100 Greatest Guitarists: David Fricke's Picks: Trey Anastasio

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Trey Anastasio

Gries/Getty

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Anastasio can play anything he hears. Phish's guitar anti-hero has Pat Metheny's cinematic sense of pacing and Frank Zappa's impish inclination toward noise. His epic solos balance technical finger-work against screaming climaxes, and they're exciting even when he's sloppy. Especially when he's sloppy.