The Bronx’s Ken Horne Plays His Favorite Riffs
Ken Horne has continued to deliver sharp, catchy and blistering riffs since joining the Bronx in 2006, but his guitar education started way before that. In this latest edition of Loudwire's Gear Factor, Horne takes us through some of the riffs that helped shape the player that he is today as well as showcasing some of his own riffs that stand out from his Bronx history.
Starting at the beginning, Horne reveals that being an '80s kid, Ozzy Osbourne and Motley Crue first grabbed his attention, fueling his desire to pick up the guitar.
"I had a couple of friends who started playing guitar before me and I asked around and they were like, ‘Oh yeah, there’s an easy song to play right off the bat,’ and it was Dokken’s ‘Breaking the Chains.’ That was the first riff I ever learned how to play,” reveals the guitarist.
While he eventually developed his guitar playing techniques, Horne says his biggest deficit as a player was having the discipline and patience to learn full songs. One of his first favorite tracks to play didn't require a lot of variance. “One of my favorite songs to learn was MC5’s ‘Looking at You,’ which was only two chords all the way through,” he recalls.
It should come as no surprise given the Bronx's style of play that Horne's playing evolved through bits of punk, hard rock and '80s metal, with the guitarist displaying riffs from the Stooges, New York Dolls, KISS, Hanoi Rocks and L.A. Guns.
Reflecting on his Bronx career, Horne tells us, “The first riff or song I wrote for the Bronx was a song called ‘Sore Throat’ which is on Bronx V.”
The guitarist then takes us through a pair of crowd pleasers that remain among his favorites, before digging into the band's latest album, Bronx VI. Previewing riffs from the garage-infused "Curb Feelers" and "Breaking News," it's clear that Bronx VI will stand up to some of the riffs he's delivered prior.
Watch Ken Horne's full Gear Factor episode below and look for Bronx VI arriving Aug. 27. You can pre-order the album here. Plus, the band will be on tour with Dropkick Murphys and Rancid over the next three months. Dates and ticketing info can be found at this location.