Tracii Guns of L.A. Guns: “I Would Be Really Embarrassed to Even Think of” Using Backing Tracks
Backing tracks are becoming more and more of a hot button issue in music, and, in the metal world, it’s a very controversial topic. Some like W.A.S.P.’s Blackie Lawless and Fozzy’s Chris Jericho are in favor of backing tracks, while a lot more coming out against it like Dave Mustaine of Megadeth and Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden. In some cases, accusations of using backing tracks can be damning to certain metal musicians, such as when John 5 of Mötley Crüe recently had to post a video proving that he doesn’t use backing tracks. Well, you can L.A. Guns guitarist Tracii Guns amongst the detractors camp on this issue.
In an interview with The Rock Experience with Mike Brunn that came out yesterday, Tracii Guns gave his opinion on backing tracks and, while he could name some circumstances where use of backing tracks might be forgivable, he seemed mortified at the thought of using them himself. Here’s what he had to say, as transcribed by Blabbermouth:
“I would be really embarrassed to even think of doing that. It’s embarrassing to me. Could you imagine Chuck Berry playing to [pre-recorded guitar] tracks? Or Keith Richards, or anything like that?
“If I was playing in a band playing original music, a rock and roll band, and I was there, and all of a sudden that band I was in was all over the Internet getting fucking mud thrown at ’em [for playing along to tracks], I couldn’t do it. [I would say], ‘Hey, I love you, guys. Thanks for the dough, man.’ But my legacy, I don’t want my legacy to be, like, ‘Yeah, I was the guy playing live in the band that wasn’t. That ain’t cool.
“There’s been so many claims that like KISS uses tracks. Man, I was there [watching them play on the ‘Kiss Kruise’], I was on stage, I was with their techs, man. Those guys lit that place up with no [pre-recorded enhancements]. I don’t know what the fuck people are talking about.
“I think some bands need it because that’s part of their production on their album. They’ll do, like, a three-part vocal harmony [on the album], but there’s only two guys in the band, and [there’ll be] a full orchestra [on the record] and shit like that. So those bands are more geared towards that thing, like they go in going, ‘Okay, this has to be set up like this because we’re doing it this way. And this is how we create this huge sound.’ And if that’s the intent going in, well, then there’s nothing to be ashamed of because then you’re known as ‘we’re an electronic band.’ Like NINE INCH NAILS, for example, or a lot of those first electronic, really heavy bands. What’s an even better one? MINISTRY. They’ve got a lot of electronic music going on, a lot of stuff going on. So when that’s the intention, that’s cool. But Johnny Martin [L.A. GUNS bassist], he ain’t gonna pre-record his bass tracks. We’re not gonna have a click track with L.A. GUNS or anything like that. But everybody’s different. It’s kind of laughable, I guess. But people do what they feel they’ve gotta do.”
Wherever you land on this contentious debate, I feel like he has a fair point about Nine Inch Nails and Ministry needing backing tracks because of the type of music they play. But it’s good to know that L.A. Guns doesn’t use backing tracks, at least according to Tracii Guns. So if you want to see L.A. Guns live—and I mean really live, apparently—their upcoming tour dates are below.
JUL 26 – The Forge – Joliet, IL
JUL 27 – The Brown Trout Festival – Alpena, MI
JUL 28 – The Venue Event Center – Cadillac, MI
JUL 31 – The Machine Shop – Flint, MI
AUG 01 – Genesee Theatre – Waukegan, IL
AUG 02 – Vetter Stone Amphitheatre – Mankato, MN
AUG 04 – The Castle Theatre – Bloomington, IL
AUG 05 – The Basement East – Nashville, TN
AUG 07 – The Mountain at Thunder Valley – Bristol, TN
AUG 08 – The Signal – Chattanooga, TN
AUG 09 – Frederick Brown Jr Amphitheater – Peachtree City, GA
AUG 10 – Pearl River Resort – Mississippi Choctaw Reservation, MS
AUG 12 – Open Chord Music – Knoxville, TN
AUG 15 – The Hall – Little Rock, AR
AUG 16 – The Hawthorn – St. Louis, MO
DEC 06 – Count’s Vamp’d Rock Bar & Grill – Las Vegas, NV
DEC 07 – Count’s Vamp’d Rock Bar & Grill – Las Vegas, NV
DEC 29 – Coach House Concert Hall – San Juan Capistrano, CA
DEC 31 – Whisky A Go Go – West Hollywood, CA
MAR 10 – MAR 15 – Monsters of Rock 2025 – Miami, FL
