Alison Richter

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

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

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

The Spearhead leader explains why it’s not just the sound of the guitar that soothes him – it’s the vibrations as well

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

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

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

The Hootie & the Blowfish frontman hopes his memoir will help others out of the depression and anxiety traps that led him into substance abuse

Conley has played with artists including Kenny Chesney, Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell and Joe Walsh, all while striving for internal balance and perspective

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!”

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