How many bands can say their lead singer nearly became the vocalist of AC/DC? We'll answer that question for you: not many. But of the bands who can, Carolinas six-piece The L.A. Maybe wear the coveted accolade on their sleeves.
The group's debut single Mr. Danger – from upcoming album Dirty Damn Tricks – reveals pretty convincingly why frontman Alvi Robinson nearly landed the gig.
Underpinned by a backdrop of AC/DC-style instrumentation with crunchy riff work, Robinson serves up the wailing tones Bon Scott and Brian Johnson made famous, and at times it's hard to distinguish who's who.
But forget the vocals for a second: that searing classic-rock guitar playing is worthy of its own spotlight, and today, guitarists Dallas Dwight and Drizzle Silvera join Guitar World today for a playthrough of Mr. Danger in full.
Gear-wise, the pair use Gibson & PRS electric guitars, Seymour Duncan pickups, Kemper amp modelers, Ernie Ball and DR strings, and Jim Dunlop picks.
“For Mr. Danger we opted for a simple, AC/DC-style main riff with a lot of space,” says Dwight. “One thing that’s easy to overlook is the intro riff alternates between bars of 6/4 and 4/4. That’s a great example of how we put our own stamp on an otherwise classic genre.
“Another thing that really stands out as us are the arpeggios in the chorus. I remember we had just finished laying down the rhythm guitars, but the chorus still wasn’t quite popping enough. I wanted a kind of pop, arpeggiated lead to fill some of the gaps and Driz immediately came up with what you hear on the record.
“For the solo, we opted for a classic rock vibe. I call it Pentatonic+ (primarily the classic pentatonic with the addition of all the extra blue notes that add some much needed character). Put all these elements together and you get… Mr. Danger.”
