This article first appeared in Regional Music Journal on June 30, 2019.
Touring the U.S. for just four short weeks in support of his 14th solo album, Marty Friedman and his amazing band of musicians made it to the Lone Star State all the way from Japan playing at Come and Take It Live in Austin, Texas.
Most people associate Friedman with his role as lead guitarist in Megadeth, but did you know that Friedman has also enjoys an illustrious solo career and has received high accolades for his contributions to the music world in Japan?
Being mostly self-taught, Friedman began playing guitar at the age of 15. He threw himself into studying the guitar and began exploring ethnic music in search of new, exotic scales to incorporate into his lead playing.
When Friedman joined Megadeth in 1990 led by Dave Mustaine, he brought stability to the lead guitar position and remained with the band for 10 years contributing to their four albums. He integrated his style of exotic scale solos into their music, which is typically filled with fast rhythm sections and lyrical themes of death, war, politics, and religion.
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