Axe-slinger Richie Kotzen has made quite a career for himself. Cannibals, released in January, marks his 20th solo LP, which comes in addition to his stints with groups like Poison, Mr. Big, and most recently the Winery Dogs (the supergroup of him, ex-Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy, and bass master Billy Sheehan). Kotzen’s latest music video, for the upbeat Cannibals track “In an Instant”, makes it clear why he keeps doing what he does: from the look of things, he hasn’t lost an ounce of energy as a musician. With its smooth guitar solo and buoyant backing vocals, “In an Instant” is a reaffirmation of Kotzen’s talent, and a fine gateway into his music for those who don’t already know him.
Kotzen tells PopMatters this about the video: “I wanted to make a very simple performance style video against a white infinity background. Although I played all the instruments on the actual recording, the video features my touring rhythm section Dylan Wilson (bass), Mike Bennett (drums) as well as Dave Wood (guitar) and Alisa B. and Julia Lage (whose voice can be heard on the recording along with mine). I’m very much looking forward to bringing this material to the live stage sometime soon with this line-up.”
Cannibals is out now via Kotzen’s own Headroom-Inc label.