Songwriter Doug Strahm says “‘Leaving It Behind’ is a song for our U.S. Servicemen: for everyone who has sacrificed … everyone.” After over 11,000 views on YouTube, people have responded by saying “Wait for the ending of this powerful music video about a US serviceman who is deployed and missing the one he loves who is back home.” Strahm’s song is from his new album Everything Has Changed recorded at Sweetwater Studios in Fort Wayne,... 

THE CONCEPT OF WILLIE NELSON Confession: Something was missing in my recent bit on Willie Nelson’s 80th birthday. But I only realized it last week during a long walk home crosstown from the Cutting Room, where I and my new two friends had just seen Buster Poindexter (more on that later). During the show’s intermission, Lincoln Foley Schofield, the club’s booker, asked me how I liked the Willie celebration. It hadn’t even been a week, and I’d... 

DARLENE LOVE – 20 FEET Darlene Love, who at this point deserves to be called the Eighth Wonder of the World, noted after an outdoor screening at Open Road Rooftop (the roof of a former high school on the Lower East Side) of Twenty Feet From Stardom how most of the background singers that are the subject of the film—herself included—came from church music beginnings. She had just finished reprising live “Lean On Me,” which she performs,... 

 Kyser® Musical Products and Fender Musical Instruments Corporation Create Co-branded Red Capo for Electric Guitars  By Max Lintner June 5, 2013 Canton, Texas – Kyser Musical Products® and Fender Musical Instrument Corporation have teamed up to bring you a Special Edition Quick-Change® Capo. Kyser announced in May 2013 that it manufactured a Candy Apple Red electric guitar capo per the branding guidelines of Fender®. Kyser expects this partnership... 

INSIDE COLLINGS GUITARS |  VIDEO FEATURE   Selecting the perfect spruce top is one of the most important steps in crafting a great guitar, as it can have tremendous impact on the tone of the instrument.  Master luthier and wood expert Bruce VanWart discusses spruce varieties used at Collings Guitars as well as the importance of proper cutting, selection, and individual hand-voicing.    Read More →

WILLIE NELSON Consider this most varied grouping: Barbra Streisand, Sheryl Crow, Kris Kristofferson, Tony Bennett, Bono, John Mayer, Elvis Costello, Cyndi Lauper, Steven Tyler, Paul Anka, Carlos Santana, Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy Osbourne, Emmylou Harris, Sandra Bernhard, Dan Akroyd, Brad Paisley, Iggy Pop, Steve Earle, Tom Morello, Daryl Hall , John Oates, Marky Ramone, Lemmy, Tom Kenny, Vince Gill, B.J. Thomas, Howard Stern, Billy F Gibbons, Ranger... 

The M.I.C Event – June 12, at The Conga Room at LA Live The M.I.C presented by The Senate Music Group Candice Pillay Born in South Africa, Candice is a South African Pop and R&B singer, songwriter, and model that is based in Los Angeles, California. After leaving South Africa at the age of 17, Candice was discovered by Quincy Jones at a choir competition due to her 5 octave voice. Since arriving in Los Angeles, Candice has worked with the... 

THE ROLLING STONES & CARRIE UNDERWOOD Carrie Underwood Speaking of the Stones, did you see where Carrie Underwood came out to sing on “It’s Only Rock ’n’ Roll (But I Like It)” during their show in Toronto? Reminds me of the first time I saw the Stones, 1975 tour, County Stadium, Milwaukee. The Eagles and Rufus opened. I’m with Lebowski on The Eagles, and could just as easily have seen the Stones without Rufus. I don’t remember who... 

FOGERTY & BURDON—FORTUNATE ONES The latest Rolling Stones round of touring brought forth the predictably two-part, contradictory media response: 1. They’re too old to rock ‘n’ roll and should have hung it up decades ago, and 2. Isn’t it incredible how Mick Jagger can run around the stage at 70? Quickly, no, the Stones aren’t too old to rock ’n’ roll, not so long as fans are still willing to shell out the big bucks to watch. And,... 

CUTTING THE CORD Wireless sound offers freedom to roam the stage,but is it the right option for you? Anyone who’s caught a major live act in the last decade has seen and heard wireless technology in action. From stage-diving rock stars to tightly choreographed pop groups, wireless mics and instrument systems have redefined the live music experience. Long gone are the days of performers tethered to the stage with restricting cords. But is wireless... 

BACK TO THE FUTURE As musicians flock to the warm sound of analog, what are the best recording choices for you?  Years ago even the most intrepid musicians couldn’t make an album without renting a pro recording studio and all the pricey yet required accoutrement that went with it. Today the process is fast, easy and cheap—anyone with a laptop and a few accessories can create an album in a bedroom. Digital technology has changed everything. Or... 

THE BIG PICTURE A memorable video can be the key to taking your act to the next level Back in the day, blowing up big often began with a lucky live gig in which an A&R rep happened to be in the audience. Or having your demo land on the right record exec’s desk. Today, artists from Justin Bieber and OK Go to Carly Rae Jepsen and PSY have catapulted to stardom thanks to clips on YouTube, Vimeo and other video websites. In fact, it’s hard to... 

WRITTEN BY: DAVID BOWIE RECORDED: TRIDENT STUDIOS, LONDON PRODUCED BY: GUS DUDGEON DAVID BOWIE: VOCALS, ACOUSTIC GUITAR, STYLOPHONE HERBIE FLOWERS: BASS TERRY COX: DRUMS MICK WAYNE: ELECTRIC GUITAR RICK WAKEMAN: MELLOTRON, PIANO PAUL BUCKMASTER: STRINGS FROM THE ALBUM: DAVID BOWIE (1969)   “Space Oddity” DAVID BOWIE In the dark of London’s Cinerama theater, 22-year-old David Bowie stared at the space embryo floating across the theater’s... 

CHAKA KHAN HAD ONLY RECENTLY ACHIEVED stardom when photographer Norman Seeff shot this session for Rufus’ 1974 album, Rufusized. “I was living in my studio in Los Angeles,” Seeff recalls. “She began rolling around on my bed like a teenage girl—barefoot, wiggling her big toe at me. It was fun, creative and free.” The session was the first of several Seeff shot with the R&B legend, whose talent was entwined with a fragile temperament.... 

PARAMORE A GAME CHANGE Now a trio, Paramore bounces back from turmoil with a cathartic, creative new set By Russell Hall Sometimes it’s true: What doesn’t destroy you makes you stronger. Just ask Paramore. Two years ago, with mainstream success firmly in their grasp, two key members of the pop-rock group walked away. Remaining members—singer Hayley Williams, bassist Jeremy Davis and guitarist Taylor York—were roiled by the defection, unsure... 

GREG KURSTIN Blazing his own trail from jazz scholar to pop hit-maker By Michael Gallant He’s produced a bevy of wildly successful artists including Kelly Clarkson, Pink, Ke$ha, Tegan and Sara, James Blunt, Dido and the Shins. But Greg Kurstin came to his hit-making career through an unconventional route—as a student of jazz piano. “I loved arranging songs and finding different voicings for chords,” says Kurstin, who studied at New York’s... 

THE BAND PERRY Guidance from a production guru yields a meticulously crafted album   After the success of the Band Perry’s 2010 debut album and multiplatinum smash “If I Die Young,” the family band was uncertain about their follow-up record, Pioneer. So the country trio trekked to Malibu, Calif., to hone their songs with the man they called the Song Doctor, producer Rick Rubin—and hone they did. “Every song we wrote, we rewrote again and... 

PAUL WILLIAMS The once-ubiquitous songwriter returns to stage, screen—and Capitol Hill Paul Williams became wildly successful for penning romantic 1970s hits including “We’ve Only Just Begun,” “An Old Fashioned Love Song” and “Evergreen.” But behind the scenes Paul Williams battled demons of addiction. “I did 48 Tonight shows,” he says. “I remember six.” Goodbye, Johnny Carson; hello, Betty Ford. Today, more than 20 years clean... 

ALICE IN CHAINS Setting the musical bar high and releasing no album before its time      In July 2011, Alice in Chains frontman Jerry Cantrell began working on the band’s new record, but the process proved too painful—not artistically but physically. The guitarist was experiencing severe shoulder pain and underwent surgery to remove bone deposits. A nightmarish scenario for any guitar player, Cantrell wrote it off as an occupational hazard.... 

STEPHEN STILLS His career at 60 years and counting, an icon looks back—and forward By Jeff Tamarkin Even at 82 tracks packed onto four CDs, Carry On, the new Stephen Stills retrospective boxed set, barely scratches the surface of one of rock’s most iconic careers. After all, how can one afternoon’s listening encapsulate a half-century of creativity? We first heard Stills in 1966 with Buffalo Springfield (“For What It’s Worth” remains... 

BOZ SCAGGS  The genre-blending genius takes on classic songs in a historic studio  By Jeff Tamarkin Play Boz Scaggs’ 44-year-old debut album, his 1976 multiplatinum megahit Silk Degrees, or his pair of standards records from the past decade, and one constant emerges from his music: He remains true to his vision, finding that sweet spot where R&B, pop, jazz, blues and rock intersect and then customizing it. Scaggs’ attention to detail, level... 

EVE After a decade of changes, the rapper turns up the intensity on a new set  In the 11 years since her last album, Eve has been rather busy. She released singles, made guest appearances on more than a dozen tracks for other artists, had her own sitcom, appeared in the two Barbershop films, and launched a fashion line. But Lip Lock, her long-awaited return, wasn’t a snap decision. “It’s been a bit of journey. I’ve been trying to put out... 

SPIN DOCTORS   The alt-rockers revisit their blues roots and reinvent their sound   While touring in England behind the 2011 release of Pocket Full of Kryptonite: 20th Anniversary Edition, the Spin Doctors made a discovery: Their future lay in their past. Before the band hit the charts in the early ’90s with peppy, poppy alt-rock tunes such as “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong,” “Two Princes” and “Jimmy Olsen’s Blues,” their stock... 

PATTY GRIFFIN The beloved singer-songwriter crafts a melodic tribute to her father “When I was younger, I could dive headfirst into writing about things like I knew a lot about them,” says Patty Griffin. She pauses, then laughs, “Now I realize I don’t know anything about anything.” Considering the singer-songwriter’s poetic and revealing lyrics have led artists like Emmylou Harris and the Dixie Chicks to record her material, many would... 

TALIB KWELI Proving labels can’t confine or define him on   his latest project  Talib Kweli has a well-earned reputation for being a smart, socially and politically aware lyricist. But with Prisoner of Conscious, his fifth solo album, Kweli is hoping to show he’s in touch with his emotional side. “Just calling the album Prisoner of Conscious,” says the rapper. “I don’t see myself as a prisoner of conscience, so I set out to make an... 

ADAM ANT The former U.K. chart-topper gets back into the swing of performing     Creatively speaking, Adam Ant has soared over the mountaintops and stumbled on the valley’s floor. Clinically diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2003, he had fallen off the radar eight years earlier, after the release of Wonderful. He eventually battled through the disease to release Adam Ant Is the BlueBlack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner’s Daughter, his first studio... 

STEPH MACPHERSON HOMETOWN: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada INFLUENCES: Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, Joni Mitchell                                              ALBUM: Bells & Whistles, out now WEBSITE: stephmacpherson.com As a child in British Columbia, Steph Macpherson entertained family and friends by singing along with pop divas Madonna and Tiffany and Disney movies like The Little Mermaid. Soon she began taking piano... 

KREE WOODS HOMETOWN: Memphis, Tenn. INFLUENCES: Joni Mitchell, Patty Griffin, John Mayer ALBUM: Talking Underwater, out now WEBSITE: kreewoods.com After graduating from Auburn University with a degree in musical theater, Kree Woods was headed to New York City. That is, until a meeting in Nashville with Grammy Award-winning engineer and producer John Jaszcz. Sensing her potential, he convinced her to reconsider and record a few tracks. Her self-titled... 

CHARLIE WORSHAM HOMETOWN: Grenada, Miss. INFLUENCES: Vince Gill, Marty Stuart, ZZ Top ALBUM: As yet untitled LP, out 2013 WEBSITE: charlieworsham.com Born and raised in Mississippi hill country, Charlie Worsham was a child prodigy, playing banjo with bluegrass legend Jimmy Martin at the Ryman Auditorium at the age of 10. Two years later, he performed at the Grand Ole Opry with Mike Snider. Studying at Boston’s Berklee College of Music further honed... 

KIM RICHEY On her latest effort, the acclaimed singer-songwriter highlights harmonies    Kim Richey has been on the move—Colorado, Boston, Washington, South America, Europe and London, where she spent three years. She returned to Nashville for the third time last summer to make her new album, Thorn in My Heart. Richey’s first venture to Music City after college included a stint as a cook at the famed Bluebird Café where she glimpsed singer-songwriters... 

ASCAP Katie Cole Jon Lind Steve Lilywhite Jenni Alpert Judy Collins Zuri Star Jon Lind, Gretchen Peters, Randy Goodrum Gretchen Peters Randy Goodrum Judy Collins    Read More →

AMBOY DUKES Marshall Crenshaw Not often you’re confronted with an ethical dilemma at a rock show. It happened last week at Marshall Crenshaw’s show at New York’s City Winery, first song. I was probably the only one with the problem, maybe the only one who recognized it. Crenshaw didn’t say anything before or after opening with the case in point, “Journey to the Center of the Mind.” Actually, besides three people I knew in the audience,... 

ROD STEWART Time [Capitol] After a decade of lucrative, critically unloved covers records—five Great American Songbook sets, plus collections of rock and soul chestnuts—Rod Stewart has finally gone back to writing songs. The impetus, he’s said, was his 2012 autobiography, which got him thinking back, taking stock, and basically doing what rock stars do when they research a certain age. With Time, the 68-year-old superstar sings his life in 12... 

BRAD PAISLEY Wheelhouse  [Arista Nashville] Since upping the ante with the musically and lyrically progressive American Saturday Night in 2009, Brad Paisley has positioned himself as a guitar-slinging messiah sent here to abolish a rift between red and blue states. He directly addresses that divide multiple times on Wheelhouse, a hodgepodge of pop culture references and patriotic salutes. On the bluesy “Accidental Racist,” notable for a bizarre... 

TRICKY False Idols [False Idols] It’s been 18 years since Tricky released Maxinquaye, the trip-hop masterpiece that expanded that genre’s parameters. Nine albums later, he’s still trying to top it. The British producer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist named his second album Pre-Millennium Tension, and he’s been working that theme, more or less, ever since. False Idols hits all the usual signposts: densely layered beats, gritty dance rhythms,... 

MUDHONEY Vanishing Point [Sub Pop] As a grunge revival quakes among younger bands, Mudhoney is still rumbling on with the abrasive sound that has served them since Seattle was the center of the alt-rock world. They’ve consistently turned out corrosive guitar records, and their ninth studio effort reflects a keenly focused ferocity. They’ve reined in their trademark overdriven guitars, and yet on these tight, targeted songs, singer Mark Arm’s... 

IGGY & THE STOOGES Ready to Die [Fat Possum] Forty years after James Williamson last contributed to a Stooges album, the guitarist makes his presence known right away on the band’s latest. Opener “Burn” uncorks with the crack of a drum and is immediately overrun with a tidal-wave riff that’s loud, dirty and dangerous—everything that’s always been great about the Stooges. There’s plenty of that on Ready to Die, an album whose best... 

VAMPIRE WEEKEND Modern Vampires of the City  [XL Recordings] Vampire Weekend’s third album expands its varied repertoire with a musical valentine to their hometown of New York City. Set to liquid chords and languid rhythms, the band’s serious-minded lyrics center on the trials of 20-something life. The band incorporates numerous sounds, from rubbery bass on the mod-rockabilly number “Diane Young” to Hammond organ on the Beach Boys-inspired... 

TODD RUNDGREN State [Esoteric Antenna/Cherry Red] Following a recent release that delved into hard rock, fearsome blues and radically redefined versions of seminal songs he produced for others, State finds Rundgren testing his parameters yet again. Chameleon-like by nature, Rundgren revisits the synthesized setups and exotic experimentation that once marked his work with Utopia and later colored solo albums like The Individualist and Nearly Human.... 

GOO GOO DOLLS Magnetic [Warner Bros.] Last time out, on 2010’s Something for the Rest of Us, the Goo Goo Dolls went deep, singing about paralyzed war veterans, the plight of the 99 percent and other bummer subjects far removed from the misunderstood soul who pined for true love in “Iris.” For their 10th album, Magnetic, frontman John Rzeznik returns to familiar territory, penning inspirational tunes with titles like “Bulletproof Angel.”... 

THE POSTAL SERVICE Give Up: Deluxe 10th Anniversary Edition  [Sub Pop] The two biggest sellers in Sub Pop’s history reveal some of the key differences between the generation that raged along with grunge in the early ’90s and the one that took solace in emo in the early ’00s. Whereas Nirvana’s Bleach, which dropped in 1989 but didn’t really hit until a few years later, is caustic and vague—notable less for what Kurt Cobain said than for... 

SHE & HIM Volume 3 [Merge] She & Him—vocalist Zooey Deschanel and producer/guitarist M. Ward—concoct a vibrant spirit on this charming, if kitschy, collection of lo-fi psychedelic pop. Deschanel wrote 11 of the 14 songs, most of which deal with the hardships of new love. Her roll-with-the-punches performance, full of innocent sighs and moody expressions, throbs with ache. On “London,” an abstract, hypnotic piano ballad, she adds shades... 

STEVE EARLE & THE DUKES (& DUCHESSES) The Low Highway [New West] Though not exactly a New Orleans record, Steve Earle’s latest has a distinct Big Easy flavor. In part, that’s because Earle wrote three of the songs for the HBO series Treme, on which he played a street musician. There’s zydeco-style accordion on “That All You Got?”, and jaunty bayou fiddle on “Love’s Gonna Blow My Way,” and the titular reference of “After Mardi... 

THE PASTELS Slow Summits [Domino] Though they haven’t released an official album in 16 years, the Pastels haven’t kept silent. A film soundtrack in 2003 and collaboration with the Japanese band Tenniscoats in 2009 helped the band to evolve its sound, as has a continuously revolving line-up. With Slow Summits, the Pastels’ move from shambolic rock to subdued, off-kilter pop seems complete. Their sound has changed shape, and the thinned-out guitars... 

SOUND CITY [RCA] Dave Grohl’s directorial debut centers on the titular studio—the defunct Southern California facility where Nirvana cut Nevermind and countless other artists did some of their finest work—but that’s not really what this film is about. On a micro level, it’s about “the Neve,” an analog recording console purchased by Sound City’s owners in 1973 for the then-princely sum of $75,000. If Grohl and his buddies—an impressive... 

FACE TO FACE Three Chords and a Half Truth [Rise] Anyone craving a bite of ’90s punk should be moderately satiated by this California quartet’s eighth studio album and second since reforming in 2008 after a four-year hiatus. The Face to Face sound circa 2013 is nearly indistinguishable from that of 20 years ago, even if it lacks the rawness heard on classics like “Disconnected” and “I Used to Think.” Still, frontman Trever Keith hasn’t... 

ÓLÖF ARNALDS Sudden Elevation [One Little Indian] Ólöf Arnalds embraces subtlety in her mixes, even as she creates more complex works. On her third solo album and first entirely in English, the Icelandic singer-songwriter exercises tremendous restraint in her arrangements, and initial listens don’t reveal how much has been seamlessly integrated under the fingerpicked guitars. Arnalds’ classical training is apparent in the sparse string arrangements... 

THE BRYAN FERRY ORCHESTRA The Jazz Age [BMG] Bryan Ferry is no stranger to albums filled with cover songs. But The Jazz Age, credited to the Bryan Ferry Orchestra, is something different: 13 songs, spanning Roxy Music’s first single to Ferry’s most recent solo album, done in the style of 1920s jazz. It’s so lovingly and faithfully recreated that you’re half expecting the clicks and pops of vintage 78s on these lo-fi mono recordings. The Jazz... 

THE THERMALS Signed and Sealed in Blood [Domino] The sixth album from this Portland pop-punk trio sees a return to the kinds of scratchy vocals and trebly guitar strains heard in its earlier work. Freshly signed to Saddle Creek, the band wastes little time getting down to business. “Born to Kill” opens with Hutch Harris simultaneously striking his first guitar note and declaring, “I was born to kill / I was made to slay / unafraid to spill blood... 

AMY SPEACE How to Sleep in a Stormy Boat amyspeace.com In the lead-up to her latest, Amy Speace lost some things—love, judging from the lyrics, and also her voice, thanks to a bout with acute laryngitis. Still, by virtue of being alive and having the friends, family and emotional toughness to muddle on, for better or worse, this Nashville-based singer-songwriter considers herself among the “Fortunate Ones” she sings about on the leadoff track....