J.F.L.

Album Review

Unlike jazz, rock has been dominated by singers rather than instrumentalists, but that doesn't mean that rock's instrumentalist minority haven't made some exciting contributions over the years. And those rock instrumentalists have ranged from surf rockers (the Ventures, the Surfaris) to the pickers (acoustic folk-rock guitarists like John Fahey and Leo Kottke) to hard rock shredders of the Steve Vai/Joe Satriani variety. LoNero (a band led by electric guitarist Bill Lonero) falls into the shredder category, but what one hears on J.F.L. isn't an exact replica of Vai and Satriani as they sounded in the '80s. Rather, LoNero bring a post-'80s, post-Nirvana perspective to the shredder school of instrumental rock. Vai and Satriani are influences on this 2011 release, but so is alternative rock; LoNero combine that Vai/Satriani aesthetic with alternative rock, and punk is an influence on aggressive, hard-rocking tracks such as "Discard," "Fat Tat," "Oblivion," and "Little Bastard." Bill Lonero isn't the only Vai/Satriani-influenced guitarist who has shredded in a way that is also mindful of alternative rock and punk; Los Angeles-based guitarist Joe Bochar, aka Joboj, is another shredder who has post-‘80s, post-Nirvana influences. Joboj, like Bill Lonero, has successfully combined his passion for Vai and Satriani with a passion for alternative rock and punk. But it is safe to say that the market hasn't exactly been saturated with guitar-playing instrumentalists who are doing what Joboj and Bill Lonero are doing. The members of LoNero like to describe the instrumental rock on J.F.L. as "guitarcore," but however one describes this 32-minute CD, J.F.L. is an exciting reminder of the fact that not all shredders are oblivious to post-'80s developments in the rock world.