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.
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.
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.
Georgia-native sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell have made quite the name for themselves "trying to push the boundaries of the blues with modern sound elements", as described by lead vocalist and guitarist Rebecca. We sat down with the band before their show at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood to talk about the inspiration behind their self-produced new record Peach, touring with Elvis Costello and how hip-hop helped them rethink their approach to modern blues.
We recently sat down at Desert Daze festival in Joshua Tree, CA with Lindsey Troy and Julie Edwards of Deap Vally, where we talked about Fender Mustangs, Lindsey’s first pedal-buying experience at Guitar Center and why Julie can’t live without her Zildjian 21” Sweet Ride. Check out the full conversation below!
Legendary guitarist Jennifer Batten has teamed up with vocalist Marc Scherer for a release of 11 searing melodic rock songs with their new project, BattleZone under the moniker Scherer/Batten.
Touring is a dedicated art for Bonnie Bloomgarden, Larry Schemel, Alana Amram and Laura Harris of Death Valley Girls – an art consisting of electrifying, often out-of-body experiences that shape a sound they themselves classify as an “acid-tripping science experiment”.
Southern California-based L.A. Witch recently released their retro-groove-laden debut on Seattle's Suicide Squeeze Records. While the three-piece group manifests decidedly vintage-inspired tones on their album, their touring setup consists of a number of reliable, modern, road-ready pieces of gear. The band discusses a few of their favorite items, including singer/guitarist Sade Sanchez's trusty Lock-It strap that keeps her new Fender Jazzmaster right where she wants it, Irita Pai's preferred D'Addario flatwound bass strings and the Evans-equipped Pork Pie snare used by drummer Ellie English.