Luca Stricagnoli

Ever head of Luca Stricagnoli? Don't feel bad if you haven't, as he's still fairly new to the scene. But you should know who he is, because he's one of the most talented guitarists on the planet.

Hailing from Italy, Luca began studying classical guitar at the age of ten, but had quit for a long time before returning and teaching himself new techniques, perfecting them, then making his own, unconventional style. 

Sweet Child O Mine

This is the one that really impressed me the most. Luca makes use of two guitars, the one on the table in front of him heavily modified. He frets the notes, plays extra sets of strings and other additions to the modified guitar, makes use of multiple capos, and taps out some percussion.

Last of the Mohicans

Some more note fretting and percussive guitar. He also uses a a violin bow. And there's three guitars.

Braveheart

In addition to the usual, now he's using a recorder and some harmonicas.

Impressed yet?

Luca's signed to Candyrat Records. His self-titled debut came out earlier this year, with 8 arrangements and 2 originals, with Sweet Child O Mine as a bonus track. Why not check it out?

Pickin' On Series

My first encounter with the Pickin' On series was the Iron Horse cover of Modest Mouse's Float On. Actually, I think that was the first time I heard Float On. When I listened to the original later, I just couldn't like it as much as the first time I heard it, though it was still a good song. Later, I heard the cover by Iron Horse again and realized the version I had been searching for.

Iron Horse - Float On

I would later come to realize that this was part of a larger series of "Pickin' On" albums when, looking up Greensky Bluegrass on YouTube, the search results threw Green Day Bluegrass at me and I couldn't not click it.

Done by Honeywagon and Cornbread Red, Green Day Bluegrass - Pickin' On Green Day - A Bluegrass Tribute turned out to be an amazing transition of genres, begging me to look deeper.

As it turns out, there's actually quite a list of "Pickin' On" albums.

From Wikipedia:

• Pickin' on Relient K (2007)
• Pickin' on New Found Glory
• Pickin' on The Avett Brothers
• The Fantastic Pickin' On Series Bluegrass Sampler (2002)
• Heartbreaker: Pickin' on Tom Petty: A Bluegrass Tribute (1996)
• Pickin' on Alan Jackson, Vol. 1–2
• Back in Bluegrass: The Bluegrass Tribute to AC/DC
• Pickin' on Boston
• Pickin' on CCR
• Pickin' on Clapton (1999)
• Pickin' on Coldplay: A Bluegrass Tribute (2005)
• Pickin' on CSNY
• Pickin' on Creed
• Pickin' on Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
• Pickin' on Dave Mathews
• Pickin' on Def Leppard
• Pickin' on Elton John
• Pickin' on Green Day
• Pickin' on Widspread Panic: A Bluegrass Tribute (2001)
• Pickin' on Jack Johnson
• Pickin' on John Mayer, Vol. 1–2
• Pickin' on Keith Urban (2003)
• Pickin' on Led Zeppelin, Vol. 1–2 (2003)
• Pickin' on Linkin Park
• Pickin' on Lynyrd Skynyrd: A Tribute (2008)
• "Pickin' on Metallica: Fade To Bluegrass Vol. 1-2(2003, 2006)
• Pickin' on Modest Mouse (2004)
• Pickin' on Mumford and Sons
• Pickin' on Neil Young
• Pickin' on Pink Floyd
• Pickin' on R.E.M.
• Pickin' on Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Pickin' on Santana.
• Pickin' on Shania Twain (2000)
• Pickin' on Springsteen
• Pickin' on Stevie Ray Vaughan: A Bluegrass Tribute (2001)
• Pickin' on Taking Back Sunday
• Pickin' on U2
• Pickin' on Wilco: Casino Side (2004)
• Pickin' on ZZ Top
• Pickin' on the Allman Brothers
• Pickin' on the Beatles
• Pickin' on the Doobie Brothers
• Pickin' on the Grateful Dead: A Tribute (1998)
• Pickin' on the Offspring: A Tribute (2007)
• Pickin' on the Shins: A Tribute
• Pickin' on Widespread panic : A Tribute
• The Bluegrass Tribute to Taylor Swift

The series is produced by CMH Records, an independent country and bluegrass label based out of Los Angles. The series began in 1990, when the founder of CMH died and his son took over, though it did not take off until the success of Pickin' On the Grateful Dead three years later. 

It's incredible how talented the musicians involved with the project are, stripping down and reconstructing songs from a wide range of sounds to fit into the bluegrass genre with such a smooth transition that has a quality to it that can't really be described.

Boulevard of Broken Dreams

American Idiot 

Paradise City

Here Without You

I'd totally post more songs from this series, but there's just so many good ones so just go check them out yourself!