SPREE WILSON HOMETOWN: Nashville INFLUENCES: Fleetwood Mac, Outkast, Snoop Dogg ALBUM: The Spark, out soon WEBSITE: spreewilson.com Rapper, singer and guitarist Spree Wilson grew up in the capital of country music, Nashville—but while he enjoyed learning from the city’s rich musical tapestry, he knew his own destiny lay elsewhere. After high school he headed to Clark Atlanta University, where producer Dallas Austin became an invaluable mentor.... 

CRAIG CAMPBELL HOMETOWN: Lyons, Ga. INFLUENCES: Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Travis Tritt ALBUM: Craig Campbell, out now WEBSITE: craigcampbell.tv Craig Campbell first fell in love with music while performing at church, where he played piano for his local Baptist congregation throughout his teens. Winning a regional singing competition at age 15 set his career path in stone. “I wanted to be onstage for sure,” he says. “The crowd response is... 

RACHAEL SAGE Romance, record deals and the reality of making it  on your own terms   Singer, songwriter and pianist Rachael Sage’s 10th and latest album, Haunted by You, is a song cycle about love, loss and immediate entanglement. Its tale parallels Sage’s own recent personal trajectory, which began with the dissolution of a longtime relationship, followed by a torrid overseas affair—one she soon realized was doomed to fail. But don’t... 

GOSSIP Beth Ditto on personalities, producers and rocking for the right reasons   Creating the follow-up to a hot-selling major-label debut can be downright stressful, but Gossip was looking to do so with as little drama as possible. After 2009’s Music for Men proved a success, the Portland trio’s members readied a new batch of songs—but found themselves unsettled on the album’s direction. “Being just a three-piece, it would be easy to... 

ANDREW BIRD Breaking out with his barn, his band, his baby and his books     After a long stretch of working mainly solo, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird was in a more sociable mood while making his latest album, Break It Yourself. It’s easily Bird’s most collaborative effort in years. He recorded the 14 songs during two week-long stints playing with his band in a barn on his family’s farm in Western Illinois.... 

SPECTRUM ROAD Jack Bruce and friends pay tribute to one of fusion’s founding fathers    The word “supergroup” gets tossed around a lot, but Spectrum Road makes an impressive case for itself. Each member of the quartet comes with a wildly impressive résumé. Guitarist Vernon Reid is the prime mover behind Living Colour, the juggernaut that helped define rock-funk in the ’80s. Keyboardist John Medeski, one-third of Medeski Martin &... 

DAR WILLIAMS  Making sense of the modern world through the myths of an ancient time   When she titled her eighth and latest album In the Time of Gods, singer and songwriter Dar Williams wasn’t just looking for something that sounded lofty. On the contrary, Williams has lately been fascinated with Greek mythology and its gods and goddesses—Zeus, Hermes, Athena and their compatriots, whose tales she considers a prism through which to see the... 

THE HIVES Sweden’s super-caffeinated, supremely confident rockers rediscover one another   Onstage, Hives frontman “Howlin’” Pelle Almqvist has moves like Jagger and the personality of a carnival barker. Comically arrogant, he’s there to tell you how great his band is and how thoroughly you’re about to be rocked. Discussing the group’s latest studio effort, Almqvist is less prone to bold proclamations. He’s plenty confident, but... 

GARBAGE Pioneering alt-rockers push forward, leaving the labels and the ’90s behind   On the eve of Garbage’s first tour in more than seven years, guitarist Duke Erikson is puzzled. “I’m trying to figure out how the hell to pack all this stuff,” he says, facing an unruly pile of clothes. “I can’t remember how I did this before.” Luckily, he and his bandmates had no such trouble reminding themselves of the chemistry that propelled... 

GLENN FREY The Eagles’ co-leader takes a solo flight through classic love songs  “The Eagles is the mothership,” says Glenn Frey. “We venture to and from that.” For his first solo album in 20 years, the 63-year-old Detroit native ventured far indeed: After Hours is a collection of love songs dating from the ’40s to the present. Producing with Richard F.W. Davis and Michael Thompson, Frey gives candlelit treatment to such gems as Johnny... 

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT It was the best of times, it was the worst of times—now let’s dance      After spending a few years exploring esoteric pursuits like composing the opera Prima Donna and staging a Judy Garland tribute at Carnegie Hall, Rufus Wainwright was ready to aim for the mainstream. “My listeners have been very patient with my little dalliances,” he says. “So I wanted to give them the kind of record you can bring to a party and... 

RODNEY CROWELL  A unique teaming with poet Mary Karr brings it all back home   After more than three decades, 13 solo albums and collaborations with some of music’s greatest names, Rodney Crowell knows a born songwriter when he sees one—even if that particular songwriter has never written a song. When he read poet and memoirist Mary Karr’s 1995 book The Liars’ Club, he couldn’t help but see the parallels between himself and the author—they... 

HOWARD BENSON  From aircraft to songcraft and from aerospace to star power            By Michael Gallant For multiplatinum, Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson, the crucial skill that led to success in the music business was … aerospace engineering? “Music has a math component to me,” Benson explains. “It’s complicated and fun, and I’m blessed to do it every day. Plus the same organizational skills apply. Just instead of making... 

GRACE POTTER She and her Nocturnals look a little more glam, but they’re grittier than ever   By Russell Hall  Back in 2010, fans of Grace Potter and the Nocturnals had a couple of big changes to deal with. First there were two new members, bass player Catherine Popper and guitarist Benny Yurco. But for listeners who had been following the band since it first hit the jam-band circuit in the early 2000s, the second change might have been even... 

SESAC Hosts Pop Music Awards Rico Love Named Songwriter of the Year “Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You)” Wins Song of the Year Honors EMI Foray Music Named Publisher of the Year Bryan-Michael Cox Celebrated w/ Inspiration Award” Pictured (left to right): Jacob Luttrell (writer of Song Of The Year, “Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You”)), Bryan-Michael Cox (Inspiration Award honoree), Usher & Rico Love (Songwriter Of The Year). SESAC, the... 

NOTION MUSIC NOTATION FOR iPAD Take note NOTION Music has developed an award-winning line of applications designed to streamline the process of creating, editing and notating music. True to form, the new NOTION for iPad harnesses the popular tablet’s touch-screen capabilities for an impressive end-user experience. The 24-fret interactive guitar fingerboard makes it easy to transcribe nearly anything you’d play on your instrument to tab or music... 

COLLINGS GUITARS SOCO 16 LC Superior craftsmanship, exceptional tone  Austin master luthier Bill Collings has been crafting inspired instruments for decades. While the star power of his international clientele (from Mumford & Sons to Keith Urban) is impressive, the quality of his craftsmanship is obvious to anyone the moment you open the case. The SoCo 16 LC draws its inspiration from a bygone era, blending vintage tones and aesthetics with... 

AMPKIT LiNK Big tones that fit in your pocket  Peavey and Agile Partners teamed up to create what may well be the best iOS interface and app combination we’ve come across. AmpKit LiNK connects to the headphone jack of any current iOS device via the hard-wired 1/8-inch cable, while its input and earphone jacks utilize a metal housing to insure a drama-free fit. The free AmpKit app features ultra-fat tones, built-in loops, backing tracks, iTunes... 

FRACTAL AUDIO AXE-FX II All-in-one preamp and effects processor The Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II has earned kudos from the likes of Steve Vai and John Petrucci based on the staggering depth of the sounds it creates. Powered by dual Analog Devices TigerSHARC Digital Signal Processors, the Axe-Fx II is the most powerful processor of its kind, providing stellar amp, effect, cabinet and microphone modeling in addition to traditional signal processing. The... 

PRESONUS FIRESTUDIO MOBILE Next-generation, studio-quality FireWire interface to go The engineers at PreSonus have been keeping themselves busy developing an array of intelligently crafted audio solutions. FireStudio Mobile comes bundled with Studio One Artist, making it one of the smartest buys on the market. The front panel’s dual combination instrument/mic inputs deliver superior sound thanks to PreSonus’ XMAX Class A preamps. Throw in the... 

DIGITECH iSTOMP iOS-fueled versatile stompbox Over the past several years Harman-owned DigiTech, HardWire and DOD have released a number of outstanding and innovative guitar products. The iStomp downloads these successes into what DigiTech describes as an e-pedal. While the iStomp functions like a traditional pedal, it can be reconfigured to virtually any guitar effect. Download the free Stomp Shop app and configure the iStomp by connecting DigiTech’s... 

SONOR STEVE SMITH SIGNATURE SNARE  Immediate and effortless response Steve Smith has been a Sonor endorser for 30-plus years, spanning his tenure in Journey and his work with Vital Information. Sonor’s signature Steve Smith snare brilliantly reflects this range of experience with its tonality and playability. For drummers in the studio or live, the snare can make or break a mix—and this beautiful 14”x5.5” steel cast drum sounds every bit... 

PROPELLERHEAD FIGURE Putting the fun in functionality for iOS devices The concept behind Figure was to inject Reason’s signature sounds into an app designed for the way people actually use their mobile devices—in quick bursts and on the go. Its core functionality centers around two bar loops. Tapping the drum, bass or lead tabs allows you to select your instrument of choice, while sideways swipes on the patch names enable you to select alternate... 

ABLETON LIVE 8 Inspiration at the speed of live Ableton Live 8 adds even more mojo to a loop-centric recording and performance application popular with musicians and DJs alike. Live’s hyperflexible workflow is driven by the Library menu, allowing you to drag and drop elements from multiple folders at any time. Parameter presets from previous Live Sets sessions can easily be repurposed, further reducing repetitive workflow from song to song. While... 

MIKTEK C7 LARGE DIAPHRAGM CONDENSER MIC Precision engineered for superior performance Miktek was founded by studio owner and industry vet Michael Ketchell, inventor of MegaMix Automation. Blending vintage character with modern features, the C7 has garnered more than its share of kudos from noted artists, engineers and producers. While the C7 excels at recording vocals, the selectable cardioid, omni and bidirectional patterns make it a real powerhouse... 

GET TO KNOW MARTIN AMBASSADOR HUNTER HAYES The new face of Martin Guitar exposing our great brand to a new and young consumer base!   Hunter on ABC’s Good Morning America January 23, 2012 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mY4_Q7Rgvc4&feature=youtu.be   www.hunterhayes.com Facebook – 191, 202 fans! Twitter – 107,105 followers!  Read More →

THE HISTORY OF TONE WITH DIANE PONZIO  | NECK TO BODY JOINTS  Read More →

DAVE DOLL’S PRO TIPS | “USING A STRAP”   Read More →

OM JEFF DANIELS CUSTOM SIGNATURE EDITION OM JEFF DANIELS CUSTOM SIGNATURE EDITION - An Actor/Musician’s Passion Inspires An Intriguing Orchestra Model        Read More →

SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME 43rd Annual Induction Ceremony & Awards Presentation Thursday, June 14th, 2012 New York Marriot Marquis, Broadway at 45th Street, New York City    Read More →

NAMM 2012, ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA TAYLOR GUITARS http://www.taylorguitars.com/      Read More →

NAMM 2012 SOUND BARRIER    Read More →

NAMM 2012 SIERRA GUITARS http://www.sierraguitars.net/  Read More →

NAMM 2012 SHURE http://www.shure.com/  Read More →

NAMM 2012 SEYMOUR DUNCAN http://www.seymourduncan.com/    Read More →

NAMM 2012 REUNION BLUES http://www.reunionblues.com/      Read More →

NAMM 2012 PREMIER PERCUSSION http://www.premier-percussion.com/  Read More →

NAMM 2012 PETERSON STROBE TUNERS http://www.petersontuners.com/    Read More →

NAMM 2012 MXL    Read More →

NAMM 2012 MERIDIAN DRUMS  Read More →

NAMM 2012 KYSER http://www.kysermusical.com/  Read More →

NAMM 2012 KMC MUSICORP http://www.kmcmusicorp.com/    Read More →

NAMM 2012 KHS AMERICA  Read More →

NAMM 2012 KAIFAT ELECTRON http://www.kaifatelectron.com/    Read More →

NAMM 2012 IBANEZ http://www.ibanez.com/  Read More →

NAMM 2012 HUGHES & KETTNER http://www.hughes-and-kettner.com/    Read More →

NAMM 2012 HH ELECTRONICS http://www.hhelectronics.com/  Read More →

NAMM 2012 HAYDEN    Read More →

NAMM 2012 FRAMUS http://www.framus.de  Read More →

NAMM 2012 FOSTEX http://www.fostex.com/  Read More →