A lot of people said that folk music died when Bob Dylan went electric at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. These people were wrong. In recent years a new crop of folk-friendly artists have cropped up and proved that there’s still plenty of room to take off where pioneers like Dylan and Woody Guthrie left off. Here are five of our favorite modern day folkies.
Friday, October 10, 2008 5:35 PM
Some bands view videos as necessary evils while others see them as a chance to not only enhance their songs but to craft a new work of art that can stand on its own. Few bands have done more to develop the art of the video than California alternative act Weezer. Here are some of our favorite videos from Rivers Cuomo and company, proving that the band’s videos are just as iconic as their tunes.
Friday, October 10, 2008 5:03 PM
It’s hard to believe it’s taken this long, but we’re proud to announce the arrival of our favorite new book, The Rock Bible: Unholy Scripture for Fans & Bands. That’s right, this tiny red book may look like a typical bible — despite the, you know, flames and Les Paul on the cover — but on the inside it contains a list of dos and don’ts that every aspiring rock star should read before embarking on a spiritual journey into the world of dirty clubs, crowded vans and rest stop bathrooms.
Friday, October 10, 2008 4:54 PM
Meiko, a Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter whose self-titled debut album, has been getting mad love from Starbucks, USA Today and the producers of prime-time television shows like Grey’s Anatomy and One Tree Hill. She never misses an episode that features one of her songs. “I’ll invite some friends to my house and we watch it over and over again,” said Meiko.
Thursday, October 09, 2008 4:17 PM
The Gibson Forums havejust undergone some very cool renovations that have left it an even more accessible, fun and informative place for Gibson fans to meet online and discuss.
Several new rooms were added to Gibson Forums, including Trading Posts, The Gibson Lounge and the Recording Room, giving guitarists and music enthusiasts a place to trade gear, shoot the breeze, and talk recording techniques and tools. These new rooms complement already-thriving Gibson Forums topics, including discussions of the Les Paul, SG and Gibson Acoustics.
Thursday, October 09, 2008 1:58 PM
Welcome to the first installment of Myth Busters. This is a new series from Gibson that will investigate some of the gear-related myths that have built up around various guitar legends over the years, with a view toward setting the record straight — sorting the truth from the snake oil — or occasionally confirming the odd tale when the facts warrant it. Few arenas are as rich in legend and fable as the oral and recorded “histories” of the secret tones of the great guitarists of rock and blues. A few factors contribute to this, no doubt: On one hand, we’re so eager to believe that there must be some “magic ingredient” to our hero’s signature sound that the wildest theories and most intricate details become not only acceptable, but crucial in any effort to attain a similar sound; on the other, the memories of anyone who was actually on hand for certain historical recording sessions or performances in the distant past are understandably sketchy by now, so who can really swear to what guitar, amp, effect, pick, or gauge of strings was used for any specific take anyway?
Thursday, October 09, 2008 1:28 PM
Why we love Moby
Thursday, October 09, 2008 12:33 PM
Florida bluegrass musician Todd Taylor has been playing the banjo since he was a boy. But while the fleet-fingered 42-year-old picker has racked up fame in roots music circles and even consecutive Grammy nominations, there’s one feat that eluded him until last year ― a slot in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s fastest banjo player. But Todd, who suffers from a rare muscular disorder, says he had something bigger in mind with his record attempt: “I’ve accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish in the industry. [The record] was for other handicapped persons in the United States, to let them know that they can accomplish anything they want, no matter how bad things look.”
Thursday, October 09, 2008 8:00 AM
Often the best things in life are simple, and that applies to playing North Mississippi open tuned slide guitar. Energizing that style, or any other, with soul is something you can’t get from lessons ― except maybe life’s ― but I can set you on the musical path with just a couple tips. And maybe even show you how to pull the sound in some unconventional directions that’ll encourage you to apply your own special sauce to the hill country diet.
Wednesday, October 08, 2008 4:11 PM
Seems like not a month goes by without some up-and-coming music star putting a new spin on a vintage pop hit. But while most acts tend to be fairly conservative in their interpretations, every once in a while one comes along with a truly unique take. That’s certainly the case with this hilariously skewed, yet still surprisingly faithful live cover of the great Isaac Hayes’ Theme from Shaft, as played at the Cambridge Folk Festival by the seven members of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, who also ask ― what else ― “Can you dig it?”
Wednesday, October 08, 2008 9:39 AM