Guitarist David Lindley is a pioneer of international music who led one of the first world music rock groups during the ’60s called Kaleidoscope. He would later work with singer-songwriter Jackson Browne starting in 1971 and his staggering solos can be heard ripping through such hits as Jackson’s classic “Running on Empty.”
In the third and final segment of our three-part interview with Les Paul’s son, Rusty Paul, Rusty delves into how he plans on perpetuating Les Paul’s legacy, the early days of Fender, competition between the guitar makers, Joe Satriani, and the magic that inherently came along with Les wherever he went.
In this Part II of our three-part interview with Rusty Paul, son of the legendary Les Paul, Rusty gives us a glimpse into Les Paul’s relationships with some of the most beloved guitarists and musicians in the music world, including Jeff Beck, Tommy Emmanuel, Slash and Steve Miller, among others. Let’s get right to it!
In tribute to the legendary guitarist, Les Paul, we caught up with his son, Rusty (Lester G. Paul, Jr) to gather up his thoughts about his father, who had passed a way over a year before. We knew Rusty was carrying on the family musical legacy, by playing bass with his own group, frequenting the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City, a long time gig played by his father every Monday night for decades and working on a tribute tour for his dad.
Queensryche’s anticipated new CD, Dedicated to Chaos is the sound of the band marching forward artistically, philosophically and sonically. Their commitment to their craft is unwavering. Their ability to challenge themselves and create new soundscapes is unparalleled in hard rock. A band continually re-inventing themselves, growing, and blending the boundaries of heavy metal, hard rock, alternative to form a unified and unique sound that is always recognizable with Geoff Tate’s vocals at the helm. I had a chance to meet up with guitarist Michael Wilton to talk about the new CD, reflect back on the 20th Anniversary of Empire and talk about all things on guitars and gear.
Brazil seems to grow great guitarists as easily as it grows the palm trees that line the country’s boulevards and streets. Some of the greatest players to ever live have come from this South American guitar breeding ground, such as Baden Powell, Raphael Rabello and Yamandú Costa just to name three. With such a rich guitar history, it is no wonder that Brazil continues to develop and produce some of the best young guitarists on the planet. With a strong recording catalog already in his library, a series of high-profile concerts and the ability to compose, interpret and improvise at a world-class level, Ouro Preto based guitarist Tabajara Belo is a player that deserves to be counted as one of the country’s finest guitarists.
Allele (pronounced Uh leel) is Wally Wood (vocals), Mason Romaine (guitar), Giancarlo Autenzio (drums), Tim Tobin (bass), and Kelly Hayes (guitar). All of these musicians, formerly known only to each other as “local boys” that once played in various bands around the Jacksonville, Florida area, comprise a group of incredibly sharp, talented musicians that deliver a clear message that rock n roll is not a joke, nor is it dead. After their first CD, Point of Origin, there were tours, followed by Wally’s departure, then a regrouping of the lineup with Wally’s return and Lane’s departure.
New York City jazz guitarist Chris Taylor’s music transports jazz aficionados on a sonic wave that is both aurally and imaginatively appealing and one that is magically visual in its coloration and drive. East Coast jazz can be grounded in traditional jazz, but some artists dig into the improvisation mode to channel the essence of their musical palettes in very personal journeys. And from what I’ve heard of Taylor, his willingness to drive hard into improvisation can be tastefully melodic and fearless.
Todd Rundgren has gone through many musical phases in his long career. He started out with the blues, got into garage rock for a bit with the group Nazz, and then began his solo career, which had people hailing him as “the new pop-wunderkind” after the release of his 1972 gold-certified double LP Something/Anything?. Later on, Rundgren got more into psychedelia and progressive rock with his band Utopia.
Noah Benardout is a name that I expect we’ll hear a lot this summer. Backed by some of the top session players in the business, the young singer-songwriter nails down some superb pop-soaked melodies on his EP that includes a punchy romp called “Haley.”
