Photo - Daniel Knighton / Getty Images
Animals As Leaders' virtuosic guitarist Tosin Abasi has been revealed as the new Air Shredder in Bill & Ted Face The Music!
The role of Air Shredder was held by the prolific Steve Vai for the first two Bill & Ted films in 1990 and 1991, contributing the riffs heard every time Bill & Ted salute each other by shredding air guitar.
Speaking on the choice to work with Tosin, the film's Music Supervisor Jonathan Leahy said:
“Getting the right guitarist to handle Bill & Ted’s air shredding was one of my top priorities from the very beginning. The director asked me 'what does shredding sound like in 2020?' and my answer was 'it sounds like Tosin Abasi.' Tosin’s virtuosity is mind-blowing and he leads the vanguard of modern players who push the limits of what’s capable on electric guitar. Everything about his approach, from the compositions to the techniques to the physical instrument itself, seems like it arrived via time machine from the future.”
The film's director Dean Parisot was also stoked to have Abasi's inclusion, unsure if they would even be able to snag him:
"When Jonathan Leahy suggested Tosin Abasi for Bill & Ted, I have to admit my first response was 'Are you kidding? Absolutely! But will he even do it?' Miraculously, he did, and as expected, he blew us all away! Absolutely brilliant virtuosity and musicianship, an artist of the highest caliber, and a very nice man. I still can’t believe he did it, so so grateful he did.”
The new film - and the trilogy capper in the iconic franchise - is out on August 28 in select US theaters but also through On Demand services due to the affects of the current COVID pandemic. It's available to rent through many different platforms including Apple TV, Sony, Xbox, Google, Amazon and more.
Both Tosin Abasi and his bandmate Javier Reyes have contributed to the film's soundtrack. Consider our arms twisted - we're definitely going to have to check this out now!
Listen to Animals As Leaders now.
