Posted April 18, 2011 at 4:27 pm | No comments
A little more than a month after original drummer Mike Portnoy’s sudden departure from Dream Theater, the band held three days of auditions in New York City. Over an amazing and productive three-day period, the band played, jammed and spoke candidly with seven of the world’s greatest drummers, learning about them musically, personally and professionally, and assessing the fit of each drummer’s incredible chops with the band’s trademark prog-rock sound.
Posted in: Guitar News, Prog Rock, Prog Rock News
Posted March 30, 2011 at 7:57 am | No comments
After finding international success in the 1970s, Progressive-Psychedelic rock band Nektar found themselves going their separate ways, and not releasing an album after 1980s Man in the Moon. The next two decades found Nektar’s band members doing solo project and pursuing other endeavors as the band moved further away from their heydays of the ‘70s. While many other bands would have simply moved on and called it quits after such a long time apart, in 2002 Nektar reunited and have been recording and touring together ever since.
Posted in: Interviews, Prog Rock, Prog-Rock Interviews
Posted January 18, 2011 at 8:11 pm | 2 comments
Australian guitarist Michael Dolce is a player to keep your eyes and hears tuned to in the coming months and years. Already turning heads across the internet with his unique approach to modern fusion guitar playing, Dolce really turned up the heat on his latest record Everything ‘Till Now. His playing is a mixture of jazz and rock, fused together in a way that is entertaining for the non-guitarist, and mind-blowing for the players in the audience.
Posted in: Guitar Lessons, Prog Rock, Rock Guitar Lessons
Posted December 30, 2010 at 2:40 pm | One comment
I have to throw the disclaimer in right away. Although I’ve heard various Frank Zappa tunes over the years, of which only a few I would be able to recall the title of or hum a melody or line to, I’ve never seen any live footage of Frank Zappa before watching Eagle Vision’s release of The Torture Never Stops, and wow, what an interesting individual and institution Zappa was and is.
Posted in: DVD Reviews, Prog Rock, Reviews
Posted December 24, 2010 at 10:00 am | 2 comments
Kerry Livgren was a founding member, songwriter, guitarist, and keyboardist for ’70s classic rockers Kansas. Though the band is easily put into the “classic” category today, primarily because of the adored hits they turned out back in the day, like “Carry On Wayward Son,” “Dust In The Wind,”
Posted in: Interviews, Prog Rock, Prog-Rock Interviews
Posted November 23, 2010 at 1:00 pm | 2 comments
Warren Haynes talks about the Allman Brothers, Gibson Guitars and Gov’t Mule.
Posted in: Guitar Hero Interviews, Interviews, Prog Rock, Rock Interviews
Posted November 18, 2010 at 1:00 pm | One comment
The career of guitar visionary Adrian Belew has been an inventive musical odyssey. He has mastered the ability to journey into the avant garde while anchoring his compositions to the fundamental driving forces of pop and rock, often playing along the outer edges of contemporary music in ways that have been punky, new wave, comedic, bizarre, and twisted.
Posted in: Interviews, Prog Rock, Prog-Rock Interviews
Posted November 8, 2010 at 11:00 am | One comment
Of all the rock bands out there, few deserve to be given the VH1 Classic Albums treatment more than Rush, with their 24 Gold and 14 Platinum records, universally acknowledged instrumental brilliance, and thousands of devoted fans worldwide. The fact that they are finally attaining this kind of popular recognition is surprising to many Rush fans, who for years have seen their idols panned by critics and ignored by the radio.
Posted in: Prog Rock, Prog Rock Reviews, Reviews
Posted September 9, 2010 at 11:57 am | No comments
The other members of Dream Theater respond to Mike Portnoy leaving the band.
Posted in: Guitar News, Prog Rock, Prog Rock News
Posted July 2, 2010 at 7:44 am | 15 comments
Over the course of its forty-year history, Rush has emerged from it’s beginnings as a rock band to becoming an institution of rock culture. They’re one of the few bands that have not only survived for over four decades, but have done so with the same line-up of band members. That feat is a true anomaly in the turbulent and ego-driven world of rock music. With over thirty-million records sold worldwide, award-winning videos and legions of hardcore fans, perhaps the most impressive thing about the band’s career is the manner in which they have navigated their own course. While other bands worried about mainstream success, Rush focused on mastering their instruments and musicality to make the best records possible.
Posted in: Guitar Hero Interviews, Interviews, Prog Rock, Prog-Rock Interviews, Rock Interviews
