“When I’m working on a movie, my job is to put the right songs in the right spots. “There is a massive amount of love for this franchise in the music community, and among guitarists in particular, so when I approached artists I was met with enthusiasm and excitement,” Leahy says. It turns out the impressive roster didn’t take much convincing. When Death gets in a SWAT van in the bowels of hell, then yells, ‘Let’s rock!’… yeah, you better believe I’m calling Mastodon!Īlongside Reeves’ bagpipe showcase are huge tracks from Weezer, Mastodon, Lamb of God, Cold War Kids and FIDLAR – several of which were written especially for the movie. “Not in a retro or nostalgic way, but in a vital this-is-what’s-happening-right-now way.” “This is a Bill and Ted film, and I knew from the beginning that I wanted to make the soundtrack a celebration of the electric guitar,” Leahy says. While it would have been easy to rest on Bill & Ted’s ’80s/’90s metal laurels, the supervisor had a clear vision for the soundtrack: to represent guitar playing in 2020. I feel like it’s the musical equivalent of doing your own stunts.” A soundtrack to unite the worldīesides getting the action and aesthetics right on set, Leahy had another mammoth task before him: the soundtrack. I had Wendy Wang, who co-wrote that song, fly to New Orleans to work with the guys to get it right. The guitar and vocals you hear in that scene are captured live, performed by the actors. “Same thing with Alex playing acoustic and singing Those Who Rock - they were really dedicated to being real with the music performances. After a couple lessons, they told me that Keanu was the best student they ever had. “Keanu plays bagpipes in one scene, and he was determined to get that right, so I arranged for a professional player to work with him. “There’s a lot of music performance in the film and Alex and Keanu really wanted to get it right, so I arranged to have instructors work with them on a bunch of different instruments,” Leahy reveals. That dedication was echoed by Reeves and Winter, who – although both bass players originally – knuckled down to not only perform live on set, but also add a couple of new musical strings to their bows. ![]() ![]() Using guitars not only as props but as instruments that tell a story in themselves is emblematic of Leahy’s keen-eyed approach. They told me he was the best student they ever had Keanu plays bagpipes in one scene, so I arranged for a professional player to work with him. ![]() It feels a lot like the rebirth of Gibson in the JC era, and in particular the love and care that they’ve put into the new line of Les Pauls.” “Decades after the last Bill & Ted movie, we went back to the original formula, were respectful of the characters people already knew and loved, but also created something new at the same time. “That guitar has a history which is similar to the years-long struggle to make Face the Music,” he explains. Keanu Reeves aka Ted's Gibson '70s Flying V in Classic White (Image credit: Gibson)Īsked which guitar he wanted to take home after filming, Leahy names a Tobacco Burst Les Paul Standard ’50s – albeit for reasons beyond the usual look and sound. “They’re caretakers of Keanu’s hero guitar, and sorted out the logistics to make sure that the guitar Rivers plays in the video is the same guitar Keanu plays at the end of the film. At this point, they feel like family – they worked really hard to make sure the film had everything it needed, all the way up to the Weezer video which we just shot. We connected with Gibson very early on and they were most excellent partners on this. “Gibson Brands is home to all of these instruments, as well as Epiphone and the shred sled supreme, Kramer. “I took a look at the most important guitars featured in the first two films, the Steinbergers, the SG and the Flying V, and discussed with the director and supervisors what we wanted to do in this third film. “I’m a gear guy so the instruments you see on camera are important to me, and I knew they’d be important to fans, too,” Leahy explains. We connected with Gibson very early on and they were most excellent partners on this ![]() Waldron brought in Leahy and the Gibson team to ensure music and guitar-playing remained a central focus of the story. There are few movie franchises where getting the guitars right is more important – and having a music supervisor who actually plays proved integral to the film’s six-string accuracy.Ĭo-producer Ashley Waldron quickly signed Gibson Brands as the movie’s official guitar partner, providing the iconic instruments that Bill and Ted use to save the world, not to mention countless other electrics from its stable of marques, including Epiphone, Kramer and Steinberger.
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