JASON RICHARDSON

(BORN OF OSIRIS, CHELSEA GRIN, ALL THAT REMAINS)

What does prog mean to you?

It’s just an abbreviation for progressive, meaning “forward thinking” — trying to bring something new to the table that hasn’t been done in your way before.

Who are your guitar heroes?

John Petrucci and Alexi Laiho. They both have had some of the biggest impact and influence on my playing and writing.

What are your favorite pieces of gear? Probably my new Ernie Ball Music Man Signature seven-string Cutlass in Rorschach Red, and my Bricasti M7 reverb, which I use in my studio. It’s the best-sounding thing ever.

What do you try to achieve to make your style and sound unique?

I try to come up with unconventional lead parts and riffs, keeping in mind, How can I do this in a way that hasn’t been done before? A lot of epic ideas come from making guitar parts inspired by something I did in Pro Tools with programming, synths or orchestration. I’ll come up with something bizarre, and it translates into something on guitar I never would have thought of.

What song best exemplifies your approach to the guitar?

“Tendinitis,” because it has every element in there that I just mentioned.

Where do you hope to see progressive music heading in the future?

Hopefully I’ll hear something that will make the hair on my arm raise. Even with my own music, if it doesn’t give me chills, it’s probably not good enough.

What does prog contribute to the world of guitar playing?

Prog pushes players to be more creative and original, and forces you outside of your comfort zone to try and incorporate different styles of music, hopefully in one song. I have a song called “Hos Down” that’s pretty bipolar in that regard. I’m taking it even a step further with the new music I’m writing.