How ditching pedals and embracing open tunings made H.C. McEntire love the guitar again

H.C. McEntire
(Image credit: Will Oliver)

On 2023’s Every Acre, H.C. McEntire made a bold step in her evolution from the noise-rock howler of her younger years into a graceful singer-songwriter – and a crucial ingredient in that transition showed up in co-guitarist Luke Norton.

Whereas McEntire was the sole guitar player in her previous bands and projects, weaving together rhythm and lead elements in her own way, the jazz-trained Norton complemented her playing and freed her to focus more on songwriting than ever before.

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Jim Beaugez

Jim Beaugez has written about music for Rolling Stone, Smithsonian, Guitar World, Guitar Player and many other publications. He created My Life in Five Riffs, a multimedia documentary series for Guitar Player that traces contemporary artists back to their sources of inspiration, and previously spent a decade in the musical instruments industry.