BY THE TIME Gina Gleason became the lead guitarist for prog-sludge reformists Baroness in 2017, she had already proven herself. After all, she had cut her teeth fronting Metallica covers band Misstallica while also shredding in the King Diamond tribute act Queen Diamond, spent years with Cirque Du Soleil, and shared stages with the likes of Billy Corgan and Carlos Santana, taking an 80s guitar hero flair and combining it with a youthful wonder for experimentation. With Baroness’s sixth album, Stone, on the horizon, we asked Gina to share the tips that have got her where she is today.
BE NICE AND LISTEN TO SLAYER
“My brother was an influential character for me. He was definitely into more extreme music earlier, so when I started playing guitar he was like, ‘That’s a cool blues shuffle but check out Slayer.’ He’s awesome. He’s my biggest role model in life.