After a few weeks on the road playing the same show every night you begin to incorporate certain licks, motifs and ideas into your solos that work. If they worked last night and got a good reaction from the crowd, they'll no doubt get a similar reaction tonight. As the tour goes on, you begin to develop a bit of shtick that works its way into your improvising. And occasionally I'll notice myself revisiting things from last year's tour!  But I try really hard to avoid doing that. I want to keep the music fresh for me and for the band, and the last thing I want to hear is the same stuff I did the night before. I'm currently touring Europe with what was to be a CVB tour, but our drummer Walfredo Reyes, Jr. became unavailable after the entire tour was booked. So I called in an old friend and very capable sub, Chad Wackerman.Chad has been a close friend of mine for 34 years. We've played on each other's CDs and done many concerts together over the years under his name or mine. For five months of this year he's...

I'll never forget the first time I heard Nevermind.

Can I learn the super-easy "Come As You Are" riff this weekend?

I recently had the good fortune to attend the Whistler Jazz Fest in British Columbia. I sat in on all the master classes there, which were packed with great information that was dispensed by incredible guitarists. One recurring motif was the importance of practice. Practice your brains out. Hit it every day. "If you're in a rut, sit on your butt" (which presumably means practice your way out of that rut by sitting in the woodshed). I found it very inspiring because, even though I play all the time, I haven't really practiced in a while. I returned home invigorated and looking forward to woodshedding again, which I've been doing as often as I can and it feels great.Here's the thing, though. As much as I don't want to contradict any of the instructors in Whistler, I did hear a few of them recommend something that I must take issue with. In a few of the classes I heard variations on the following themes: "This is just a warm-up exercise." "You'll never actually...

I've been a longtime fan of all three of these guys, so when David Torn told me about the album they were doing together, I was eager to hear it.

Fender CEO Larry Thomas addressed the many artists, manufacturers, salespersons, journalists, and others gathered in Corona, CA on Thursday September 15th for the private Fender Visitor Center Pre-Opening Celebration. Thomas was joined by the delightful Phyllis Fender.

I had a wonderful time last night at the Private Pre-Opening Celebration of the new Fender Visitor Center in Corona, California. Besides being shown around the extraordinary 8,600-square-foot Center, we were given a tour of the adjacent factory and Custom Shop, there was plenty of food and drink, Dave Mason, Raphael Saadiq, and Buddy Guy performed—and we had a chance to hang with all of the fine folks at Fender.

The grand opening this evening of the Fender Visitor Center in Corona, California, was a hugely fun event. The expansive new facility is a remarkable tribute to the legacy of Fender guitars and amps.  Located near Fender’s historical Southern California birthplace, the 8,600-square-foot facility features exhibits, interactive displays of modern Fender musical products, historic instruments, rare photographs and artifacts, video presentations on the evolution of the electric guitar (including rare archival footage), and much more. At the event, Fender also opened it doors to the factory, giving guided tours to all who wanted to see the inner workings of the production and Custom Shop facilities.

 It was  a blast to hang out with the Fender  guys—Richard McDonald, Mike Eldred, Joe Carducci, Shane Nicholas, Justin Norvell, and Jason Farrell—and also get to check out some of the latest products, such as the soon to-be-released Eric Clapton signature...

You can find a ton of blogs on the web about '59 Les Pauls,'56 Strats, plexi Marshalls, original TS-808 Tube Screamers, and other Holy Grail pieces of tone-producing goodness.This is not one of them.As much as I love awesome vintage gear (and as fortunate as I am to have actually played some of the aforementioned beauties), I'm a man of means by no means and I've never tried to acquire classic equipment. My beloved Grandma gave me a Martin acoustic that her parents bought her new in 1930—thanks, Bunny!—but that's pretty much it. So, what I'd like to do here is list some left-of-center gear that has served me well over the years. Most of it is totally affordable and all of it is totally vibey. In no particular order, here are some pieces that have rocked my world, even if they didn't light the rest of the world on fire like a '59 'burst.Lab Series L7 ampMy first loud amp, I had wanted one of these ever since I saw Ronnie Montrose use one with Gamma back in 1979. I got it in 1983 or '84 and used it on loads of gigs....

You’ve produced a video featuring your music, and you plan to promote it on YouTube.

Congratulations—but beware!

There are certain quirks in the way that YouTube registers how often your video has been played, and at some point the count will very likely freeze.

I discovered this the hard way.