Thirty years ago, April 14th, 1980 to be exact, British band Judas Priest released an album that firmly cement their names in the halls of the metal Gods. British Steel was a defining moment for metal as it pushed past the blues-based bands that had characterized the genre throughout the ’70s and drove it straight into the metal mayhem that would become the decade of decadence
I am pleased to update everyone with several new developments happening at Guitar International. Along with keeping our pages updated with new interviews of well known and up and coming guitarists and other musicians, we’re reworking the site to improve its aesthetics and usefulness to you.
The Silversun Pickups are an enigma, one that defies trends and succeeds in the face of industry convention. In an era when the average band has a lifespan of about two singles, SSPU is still flooding the radio with hits from their third album. When the industry is being flooded by sample-ridden pop, SSPU is cranking up the distortion and laying down good old fashioned American rock. While insiders worry about fans staying home instead of supporting live music, SSPU is selling out concert halls across the globe. At a time in history when major labels are telling us that records don’t sell anymore, SSPU is consistently selling albums all over the world.
The Paul Reed Smith guitar company has been building handcrafted instruments in Maryland for the past twenty-five years. Early on, Paul took on many challenging guitar projects including twelve-string guitars. Paul quickly became known around guitar circles for his ability to make and setup these guitars to play like no other
There are few guitarists alive today that are more accomplished or easily recognizable as Lee Ritenour. With a resume that reads like every budding guitarists wildest dream, Ritenour has performed and recorded with some of the biggest names in music during his fifty years as a guitarist. After beginning his professional career at the age of sixteen,
I had to smile, just a little when after inputting Lee Ritenour’s 2010 album 6 String Theory into iTunes, it came up listed as genre “unclassifiable.”. I couldn’t have put it better myself, thanks Steve Jobs.
As the night crept by and the Sun slowly started to set, the backdrop changed from a pale blue sky to a multi-gray canvas with patches of pure darkness that were headed right towards us. Buddy Guy’s band began taking the stage one by one and you could feel the anticipation growing, anticipation that we were soon to be greeted by one of the greatest performers and showman of all time. I don’t want to sound clichéd, but the word “legendary” is truly what comes to mind when you see Buddy Guy take the stage.
The Illinois River, a massive iron bridge that stretches across it, and a pale blue sky that threatened rain like a school yard bully, served as the backdrop at the Peoria, IL Steamboat Days celebration, June 18, 2010. It looked like the perfect day for a blues concert, and minus the erratic weather, turned out to be one of the best shows I’ve seen in awhile. Playing tunes from their latest release, Flood, Moreland and Arbuckle commanded the stage with their brilliant concoction of Mississippi-esque Blues and high energy Southern rock. These guys are a welcome break from the 12-bar form in a Robert Johnson-like manner, telling a story of tragedy and overcoming it from chord to chord.
Having recently had a chance to preview the new documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, I was looking forward to checking out the latest compilation record from Magna Carta Records, New World Man.
D.C. area pop-rock band Hotspur just might be the best Indie band you’ve never heard of. Well, maybe you have and you just don’t know. After being deemed “buzzworthy” by MTV.com, the band went on to win a nationwide fan vote on the network’s program “The Freshman.” As a result the video from “Chandelier”, the first single from their attention garnering album You Should Know Better By Now, was put into heavy rotation for the Fall schedule. Apart from their television success, the band was voted “Best New Artist” by the Washington D.C. Area Music Association. Though most local awards like this are easily dismissed, in a music-drenched city like Washington winning an achievement like this is no easy feat.
Jimi Hendrix Stratocasters: Eight Fender Tribute Guitar… 
ACDC Back in Black Guitar Tab: Free ACDC Guitar Tabs 
NAMM 2012 Joel Kosche Interview: Collective Soul on Agi… 
NAMM 2012: Rock ‘n’ Roll Roast of Zakk Wylde 
NAMM 2012: Obey Your Master: Tribute to Metallica 
NAMM 2012: Gibson Displays Traditional Axes 
NAMM 2012: Odds and Sods I 
Orianthi Interview: Guitar Sensation 
NAMM 2012: Exclusive Pics Of Martin Guitars New Additio… 
Guitar International eStore 
Do you love the guitar and all things guitar related? 
