Nuno Bettencourt is God
One of my biggest influences, not just as a funk guitarist, but as a guitarist as a whole, is Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme.
In my opinion, he is the apex predator of the guitar world that Eddie Van Halen helped create; insane execution, huge riffs, and incredibly creative rhythm playing in every style of music. You want tapping? Check out the solo in Get The Funk Out. Neoclassical? The solo in Play with Me or his Flight of the Wounded Bumblebee intro. Acoustic rhythm? Hole Hearted. Rhythm parts that add to and fill out the music? Anything he’s done.
I feel like Nuno is one of the most complete guitarists out there, and is like the newer Terminator models to Eddie’s T-800 (the Ahnuld!). Eddie is the progenitor, and often (and rightfully) seen as one of the best, but the newer models have their own styles and benefits that are iconic in their own right, while also seemingly improving on the original design. Nuno is like the T-1000, nanomorphing into any music, progression, etc., and not just surviving, but thriving. With style!
One of the things I love about four-piece bands like Extreme and Van Halen (who I also think has a lot of funk to him, as said by the man himself) is that there’s nowhere to hide. Everyone has to be on their A-game and contribute to the groove or sound, or else you’ll often feel that something is lacking, even if you can’t put your finger on exactly what it is. Rhythm and a groove are what make or break many different kinds of music, even if it may not seem immediately obvious. I think that funkiness and sense of rhythm are the je ne sais quoi that make guys like Bettencourt and Van Halen (as well as their respective bands) stand out.
Any time you listen to something, no matter the group or genre, if you hear it and are bopping your head and putting on your best blues solo face, then, to me, that’s funk. Funk is a feeling, and conveying a feeling through your music. Some of the funkiest rhythm playing I’ve ever heard is his. Check out Get the Funk Out if you've never had the pleasure.
Extreme gets get a bum rap for their most popular song (More than Words) being a thing people look at and go, ‘long haired guys singing about feelings again in an acoustic song, ooooh jaysis (the Bill Burr)’, and dismiss it out of pocket. I think that More Than Words is an amazing song, and its popularity is well-deserved (‘MESSAGE!’), and also a testament to Nuno’s prowess as a writer, musician, and composer. Yes, it is about feelings, yes, it is acoustic, yes, Nuno is at least as pretty as any girlfriend I’ve ever had, but this is incidental; if you listen to Extreme’s music, More Than Words is the exception, not the rule. Their other songs are totally different, with just as much feeling coming through.
To me, Nuno's got soul, style, creativity, and feeling, and that adds up to funk in my book. If you don’t want to call it funk, then just awesome music that’s worth a listen for anyone. If you are already a guitarist that might read this article, all these words are probably wasted on you. However, I feel like a huge amount of people dismiss Extreme out-of-pocket because of More Than Words, and are depriving themselves of great stuff.
Have a listen.
