Jeff Tuttle's Party Smashers

Jim Martin
One of my first guitar heroes was Jim Martin from Faith No More. He was the sole guitar player in the band and had a lot of bases to cover, blending a traditional metal style with the more progressive tendencies of the band as a whole. It was a strange dichotomy they had going on with Jim; he could be playing some crushing chug riff while Roddy [Bottum] was headed in a much more airy and melodic direction on the keyboard. For a long time – until I joined Dillinger – I was in a band where I was the only guitar player because I wanted to capture that.
Choice cut: Faith No More – Surprise, You’re Dead

Jimi Hendrix
Another big influence on my playing was Jimi Hendrix – one of my all time favourites, I’ve never seen or heard another guitar player who can really convey energy and emotion through their instrument better than he could. His live albums will destroy anything he did in the studio because there was greater freedom going on in his improvisation.
Choice cut: Jimi Hendrix – Fire (Live at Woodstock)

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
With Option Paralysis I had an opportunity to write the lyrics and vocal harmonies for the album closer Parasitic Twins. Believe it or not, I drew a lot of influence from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. I’ve always been attracted to a lot of the vocal harmonies they perform and it’s probably an influence that a lot of Dillinger fans would be surprised to hear. With De Ja Vu – particularly on the title track to that record – they’re building these intense four-part harmonies in an extremely staccato, fast-paced tempo. It’s flawless. To do that in an era where digital editing didn’t exist... it’s what true musicianship is all about.
Choice cut: CSNY – De Ja Vu