Talks of pop queen rivalries may have dominated the lead-up to the 67th Grammy Awards, but away from the glare of the pop music limelight, St Vincent, Andrew Watt, and Gojira have flown the flag for guitar music, picking up six awards between them.
Three of those awards went to St. Vincent, whose dark, gritty, and angular LP All Born Screaming has been rightfully recognized for its invention. The record was awarded the Best Alternative Music Album, with singles Broken Man winning Best Rock Song and Flea Best Alternative Music Performance.
The Music Man signature artist, whose guitar is designed specifically for the female body shape and has since found fans in Olivia Rodrigo and The Last Dinner Party, drew from some interesting places for the record.
Speaking to Total Guitar about Flea last year she said: “I was going for a sound where it’s like… wrong? Like, ‘Is this person virtuosic, or do they totally suck?’ That’s kind of where I live. Like, one of the great guitar solos, Neil Young’s Down By The River is, what, one note? So it’s just in the hands of the beholder, I think.”
It's also her first self-produced release, and with it, she's consciously resisted throwing in guitar when it isn't needed, believing, “the guitar’s versatility is unparalleled. But it’s also an instrument with a lot of baggage. We all know the tropes we’re trying to avoid.”
To cap it off, Broken Man features a Strat gifted to her by Pearl Jam's Mike McCready and she's used it to beat the band to the Best Rock Song award, having played it on the end of its massive riff.
Pearl Jam were up for three awards – Best Rock Song, Best Rock Performance, and Best Rock album – but the Seattle legends walked away empty-handed.
Guitarist and super-producer Andrew Watt's still experienced a two-fold triumph, however, via three industry heavyweights. The Rolling Stones walked away with the Best Rock Album honors for Hackney Diamonds, which he produced, and Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars' collaborative banger Die With A Smile, co-written and co-produced by Watt, won the Best Pop Duo / Group Performance award.
They add to his growing Grammy collection, having won Producer of the Year in 201 thanks to his work on Post Malone’s Hollywood’s Bleeding and Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia. He also scored Best Rock Album in 2023 having been behind the desk for Ozzy Osbourne's Patient Number 9.
The Best Metal Performance award, meanwhile, was fiercely contested. French metallers Gojira, who stunned the world with their rousing take of Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!) at the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, edged out Spiritbox, Knocked Loose, and Metallica for the accolade.
The performance aired to millions worldwide, was a high-profile maiden outing for Joe Duplantier’s stunning new ESP signature, having made the surprise move away from Charvel, a company he has championed throughout most of his career.
Duplantier ended his acceptance speech with some choice words: “We want to dedicate this award to all the bands that are pushing the boundaries,” he said. “Support your local artists, support your local bands because that’s where it’s at and they’re inspiring us to continue. So, thank you very much for this.”
Meanwhile, Justus West is flying the flag for guitar music in the mainstream having found it “crucial” to add rock elements to Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album on his Abasi Concepts guitar. The LP won the awards for Best Album and Best Country Album.
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