Posted March 15, 2011 at 10:00 am | No comments
When one hears the words “one-man band,” they often get a comical picture of a cartoon like character dancing around with a bunch of instruments strapped to his back. While this may work for the movies or in TV shows, it is musicians like Claude Hay that take this term and turn it into an art form. Utilizing modern technology such as loop pedals and effects, Hay is able to bring together multiple layers of instruments and sounds into his songs, both in the studio and live, all without hiring a band. He is a DIY musician in the purest sense.
Posted in: Blues, Blues Interviews, Guitar Hero Interviews, Interviews
Posted March 8, 2011 at 12:31 pm | 3 comments
Forty-plus years after the Summer of Love and the release of The Doors’ self-titled debut album, 61-year-old Doors guitarist Robby Krieger is a busy man. Recently, Krieger appeared at the Berklee College of Music’s Berklee Performance Center in Boston where he performed a set with Doors tribute band Morrison Crossing comprised of ex-Berklee students, and spoke to the audience and reporters on a variety of topics, past and present.
Posted in: Classic Rock, Guitar Hero Interviews, Interviews, Rock Interviews
Posted March 6, 2011 at 2:17 pm | 3 comments
It’s early September. Wylde’s home from Ozzfest where he did double duty with Ozzy and Zakk’s own Black Label Society (BLS). Time to rest? Hardly. He’s up at 4 a.m. doing whatever it is he has to do as hard as he can do it. The BLS motto of Strength, Determination, Merciless, Forever is no marketing gimmick. The son of a now 87-year-old WW II D-Day Omaha Beach veteran, combat intensity is in Zakk’s blood.
Posted in: Guitar Hero Interviews, Interviews, Metal, Metal Interviews
Posted March 4, 2011 at 8:00 am | 2 comments
Australian guitarist, Tommy Emmanuel, has gifted the world with some of the finest acoustic guitar playing to adorn the planet. He’s an itinerate touring musician who sparkles on stage with his ability to caress, cajole and occasionally slap beautiful acoustic arrangements out of his beat up Maton guitars. Emmanuel captivates his audiences with his humorous patter, world-class guitar playing and the percussive antics he unleashes on his six-strings.
Posted in: Fingerstyle, Fingerstyle Interviews, Guitar Hero Interviews, Interviews
Posted February 16, 2011 at 9:00 am | No comments
Jazz guitarist and inventor, Les Paul, brought us more than his electric “Log” guitar fashioned out of two pickups, and the triptych coupling of a slab of 4 x 4 lumber and the two halves from an Epiphone hollow body guitar. He brought us more than a delightful legacy of jazz, but a mountain of amazing guitar techniques to examine and study. His deep curiosity and rich inventiveness roamed the world of electronics and sound, luring him like sirens to seemingly insurmountable production and recording challenges. Good for us that Mr. Paul’s intense curiosity was welded to an equally tenacious spirited drive.
Posted in: Guitar Hero Interviews, Interviews, Jazz, Jazz Interviews
Posted February 7, 2011 at 9:00 am | 4 comments
Talking to Sammy Hagar, it’s hard to tell that the prolific guitarist, singer and songwriter has been working as a professional musician for almost 44 years, beginning his career by recording “Reach Out to Find Me” and “Read My Thoughts” in 1967. During the intervening years, Hagar has had several successful solo careers, been a member of the rock band Montrose, and spent a decade with Van Halen at the height of the band’s fame in the mid ‘80s and early ‘90. Throughout it all has maintained an exuberance and excitement for music that is often only found in performers half his age or younger.
Posted in: Classic Rock, Guitar Hero Interviews, Interviews, Rock Interviews
Posted January 28, 2011 at 10:00 am | 3 comments
Having known guitar legend Ritchie Blackmore from his days in Deep Purple and Rainbow, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from his newest CD Autumn Sky, which was recorded with his Renaissance influenced ensemble Blackmore’s Night, but I have to say that I really enjoyed the record.
Posted in: Guitar Hero Interviews, Interviews, Legends Interviews, Rock
Posted January 27, 2011 at 10:30 am | 3 comments
Explosive gale force performances mixed with melodic interludes define Alter Bridge, a group with the instrumental backbone of Creed and the powerful vocals of lead singer, Myles Kennedy. With the blistering guitar work of Mark Tremonti, tethered to the unyielding foundational percussion and bass guitar of Scott Phillips (drums) and Brian Marshall (bass), Kennedy and crew gather together as Alter Bridge, into a perfect musical storm.
Posted in: Guitar Hero Interviews, Interviews, Metal, Metal Interviews
Posted January 25, 2011 at 8:00 am | 2 comments
If you’re at the back of the hall at a Black Label Society Gig, just look for the guy with an axe with a bulls-eye on it and you’ve got a target on the man, Zakk Wylde, founder of and metal guitarist for the band. Although, Wylde would make name for himself with shock rocker Ozzy Osbourne, in the early ‘90s, he would run solo with Pride & Joy, his “solo” group known for its fusion of heavy metal and Southern Rock.
Posted in: Guitar Hero Interviews, Interviews, Metal, Metal Interviews
Posted January 24, 2011 at 9:00 am | One comment
There have been many young guitarists over the years that have burst onto the scene at an early age, only to burn out after one or two albums and fade into obscurity. Kenny Wayne Shepherd is an artist who defied this trend by taking the momentum gained from his Platinum selling debut record Ledbetter Heights and growing it into a long and successful career. Only 33 years old, Shepherd has three platinum and one gold album to his credit, as well as an armful of major award nominations and wins, and yet it seems that he’s just getting started, 16 years after his first release.
Posted in: Blues, Blues Interviews, Guitar Hero Interviews, Interviews
