Joe Bonamassa recently gave Music Radar a track-by-track preview of his new album Dust Bowl. Here's what Joe says about the album: "On Dust Bowl, my mission statement was to re-establish myself as a solo artist. I wanted to make a rootsy blues record and remind people that I'm not from England or Greece, which some fans may think. Getting some earthy grit on the tracks was … [Read more...]
John Mayer on Dynamics in Soloing
This is a video of John Mayer at a Berklee College of Music clinic in 2008 discussing how to build dynamics when soloing, followed by a performance of "Waiting on the World to Change": I like how John compares soloing to singing. You wouldn't start out by yelling to the crowd; you would build up the dynamics in the song to a high point. … [Read more...]
The Real Death of the Music Industry
Michael DeGusta has posted a chart of music industry revenue in America illustrating how revenue really has been shrinking significantly over the past 10 years. His analysis indicates that the industry is down 64% since it's peak in 1999. While I have little sympathy for an industry that has been extremely slow to react to the market, I do find it alarming that fewer people are … [Read more...]
Celebrating 60 Years of the Telecaster
This year, Fender is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Fender Telecaster. Many things have changed in the past 60 years, but the Telecaster remains largely unchanged from its original design, which is a real testament to Leo Fender's original design. Fender has created a video featuring a number of artists who have come together to discuss their appreciation for the … [Read more...]
Hendrix Mosaic Made From Picks
UK artist Ed Chapman created a mosaic of Jimi Hendrix out of picks that was recently sold to raise £23,000 for Cancer research: “Jimi Hendrix is a guitar maestro and nobody played a Fender guitar like him,” said Chapman, who has earned a reputation of his own for bringing a contemporary twist to an ancient medium. ”I decided to use plectrums to create a portrait of him … [Read more...]