Posts tagged with "No38"
Amped Up
Amped Up
Find the right amplifier with sound advice from guitar master Steve Lukather
When it comes to crafting the perfect sound, the amplifier is every bit as important as the guitar itself. And with the countless variations available—from monster stacks to boutique boxes—there are seemingly endless choices when it comes to selecting the right amp.
We turned to five-time Grammy-winning guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer Steve Lukather...
RUTHIE FOSTER
RUTHIE FOSTER
On her latest set, the blues virtuosa has a lot to say—in her own voice
It’s midnight in Vienna on the eve of Ruthie Foster’s European tour with blues guitarist Eric Bibb. The blues-folk singer ought to be jet-lagged after a transatlantic flight earlier that day, but she’s yet to feel it. “I’m actually OK,” she says. “Feeling pretty good.”
She has good reason to feel cheery. Foster’s last three albums—2009’s...
EDDIE KRAMER
EDDIE KRAMER
The legendary producer recalls creating some of rock’s greatest recordings
By Michael Gallant
Eddie Kramer is a rock icon. The sheer number of superstars whose music he’s shaped is stunning—from the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin to Buddy Guy, Anthrax and Carly Simon. “I’m still standing and still making records,” the 72-year-old says with a laugh.
Born in South Africa, Kramer studied classical piano before...
JOE PERRY
JOE PERRY
Tracing his journey through the highs and lows of rock stardom
By Russell Hall
More than forty years have passed since guitarist Joe Perry partnered with singer Steven Tyler to form the songwriting core of Aerosmith. During those years the Boston-based superstar rock band—which also includes bassist Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer and guitarist Brad Whitford—has experienced every triumph and tribulation imaginable. “In the beginning...
SOUNDGARDEN
SOUNDGARDEN
Eclectic tracks from the past find new life on the band’s box set
Kim Thayil isn’t big on loose ends. For years, the Soundgarden guitarist had thought about rounding up all of his band’s B-sides, covers, live tracks, soundtrack cuts and other stray recordings, and now it’s done. The Seattle grunge pioneers released Echo of Miles: Scattered Tracks Across the Path, a triple-disc box set that delivers precisely what the title...
ROBBY KRIEGER
ROBBY KRIEGER
The innovative Doors guitarist wants fans to know the band’s real story
Director Oliver Stone’s 1991 biopic The Doors offered many insights into the legendary group’s music. Now, with the release of the Doors’ self-produced 1968 film documentary Feast of Friends, fans have access to a more realistic depiction of band members’ lives and their creative process. At its center is Robby Krieger, whose dazzling guitar work helped...
SMASHING PUMPKINS
SMASHING PUMPKINS
Billy Corgan’s latest features familiar-but-fresh sounds and a new Crüe
Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan doesn’t mean to burst your bubble—but if you’re thinking “hopeful and positive” when you hear “Monuments,” a standout track on the new Smashing Pumpkins album Monuments to an Elegy, then you’re mistaken. Speaking from Chicago, Corgan says that the line “I feel all right tonight” is “kind of meant...
JOE BONAMASSA
JOE BONAMASSA
The dedicated bluesman mines Music City talent for an album of originals
When Joe Bonamassa started work on his 11th solo release, Different Shades of Blue, the guitarist-vocalist knew he needed to shake things up. So Bonamassa teamed up with top Nashville songwriters—including Jonathan Cain, James House and Jerry Flowers—to pen original tunes. “I owed it to my fans to do an all-original record, and I owed it to myself to prove...
KRISTIN CHENOWETH
KRISTIN CHENOWETH
The effervescent actress and singer does her hometown proud on a new album
On her first live album, Coming Home, Kristin Chenoweth found herself on familiar terrain. The Tony Award-winning actress and singer performed a pair of sold-out shows at the Kristin Chenoweth Theatre in her hometown of Arrow, Okla. “I absolutely wanted to make my hometown a part of the album, so I had my high school choir sing backup on one of the gospel...
BUSH
BUSH
With a new album, the grunge-rockers are on the road and on the run again
When it came to Bush’s new album, Man on the Run, founder and frontman Gavin Rossdale was in a quandary about what to call it. “I always thought it’s a cop-out to use a song title as an album title,” says Rossdale. “But I wanted something universal, and that song stood out as something affecting most people—not having enough time to satisfy every area...
CHARLI XCX
CHARLI XCX
The red-hot songwriter channels a variety of influences on her latest
Charli XCX is blowing up—from her co-writes and features on Icona Pop’s “I Love It” and Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy” to her own solo hit “Boom Clap,” the 22-year-old U.K. singer-songwriter has dominated the airwaves for the past two years (and earned two Grammy nominations).
After releasing several under-the-radar singles from various mixtapes, an EP and her...
BILLY IDOL
BILLY IDOL
Looking back—and forward—with a new book and fresh music
Billy Idol relived the first 58 years of his life while writing his new autobiography Dancing With Myself. He remembers wandering around his house in the middle of the night, thinking about the music he made with punk rockers Generation X in the 1970s, the hits he scored as a solo artist in the ’80s, and his encounters and collaborations with everyone from Debbie Harry to...
KÊTA
KÊTA
HOMETOWN: Greenwood, Ind.
influences: Elvis Presley, Imogen Heap, the Supremes
ALBUM: Generation Call EP, out now
WEBSITE: whoisketa.com
Born into a musical home—her mother was a classically trained violinist and vocalist, and her father played guitar—Kêta grew up singing at church and county fairs. But at the age of 10, her budding career was halted after contracting Lyme disease. “My life was all doctor’s appointments, tests, needles...
LARKIN POE
LARKIN POE
HOMETOWN: Atlanta
INFLUENCES: Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, the Band
ALBUM: Kin, out now
WEBSITE: larkinpoe.com
As descendants of Edgar Allan Poe, sister duo Larkin Poe has extended a long line of talented yet tempestuous artists. “We have a very colorful family history,” says Rebecca Lovell, 23. “There were a lot of creative, hot-headed and intelligent branches that went against the grain in our family tree.” Early on, Larkin Poe...
RO SHON
RO SHON
HOMETOWN: L.A.
INFLUENCES: Prince, will.i.am, Michael Jackson
ALBUM: I Am Ro Shon EP, out now
WEBSITE: roshon.com
Ro Shon burst onto the scene as star of the Disney hit show Shake It Up and celebrity dancer on Dancing With the Stars. But he decided to take a break from TV to focus on his greatest passion. “Music is something I’ve done all my life,” says Ro Shon, 23. “But I haven’t really taken that step to say, ‘Here I am!’...