A prominent blues artist since the late ’80s, Tinsley Ellis grabbed the ’37 National Style O heard on several tracks from his new album, “Naked Truth,” to show us this exclusive run through a bit of “Tallahassee Blues.” The disc is the first fully “unplugged” album of his career, and you can catch our review in the April issue. Read Now!
A prominent blues artist since the late ’80s, Tinsley Ellis grabbed the ’37 National Style O heard on several tracks from his new album, “Naked Truth,” to show us this exclusive run through a bit of “Tallahassee Blues.” The disc is the first fully “unplugged” album of his career, and you can catch our review in the April issue. Read Now!
(Ed. Note: Duane Eddy was featured in the June ’95 issue of VG, following the release of his Twang Thang box-set anthology, which included 40 songs he helped re-master and liner notes by Dan Forte, who became a VG contributor a few years afterward. The conversation expanded to include Eddy’s life and career. Here are […]
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Marshall Crenshaw’s brief chart run remains a bright spot of 1980s rock – effectively, the final blast of New Wave before the genre was buried by Thriller, Purple Rain, and other Big ’80s production jobs. During that span, Marshall wrote and recorded a number of cassette classics, notably “Someday, Someway” and the extra-jangly “Whenever You’re […]
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The fledgling Guild company scored a coup when it signed Johnny Smith to an endorsement deal in 1956. Perched atop the jazz-guitar scene at the time, Smith helped Guild join the fray of artist “signature” instruments that had become a marketing staple. Unfortunately, the effort sputtered because Smith was not pleased with the guitar bearing […]
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On Dust & Bones, Gary Hoey continues his foray into blues using one part guitar virtuosity, one part production skill, and two parts homage. It’s a muscular blues-rock recording with fat tones, a primal rhythm section, and plenty of pentatonic diversity. Wailing over feisty shuffles and post-Hendrix blues-rock, Hoey is taking his artistry to new […]
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The late Bill Collings and his craftsmen are renowned for their beautiful-sounding guitars. It’s apt they’ve connected with a beautiful-sounding guitarist: jazzer Julian Lage, a rising musician known for his sophisticated acoustic and electric work. With the OM1 JL, Collings brings Lage’s nuanced approach to a physical instrument. This medium-sized acoustic is based on Lage’s […]
Thirty years into a stellar career, progressive-rock wizard Roine Stolt can be heard on the latest – and perhaps final – work from Transatlantic, a supergroup featuring past and present members of Marillion, Spock’s Beard, Dream Theater, Winery Dogs, the Steve Hackett Band, and his own Flower Kings. Titled The Final Flight: Live at L’Olympia, […]
Given their scarcity, few mortal pickers will ever own a pre-war Martin 00 or 000 with 45-level appointments. But a handful of luthiers have dedicated their work to building instruments that attempt to offer the sound and feel of such classic vintage instruments. Preston Thompson is one such builder, and examples of this dedication manifest […]
Back in June 2003, Carr’s original eight-watt Mercury combo earned high praise in VG for its top-of-the-line components, attention to detail, and wide-ranging “Tone of the Gods” voicing. Recently, Steve Carr introduced a beefier 16-watt version of the Mercury in both 1×12 combo (as tested) and standalone head versions. These reincarnated and revved-up Mercury V […]
Mick Jagger’s famous 1968 statement – “What’s the point in listening to us doing ‘I’m A King Bee’ when you can hear Slim Harpo do it?” – has been a (sometimes) credo for the Rolling Stones. Why indeed? Except for the fact that the Stones have time and again proven they can indeed play the […]
It’s hard not to associate doubleneck electric guitars with images of Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page or fusion guru Mahavishnu John McLaughlin in the ’70s; however, the fact is that by the time the Big Js were stopping shows with these multi-headed beasts, they were already relics of the past. Doubleneck Spanish guitars got their first […]
Sure, it oozes coolness. But ornate instruments are sometimes about more than aesthetics, and this one represents a turning point in the history of Japanese guitars.
In an industry where success is measured in weeks or months rather than years, marking a 25th anniversary is no small feat. But Barry Poss, founder and head of Sugar Hill Records, is doing that. To celebrate the accomplishment, the label has released a four-CD box set with a DVD of performances from the archives. […]
Canadian guitarist Steve Hill is a flat-out rocker, smashing blues into rock and roll with terrifying force, as heard on his latest, Dear Illusion. Often playing as a genuine one-man band with foot-powered drums, Hill drapes his new music with horns, powerhouse vocals, and guitar solos steeped in the blues. Pickin’ and poppin’ strings with […]
Flamin’ Groovies are best known for the ’76 power-pop gem “Shake Some Action,” but this show – recorded five years earlier at the final Fillmore West concerts – couldn’t be more different. It’s blunt three-chord rock, somewhere between the Seeds, MC5, and the Rolling Stones. The live tape’s audio fidelity is lo-fi and raw, but […]
There comes a time in a musician’s life when he confronts the inevitable question, “Who am I? Am I a mimic simply regurgitating other people’s ideas? Do I blindly repeat stylistic patterns and guidelines I’ve been fed? Or am I free? Am I an artist?” This is the motivation behind Steve Kimock’s latest. The rock […]
The world lost one of its most innovative and defining guitar voices on December 25, 2020. Bluegrass maestro Tony Rice – singer, composer, supremely accomplished sideman, solo artist, and flatpicking virtuoso – personified the evolution of an American folk form and its cross-pollination with jazz, classical, and pop tangents. With Rice’s imaginative vision and prodigious […]
Matt Pasquerella has a reputation as a pi connoisseur… no, not the eating kind, the fuzzy kind. The creator of Stomp Under Foot effects has been building some of the most sought-after Big Muff Pi clones on the market. Pasquerella’s Ram’s Head is a modified version of his favorite “violet ram’s head logo” version of […]
Like you, Kurt Wyberanec knows that good extension cabinets, like acoustic guitars, serve their player as resonant sound chambers. Those he builds go the extra mile with artful design, sturdy construction, and unique functionality. Wyberanec’s company, KW Cabs, recently introduced the ST-220T SSB, an update of the cab that put the company on the map […]
While not well-known in California guitar lore, Ed Sanner’s electronics designs have been heard by millions of guitar fans, and he has recently returned to building unique stomp boxes. Sanner didn’t take up guitar until the age of 18, but his interest in electronics began earlier. “I used to tinker with electrical things as a […]
Exploring, Expanding Absorbing and exuding great vibes from his living room, Philip Sayce and his PRS Silver Sky (plugged into a ’68 Super Reverb) play “Lady Love Divine,” one of the fine tunes from his latest album, “The Wolves Are Coming.” Catch our interview with Philip in the April issue. Read Now!
Four decades on, Ronnie James Dio’s stint in Black Sabbath is revered almost as much as the Ozzy epoch. This was their last Sab album before Dio went solo; now there’s a 2023 remix for these deluxe four-CD/LP versions. Despite the acrimony that led to Ronnie’s departure, the quartet remained a concert powerhouse. “N.I.B” finds […]
