Growing increasingly attached to his instrument as he developed into a well-rounded musician, he learned how to creatively express himself on his instrument by playing along to recordings by his favorite artists and learning licks from guitarists like DeMartini and Friedman, as well as other influences - including Brian May, John Sykes, and Randy Rhoads.Īs Ziff grew as a musician and developed his own signature playing style, he adjusted his equipment setup to suit his needs as he grew, artistically, mentally and physically, keeping his rig simple, all the while, with a purist’s philosophy for obtaining his ideal guitar tone. Of course, a lot has changed since Ziff was seven. So, I said to myself, ‘I’m going to do everything I need to do to make sure I can do this for the rest of my life.’” “But, even before I even started playing, I was sure of myself from the first time I held an electric guitar - I thought it was the coolest thing ever.
“Right away, I was super serious when I started practicing guitar at age seven,” Ziff said. While 28 years of age may not be “young,” especially relative to the age demographic of performers in the recording industry, compared to a typical career path, it’s an early age to be recognized among industry veterans and other experts for having mastered a craft, proven one’s artistic potential and developed a unique style in any given field.Įven though Ziff was still in his 20s when he got offered the gig to replace RATT’s former lead guitarist, by that time he had already been honing his chops for two decades, in a labor of love with his instrument that began even before he even got his first guitar. And, by June of this year, the appearance has caused a resurgent interest in RATT’s now-classic sound and aesthetic among a whole new generation of listeners.
Then, in April, more than 35 years after RATT’s 1984 debut LP Out of the Cellar broke the Billboard Top 10 charts, the album’s biggest hit and one of the most iconic songs of the glam metal era, “Round and Round,” broke the Billboard Top 20, again, following the band’s appearance in a Geico TV commercial. At the start 2020, the members RATT had been preparing to headline their then-upcoming Big Rock Summer Tour, with supporting acts like Cinderella’s Tom Keifer, Skid Row and Slaughter, until the COVID-19 pandemic in March forced the band to postpone further touring plans. Later, he cut his teeth and further developed his own style with the professional cover band MetalHead, until he was offered both the RATT gig and the opportunity tour alongside another of his longtime influences, former Megadeth lead guitarist Marty Friedman.Īs was the case with virtually the entire world of professional recording, performing and touring musicians, this past year did not turn out as planned. Ziff set his sights on a career as a professional musician early in life, the day he picked up his first electric guitar, and by age 15 he was already touring in Europe with his band Age of Evil. With a purist mentality for guitar tone and virtuosic ability to emulate, rather than imitate, his forebears, Ziff has since managed to round out his own signature sound - without adding equipment to his minimalist setup other than SonoTone Fusion strings. Los Angeles, OctoIt’s not everyday that a guitar player under 30 gets what many up-and-coming musicians might consider the opportunity of a lifetime: To write, record, and perform professionally alongside the stars one has steered by throughout the years-including artists and musicians who’ve shaped one’s playing style and signature sound-especially when the band they’ve been hired to play for has been around longer than the guitarist has been alive.Īs part of RATT’s “new breed” of musicians - which includes drummer Pete Holmes, as well as the band’s founding members Stephen Pearcy (lead vocalist) and Juan Croucier (bass and backup vocals) - lead guitarist Jordan Ziff knew he had some big shoes to fill when he was hired to replace the band’s longtime lead guitarist, Warren DeMartini, who contributed some of the most recognizable aspects of the Los Angeles glam metal sound when the band hit the scene.