Top 10 Guitar Players of the 2000ʼs

Top 10 Guitar Players of the 2000ʼs
By: Jake Stamoulis

People say the past decade has been a dark age for rock guitar, but these ten axe heroes have given us their fair share of tasty licks and solos!

10. Slash
The 2000ʼs have definitely not seen the ex-Guns nʼ Roses star in his prime, but you have to give him some credit for sticking around past his contemporaries. With a couple of classic Velvet Revolver songs, an impressive new solo album, and a big, albeit corny, appearance in Guitar Hero 3, Slash is the 80ʼs hero that just wonʼt let up.

9. Ezra Koenig
Quite frankly, whoever came up with the insanely catchy riff in “A-punk” deserves a spot on this list. But the Vampire Weekend front-man is more than just a one-trick pony. The frantic chords in “Cousins” and delightful melodies in “Oxford Comma” prove that Ezra can really play that semi-hollow guitar. Who knows what the next decade holds for this Columbia grad.



8. Tom Delonge
After a string of now legendary pop-punk hits with Blink 182, Tom has gone on to play with side-project Boxcar Racer and his brainchild Angels and Airwaves. He may not be the most technical guy in the world, but heʼs no slouch when it comes to catchy octave riffs. Now Blink is back and Tomʼs ready to spawn the follow-ups of Blink hits like “All the Small Things”, “Whatʼs My Age Again”, and “Down.”



7. Billie Joe Armstrong
2009ʼs 21st Century Breakdown might be a step in the wrong direction for superstar band Green Day, but there was once a time not so long ago in the early 2000ʼs where Billie Joeʼs catchy guitar work was front and center on the airwaves. The year was 2004, and the album, American Idiot.



6. Chris Shiflett
Chris Shiflett emerged onto the scene with a million to one audition for modern rock giants the Foo Fighters. Shiflett usually plays the supporting the role to Dave Grohlʼs rhythm work, but his fiery solos on tracks like “Long Road to Ruin” and octave runs on “Best of You” and “Long Way Back” present some of the most interesting showcases of axe work on modern radio today.



5. Josh Homme
He may be a bit lacks on the vocal performances, but Josh Homme has the guitar chops to make up for it. With his eclectic combination of vintage amps and old school riffage, Joshʼs playing harkens back to the days of Sabbath and Zeppelin. No wonder he jams with bass god John Paul Jones in Them Crooked Vultures.



4. Claudio Sanchez
One listen to the opening of “Welcome Home” brings back memories of Alex Lifesonʼs music with Rush. He even sounds like Geddy Lee with those voice pipes. And he didnʼt like Rush when he started out... The Coheed and Cambria front-man displays his considerable skills with the axe on such tracks as “The Suffering” and “Sanitarium.” Watch out for this guy.




3. Matthew Bellamy
Yet another frontman, Muse leader Matt Bellamyʼs creative guitar lines blend hard edge rock and exotic scales. A capable keyboardist and vocalist, Mattʼs guitar lines in songs such as “Time is Running Out” and “Hysteria” have all the catchy-ness of his choruses. You know that Muse is on the radio when you here Matt chunking away.




2. Johnny Rzeznik
Longtime frontman for multi-platinum artists the Goo Goo Dolls, the pretty boy Rzeznik started his career as a gritty punk rocker from Buffalo, New York. He formed the Goo Goo Dolls in 1987 with bassist pal Robby Takac, and the rest as they say is history. The 90ʼs saw the Dolls release “Iris”, “Black Balloon”, and “Slide”, all mid-tempo acoustic numbers that featured Rzeznikʼs throaty voice and signature odd guitar tunings. Johnny and the guys followed up their smash hits with the stellar album Gutterflower. Since then, albums Let Love In and newly released Something for the Rest of Us have met wild success, thanks to Johnnyʼs songwriting, vocal work, and guitar tunings.



1. Jack White
Numero uno. Jack White and ex-wife Meg White formed the White Stripes in 1997. They stunned the world with the edgy “Seven Nation Army”, the raucous “Fell in Love With A Girl”, and the tasteful “Ball and Biscuit.” Jackʼs weapon of rock is a pawnshop prize Valco Airline electric guitar coupled with a Digitech Whammy. His playing strikes a chord somewhere between ADHD punk and vintage garage rock. Jack extends his handy guitar chops to the Raconteurs and Dead Weather. If you want to write off Jack as just another sloppy punker, just take a listen to “Icky Thump” and see if you can play the guitar solos.