Articles by: Mark McStea

Guitar World

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

“We’ll play up to 200 songs over the course of a tour… it would drive me crazy to play the same songs every night”: Warren Haynes on what drives Gov’t Mule – and why he’s focusing on writing guitar epics

By Mark McStea published 9 August 23

Gov’t Mule return with Peace…Like a River, a work of long-form rock ’n’ soul inspired by John Lennon, the Doors and the complex masterpieces of Kansas and Queen

“Mick came in with his Les Paul, plugged in to my amp and fiddled with the controls. All of a sudden there it was, the full Ziggy Stardust tone”: The post-Bowie career of Mick Ronson, rock ’n’ roll’s most quietly spoken guitar hero

By Mark McStea published 27 July 23

Sure, he made a massive imprint on David Bowie’s classic early ’70s albums. But Mick Ronson also worked with Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp, Elton John, Roger McGuinn, Morrissey, Ian Hunter and many others

“Jimmy Page and Jim Sullivan were getting a lot of work, but I was always getting plenty of calls – and that increased after I did the Jack Bruce sessions”: The confessions of session pro Chris Spedding

By Mark McStea published 18 July 23

The British session ace on being asked to audition for the Rolling Stones, producing the Sex Pistols’ early demos and recording Robert Gordon’s final album

“What you don’t play is as important as what you do play. You need the space, as it makes the small things that you do seem bigger”: 5 questions with McKinley James

By Mark McStea published 17 July 23

The soul/blues/rock ’n’ roll aficionado on how he fills out a duo – and why guitarists using pedals to replicate classic sounds are “shooting themselves in the foot”

Chris Duarte: “I sound much better when I practice every day. The guitar gives you back what you put into it – it’s that simple”

By Mark McStea published 11 July 23

The Texas blues pro discusses the benefit of shutting out all the noise and going by the gut, and why practice always pays out over time

Daniele Gottardo: “I remember thinking Yngwie Malmsteen’s playing was amazing, and I wondered if the scalloped neck was his secret”

By Mark McStea published 16 May 23

Get to know the award-winning Italian guitar star Steve Vai once called his “favorite new young guitar player”

Sweet, Status Quo, Slade and Dr. Feelgood

The British Invasion that failed: why Slade, Status Quo, the Sweet and Dr. Feelgood never conquered the USA

By Mark McStea published 3 May 23

Slade’s Noddy Holder and Jim Lea join Status Quo’s Francis Rossi, the Sweet’s Andy Scott and Dr. Feelgood’s Wilko Johnson (in one of his final interviews) to explain what did – and didn’t – go down in the ’70s

Vinnie Moore: “The SG is a recent discovery of mine – I can’t believe I’ve never owned one. I didn’t realize how cool they were”

By Mark McStea published 27 April 23

The shred maestro talks getting vocals on new solo album Double Exposure, his newfound love of Epiphone SGs and the future of UFO

Imagine Dragons' Wayne Sermon on how his time playing jazz at Berklee formed the foundation of his pop rock approach

By Mark McStea published 28 March 23

The guitar star addresses the Rick Rubin-produced Mercury – Acts 1 and 2, and why there won't be a third installment of the Mercury collection

Tyler Bryant: “Ever since we did the Rock or Bust tour, whenever we get together to jam, it’s impossible not to want to play like AC/DC”

By Mark McStea published 1 February 23

The Shakedown leader talks riffing, production and why DIY is the way to go in the music business

“Captain” Kirk Douglas on the link between technique and songwriting, and what made Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen different

By Mark McStea published 27 January 23

The Tonight Show stalwart's latest solo album is a little psychedelic, a little trippy, and always about the songs. Here, Douglas tells us how he gravitates towards “mind expansion”

ames Walbourne of The Rails performs with The Pretenders at Portsmouth Guildhall on October 14, 2017 in Portsmouth, England.

How jamming with Pretenders, Sex Pistols and Stray Cats inspired James Walbourne to take his high-voltage rock ’n’ roll outfit His Lordship to the next level

By Mark McStea published 5 January 23

The Pretenders guitarist channels the elemental rock fury of Johnny Thunders with his new band – but don’t call it a side project

Orianthi breaks down 10 standout guitar tracks from across her repertoire

By Mark McStea published 3 January 23

The Aussie guitar star takes a deep dive into her discography, and unpacks her approach to writing, recording, soloing and more

The life and times of Johnny Thunders: the New York Dolls and Heartbreakers guitarist who crystallized the essence of street-cool rock ’n’ roll

By Mark McStea published 10 November 22

Brilliant, self-destructive, hugely influential, Johnny Thunders was a voice of nature who made helped make the TV Yellow Les Paul Junior one of the coolest electric guitars ever

Robin Trower: “The secret to the warm tone I get, whilst still retaining the clarity, is due to a combination of heavy strings and a high action”

By Mark McStea last updated 4 October 22

The British master of the Stratocaster discusses his new album No More Worlds to Conquer, dissects his masterful solo strategies and reveals why he changes his strings every night when playing live

David Bowie and Mick Ronson live onstage in 1973.

Producer Ken Scott on the making of David Bowie and Mick Ronson’s most iconic albums

By Mark McStea published 19 September 22

Scott takes us back to a febrile moment in rock history when David Bowie and the trailblazing Mick Ronson’s talents combined for Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust

Reef’s Jesse Wood: “We worked in the way Keith Richards describes as ‘the ancient art of weaving’”

By Mark McStea published 19 August 22

Jesse Wood – son of the Rolling Stones’ Ronnie – on sharing guitar duties with Duran Duran’s Andy Taylor on their rollicking new album, Shoot Me Your Ace

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 last updated 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 last updated 25 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

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