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Trending Now
Guitarist Fred Newell’s best-known gig – as a member of the house band on “Nashville Now” – ended more than two decades ago. In the time since, though, he has barely missed a step. Newell has backed artists including Waylon Jennings, Porter Wagoner, and dozens of other frontline artists, and in more recent times, gigged […]
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Artists
Steve Vai
Rock-Star DNA
Recorded in 1991, Steve Vai’s Gash is an homage to his rock-and-roll past. It’s also a passion project celebrating the life of friend, Johnny “Gash” Sombrotto. Reminiscent of his guitar work with David Lee Roth, Gash is Vai at his most raw. Long on riffs and short on wankery, Vai gets down and dirty, but […]
Music
Jimi Hendrix
Morning Symphony Ideas
James Marshall Hendrix is undoubtedly the greatest rock guitarist who ever lived, and Experience Hendrix LLC is now releasing a vinyl version of this original 2000 collection. The original release consisted of studio jams and home demos recorded between 1969 and ’70, and featured Buddy Miles on four tracks and Billy Cox on one. This […]
Artists
Robert Lockwood, Jr.
1915-2006
With the death of Robert Lockwood, Jr., the blues world lost one of the few direct links to Robert Johnson as well as one of the studio kingpins of Chicago blues’ heyday in the 1950s and early ‘60s. Born in Turkey Scratch, Arkansas, in 1915, Lockwood died November 21, a few weeks after suffering a […]
Artists
Henry Garza
From Tragedy to Revelation
Los Lonely Boys’ new album, Revelation, draws from several influences while retaining the band’s Texas/Mexican identity. Collaborating with a group of top-tier tunesmiths, Revelation weaves pop, reggae, soul, and conjunto influences. It follows guitarist Henry Garza’s recovery from a violent fall from the concert stage. After a stretch in the hospital, he’s excited about getting […]
Music
Little Feat
Sailin’ Shoes Deluxe Edition & Dixie Chicken Deluxe Edition
One of the most influential outfits of the ’70s, Little Feat was a powerhouse with guitarists Lowell George and Paul Barrere. Sailin’ Shoes, from ’72, finds the band still searching for a cohesive studio sound, though “Easy to Slip” is a flat-out rocker, and “Cold, Cold, Cold” shows the funk already in place. “Willin’” remains […]
Artists
Snowy White
British Blues Deluxe
There’s a reason Pink Floyd, Thin Lizzy, and Roger Waters secured the services of Snowy White – his extraordinarily soulful playing. White’s latest solo album, Driving On the 44, is rife with that understated and emotive guitar, revealing deep roots in the British tones of Eric Clapton and Peter Green. We checked in with White […]
Artists
Jeff Waters
Canadian Thrash-Metal Veteran
Trends come and go, but Canadian rockers Annihilator always deliver crushing speed metal. Their newest release, Triple Threat, is aimed at the serious fan. We recently spoke with guitarist/vocalist Jeff Waters to learn more about it. Triple Threat is hefty. It’s an idea that came when we touring for our last studio record, Suicide Society. […]
VG Approved Gear
Fender’s 60th Anniversary Jazz Bass
Golden-Era Glory
Though it looks to be straight from a ’60s catalog, Fender’s 60th Anniversary Jazz Bass isn’t a true reissue. Rather, it’s a “celebration” of the innovation, style, and vibe appreciated by anyone lucky enough to have ever played an original “stack knob” Jazz. At 9 pounds, 4 ounces, the 60th Anniversary’s alder body is neither […]
Artists
Leon Rhodes
Country-Jazz Genius, Terrific Texas Troubadour
Leon Rhodes 1932-2017 We are saddened to hear of the passing of guitar legend Leon Rhodes, one of the most-beloved players from the golden age of country music. Leon emerged in the early ’60s with Ernest Tubb’s Texas Troubadours, his jazzy style usually played on a semi- or hollowbody thinline that helped create a distinctive […]
Classic Instruments
Custom Kraft Red Fury
Most guitar aficionados are comfortable with the notion of guitar brands being made by the company of the same name. But when it comes to guitars made by one company and sold by another, we frequently stray out of our comfort zone. Yet, some of the most significant players in American guitar history never actually […]
Artists
W.C. Clark
1939-2024
After seeing a member of country band Jimmy Heap and the Melody Makers playing a homemade washtub bass, W.C. Clark recalled, “I made a guitar out of 2x4s and bailing wire. I figured if he could do that with one string, I could do it with six strings.” Wesley Curley “W.C.” Clark, fondly dubbed Austin’s […]
Music
Van Morrison
...It's Too Late To Stop Now...Volume I, II, III, IV, V & DVD
Wild Nights
In the history of live recordings, there are a handful widely considered to be all-time classics: B.B. King’s Live at the Regal is one, James Brown’s Live at the Apollo 1962 is another. And the original release of Van Morrison’s “..It’s Too Late to Stop Now…” is certainly a third – and interestingly also combines […]
Artists
Ten Years After
Woodstock Music & Arts Festival, August, 1969
Click Here to read the Alvin Lee obituary. In the summer of 1968, America was starting to hear about a new blues movement exploding in England, primarily in the hipster clubs of London. Riding the wave of the worldwide success of the Rolling Stones, groups with raw sound and power such as The Yardbirds, The […]
Artists
Steven Wilson
Guitar Harmony
Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson isn’t a guitar hero, but his playing fits his compositions perfectly – as exemplified by his latest solo offering, The Harmony Codex. Showing once again that Wilson refuses to be confined to a single style, he exhibits elements of prog, electronic, folk, and rock. We talked with him about how he […]
Artists
Ana Popovic
Relentless
Rising victoriously after 14 cancer treatments, Ana Popovic continues to push the boundaries of blues-rock. Her latest album tells the tale of strength and perseverance. Full-throttle blues-rock guitar stylings intertwine with funk, R&B, and gospel – but Power is more than a guitar-centric tour de force; it’s a call for brotherhood, empowerment, and love. How […]
Have Guitar Will Travel
Have Guitar Will Travel – 020 Featuring Dan Hawkins
In this episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” host James Patrick Regan speaks with Dan Hawkins, producer and guitarist for the Darkness. They dig into the band’s new album, Easter is Cancelled, and other topics including Dan’s home studio (where the album was recorded), his collection of recording gear, his car collection, the music business, […]
VG Approved Gear
Iconix Pickups Black Mass
Michigan Metal
Michigan may have given us the automobile production line, but Troy-based Iconix Pickups is the antithesis of an assembly line operation, and now Iconix is building quality pickups for a genre befitting the region’s history of heavy industry: metal. Iconix guru Don Smith builds his designs using the same scatter-wound technique as early pickup makers. […]