Steve Lukather: "The bassline was easy. It wasn't like I had to be Jaco Pastorius" By Nick Wells published 19 April 23 How the legendary guitarist ended up playing bass on Michael Jackson’s Beat It
U2’s Adam Clayton: “The bass has to either be sexy or aggressive, or it shouldn’t be there as far as I’m concerned” By Amit Sharma published 19 April 23 The bassist for one of biggest rock bands of all time on cramming a stadium-ready rig into Fender’s first-ever signature bass amp, what prompted him to play an Ibanez on one of the group’s most iconic songs, and why he’s only just started exploring five-strings four decades into his career
Six-string psychonaut Kavus Torabi on the mythology of Gong, Hotel California moments with Steve Hillage and his epiphany with scales By Jamie Dickson published 18 April 23 Torabi plays in some of Britain’s most out-there bands, fronting Gong to playing with Steve Hillage and former snooker champion Steve Davis. We join him on the search for Utopia
Phil Collen on Jeff Beck: “Jeff’s amp blew up and his pedalboard didn’t work, so they just brought in another Marshall – he sounded exactly the same. He didn’t even flinch” By Jenna Scaramanga published 18 April 23 The Def Leppard guitarist reflects on the life and legacy of Jeff Beck, and explains how Beck's trailblazing style is all over the the Leppard catalog
Best single coil pickups 2023: From trailblazing designs to vintage traditionalists By Ross Holder published 18 April 23 From Fender Telecaster twang to Gibson P-90 bite, we’ve compiled our pick of the best aftermarket single coils your money can buy right now
Watch Mountain’s Felix Papplardi and Leslie West tear Pennsylvania a new one on Mississippi Queen as they redefine ‘heavy’ for the 70s By Tom Poak published 17 April 23 “All stoner and doom bands are foam in the wake of Mountain!” An unmissable performance that generated some amazing YouTube comments
Best acoustic guitar strings 2023: outfit your acoustic with the strings it deserves By Chris Corfield last updated 17 April 23 Our pick of the best acoustic guitar string sets, and everything you need to know about them
A.A. Williams: “I didn’t have lessons or learn other people’s tabs or anything. I think there’s a punk-rock quality in that” By Glenn Kimpton published 17 April 23 A pianist and cellist who never learned to play guitar in standard tuning, Williams is a player like no other, and her new album, As the Moon Rests, is a wild trip into new sounds and textures
Dom Martin: “You got beat up for playing guitar where I came from, so it was always very insular learning how to play” By Jenna Scaramanga published 17 April 23 Meet the Belfast-born heir to legendary Irish guitar hero Rory Gallagher
Remembering David Crosby, a giant of American songwriting who gave the ‘60s a voice By Henry Yates published 17 April 23 As architect of two ‘60s supergroups – and spokesman for the peace and love generation – Crosby will be remembered for his contribution to the counterculture, not the darkness in his life
Code Orange’s Reba Meyers: “Growing up, I never listened to guitar players other than myself. I just did my thing” By Jenna Scaramanga published 17 April 23 Just because Code Orange's new album is a remix doesn't mean the guitars aren't front and center. Here, Meyers unpacks the amp worship and pedalboard iconoclasm behind her crushing sound
The Lowlist: Blondie’s Parallel Lines – the album that defined New Wave By Mike Brooks published 16 April 23 The rhythm section was "was totally out of whack". The producer was "like Adolf Hitler". But out of it all came an all-time classic.
The 1973 Paul McCartney TV Special is not only the most ’70s thing you’ll ever see, it’s a fascinating snapshot of a post-Beatles McCartney By Tom Poak published 16 April 23 50 years ago, the James Paul McCartney TV special hit the screens. Born out of acrimony, and panned by critics, it’s a flawed but fascinating insight into McCartney’s mindset
"The Breeders, Hole, Sonic Youth, The Smashing Pumpkins all had female bass players. That was definitely an inspiration": When Melissa Auf Der Maur went solo By Joel McIver published 15 April 23 From the Archive: Melissa Auf Der Maur on gear, grunge and the fine art of going solo
Jeff Beck’s 10 most iconic guitars By Chris Gill published 14 April 23 From the Oxblood Les Paul and the Strat we all know and love to Beck's lesser-spotted favorites, here are the greatest hits from one of guitar's finest collections
The Darkness’s Frankie Poullain: “If you go too posh with distortion, it gets too precise and nice. It’s got to be a bit nasty and a bit wrong” By Joel McIver last updated 14 April 23 The world’s last great hard-rock band with an advanced sense of humor are back with new album Motorheart. Bassist Poullain brings the pick and the thumb...
The genius of Charles Mingus: activist, writer and jazz legend By Dr Nichole Rustin-Paschal last updated 14 April 23 Mingus biographer Dr Nichole Rustin-Paschal offers an academic perspective on the musical legacy of one of the most iconic figures in jazz history
"If you’re overplaying, you’re under-listening": Rocco Prestia on 50 years with Tower of Power By Chris Jisi published 13 April 23 From the archive: in our last in-depth interview with Rocco Prestia he looked back over his five decades with Tower Of Power
Thundercat: “People are telling me to turn down, and I’m like, No! I’m trying to burn down the stage!” By Nick Wells published 12 April 23 The 6-string superhero on his gigantic bass tone, and how he nearly set fire to the Sydney Opera House
Slash on his love of Les Pauls: “That Kris Derrig Les Paul came in the 11th hour when we were doing Appetite. It just sounded f**kin’ perfect – like a gift from on high” By Amit Sharma published 12 April 23 The Guns N' Roses guitarist and rock icon talks about the guitars he treasures most – including buying and returning Joe Perry's Dark Burst LP – and reveals how his love for Les Pauls has inspired and shaped him as a player...