Sorry I have fallen behind on posts. Big doings in the Guitar Moderne household. Great new recordings have been rushing in, so here is a long one to catch up. The usual suspects are here in unusual collaborations (Eivind Aarset, Bill Frisell), as well as undersung masters like Matt Stevens, Brandon Seabrook and others.
Though this video has been continuously available in segments on YouTube for years. It is now possible to watch the whole thing continuously. Thanks to Neuguitars for the heads up. Between Covid and Westerhus’ focus on singing through electronics without guitar, there has been precious little new live video. As a bonus I include some of that here.
From the company’s inception, the folks at Meris have had their own take on pedal creation. Elegant packaging and interfaces have been a hallmark. They have outdone themselves with the LVX, however. In addition to the futuristic GUI, bit crushing and granular effects make this not your father’s delay pedal. They also include a tuner so you can take that pedal off your board help make room for this one.
FutureFret: Episode One is the first event in what Vernon Reid and Chris Buono hope to be an ongoing series. The event is this Saturday, May 14th, 2022 and will include a collective of panel discussions, masterclasses and live performances centered around forward-thinking concepts for the modern guitarist. Here is my interview with Vernon about the idea, its possibilities and many other things. Below that is an introductory video and the details.
Rafiq Bhatia is poised to become a force in modern guitar. His trio was the best guitar-based show at the last Big Ears Festival pre-Covid—and that festival included shows by David Torn and Bill Frisell! Check out his record “Breaking English.” He is also in a band called Son Lux that released a three record project in 2021: Tomorrows I,II,& III. If D’Angelo and Bowie had a baby, it might sound something like Son Lux. We talk about all this, and more. I suggest you go to here for his National Sawdust performance and our talk about it. I have posted the original interview I did with him for Electronic Musician below as well.