Today, GuitarWorld.com presents the exclusive premiere of Outsider, the new album by the Feed.
The album — a collection of scuzzed-out jams that rock like T. Rex at a Spoon show — marks the return of the band after a three-year hiatus and their first release since their Sawhorse Sessions EP in 2011. It will be released August 5.
The Feed’s primary songwriter, vocalist/keyboardist Dave Grelle, can't help but rave about guitarist Jordan Heimburger’s playing on Outsider.
"Jordan is the ideal guitarist for the Feed," Grelle says. "Since we pull influences from everywhere, it’s important to have a guitarist who’s well versed in every genre. Whether it’s his Stonesy slide work or psychedelic fuzz, he always plays just what the song calls for.
"When writing tunes, I leave plenty of room for the players to put their own stamp on them. I usually have a pretty good idea of what I’m going for, but the guitar parts Jordan orchestrates on the fly are always way cooler than what I originally heard in my head."
Heimburger, a recent addition to the band, is noticeably pumped up about Outsider.
"This was a super-fun recording session because I was able to set up alone in the big room at Sawhorse Studios in St. Louis and really let the volume rip," he says.
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"We played all the tracks live with the other three dudes in the second room across the hall pumped through my headphones. It was cool to have space to get loud without bleed and essential for me to be in the same space with the amp for all of that harmonic interaction and vibe.
"I tracked all but one of the songs through a '66/'67 Vox AC30, and the tone is basically guitar straight in. I fell in love with that amp and got a little choked up when I had to give it back to the good friend who lent it to me for the session. All you have to do is play all right and the track sounds killer! My main guitar was a St. Louis-built custom Strat style by K-Line Guitars.
"It was so cool to go to Chris's shop and hand pick the woods, finish, pickups and be in touch throughout the build. The other guitars on the record were an American Ash Telecaster and a Telecaster Deluxe. For some of the more overdriven sounds, I used a Boss EQ as a frequency-shaped clean boost to push tubes, which is my go-to for live solos and to dirty up tone without the compression of dynamics a distortion box adds."
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
