Latest articles by Jim Beaugez
Meet the Bad Ups, the Philadelphia punks inspired by country-and-western, reggae and Chet Atkins
The Philly punks kick down the walls of genre orthodoxy on their debut album Life of Sin, complementing their powerchord assault with new-wave vibes, acoustic guitar, and licks Chet Atkins taught 'em
How fixing thousands of guitars changed the way Tulsa blues cat Seth Lee Jones plays the thing
Jones is bringing a slice of everyday Tulsa into his Delta blues-inspired sound, and his new album might bring him as much renown as a player as he has a luthier
All her heroes might be gone, but Towa Bird is spreading joy with big riffs and “lots of fuzz pedals”
The viral star of TikTok and late-night television makes her debut with the stellar American Hero, an album steeped in rock history, but with one eye to the future
“Play what moves you”: Those are the words Parlor Greens’ Jimmy James says we all should live by
With his inspired new trio, Seattle guitarist Jimmy James digs deep into Meters-style funk, rocking his Silvertone and making the world a better place
Jason Isbell and Luther Dickinson pay tribute to Dickey Betts
Isbell, Dickinson and Sadler Vaden paid homage to Betts with a three-guitar salute on the Allman Brothers classic
“If you don’t have good tone with just your amp and your guitar, ain’t no pedal gonna help you”: Sue Foley is dropping truth bombs and nylon-string blues in her tribute to the pioneering women of guitar
One Guitar Woman finds Sue Foley getting technically adventurous as she covers Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Memphis Minnie and Maybelle Carter
“People should really do their homework and learn about the history of music and what came before whatever style you wanna do”: Logan Ledger on paying his dues – and what he learned from Clarence White and Waylon Jennings
The golden-throated Nashville-via-California singer-songwriter shares his love of the B-Bender and discusses how the greats informed his dynamic playing style
“90 percent of my guitars are in mint condition – untouched and unmolested... The last 10 percent – those are the ones I play on the road”: Joe Bonamassa on his legendary collection, perseverance, and how he picks his touring guitars
The blues guitar titan looks back on the 2003 album that saved his career, explains why – 20 years later – he's recorded a sequel, and reveals how his legendary guitar collection gave a new voice to slept-on blues tracks
“When I started falling in love with guitar-driven music, I found that all roads led back to him”: Why Jimi Hendrix is still inspiring the latest generation of guitarists – five decades after his death
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Melanie Faye, Mateus Asato and an all-star cast explain why today’s generation of guitar players remain indebted to Jimi Hendrix, and what we can all learn from him, no matter what style we play
“Sometimes the instrument or the amp takes you where it needs you to go. Older equipment is much easier to use to tell a story”: Baroness are reshaping metal guitar with acoustics, single coils and vintage amps
John Baizley and Gina Gleason explain how they tore up the metal rulebook on Stone, employing obscure amps, Strats and Teles, and a love of fingerstyle guitar
“Springsteen taught me how to write songs, but Pearl Jam, Dinosaur Jr., Fugazi and Sonic Youth taught me how to play those songs I’d learned to write”: Brian Fallon is breaking out the guitar solos for The Gaslight Anthem’s second coming
Brian Fallon and co. bring the noise – and the solos – on their first album since reforming. And they invited Bruce Springsteen along for the ride
“I didn’t want to become a cover band playing Purple Haze or Hey Joe – I took the deeper cuts and put my own spin on it”: He organized Jimi Hendrix’s 80th birthday party, now Marcus Machado is taking rock, funk and soul guitar into new territory
Collaborating with the likes of Pharoahe Monch, Pete Rock and Jon Batiste, Marcus Machado is taking his guitar playing out of its comfort zone in search of new sounds
“It’s all about what sounds cool… Not theoretically what you’re supposed to do”: How guitarists from Drug Church, Militarie Gun and Scowl are leading the melodic movement in hardcore punk
Nick Cogan of Drug Church and Militarie Gun joins Malachi Greene of Scowl to share the state of play in U.S. hardcore, a formerly rules-based art form that is now a free for all creatively
“Derek Trucks said my dad was one of those players that’s not afraid to stare directly into the sun – it was a no-brainer to have him on a song”: How Duane Betts combined A-list guest spots, Radiohead and Allman Brothers on his solo debut
For his first solo outing, the Allman Brothers-pedigreed guitarist welcomed Derek Trucks for a guest spot and emerged with a vision all his own, working mysterious energy whenever it presents itself
“You could be one spin away from something cool. I like that chase”: Strat-toting blues-rocker Jax Hollow sees songwriting as a throw of the dice – and she lives for the thrill
The Nashville-via-Massachusetts axe-slinger is having a blast on her stellar debut LP, Only the Wild Ones, gambling on new songs with a Stratocaster in her hand
How Sunny War went from shredding Slayer to honing her standout acoustic style: “Guitar can be a new thing forever if you let yourself be experimental all the time”
The folk fingerstylist explains the Logic-al evolution of her sound and why she isn't your garden variety strummer
How ditching pedals and embracing open tunings made H.C. McEntire love the guitar again
On new album Every Acre, the indie-rock stalwart's songs tell a story, given a new depth by the addition of jazz-trained guitar foil Luke Norton
Quicksand’s Walter Schreifels: “I use the tricks I have to the most effect that I can. And I think that’s the trick of my playing”
The innovative six-stringer reflects on a life of hardcore, splitting – and then reuniting with – Quicksand, and chasing progression as a guitar player
Hermanos Gutiérrez: “It always starts as an individual trip for us. Most of it is non-communicative; it just happens”
The Gutiérrez brothers talk telepathic songwriting, working with Dan Auerbach, and how this whole project came together by accident after reconnecting across continents
John Primer: “I tried the Cry Baby wah pedal and a phase shifter, but the blues guys said, ‘Hey, you throw that thing in the garbage’”
The one-time Muddy Waters lead guitarist and living legend of the Chicago blues scene discusses good times, Hard Times, and that time Keith Richards offered him a cigarette
How Doll Spirit Vessel meld dream-pop, grunge and shoegaze into a genre-bending explorative guitar approach
The Philly indie rockers combine instinct with classical schooling and are creating a sound that’s all their own
Blake Ibanez: “Fugitive has the same attack and tightness that Power Trip has, but there’s a little more room to swing around and play some groovier riffs”
The Dallas riff-master on moving on after the death of Power Trip frontman Riley Gale and tuning down a step for extra darkness on those mean ol' metal grooves
Marcus King: “I wanted to take it back to Cream at Madison Square Garden, just really crank the amps and do a rock ’n’ roll record”
Casting his bid for arena-rock glory on new album Young Blood, Marcus King cranked up the volume and stepped on the fuzz for a live and dangerous sound
The Interrupters’ Kevin Bivona shares what he learned from Sublime – and the secret to great ska guitar tone
With hooks that won't quit and rhythms that pull all to the dancefloor, the Interrupters are a force of nature. Here, Kevin Bivona explains how their infectious sound came together
