Posted October 3, 2011 at 3:57 pm | No comments
I had initially thought to start this review with a statement that George Benson needs no introduction to the reader, but after receiving blank stares when I mentioned this recording to a few of my university guitar students, I have reconsidered that thought.
George Benson is a true chameleon, but mostly one of the finest jazz guitarists of all time. His masterful interpretation of pop tunes and jazz standards has long been a source of inspiration to aspiring musicians.
Posted in: Jazz Reviews, Reviews
Posted October 3, 2011 at 10:26 am | One comment
9 Chambers is a collaboration between two respected hard rock veterans – producer/singer/guitarist Greg Hampton (who has worked with the likes of Alice Cooper, Bootsy Collins, Lita Ford, and recently unearthed Tommy Bolin recordings), and former Monster Magnet guitarist Ed Mundell. They crossed paths when they ran into each other at a flea market buying Mahogany Rush, Free, or Jimi Hendrix bootlegs as well at NAMM.
Posted in: Interviews, Rock Interviews
Posted October 2, 2011 at 10:45 am | No comments
Guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen will be embarking on his Relentless tour, which will find him making stops at major North American cities, later this October, and the shred master just added another date.
Posted in: Uncategorized
Posted September 28, 2011 at 12:51 pm | One comment
Stepping into Paul Reed Smith’s office, my eyes immediately were drawn to the framed photos on the wall nearest the door. There were shots of Smith with Carlos Santana and the legendary Ted McCarty, past president of Gibson Guitars. To the right stood a small troop of electric guitars without pups and a PRS acoustic nearby. It wasn’t the pristine office one might expect to find in the corporate headquarters of an internationally known senior executive, but one of a working man. The pickup-less electric guitars appeared to be projects in mid-shift, waiting for Paul and his PRS team to rummage through their collective mind and come up with new ideas or solutions to creative challenges. Smith appears to be a restless man, who’s never quite satisfied and always has something cookin’.
Posted in: Blues Interviews, Industry Interviews, Interviews
Posted September 26, 2011 at 8:19 am | One comment
Chickenfoot – the supergroup featuring guitarist Joe Satriani, drummer Chad Smith and former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony and frontman Sammy Hagar will be releasing their long awaited new CD on September 27th simply entitled – Chickenfoot III.
Posted in: Guitar Hero Interviews, Interviews, Rock Interviews
Posted September 24, 2011 at 4:10 pm | No comments
Experience PRS is a special event. Not only is it one of the guitar world’s only (and definitely the first) single-manufacturer trade shows, where dealers come from around the country to secure their wholesale purchases of Paul Reed Smith guitars and amps, it also gives regular old dudes a chance to see the PRS factory in all its splendor. And by splendor, we mean bare efficiency and palettes and palettes of virgin wood.
Posted in: Acoustic News, Guitar Events, Guitar News, Industry News, Luthier News
Posted September 23, 2011 at 6:49 am | No comments
It’s a hot September night near the banks of the Chesapeake Bay in Stevensville, Maryland, home of Paul Reed Smith Guitars that launched their 5th year of Experience PRS with some fancy bluegrass licks by mandolin aficionado Ricky Skaggs and the staggering guitar master, Cody Kilby. We’ve been coming to Experience PRS trade shows since they started in 2007 and the PRS family of dealers, distributors, employees, endorsees and birds and moons enthusiasts have never been let down.
Posted in: Concert Reviews, Reviews
Posted September 21, 2011 at 10:12 am | No comments
The ‘70s saw Tommy Keene do a stint as drummer in Blue Steel, a band that also featured Nils Lofgren’s brother Michael. He changed to guitar for a convincing jaunt with The Razz. He’s been churning out quality solo albums since the early ‘80s, adding to an impressive discography of timeless rock and roll, heavy laden with guitar oriented chordal arrangements and tasteful melodies.
Posted in: Reviews, Rock Reviews
Posted September 20, 2011 at 6:29 pm | No comments
In July 2001, I was deeply honored to interview roots music legend, the late, great Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown before he passed away just a few years later. At some 77 years young, the virtuoso guitarist, fiddle player, and multi-instrumentalist had been blessed with a luminous, storied career and had shared the live performance stage and recording studio with the likes of Eric Clapton, Ry Cooder, Leon Russell, Roy Clark, and a glittering who’s who of music icons who have all tipped their hats to Gate’s musical gifts and immeasurable influence on them.
Posted in: Blues Interviews, Country Interviews, Instrumental Interviews, Interviews
Posted September 19, 2011 at 10:45 am | No comments
This summer, a sublime set of jazz wafted out the door of the Parisian corner café, Dus des Lombard, one of the finest jazz cafés in the city. The club can be found in the heart of Les Marais (The Marsh), surrounded by art galleries, bistros, clothiers and the sputtering of errant motorbikes passing along the Boulevard Sebastopol.
Posted in: Concert Reviews, Guitar News, Jazz Reviews, Reviews
