Michael C. Sharp : Never Enough Time

Ever since I delved into Holodeck Records’ compilation Holodeck Vision One I’ve been going back and trying to play catch up with the label’s impressive and vast roster of artists. One song that’s been particularly mind-blowing to me(one of many) is Sungod’s “Frequence”. A mixture of Krautrock, trance-like repetition, and the sound of a band […]

For Those About To Rock(We’ll Pray For You)

I’d never realized I wanted to be a roadie for a Christian rock band. That is, until I was one. At the age of 12 going on 13 I started taking guitar lessons. It was something I’d wanted to do for at least three years prior. Well, I’d wanted a guitar, just not take lessons. […]

Going Sølo : Nicklas Sørensen Talks Influences, Scat, and His New Solo LP

If you’re familiar with the Danish rockers Papir, then you’re quite familiar with Nicklas Sørensen. Sørensen is the guitarist for the three-piece psych rock outfit out of Copenhagen. His style is fluid, groove-filled and nuanced. He can go from heady post-rock passages that float on crystalline clouds to buzzing, fuzzed-out freak outs at the drop of a […]

Nicklas Sørensen : Solo 2

Nicklas Sørensen most recently blasted dreamy, psychedelic swaths of guitar on Papir’s 2017 record V. Within that Danish three-piece psych rock outfit, Sørensen can go from post-rock stoicism to 60s fuzzed-out freak out in seconds flat. He’s erased those boundary lines that seemed to box in the “guitar hero”. Jazzy introspection, distorted wah wah, and progressive lines […]

Paul Gilbert : The Everyman’s Guitar Hero

It’s been close to 30 years so my memory may not serve me correctly, but somewhere in the vicinity of the spring of 1989 I got to see and meet Mr. Big guitarist Paul Gilbert. Why do you care? “Paul who? The Mr. Big dude? Yeah, so what?” Will you please let me finish? Thank you. […]

Ulrich Schnauss & Jonas Munk : Passage

The newest collaboration between Ulrich Schnauss and Jonas Munk, titled simply Passage, is a heady mix of intellectual ambient and euphoric electronic. You get Schnauss’ synths layered with Munk’s liquid guitar lines, sometimes with drum programming and sometimes on their own. The result is a complex and engaging record that offers the best both musicians […]

Totally Wired

Growing up there were four guitarists that were always mentioned when it came to dudes that changed the game when it came to rock and roll guitar. Jimmy, Jimi, Eric, and Jeff. For those not in the know(and if you’re not, welcome. Glad to see you), that would be Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, […]

Beautiful Noise

I think one of my absolute favorite musical discoveries of the last few years is the band Medicine. There’s something about the way they made pop songs into something righteously loud, discordant, and abrasive but never lost that magic ingredient: melody. Their first two albums, Shot Forth Self Living and The Buried Life, were both […]

Fighting Dragons With Stratocasters

Last week was a hell of a long week. I’m not even sure if it’s really over. There’s a possibility I’m still at my desk last Tuesday and I’m currently in some sort of state of suspended animation. I’m stuck in-between the space/time continuum bookends like some discarded copy of The Canterbury Tales or What To Expect […]

Joe Satriani : Shockwave Supernova

I’ll admit it, I love Joe Satriani. In all seriousness, he was the driving force that pushed me to play guitar as an awkward Midwestern teenager. I’d been playing for two years prior to hearing Joe, but once I heard Surfing With The Alien when I was 14 years old I felt like I’d been […]