The guitar gurus over at Fender have announced their new products for 2011, and the among the likes of the new T-Bucket Acoustic Bass, a few new ukuleles, and an affordable acoustic-electric guitar, the limited edition USA Select 1 American-made acoustic-electric is the belle of the ball.
Transforming your basement from a place for storage into a useful home studio isn’t as hard as you may think. With the help of a few local contractors, some money from your savings and a bit of patience, you can have your own recording space.
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” is one of those songs that every guitarist should at least be able to hack through. It is the most popular and commercially successful song from alternative rock/grunge icons Nirvana, and the riff, which is an incredibly simple one at that, is forever burned into the memory of anyone who was alive in 1991 or the ten years after, when the song basically ruled alt rock radio. Kurt Cobain has admitted that with “Smells Like Teen Spirit” he was trying to write a Pixies song, as they were one of the groups he admired and identified with most. Their use of contrasting quiet and loud sections is a huge influence on Cobain’s songwriting, as many of his songs from Nevermind and In Utero use this contrast to build energy and intensity, especially with “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
Canadian metal veterans Kittie have just released a brand new, very morbid music video for their latest single, “We Are The Lamb,” which can be streamed below. This release coincides with the release of these maidens of metal’s sixth studio album, entitles I’ve Failed You, which hits shelves online and in stores today (August 30th).
Arizona classical guitarist Brad Richter just released American Landscapes a week or two ago, and it is already one of my favorite collections of mood setting songs. These pieces, which are mostly meditations on outdoor landscapes that speak to Brad, are perfect for that; they are incredibly detailed and meticulous in their composition and adventurous in their use of new and interesting techniques, so seriously music-minded people have a lot to chew on and digest. If heard just in passing by the casual music fan, however, they just sound incredibly pleasing to the ear.
Nirvana’s “Rape Me” is an odd duck. It’s a popular rock song where the most memorable and catchy line is “Rape me/Rape me, my friend/Rape me/Rape me again,” and it is still played on rock radio stations across the world. While the meaning of the song may be vague to many, including such disparate lines as “I’ll kiss your open sores” and “You’ll always stink and burn,” singer/guitarist/songwriter Kurt Cobain maintained that it is an anti-rape song. While talking to music magazine Spin, Cobain said, “It’s like she’s saying, ‘Rape me, go ahead, rape me, beat me. You’ll never kill me. I’ll survive this and I’m gonna fucking rape you one of these days and you won’t even know it.” “Rape Me” is a great song to learn how to sing and play, as the guitar part and vocal melody are relatively simple. Hell, it might even get you some action; just try and serenade a lady friend and see what happens. Ok, maybe that might be a bad idea.
According to bassist Nikolai Fraiture, The Strokes already have a good amount of material written for their their follow-up to this year’s comeback album, Angles. In an interview with The Daily Star, Fraiture said that while the sessions have been sporadic due to touring, they feel like marriage therapy.
“In Bloom” was released as the fourth single from Nirvana’s second album, the iconic Nevermind. The song conforms to Kurt Cobain’s oft-used “template” of soft verses with a simple, repeated melody and exceedingly heavy choruses featuring Cobain’s legendary gravelly rock voice. “In Bloom” also features one of Kurt’s best guitar solos, which finds him dive-bombing and wailing, but all to serve the melody. The song is a very thinly-veiled shot at Nirvana’s fans who didn’t get the message of the band. Since “In Bloom” came out, there have been millions of jocks unwittingly jamming to what is basically a diss track, singing “He’s the one who likes all our pretty songs/And he likes to sing along/And he likes to shoot his gun/But he knows not what it means.”
In May 2001, I was deeply honored to interview the late, great, legendary Bo Diddley before he passed away. At the time, some 72 years young, he was still vibrant, regaling me with nostalgic creative stories and even scat singing to me. Bo was imbued with such a playful sense of humor, and a lifelong love for music and the guitar.
Damon Johnson, ex-singer/guitarist of ’90′s hard rockers Brother Cane, is now the ex-guitarist of Alice Cooper’s band. He left on good terms, taking the offer to play guitar in Thin Lizzy, the legendary Irish hard rock band.
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? 
