Cosmopolitan Surf Twang

HERSHEL YATOVITZ MAKES a writer’s job easy. “I’m a style slut,” he chirps, offering his own unique description for his wide-ranging and deeply textural approach to the guitar. “I kind of sweat style. I like soulful music that has a lot of open spaces to it. Some guitarists prefer this blitz of notes to get a point across, but I think you can do more to transport people if you offer them a mood and a point of view. To me, that’s a lot more rewarding.”

Since 1995, Yatovitz has served as the lead guitar ace for vintage vibe specialist Chris Isaak in the singer’s band Silvertone. Whether tackling rock and roll classics, lost cowboy nuggets or originals that fuse Isaak’s affinity for Sun Records’ roots with a certain sense