I caught the new Led Zeppelin concert film, Celebration Day, on the big screen last night. For those of you who don’t have time to read the whole review, here’s the upshot: It rules.

I’ve been a huge Michael Schenker fan since I first heard UFO Obsession in 1978. His penetrating, mid-heavy tone (which I would later find out was the product of a Cry Baby wah at half-mast plugged into a Marshall), his gorgeous melodies and blazing solos (he burned, he didn’t shred), and his uber-bitchin’ Flying V knocked me out as a kid who was just getting into playing guitar.

 When I wrote a blog on practicing more than a year ago, I apparently touched a nerve, judging from the amount and tone of the comments it generated.

The L.A. Amp Show took place at the Airtel Plaza Hotel in Van Nuys, CA recently and I made the scene for both days to check out the amps, effects, demos, and even a few guitars.

Jason Mraz gets so much love for his songwriting and his amazing pop vocals that people sometimes overlook the fact that he’s a great guitarist. Although Mraz was featured in GP’s acoustic sister, Frets, back in the day, he’s never been in Guitar Player proper. That’s just plain wrong, so we sat down for the first of two interviews with Mr. A-Z on a sunny Bay Area afternoon.

The Dallas international guitar festival, perhaps more commonly knob as the Dallas guitar show, is an interesting  phenomenon. It's unlike other trade shows such as NAMM or Musikmesse. It is at once more low budget and more heartwarming. The lack of glitz and glam is conspicuous, even as the cold lights shine down on Holy Grail level vintage pieces. It's a small show, but nuanced and layered. It's easy to think that you can take the entire show in in an hour, and, from strictly a square-footage standpoint, that's true. But to truly soak up everything that the Dallas show has to offer took me the entire three days. Here's how it shook out.

 

The Vibe The vibe and attitude at the show is casual, relaxed, and—in true Texas fashion—just a little dangerous. ZZ Top beards are all the rage, as are 11am beers that somehow keep refilling all the livelong day. With that edge, however, comes a cool, jovial attitude. People are nice, and they seem genuinely happy to be there. They come...

March 3, 2012 marked the world premiere of the feature film, Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet from director Jesse Vile. The film chronicles the amazing life of Jason Becker—child prodigy, genius musician, and 20-year survivor of ALS.

Mr. Jake rolled back into town this past weekend, although not in exactly the same fashion as most musicians who are unquestionably at the top of their field.

I got to talk with Brian May for an hour the other day. I told a friend about it and he said, "Man, you've got a great job." That got me thinking.