Articles tagged: artistqa

The White Stripes in Concert at Tenda Strisce Theater in Rome - June 6, 2007

"There are no safety nets in The White Stripes. It’s obviously harder for me to work with a 1964 plastic guitar compared with a brand-new one right off the factory line": Jack White talks gear and garage rock hipsters in this 2007 classic interview

By Total Guitar published

In this in-depth chat from 2007, White talks about the recording of the White Stripes' Icky Thump, hails Nashville for keeping it real and explains why music is not fun

Julian Lage

“Why you typically don’t lead a six-piece band with an acoustic guitar is because you can’t be heard! I am shocked that we are able to pull that one off”: Julian Lage on the electric shuffles and engineering miracles behind his most daring album yet

By Jonathan Horsley published

The jazz guitar maestro shares the secrets to guitar phrasing and discusses the irrational melodies and Eno-inspired “sound forward” approach behind his new album, Speak To Me

Justin Norvell with an American Vintage II Series Jaguar

"All of that other stuff – the outboard gear, the electronics – can continue to evolve but the thing that you hold close to your body, that becomes part of you… you don’t have to keep evolving that" – Fender's Justin Norvell on heritage and progression

By Jonathan Horsley published

Interview: The Big F’s executive VP of product says eyes peeled for more Road Worn finishes, artist signature Acoustasonics, and more special releases to celebrate 70 years of the Stratocaster

Troy Van Leeuwen of Queens of the Stone Age plays Riot Fest 2023 in Chicago

“We are the most difficult simple band. I’ve often heard guys coming up to us saying, ‘You guys are just playing barre chords!’ I am glad you think it is that simple!”– Troy Van Leeuwen on QOTSA's musical illusions and gear secrets

By Jonathan Horsley published

Best of 2023: Troy Van Leeuwen checks in from The End Of Nero Tour to talk fuzz favourites, filling in for Dave Navarro in Jane's Addiction, and why no one pedal alone can recreate Queens Of The Stone Age's guitar tone

Thurston Moore

“I really wanted to be accepted in that purist world of punk and hardcore. You plug your guitar in and boom! Instead we had 10 guitars... all broken and rejigged”: Thurston Moore on Sonic Youth, taming feedback and musical epiphanies

By Jonathan Horsley published

Reflecting on a life of warping electric guitar norms, Moore discusses punk's duality, guitar technique, environmental sound, and taking his sound beyond the boundary

Marty Schwartz

“There is a lot of performance anxiety with students and their teacher... But with a video you can watch it a million times over. No one’s judging you”: Marty Schwartz on teaching guitar in the 21st century

By Jonathan Horsley published

The master teacher behind the Marty Music YouTube channel discusses personal tuition vs video, how tech is helping more people learn, and reveals the player he would want a lesson from

Juanes

“I live through the guitar. This is like a projection of my soul... It’s like therapy”: Juanes on his signature Strat, Metallica’s influence and learning from Tomo Fujita

By Jonathan Horsley published

The Grammy-winning superstar on fighting through the pain for a style that applies Hetfield-style downpicking to Colombian folk, returning to his essence, and why his new Strat is the guitar for all seasons

Nita Strauss live onstage in Nashville, TN.

Nita Strauss: “I am extremely satisfied with digital. If I didn’t think it sounded as good I would have redone it through real amps”

By Jonathan Horsley published

Hurricane Nita drops by to discuss her all-star new solo album, the tone dividend from using digital tech, and argues that you should be proud to call yourself a shredder

Steve Vai on Vai / Gash: "Steve Vai: “I wanted to rip something out that was really straight ahead, no frills, no extended guitar solos or widdly-widdly in between”

Steve Vai: “One ear has been pulled towards rock my whole life, the other towards high-information music; my brain mixes it up and that’s when you get the weird Vai s**t”

By Jonathan Horsley published

Steve Vai drops in to talk Vai/Gash, Whitesnake, the unmatched integrity of Tom Waits, the appeal of ‘big, hairy guitars” and what guitarists can learn from the human voice

Scott LePage

Polyphia’s Scott LePage: “There is a small aspect of, ‘OK, this needs to be performable.’ But sometimes we just do cool shit for the sake of doing cool shit and worry about it later”

By Jonathan Horsley published

LePage explains how collaborations, nylon-string guitars, the thrill of the new, and going all in and over the top with virtuosity made the most radical guitar album of 2022