Name: Randy Anderson
Band: Smashtag

What guitarists inspire you?

I can find inspiration in a lot of guitarists. My favorite would be Eric Johnson. His Ah Via Musicom album is just amazing. I finally got the chance to see him live, earlier this year. I’m also a huge fan of Chris Carrabba from Dashboard Confessional. He’s a fantastic songwriter, no matter the style.

What song has challenged you the most?

“Mr. Brightside” took me a while. Some of those chords just didn’t come naturally. The song “1901” (by Phoenix) was also challenging, not because the parts were difficult to play, but because the timing didn’t feel natural. I actually had someone at one of our early shows tell me that they could see I was counting the beats to keep my place.

What’s your favorite song to play in your current band’s set?

Currently, its “Hot Blood” by Kaleo. Its not a well known song, but its so gritty and raw.

What’s the most overplayed song?

I don’t get out enough to have an opinion on this.

What’s the most memorable thing that happened to you at a gig?

At the Boar’s Nest, I dropped my glass slide just before I needed it for a song. I ended up playing “My Body” by Young the Giant, using an A1 bottle as the slide. I bought a chrome slide so that never had to happen again.

What was your first guitar pedal?

I don’t remember which came first, but I remember the first two I had were an envelope filter (the effect on Mysterious Ways by U2), and a Flanger.

What’s your current rig?

I come to the shows with 3 guitars. My main guitar is a MIM Fender Strat HSS with a Floyd Rose. I also use a MIM Fender Telecaster (with DiMarzio hot rail pickup), and a Fender Highway One Telecaster. I use a Line 6 Pod HD500X processor with a Marshall MG50CFX (solid state) amp. I love the versatility of that processor with all of the amp modeling.

How long would it take for you to learn Van Halen’s Eruption?