Category Archives: Backstage Pass

Yngwie Hits The Road And The Bookshelves

Fender Yngwie Malmsteen Stratocaster

Yngwie J Malmsteen never slows down – certainly not on guitar, and definitely not in his work ethic. Yngwie is on the road right now promoting his new album Spellbound (which features some of the most extreme neoclassical guitar magic of his career), and he’s also just released his autobiography, Relentless – A Memoir. Continue reading

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Performing in Pakistan & North Korea

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Many European and North American bands will cross the Atlantic to play shows far away from home. Bigger bands even commonly tour Asia and South America. How many many bands have you heard about that have played shows in North … Continue reading

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Q&A With Alex Skolnick

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Recently we were lucky enough to snag some time with Alex Skolnick (while he took a break in a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf) to talk about Testament, Alex Skolnick Trio, tone, technique, gear and just general life stuff. Alex … Continue reading

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Greg Hetson of Bad Religion

Air Duncans.

Greg Hetson, “the Geordie Howe of Punk”, has been a staple of the L.A. punk scene since 1979. Hetson got his start playing in the influential Red Kross, leaving in ’80 to form the Circle Jerks (featured in The Decline … Continue reading

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Interview – Niclas Etelävuori from Amorphis

Niclas Etelävuori from Amorphis

Blending folk and metal together into a cohesive unit is a challenging task for anyone, let alone the bass player left to keep it all together. We caught up with Niclas Etelävuori from Amorphis and talked about the new album, … Continue reading

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Guitar Hero: George Lynch

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George Lynch came blazing onto the music scene in the late ’70s with the band Dokken. Songs like “Mr. Scary” inspired young people around the world to play guitar instead of taking a traditional job. Throughout the ’80s he was a lead guitarist for Dokken with a fret-burning and unique style of playing. In 1989 he formed Lynch Mob and went on to create more than a half dozen albums. Continue reading

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Drinkin’ Beer with Willie Adler of Lamb of God

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Ask someone about their favorite heavy metal bands and it shouldn’t take long to hear Lamb of God. Since their founding in 1990 by Willie Adler, his brother Chris, Randy Blythe, Mark Morton and John Campbell, they’ve put out six … Continue reading

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Talking Tone & Thrash Royalty With Monte Pittman

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Monte Pittman is one of those guitarists that you can rely on to cover any musical situation you throw at them. Just look at his resume: from Prong to Madonna and Adam Lambert, Pittman has the chops, tone and professionalism to slip into a song with the right balance of musical authenticity and individual personality. In November 2012 he released M.P.3: The Power Of Three, Part 1. Continue reading

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Five Questions with Anthrax’s Scott Ian

Scott Ian

Anthrax have been going from strength to strength for the past few years. With the return of Joey Belladonna, the Big Four shows, and the 2011 release of Worship Music, Anthrax have been tearing it up all over the world.

Since Anthrax are returning to Australian shores as part of the Soundwave Festival I thought it would be good to ask Seymour Duncan artist, Anthrax guitarist and founding member Scott Ian a few questions. Continue reading

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Gary Hoey Gets The Blues. And Loves It.

Photo by Max Crace

We all know Gary Hoey can do pretty much anything on guitar. His cover of prototypical prog classic ‘Hocus Pocus’ was a Top 5 Billboard Mainstream Rock hit in 1993. In 1994 his soundtrack to Endless Summer II single-handedly made … Continue reading

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