, how did you modify it to coincide with Megadeth’s aggressive, rugged blueprint?

Kiko:
There’s a learning curve for the riffs, for the way you play, because Dave has a very specific way that he plays. Mainly the riffs; for the solos, I didn’t have that. I mean, playing the Megadeth riffs to match the way Dave plays; rough and aggressive. It was very good because now I feel I can control better, but this was something that I had to learn right away; at the Dystopia recording because I was playing, and Dave was by my side. I recorded all the riffs first on Dystopia, and I was like, “Really? I can’t believe this. I’m gonna be the one laying the foundation.” But he was by my side; you know, “I want more like this. You gotta play harder,” and showing me the stuff. So, it was really good, really good to learn that from Dave, from the creator. I’m a much better metal player than I was before. And then, of course, all the technical things, like the scales and the leads, this I was practicing for a long time. So, now it’s like how to do that in a Megadeth context; how to do that on a big stage when you have to add the performance on stage. That’s a next-level thing. And then, throughout the concerts and tours, I’ve been developing this a lot.

Andrew:
How have you gone about interpreting the solos recorded by Chris Poland, Marty Friedman, and Chris Broderick in a live setting?

Kiko:

It’s funny; I was never a guy who learned solos note-by-note; I never had the patience to learn note-by-note. And I still do it like this with those solos; I learn the main things, like the solo sound – very similar, I don’t improvise and don’t change the solo – but some stuff, I do the way I feel like. If the player does the arpeggios a specific way, but if I feel more comfortable doing it another way, I do it the way I feel like. That works, live, too, because live, you’re running, you’re moving; you’re doing your own stuff. So, it has to feel comfortable as well. But again, you have to practice – I have my way of practicing guitar – so solos like “Trust” and “Tornado of Souls” they’re very recognizable, so I have to be very accurate on those solos. Some of those solos, less; it really depends.

The Chris Poland solos are pretty hard, to be honest. The way he plays and his techniques I was not familiar with, so it was a bit harder to understand and play. Marty Friedman is more from the generation that I was studying. I’m a bit younger than him, so I was listening to Marty Friedman, Jason Becker, Paul Gilbert, and Steve Vai, those guitar players from that generation. So, I was a bit more familiar with his phrasing. But he’s unique, Marty Friedman. And I had to be smart enough that I had to play the solo the way it is, but also, I don’t wanna copy because it’s impossible. The way I think about music, I think everybody has their own individuality and personality, so I don’t wanna be somebody else. I can play the notes, but I play the notes, and the way the notes come out, it’s gonna be my way.

And then, regarding the solos, of course, the fans can say whatever they wanna say – some people love it – I don’t get a lot of haters, so I’m fine with that. But the band or Dave, nobody ever said anything about the solos. Dave is really picky regarding the rhythms, to the details that you cannot imagine, because, for him, that’s what makes the sound of a band. And it’s very important because I have to play with him; we have two guitars together. The solos, he’s more open to, but of course, I’m not creating new solos, you know?

Andrew:
What’s your favorite song to play live?

Kiko:
Well, now it’s “We’ll Be Back” because it’s challenging. Every time you put a new song in the set, it’s something cool. “Dread and the Fugitive Mind” is a cool one, as well, because we added it to the set last tour. But I love starting with “Hangar 18”; there are a lot of cool solos and riffs … “Tornado of Souls” and “Peace Sells.” Playing those metal hits all the time, so it’s hard to choose.

Andrew:
How has your vast array of musical styles influenced your ability to hear and write music?

Kiko:

I think the more I understand music or play a different instrument, I can understand music in a different way. I feel that you just have more control. So, if I wanna do something with more sound design or cinematic, or if I wanna do something like old-school thrash metal, or if I wanna do something more like Scorpions or Motorhead, I have this control. I know, if I wanna sound jazzier, or if I wanna sound like Chopin or Beethoven, I know the chords. But metal and rock are my passion, so I tend to put all those elements towards the metal filter. The flute, I play just for fun, a little bit. What I really have fun playing is piano; that is very helpful for compositions, hearing the notes, and understanding music better. Piano, or like acoustic guitar, or a bit of drum, or having fun playing bass and listening to good bass players, and then getting to those conversations with James. I think I just enjoy music more; the more you know, the more you can enjoy music and different kinds of music.

When you are very young, in your teenage years, you are kind of afraid to show what you like because your friends might not like it because you wanna be part of a group. But then, when you grow up, you start listening to great music. It’s very good for you to understand music in different ways. And the solution for music, and any sort of art, is combining things. Always combining styles. That’s always the next step. Technology brings new instruments and new ways of making music and also combining styles. So, that’s the only way to go. Or combining cultures; combining blues and flamenco; classical music from Europe with some African groove. So, that’s the way to keep moving forward in music. That’s what I believe, at least.

– Andrew DiCecco (@ADiCeccoNFL) is a contributor for vwmusicrocks.com and may be reached at adicecco5@gmail.com