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What if Deftones’ lead singer Chino Moreno fully leaned into his love for the Cure and Depeche Mode (think “Digital Bath,” “Teenager,” “Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event,” and “Cherry Waves”)? The short answer is Crosses (often stylized as †††). And the sole sonic sniper pillowing and piercing through Moreno’s moodily melodic vocals is multi-instrumentalist Shaun Lopez.
Prior to working with Moreno in Crosses, Lopez cofounded Far-an influential post-hardcore 1990s contemporary of the Deftones in Sacramento-and has tallied a variety of producer credits, collaborating with Chon, Rob Zombie, Lupe Fiasco, Dead Sara, Whitechapel, and others. That versatile background is evident when experiencing Crosses with a pair of headphones or seeing them live onstage.
Lopez and bassist Chuck Doom had been jamming together in the late 2000s, and later recruited Moreno to front the dark dance party. As Crosses, the trio released three EPs and a self-titled debut full-length between 2011 and 2014, before going on hiatus in 2015.
Crosses was revitalized in 2022 with fresh material. Then, following the departure of bassist Chuck Doom, the remaining duo doubled down on their digital-based dynamism to feature even more synths, keys, and electronic experimentation. Now, for almost 15 years, the band has been weaving together sounds of new wave, electronica, goth rock, industrial, and ambient pop, as if they’re producing a soundtrack to a neo-noir readaptation of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
Part of Lopez’s post-hiatus experimentation included sampling his guitar through his keys. “When we started Crosses, I was just learning to play piano,” he shares. “I think, back then, I wanted to make synthy-sounding songs, but I didn’t know how to play synths. I was like, ‘How can I get my guitar to sound like a synth?’ So I just incorporated pedals, lap steel, and anything else to make my guitar unrecognizable.
“Since those first songs, I’ve really learned how to play keyboards, and by better understanding that new instrument, at times, I’ve become more inspired by synths over guitar,” recalls Lopez.
But no matter how many synths or keyboards get put to tape, you’ll still see Lopez onstage with a guitar draped over his shoulder.
“I do prefer to play guitar live because it’s more fun and I can run around,” he shares. “I am always chasing sounds no matter the instrument it takes to get there. My sound is growing because I’m always learning. I think if you stop learning, you stop progressing … but guitar will always be home.”
Before Crosses’ sold-out show at Nashville’s Marathon Music Works, Lopez welcomed PG’s Perry Bean onstage to dissect his setup. The lone instrumentalist showed off six stellar guitars, broke down the heavy lifting his FM9 endures for Crosses’ sets, introduced a peculiar pedal he can’t live without, and demoed a Gretsch that sounds like an angry orca.
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[Brought to you by D’Addario Strings: ddar.io/wykyk-rr & D'Addario XPND: ddari.io/xpnd.rr]
0:00 - D'Addario & Yvette Young
0:15 - Perry Bean Intro
1:14 - Shaun Lopez Intro
2:08 - Creating Crosses Sound on Record
6:30 - Gibson Les Paul Custom 20th Anniversary 1974
10:11 - Recreating Crosses Albums on FM9
11:04 - Chino’s Gibson SG Special
12:48 - 1960s Gretsch Corvette
16:44 - Gretsch G2420T Streamliner Hollowbody
17:47 - The Heaviest Gretsch Ever!
20:13 - Schecter PT Fastback
21:39 - Schecter Coupe
23:01 - D'Addario XPND & John Bohlinger
23:50 - Shaun Lopez's Main FM9 Sounds & Pedalboard
33:22 - Fender FS-52 Lap Steel & Prophet 6 Synth
36:17 - D'Addario & Joe Glaser
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9 июл 2024
