Royal Blood’s Mike Kerr recently named the guitarists that influenced his bass sound for Guitar World. He put Anne Clark aka St. Vincent at the 10th spot and said:
“I would say St. Vincent is undoubtedly one of the best guitar players in the world right now. I think she has that Jeff Buckley thing going on, where she has a huge understanding of music theory but manages to include it in her riff writing and songs in very subtle and tasteful ways.”
He added:
“She definitely has to be included as one of the biggest modern influences on my playing just because of how brilliantly creative she is.”
The Guitarist’s Playing Is Out Of The Box
St. Vincent started playing guitar at a young age. She explored different sounds through the years under Marc Ribot and Steely Dan’s influence. The guitarist told NPR’s Ann Powers in 2014:
“In some ways I feel very reverent about guitar. I love it so much. But I also don’t care about it being a guitar or sounding like a guitar.”
Her touring experience with Sufjan Stevens also had an impact. Stevens told New Yorker in 2017:
“At that time, there were a dozen musicians touring in my band, and there was always a moment in the set where people could ‘take a solo.’ All the men usually just played a lot of notes really fast. But, when Annie’s turn came, she refused to do the obvious white-male masturbatory thing on the guitar.”
He recalled:
“Instead, she played her effects pedals. She made such weird sounds. It was like the Loch Ness monster giving birth inside a silo.”
St. Vincent Has New Shows In Line
Rolling Stone named St. Vincent the 26th greatest guitarist of all time last year, and her latest album, ‘All Born Screaming,’ became a critical acclaim following its release in April 2024.
The guitarist announced a supporting tour for the new record shortly before it came out. The All Born Screaming Tour kicked off in Ventura, CA, early May.
St. Vincent will next head to Bend, OR, on August 8. She’ll be on the road until mid-November.