The face of the music industry is changing. CD sales are on the wane, and high street record stores are either closing their doors, or devoting their floor space to merchandise, DVDs, MP3 players and video games.
Primal Rock Rebellion is the brainchild of Adrian Smith, guitarist for the legendary Iron Maiden and vocalist/spoken word maestro Mikee Goodman of SikTh.
The jacaranda tree is indigenous to several multicultural, musically diverse global regions, including South Africa, where legendary guitarist, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger, and award winning esteemed film composer, Trevor Rabin was born and grew up, and where he absorbed, and was both informed and influenced by, many diverse music styles.
Bryan Dunn does not have a typical musician’s background. After spending time in the U.S. and U.K. as a kid, Dunn ended up in the vibrant musical mecca of Austin, Texas while working on his PhD in Physics at the University of Texas Austin. Though there are some musicians that make the transition from music to physics, such as Queen’s Brian May, few come to music from the realm of the sciences and have had the success that Dunn has experienced in recent years. Having already released one well-accepted album, and sharing the stage with the likes of Ben Folds, The Killers and Lady Gaga, Dunn is ready to release his next full-length record, Sweetheart of the Music Hall, which will be launched on April 3rd, 2012 worldwide.
There are bands that have been around for years, kept the same original lineup, and continued to make great music without any internal changes or turmoil. But this doesn’t seem to be the norm in the rock music world. Instead, bands are more than likely to change band members, change their image or even change their names as they grow and develop as an artistic unit. Chicago based Vintage Blue is just such a band.
South Carolina native Adam Cross makes waves with his debut album Sirens. The singer, guitarist and songwriter brings a high-level of intensity to his music, all while maintaining a strong pop sensibility that digs the hooks in deep right from the opening track. With a penchant for knowing just the right effect for each track, as well as when to use the electric guitar, acoustic guitar or a mixture of both, Cross keeps listener’s guessing as to what’s coming next, while engaging their musical curiosity at the same time. Sirensis a strong debut for Cross, one that is sure to set the stage for a bright career to come.
Throughout the history of music, artists across the board have drawn upon personal experience to inspire their songwriting. Whether it be tales of love won and lost, dealing with personal demons or experiences growing up in an interesting family, songwriters will often dig into their personal past when looking for new inspiration. Singer and songwriter Jeremy Schonfeld is an artist with a personal story to tell and he does so with powerful emotional drive and first-rate musicianship on his latest work Iron and Coal.
It’s a bold and yet entirely appropriate move to offer listeners a taste of what they can expect to spend their money on, given the instant-gratification considerations of modern-day digital distribution. And so it’s a calculated risk very likely to pay off for Reznor not only in regards to sales but the critical acclaim he has become long-accustomed to as he enters a new age of artistic relevance.
As a lifelong Rush fan and a nascent (“wanna-be”) drummer, it was with no small level of excitement that I popped in the new Neil Peart instructional DVD, Taking Center Stage. With a track listing comprised of Rush’s 2010/2011 “Time Machine” tour set list, which featured the entire Moving Pictures album, this release is a fulfillment of many Rush fans’ long-held wishes, as it offers a chance to see what Peart is actually doing on many classic Rush songs.
Alice Cooper is back with his wicked rock unleashed again on his new release, Welcome 2 My Nightmare. Cooper vamps with producer, Bob Ezrin, who produced the original 1975 Welcome To My Nightmarealbum, and the coupling of spirits works its magic once more on the new Nightmare II. Alice also called on a fellow Michigan guitar legend, Dick Wagner, who collaborated on the original album, to work his six-string magic. And let’s not forget the monster axe master Steve “The Deacon” Hunter who, along with Wagner, still cranks out some of the best surly rock you’ll ever hear.
Jimi Hendrix Stratocasters: Eight Fender Tribute Guitar… 
Joe Satriani Interview – Satchurated: Live in Montreal 
Chord Scale Theory and Linear Harmony for Guitar Ebook 
The Burst Brothers Talk About Vintage Guitars, Julien’s… 
Metallica Master of Puppets Guitar Tab: Free Metallica … 
Dio Live at Donington ’83 and ’87 Set for Release 
Look Back at the Millionth Martin Guitar 
Trevor Rabin: Jacaranda Album Review 
Martin Guitar Museum Tour 
30 Days to Building Better Guitar Technique: Volume 1 
Do you love the guitar and all things guitar related? 
