22 of the best guitarist stage names of all time By Guitar World Staff published 29 September 21 We chart some of the greatest stage monikers from the artists originally known as Saul Hudson, Lars Johann Yngwie Lannerback, Aleksandar Zivojinovic, plus many more…
Ghost Hounds' Thomas Tull: “There's always a prodigy in town who can pick up the guitar and just play. That was not me – I had to really work at it!” By Jonathan Horsley published 29 September 21 The movie mogul talks touring with the Rolling Stones, why storytelling forms the basis of his songwriting and the unbeatable rig that fuels his guitar sound on the band's sophomore LP, A Little Calamity
Adia Victoria: “The guitar is an outlet for me, a safe space to express a range of emotions that women – especially black women – aren't able to openly exhibit” By Jacob Uitti published 29 September 21 The gothic blues singer-songwriter on finding a friend in the guitar, the “unfettered connection” of an acoustic, and the lasting influence of Skip James on her new album, A Southern Gothic
José González: "For this album, I didn't buy any new gear. I decided if I'm going to put time into something, it would be on rehearsing guitars and refining the songs" By Matt Parker published 27 September 21 On fourth album Local Valley, the Swedish songwriter channels a wealth of guitar styles from around the world to focus on the big picture issues facing our existence on this ‘Pale Blue Dot’
Kurt Cobain's final Guitar World interview: “We play so hard that we can’t tune our guitars fast enough. People can relate to that” By Jeff Gilbert published 24 September 21 The Nirvana icon discusses his love for the Fender Mustang and why he wouldn't endorse Gibson in his last conversation with GW, which took place during the week of Nevermind's release
Rivers of Nihil's Brody Uttley: “If you're building a solo, really consider what you're playing over, because it's just as important as what you're playing” By Amit Sharma published 23 September 21 The Pennsylvania guitarist on his approach to constructing leads, the challenges of playing slide, and why simplicity is key on the band's new outing, The Work
LP: “The ukulele is a serious instrument and it has range – It doesn’t have to be cutesy” By Jacob Uitti published 22 September 21 The veteran New York singer-songwriter on why the ukulele is rock 'n' roll, the “life-affirming” nature of playing guitar, and the writing process behind her forthcoming sixth album, Churches
Metallica's James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett reveal The Black Album's deepest, darkest secrets in this classic 1991 Guitar World interview By Jeff Gilbert published 22 September 21 Shortly before their seminal self-titled LP went stratospheric, the metal titans tell all: arguing over guitar solos, shaking up their gear, fighting with Bob Rock, and the mystery behind ...And Justice For All's missing bass
Dave Keuning: “The second I get a pedal, I write a song with it right then and there, because it’s some fun, new sound that inspires me” By Greg Prato published 21 September 21 The Killers guitarist explains why he took a break from the indie-rock giants, how he ended up returning to record Pressure Machine, and his most recent solo album, A Mild Case of Everything
Paul Thorn: “Half the songs on this album were recorded on a Gibson Hummingbird with three-year-old strings!” By Alison Richter published 20 September 21 The Americana singer-songwriter talks cutting out drinking, how a Mississippi-shaped electric became his main guitar, and paying tribute to late family members on his new LP, Never Too Late to Call
Julia Kugel: “When you’re a musician, there's no separation between work and self. That’s why criticism is so gnarly, because they’re criticizing you as a human” By Jacob Uitti published 15 September 21 The Coathangers guitarist on growing up in the Atlanta punk rock scene, her “plug and play” attitude towards gear, and why she's so inspired by simplicity
Face to Face's Trever Keith: “This album focuses on the best tones and emotions from the records we’ve made throughout our career” By Gregory Adams published 15 September 21 The long-serving frontman walks us through the gear behind No Way Out But Through, recording guitars in his closet, and why the LP doesn't fit into the traditional punk-rock mould
Bill Steer: “If you play fingerstyle for half an hour, then use a plectrum, a whole world opens up – you really notice the things you can do with a pick” By Greg Prato published 7 September 21 The Carcass founding guitarist on the future of extreme metal, how he honed his ultra-fast rhythmic picking style, and the gear he used on the band's seventh album, Torn Arteries
Derek Trucks on how Tedeschi Trucks Band partnered with Trey Anastasio to perform Derek and the Dominos' Layla in its entirety By Alan Paul published 6 September 21 “Being slightly unsure of how Trey worked, I learned all the guitar parts myself… When we got to the first rehearsal, it turned out Trey had done the same thing!”
Jerry Cantrell: “Sometimes I’d be late for soundcheck and I’d show up to find Eddie Van Halen up there with the band, rockin’ out” By Amit Sharma published 1 September 21 Following the reveal of his Gibson signature "Wino" Les Paul Custom, the Alice in Chains icon discusses his favorite gear and his bond with EVH
Wolves in the Throne Room: "We try to skirt the line sonically between brutal and beautiful" By Gregory Adams published 25 August 21 With their new album Primordial Arcana, guitarists Kody Keyworth and Nathan Weaver deploy a near-endless supply of knockout black-metal hooks from their “master riff sack”
Max Cavalera on Marc Rizzo's departure from Soulfly and the possibility of Dino Cazares appearing on the band's next album By Greg Prato published 24 August 21 The Soulfly leader and former Sepultura frontman talks his proudest guitar moments, the controversy surrounding Rizzo's exit and 30 years of Arise
Between the Buried and Me: "We took everything we do, and we notched it up a bit. It’s everything that everyone either loves or hates about BTBAM!" By Gregory Adams published 13 August 21 Guitarists Paul Waggoner and Dustie Waring talk philosophically doubling down on 2007's Colors with epic, hugely diverse new full-length Colors II
Quicksand's Walter Schreifels: "I love playing expensive things, but I'm also totally down for street-level garbage!" By Gregory Adams published 11 August 21 The post-hardcore vet on his love of Fender offsets, switching up his playing for new album Distant Populations, and why he named a song after the MXR Phase 90
Tony Iommi and James Hetfield discuss their guitar journeys with Black Sabbath and Metallica in this classic 1992 Guitar World interview By Brad Tolinski, Alan Paul published 3 August 21 The titanic pair on gear, influences, being heavy metal pioneers, setting bandmates on fire and everything in between