SNL’s Cool Guitarist Is Happy to Represent the Audience

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https://www.vulture.com/article/snl-...interview.html

By Devon Ivie, a staff writer covering classic rock and TV



Back in October 2020, months after Diondre Cole dared to inquire “What up with that?” to viewers at home, a pink guitar beckoned from the stage as Saturday Night Live returned to its normal studio programming. There, just off to the right and in the back of the opening monologue frame, was guitarist Maddie Rice making her debut as part of the show’s live band. Young, hip, and barely 30 years old at the time, the newest addition of the Saturday Night Live Band was notable for a few reasons: the aforementioned young and hipness, as well as the fairly low turnover rate for a stable gig within one of America’s most-watched shows. (There have only been six other vacancies since the start of the millennium, and the longest-serving member, keyboardist Leon Pendarvis, has been there since 1980.) So, yeah, when someone new turns up — and appears over the shoulders of people like John Mulaney, Emma Stone, and that ée guy — you take notice.

Rice didn’t materialize from Gibson vapors. She spent a few years shredding over at The Late Show With Stephen Colbert with Jon Batiste as her bandleader, and went on to accept the SNL position after industry peers recommended her. Now, at over three years into the job, she’s found a balance between her various musical interests and welcomes her legion of monologue fans. “I have this regular gig that’s obviously guitar-focused and keeps me in shape, and much of the rest of my time is devoted to writing,” Rice says. “Both of those creative plates are filled with very healthy portions.”