Jason Isbell

New Vistas, Old Gear

Jason Isbell’s powerful songs, compelling vocals, and formidable guitar skills have made him one of America’s most-respected singer/songwriters. A charismatic performer, his critically-lauded albums, solo and backed by the formidable…

Frank Carillo

World Traveler, Gretsch Lover

Photos courtesy Frank Carillo. Journeyman guitarist Frank Carillo has been plying his trade for decades, and along the way jammed with/for numerous legendary bands. Born in Brooklyn, New York, and…

Richie Kotzen

Better Days Coming

Richie Kotzen is one of today’s busiest rock guitarists. In addition to being a long-time solo artist (and possessing an awesome singing voice), he manages his time between the Winery…

Fretprints: Fenton Robinson

Unsung Blues Icon

In the encyclopedia of American music, there oughta be a picture of Fenton Robinson next to “unsung blues hero.” Drop his name, though, and most fans are unfamiliar – until…

Jimmy James

Unadulterated Guitar

Not even a pandemic can stop the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio. After a successful European tour, they were lean, mean, and primed to jump back into the studio to create…

Philip Sayce

Proactive Perseverance

Philip Sayce is a living, breathing, godmonster beast on the Stratocaster. But his chops, tone, feel, and great songs don’t come out of thin air. The man works hard. His…

Pop ’N Hiss: Humble Pie’s Smokin’

Free Wailin’

British rockers Humble Pie were steeped in blues and R&B influences that coursed through vocalist/rhythm guitarist Steve Marriott. When they finally broke with 1971’s Performance: Rockin’ the Fillmore, Marriott, guitarist…

Richie Kotzen

Solo and Salty

Richie Kotzen was one of those kids – always entertaining the family with song and dance, usually in a crazy costume. “I wanted long hair like a rocker, so I…

Del Casher

Talks About the Ecco-Fonic

Although he claims to play guitar more like the late George Barnes than Les Paul, comparisons between Del Casher and his “adopted uncle” Leo reveal two outgoing youngsters who have…

Carl Verheyen’s Passionate, Ebullient virtuosity!

It’s about the song! Enjoy as Carl Verheyen and his ’58 Fender Strat glide through pieces of “Dragonfly,” “Electric Chair,” and the title track from his new album, “Riverboat Sky.”…

Charlie Daniels

Same Ol' CD

There are more facets to veteran Charlie Daniels’ entertainment enterprises than many of his fans may realize. Not only has the affable guitarist released 29 albums since 1971, he’s also…

Randy Bachman

The Album Title Says It All

Canadian guitarist/guitar collector Randy Bachman is known worldwide for his classic licks in songs by the Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive, but he has also recorded jazz with the likes…

The Reverend Horton Heat

Bringin' it home for a <I>Revival</I>

Photo courtesy of Yep Roc Records. After two decades of constant touring, Jim Heath decided it was time to go home. Guitarists who put out half the energy he expends…

Richie Kotzen

Evolution

NO matter how good you think you are, you’re no Richie Kotzen. Like a superhero, Kotzen uses his powers for good, coming to the rescue for bands such as Poison,…

Buzz and Frank Rogers

Wood, Wire, and DNA: A Dad’s Day Talk With

Fathers and music – two of the most influential things in the lives of most guitarists. No matter if their jams happen on a worldwide stage or the living-room floor,…

Oz Noy

Dishing Out More Twisted Blues

Oz Noy is talented enough to pay the bills not only as a first-call New York session cat, but also as a prolific creative force in contemporary fusion. His current…

Leslie West

Still Climbing

Upon first viewing you’ll notice that The Sound and the Story is different. The new video from guitarist Leslie West stands apart from other instructional guitar DVDs in that, while…

Mark Elf

After the Storm

The latest album from guitarist Mark Elf shot to the top of the jazz charts, but the route to success for Mark Elf Returns 2014 wasn’t so easy. “I was…

Eugene Grew

Long-Lost Motown Session Master

To the surprise of many Motown fans, a man emerged in 2011 claiming to have played guitar on “Money” and several other early songs produced by the legendary Detroit label.

Fretprints: Wes Montgomery

Full House: Transcendent Jazz Masterpiece

Wes Montgomery is an iconic guitarist – a titan in the jazz genre. Boasting a style as unique and inimitable as Django Reinhardt or Jimi Hendrix, he burst upon the…

Lloyd Loar

An Alternative View

The Master Model instruments created at Gibson in the early 1920s are famous for their sound and build. Credit for their design is often laid at the feet of “acoustic…

Del Casher

Wah-Wahs, Ecco-Fonics and the W Coast Studio Scene

Photo: Preston L. Gtatiot PART 1 …and other earlier gizmos as well. Del Casher (nee Del “Kacher;” the reasons for the name change are forthcoming) has for decades been a…

Fabrizio Grossi leads band through exclusive take on “Right Down Below.”

Ready for the Soul Garage Experience? Fabrizio Grossi gathered the Soul Garage Experience for this VG-exclusive take on “Right Down Below,” from their new album, “Counterfeited Soulstice.” That’s Fab’s (eh…

Tinsley Ellis

On luck, the road, and The Hard Way

Tinsley Ellis is a road warrior, and he knows it. “I paid some dues early, and now it’s paying off,” he says. “I have friends in all 50 states and…

Matthias Jabs

Still Got That Sting

It won’t be long before the Scorpions, a veteran hard rock aggregation from Hanover, Germany, celebrates its 30th anniversary of creating guitar-based music with memorable hooks for an untold number…

Vinnie Moore

Between Then and Now

Vinnie Moore emerged in the 1980s as one of the decade’s premier rock guitarists, earning recognition for his extraordinary technique and melodic style. Following the release of his debut album,…

Nick Moss

Backbone Shiver

On Get Your Back Into It!, guitarist Nick Moss and harmonica savant Dennis Gruenling combine blues, swing, and rock and roll into an infectious blend of foot-stomping groove, sweat, and…

Gerry Beaudoin

The Swing of Things

Beaudoin with his late-’60s Gibson L-5 in 1999. One gets the feeling the three members of the New Guitar Summit have a lot of fun. Consisting of veteran guitarists Jay…

Chris Duarte

Texas Guitar Makes a Comeback

Chris Duarte photo courtesy Carol Howell/Loophole Entertainment. Blue Velocity, the latest record from the Chris Duarte Group, is a rarity in today’s music world – a knock-down, drag-out, “crank ‘er…

Jim Singleton

Clarksdale Collaboration

A connoisseur of vintage gear, VG readers may know Jim Singleton as the main man at Jim’s Guitars, in Pennsylvania. His drool-worthy displays at guitar shows are habitually filled with…