American alternative rocker St. Vincent recently made an appearance on BBC Radio 6 Music and decided to play some of the guitar riffs that changed her life.
After picking up an acoustic guitar, she couldn’t remember which riff she learned first out of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and Jethro Tull’s “Aqualung,” so she played them both. St. Vincent was then asked about some of the underappreciated riffs people should learn, opting to play The Breeders’ “Cannonball.”
For the part about riffs that make her want to pick up a guitar, she went with the classics: Jimi Hendrix’ “Manic Depression” and Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog.” Finally, St. Vincent also revealed she was a metalhead, since she played Pantera’s “Cowboys From Hell” when it came to riffs she wishes she has written.
You can hear her playing all of these riffs and more in the video below.
When she is not sharing the riffs that changed her life, St. Vincent is playing her own stuff on her ongoing tour in support of her latest album Masseduction. Released in 2017, the album debuted at number 10 on the US Billboard 200, being her first top ten entry in the U.S. The album also met with critical acclaim, being considered one of the best records of 2017.
