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Guy Picciotto

Guy Charles Picciotto (/ˈɡiː piˈtʃoʊtoʊ/ GHEE pi-CHOH-toh) (born September 17, 1965) is an American songwriter, musician, and record producer from Washington, D.C.[2] He is best known as the guitarist and co-lead vocalist in Fugazi and as lead vocalist of Rites of Spring.[3]

Guy Picciotto

(1965-09-17) September 17, 1965[1]
Washington D.C.,[1] U.S.

  • Songwriter
  • musician
  • producer

  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • clarinet

1984–present

Dischord

Personal life[edit]

Picciotto was born to an American mother and an Italian father.[8] He holds a BA degree in English from Georgetown University and is a graduate of the Washington, D.C. private school, the Georgetown Day School.[9]


Picciotto married musician Kathi Wilcox from the bands Bikini Kill and the Frumpies; in 2013 the two were reported living in Brooklyn with their child.[10][11]

– Picciotto's main guitars are a sunburst Rickenbacker 330 and 2 identical black Rickenbacker 330's all equipped with RIC HB1 humbuckers. He has occasionally been seen playing a natural-finish 330. The characteristically trebly Rickenbackers allowed Picciotto to make use of sonic space not taken by MacKaye's chunkier, rhythmic guitar playing in Fugazi.[12]

Rickenbacker 330

– Picciotto's main guitar when he fronted Rites of Spring, One Last Wish and in the first few years with Fugazi was a Mapleglo Rickenbacker 370. It eventually ended up in a state too fragile for live use, but he still used it in the studio right up to The Argument.

Rickenbacker 370

– During Picciotto's time with Rites of Spring and during the early days of Fugazi (photos show until at least as late as 1993),[13] he could also be seen playing a white Gibson Les Paul Doublecut Jr. with a single P90 pickup. In an interview done in 2011, Picciotto is quoted as having had a Gibson SG Jr. stolen in New York City. The NPR article may be incorrect about it being an SG and it was likely the same Les Paul Jr. guitar.[14][15]

Gibson Les Paul Jr.

(1985)

Rites of Spring

(1987)

All Through a Life

(complete discography) (1991)

End on End

Interview from 2001 at Welcome to Flavor Country

January 1998 interview with Picciotto in Diskant

Nude as the News interview with Guy Picciotto (October 2001)

Pitchfork interview with Picciotto

Picciotto interview on the Morphizm site

Exclaim.ca September 2007 interview with Guy Picciotto

. GuitarGeek.com

Picciotto's 1999 Fugazi Guitar Rig