Latest articles by Mark McStea
Reef’s Jesse Wood: “We worked in the way Keith Richards describes as ‘the ancient art of weaving’”
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
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”
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’”
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”
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”
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”
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"
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”
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"
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
“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“
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“
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
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"
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“
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”
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"
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"
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"
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"
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!"
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"
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
