News archive

July 2026

Filter

Year
Month

49 articles

July 25
- “They gave themselves credit, stuck it on an album and never paid me. It was a little bit disappointing.” John Lennon looked to Frank Zappa for career guidance. Zappa said the former Beatle got considerably more
- “His battle is over now and he can finally rest.” Lou Koller, iconic frontman for Sick of It All, has died at 59
July 24
- “From the bottom of my heart, I’m sorry. I hope you’re well. I hope there’s not a physical problem.” David Lee Roth cancels U.S. tour and gets words of support from Sammy Hagar
- “This is the kind of guitar playing that melts me.” Brian May on the guitarist who left even the Queen legend humbled
- “Bob turned around like, ‘What the eff are you doing back there? I'm trying to talk up here!’” Mike Campbell on the time he broke his guitar in two onstage with Bob Dylan with just one wrong move
July 23
- “I thought it was a bit of a mistake — a hype, really.” Eric Clapton on Chas Chandler’s misstep with Jimi Hendrix — and why he “fell in love with him” anyway
July 22
- “I said, ‘God, you nicked all my things!’ And he said, ‘Yeah, but it’s like an homage to you.’” Mick Jagger on his rivalry with David Bowie — and the Ziggy Stardust–era track that was Bowie’s Rolling Stones tribute
- “The guy said if people donated, they’d never to play it again.” Robert Plant once paid a radio station to stop playing Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven”
July 21
- “I was rather embarrassed to realize we were named after a dead guy who invented the seed drill.” Ian Anderson reveals his guilt over Jethro Tull’s name
July 20
- “There are babes jumping up and down. I’m going, ‘That guy's copping my song.’ And then I realized it was me!” Bonnie Raitt on learning her guitar work was the theme for the hit TV show ‘Baywatch’
- “With a very heavy heart we announce that our beloved bandmate, friend and fellow troublemaker has passed away today.” L7 bassist Jennifer Finch has died at age 59
July 17
- “All through our career, every time we would play that song, I would feel that rush of adrenaline, as if it was the first time I heard it.” Mike Campbell on the Tom Petty song that stunned him at every performance
- “I wrote the song when I was actually in the store. I borrowed a bit of paper and started to write the song down.” Mark Knopfler reveals the surprising influence behind the Dire Straits hit “Money for Nothing”
- “There are a lot of guys who can play that. But I don’t.” David Gilmour says he never learned to play one of his most iconic Pink Floyd guitar solos
- “Our preference has always been dialogue and practical solutions—not litigation. Unfortunately, Thomann chose a different path.” Fender sues Thomann in latest escalation of its Stratocaster copyright crackdown
July 16
- “I took John’s advice — which is very stupid of me.” Mick Jagger says John Lennon talked him out of meeting Elvis Presley — and he still regrets it
- “You have an army behind you,” Green Day, Pearl Jam, Garbage and others rally around L7 bassist Jennifer Finch as fund to support her brain cancer fight tops $350,000
- “She plays like Gary Moore. She’s got the vibrato of a 55-year-old man.” How one FaceTime call helped 19-year-old Anna Cara land her Alice Cooper gig
July 15
- “Can we try one without the conga player?” Phil Collins heard one sentence on an old George Harrison tape — and thought he’d solved a 30-year mystery
- “He was buying his grass from him. He said, ‘I know a band that needs a manager!’” Famous shock rocker says one unexpected visitor changed his band’s fortunes overnight
- “I’ve heard it’s responsible for a whole generation being conceived.” Paul Rodgers on Bad Company’s rock anthem that took years — and an entirely new band — to complete
July 14
- “More good days behind her than ahead.” Joan Jett and Garbage rally around L7 bassist Jennifer Finch after she receives brain cancer diagnosis
- “I wasn’t enjoying it anymore.” Peter Frampton on why he quit Humble Pie just as the band was becoming famous — and the band member who helped push him out the door and into his solo career
- “We did our best work with Dave.” Alex Van Halen explains why David Lee Roth was Van Halen’s secret ingredient
July 13
- “I’d join a band with him any day.” George Harrison had no interest in a Beatles reunion — but there was one former bandmate he said he’d happily start a new group with
- “It’s rather unfair for Stevie.” Mick Jagger recalls the onstage pie fight that ended the Rolling Stones’ 1972 tour with Stevie Wonder
July 11
- “I went, ‘Jack Nicholson? You know who I am?’ He says, ‘Yeah, Georgie, I always follow the rough boys.’” George Thorogood on his Live Aid performances with Bo Diddley and Albert Collins — and the two actors who made his day
July 10
- “Get that guy who looks like Cleopatra backstage!” When Ron Wood first met Eric Clapton
- “Don’t waste hours, weeks, and years trying to get to 224 beats per minute on the metronome. No one’s ever going to want to see you do that!” Joe Satriani on the “small realities” every player needs to hear
July 9
- “We had to set some boundaries…” Mastodon addresses Brent Hinds’ departure and untimely passing in emotional short film
- “We used to be in the studio all night, trying to make up songs that weren’t written”: The Rolling Stones says they used to labor in the studio, but now they take a “bulldozer approach”
- David Bowie's timeless advice for musicians: Step out of your comfort zone
July 8
- “He’s guitar batman!” Johnny Marr just helped a session ace track down her lost vintage Gretsch
- “Don't expect too much, too fast”: John Mayer's guitar teacher, Tomo Fujita, thinks that always looking to level up your guitar skills is a dangerous game
- “Part of the deal was we couldn’t disturb the penguins.” From Metallica playing in the Antarctic to Van Halen performing in a blizzard — here are the wild stories behind three of rock’s coldest concerts
- “Maybe I didn't like the strippers enough for his taste…” What happened when Desmond Child was asked to write a song with Van Halen
July 7
- “All the people around him said, ‘Whatever you do, don't ask him to play guitar’!” How Paul Rodgers made Jimmy Page play guitar again after John Bonham’s death
- “Loser gatekeepers want you to believe that you need 20-plus chords in a song. In reality, you need two”: Wet Leg's Rhian Teasdale on why you only need two chords to write a “banging” song
July 6
- “I don’t want to rage bait, but…” Did the Beatles cause guitar quality to nosedive in the 1970s? This session player thinks so
- “We had to rent these pedals. They turned up and the band realised – they were THEIR pedals…” How Rush were unexpectedly reunited with their old effects pedals for their final albums
- Paul McCartney dusted off a classic Beatles hit for Taylor Swift’s wedding
July 4
- “I cried for two years. I blamed myself.” Don McLean on the “unspeakable” death that haunts his iconic hit “American Pie”
July 3
- “I credit Taylor Swift for letting me sing that song with her at Madison Square Garden many years ago.” John Rzeznik says Taylor Swift helped turn Goo Goo Dolls’ ‘Iris’ into a song for a whole new generation
- “Why didn’t we put that on a Van Halen record?” Sammy Hagar on the song Eddie Van Halen loved, Alex Van Halen rejected — and later regretted he passed up
July 2
- “The guitar solo was an embarrassing thing to do. Jack White brought it back.” Matt Bellamy on White’s contributions to rock — and their pinch-me moment backstage at Coachella
- “Who’s gonna know if I play on this kid’s record?” Eddie Van Halen explains how he broke a band policy to shred on Michael Jackson’s ”Beat It” — and why he didn’t earn a penny for his iconic guitar solo
July 1
- “This finger canceled three shows on this tour.” As Rush are forced to reschedule dates on their reunion tour, we recall how Alex Lifeson’s broken finger once stopped the band at a crucial moment in their rise
- “Freddie said, 'No, no, no, no — it's a piano song!’” Freddie Mercury didn’t want a guitar solo. Brian May fought for it — and created one of Queen’s most celebrated moments on record
- “I think of it as maybe the first really heavy guitar riff.” Sean Lennon says his dad deserves more credit for shaping heavy music