Interviews | GC Riffs

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Interviews

Marciela "MJ" Juarez | Manager of the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop

Marciela "MJ" Juarez had been building custom Seymour Duncan pickups for 36 years. She chats with us about how she got started, her first job for Jimmy Page, and the artist she'd love to work with.

Interviews
22 Apr 2019
Petrucci on Process | The Majesty Deconstructed

We sat down with John Petrucci and engineer Jimmy T to chat about the new Ernie Ball Music Man Majesty, how John Petrucci gets his guitar tones, and to deconstruct a Pro Tools session from Dream Theater’s latest record, "Distance Over Time."

Interviews
22 Apr 2019
Behind the PRS Silver Sky Guitar with John Mayer

John took a break during rehearsals for his latest world tour to show us the tones of the Silver Sky, as well as give us some insight into working with Paul in the creation of this idealized version of a vintage single-coil guitar.

Interviews
19 Apr 2019
Nita Strauss | Three Albums That Changed Her Playing

Nita Strauss shares the records that have meant the most to her— Steve Vai, Dream Theater, and Iron Maiden.

Interviews
17 Apr 2019
Nita Strauss | Forces of Inspiration

Nita Strauss on her signature Ibanez JIVA10 Guitar and a Track Deconstruct of her song "Mariana Trench" with mix engineer Mike Plotnikoff.

Interviews
17 Apr 2019
At Home with HANNIE: How Annie Wagstaff & Hannah Koppenberg Transformed Their London Flat into a Dream Studio

Two years ago, London-based musicians Annie Wagstaff & Hannah Koppenberg joined forces to create their first Instagram video - looping synthesizers, piano & guitar through Ableton and sharing out to the world. Now performing under the artist name HANNIE, they’ve amassed a following of over 300,000 fans – and there’s no end in sight for the duo’s curiosity and creativity. We met up with HANNIE during our recent visit to London for a behind-the-scenes look at their ever-evolving home studio set-up, a discussion about the role of social media in their success, and how they’ve utilized their online presence to grow their collection of gear.

Interviews
05 Mar 2019
Vince Gill & Friends: Catching Up with Vince’s Favorite Emerging Guitarists

In 2016, we asked multi-Grammy-Award-winning country artist Vince Gill to choose 5 new guitarists to join him on stage for one night only at The Mint in Los Angeles, each competing for the chance to record their own original music with Vince in the studio, as well as open for him at one of his shows. After choosing Claudio Tristano as the winner for the evening, he shocked the audience by also inviting all 5 finalists to join him as opening acts for a future show. After a few years of touring with legendary rock group The Eagles, Vince Gill returned to Nashville for a special evening at 3rd & Lindsley with all five finalists, each joining Vince and his band for 20-minute sets of Vince classics and original music. We caught up with Vince, Arielle, Claudio, Justus West, Stephan Hogan and Tony Pierce backstage before the show to see what they've been up to since we last brought them together.

Interviews
19 Feb 2019
Exclusive Premiere: Emily Wolfe’s Debut Album Proves Rock & Roll Is Just as Experimental as Ever

Two years ago, when Emily Wolfe stepped into the studio with Alabama Shakes’ keyboardist Ben Tanner at the board, she had already mapped out just about every sound she envisioned for the record. “The good thing about Emily is that she knows the sound when it’s there. The songs were fully formed in her head by the time she got the studio,” said Ben. Emily, a native of Austin, Texas, has spent the last several years making a name for herself as an electrifying, blues-driven live rock act, accompanied on the road by her trusty Epiphone Sheraton (picked up at Guitar Center Austin at the start of her career) and ever-evolving pedal board. With the release of her debut self-titled album, she effortlessly harnesses the raw power of her live performances in collaboration with Ben’s in-studio experimentation - creating an album that marries the roots of rock with the soaring choruses of modern pop. We sat down with Emily and Ben to talk about inspiration for the album, the process and gear behind nailing the sound, and how they brought to life Emily’s genre-bending dream of mixing “Demi Lovato with Queens of the Stone Age.”

Interviews
14 Feb 2019
A R I Z O N A: Backstage at Staples Center

Starting their journey as three college kids in Boston, A R I Z O N A have come quite the distance since their days of playing the east coast’s rock club scene. Now, the band’s genre-bending ‘electronic-hybrid’ sound has opened the doors for touring new music, as well as headlining festivals across the country. We caught up with Nate, David, Zach and their touring crew just before they opened for Panic! At The Disco at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where we chatted about their current gear lineup, how it has evolved throughout the years, and why techs are the true superheroes of any successful touring band.

Interviews
16 Nov 2018
Dreams As Bold As Love: Jimi Hendrix Remembered

Janie Hendrix reflects on Jimi's early years, his iconic moments and his indelible legacy.

Interviews
30 Oct 2018
Marv Green: The Bluebird Cafe at Guitar Center

These days, songwriter Marv Green is known as a bit of a Nashville legend. After penning the 1999 Lonestar hit song "Amazed", reaching the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts shortly after its release, he's gone on to write for top country artists including Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, Eric Church, Tim McGraw and more. We sat down with Marv at his This Music studio on Music Row in Nashville for chat about making it as a songwriter, as well as the story behind his trusty Vintage 1950 Gibson J-50.

Interviews
08 Oct 2018
The Bluebird Cafe at Guitar Center: Josh & Judy Allison

Performing an original song in front of an audience is no easy task. Now, try performing during of one of Nashville's most coveted showcases to a sold-out crowd - you've just put yourself in the shoes of a Bluebird Cafe songwriter. We threw a pop-up Bluebird Cafe In-The-Round Experience at our Guitar Center Nashville store, inviting seven songwriters to perform and talk about their experience navigating Music City's plethora of opportunity - meet Alabama-natives Josh & Judy Allison.

Interviews
18 Sep 2018
Heart & Soul | The White Buffalo

We caught up with Jake for a performance of The White Buffalo's "The Pilot" from his 2012 album 'Once Upon A Time in the West', live at Unison Studio in Los Angeles featuring the Taylor 710e.

Interviews
18 Sep 2018
The Rhythm & Fusion of Dominican Sounds in NYC

The featured artists of the Dominican Sounds showcase find a welcome stage at SOBs Sound of Brazil in Lower Manhattan, specializing in the Latin soundscapes of the Dominican Republic, Brazil and beyond. Each born and raised in the island of the Dominican Republic, the opportunity for these singer/songwriters to play for a new audience is a chance to celebrate the most vibrant colors of their celebrated art and heritage. We caught up with the artists after their showcase to talk about the experience of bringing their music to the states, as well as the gear they can't leave home without.

Interviews
11 Sep 2018
On The Road with Jade Bird

London-born Jade Bird has officially touched down in the states – wowing new audiences with her dynamic energy and powerhouse vocal range. “I’m only 5’3” – but I have lungs.” We caught up with Jade after her sold-out show at the famous Pappy & Harriett’s Saloon in Pioneertown, CA for a chat about life on the road in the states and why her Taylor 612e Acoustic is the perfect road companion.

Interviews
30 May 2018
Courtney Barnett: In Conversation at Pico Union Project

Known for her witty and personal lyrics about life in the modern world, Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett revamps her perspective with new album ‘Tell Me How You Really Feel’. We caught up with Courtney at her sold-out show at Pico Union Project in LA to chat about recording the album, playing new songs for the first time live, and why friends often make the best bandmates.

Interviews
17 May 2018
Fabi Reyna of She Shreds: In Conversation at SXSW

In celebration of the fifth anniversary of She Shreds Magazine, we sat down with founder and editor-in-chief Fabi Reyna in her native Austin to talk about the musicians who inspired the mag’s origin, as well as the importance of perpetuating the conversation surrounding female representation in the music industry.

Interviews
11 May 2018
WAVVES: Backstage at SXSW

San Diego’s WAVVES brought their signature surf-rock punk energy (and a seriously rad Epiphone Flying V Bass) to their packed showcase at Clive Bar in Austin. We caught up with the band backstage at SXSW to tour their road gear, and talk about how Nathan made one fan’s day by raffling his Fender Mustang on social media.

Interviews
15 Apr 2018
Becca Mancari: Backstage at SXSW

Bringing her own synth-stringed indie rock experience to Austin, Nashville’s Becca Mancari made the most of her first year at SXSW. We caught up with her post-showcase to chat about transitioning from acoustic to electric, her guitarist’s slide/pedal custom creation and the best advice Brittany Howard of Bermuda Triangle has given her about making it as an artist.

Interviews
08 Apr 2018
Emily Wolfe: Backstage at SXSW

We caught up with Emily backstage before her Peppermint Club showcase at SXSW to talk about her board design concepts, selling her original acoustic guitar to a fan, and overcoming some of the biggest challenges artists face today.

Interviews
29 Mar 2018
Sunflower Bean | The Sound (and Gear) of Desert Daze

We sat down with Sunflower Bean in conversation at Desert Daze Festival in Joshua Tree, CA about growing up under the influence of rock & roll, buying your first big piece of gear and how to gig like a pro from the club to the stadium.

Interviews
27 Mar 2018

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