Latest Features
“It’s the Kinks meets AC/DC”: Jim Babjak revisits 5 classic Smithereens riffs
New Jersey's finest have had their share of killer riffs. Here Babjak walks us through the catalog, talks trials by click-track, and reveals how A Girl Like You nearly ended up at the movies
He was Zappa’s bassist and remains a low-end enigma – but Scott Thunes has never held back on his opinions
Scott Thunes blazed a unique trail with Frank Zappa – but maintains solo bass is a complete no-no
Knox Chandler has played with Cyndi Lauper, and been a part of Depeche Mode, Psychedelic Furs, and Siouxsie & the Banshees – now he's going solo
With a wealth of session and gear experience – including a decade-long creative partnership with Cyndi Lauper that got off to a bad start – Chandler’s completed his “streets to streams” debut album, The Sound
Billy Duffy on the making of The Cult’s 1985 breakout album – and why Rain made him sweat
Led by the stunning She Sells Sanctuary, Love was the sound of a band experimenting at scale, finding the great enabler in producer Steve Brown, and it just so happens to be Duffy's favorite
“It’s like playing a concert for millions of people, without stepping on stage”: A guitarist’s guide to sync licensing
Your guitar belongs on TV, and the way into one of the fastest-growing sectors of the music business may already be in your sights. Emmy-winning composer Mike Meiers breaks it down.
The Fleshtones’ Keith Streng explains what he learned from a misspent youth at CBGB’s – and the merits of pointless practice
Streng’s rhythmic garage riffs keep the punk-era legends vital after five non-stop decades
![Chris Poland plays a black BC Rich onstage [left] and goes head-to-head with Dave Mustaine, who plays a black Jackson King V.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/deCUHhAKTwUJYhedNJjMwZ-840-80.jpg.webp)
An accident defined Chris Poland’s playing, but it didn’t stop him handling the high demands of Megadeth’s debut
Chris Poland offers an eye-witness account of a seminal moment in metal history, when Dave Mustaine channeled his fury through his Marshall and debuted with a thrash classic
Why Paul McCartney’s violin bass was essential in creating his most playful bassline on Sgt. Pepper’s
The Beatles took Lovely Rita into Studio Two of Abbey Road on February 23rd, 1967 – McCartney’s faithful Höfner came along for the ride
Garbage’s Duke Erikson and Steve Marker don't like to look back – but will make an exception for reverse guitar solos
The pair discuss experimenting without overthinking, how they know when a song is going to work, when to delete a clever guitar part, and why it’s still hard to play one of their biggest hits
![Cradle of Filth’s Marek “Ashok” Šmerda [left], looking a little like Pinhead from Hellraiser, and Donny Burbage, resplendent in corpsepaint.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z9d7Mw4qyjZNCd5YcTScBL-840-80.jpg.webp)
