Interviews

Derek St. Holmes Talks Ted Nugent And New “Jam Band” Project With Brad Whitford

Derek St. Holmes Talks Ted Nugent And New “Jam Band” Project With Brad Whitford

Posted August 2, 2011 at 9:30 am | No comments

Rejoining Ted Nugent for his summer 2011 I Still Believe Tour is none other than Derek St Holmes on vocals.

Derek is the original voice on so many of Ted’s classic hits, like “Stranglehold”, “Hey Baby”, “Just What the Dr. Ordered”, and “Dog Eat Dog” to name just a few. He was a member of The Amboy Dukes from 1973 and provided that magic soulful voice to the ground breaking Ted Nugent solo record in 1975. In 1978, Derek headed off for his own solo musical adventure, but again collaborated with Nugent on the Spirit of the Wild CD and tours in 1995-96. Fast forward to 2011, and Derek is now a full-time member of the Nugent Band once again, so buckle up for one hell of high octane All-American rock ‘n’ roll party.

Posted in: Interviews, Rock Interviews

Bill Gaal Interview: “I Never Close The Door On Nothingface”

Bill Gaal Interview: “I Never Close The Door On Nothingface”

Posted August 1, 2011 at 1:04 pm | 2 comments

With 20 years of experience under his belt, Bill Gaal has been a musician, touring the world, packing houses and pleasing a legion of fans in the early ’00s metal band Nothingface. Not only did he play bass, but he sat behind the boards, serving as a producer, engineer and mixer, having co-written and co-produced all of Nothingface’s five releases.

Posted in: Industry Interviews, Interviews, Metal Interviews, Rock Interviews

Marc Sandroff Interview: For the Love of Guitar

Marc Sandroff Interview: For the Love of Guitar

Posted August 1, 2011 at 8:05 am | No comments

Being a professional guitarist I’ve had a lot of teachers over the years. These teachers ranged from my very first music store teacher who showed me the five positions of the blues scale, to renowned guitar educator and performer Roddy Ellias, and everything in between. I’ve been lucky in that each of my teachers was able to push me to the next level of my playing, helping me build the career as a guitarist that I have today.

Posted in: Classical Interviews, Interviews

Interview With Bob Boykin: How To Be A Successful Session Musician and Composer

Interview With Bob Boykin: How To Be A Successful Session Musician and Composer

Posted July 27, 2011 at 12:39 am | One comment

You may not have heard of Bob Boykin, but it’s a near certainty that you have heard him play. It’s always inspiring and equally uncanny how some guitarists have the creative juice to produce work that can fit into a broad spectrum of the performing arts. Bob Boykin has been a “go to” session player in Los Angeles and Nashville and a performing artist with some of the country’s top acts. He has also written an impressive body of music that regularly finds its way into top television programs and commercials as well as major motion pictures.

Posted in: Blues Interviews, Country Interviews, Interviews, Rock Interviews

Phil Collen Interview: Screw Ballads, I Prefer Being Sweaty and Running Around

Phil Collen Interview: Screw Ballads, I Prefer Being Sweaty and Running Around

Posted July 25, 2011 at 10:02 am | No comments

Take rock guitarist Phil Collen of Def Leppard, combine him with the dynamic intensity of an iconic drummer in Paul Cook from The Sex Pistols, add a soul stirring rhythmic bass of Simon Laffy from Girl, and throw in the experience of selling over 80 million records, 2 achieving diamond status…and you’ve got Manraze, an electrifying London based alternative dub-punk-rock band.

Posted in: Interviews, Rock Interviews

Interview With 311 Guitarist Tim Mahoney

Interview With 311 Guitarist Tim Mahoney

Posted July 19, 2011 at 12:00 am | 8 comments

Tim Mahoney has had the kind of career that every aspiring rock guitarist dreams of. As the lead guitarist for the popular rock band 311, Mahoney has no doubt been inspiring fans to pick up the guitar and learn to play ever since their first album, Music came out in 1994. It is no wonder why he is such a popular player and has acquired legions of fans. His groove is incredible, he has a very melodic soloing style, he plays clean, he plays dirty, and he might even have more riffs than Jimmy Page.

Posted in: Interviews, Rock Interviews

HeadCat’s Danny B. Harvey Interview: “It’s Just Simple Rock ‘N’ Roll”

HeadCat’s Danny B. Harvey Interview: “It’s Just Simple Rock ‘N’ Roll”

Posted July 18, 2011 at 1:28 pm | One comment

Lemmy Kilmister (Motörhead), Slim Jim Phantom (The Stray Cats) and Danny B. Harvey (Rockats, 13 Cats, Lonesome Spurs), have teamed up in the high-energy, “take no prisoners” combo HeadCat to remind the world how real rock ‘n roll is supposed to sound!  HeadCat serves up a delicious melting pot with flavors of rockabilly, punk, blues and undeniable rock ‘n roll!

Posted in: Interviews, Rock Interviews

From Sex Pistols to Manraze: An Interview With Paul Cook

From Sex Pistols to Manraze: An Interview With Paul Cook

Posted July 18, 2011 at 9:08 am | No comments

It all started in 2004, when Phil Collen, after 20+ years as lead guitarist for Def Leppard, decided to express himself via another creative outlet – something a bit closer to his musical home.

With Paul Cook (Sex Pistols) on drums and Simon Laffy (Girl) on bass, Manraze was formed and released their debut album SURREAL in the summer of 2008. This debut album was chock full of rebellious in-your-face mantras (“Turn it Up”, “This Is”, “Running Me Up”) ranging from hardcore punk to dub.

Posted in: Interviews, Rock Interviews

Stephen Pearcy Interview: I Created That Monster

Stephen Pearcy Interview: I Created That Monster

Posted July 12, 2011 at 5:23 am | 13 comments

As the story goes, Ratt helped pioneer Hollywood’s legendary Sunset Strip sound and scene. After an 11 year wait, the band returned in April of 2010 sounding fired up and better than ever with Infestation, a heavy, riff driven CD reminiscent of their early days as a band. Ratt was able to reinvent their sound by rediscovering their strengths, shuttling listeners to a time when metal ruled the earth and real musicians wore spandex and make-up.

Posted in: Interviews, Metal Interviews, Rock Interviews, Uncategorized

Manraze’s Simon Laffy Interview: Covering Hendrix And Speed Recording

Manraze’s Simon Laffy Interview: Covering Hendrix And Speed Recording

Posted July 11, 2011 at 11:02 am | One comment

Like a mixture of dangerous chemicals, equal parts guitarist extraordinaire (Phil Collen – Def Leppard), rudeboy rock drummer (Paul Cook – Sex Pistols), and the righteous rhythms of a badass bass player (Simon Laffy – Girl), all together you have one hell of an explosive combination. Add to this concoction the experience of selling 75 million records and the attitude that comes from being at the top of your game and you’ve got MANRAZE. The long awaited and highly anticipated sophomore album, titled punkfunkrootsrock, will be unleashed upon the masses on August 2nd.

Posted in: Interviews, Rock Interviews