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Pete Prown
Freddie King
Getting Ready/Texas Cannonball/Woman Across the River
A three-in-one reissue, this Freddie King package encompasses the LPs he recorded for Leon Russell’s Shelter label from 1971 to ’73. On Getting Ready, King dodges sugary arrangements to deliver smoldering licks on “Same Old Blues,” and turns the heat up for a remake of his classic “I’m Tore Down.” “Palace of the King” has…
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Pete Prown
Grace Bowers
Wine on Venus
It would be easy to dismiss this 18-year-old as a prefab gimmick, but Grace Bowers’ guitar work ain’t no hype. Armed with a vintage SG Special, she lays down real funk with her jam-band, the Hodge Podge, aided by producer John Osborne (VG, February ’24). Wine on Venus is that amalgam of R&B, blues, rock,…
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Pete Prown
Boss Katana Gen 3
Big Step
The Boss Katana amplifier has a cult of devotees, many of whom have been waiting for a Bluetooth version that allows access to the amp’s deep models and effects with the mere tap of a smartphone app. With the Gen 3 line of combos and heads, Boss has delivered, and we recently fired up the…
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Pete Prown
Danelectro Doubleneck
Twice the Tone
Jimmy Page. Don Felder. Even Elvis Presley. In fact, who amongst us hasn’t drooled over a 6/12 doubleneck at one point or another in our musical lives? Danelectro knows this and is once again offering a viable option with its Doubleneck, an affordable spin that offers one guitar with two necks and potential for…
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Pete Prown
McKinley James
Payin’ Dues in Rhythm & Blues
If you listen to early electric blues and R&B records, you’ll often notice the original sessions were cut without a bassist. To recapture that 1940s and ’50s vibe, McKinley James recorded his new album, Working Class Blues, with just guitar and vocals, backed on drums by his father, Jason Smay, who has played with J.D.…
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Pete Prown
John Mayall
1933-2024
Drummer Mick Fleetwood was only briefly a member of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, but that was enough to launch his platinum career. With the passing of the 90-year-old Mayall on July 22, Fleetwood reflected on the British bluesman’s contribution to music. “Still absorbing what John Mayall… did! He brought such hidden talents to the music world.…
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Pete Prown
Jerry Miller
Moby Grape was a key part of the ’60s San Francisco revolution, melding psychedelia with the earliest vestiges of country-rock. Even Eric Clapton and Led Zeppelin were avid Grape fans. Despite the pioneering music, the quintet became more famous for its spectacular downfall than actual career. On lead guitar, Jerry Miller – who died on…
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Pete Prown
Grace Bowers
Truth of Youth
The word “prodigy” is overused in the music biz, but Grace Bowers is a real-deal young funkster. Just 18 years old, she melds R&B, feisty blues-rock, and gospel flavors on a vintage Gibson SG Special, crafting licks guaranteed to make you groove. For proof, cue up her debut album, Wine on Venus, to dig that…
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Pete Prown
Pigtronix Philosopher’s Tone 2
See The Light
Optical compressors are known for making guitars sound smooth and musical – a truth well-captured in the latest Pigtronix offering, which adds greater sound-sculpting capabilities to their groundbreaking Philosopher’s Tone pedal. A compressor is useful for everything from taming aggressive volume fluctuations to adding sustain or a professional sheen to one’s sounds. The Philosopher’s Tone…
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Pete Prown
Brian F. Wright
The Bastard Instrument: A Cultural History of the Electric Bass
There isn’t enough serious literature about the electric bass, but this book is a worthy contribution. The author takes us from the moment Leo Fender created the mass-produced Precision Bass in 1951, but also touches on earlier on-offs going back to the ’30s. Wisely, the narrative doesn’t aspire to be an all-encompassing history, instead covering…
