From fronting Alter Bridge to his well-documented projects with Slash and his own thoroughly decent solo material, it's probably safe to say that Myles Kennedy knows a thing or two about good music. With that in mind, we got the man with one of the most powerful and unmistakeable voices in rock to make us a playlist and talk us through his picks. You may not be shocked to find his choices were great, though we were pleasantly surprised by just how heavy he wanted to go. See what he had to say below and check out his mix at the bottom of the page.
"My first memory of Judas Priest was hearing The Hellion / Electric Eye. I had to beg my folks to let me get it, because my stepdad was hesitant to let that come into the house because of the name ‘Judas Priest’... He’s a minister! He said, ‘I’ll make you a deal. You can get it, but I want to listen to it with you.’ I’ll never forget, I put it in my boombox and he goes, ‘I can’t understand a word he’s saying.’
“Nine Inch Nails’ The Downward Spiral changed everything, it’s such a groundbreaking record. Trent Reznor is a genius. March Of The Pigs in particular is so visceral and so intense, and the video is just amazing. Regular John was my introduction to Queens Of The Stone Age. Hearing that opening riff was one of those moments where I just stopped what I was doing. It had this element of danger, and was different, decadent and everything that rock’n’roll should be.
“I always thought Alice In Chains were cool and different. When the Them Bones video came out, I remember sitting in a Denny’s and I couldn’t stop talking about it. Speaking of videos, I also loved Soundgarden’s Hands All Over. It made such an impact – I hadn’t heard anything quite like it. If you’re going to pivot and make something your own, it should be something that years later somebody’s talking about, going, ‘That revolutionised the way we thought about things.’ Hands... is definitely one of those songs.
“Angel’s Son was written for a friend of Sevendust’s who passed away, and it’s always been my favourite of theirs. Having toured with them, they’re one of the hardest bands to follow live. Any band that wants to take them out, just know they make you work for it! I would sit and watch them play. It’s a sonic assault, they’re so intense and their riffs are so heavy. And they’re the nicest guys. Shout out to them.
“The Last Baron got me into Mastodon. I was just so impressed with the musicianship and their ability to keep you interested throughout the entire sonic journey. Fast forward a couple of years after I discovered that song, and we were playing festivals together. I think they figured out that I was kind of a fanboy. They were like, ‘Oh, here comes Myles, he’s always wearing a Mastodon shirt. That guy’s crazy!’
“Devin Townsend’s Lightwork is one of my favourite records in the last five years. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him, and I think his spiritual journey is very similar to where I’m at right now. Lightworker in particular really connected with me, as there’s a great narrative in the middle by Ram Dass. He’s a [spiritual] teacher that has offered me so much in my development as a human being.
“The first time I heard Gojira was in 2011 at a festival in Spain. I was there with Slash and the gang, and we get to our dressing room and I could hear something somewhere I thought was amazing. So, like a sonic zombie, I tried to direct myself to where this sound was coming from. Finally, I walk into this tent and it’s just mayhem. They were playing Ocean Planet, and I thought it was the most epic thing I’d seen in a long time. From that moment, I was a total fanboy. They’re just so thoughtful, articulate and they’re the most ferocious band on the planet.
“Paradise City had a profound effect on me and my entire generation. It was one of the first Guns N' Roses songs we started jamming with Slash and The Conspirators 15 years ago. After we played it, there’s a moment I’ll never, ever forget. I don’t know if I ever told this before, but Slash comes up to me and gives me a hug, and that was a moment that I will take to my grave. It was really special and one of my favourite moments throughout my whole career. That moment is sacred to me.”
