What are the riffs that inspired Atreyu‘s Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel to pick up the guitar and what riffs have they made that continue inspire themselves as well as their fans? That’s part of what we find out in this Atreyu edition of Loudwire’s Gear Factor.
Where It Started
When we caught up with Atreyu’s guitarists, both showed different sides of the musical spectrum when it came to what first inspired them to pick up the guitar. Miguel shouts out the intro to Metallica‘s “One” for his initial desire to pick up the instrument, while Jacobs revealed more punk roots in vibing off Green Day‘s “Basket Case.”
“I remember seeing the video on MTV and just the aesthetics of it, just the sound, everything about it just captivated me immediately,” Jacobs said of the track. Green Day also had the first riff he learned with “When I Come Around,” also off the Dookie album. Miguel adds of Green Day’s first album, “The guitar tone on that record is amazing. I don’t think he gets enough credit for how awesome his guitar sounds on that record,” to which Jacobs copped, “I love distortion and everything I was trying to do was trying to sound like Billie Joe.”
As for Miguel, once he got a guitar, it was all about Black Sabbath, first learning “Paranoid” and later picking up “Iron Man.” “I remember just kind of being amazed that I could play pretty much a whole song using that chord. All you have to do is move it around the neck,” -recalled the guitarist.
Where It Continued
The guys also shared some of their favorite riffs and solos as they continued to learn guitar. Miguel praised Deftones’ “Root” as an excellent exercise in string skipping, while Jacobs leaned into his love of Ratt’s “Lay It Down” and the guitar work of Warren DeMartini. “The way he riffs, the way he solos, everything is just buttery,” said Jacobs of the longtime Ratt guitar slinger.
The two musicians also recalled their first guitar solos they ever learned, with Jacobs revealing that he took a concept from Eddie Van Halen’s playing on “Panama” and applied it to to the band’s own hit single, “Right Side of the Bed.”
Where It’s Gone
Having found plenty of inspiration in other acts, the guys addressed their own musical catalog, displaying their talents on their own favorite riffs and solos. Among their picks for favorites were “Creature,” “Blow” and “Becoming the Bull.” They also delved into the first riffs that they ever wrote for Atreyu and their favorite parts from their latest album, 2023’s The Beautiful Dark of Life.
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Atreyu in 2024
Atreyu has a new album, The Pronoia Sessions: Revised and Reimagined, due Oct. 25 digitally and Nov. 8 on CD and vinyl. Meanwhile, the group has a handful of dates scheduled for the fall. Ticketing information can be found through their website. Check out the full Gear Factor with Atreyu’s Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel below.
Atreyu’s Dan Jacobs + Travis Miguel Play Their Favorite Riffs
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Gallery Credit: John Hill