The ultimate goal in rock music, as seen by some, is to make as much of an impression as possible on the audience. Often, a high-volume attack is a major part of that impression. The volume can be a symbol of anger, emotion, rawness, and expression. Most straight-rock bands, in their desire for blasting the faces off of their audience members, leave their acoustic guitars backstage only to bring out for a few obvious, slower ballads. It is rare to see a “rock” band who not only occasionally performs with only acoustic instruments, but makes them the backbone of their main live set up.
First Listen: Bruce Springsteen’s ‘High Hopes’
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Jackson is an Associate Editor at GuitarWorld.com. He’s been writing and editing stories about new gear, technique and guitar-driven music both old and new since 2014, and has also written extensively on the same topics for Guitar Player. Elsewhere, his album reviews and essays have appeared in Louder and Unrecorded. Though open to music of all kinds, his greatest love has always been indie, and everything that falls under its massive umbrella. To that end, you can find him on Twitter crowing about whatever great new guitar band you need to drop everything to hear right now.
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