in Artists, Guitarists “I thought I was going to wind up being a mental patient. I was like, ‘If I ever survive this, I swear to God I’m not going to do anything but work on music’”: Marty Friedman’s hellish teen acid trip was the making of his career as a guitarist
in Artists, Guitarists “Even global stars must follow local rules”: Ed Sheeran’s street performance was brought to an abrupt end after Indian police shut it down – but the songwriter says he did have permission to play
in Artists, Guitarists “It threw me off completely. Here I am in front of 16,000 people, on the stage where Jeff Beck stood, where The Beatles stood, and where Jimi Hendrix stood”: Steve Lukather on wielding Beck’s Strat, jams with George Harrison – and his best solo slip-up
in Artists, Guitarists “I managed to stay behind at The Marquee when everyone had gone home. I asked him, ‘How do you get that sound?’ He said, ‘Well, it’s easy…’” In 1969, a young Brian May hid in a venue to speak to Rory Gallagher – and it led to his tonal breakthrough
in Artists, Guitarists “Like all young artists, sometimes you run into somebody that’s one of your heroes”: Jerry Cantrell recalls the time he tried – and failed – to pass an Alice in Chains demo tape to Axl Rose
in Artists, Bands “There’s a lot of power to our band name… we weren’t part of any scene, so it was like, ‘Who are we? We are The Damn Truth’”: Meet the Canadian quartet bringing their raucous sound to the masses – with a little help from Bob Rock
in Artists, Guitarists “The ‘industry’ strings you along with these empty accolades but labels paying you on time can keep your life from falling apart”: Beyoncé session guitarist Justus West says awards don’t pay the bills – and labels need to take more accountability
in Artists, Guitarists “It’s not a Marvel movie or a Vegas residency – it’s rock and roll and it’s a living breathing organism”: Jack White responds to short sets criticism – and explains why you’ll never see him play for three hours
in Artists, Guitarists “Sounds just like Slash, doesn’t it?”: Slash joins forces with Tom Morello for a three-song cameo at LA Wildfire Relief shows – taking on MC5 and an AC/DC classic
in Artists, Guitarists “I had no idea how he was getting his guitar to sound like that”: Joe Walsh called him one of most underrated guitarists of the ’70s and Hendrix said he was a better guitar player than he was – yet this Telecaster icon often remains overlooked
in Artists, Bassists “It’s one of our best tunes and one of my best basslines”: When Duran Duran fused Chic and Sex Pistols for one of bassist John Taylor’s standout performances
in Artists, Bassists “I’m like the Pablo Escobar of bass. If a dude works on my pedalboard, it’s almost like I have to kill him after he’s done!” With Rage Against the Machine, Tim Commerford pioneered an all-time iconic bass tone. No wonder he’s cagey about his setup
