Chris Shiflett

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Chris Shiflett

Shiflett performing with Foo Fighters in 2003
Background information
Birth name Christopher Aubrey Shiflett
Born (1971-05-06) May 6, 1971
Origin Santa Barbara, California,[1] USA
Genres Alternative rock, punk rock, post-grunge, Country Rock
Occupations Musician, guitarist, songwriter
Instruments Guitar, bass guitar, vocals
Years active 1988-present
Labels RCA
Associated acts Foo Fighters, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, No Use for a Name, Jackson United, Viva Death, The Real McCoy, Chris Shiflett & the Dead Peasants
Notable instruments
Fender Chris Shiflett Telecaster Deluxe
Shifty Telecaster Deluxe
Fender Telecaster Deluxe
Gibson Les Paul Custom
Gibson Les Paul Goldtop
Gibson Les Paul Traditional

Christopher Aubrey "Chris" Shiflett (born May 6, 1971) is best known as the lead guitarist for the rock band Foo Fighters since 1999, and the punk rock band No Use for a Name, as well as the punk rock cover band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. He is the younger brother of musician Scott Shiflett.

Early life

Shiflett was born in Santa Barbara, California. When Shiflett was 11, he started learning how to play the guitar. He joined his first band by the time he reached the age of 14. Shiflett's first concert he attended was a performance by Dio during the tour for their album Holy Diver.

Career

Shiflett was the resident lead guitarist for the San Francisco Bay Area punk rock band No Use for a Name, when a friend announced that Guns N' Roses was auditioning for a guitarist. Shiflett asked his friend to instead get him an audition for the Foo Fighters, that after recording There Is Nothing Left to Lose as a trio held open auditions to hire another guitarist. Dave Grohl said part of his motivation to hire Shiflett was that he had a history in the underground punk scene, including opening for Grohl's former band Scream as bassist of the group Rat Pack. After being hired, Shiflett played on the tour for There Is Nothing Left to Lose, and all subsequent studio albums starting with One by One. Shiflett has noted several times that one of his favorite songs that he plays with the Foo Fighters is "All My Life" from their fourth studio album One by One. Shiflett has declared that he was afraid of being fired even before he started to play with the band, as previous guitarist Pat Smear had declared interest to rejoin (Smear eventually got back with the band as a touring rhythm guitarist in 2006, rejoining as a full-fledged fifth member in 2010).[2]

Shiflett (far left) with Foo Fighters in 2007

Seeing an opportunity that he knew he could not pass up, he quickly parted ways with his former band to audition. His departure was abrupt, as No Use for a Name were just about to head out on tour in support of their then-recent album More Betterness!. He was replaced by Dave Nassie, who had previously contributed to Suicidal Tendencies lead singer "Cyco" Mike Muir's solo projects. Shiflett began his music career in another band called Lost Kittenz with current members of Sugarcult. He also currently plays in the punk rock cover band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, his own side-project, Jackson United as well as Viva Death with his brother Scott. For numerous projects, Shiflett performed under the name Jake Jackson. He is also a member of cover band Chevy Metal with Foo Fighter Taylor Hawkins. They play songs from classic rock bands such as Black Sabbath, Queen, ZZ Top, and Rolling Stones.

Shiflett, after being in cover band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, has a tattoo on the inside of his bottom lip with the words "Gimme Gimme".

In 2009, Shiflett played in a band called The Real McCoy, which was founded by Andy McCoy, the guitarist of the former Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks. The band split up after only three gigs.[3]

In 2010 Shiflett created a new country-oriented side project, Chris Shiflett & the Dead Peasants, releasing a self-titled album in July.[4] In 2011, Shiflett performed at the 2011 Wisconsin protests in Madison. He also performed at the Anti War rally for the A.N.S.W.E.R coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism). Shiflett performed at the opening rally at the one and a half mile march from Hollywood and Vine to Hollywood and Highland March 19, 2011.

In 2013, Shiflett announced he would be releasing a new album from his country project, Chris Shiflett & The Dead Peasants, called All Hat And No Cattle. The album of honky-tonk covers and original tracks comes out on July 30, 2013 via SideOneDummy Records.

[5]

Playing style

Shiflett's playing style is largely influenced by various genres such as country, old school rock, punk-rock, heavy metal, etc. He incorporates different inversions of scales during his solos or live performances, often intertwining scales such as the pentatonic and blues scale with a mixture of major and minor scales. Shiflett's guitar playing also categorizes him as a "shredder" as his rare solos often incorporate fast hammer-ons and pull offs with occasional legatos. Though Shiflett is not an extremely flashy player, he utilizes a melodic playing style. Shiflett's soloing can be heard in songs such as "Long Road to Ruin" and "Rope". His improvised solos can be heard on the live versions of Stacked Actors.

During live performances, Shiflett has a unique stance while playing the guitar. Most notably, Shiflett stands in a slouching posture and begins rocking his body as stating that he finds comfortability in his stance as he is able to grip the neck and have more mobility in his fingers.

Equipment

Guitars

Shiflett uses various Gibsons[6][7] and Gretschs,[8] but over the past few years has been using mostly Fender Telecasters, Fender Telecaster Deluxes, and Fender Telecaster Thinlines. Shiflett also assembled some Telecaster Deluxes and Telecaster Thinlines out of Warmoth guitar parts with his tech. On the headstock of the Warmoth Telecasters, Shiflett's nickname "Shifty" replaces the Fender logo that would appear on a Telecaster created by Fender. He also has a signature Fender Telecaster Deluxe based on the Warmoth Telecasters, that is now his main guitar.

Effects
Amplifiers

Discography

See also: Me First and the Gimme Gimmes discography and Foo Fighters discography

No Use for a Name

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes

See also: Me First and the Gimme Gimmes discography

Foo Fighters

See also: Foo Fighters discography

Jackson United

Chris Shiflett & the Dead Peasants

Guest Appearance

  • 1998: Swingin' Utters - Five Lessons Learned (lead guitar on "I Need Feedback" and "United 21")
  • 2006: Viva Death - One Percent Panic
  • 2007: Jesse Malin - Glitter In The Gutter (additional guitar on "Prisoners Of Paradise")

References

  1. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1360806/
  2. ↑ Moll, James (2011). Back and Forth. 
  3. ↑ (Finnish) "The Real McCoy split up" yle.fi
  4. ↑ http://www.myspace.com/497026120
  5. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1xAiP0XGVo
  6. ↑ Musicianfriend - Chris Shiflett
  7. ↑ Gibson - How to Capture Chris Shiflett’s Foo Fighters Guitar Tone
  8. ↑ Gretsch Guitars - Chris Shiffet
Foo Fighters
Studio albums
EPs
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Singles
Promotional singles
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Related articles
  • Book:Foo Fighters
  • Category:Foo Fighters
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
Studio albums
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No Use for a Name
Studio albums
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