Today is the birthday of Adrian Belew who, for years, has managed to make complex music (Zappa, King Crimson, his own) seem easy and fun. Here are some great sounding, relatively recent, beautifully shot videos of his latest band. The man keeps growing and evolving, while magically making digital guitar sounds that are warm and human.
To hold you until my Guitar Player interview comes out (where we focus more on the new record), here is a great interview with Mitch Gallagher at Sweetwater.
They tell me those kinds of headlines attract web traffic, but I believe this actually may be the ultimate Reeves Gabrels interview. An occasional resident of Nashville, the former Bowie, current The Cure guitarist was able to sit down with me for two extensive sessions, during which he was courageously candid about his life, exquisitely detailed about his gear, and immensely interesting in his ideas about music and the art of making it. His new record, Reeves Gabrels & His Imaginary Friends, is a brilliant example of building on the classic blues roots of rock’s yesteryear to create music as modern as tomorrow. So, without further ado: The Ultimate Reeves Gabrels Interview.
My friend Mick Taylor (editor at the British mag Guitarist, not the ex-Stones guitarist) demonstrates the Manson MB-1 & Parker MIDI, asking the question, “Are they the future?.” Since he asked the question in 2010, I think we can safely say, “Not yet.” But, with the new Fishman Triple Play betting on an increase of interest in synth guitar, that particular approach can’t be counted out as yet. As for the onboard x/y pad, I am still praying for a more affordable version soon. What do you think?