Latest articles by Alison Richter
We need to talk about mental health in the music industry – and how you can get help if you need it
Artists and organizations discuss the challenges presented by the industry, and the assistance available to musicians who may be struggling with their mental health
Deryck Whibley on mental health: “Life can be really hard, but it can be great, too. We just have to work at it”
The Sum 41 leader teams up with fellow mental health advocate nothing,nowhere for a new take on the band's single Catching Fire, which tackles his wife Ari's suicide attempt
Isaiah Sharkey: "I never chased being a celebrity guitarist, because I'm too busy liking what I do"
The in-demand session player, John Mayer sideman and solo artist details his genre-crossing career, go-to recording tricks and the guitars he wants to add to his 40-strong collection
Chris Robertson: "For me, 'self-medicating' always meant sitting down with a guitar, but it got to where that didn't do it for me anymore"
The Black Stone Cherry frontman speaks about his struggles with depression and how it affected his career, and why it's so important to break the stigma surrounding mental health
Joe Trohman: “Mental illness isn't a problem. The problem is the shame, the lack of information and the lack of teaching”
The Fall Out Boy guitarist details his mental health journey and how he injects humor into dark discussions with his I Hate Myself podcast
Lily Cornell Silver: "Mental health is such a ubiquitous issue in the music industry"
As part of a new GW series on mental health, the activist, musician and daughter of Chris Cornell discusses breaking down barriers with her Mind Wide Open interviews
Butcher Babies' Henry Flury: “I run all over the stage, so the last thing I want to do is dance on a pedalboard. I let my hands do the talking!”
The Ibanez endorsee on his love of eight-strings, adopting Meshuggah's tuning, and how the pandemic changed his mindset as a songwriter
Etienne Mbappé: “I want to make people dance. I want to see people swing. If you can do that, you’re a great bass player”
Mbappé shares his playing philosophy, talks influences and explains the benefits of a large bass collection
![[L-R] Ben Wells and Chris Robertson of Black Stone Cherry](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aGdc6b7ojndegkKXjnAoDA-840-80.jpg.webp)
Black Stone Cherry: “You never want two guitarists who are competing with each other. That’s a cocktail for failure”
Chris Robertson and Ben Wells detail their guitar synergy, and the gear – formerly used by rock royalty – that drove the band's hard-hitting new album, The Human Condition
![[L-R] Dimebag Darrell and Sterling Winfield](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dWVADRixUYxupUXtgUpBSj-840-80.jpg.webp)
Producer Sterling Winfield on the making of Pantera's final album, Reinventing the Steel
Winfield discusses the genius of Dimebag Darrell, the album's upcoming 20th anniversary reissue, and why the band's music stands the test of time
Harkin: "I’ve been playing guitar long enough to know that if something has P-90s, it sounds more like me"
After years backing Sleater-Kinney, Kurt Vile, Wild Beasts and beyond, a nomadic six-stringer makes her uncompromising solo debut
Carol Kaye: "You want an instrument that gets all the sounds, not just rock and pop"
How the history of popular music changed in 1963 when A-list studio guitarist Carol Kaye was asked to fill in on bass
Stanley Clarke: "The bass is a very important instrument in film. It can create tension - that's powerful"
The skilled bassist discusses working on the soundtrack to Frédéric Tcheng's Halston, which documents the life and work of fashion designer Roy Halston Frowick
Ray Suhy: "I used an Ibanez RG for a death metal tour, and a few months later I used the same guitar on a jazz album!"
The genre-fluid guitarist discusses technique crossover between two of music's most seemingly dissimilar styles
Lady Antebellum guitarist Slim Gambill: "You have to have a sense of rhythm to play a good guitar solo"
The American guitarist talks touring with the multi-platinum trio, his debut solo album, and the two concepts that changed his playing
Dave Weiner: "Steve Vai was always the bar as far as quality and what I should be doing"
The PRS player recounts a 20-year history as Vai's touring guitarist, and shares the lowdown on his upcoming projects
Joanna Connor: "Nobody talks about my rhythm playing, but to me, it’s the best aspect of my guitar playing"
The Chicago-based blues guitarist on her love for Gibson and why the future is bright for young female guitar players
Bad Wolves: "For us, it’s more important to be a powerful rhythm duo than a lead duo"
Doc Coyle and Chris Cain give us the lowdown on their live guitar rigs and how to deal with depression and anxiety
Hellyeah's Tom Maxwell recounts his recovery from the debilitating hand injury that almost left him unable to play
After the release of 2019's Welcome Home, the rhythm axeman reflects on the struggles of recording and playing with trigger finger
Steve Vai Guitarist Dave Weiner on Zen and the Spiritual Side of Playing Guitar
Guitarist Dave Weiner has been a part of Steve Vai’s band since 1999, touring the world with him and recently opening his shows in front of European audiences.
