Latest articles by Alison Richter
Meet The Native Howl, the thrashgrass pioneers running Taylor acoustics through Mesa/Boogie stacks
The Native Howl’s Alex Holycross turned himself around after a suicide attempt, and focused on merging bluegrass with thrash – and spreading the word about giving and getting help when it’s needed
Ethan Kahn learned to play after a high school shooting – now his band is championed by William DuVall and Rob Halford
The Chained Saint guitarist is learning to balance his SATs with promoting their debut album, but he’s got the support of two rock icons
Koe Wetzel abandoned his party animal image to show who he really is on 9 Lives, and found a new reason to play his beat-up Gibson J-200
With the help of his producer, friends and family, the country-rocker is gearing up for the biggest years of his career – and wants to make sure his fans know he’s on their side no matter how difficult their lives get
How Michael Franti fought back the darkness with a 25-year-old acoustic named after his grandma
The Spearhead leader explains why it’s not just the sound of the guitar that soothes him – it’s the vibrations as well
Tim Henson called him his favorite new guitar player. But RJ Pasin considers himself a producer more than a guitarist
After getting clean, Pasin has committed to a formidable work ethic – now he has millions of followers, he’s guested with Bring Me The Horizon, and he’s getting busy with Tim Henson
“Dime had wanted to do a solo project for years”: Inside the making of Dimebag Darrell’s final album
When the Abbott brothers’ main band collapsed, Dimebag’s solo record took on new meaning and became Damageplan’s New Found Power. Longtime associate and co-producer Sterling Winfield argues that triumph came out of the tragedies – even though it took fans years to realize it
“Shania Twain got me into alternate tunings”: What session bass supremo Derek Frank learned from playing with pop’s A-listers
Serving the songs of Shakira, Gwen Stefani and Orianthi doesn’t mean the bass journeyman can’t bring a bit of Rocco Prestia, James Jamerson and Pino Palladino to proceedings
For Darius Rucker, the industry has brought joy and cut him to the bone. Now he’s written a book on living with his mental health challenges
The Hootie & the Blowfish frontman hopes his memoir will help others out of the depression and anxiety traps that led him into substance abuse
Session guitarist Jon Conley has faced mental health challenges all his life. Here’s what keeps him going
Conley has played with artists including Kenny Chesney, Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell and Joe Walsh, all while striving for internal balance and perspective
Harmoni Kelley on why five-strings rule for modern country players
With no experience of the extra string until her successful audition with Chesney, Kelley’s taken her P Bass attitude and hard rock roots for longterm stroll down Music Row
“If you’re not reaching as deep as possible when you’re playing, you’re not fully being yourself. Finding your voice is not being afraid to let out exactly what you’re feeling”: Ariel Posen on telling the truth through music
The Canadian virtuoso explains why the guitar is his safe space, and how he used it to tackle toxic people, broken relationships and forgiveness on latest album Reasons Why
“I was tired of not being able to hear my guitar when I played. I got a Gretsch Country Gentleman, and that changed the game for me”: Vincent Neil Emerson’s star is rising fast – whether he’s playing a Chet Atkins electric or rare George Harrison acoustic
The Texas storyteller tells his story so far – from Neil Young tunings to Shooter Jennings collaborations and how he channels raw emotion through his guitar leads
“I have these big meat hooks, so I can pick up a lot of wonderful guitars, but if I played them for two hours, I’d be cramping. I only have one guitar that I didn’t build”: Meet bluegrass-shredding luthier Dan Wetzel
The True North guitarist learned to pick by listening to vinyl and not seeing his heroes’ hands – then turned to building instruments because of the size of his own
“I’m constantly thinking about my pick angle, how that translates the way I feel in that moment: how can I add more emotion to this part than I did last night?” Tyler Tomlinson on bringing Satch and Vai to Morgan Wallen’s country vibe
The Tele player turned Knaggs signature artist admits his mind “never shuts off” on stage, and he’s constantly finding ways of refining his expression
“Both Joe and Guthrie play a mean, funky rhythm guitar on a song like Stevie Wonder’s Superstition. That counts for more than you think”: Bass supremo Bryan Beller reveals what it’s like to play with Joe Satriani and Guthrie Govan
The prolific bassist explains why Satch’s music isn’t as simple as it seems, while it’s a case of keeping up with Govan’s high-speed improv… but the pair do share a certain funkiness
“I don’t care how special or what year something is – if it’s not going to stay in tune, it’s useless… I need things dialed in”: Danny Rader on navigating Kenny Chesney’s triple-guitar lineup and why the Fractal Axe-Fx is his go-to for huge country shows
The award-winning country multi-instrumentalist discusses the fun side of playing stadium stages as part of Kenny Chesney’s “three-headed monster” – and why going digital has made his life a whole lot easier when he’s up there
“I watched a lot of people chase guitars and amps to try to find themselves, like, ‘No, it’s the next guitar. Maybe that will be the one.’ I didn’t do that”: How Joyann Parker discovered that tone is in the fingers – and music can change minds
The Americana singer-songwriter has dealt with impostor syndrome, panic attacks, depression and the fear of change (even when it’s positive). Putting it all into her art has shown her she’s not alone, and she’s motivated to share the lesson far and wide
“Music saves many of us – yet we often lose the people who gave us that music to the very thing their music saves us from”: The tragedy that led Sully Erna to create the Scars Foundation
The Godsmack leader’s first-ever song was about a friend who took his own life. He’s never recorded it, but he’s determined to share what he’s learned about the power of music and communication, with the aim of saving others
“I get to call out wrongdoing and injustice. I get to be really angry – ‘I can’t find the words, so here’s a guitar solo that explains it’”: How Emily Wolfe uses her music as therapy
Bandmates helped the Epiphone signature artist through the pain of delivering the deeply personal songs from new album The Blowback – and she believes the ”tough but beautiful” experience will help others
Game-changers, taste-makers and trend-setters: here are 2023's guitarists of the year
We tip our hats to the players that made 2023 such a defining year in guitar history – and whose achievements we'll be talking about in years to come
“There’s a similarity between metal and bluegrass. The intensity is a common thread”: Bluegrass guitar playing has stepped up a gear – here are 6 blazing guitarists you need to hear (besides Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle)
Drawing from jazz maestros, bluegrass pioneers and virtuosos from metal and rock, these players are taking a traditional art form to the next level with technique, songcraft and soul
“Dad showed me three chords and then he was like, ‘There’s a million songs in those three chords, so knock yourself out.’ He wanted me to find my own connection”: Tommy Prine shares how music helped him cope with the loss of his father
The son of late country-folk legend John Prine never intended to be a singer-songwriter. But playing guitar and writing was instrumental in processing his grief. He shares the lessons his father taught him and how they set him up for a life in music
“When people say ‘jazz’, they get locked into ‘It's not this; it's this.’ I never looked at music that way”: Grammy-nominated virtuoso David Becker is nurturing the future of jazz guitar – and he’s encouraging them to break the rules
With two signature guitars to his name and multiple Grammy and Emmy nominations, Becker has notched up some serious accolades over four decades in the biz. He shares the secret to a long career – and explains how social media is (and isn’t) shaping the future of jazz guitar
“I kept trying to make it sound like a Gibson. That didn’t work. You have to give in to the Telecaster – it’s not for the faint of heart”: Dwight Yoakam’s former right-hand man Pete Anderson shares his tone and session guitar wisdom
With five Reverend signature models to his name and credits with everyone from k.d. lang to Roy Orbison, Pete Anderson knows tone. He explains what it takes to cut it in the session guitar world, and why he’s embracing digital amps: “We don’t read by candlelight anymore!”
“What has kept me in sessions has not been my playing ability, ever. You have to connect with people before you can have a creative flow”: Black Eyed Peas, Sting, Santana – George Pajon Jr. has built an enviable session resume, but it took more than chops
A session guitarist for 30 years – 25 of those with will.i.am. and co – Pajon Jr. is one of the most respected names in the biz. He shares his secrets to success, what prompted him to invent amps that don't exist with Dave Friedman, and how he ended up with a guitar rig so complicated he can't afford to fly with it
