A Muso’s Top 5: Mastodon

Supreme guitar maverick and all-round ambassador for quality facial hair Brent Hinds recently took a break from putting the finishing touches to Mastodon’s forthcoming fourth LP - Crack the Skye - to talk about the origins of his style and the records that lit his fire as a youth.

“I got an acoustic guitar for Christmas when I was 10 years old, I was in my room for the duration of the next 5 years after that. I had an uncle on my mum’s side who played banjo – Uncle Tom – I think I’m influenced by that just from watching him play it as I grew up. I’m a southerner, so I tend to play guitar with a southern tinge to it because of where I’m from.

"I only started listening to heavy music when I was in my early 20s, when I was a kid I really liked this band called The Guess Who. You ever heard of them? ‘No Sugar tonight in my coffee / No sugar tonight in my tea, No sugar to stand beside me / No sugar to run with me…bap baddam ba ba ba baowww’. What? You never heard that song? I was also into this black guy named Jimi Hendrix – had an afro, played a Stratocaster – really liked him when I was younger. I dug the Doors a lot too. Love the Doors; I’ve met Robbie Krieger and he was super nice, that was a dream come true. Then there’s AC/DC, ZZ Top, I could go on…”

1. The Guess Who – No Sugar Tonight
2. Jimi Hendrix – If 6 Was 9
3. The Doors – The Spy
4. AC/DC – What’s Next to the Moon?
5. ZZ Top – Precious and Grace

Video: Mastodon - Colony of Birchmen