Adam Kovac

Adam Kovac

Adam is a freelance writer whose work has appeared, aside from Guitar World, in Rolling Stone, Playboy, Esquire and VICE. He spent many years in bands you've never heard of before deciding to leave behind the financial uncertainty of rock'n roll for the lucrative life of journalism. He still finds time to recreate his dreams of stardom in his pop-punk tribute band, Finding Emo.

Latest articles by Adam Kovac

Naia Izumi
Naia Izumi: “The most important part isn’t about the chord voicing, it’s about the melody and bassline”

By Adam Kovac Published

Three years after winning NPR's Tiny Desk Contest, the singer/guitarist is taking his decidedly unique voice – and chord voicings – to the big time

Bassists
Jonathan Long
Jonathon Long: "I like to get crazy and shred, but in the studio, it needs to be clean and understandable"

By Adam Kovac Published

Parables of a Southern Man sees the Louisiana-bred guitarist go from child prodigy to BB King opener to ace frontman

Artists
Danko Jones
Danko Jones talks longevity, regrets and the evolution of his hard-rocking guitar tone

By Adam Kovac Published

The Canadian rock stalwart returns with Power Trio, an album of no-holds-barred swagger and politically charged anthems

Artists
The Scottish pirate metal band Alestorm performs a live concert during the Danish heavy metal festival Copenhell 2018 in Copenhagen. Here guitarist Mate Bodor is seen live on stage.
Alestorm's Mate Bodor reveals what life is really like for a pirate metal band on the touring high seas

By Adam Kovac Published

The guitarist details the band's high-energy approach to live performance, and whether their on-the-road lifestyle lives up to their lyrics

Bands
Christone "Kingfish" Ingram
Blues powerhouse Christone “Kingfish” Ingram shares his top tips for touring as he returns to the road

By Adam Kovac Published

The 22-year-old phenom on studying the masters, keeping your gear gig-ready, and why it always pays to listen to Mr. Guy

Musical Tips & Advice
Tetrarch
Tetrarch’s Diamond Rowe and Josh Fore on building a second wave of nu-metal with freak tones, high-gain amps and songs you can relate to

By Adam Kovac Published

Tetrarch's new album, Unstable, is a vital and life-affirming throwback to the golden era of nu-metal

Artists
Adam Ward
Shredding for dollars: how Fiverr is creating a marketplace for guitar playing

By Adam Kovac Published

You can find pretty much any freelance service on the website/app, and that includes lead guitar

Music Industry
Two Minutes to Late Night
Two Minutes to Late Night: “Metal's not for everybody, but the show's an invitation for them to come and play in the metal sandbox”

By Adam Kovac Published

Drew Kaufman and Jordan Olds – aka Gwarsenio Hall – wax lyrical on the origins of their YouTube-based heavy metal talk show, and how it's adapted as a result of Covid-19

Artists
Commander in Chief
The Commander in Chief: ”Metal was polarizing. People loved it or hated it. Classical music is the same – I get the same reaction”

By Adam Kovac Published

This sedulous seven-stringer puts a completely new spin on classical-inspired guitar music

Guitarists
Doug Aldrich
Hard-rock icon Doug Aldrich on his guitar chemistry with David Lowy, Glenn Hughes… and Lady Luck

By Adam Kovac Published

The Dio/Whitesnake guitar-slinger discusses the importance of fortune and the inner workings of his new supergroup, the Dead Daisies

Bands
Nili Brosh
Nili Brosh: "I try to be diverse because I want to feel challenged – I don't want to feel like I'm doing the same thing all the time"

By Adam Kovac Published

The Israeli-American guitarist talks shredding alongside acrobats, hopping on stage with the biggest metal band in the animated world and her new mystery project with Danny Elfman

Guitarists
Jasmine Star
Jasmine Star: “TikTok makes me more creative... I have to get the point across in from 15 seconds to a minute“

By Adam Kovac Published

Stevie Ray Vaughan, country, K-Pop, hip-hop – Star has soloed over it all on her way to TikTok viral fame

Artists
Luke Bentham
Why Canada is home to some of the world's most exciting hard-rock guitar players

By Adam Kovac Published

The Dirty Nil, Monster Truck, David Wilcox and PUP offer a guided tour of the Canadian six-string scene

Artists
Sparta's Jim Ward
Sparta's Jim Ward: "The way I play guitar is so influenced by ability - or lack of ability - to play barre chords!"

By Adam Kovac Published

The At the Drive-In refugee dives into Trust the River, Sparta's first album in 14 years

Chords
Dan O'Connor of Four Year Strong
Four Year Strong's Dan O'Connor: "You don’t have to have the most expensive gear to get the best tone"

By Adam Kovac Published

The guitarist/vocalist shares his tips for life on the road, and why band cohesion is more important than high-end equipment

Artists
Intronaut's Sacha Dunable [left] and Dave Timnick; Dunable sports a Dunable Asteroid and Timnick holds a Dunable Yeti.
Sacha Dunable: “I don’t want to just be making clones – I want to be making guitars that are our own design”

By Adam Kovac Published

Sacha Dunable on balancing building guitars and building prog-metal worlds with Intronaut

Artists
Jakub Zytecki
Jakub Zytecki: "I don’t really listen to guitar music - I’m not even sure if I like it!"

By Adam Kovac Published

One of today's most exciting instrumental guitarists on his latest album Nothing Lasts, Nothing's Lost, and why excessively technical guitar music doesn't spark his interest

Guitarists
Martin SC-13E
How Martin redefined the acoustic guitar with the SC-13E

By Adam Kovac Published

YouTube star Jared Dines and Martin's Fred Greene take you behind the scenes of the acoustic giant's offset, bolt-on design

Acoustic Guitars
Justin Benlolo of BRKN Love
BRKN Love: "We strayed away from big 100-watt stacks for this album. I like the character of a blown-up amp"

By Adam Kovac Published

Frontman Justin Benlolo talks recording every guitar part on the band's self-titled debut, and the group's forthcoming Netflix biopic

Artists
Jared Dines
Jared Dines: "When I was 12, the artist list on the back of Ernie Ball string packs was my primary way of discovering new music!"

By Adam Kovac Published

The YouTube titan goes deep on the future of his channel, his partial move to Twitch, and why his signature guitar was always going to be an Ernie Ball Music Man

Artists
Chad Zaemisch
Metallica, Megadeth and Def Leppard guitar techs discuss survival on the road and life 20 feet away from stardom

By Adam Kovac Published

"When the show is over and the gear is packed up in the truck, it’s satisfying to see 75,000 people leave with smiles on their faces"

Artists
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Jared Dines' top 10 tips for beginner guitarists

By Adam Kovac Published

The YouTube guitar titan delivers some essential pointers for accelerating your musical growth

Musical Tips & Advice
Timo Somers
Timo Somers: "The latest Delain album has more of a guitaristic eye and is more my vision"

By Adam Kovac Published

The Dutch master discusses his signature Aristides axes, his upcoming EDM-meets-guitar project and Apocalypse & Chill

Guitarists
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Marcus King: "I never called myself a blues artist - I’m an admirer of the craft"

By Adam Kovac Published

The venerated player has accomplishments that belie his short career. We chat with the man himself about gear and playing with the world's most noted blues guitarists

Artists
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Ida Mae's Chris Turpin on his motley crew of guitars and choosing to go the quieter route

By Adam Kovac Published

The U.K. husband-and-wife team's debut album is a beguiling collection of understated harmonies and beautiful melodies

Artists
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