Earlier this month, Guitar World and Supro Amps got together to launch the Led Zeppelin Guitar Solo Video Challenge.
Below, you can check out the entries we've received so far! In fact, if you DON'T see your video here, please send it again!
This also should serve as a reminder to the rest of you: Enter this contest now! The winner will get a new Supro 1624T Dual-Tone guitar amp (MSRP $1,459)!
NOTE: This contest is open only to residents of the United States. You must submit your video to Guitar World by December 10, 2014.
Here's what's involved:
Film yourself playing your own version of Jimmy Page's iconic "Good Times Bad Times" guitar solo! Use the studio version of the solo as your guide (You can hear it below), but feel free to put your own spin on the solo. You might get special consideration for originality! You can hear both original solos via the YouTube players below.
Next, upload your video to YouTube and send the link — along with your FULL NAME and COMPLETE U.S. ADDRESS— to Guitar World at guitarchallenge@guitarworld.com. Note that you will not be considered an entrant unless you include your name and U.S. address with your video.
The videos will be viewed by members of the Guitar World staff, plus celebrity judges who will be named later. We'll pick a winner by December 25, 2014!
A lot of super-vintage Stevie Ray Vaughan recordings—including a few videos—have been turning up on YouTube in recent weeks.
Below, you can check out the latest (posted November 17). It's a recording of Paul Ray & The Cobras at the Soap Creek Saloon in Austin, Texas, May 5, 1975. It features Vaughan on guitar.
Although this recording has been available as a bootleg (the cover of which is shown in the YouTube player), we appreciate the fact that it's made its way to the interwebs. At the 5:00 mark in the video, you'll see the complete set list.
What do you think of Vaughan's playing at age 19? Enjoy!
Check out these two archival clips of George Lynch's pre-Dokken band, Xciter, performing at the Starwood in Hollywood, California, December 29, 1979.
You can watch them play "Paris Is Burning" in the top video, followed by "Pickin' Up Speed."
Speaking of speed, take note of Lynch's solo in the bottom video; it kicks off around the 2:36 mark. You'll notice Lynch is playing a very early Charvel (Grover Jackson-era) Star guitar.
What do you think of this rocking bit of history — and of Lynch's guitar?
Last night, Metallica continued their weeklong residency on 'The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson' with a performance of “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” Check it out below. As always, let us know what you think in the comments or on Facebook.
Metallica are reportedly getting back to work this fall on their 10th studio album, which is due out sometime in 2015.
Periphery have announced the release date of their dual albums, Juggernaut: Alpha and Juggernaut: Omega, as January 27 via Sumerian Records.
In anticipation, the band has teamed up with Revolver to premiere a new song, "The Scourge." Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments!
To get Juggernaut, visit Sumerian's webstore. For more on Periphery, follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
Today, GuitarWorld.com presents the exclusive premiere of the “Suicide;Stigma” playthrough video featuring guitarist Aaron Saunders.
Check it out below and tell us what you think!
The Color Morale are currently on tour with the Word Alive in support of their new album, Hold On Pain Ends, which was released in September via Fearless Records. The album debuted at Number 28 on Billboard's Top 200.
The 2015 review guide includes the top picks of the year's best gear, modeled by Playboy Playmates Jaclyn Swedberg, Raquel Pomplun and Pamela Horton. The issue also features the hottest new gear for this holiday season: electrics, recording gear, acoustics, basses, effects, amps, holiday gift ideas, stocking stuffers and more! Plus a special 2015 sneak preview to help you stay current.
Sections Include:
Electric Guitars - Whether you like them curvy, slim, big or thick, you'll find just the thing to keep you performing all night long. Acoustic Guitars - If you like your tone au naturel, you'll love this collection of flattops, archtops and acoustic electrics. Bass Guitars - Lift up the low end with big-bottom beauties in every shape and style. Amplifiers - Our combos and stacks have all the knobs and inputs you could possibly want. Plug in and make your main ax scream. Effects - Like to get weird? We've got a throng of boosters, boxes, plug-ins and more that will surely tickle your fancy. Recording & Accessories - Time to freshen up your bag of tricks? Mix things up with some leather straps, a wang bar or maybe even a perky pair of knobs.
Last month, we examined the guitar genius of the great Duane Allman, who, as founder of the Allman Brothers Band, rose to prominence as one of the greatest and universally heralded blues-rock guitarists of all time.
In honor of the expansive new box set from Rounder Records, Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective, we focused on his single-note soloing on classic Allman Brothers’ cuts like “Stormy Monday” and “Whipping Post.” This month’s column is dedicated to Duane’s mastery of the art of slide guitar.
Duane possessed an instantly recognizable sound on electric slide, earmarked by masterful phrasing and smooth, “singing” vibrato.
Great examples of his slide guitar prowess include “Trouble No More” and “Dreams” from the band’s debut release, The Allman Brothers Band; “Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’,” from Idlewild South; “Statesboro Blues” and “Done Somebody Wrong” from At Fillmore East; and “One Way Out” from Eat a Peach.
He also lent inspired slide work to the title track and many others on the Derek and the Dominoes album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs.
Incredibly, Duane had been playing slide guitar for only about a year at the time of the band’s debut release. He recalled, “I heard Ry Cooder playing slide on Taj Mahal’s debut album, and I said, ‘Man, that’s for me.’ ” Brother Gregg Allman concurs. “He just picked it up and started burnin’. He was a natural.”
For slide playing, Duane wore a small glass Coricidin bottle (Coricidin was a cold medication) on his ring finger. He usually played slide in open tunings, most often open E (low to high, E B E G# B E) and occasionally open A (E A E A C# E). He also played slide in standard tuning on songs such as “Dreams” and “Mountain Jam.”
In the early days, Duane would retune his gold-top Gibson Les Paul between songs in order to play slide. Later, co-guitarist Dickey Betts gave Duane a two-pickup 1961 Gibson SG/Les Paul Standard that was used solely for slide playing. The design of the SG, with its double-cutaway body, is well suited to slide work, allowing easy access to the upper regions of the fretboard.
Duane chose to wear the SG high on his body to facilitate navigating the board overall. The musical examples in this column focus on the use of open E tuning for slide. FIGURE 1 illustrates how to tune to open E: the sixth, second and first strings are tuned normally (E, B and E); the fifth and fourth strings are tuned one whole step higher (A to B and D to E); and the third string is tuned one half step higher (G to G#). The resulting tuning is, low to high, E B E G# B E. Strumming across all of the open strings sounds an E major chord.
The same is true when barring or placing the slide across all of the strings at the 12th fret. Likewise, barring a finger or placing the slide across all of the strings at any given fret will form a major chord, as shown in FIGURE 2. A great majority of slide licks in open E tuning are formed by moving back and forth between a two-fret span of the fretboard.
FIGURE 3 illustrates one such pattern, which forms an E hybrid scale, one that combines elements of E minor pentatonic (E G A B D) and E major pentatonic (E F# G# B C#). Two notes are sounded on each string at either the 10th or 12th fret, and three notes are sounded on
the fifth string with the inclusion of Gs, at the ninth fret.
Practice this pattern by first fretting normally, and then play it using the slide. Some basic rules for slide playing: For proper intonation, you’ll want to, in most cases, position the slide directly over and parallel to the fret wire. Apply only enough pressure against the string to sound a note clearly; do not allow the slide to “bang” into the frets. Also, lightly lay unused fret-hand fingers across the strings behind the slide to help suppress unwanted overtones and ghost notes.
When playing slide, Duane fingerpicked exclusively, using his thumb, index and middle fingers to pick the strings. A major element in the uniqueness of his sound was his pick-hand muting techniques: while one finger picked a string, the other two were used for muting.
For example, when he picked a string with his thumb, his index and middle fingers would rest lightly on the higher strings, muting them; when he picked a string with his index finger, his thumb would mute the lower strings; and when he picked with his middle finger, he would mute the string with his thumb and index fingers. This technique afforded Duane’s slide playing unparalleled clarity and precision. An essential slide exercise involves sliding back and forth between notes of the E hybrid scale, with careful attention paid to playing “in tune.”
FIGURES 4 and 5 offer two different ways one can practice sliding to and from each note in this position. One of the most common vehicles for slide soloing in blues and rock is the 12-bar blues shuffle. FIGURE 6 illustrates a basic shuffle rhythm part played in the key of E using open E tuning. Use only conventional fretting (no slide) to perform this part. FIGURE 7 offers an example of how to play a slide solo over this rhythm part: repeatedly moving the slide back and forth (higher and lower) on the fretboard creates the sound of a slide vibrato.
The “width” of this movement, as well as the speed, is every player’s choice; strive to keep the center of the vibrato movement over the fret for proper intonation. The aforementioned “Statesboro Blues” and “One Way Out” are celebrated slide guitar masterpieces. FIGURE 8 illustrates a “Statesboro Blues”-like solo, and FIGURE 9 offers a solo in the style of “One Way Out.”
Work through each example carefully, and for inspiration, listen to the recordings and pay strict attention to every detail in Duane’s articulation.
The book features 27 songs from the heart and soul of country, including "A Boy Named Sue,""Folsom Prison Blues,""Ring of Fire" and "I Walk the Line."
All the songs are in easy arrangements with notes and tabs.
Songs Include:
• "A Boy Named Sue" • "Cry, Cry, Cry" • "Daddy Sang Bass" • "Folsom Prison Blues" • "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky" • "I Walk the Line" • "It Ain't Me Babe" • "Jackson" • "Orange Blossom Special" • "Ring of Fire" • "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" • "Understand Your Man"
GuitarWorld.com's latest readers poll—the first annual Jim Dunlop Effect Pedal Throwdown—has reached Round 2!
For the past month, we've been pitting Dunlop, MXR and Way Huge pedals against each other in a no-holds-barred shootout. Now the competition is guaranteed to get even tougher.
Therefore, we're pulling out all the stomps! Sixteen stompboxes will go head to head — or toe to toe, if you prefer — leading up to the king of Dunlop/MXR/Way Huge pedals.
You can check out the current bracket — with all 32 competing pedals that starting things off in Round 1 — in the Scribd.com window below (Be sure to click on the "full screen" button in the lower-right-hand corner to expand the bracket).
The bracket is updated after (almost) every matchup, and matchups will take place pretty much every day, excluding weekends. Each competing pedal will accompanied by a demo video created by the Jim Dunlop company, and you'll always find a photo gallery of the competing pedals at the bottom of each matchup.
Today's Matchup
In today's matchup, the Dunlop GCB95F Cry Baby Classic Wah Wah goes foot to foot against the Dunlop 535Q Cry Baby Multi-Wah. Start voting below!
The heart and soul of the original wah pedals was the legendary Fasel inductor, and the Cry Baby Classic has it. Why is that important? Because the Fasel inductor was the key to the gorgeous tone, voice, and sweep of those first wahs. Plus, these inductors have been unavailable for decades. Now you can get that magic tone again. Go back in time with the Cry Baby Classic with Fasel Inside. Hear what you've been missing.
NOTE: For today's matchup, we have only one demo video. Both pedals are demoed in the same clip. We'll go back to our two-video format tomorrow. Enjoy!
The 535Q is the Swiss Army knife of wah pedals. It provides control over the most important wah parameters, making it easy for you to create your ultimate wah tone. Select the frequency center of the effect, then dial in the frequency range to be swept by the pedal. From narrow and sharp to broad and subtle, this amazing wah can deliver it. Once you've got your sound, make sure it gets heard with the adjustable, switchable boost that can create endless sustain on any note.
GuitarWorld.com's latest readers poll—the first annual Jim Dunlop Effect Pedal Throwdown—has reached Round 3!
For the past month, we've been pitting Dunlop, MXR and Way Huge pedals against each other in a no-holds-barred shootout. Now the competition is guaranteed to get even tougher.
Therefore, we're pulling out all the stomps! Sixteen stompboxes will go head to head — or toe to toe, if you prefer — leading up to the king of Dunlop/MXR/Way Huge pedals.
You can check out the current bracket — with all 32 competing pedals that starting things off in Round 1 — in the Scribd.com window below (Be sure to click on the "full screen" button in the lower-right-hand corner to expand the bracket).
The bracket is updated after (almost) every matchup, and matchups will take place pretty much every day, excluding weekends. Each competing pedal will accompanied by a demo video created by the Jim Dunlop company, and you'll always find a photo gallery of the competing pedals at the bottom of each matchup.
Today's Matchup
In today's matchup, the Dunlop JHF1 Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Face goes foot to foot against the Way Huge WHE 101 Angry Troll Boost. Start voting below!
YESTERDAY'S RESULTS: Yesterday, the Dunlop 535Q Cry Baby Multi-Wah (55.12 percent) destroyed the Dunlop GCB95F Cry Baby Classic Wah Wah (44.88 percent) to advance to the next round! To see all the matchups that have taken place so far, head HERE. Thanks for voting!
Hendrix was the master of fuzz, an artist with many subtle shadings at his command. His love affair with the legendary Fuzz Face pedal began in the early days of the Experience and continued to evolve throughout his brief but blazing career. The Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Face is a meticulously faithful reproduction of the 1969-70 Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face that Jimi used on classic albums like Band of Gypsys. Dunlop's engineering department examined hoards of vintage Fuzz Faces, honing in on a few units which possessed that unmistakable Jimi voodoo.
The Hendrix Fuzz Face is built around the toneful BC108 silicon transistor. It is authentic in every detail, a handwired brown circuit board with no solder mask and circuitry carefully matched to the original specs. The look is 100% accurate too, that groovy circular chassis with tooled clones of the original Fuzz Face knobs in the rare and vintage turquoise hammertone finish. A truly playable collectable for any Hendrix or Fuzz Face fanatic.
The mighty Angry Troll from Way Huge Electronics serves up gorgeous portions of volume and gain to pummel the input of your amp with up to +50dB of gain. It adds bite and punch while transforming your mild mannered tone into a beastly sonic onslaught! The Angry Troll’s two controls interact like a vintage mic pre amp.
The Anger knob—a rotary switch with six Fists of Fury positions—adjusts the amount of gain created by the Troll’s op-amp, while the Volume knob regulates the overall output level. High grade components are used for a precisely tuned circuit that works like an extension of your amp. Another tone monster from the mind of Mr. Huge! · Delivers up to +50dB of boost · Precisely tuned to work like an extension of your amp · Adds a little dirt at higher settings · Heavy duty foot switch with quiet relay based true bypass · High grade components for low noise operation
Every now and then—more like every 12 seconds—there's a video that suddenly clicks with the universe and racks up an untold number of Instagram, Facebook and Twitter shares, views and comments.
Below, we present one such video. It's a homemade clip of guitarist Bulgarian Eva Vergilova performing an instrumental version of Prince's "Purple Rain."
While we don't know much about Vergilova, we know her YouTube channel features several covers and playthrough videos, including tunes by Jimi Hendrix and Scorpions (See her cover of Scorpions'"Sails of Charon" in the bottom video below).
Since the guitar's inception, there have been countless talented players who could make the instrument sing, but it wasn't until the mid-Sixties and the arrival of the wah pedal that guitarists could make it cry.
Perhaps because it entered the collective consciousness at the hands—or feet, rather—of guitar gods like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, the wah pedal has been a vital part of the rock and roll lexicon since it was introduced by Vox, finding favor with guitarists who wanted to bring a whole new level of expressive possibilities to their playing.
More than any other effect pedal, the wah has played a key role in some of modern guitar's shining moments, from Slash's epic, ascending run in "Sweet Child O' Mine" to Eddie Hazel making wah synonymous with funk in the Seventies to Hendrix simply doing that voodoo that he did so well.
In honor of its place in rock history, the Guitar World staff recently picked out the very best wah solo moments of all time, each a snapshot of a great guitarist letting his voice be heard through a truly rock and roll pedal. Of course, we considered the quality of the solo itself and the song's iconic status in the world of rock and roll.
25. "1969"— The Stooges (The Stooges, 1969) Soloist: Ron Asheton
Raw, visceral and distorted to the max, Ron Asheton's solo on this Stooges classic may not win any composition awards, but it was the perfect compliment to Iggy Pop's gutteral snarl.
24. "Walk Away"— James Gang (Thirds, 1971) Soloist: Joe Walsh
It comes in just at the end of the song, but Joe Walsh's solo spot on "Walk Away" is a bit of a late-in-the-game show-stealer. Since 2007, Walsh has had his very own signature wah made by Real McCoy Custom.
23. "Cult of Personality"— Living Colour (Vivid, 1988) Soloist: Vernon Reid
"Cult of Personality" was the song that instantly made Vernon Reid a household name in the alt metal community, combining manic use of the wah with a stream-of-conscious flurry of notes straight from the mind of a true guitar junky. Even more impressive, Reid stated in a 1988 Guitar World interview that the solo was a first take.
22. "25 or 6 to 4"— Chicago (Chicago, 1970) Soloist: Terry Kath
On the second half of a lengthy guitar solo on this Chicago classic, Terry Kath introduces a distortion-drenched, wah-driven guitar line that melds incredibly well with the song's horn section. Fun fact: Kath was once referred to as "the best guitar player in the universe" by Jimi Hendrix.
21. "Maggot Brain"— Funkadelic (Maggot Brain, 1971) Soloist: Eddie Hazel
On the opposite end of the the spectrum from the ultra-tight, ultra-clean guitar sounds many listeners identify with funk is Eddie Hazel's tone on this 10-plus-minute track from Funkadelic, which features no vocals and serves primarily as a vehicle for Hazel to explore the deepest reaches of space in his wah-wah-powered mothership.
20. "Stop"— Jane's Addiction (Ritual de lo habitual, 1990) Soloist: Dave Navarro
Written all the way back in 1986, it would take four years for this Ritual de lo habitual cut to be unleashed upon the music world as large, climbing to No. 1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks behind the strength of a high-energy performance from vocalist Perry Farrell and a muscular, wah-driven lead from Dave Navarro.
19. "The Needle and the Spoon"— Lynyrd Skynyrd (Second Helping, 1974) Soloist: Allen Collins
A clear tip of the hat to Eric Clapton's solo from "White Room," Allen Collins pulls out the wah to blend Sixties psychedelia seamlessly into a bona-fide Southern-rock classic.
18. "If You Have to Ask"— Red Hot Chili Peppers (Blood Sugar Sex Magik, 1991) Soloist: John Frusciante
On this cut from 1991's mega-selling Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante turns in a sparse, stop-start wah solo fitting for the song's funk-rock minimalism. Fun fact: On the studio version, you can hear the band and production crew applauding Frusciante's guitar work as the song comes to an end.
17. "Whole Lotta Love"— Led Zeppelin (Led Zeppelin II, 1969) Soloist:
While much of the bizzare, alien soundscape in the middle section of "Whole Lotta Love" is directly attributable to Jimmy Page's groundbreaking use of backwards tape echo and Page and engineer Eddie Kramer "twiddling every knob known to man," the wah pedal does make an appearance, adding a valuable, extra dimension to Page's most otherworldly guitar work this side of the Lucifer Rising soundtrack.
16. "The Joker"— Steve Miller Band (The Joker, 1973) Soloist: Steve Miller
Perfect for all those midnight tokers out there, Steve Miller's laid-back lead work on "The Joker" doesn't go overboard on the wah, opting instead for the tasteful, restrained approach. Fun fact: This song shot back to the top of the charts in 1990, thanks to a popular ad for Levi's jeans.
15. "I Ain't Superstitious"— Jeff Beck Group (Truth, 1968) Soloist: Jeff Beck
On the debut album from the Jeff Beck Group, Beck uses this wah-laden take on a Howlin' Wolf tune to show off his mastery of the multitude of sounds one can coax out of a guitar. Somehow, he still continues to baffle us with this skill.
14. "Blue on Black"— Kenny Wayne Shepherd (Trouble Is ..., 1997) Soloist: Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Kenny Wayne Shepherd burst into the mainstream consciousness with this cut off his 1997 album, Trouble Is ... Any questions over who he was hoping to channel are laid to rest with the inclusion of a cover of "Voodoo Child" as the single's B-side.
13. "Pain and Sorrow"— Joe Bonamassa (So, It's Like That, 2002 Soloist: Joe Bonamassa
Another blues-rock revivalist, Joe Bonamassa lays out some fiery wah work on this deep cut from his sophomore album, So, It's Like That.
12. "Blinded by the Light"— Manfred Mann's Earth Band (The Roaring Silence, 1976) Soloist: Dave Flett
This tune may have originally been written by Bruce Springsteen, but it didn't become a hit—and eventually a classic—until guitarist Dave Flett and the rest of Manfred Mann's Earth Band got a hold of it for 1976's The Roaring Silence.
11. "Gets Me Through"— Ozzy Osbourne (Down to Earth, 2001) Soloist: Zakk Wylde
10. "Surfing with the Alien"— Joe Satriani (Surfing with the Alien, 1987) Soloist: Joe Satriani
"Surfing with the Alien" sees Joe Satriani put the pedal to the metal in every conceivable sense, not the least of which is his stunning work with the wah pedal. Paired with a Tubedriver and a classic Eventide 949, the wah provides just enough control over his alien tone for Satch to weave his way in and out of an asteroid belt of notes.
09. "Turn Up the Night"— Black Sabbath (Mob Rules, 1981) Soloist: Tony Iommi
It's a rare occasion when Tony Iommi brings out the wah, but on this Mob Rules cut, the Godfather of Heavy Metal uses it too great effect, upping the aggression level one step further on what may be his most furious studio solo.
Were you expecting to see the long-winded instrumental "Say What!" from Vaughan's Soul to Soul album? Not a chance, not when this mini-masterpiece of a wah solo exists. Even without the wah, it's one of his best-constructed, catchiest solos. This track comes from SRV's first full album with his brother, Jimmie Vaughan—which, sadly, turned out to be his last record.
07. "Bad Horsie"— Steve Vai (Alien Love Secrets, 1995) Soloist: Steve Vai
Like Hendrix before him, Steve Vai wanted to take the wah pedal to its limits, and he accomplished just that on his 1995 EP, Alien Love Secrets. And in all due fairness to the remaining songs on the list, "Bad Horsie" remains the only track in this whole feature to have its own wah named after it.
06. "Even Flow"— Pearl Jam (Ten, 1991) Soloist: Mike McCready
"That's me pretending to be Stevie Ray Vaughan," Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready told Guitar World of his classic solo from "Even Flow" back in 1995. A fitting tribute to the late SRV, the solo saw McCready break out the wah and churn out perhaps the most iconic solo of the grunge era.
05. "A New Level"— Pantera (Vulgar Display of Power, 1992) Soloist: Dimebag Darrell
Dimebag Darrell is among those guitarists that utilized the wah pedal more subtly, using it as a tone control in most cases. This isn't one of those cases. Darrell's use of the wah on his "A New Level" solo is as surgically precise as one comes to expect from the master craftsman, lending an all new connotation to the phrase, "on a Dime."
We're going to let Kirk take this one: "There's something about a wah pedal that really gets my gut going! People will probably say, 'He's just hiding behind the wah.' But that isn't the case. It's just that those frequencies really bring out a lot of aggression in my approach." (Read the full 1991 interview with James and Kirk here)
03. "Sweet Child O' Mine"— Guns N' Roses (Appetite for Destruction, 1987) Soloist: Slash
Known to break out the wah and fiddle around with "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" as a live lead-in for "Civil War," Slash forged his own piece of rock and roll history with his unforgettable ascending run into one of the shining moments in Eighties guitar rock. Bookended by the feral yowl of frontman Axl Rose, Slash makes this would-be ballad anything but with a fierce lead made possible by a stock Cry Baby wah.
02. "White Room"— Cream (Wheels of Fire, 1968) Soloist: Eric Clapton
A masterful performance on "Tales of Brave Ulysses aside," with "White Room," Eric Clapton virtually wrote the book on how the wah pedal would be used in the context of rock guitar for decades to come.
The go-to song of any guitarist trying out a new wah pedal at Guitar Center, "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" stands as a mammoth moment in rock history, setting a mark that has yet to be breached by any ambitious guitarist with a Cry Baby and a dream. Of the song's recording, engineer Eddie Kramer recalls that the track "was recorded the day after Jimi tracked 'Voodoo Chile,' the extended jam on Electric Ladyland featuring Traffic’s Stevie Winwood on organ and Jefferson Airplane bassist Jack Casady.
Basically, Jimi used the same setup — his Strat through a nice, warm Fender Bassman amp. Jimi’s sound on both tracks is remarkably consistent, leading some to think they were recorded at the same session.” Stevie Ray Vaughan's version is no slouch either, by the way.
Eric Johnson recently shared this visually dark but fun video on his Facebook page, and we thought we'd pass it on.
It's a clip of Johnson and guitarist Mike Stern playing Johnson's signature tune, "Cliffs of Dover," at soundcheck during a stop on the duo's current tour.
They're out there in support of their new album, Eclectic, which came out last month.
We don't know what all the dance moves are about (Perhaps Johnson thinks "Cliffs of Dover" sounds like it should be included in Riverdance?), but both Johnson and Stern get into the act. Enjoy!
Alex Skolnick has posted a trailer video for the self-titled debut album by Planetary Coalition.
The video includes performance clips and excerpts of five songs with a range of guests, including Rodrigo y Gabriela.
Planetary Coalition is driven by the acoustic guitar of Skolnick, whose work spans jazz (Alex Skolnick Trio), metal (Testament) and world music (Rodrigo y Gabriela, Ishtar).
"It started with a lone, handwritten sentence on a notepad, describing a musical vision — an ethnically flavored collective of musicians from all over the world, bringing together inspirational melodies, in-depth improvisation and the passion of the musical styles of Gypsy, Middle Eastern, Indian, Latin, East Asian, Mediterranean, Balkan/Eastern European, African and other indigenous lands," Skolnick said. "The reality: coordinating over two-dozen musicians from five continents.
"Yet despite the numerous logistical challenges, Planetary Coalition has been guided by a single hope: that by weaving the threads that connect musical expressions with regional identities, we can bridge the gap between diverse cultures and people, and increase awareness of the ecological and social issues facing the planet, our island in the sky."
You could apply the term “supergroup” to the New Orleans Suspects, and it wouldn't be hyperbole. These cats have been there, done that and have the chops to prove it.
Saxophonist Jeff Watkins’ career includes a dozen years leading James Brown’s band; Willie Green drummed for the Neville Brothers for more than three decades; CR Gruver has played keys with Outformation and Leo Nocentelli; guitarist Jake Eckert laid it down funky for years with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band; and Reggie Scanlan’s bass provided the low-end wump for New Orleans’ beloved Radiators.
Dig deeper and you’ll find all of these players are multi-genre monsters, with histories that span the gamut from jazz to jam.
Ouroboros is the New Orleans Suspects’ third album and is the best example yet of what the band is capable of. Co-produced by Eckert and Watkins, Ouroboros offers up big grooves and big pictures, heavily flavored with N’awlins magic and hoodoo.
In the following conversations Reggie Scanlan and Jake Eckert share a few behind-the-scenes secrets about some of the ingredients of that magic and hoodoo. (You might be surprised …)
Reggie Scanlan: Keeping It Pure — And Stealing from the Greats
GUITAR WORLD: Reggie, you cover an amazing amount of rhythmic and sonic ground on Ouroboros. What were you running for gear?
SCANLAN: I wanted to keep the bass sound very consistent from song to song because the songs themselves were going to change so much. I basically stuck with one of my stage basses, which is an 8- or 10-year-old Fender Jazz bass. And I ran that through a SansAmp in the studio.
Tell me about the SansAmp. I’ve heard of them but don't know much about them.
It’s the best piece of gear I’ve bought, next to my bass and my Hartke cabinets, which never seem to go bad after ages. Jeff Watkins, our sax player, turned me onto the SansAmp: it’s basically a direct box that you have controls on—volume, presence, treble, bass—and you can send your signal out the way you want it. In the studio, we ran everything through the SansAmp and Jeff did his magic to make it sound killing.
The track “Hoodoos and Cunyans” is an absolute full-length feature movie in your head, and part of that vibe is what sounds to me like a big old upright bass.
Yeah! [laughs] I used my Juzek upright bass, which was made in Germany back in … 1922? … somewhere around there. It has gut strings with no pickups or anything. Totally acoustic and sounds great when you mic it. It’s just beautiful.
I know you’ve told me before about how much you enjoy playing acoustic bass. You’ve mentioned the jazz guys who were your heroes: Mingus … Paul Chambers …
Oh man, Paul Chambers. You know, it almost didn't matter what he played because his tone was so good. It was like there weren’t any bad notes. It was just this beautiful tone, pushing and pulling through the music. It was great.
If I was trying to describe your bass voice to someone, I’d say you can get as out there and funky as anyone, but you’re never far away from your jazz roots. It’s the same basic broth anyway …
Yeah, that’s right. I mean, I steal a lot from those jazz guys. It's a good place to go to build up a library of things you can fall back on in jams and stuff.
Something happens and you’re feeling it, but you don't know what it is … and all of a sudden you’ve got this old bass riff that Paul Chambers did as a solo and it’s the perfect thing to drop in. Nobody knows where it came from, unless they're really paying attention. [laughter] I love taking something out of one genre and putting it in another, you know? To me, that’s the fun of playing music.
That’s one of the major lessons I learned years ago from James Booker: all of this stuff is the same.
Everybody’s got the same bunch of notes to work with, whether it's classical or you’re doing street music. It’s what made it possible for us to be playing “Iko Iko” or something like that, and all of a sudden Booker’s piano solo would turn into a Chopin piece. And it would make sense; everything would be cool … I wouldn’t know what was happening [laughter], but to him, everything was everything. That was a major lesson: it’s all just music and everybody’s fooling with the same notes. You just mix them up differently.
That’s a great approach for anyone. I don't care if it's a kid just getting going or somebody who’s been in it a while and their attitude’s taking a bad turn: don't worry about labeling stuff, just play.
Yeah! Just play, and play something that feels good, you know? If it feels good, it's probably the right thing to play.
It's like everything else in life. You have as much freedom as you want, as long as you don't step on the next guy’s freedom. With music, you should play what you feel, as long as you’re not stepping on the next guy or playing all over them, getting in their tonal space.
Jake Eckert: “It’s Not The Kitchen — It’s the Cook”
GUITAR WORLD: Jake, you’re cranking out a lot of great playing on this album: from kick-ass funk grooves and nasty leads to some wickedly hot slide work. What were your weapons for the Ouroboros sessions?
ECKERT: My main guitar is the ES-335 Gibson I’ve played for years, through the Dirty Dozen and now with the Suspects. It’s kind of been my baby. I have other 335 guitars, but that’s my main one. It’s been through the wringer: I’ve had the neck broken off on the road three times over the years. [laughter]
What year is it?
It’s a Dot Neck reissue from the early 2000s. I don't know exactly what year. It’s all stock; nothing fancy, but it sounds great and I love the way it plays.
I also use a 1979 Strat with Pearly Gates pickups and a new PRS Starla with a Bigsby on it.
You know, I’ve heard of those, but I’ve never sat down with one. A PRS with a Bigsby …
I know: it’s kind of an oxymoron, right? [laughter] If you listen to “Walk Of Shame,” there’s this one little part where it goes to the minor on the bridge and you hear me wiggle the Bigsby … it really does sound like an old pawnshop guitar.
How about for slide? The stuff you do on “Madgalena,” for instance.
That’s my Gibson SG, a 1991 I’ve had since then. I traded a 1974 Goldtop for it.
Ooh …
Yeah, well … somebody chopped out the original humbuckers on the Les Paul and put some other ones in with a screwdriver. [laughter] I used the SG plugged directly into my Ampeg Reverb Rocket, turned all the way up. It's a great sound.
I also have an ’89 Strat Plus with a Jeff Beck pickup in the rear position that I use for slide sometimes.
You pull some wildass bends at times during your leads, but you run fairly heavy strings, don't you?
Yeah, D’Addario EXL115s, 11 to 49. I use them for slide and regular-tuning stuff. I was using 10s for a while and switching back and forth, but I kind of grew into the feeling of the 11-gauge strings and noticed the tone was just a little bit beefier. Now I enjoy the feeling when they fight back just a hair.
You mentioned the Ampeg Reverb Rocket; what else did you use for amps?
Actually, I endorse the Mega Boogies and I used my Lone Star a lot … most of the cleaner stuff you hear is the Mesa. And along with the Ampeg, sometimes I use a 1964 Super Reverb.
Effect pedals?
I use Mesa Boogie pedals: a Grid Slammer overdrive and a Tone-Burst boost. They’re really great. They have that Mesa vibe to them. I also have an Xotic AC booster and an RC booster.
You know, the pedals are all cool, but … I was able to record a song with Larry Carlton one time and he was using that same Ampeg Reverb Rocket I mentioned. Larry plugged into the amp and that was it, no pedals; no nothing. He started soloing … and he sounded just like Larry Carlton.
That’s when I realized it's not the kitchen, it's the cook. [laughter]
There’s some story I’ve heard for years about Jeff Beck walking into some hole-in-the-wall guitar shop. He grabbed a totally shitbox guitar off the wall, plugged into a little amp on the floor, and let it rip. No doubt about it: it was Jeff Beck playing.
Yeah! I remember the Little Feat guys telling about Eric Clapton showing up for one of their gigs—this was post-Lowell George—and I think they had some really beat-up Dean Markley amp up there or something. It was all they had, that and an extra guitar. They said Clapton walked out, fiddled with the amp for a second and started playing.
He just sounded like Eric Clapton. [laughter]
Photo: Jeffrey Dupuis
A former offshore lobsterman, Brian Robbins had to wait a good four decades or so to write about the stuff he wanted to when he was 15. Today he’s a freelance scribe, cartoonist, photographer and musician. His home on the worldwide inner tube is at brian-robbins.com (And there’s that Facebook thing too.)
It was a turning point when the band Live took a self-imposed hiatus in 2009.
Lead singer Ed Kowalczyk wanted to focus on a solo career while the band wanted to return to a more ensemble-based format. Unable to resolve their impasse, the band and Kowalczyk decided to go their separate ways.
Enter vocalist Chris Shinn, who over the years had developed a strong rapport with members of Live. Now, after a therapeutic three-year soul search, Live are back with a new singer, album and perspective.
The Turn, Live's first album in eight years, reunites the band with Jerry Harrison, who produced three of the band’s previous albums — Mental Jewelry (1991), Throwing Copper (1994) and The Distance to Here (1999).
The release of The Turn also coincides with the 20th anniversary of the group’s 8 million selling Throwing Copper, a monster album that yielded the band’s biggest single, “Lightning Crashes,” which was Number 1 at Modern Rock radio for 10 consecutive weeks.
With 20 million in worldwide album sales to go along with a dynamic new lead singer and a redefined focus, Live are ready to enter the next phase of their career.
Live consists of Chad Taylor (guitars), Patrick Dahlheimer (bass), Chad Gracey (drums/percussion) and Chris Shinn (lead vocals/guitars).
I recently caught up with Taylor to discuss The Turn, guitars, the 20th anniversary of Throwing Copper and what he’s most looking forward to with this new version of Live.
GUITAR WORLD: It’s been five years since Live took a hiatus/break. Was the expectation always that you’d one day get back together?
The end of Live 1.0 was open-ended. What we knew at the time was that the chemistry that had been so essential to making Live exuberant, exciting and creative had just dissipated. We were a band that could have probably have used a therapist, but like most men, we just decided that separation was the best idea to try to salvage any kind of relationship we had we each other.
During the time of the break/hiatus the clarity that helped solidify everyone's future was the fact that Ed [Kowalczyk] made it clear he wanted to make solo music, and we made it clear we wanted to make ensemble music. There's such a difference in the way you do it. You can hear in the transition of Live through our subsequent records how the band became more focused on the singer/songwriter than on ensemble creativity. In my opinion, the thing that always made Live was our ability to play off of each other. When we lost that, the spirit of the band went away.
How has the addition of Chris Shinn changed the dynamic of the band?
There were no commercial aspirations when we brought in Chris. It was originally just a group of guys getting together in a small rehearsal facility in York to make music. We played some of the older material and it felt so organic and real that we thought about what we wanted to do with it. We figured out right away that it worked musically so the next step was to see if it worked spiritually. We called it “band therapy” and knew from that point forward that there was no looking back.
How would you describe The Turn?
It's full of energy and confidence yet seeking at the same time. It was actually a three-year process to write this record. The first year was us just getting to know each other. Year two, we took the band on the road. That’s where we evolved and came together. Then it was just a matter of taking the energy and songwriting that we had been working on and coupling it together with Jerry Harrison. We took this big ball of energy and captured it very quickly.
What was the band’s writing process like as it pertains to The Turn?
In ensemble creativity the idea is to put all of the members of the band in a room and act as scribe to capture the energy that's around you. The songs are in there air and we just capture them. So it’s not so much about starting with a riff or anything like that. It’s more about being mentally and physically in the right place.
When you look back at the whirlwind that was Throwing Copper, what comes to mind?
I think it’s a masterful representation of the dynamic and relationship Ed and I shared as songwriters and creative visionaries. It's also the only album Ed and I ever wrote huddled together in a room. We were able to capture lightning in a bottle. The entire recording process only took about two weeks, so almost everything you hear on the album is a live performance.
What’s your current setup like?
I'm really a purist at heart. I play Les Pauls, a “Ruby Lou” Jazzmaster and Strats. I like the sounds of those through a high-gain amp. Usually, that's my Diaz CD-100's and Marshall JMP’s. They've been my go-to amps since I was a kid. Over the years, each song the band recorded required a particular gain and effects stage to create those sonic signatures. With that came the need to switch up and change those controls.
I actually run two separate rigs. My “A” rig contains two modified Marshall JMPs and CD-100s. I rely a lot on my guitar volume so other than gain stages those amps are generally unaffected. My “B” rig is a stereo rig where all of my effects (reverb, delays and modulations) are controlled by a separate pedal. So it’s really four amplifiers in total creating one wall of sound. There's also a company that I recently incorporated that makes handmade cabinets. They’re called JANICE and have been the biggest upgrade to my sound. They're custom built by hand and have been great. It's also the first time I’ve been using Eminence speakers in addition to Celestions. They really bring out a sound that has a high end brilliance I was missing.
What excites you the most about Live 2.0?
It’s the feeling of elation I have about getting my band back and sharing the music with the fans. With each show it's a celebration of our past as well as what the band is doing now. I'm not interested in becoming a heritage rock band. I want to create new, relevant music. It's all about celebrating our relevance. Whatever audience is there to listen to guitar based rock is the audience we're going to play for.
James Wood is a writer, musician and self-proclaimed metalhead who maintains his own website, GoJimmyGo.net. His articles and interviews are written on a variety of topics with passion and humor. You can follow him on Twitter @JimEWood.
The book features 100 songs in a variety of notation styles, from easy guitar and classical guitar arrangements to note-for-note guitar tab transcriptions.
Includes: All Through the Night • Auld Lang Syne • Away in a Manger • Blue Christmas • The Chipmunk Song • The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) • The Gift • (There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays • I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm • Jingle Bells • My Favorite Things • One Bright Star • Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree • Santa Baby • Silver Bells • Wonderful Christmastime • and more.
