Thomas McRocklin

Thomas McLaughlin (born September 20, 1979) better known by his stage name McRocklin, is an English guitar player, music producer and mastering engineer.[1] He was the child prodigy guitarist featured in Steve Vai's music video "The Audience is Listening" (1990).[2] He became the lead guitarist in Bad4Good,[3] a band produced by Vai in 1991. He is currently the lead guitarist and co producer of the band McRocklin & Hutch.

Thomas McRocklin
McRocklin at BOSS (NAMM show)
Background information
Birth nameThomas McLaughlin
Also known asMcRocklin
Born (1979-09-20) September 20, 1979
Newcastle upon Tyne
OriginUK
InstrumentsGuitar
Associated acts
Websitemcrocklin.com

Biography

McRocklin started playing the guitar at the age of four.[4] By the time he was seven, he was already performing on stage. His first big break came when he opened for Ozzy Osbourne in his hometown of Newcastle upon Tyne, at just eight-years-old.

McRocklin went on to feature in Steve Vai's music video "The Audience is Listening" and Vai became a close friend and mentor to him. During this time, McRocklin was gifted the 'Holy Grail' of guitars, the one of a kind custom made, Ibanez 7-String Universe. Steve Vai used this guitar on his Passion and Warfare album.[5]

McRocklin also featured in the Warner Bros. documentary Legends of the Guitar presented by Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, at the age of 11, along with other guitar greats.

Time in the US

As the youngest person to be signed to Interscope Records at the time, the band Bad4Good (B4G) was formed around him. B4G released an album which was co-written and Produced by Steve Vai.

During this time McRocklin also joined Zakk Wylde, Steve Lukather, Stuart Hamm and others on stage for the Jason Becker Benefit concert.  

Back in the UK

After returning to the UK, he released his own solo album 91-95. He also became more involved in the production side of music which lead to becoming a mastering engineer and also fueled his interest in electronic genres of music, which took him away from the guitar.

Almost 20 years later, McRocklin is back on the guitar scene and producing new music. He produced a guitar based EP titled New Beginnings, and quickly gained a large following on Instagram,  Facebook and YouTube.

McRocklin and Hutch

McRocklin also formed the Shredwave band McRocklin & Hutch, which is inspired by 1980s rock, cult movies and 21st-century tech.[6] In 2018, McRocklin was invited to write and perform guitars on Gunship (band) - The Video Game Champion.[7]

Mcrocklin & Hutch also joined Dragonforce on the UK leg of their 2019 Extreme Power Metal tour, with their album Riding Out.

School of McRock

In December 2019, McRocklin launched his own online teaching platform, schoolofmcrock.com, to share everything he has learned from years of playing the guitar and producing tracks, in a short lesson videos format.[8]

Equipment
mcrocklin guitar collection
List of McRocklin's main equipment
Category Brand Type
GuitarKiesel Guitars
  • Zeus
  • Aries
  • Delos
  • Type X
  • Osiris
  • HD6
Pickups Fishman (company)
  • Fishman Fluence Signature Series Tosin Abasi
  • Fishman Fluence Classic Humbucker
Amplifier Victory Amps Sheriff 22 Head
Boss KATANA-AIR
Effects Horizon Devices Precission Drive
Boss Line Selector LS-2
Bogner Harlow
Load Box Boss WAZA Tube Amp Expander
Signal Chain
Recording, Live Streaming

Endorsements

Since returning to playing guitar and producing music,McRocklin has become an artist for brands such as:

References
  1. "Bad4Good: membros se reencontram na NAMM Show, fãs pedem reunião". whiplash.net (in Portuguese). Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  2. "Steve Vai - The Audience Is Listening - YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  3. "Thomas "McRocklin" McLaughlin – The Mozart Of Music". allthatshreds.com. May 26, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  4. "McRocklin Bio". McRocklin. July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  5. "Vai.com - The Official Steve Vai Website". www.vai.com. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  6. July 2019, Richard Bienstock 09. "DragonForce Announce New North American and U.K. Tour Dates". guitarworld. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  7. "The Video Game Champion by GUNSHIP". bandcamp.com. December 20, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  8. "Online Guitar Lessons - School of McRock". www.schoolofmcrock.com. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  9. "Ibanez Artists". ibanez.com. July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  10. "Kiesel Guitar Endorser". kieselguitars.com. July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  11. "Eventide Artists". eventideaudio.com. July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  12. "Fractal Audio Artists". fractalaudio.com. July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  13. "Thomas McRocklin". www.astonmics.com. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  14. "Thomas McRocklin". fishman.com. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
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