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Oscar Jordan
The Quaker City Night Hawks
Advertised as “The spirit of ZZ Top meets Texas boogie rock,” the Night Hawks play up the image of unpretentious good ol’boys you could have a beer with. They’re plaid-shirt dudes in cowboy hats and beards, ensconced in Memphis soul, blues, old cars, and cheap whiskey. Their latest album displays clever artistry with drummer Matt…
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Oscar Jordan
Greg Howe
Best Of Both Worlds
Greg Howe enjoyed a somewhat overwhelming reception when he appeared in the Carvin booth at the January NAMM show. One of rock-fusion’s most forward-thinking guitarists, he was there to launch a new signature guitar and mingle with fans of his current band project Maragold, which bridges the gap between funk fusion and pop. Few musicians…
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Oscar Jordan
Jamie Kime
Lord Of The Jam
Jamie Kime’s first solo record, Alleys, displays a mix of lush guitar tones, poignant soundscapes, and evocative panoramas. We recently sat with him to discuss it, and his recent gig touring with Zappa Plays Zappa project, featuring Franks Zappa’s son, Dweezil. Was there a theme when you started recording Alleys? A lot of the tunes…
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Oscar Jordan
EVH Wolfgang WG Standard
Atomic Punk
EVH Wolfgang WG Standard Price: $799.99 (list); $599.99 (street) Contact: www.evhgear.com Decades after the release of the first Van Halen album, universal acceptance of Edward Van Halen as the last musician to revolutionize the electric guitar periodically rises and falls. About every five years or so, renewed admiration and respect is often followed by indifference…
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Oscar Jordan
Mike Keneally
Gainfully Employed
Mike Keneally has made a career of inconspicuously assisting Frank Zappa, Andy Partridge, Steve Vai, Dethklok, and Joe Satriani fulfill their musical vision. But, there is another side to this multi-instrumentalist and sideman. Besides pulling triple-duty as a keyboardist, guitarist, and producer, Keneally is a prolific composer. He is compiling a catalog of music from…
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Oscar Jordan
FireBelly Amplifiers’ Tweed 1955SE, PR3512SE
Tale Of Two Princetons
FireBelly Amplifiers’ Tweed 1955SE, PR3512SE Price: $949 (Tweed 1955SE); $1,595 (PR3512SE) Contact: www.firebellyamps.com The quest for vintage tone continues, and while budgetary concerns might keep many guitarists from owning the real deal, the demand has created a market for affordable hand-built amplifiers with old-school sounds and specs. The father-and-son team of Steven and Scott Cohen…
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Oscar Jordan
George Lynch
Home Run with KXM
Creative chemistry is an under-discussed topic when it comes to a successful collaborative effort. With the right people, sparks can fly and the good stuff is born. George Lynch’s partnership with Korn drummer Ray Luzier and King’s X bassist Dug Pinnick is one such collaboration. It brought out inspired elements within his playing never heard…
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Oscar Jordan
Supersonic Blues Machine
Lance Lopez is a pentatonic-playing guitar monster who deserves a higher profile in the music world. His sinewy blues-rock tone and phrasing will leave you dazed and humble. He’s joined forces with bassist Fabrizio Grossi and veteran drummer Kenny Aronoff to form Supersonic Blues Machine. This album is a collection of 13 songs that unapologetically…
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Oscar Jordan
Jesse Johnson
Quad City Funk
In the early 1980s, Jesse Johnson traveled from Rock Island, Illinois, to Minneapolis and found fame with The Time and Prince to help define the sound of a generation. Since then, he has crafted a sizable catalogue of hypnotic funk and Hendrix-style blues soloing. His last album is Verbal Penetration, and, between solo records, he’s…
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Oscar Jordan
Brimstone Audio Crossover Distortion XD-1
Bi-Amping in a Box
Brimstone Audio Crossover Distortion XD-1 Price: $299.95 Info: www.Brimstoneaudio.com. Brimstone Audio is a relatively new company that hit the ground running, entering the stomp-box arena with some innovative ideas that offer tone geeks unparalleled aural flexibility. The XD-1, for example, is essentially two amps in a box. It allows the user to generate the kind…
