By Michael Mckinney Drum circle groups are gaining popularity today and their emergence presents a tantalizing possibility for Classical and Flamenco guitarists. I recently had the thrilling experience of sitting in with a drum circle on several occasions and expect to do so again. There’s nothing like it to test your improvisational skills, but before […]
Read moreBy Ross Boissoneau William “Bill” Kanengiser is best known as a founding member of the celebrated Los Angeles Guitar Quartet. The group has released 14 CDs since its founding, receiving two Grammy nominations and winning one. The LAGQ’s recording of the title work on Pat Metheny’s Road to the Sun hit #1 on the Apple […]
Read moreBy Ross Boissoneau What?? A flamenco opera, premiering in February??? Indeed, Strings By Mail artist Adam Del Monte has the creds and the mojo to make it happen, and he did! He teaches flamenco and classical guitar at USC, where he has been a member of the studio guitar department faculty since 2000. He recorded […]
Read moreBy Ross Boissoneau Mark Egan says his latest release, Cross Currents, encompasses influences from throughout his career. That’s saying a lot, as the bassist was a founding member and mainstay of the Pat Metheny group and spent years laying down the foundation for the Gil Evans Orchestra. Over the course of his career he’s played […]
Read moreBy Ross Boissoneau Music video at bottom for your listening pleasure. The promotional material for her latest recording suggests Missy Raines has been exploring other sonic territory at the expense of the music she grew up with and has played all her life: “On her newest release Highlander, the bassist/vocalist/songwriter returns to her bluegrass roots.” […]
Read moreBy Ross Boissoneau John Basile is not as well-known as many other guitarists. Perhaps it’s because his discography is limited, with 14 recordings under his name over the last 38 years. Maybe it’s because of his many other interests and vocations, including radiology and boxing. That’s right, he ran and managed various imaging clinics, and […]
Read moreBy Ross Boissoneau Michael Manring says his love affair with his chosen instrument has been nearly lifelong. “I fell in love with bass as a kid,” he says. “I was a little young for the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, so for me it was Woodstock. It was like a bomb going off for me and […]
Read moreBy Ross Boissoneau It’s not easy to stand out in the middle of a rhythm section in a band that boasts five horns and a dynamic lead vocalist. But Tower of Power guitarist Jerry Cortez manages just fine, thank you very much. Since joining the titans of funk in 2010, he’s been praised for his […]
Read moreBy Ross Boissoneau Joshua Davis is: A) A popular singer/sonwriter B) An instructor at Interlochen Arts Academy C) A finalist on season 8 of the NBC show The Voice D) All the above The answer, of course, is D. Familiar to audiences around the state and the Midwest from both his time fronting the band […]
Read moreBy Ross Boissoneau Guitarist Nels Cline isn’t a name necessarily familiar to those who follow the charts, even though he’s been a part of the popular band Wilco since 2004 and he’s contributed to hundreds of recordings, as a sideman, studio guest, or bandleader or co-leader. That includes seven with the ironically-named Nels Cline Singers, […]
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