Mark McStea

Mark is a freelance writer with particular expertise in the fields of ‘70s glam, punk, rockabilly and classic ‘50s rock and roll. He sings and plays guitar in his own musical project, Star Studded Sham, which has been described as sounding like the hits of T. Rex and Slade as played by Johnny Thunders. He had several indie hits with his band, Private Sector and has worked with a host of UK punk luminaries. Mark also presents themed radio shows for Generating Steam Heat. He has just completed his first novel, The Bulletproof Truth, and is currently working on the sequel.

Articles by: Mark McStea

Sylvaine spirits us away to share the guitar secrets behind her dreamy, shoegaze-inspired atmospheric metal sound

By Mark McStea published 22 June 22

Sylvaine’s latest LP, Nova, is a hypnotic, cinematic work of blackgaze that came together under a singular creative vision, with a little help from EarthQuaker Devices and Fender offsets

Tracii Guns: “Everything I played on the new L.A. Guns record was recorded direct through a HeadRush – I didn’t use a mic’d-up amp for anything”

By Mark McStea published 16 May 22

The hair metal survivor talks L.A. Guns' hard-riffing 2021 album Checkered Past, his Kramer Gunstar Voyager signature model and why he's content playing smaller venues over arenas

Curse of Lono’s Felix Bechtolsheimer: “Punk and Pink Floyd showed me there was so much more to say in a song than ‘I love you, baby’”

By Mark McStea published 23 March 22

On their third album, the moody UK rockers take endless inspiration from some hard-hitting deaths and the darker side of life

Emily Wolfe: “Modern pop songs are immediately stuck in your head. To me, that’s the point. I would defend pop music to my grave”

By Mark McStea published 7 March 22

The Austin, Texas-based rock maverick reveals how she gets her super-hot guitar tone and explains why the hooks are all over new album Outlier

Carlos Santana: “I’ve always really loved B.B. King and Peter Green, and I wanted to combine that with Tito Puente and Mongo Santamaria”

By Mark McStea published 22 December 21

The guitar legend reflects on the making of his star-studded new album, Blessings and Miracles, and explains that for an artist, the universe can be the wind beneath your wings

Ariel Posen: “If you’re playing something great all the time, it has a lot less impact – if you play sparingly then you really notice what is going on”

By Mark McStea published 3 November 21

How the Canadian slide phenom builds his sound and finds individuality in self-discipline and note choice

Paul Stanley on Soul Station: "I got into music for the freedom of it. If it’s not to everyone’s liking, I guess nothing is"

By Mark McStea published 13 October 21

The perennial guitarist discusses his soul- and R&B-flavored side project, the group's new ear-catching album Now and Then, and the possibility of a Kiss reunion record down the line

J Mascis: “I still use the Marshall and Hiwatt stacks... I just like the feeling of the guitar kind of hitting you in the back”

By Mark McStea published 1 October 21

The Dinosaur Jr. frontman talks capos, the beauty of small amps in the studio, and the positivity in the alt-rock pioneers' new album, Sweep It Into Space

Gilby Clarke: "I’m a big believer in doubling guitar parts with a different amp and guitar. It’s not just a bigger sound – it gives so much more separation"

By Mark McStea published 12 August 21

The former Guns N' Roses guitarist unleashes some straight ahead rock 'n' roll on his first solo album in 20 years

Tony Visconti reflects on the genius of T. Rex's Marc Bolan

By Mark McStea published 20 July 21

“Marc is criminally underrated as a guitarist. All rock ’n’ rollers love T. Rex, and there’s a little bit of T. Rex in every rock ’n’ roll band”

Tyler Bryant: “I get bored with guitar solos that are just about speed and technique. I like there to be something musical and memorable“

By Mark McStea published 19 April 21

Nashville’s blues-rock sensation talks solos, pandemic recording, and explains why the Shakedown is a team effort

Jeff Bridges: “What's great about the guitar is that it's very honest. The more you put in, the better you get“

By Mark McStea published 1 December 20

We meet the original Dude to talk songwriting and his new Breedlove signature acoustics

Tony Visconti recounts the making of David Bowie's The Man Who Sold the World

By Mark McStea published 25 November 20

50 years on from its release, the former David Bowie bassist and uber-producer tells the story of one of Bowie's greatest albums, and the enduring influence of Mick Ronson

Sin Shake Sin: "People on social media are calling this album the soundtrack to the pandemic"

By Mark McStea published 21 September 20

Released just before COVID-19 hit its initial peak, Stacy Hogan discusses his eerily relevant new album, The Mess We've Made

Death Valley High's Reyka Osburn: “It’s hard for a guitar player to be a great frontman and really work the audience“

By Mark McStea published 10 September 20

Five questions with the Death Valley High frontman

George Lynch: “There’s so much to say without playing endless streams of notes – I’m always aware of the value of subtlety and silence”

By Mark McStea published 24 August 20

George Lynch discusses the fate of his classic-era guitars, his never-ending Led Zeppelin love and his new album with Dino Jelusick

Joey Zampella: "Music has lost a lot of mystery now with YouTube and the internet. The value of music has to return - or else there’ll be no music business"

By Mark McStea published 7 August 20

The Life Of Agony guitarist talks melodic solos, his unusual approach to recording and the band's latest album, The Sound of Scars

Konvent's Sara Nørregaard: "I like to keep everything raw; having too many effects detracts from the power"

By Mark McStea published 6 August 20

From doom metal to Squier Jagmasters to realizing dreams, the guitarist unpacks the Konvent story so far...

Tiger Army's Nick 13: "'50s rock is so great - it just needs another generation to rediscover it"

By Mark McStea published 26 June 20

The psychobilly frontman on the band's fittingly titled sixth studio record, Retrofuture, and the possibility of another country-driven solo album

Lillie Mae: "I might write a melody on the fiddle. But I've loved the guitar since day one - everything comes from that"

By Mark McStea published 25 June 20

The Americana singer/songwriter talks image-based prejudices in Nashville, and signing with Jack White's label, Third Man Records

Olivia Jean: "I always wanted to play a Gretsch 6120, but with the amount of dirt I use, that was never going to work!"

By Mark McStea published 29 May 20

From Garage Bats to Night Owls, this quirky rock ’n’ roller’s new album is packed with animal magnetism - not to mention some dangerously catchy riffs

Payton Smith: "It’s really important to me that people realize I’m a guitarist as much as a singer"

By Mark McStea published 27 May 20

The up-and-coming country singer-songwriter discusses the importance of building his audience steadily and why nothing beats a Gibson into a Marshall Plexi

Jeff Schroedl: "I like to think of my style as guitar gumbo - I focus on the things that set me apart"

By Mark McStea published 18 May 20

The bluesman serves up some of the genre's most satisfying licks on Altered Five Blues Band's new album, Ten Thousand Watts

Jäger Volant's Ronnie Day: "The key to a great guitar sound is in how you play and how you phrase"

By Mark McStea published 11 May 20

After meeting each other on an online-collaboration site, this international foursome is out to rid the world of “dumbed-down, lowest-common-denominator music”

Alan Merrill in Greenwich Village, NYC on September 13, 2009 in New York, U.S.A.

Alan Merrill tells the story of I Love Rock 'n' Roll in his final Guitar World interview

By Mark McStea published 31 March 20

The Arrows frontman muses on his career in music in this never-before-published conversation