I met John Oates in 2005, backstage after my first show with Hall and Oates at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. I was the opening act and relatively unknown, under the radar, which I didn’t mind at all for a couple of reasons. In fact, I kind of like it that way. But, I was more nervous than I’d been in years.
For three decades, guitarist Mike Stern has astonished jazz audiences the world over with his quest to push the envelope of what is possible on his instrument, the electric guitar. Now, more than ever, Stern is busy working on a variety of projects that further fuel his insatiable and often child-like curiosity and creativity.
August 15-18, 1969. Bethel, New York. Approximately 500,000 music lovers assemble at Max Yasgur’s farm for the festival of festivals – Woodstock. Guitar solos from the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter, Carlos Santana and Alvin Lee electrify the air.
Warren Haynes talks about the Allman Brothers, Gibson Guitars and Gov’t Mule.
The name Duane Eddy is synonymous with legendary. The most successful and influential instrumentalist in rock ‘n’ roll history, Duane Eddy blended his signature styles of blues, jazz and gospel, to develop a unique rock and roll sound. He used strong, dramatic, single-note melodies,
During the mid-70s America was hit with a second coming British Invasion, the “New Wave of British Heavy Metal.” Following in the feral tracks of British metal pioneers Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple was a new branch of metal that was raw and velocity fueled and included groups like Iron Maiden, Motorhead and Judas Priest.
Rocker Neal Schon handles his Gibson as naturally as if it were attached to the end of his hands. Having picked up his first guitar at age five, Neal was considered a musical prodigy and by age 15, was on the road with guitar legend Carlos Santana. After touring for a year, Neal’s musical direction was not meshing with his band mates, so he and fellow Santana alum Gregg Rolie began a new project — a band called Journey.
The career of guitar visionary Adrian Belew has been an inventive musical odyssey. He has mastered the ability to journey into the avant garde while anchoring his compositions to the fundamental driving forces of pop and rock, often playing along the outer edges of contemporary music in ways that have been punky, new wave, comedic, bizarre, and twisted.
The veteran guitarist talks about his DVD Living Out of Time Live, Gear and his many musical outputs.
Finding the right mentor is, and always has been, a huge part of a band’s musical and personal development. Countless bands and solo artists over
