Rick tries to hide in the back of the stage. There is no good reason for this, as Rick brings a reputation as one of Long Island's finest lead guitarists. When Rick steps out to take a solo, all the guitarists in the audience move forward to listen and watch. His slide guitar work (usually played on a beaten old Gibson SG named Gus, with a neck that has been re-glued many times) is sublime. His solo guitar work receives so much attention that his superlative rhythm guitar work is often overlooked. In a band that operated for many years without a keyboard player, it was the intricate interaction of the multiple guitars that gave the JSB its sound. An amazing thing about the Silecchio sound, is that Rick plays every gig through a small, ancient 30 watt Fender Reverb amp, and with the exception of an occasional echo box, uses no pedals. It's all in how & where his fingers touch the wood. Rick tells very funny jokes, although usually only a few at a time.