Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Guitar Amps
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Artist news
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Software & Apps
  • Drums
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • You Oughta Know
  • Fake AI band
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • Wrecking Crew
Recommended reading
Joe Bonamassa plays a vintage Gibson Les Paul SG equipped with a Maestro Vibrola. He wears a gray patterned suit and sunglasses.
Artists Joe Bonamassa announces new album, Breakthrough – listen to the title-track now
Pelican's Trevor de Brauw [left] and Laurent Schroeder-Lebec perform at Hellfest 2022. De Brauw plays his Gibson SG. Schroeder-Lebec is playing his Silverburst Gibson Les Paul Custom.
Artists Trevor de Brauw and Laurent Schroeder-Lebec on musical wanderlust and Pelican’s riff evolution
Scott Ian of Anthrax introduces his new X Series signature King V in black with gold hardware, and the original Jackson logo on the headstock.
Guitars Jackson gives the Scott Ian King V a classy makeover and puts an old school logo on the headstock
Jamie The Ks
Artists The K’s speak to us about leading the guitar band fightback
Ian "Shiner" Thomas of Those Damn Crows onstage playing to a festival crowd with his Gibson Les Paul. He wears a baseball cap and sunglasses.
Artists Shiner from Those Damn Crows on how to write a No.1 album and the Slipknot riff he wish he wrote
Stevens with Idol
Artists “The last thing we wanted to do was say, ‘Hey, let’s do another Rebel Yell’”: Steve Stevens on the new Billy Idol album
Josh Homme
Bands “Playing in front of people who are stripped down to the bones…” Josh Homme talks Alive In The Catacombs
  1. Artists
  2. Guitarists

In the studio: Rival Sons

News
By Total Guitar ( Total Guitar ) published 2 June 2016

Scott Holiday captures the wild beast for album five

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Hollow Bones

Hollow Bones

Given that California’s Rival Sons finally hit pay dirt with 2014’s Great Western Valkyrie, it would come as little surprise if they blocked out much of 2016 to write and record its follow up, Hollow Bones.

It plagues a project if you spend too long in the studio. Idle hands are the devil’s work shop

Instead it’s business as usual, with the band and longtime producer Dave Cobb giving themselves a meagre 30 days to write, record and mix album five, squeezing it in between support tours with Deep Purple and Black Sabbath.

As guitarist Scott Holiday explains, that’s just how Rival Sons roll…

“No one tells us how long to go into the studio for or how many songs to record,” he says. “Everybody understands how we do business. It’s a blessing that we can get in and get out of there. It plagues a project if you spend too long in the studio. Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.”

Don't Miss

Rig Tour: Rival Sons

Rival Sons' Scott Holiday talks Jimmy Page, riff writing and epic guitar performances

Rival Sons' Jay Buchanan talks vocal heroes, honesty and Van Morrison

Page 1 of 3
Page 1 of 3
Live vibe

Live vibe

Holiday is adamant that while some may prefer to agonise over each and every track, pulling riffs, verses and choruses apart, Rival Sons are all about getting their blistering live vibe onto tape as quickly as possible and then getting the hell out of there.

There’s some groove and feel to this record that was previously unexplored by us

“You can always do another version but you need to adjust your thinking,” he says. “Making a record is about capturing a wild animal rather than building a perfect construction. We’re trying to throw a net over that animal. If we gave ourselves six months, that’s a lot of wild animals, man!”

And that extends to Holiday’s guitar work. Nothing is over-thought and over-processed here. The riffs aren’t slaved over for weeks or months, chopped up and put back together… instead 24 hours is more than enough for an initial idea to turn into a swaggering rocker, and he’s confi dent that there’s plenty of those on Hollow Bones.

“I’m very off the cuff. I’ll go home and think about riffs for the next day and that’s where a lot of the riffier ideas come from. I’m excited for people to hear this record. It’s a different record for us. The momentum of it is way different to the last record. There’s some groove and feel to this record that was previously unexplored by us.”

Page 2 of 3
Page 2 of 3
Short stack

Short stack

You may see him with an almighty stack of Orange cabs on stage, but Holiday opted for something a little smaller in the studio.

Tony is playing great, even better than I expected. It’s like 1973 Tony Iommi

“I always experiment with my tone,” he says. “A lot of people think if it ain’t broke don’t fix it but for me there’s too many good things out there to think like that. I’m not keen on using big amps in the studio. I use combos and stick to a couple of amps. Everything went down with a Magnatone Twilighter with overdubs done through a Supro Coronado.”

Just in case Holiday needed any inspiration to give his all on Hollow Bones, he surely found it watching Tony Iommi kill it night after night on while opening for Sabbath on their farewell tour.

“Tony is playing great, even better than I expected. It’s like 1973 Tony Iommi, nothing is missing, it’s so inspiring knowing you can do it that well for that long and I hope to emulate that.”

Rival Sons’ new album, Hollow Bones, is out on 10 June.

Don't Miss

Rig Tour: Rival Sons

Rival Sons' Scott Holiday talks Jimmy Page, riff writing and epic guitar performances

Rival Sons' Jay Buchanan talks vocal heroes, honesty and Van Morrison

Page 3 of 3
Page 3 of 3
Categories
Guitars
Total Guitar
Total Guitar
Social Links Navigation

Total Guitar is Europe's best-selling guitar magazine.

Every month we feature interviews with the biggest names and hottest new acts in guitar land, plus Guest Lessons from the stars.

Finally, our Rocked & Rated section is the place to go for reviews, round-ups and help setting up your guitars and gear.

Subscribe: http://bit.ly/totalguitar

Stay up to date with the latest gear and tuition. image
Stay up to date with the latest gear and tuition.
Subscribe and save today!
More Info
Read more
Joe Bonamassa plays a vintage Gibson Les Paul SG equipped with a Maestro Vibrola. He wears a gray patterned suit and sunglasses.
Joe Bonamassa announces new album, Breakthrough – listen to the title-track now
Pelican's Trevor de Brauw [left] and Laurent Schroeder-Lebec perform at Hellfest 2022. De Brauw plays his Gibson SG. Schroeder-Lebec is playing his Silverburst Gibson Les Paul Custom.
Trevor de Brauw and Laurent Schroeder-Lebec on musical wanderlust and Pelican’s riff evolution
Scott Ian of Anthrax introduces his new X Series signature King V in black with gold hardware, and the original Jackson logo on the headstock.
Jackson gives the Scott Ian King V a classy makeover and puts an old school logo on the headstock
Jamie The Ks
The K’s speak to us about leading the guitar band fightback
Ian "Shiner" Thomas of Those Damn Crows onstage playing to a festival crowd with his Gibson Les Paul. He wears a baseball cap and sunglasses.
Shiner from Those Damn Crows on how to write a No.1 album and the Slipknot riff he wish he wrote
Stevens with Idol
“The last thing we wanted to do was say, ‘Hey, let’s do another Rebel Yell’”: Steve Stevens on the new Billy Idol album
Latest in Guitarists
Fender Custom Shop Ariel Posen Stratocaster: Posen's new signature model was inspired by the Jazzmaster and has custom-wound AP-90 pickups. Check out those cupcake-style control knobs.
Ariel Posen’s new Custom Shop signature Strat is A) stunning and B) inspired by a… Jazzmaster?
Daron Malakian of System of a Down performs live in a wide-brimmed had with a custom Flying V with an open-book Gibson headstock.
Daron Malakian on how synth leads the guitar on his new album and why he doesn’t stick to one style
Arianna Powell and Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Rodrigo’s lead guitarist says that she cried after learning that she'd get to play with Robert Smith
Mk.gee
Mk.gee’s collaboration with Justin Bieber has arrived on Bieber’s surprise new album, Swag
Jackson Pro Series Misha Mansoor Juggernaut HT7 and HT7P
Misha Mansoor spills blood as a home shopping TV presenter to unveil new signature Jackson 7-strings
Dickey Betts and Warren Haynes live onstage with the Allman Brothers Band in 1992. Haynes wears a patterned shit and plays his Les Paul Standard.
Warren Haynes on what Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts told him when he joined the Allman Brothers Band
Latest in News
Fender Custom Shop Ariel Posen Stratocaster: Posen's new signature model was inspired by the Jazzmaster and has custom-wound AP-90 pickups. Check out those cupcake-style control knobs.
Ariel Posen’s new Custom Shop signature Strat is A) stunning and B) inspired by a… Jazzmaster?
Daron Malakian of System of a Down performs live in a wide-brimmed had with a custom Flying V with an open-book Gibson headstock.
Daron Malakian on how synth leads the guitar on his new album and why he doesn’t stick to one style
Spinal Tap, with David Kaff, centre
“He always had a kind word and a quick wit”: Bandmates pay tribute to Spinal Tap’s David Kaff
Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen says that the late Steve Albini was “instrumental” in the creation of his new album
Damon Albarn performs with Africa Express at Pohoda Festival on July 10, 2025 in Trencin, Slovakia
“I’ve been incredibly busy making music...”: Damon Albarn teases a new Gorillaz album
Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC++: the super-rare holy grail metal amp used by the likes of Vivian Campbell and Metallica has been officially released by the Gibson-own amp brand.
‘Crunch Berries’ are on the menu! Mesa/Boogie releases holy grail Mark IIC++ Metallica amp

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...