Tony Perry is an American musician, best known as the lead guitarist of the
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band
Pierce the Veil
Pierce the Veil is an American rock band formed in San Diego, California, in 2006. It was founded by brothers Vic Fuentes, Vic and Mike Fuentes (musician), Mike Fuentes after the disbanding of Before Today, which formed out of the San Diego Pu ...
. He is also a co-owner of Living The Dream Foundation alongside bandmates
Vic Fuentes
Victor Vincent Fuentes (born February 10, 1983) is an American musician. He is the co-founder, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the post-hardcore band Pierce the Veil, which he formed with his brother Mike Fuentes in 2006.
Early life
F ...
and Jaime Preciado.
Early life
Perry was born in
Tijuana, Mexico
Tijuana is the most populous city of the Mexican state of Baja California, located on the northwestern Pacific Coast of Mexico. Tijuana is the municipal seat of the Tijuana Municipality, the hub of the Tijuana metropolitan area and the most popu ...
, moving to
Lake Tahoe, California at a young age. For a brief period, Perry was the lead guitarist of now-disbanded hardcore band Trigger My Nightmare. Perry worked at a
Guitar Center
Guitar Center, Inc. is an American musical instrument retailer chain headquartered in Westlake Village, California. It operates 304 locations and is the largest company of its kind in the United States.
The company oversees several subsidia ...
in
San Diego
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, where he met
Pierce The Veil
Pierce the Veil is an American rock band formed in San Diego, California, in 2006. It was founded by brothers Vic Fuentes, Vic and Mike Fuentes (musician), Mike Fuentes after the disbanding of Before Today, which formed out of the San Diego Pu ...
frontman,
Vic Fuentes
Victor Vincent Fuentes (born February 10, 1983) is an American musician. He is the co-founder, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the post-hardcore band Pierce the Veil, which he formed with his brother Mike Fuentes in 2006.
Early life
F ...
. He joined Pierce The Veil shortly after on lead guitar, alongside former bandmate Jaime Preciado on bass.
Career
Perry joined
Pierce the Veil
Pierce the Veil is an American rock band formed in San Diego, California, in 2006. It was founded by brothers Vic Fuentes, Vic and Mike Fuentes (musician), Mike Fuentes after the disbanding of Before Today, which formed out of the San Diego Pu ...
in 2007 for the release of the band's first full-length album ''
A Flair for the Dramatic
''A Flair for the Dramatic'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Pierce the Veil, released in 2007 by Equal Vision Records.
Background and recording
In December 2006, Before Today changed their name to Pierce the Veil, and that they ...
''. In the following years, he released four albums with the band, ''
Selfish Machines
''Selfish Machines'' is the second album by American rock band Pierce the Veil, released by Equal Vision Records on June 22, 2010. Produced by Vic Fuentes and Mike Green, it was recorded in late 2009 and early 2010. Fuentes wrote most of the son ...
'', ''
Collide with the Sky
''Collide with the Sky'' is the third studio album by American post-hardcore band Pierce the Veil, released on July 17, 2012, by Fearless Records. The album spawned the hit songs " King for a Day", "A Match into Water", "Bulls in the Bronx" and "H ...
'', ''
Misadventures'', and ''
The Jaws of Life''.
He has toured in North America, South America, Australia, Asia and Europe several times. Perry has performed at multiple major music festivals such as
Rock am Ring and Rock im Park
The (German for "Rock at the Ring") and ("Rock in the Park") festivals are two simultaneous rock music festivals held annually in Germany. While ''Rock am Ring'' takes place at the Nürburgring race track, ''Rock im Park'' takes place at the ...
,
Reading and Leeds,
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour is a Concert tour, touring Rock music, rock music festival that toured the United States and Canada each summer from 1995 until 2019, and returned in 2025 for its 30th anniversary. By 2015, Warped was the largest traveling music ...
,
Soundwave Festival and
Slam Dunk Festival. Pierce the Veil has shared the stage with acts such as
Bring Me the Horizon
Bring Me the Horizon are a British Rock music, rock band, formed in Sheffield, England in 2004. The group currently consists of lead vocalist Oli Sykes, drummer Matt Nicholls, guitarist Lee Malia and bassist Matt Kean (musician), Matt Kean. T ...
,
Black Veil Brides
Black Veil Brides is an American rock band based in Hollywood, California. The group formed in 2006 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is currently composed of lead vocalist Andy Biersack, multi instrumentalist Jinxx, lead guitarist Jake Pitts, dru ...
,
All Time Low
All Time Low is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Towson, Maryland, in 2003. Consisting of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Alex Gaskarth, lead guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist/backing vocalist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson ...
,
Sleeping with Sirens
Sleeping with Sirens is an American rock band from Orlando, Florida, currently residing in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The band currently consists of Kellin Quinn (lead vocals, keyboards), Nick Martin (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Justin Hills ...
,
Tonight Alive
Tonight Alive are an Australian rock band from Sydney. For the majority of the band's career, the line-up consisted of lead vocalist Jenna McDougall, guitarists Jake Hardy and Whakaio Taahi, bassist Cameron Adler, and drummer Matty Best. Formed ...
,
A Day to Remember
A Day to Remember is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Ocala, Florida, in 2003 by guitarist Tom Denney and drummer Bobby Scruggs. They are known for their amalgamation of metalcore and pop-punk. The band currently consists of voca ...
and
Blink-182
Blink-182 is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California, in 1992. Its current and best-known line-up consists of bassist and vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though its so ...
Perry has cited
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...
,
Jimmy Page
James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician and producer who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the Rock music, rock band Led Zeppelin.
Page began his career as a studio session musician in Lo ...
, and
Slash
Slash may refer to:
* Slash (punctuation), the "/" character
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Slash (Marvel Comics)
* Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'')
Music
* Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band
* Nash th ...
as his main influences. Perry's style takes on a mix of 2000s
pop punk
Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop s ...
,
metalcore
Metalcore is a broadly defined fusion genre combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk, originating in the 1990s United States and becoming popular in the 2000s. Metalcore typically has aggressive verses and melodic choruses, combined ...
and
hardcore, along with
Eddie Van Halen
Edward Lodewijk Van Halen ( , ; January 26, 1955 – October 6, 2020) was an American musician. He was the guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist and primary songwriter of the rock band Van Halen, which he founded with his brother Alex V ...
-esque styles seen in songs such as
The Boy Who Could Fly
''The Boy Who Could Fly'' is a 1986 American fantasy drama film written and directed by Nick Castle. It was produced by Lorimar Productions for 20th Century Fox, and released theatrically on August 15, 1986.
The film stars Lucy Deakins as 14- ...
. Perry's style also distinctly interworks flamenco guitar from his native
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, giving Pierce The Veil its signature "Mexicore" sound.
Equipment

When Perry initially joined Pierce the Veil, he heavily used a
Gibson SG
The Gibson SG is a solid-body electric guitar model introduced by Gibson in 1961, following on from the 1952 Gibson Les Paul. It remains in production today in many variations of the initial design. SG stands for "solid guitar".
Origins
The S ...
, which can be seen in the music videos for 'Chemical Kids and Mechanical Brides' and 'Yeah Boy and Doll Face', both off of
A Flair for the Dramatic
''A Flair for the Dramatic'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Pierce the Veil, released in 2007 by Equal Vision Records.
Background and recording
In December 2006, Before Today changed their name to Pierce the Veil, and that they ...
(2007). Perry later became an endorsee of
ESP Guitars
is a Japanese guitar manufacturer, primarily focused on the production of electric guitars and basses. They are based in both Tokyo and Los Angeles, with distinct product lines for each market. ESP Company manufactures instruments under sever ...
around the release of
Collide with the Sky
''Collide with the Sky'' is the third studio album by American post-hardcore band Pierce the Veil, released on July 17, 2012, by Fearless Records. The album spawned the hit songs " King for a Day", "A Match into Water", "Bulls in the Bronx" and "H ...
(2012) after heavily using a silverburst ESP EC1000 on the
Selfish Machines
''Selfish Machines'' is the second album by American rock band Pierce the Veil, released by Equal Vision Records on June 22, 2010. Produced by Vic Fuentes and Mike Green, it was recorded in late 2009 and early 2010. Fuentes wrote most of the son ...
tour, and later got his own signature model, the
ESP Viper Slimer
. Perry began using
Fender guitars heavily with the release of
Misadventures (2016), in particular a modified American Professional
Fender Jazzmaster
The Fender Jazzmaster is an electric guitar designed as a more expensive sibling of the Fender Stratocaster. First introduced at the 1958 NAMM Convention, it was initially marketed to jazz guitarists, but found favor among surf rock guitarist ...
with a
Seymour Duncan
Seymour Duncan is an American company best known for manufacturing guitar and Bass (guitar), bass Pickup (music technology), pickups. They also manufacture effects pedals which are designed and assembled in United States. Guitarist and luthier ...
pickup and hardtail bridge conversion.
Since Pierce The Veil's return following the departure of founding drummer
Mike Fuentes, Perry has very heavily used
Fender Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of double- cutaway electric guitar designed between 1952 and 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corpora ...
guitars, including a collection of neon-painted
Jim Root
James Donald Root (born October 2, 1971) is an American guitarist. He is one of two guitarists for heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he is designated #4, as well as the former lead guitarist for rock band Stone Sour.
Life and career
Ro ...
Stratocasters, which have been heavily used on music videos for
The Jaws of Life (2023) and also during live sessions with
Triple J
Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...
in
Sydney, Australia
Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about 80 km (50 mi) from the Pacific Ocean ...
in July 2023.
As of the launch of their run on
Blink-182
Blink-182 is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California, in 1992. Its current and best-known line-up consists of bassist and vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though its so ...
's
One More Time...Tour, Perry is running a collection of
Jim Root
James Donald Root (born October 2, 1971) is an American guitarist. He is one of two guitarists for heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he is designated #4, as well as the former lead guitarist for rock band Stone Sour.
Life and career
Ro ...
Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of double- cutaway electric guitar designed between 1952 and 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporati ...
s, including a collection with neon cheetah patterns, and his orange 'funeral' Strat.
Perry used
Marshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, Guitar speaker cabinet, speaker cabinets, and effects unit, effects pedals. Founded in London in 1962 by shop owner and drummer Jim Marshall (businessm ...
amplifiers prior to the band's hiatus, often using vintage
Marshall Plexi heads fitted with the '
Dookie
''Dookie'' is the third studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on February 1, 1994, by Reprise Records. The band's first collaboration with producer Rob Cavallo, it was recorded in 1993 at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, Calif ...
' mod, popularised by
Green Day
Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...
's
Billie Joe Armstrong
Billie Joe Armstrong (born February 17, 1972) is an American musician and actor. He is best known for being the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Green Day, which he co-founded with Mike Dirnt in 1987. He is als ...
. Following Pierce the Veil's return, Perry has used
Mesa/Boogie amplifiers, including the iconic
Dual Rectifier
The Mesa/Boogie Rectifier series is a line of guitar amplifiers made by California-based manufacturer Mesa/Boogie. Introduced in 1992, the line's first model was the Dual Rectifier, which is often described as the definitive amp of rock music i ...
, which was popular among
Nu metal
Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, with a metal umlaut) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop music, hip hop, funk, industrial music, industrial, and grunge. Nu ...
,
Grunge
Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock Music genre, genre and subculture that emerged during the in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, particularly in Seattle and Music of Olympia, Washington, O ...
and
Pop punk
Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop s ...
guitarists.
Perry uses a mix of
Seymour Duncan
Seymour Duncan is an American company best known for manufacturing guitar and Bass (guitar), bass Pickup (music technology), pickups. They also manufacture effects pedals which are designed and assembled in United States. Guitarist and luthier ...
,
EMG, and
Fishman pickups. Perry also uses
Ernie Ball Slinky guitar strings.
Discography
Pierce the Veil
* ''
A Flair for the Dramatic
''A Flair for the Dramatic'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Pierce the Veil, released in 2007 by Equal Vision Records.
Background and recording
In December 2006, Before Today changed their name to Pierce the Veil, and that they ...
'' (2007)
*''
Selfish Machines
''Selfish Machines'' is the second album by American rock band Pierce the Veil, released by Equal Vision Records on June 22, 2010. Produced by Vic Fuentes and Mike Green, it was recorded in late 2009 and early 2010. Fuentes wrote most of the son ...
'' (2010)
*''
Collide with the Sky
''Collide with the Sky'' is the third studio album by American post-hardcore band Pierce the Veil, released on July 17, 2012, by Fearless Records. The album spawned the hit songs " King for a Day", "A Match into Water", "Bulls in the Bronx" and "H ...
'' (2012)
* ''
Misadventures'' (2016)
* ''
The Jaws of Life'' (2023)
Awards
* AP Music Awards, Best Guitarist 2015 (won)
[Tyler Sharp: ''Alternative Press'']
Here are the winners of the 2015 APMAs
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Tony
Living people
American rock guitarists
American male guitarists
American lead guitarists
Pierce the Veil members
American musicians of Mexican descent
Year of birth missing (living people)