Category: Features
Blues Guitar Unleashed. With Griff Hamlin
Most of us that are of a “certain age” remember the music of our youth – Cream, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and dozens of other bands that all shared a common thread. That common thread, of course, was music that was rooted in the blues and was born from it before taking over the world […]
Jimmy Dillon Acoustic Blues
Jimmy’s been playing guitar for four decades, working with some of the best artists in the business including Sting, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen. He’s jammed with legends Carlos Santana, Clarence Clemons and blues greats B.B King and John Lee Hooker… “Do you love playing guitar and love the blues, but haven’t been able to […]
Ana Popovic: Blues Rock Powerhouse
Ana Popovic Serbian-born Ana Popovic has been slowly building a reputation as a blues/rock guitar powerhouse. It’s taken a period of years for her to break out, and she’s withstood occasional sexist attitudes of male musicians, but with determination and hard work, not to mention a series of quality recordings and stunning live shows, this Strat-wielding lady has steadily garnered more fans and continues […]
Scott Holiday. Rival Sons.
With a strong combination of hard work, relentless touring, strong singing and playing and memorable material, California’s Rival Sons are keeping the hard rock fires burning brightly, and thankfully so. The Sons are currently touring Europe, promoting their latest release, Head Down, building a large fan base, and will soon return to the USA, fresh with ideas for their as-yet recorded disc. Scott Holiday grew up in a […]
Richie Kotzen. Guitars, Techniques and Life on the Road
If you’re not familiar with Richie Kotzen —despite the fact that he’s been making records and redefining the guitar for over 20 years — his new album, 24 Hours, is your chance. It features the full spectrum of what he’s known for: searing riffs, a good dose of soul and a broad palette of styles. Kotzen is revered for his […]
Vern Miller Interview. Bassist & Music Educator
Part 1 Last time, we visited with journeyman bassist and brass instrument virtuoso Vern Miller, of the legendary Boston ‘60’s band, The Remains, and heard his account of how the band got together, their brief run at the big time, and the bond between all four original members that’s kept them together to this day. Vern also spoke of his theories on […]
Steve Trovato. In Search Of Guitar Tone
In this interview, Trovato discusses his journey to becoming a master craftsman, how his playing – and guitar playing in general – has changed over the years, and explores his search for, and definition of, tone. The word virtuoso is used quite liberally at times in the music industry. Some musicians live up to the label, but few personify it the way Steve […]
Earl Slick: Ultimate Rock Guitar Sideman.
Veteran Guitarist Featured On New Bowie Single & Album. Like many parts of the United States, New York City has its own dialectic peculiarities. One of them is the pronunciation of any word with the “oi” sound, as if it were “er.” Spoil becomes “sperl,” Foil becomes “ferl,” and oil becomes “earl,” as in, “Watch out for that earl slick over there on […]
Guitar Skills: Rhythmic Development
Many books, teachers, and students devote a great deal of time to developing the use of chords and scales, and almost entirely neglect the development of rhythmic skills. This is unfortunate, as guitarists in general, and those from a classical background in particular, often seem to have a weakness in this area. The following exercises […]
Become A Confident Live Performer
Both Buddhism and NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) use techniques to achieve desired states of consciousness. As musicians, we can greatly benefit from using techniques from both Buddhism and NLP to overcome any nervousness or anxiety associated with live performance. I myself have had to use many of the techniques to overcome issues that prevented me […]
Robert Cray. Grammy Winning Bluesman
“I think it’s very important for young people interested in playing guitar to find other people to play with. ” Blues guitarist, continues making music that blurs boundaries… Blues guitarist Robert Cray has enjoyed an extremely successful career since MTV put his breakout single “Smokin’ Gun,” into heavy rotation back in 1986. Cray rode the […]
Eugene Hideaway Bridges. Blues Road Warrior
“Let the blues be blues. Get to understand it. Take time to learn before you try to change what ain’t broken.” Rising blues star credits father for education & inspiration Guitarist Eugene “Hideaway” Bridges, a native of New Orleans, with seven albums to his credit and three recent nominations from the Blues Foundation, lives the […]
Hand Made Guitars by Nick Benjamin
Luthier Nick Benjamin is, in many ways, a true traditional artisan when it comes to making handmade, custom and individual guitars. The label “limited edition” falls far short of describing what is produced in Nick’s small, one-man workshop in an old brewery in the town of Lewes, southeast England. Armed with an engineering degree, Nick […]
Nils Lofgren: Part 2 Of Our Interview With Nils
Springsteen sideman/solo artist expounds further on his teaching/playing theories and more. One-on-One vs. Online Teaching: As we learned in Part I of this article, Nils Lofgren’s online guitar school has been a solid success for the diminutive guitarist, best known as a sideman with Neil Young, and Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, as well as […]