Latest articles by Joe Bosso
Mark Holcomb on how Periphery harnesses super-heavy guitars for a super-heavy album that takes djent to a dark place
After burning the playbook and facing his demons on Periphery’s jet-black new concept album, A Pale White Dot, Holcomb tells us he owes a big apology to his guitar tech
Patrick Simmons recalls the time the Doobie Brothers were stars of the small screen
Patrick Simmons on why some Doobies weren’t originally gung-ho about appearing in those classic 1978 episodes of What’s Happening!!
How the Pretenders emerged from tragedy with new guitarist Robbie McIntosh
Shattered by drugs and reeling from the loss of James Honeyman-Scott, the Pretenders came back swinging with 1984’s Learning to Crawl
When Nils Lofgren tried to join the Rolling Stones
From The Archive Lofgren almost flew out to audition after Mick Taylor’s eventual successor put him in touch with the Stones
“My hands just wouldn’t work... There was no way I could play”: The triumphant return of Brian Setzer
With his autoimmune condition in remission, the Stray Cats frontman tells us he’s at 98%, but he sounds just as good as ever. He talks touring with Stevie Ray Vaughan and why he’s fallen for the Flying V
Nils Lofgren on how the Bruce Springsteen gig saved his life at his lowest point
From the Archive Lofgren was broke, living back home in D.C. with his folks, when a call to jam turned his life around
Rush deliver the thrill of mastery at Madison Square Garden – live review
At the first show of their four-night stand in NYC, the new trinity of Lifeson, Lee, and Nilles delivered a tour de force of classics, deep cuts, and fearless musicianship
Brian Setzer on the unlikely Gibson guitar that’s most like his iconic Gretsch
Setzer says the Flying V is the only guitar that has ever come close to matching the tone and feel of his Gretsch hollowbody
Robbie McIntosh on his trial by fire when he replaced the late James Honeyman-Scott
The guitarist had huge shoes to fill, and the press weren’t exactly on his side
Brian Setzer on what he learned playing Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Stratocaster
Stray Cats hit the road with the blues legend back in 1989, giving Setzer the chance to learn the truth behind the SRV tone rumors
Jimmy James on taking Parlor Greens’ funky sound “to the cosmos”
Jimmy James’ spartan approach and tone propel funk-instrumental powerhouse Parlor Greens into the stratosphere – minus any parlor tricks
A hair-metal hero turned nu-metal synth-guitar maverick who impressed Ozzy Osbourne – who is the real Amir Derakh?
Derakh replaced Craig Goldy in Rough Cutt, was edged out by Zakk Wylde for the Ozzy gig, and has been an undercover guitar-synth master all along
Michael Angelo Batio tells the story of Nitro, hair metal’s most extreme band
Michael Angelo Batio became known as shred's most OTT virtuoso. He explains why the critics were kind of right about Nitro, the magic he cooked up with Wayne Charvel, and why he's living the dream with Manowar
Steve Vai, Nita Strauss... Bella Perron? Why the former Plush guitarist could be our next Ibanez-toting guitar superstar
Wildfire shredding and whiplash licks prove that this Maine-bred gun-for-hire can hold her own. Now based in L.A., she’s in extra-high demand
Tom Morello’s riff writing formula – and his 36 hour race to make a Final Fantasy song
The Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave legend says people call him all the time to ask him to guest on their records – and sometimes he just can’t say no
Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson on the inside story behind the Rush reunion
How Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee found drummer Anika Nilles and put together the biggest reunion tour in prog rock history
Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee on Anika Nilles’ rollercoaster audition for Rush's Fifty Something tour
Their five-day session with Nilles wasn’t an audition, but it took until the last day for their doubts over a Rush reunion tour to be destroyed
Reb Beach on working with David Coverdale, and what comes next now Winger and Whitesnake are over
With both his star bands calling it quits, the ace sideman finds himself at a career crossroads. But which path will he choose – jazz-fusion or stand-up comedy?
The guitarist who lost the coveted role to Zakk Wylde on what it was like to audition for Ozzy Osbourne
Guitar-synth master Amir Derakh was already well established in the industry when he got the once-in-a-lifetime call to become Ozzy's next guitarist...
The Doobie Brothers on their many imitators, their many hits, and what keeps them going
Ahead of their tour with Carlos Santana, Doobie Brothers guitarists Tom Johnston, Patrick Simmons, and John McFee revisit their classic tracks and how they came together
Berton Averre on writing My Sharona – and why the Knack were never the next Beatles
My Sharona was the perfect pop-rock anthem, and as Averre reflects on the life and times of the Knack he admits he knew he had something special back then
My Chemical Romance's struggle to follow up The Black Parade
The Black Parade nearly killed the band. But My Chemical Romance found changing directions almost as fatal when it came to making Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys
How Laura Cox threw the blues-rock rulebook out the window and found herself in the process
From the smallest screen in our pockets to the stage and studio, can anyone stop the French garage-blues prodigy from taking her rock sound to the to the masses?
Marshall Crenshaw on his Karen Carpenter tribute, why collecting is "infantile" and how he was made in Detroit
From the Hellhole collects deep cuts and EP tracks from the ’10s and it presents a unique insight into an artist who believes FM ruined radio – and who would do as many takes as it took
