Hybrid descriptions of music are often a lazy way to avoid digging deep into a band’s musical qualities and, as often, inaccurate. But to call the music of Tera MelosPunk/Prog/Math/Metal/Ambient/Noise is necessary to cover all the ingredients of the band’s cut and paste style. What makes this ADD pastiche work where others fail is the depth of Nick Reinhart’s technique. His seemingly limitless command over both his guitar and the array of pedals at his feet, combined with the bloodletting energy he brings to the stage, make every musical digression compelling. I first met the man described as “Nels Cline’s younger punk rock brother” at the Earthquaker booth at NAMM, improvising up a storm, and finally got him to talk to Guitar Moderne.
What kind of music were you playing when you first became proficient on the instrument?
I was playing punk music when I became “proficient.” I realized the music I was playing/writing was getting more complex and the band I was playing in was confused about the stuff I was bringing to practice—things like 7th chords and alternate time signatures. Eventually the punk band fizzled out and Tera Melos was born.