Rob Scallon Plays Rage Against the Machine Classic on Shovel
Who ever thought using a shovel as a guitar would be easier than using a guitar as a shovel? YouTube phenom Rob Scallon has upped himself in this latest video, taking the shovel guitar that was specially crafted for him to the next level. In the first video to feature the unique instrument, Scallon made his own song, but here he's covered the Rage Against the Machine hit, "Killing in the Name."
The in your face standout cut gets a special treatment here, being played surprisingly well and if you listen with your eyes closed, it would be difficult to discern that atypical instrument is in use. Scallon plays single-stringed fretless shovel interspersed with clips of him using a guitar to shovel a pile of dirt outside. He exchanges the thicker string for a lighter gauge and even utilizes a shot glass as a slide when performing the solo. Again, it would be hard to tell anything out of the norm is at work in this video.
The shovel itself boasts an EMG pickup and fully-functioning volume and tone knobs in addition to the single string. With a guitar strap affixed to the tool turned instrument, Scallon rocks the Rage classic with ease, executing bends and hammer-ons the same as he does on a real guitar.
"Killing in the Name" was featured on Rage Against the Machine's eponymous debut record. The record peaked at No. 45 on the Billboard 200 charts and set the stage for the chart-topping follow-up, Evil Empire in 1996.
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