Guitarist of the Year 2023: Unfettered dynamism from Militarie Gun and Drug Church’s Nick Cogan
The last two years have been exceptional for guitar music, with a wellspring of diversity arriving in the last 12 months. We’ve seen established acts return to the fold after extended periods away, and new players assert why they are at the forefront of contemporary excitement. One man who finds himself at the nexus between these two sets is Nick Cogan, the lead guitarist of Drug Church, Militarie Gun, and Pile of Love. The array of licks he has delivered with each of these outfits has been nothing short of scintillating.
For a start, Cogan graced us with one of the finest recent rock albums with Californian quintet Militarie Gun on their debut, Life Under the Gun. Brimming with earworms from start to finish, his hooky chainsaw guitar, which adroitly straddles the line between melodic and visceral, is a vital part of the band’s formula. He forms a resounding frontline with the unrelenting vocals of frontman and creative figurehead Ian Shelton.
Whether it be the potent singles ‘Do It Faster’ and ‘Very High’ or driving album tracks such as ‘Seizure of Assets’, Cogan’s unique work is sharp across the record. His sound is brought to life by the welcome crunch of his Fender Jazzmaster, which he runs through an Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer and an old Pro Co RAT distortion pedal into a Roland JC-120 amp. While Cogan might pull from some familiar areas, arguably, his greatest triumph is that he manages to do something different with the blueprint and make it his own without forgoing quality.
While Militarie Gun might have enjoyed a meteoric rise this year, and rightly so, Cogan has continued working with Drug Church, the Albany post-hardcore favourites with whom he burst onto the scene. In March, they released the single ‘Myopic’, which emphatically demonstrates the heavier side of his playing, complete with a central riff rattled off in harmonics and the band’s customarily muscular guitar tones. He toes the line on the track, with the verses coloured by his intricate, melodic approach.
Remarkably, Cogan’s other band, Pile of Love, another collaborative project which features Drug Church drummer Chris Villeneuve, as well as members of The Story So Far, State Champs and Mobin’s Child, have also released a new EP this month with Super Sometimes. This points to just how industrious the guitarist is. Despite Cogan being very busy outside this outfit, his work is still considered and accomplished, containing his typical dynamism.
In addition to releasing an eye-watering amount of excellent music this year, the American has continued to tour extensively with all three groups. Hopping across the continents to perform in a range of venues to an array of audiences, Cogan has played nearly 200 shows in 2023, which, remarkably, is something he also achieved the year prior. Bolstering his clearly unfettered creativity, Cogan’s hard work and desire to keep going represent the very pinnacle of what a modern guitarist should be.
“I’m glad you think it stands out,” Cogan humbly stated as we reached out to discuss why he is Far Out Magazine’s guitarist of the year. Offering a peek behind the curtain of his inspirations, he explained: “There’s certainly a few guitar players that I’m wired to reference whenever I pick up a guitar. Green Day was the first band that I clocked as a ‘band’ and not just a song on the radio. That’s who made me want to play guitar, so I think I pull a lot from Billy Joe in regard to the punchy, chainsaw nature of the guitar sound I’m obsessed with”.
As balancing life between three brilliant bands is one of the guitarist’s greatest triumphs; naturally, this heavy workload was a point of discussion. Cogan said: “If we’re talking about time and scheduling, I think everyone I play music with would agree that I don’t. The people in my world are amazing and sympathetic and go easy on me for the most part if I make their lives a logistical nightmare. I try to give 100% of myself in return for the leniency. If we’re talking creatively, for me, it’s incredible to have various outlets because I like a lot of different stuff, and I write a lot of different stuff. Every riff has a home,” he clarified.
Is there a secret to living so full-throttle without burning out? “If there is a secret, I haven’t exactly figured it out yet,” he admits. “But I really, really love playing the guitar and jumping around, so I think that helps. Each of the last two years, I’m pushing 200 shows, out of 365 days. So more days playing than not.” Surprisingly, Cogan also concedes that he still gets nervous to play every time, so he knows the passion for his craft is still very much alive, as he cares. In another show of self-awareness, the guitarist asserts that playing in different bands at different shows keeps things fresh.
However, offering more insight into his inner workings, he maintains that living such a life has its sobering aspects: “To be sure, I am painfully and constantly missing home and the people/animals I love. But I try hard to remind myself that these are, in fact, the ever-elusive good ole days, and I don’t want to miss anything.”
I don’t think anyone should be surprised that Nick Cogan offered such considered balance with his answers. His unwavering dedication to his craft and his skill meant that for 2023, there was to be no other winner of our guitarist of the year—a fully exemplary force.
