“John 5 was the first player that got me excited about country pickin’ stuff.” — Dougie Manross
LOS ANGELES – Meet Dougie “Lixx” Manross, a 23-year-old wunderkind guitarist from Cleveland who started years ago as Tuff’s roadie.
Now Manross is actually playing live for Tuff as a temporary replacement for Billy Morris for a run of gigs, and the guitarist who started just a few seasons ago with a tennis racket could not be happier.
“I Hate Kissing You Goodbye” –Tuff’s smash-hit MTV single – had come and gone well before Manross was ever born, but what can we say? The kid is a natural.
Metal Sludge first introduced you to Dougie Manross back in April, now read our Q&A with him below.
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METAL SLUDGE: You absolutely nailed “Eruption” so kudos for that.
MANROSS: Ah cheers! Thank you!
Editor’s Note: Watch “Eruption” below!
METAL SLUDGE: How did you learn that so spot-on? Did you practice in your room forever?
MANROSS: Long story short, yes. Believe it or not, I learned a lot of it by ear when I was 13 and over the past 10 years, I’ve kind of refined it note by note. Big shout-out to Pete Thorn. His “Eruption” lessons on YouTube helped me a ton a few years ago.
METAL SLUDGE: You must be thrilled to play this run of live shows with Tuff. How much are you looking forward to it?
MANROSS: I’m stoked! I’ve been listening to and watching Tuff live since I was a kid so I’m a fan first. I’ve roadied for them, I’ve jammed with them, and now I’m hitting the road with them. I’m excited!
METAL SLUDGE: Name the girl in your life — or her nickname — who could be the one “I Hate Kissing You Goodbye” is about.
MANROSS: Her name rhymes with Messica! My partner in crime.
METAL SLUDGE: Give us a comment or memory of some great guitarists:
Eddie Van Halen = The king! Saw VH on their last tour in 2015 and Eddie was on fire. They opened with “Light Up The Sky” (one of my favorite VH tunes) instead of the usual, “Unchained,” and it blew my mind.
Angus Young = I think Angus might have the greatest rock and roll guitar tone ever. And you can’t talk about Angus without mentioning Malcolm. The opening to “For Those About to Rock” still gives me chills down my spine.
Jimmy Page = A riff master! He always served the song. He also made it cool to wear your guitar low. Who was doing it before Jimmy?
John 5 = A giant Kiss fan! I met him once through a buddy of mine (who is also a giant Kiss fan) and they both talked about Kiss for an hour straight. Down to earth guy! John was the first player that got me excited about country pickin’ stuff.
Tracii Guns = I watched an interview with Tracii once and he called his Boss OD-1 guitar pedal the “$30 Marshall mod” and I thought that was clever (and true). Seems like a really cool dude!
Slash = I went as Slash for my 5th grade Halloween party. One of the most iconic guitar players ever. I play Sweet Child O’ Mine every weekend.
METAL SLUDGE: Name 3 things every guitar player should know.
1, Practice makes perfect.
2, There’s great players in every genre so branch out.
3, Know how to sing! You’ll get more gigs (and chicks) if you can sing.
METAL SLUDGE: Sleeping with your guitar. A myth or it really happens?
MANROSS: Oh It happens. It’s all fun and games until you get poked by a whammy bar 😉
METAL SLUDGE: Final thoughts?
MANROSS: Just want to thank Metal Sludge for reaching out. Follow me on the socials (all shared below). If you’re in or around the Cleveland, Ohio area, catch me playing locally at a venue near you. Aside from that, catch me ripping it up with Tuff this summer! I’m excited for the future. Cheers ya’ll!
See the dates, venues and related information all listed below.
Tuff tour dates…
Friday May 19th “The Local Bar” Strongsville, Ohio >Club Info<
Saturday May 20th “Temple Live” (Jani Lane Tribute Show) Cleveland, Ohio >Tix Info<
Thursday June 22nd “Water-Fest” (with Hairball) Oshkosh, Wisconsin >Tix Info<
Friday June 23rd “Nashville North” (with The Cherrypops) Milwaukee, Wisconsin >Show Info<
Saturday June 24th “The Back Bar” Janesville, Wisconsin >Tix Info<
Find Manross on Facebook, Instagram and watch him shred on Youtube.
Tuff @ WebSite – Facebook – eBay – Amazon– iTunes – Instagram – Twitter – Store –YouTube–
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Reach Gerry Gittelson at gerryg123@hotmail.com
