Most people who know me in the blogosphere probably know me as the guy who draws little cartoon aliens, but they may not also know that one of my other passions is guitar, which I’ve played for nearly 20 years. I’ve been a huge fan of hard rock and most forms of metal since the very early 80s. Back then I was into all those crazy hair bands like Bon Jovi (yes, I admit it), Poison, Def Leppard and so on. However now that I’m older I tend to listen to bands that are more complex, more intelligent and just plain better. One of those bands which I really enjoy is the progressive rock/metal group Stream of Passion, which at one time featured the guitarist Lori Linstruth whom I truly admire and who just happens to be a blogger as well.

Lori’s blog Play Like a Girl is one of my favorite reads. Don’t let the name of the blog fool you, this isn’t just a place for the ladies, guys are welcome as well. The first time I watched one of Lori’s tutorial videos, I’ll have to admit it knocked my guitarist ego down about 10 or 50 notches. This girl can shred with the best of them. When not dazzling with her exceptional guitar skills, Lori also posts many super cool and wonderful things like her feed icons for blogging guitarists. I feel I should also stress that you really don’t need to be a guitarist to enjoy Lori’s blog. If you’re like me and you love rock and or metal music you’ll find something to love on Play Like a Girl. Lori has a great sense of humor and is very down to earth. You can easily tell she really enjoys blogging and chatting it up with her fans.

Just to get you started and pointed in the right direction, I thought I’d post some of my favorite recent posts Lori has made.

• Which is your favorite cheesy metal video? - Lori posts a few of her favorite cheesy metal videos and gives her readers the opportunity to vote on their favorite. I voted for Breakin’ the Law by Judas Priest. Truly a cheesy video. I thought it was cheesy years ago the first time I saw it, and now I find it even more cheesy today.
• Who the fock is Yngwie? - If you grew up a metal fan in the 80s, you most certainly should know who Yngwie Malmsteen is. If you didn’t there’s a good chance you might scratch your head and wonder just who the heck the guy is when someone mentions his name. Lori and her boyfriend came up with this great, simple t-shirt for those who actually do remember Yngwie :)
• Perfectionism is bitch-slapping your creativity - Whether you’re a musician or not I’m sure many struggle with being a perfectionist. You come up with a great idea only to over analyze it until it no longer feels like such a great idea. Lori writes a great article about this very struggle we’ve all gone through one time or another. My favorite quote from the article has to be “Widdly, bedroom “Youtube shredders” are as common as mullets at a Nascar event; but guitarists who write songs, complete projects, and consistently get their creative work out the door are far fewer.”

There is so much to read on Play Like a Girl and I could probably go on for several more paragraphs, but now I’ll leave it to you the reader to go and explore this very wonderful blog on your own :)

For more information about Lori you can also check out the following websites: Lori Linstruth.com - Lori’s official website and Warbride - Lori’s all female melodic metal band.

Categories: Art & Music, Personal, Reviews