The Jesus Lizard, Tomahawk and The Legendary Shack Shakers have at least two things in common. All three groups boast an approach that balances legendary ferocity with nuance, and they have all included guitarist Duane Dension at one time or another. Denison, who has lived in Nashville for 15 years (for more on that, check out music editor Adam Gold's
2009 interview with Denison), can shred with the best of 'em, but he's way more than just a shredder, turning out arrangements that are as ingenious as they are relentless.
Now, aspiring pickers looking to learn some of Denison's tricks can do just that, directly from the source.
Denison is currently offering private guitar lessons, scheduled through a platform called LessonFace. Besides anecdotal evidence that he's a pretty easygoing guy, he sounds like a solid, practical teacher. "I try to present concepts and ideas in a simple, direct manner," he explains on the site, "and then provide examples of how to use these concepts in a performance setting." And if you're interested in learning something specific, he's open to that, too. "I can give live lessons to guys in Newfoundland or Israel from my home studio," he tells the Cream.
Below, stream a few things I've collected that I wouldn't mind learning.
The Jesus Lizard's Goat begins with "Then Came Dudley," one of the creepiest and deceptively complex songs in their catalog. You don't have to take my word for it.
The Legendary Shack Shakers, whose current, badass-if-Denison-less lineup
plays Exit/In this weekend, recently uploaded to YouTube Agri-dustrial, which Denison played on.
And here's a ripping Tomahawk cut for your Thursday afternoon:
