Metallica’s Kirk Hammett Loses to Mrs. Smith in “Wah-Off” Guitar Battle: Watch
The post Metallica’s Kirk Hammett Loses to Mrs. Smith in “Wah-Off” Guitar Battle: Watch appeared first on Consequence of Sound.
The Cry Baby pedal is a staple in rock music for its wah-wah effect, a favorite of legendary guitarists like Jimi Hendrix and Metallica’s Kirk Hammett. Over the weekend, Hammett faced off in a wah-wah competition with Mrs. Smith — actor David Hansbury’s shredder alter-ego — where the latter soundly defeated the metal guitarist.
The “Cry Baby Battle Royale” was held at the Senate in Columbia, South Carolina on Sunday night. The night also included a performance from Hammett’s cover project, The Wedding Band, which features Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo.
The seven-minute “wah-off” was appropriately soundtracked by Isaac Hayes’ Oscar-winning “Theme from Shaft” — notable for its iconic use of the Cry Baby pedal by late guitarist Charles “Skip” Pitts.
Hammett gave a strong effort, even standing atop a Cry Baby pedestal. But Mrs. Smith’s wah-wah prowess was just too much.
“[I’ve] just been out-wah’d,” Hammett said. “A moment in history has just occurred.”
Comically, Mrs. Smith received a gold Cry Baby plaque, declaring her “the new undisputed champion of the overuse of the Cry Baby wah-wah pedal.”
“I learned it all from watching you,” she joked to Hammett afterward.
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The challenge initially came about during an interview on The Mark Agnesi Show when Mrs. Smith called out Hammett, a notorious Cry Baby aficionado. Many of the Metallica guitarist’s solos are steeped in the wah effect, which is a definitive trait of his signature sound.
“I’m the number-one wah-wah abuser,” Mrs. Smith said. “I abuse the wah more than Kirk Hammett and I’ve challenged him multiple times to a wah-off. Why are you hiding behind your wah-wah pedal, Kirk Hammett?”
Thus, the “Cry Baby Battle Royale” came to fruition, with Mrs. Smith making her world-class wah abuse official.
As for Hammett and Metallica, the thrash legends are set to play a South American tour and a string of headlining slots at U.S. music festivals in the coming months. However, a couple of their festival gigs had to be canceled due to James Hetfield’s ongoing rehab schedule. Pick up tickets to Metallica’s upcoming show here.
Watch footage of Mrs. Smith’s wah-wah dominance below.
Metallica’s Kirk Hammett Loses to Mrs. Smith in “Wah-Off” Guitar Battle: Watch
Jon Hadusek
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