Category: Guitar World Interviews

Guitar World Interviews, Interview, Music

Ana Popovic Previews Her New Three-Album Project and the Experience Hendrix Tour

AnaPOn May 20, guitarist Ana Popovic—who, as we know by now, can play the hell out of the blues—will unleash Trilogy, an epic new three-album set.

The new package is unique because it will highlight Popovic’s tasteful shredding and soulful voice in three different elements: blues, jazz and funk.

Growing up in Serbia under the Milosovic regime, Popovic had to fight for her right to be blue. A battle in which she has obviously triumphed. She’s performed at blues and jazz festivals worldwide, sharing the stage with a veritable who’s who of blues legends.

We recently caught up with Popovic to discuss the Trilogy project—which includes guest appearances by Joe Bonamassa, Robert Randolph and more—plus her role on the Experience Hendrix tour, her gear and more.

How did the idea for Trilogy begin?

I’ve actually had this idea for a few years. There’s always been a little bit of everything on my records: blues, jazz and funk. Fans had always been coming up and telling me how much they loved my sound. They’d tell me they would often make compilation playlists from all of my records. One would say, “I made a set of blues songs for me and another set of jazz songs for my wife.” I thought that was an interesting idea.

Then last year, we had a big incident where our touring van was stolen with all of our gear in it. We were in the middle of a tour and it was through the tremendous support of the fans that we were able to get back on the road. I was so touched by how much they had helped us that I wanted to do something in return. I wanted everyone to have a lot of music but not have to buy three records. I wanted to approach the music from different sides. I’m giving three different sounds of my music to them: three different producers, three different bands and three different recording studios. As a guitar player, that was the biggest goal.

How did you approach writing for this project?

The first official demos for the project began in March of last year. Some of ideas for this album are from a long time ago, because I never give up on the song. I bring ideas to every session, and if it doesn’t match with the band that’s recording it, I’ll leave it. But I’ll never give up on it. I’m always planning and figuring out how they should be done and would always make notes to go with them—Is this jazz? Is it blues? What drummers or producers can I use? Everything was well thought out, and I gave myself a lot of time.

Read my complete
gw_logoInterview with Ana Popovic by Clicking Here!

Books, Guitar World Interviews, Interview, Music

Lita Ford Talks New Memoir, ‘Living Like a Runaway’

LitaBookLita Ford’s new memoir, Living Like a Runaway, is jam packed with stories of a truly eventful—and impressive—rock and roll life.

In the autobiography, Ford details her years as a teenager with the Runaways, getting caught with a young Eddie Van Halen in a bathroom, her battles with management and trysts with guys like Nikki Sixx, Tony Iommi, Ritchie Blackmore and Glenn Tipton.

She even devotes ample space to her turbulent marriage and how she subsequently lost access to her sons through parental alienation. Simply put, Living Like a Runaway is a story of life and love from the reigning Queen of Metal.

I recently spoke with Ford about the book and her new album, Time Capsule, which is a collection of previouly unreleased material from the Eighties. You can check out our full interview below.

What made you decide to write a book at this stage of your career?

I really wanted to tell my story. As a female in the music industry—a man’s world—trying to become successful, I wanted to document it, and I wanted to be able to leave something behind so people would know what was going on inside of my life. The hurdles I had to jump and the things I had to do to be where I’m at today and to hopefully carve a path for others.

What was the writing process like?

At first, it was difficult trying to get a co-writer who could follow me. Because there’s so much crammed into my life, it was sometimes hard for me to get the point across. But I didn’t want the book to come out in any other shape or form. It had to be true and it had to be real…and we did it.

You can read the rest of my
gw_logoInterview with Lita Ford by Clicking Here!

Guitar World Interviews, Interview, Music

‘We Are Twisted F***ing Sister’: Jay Jay French Talks New Documentary and Final Tour

TwistedSister621The New York club scene in the Seventies was unlike any that had ever existed before.

First of all, the drinking age was only 18, which meant that kids as young as 15 were getting served with fake ID’s.

More to the point, it also was a time when thousands of loyal fans routinely went out to see one of the greatest live rock bands of all time, Twisted Sister.

Directed by Andrew Horn, We Are Twisted F***ing Sister is a new documentary that captures Twisted Sister’s rise from bar band to international super-stardom. Recounted directly with rare concert footage and photographs, as well as interviews with the band, management and some of their biggest fans, the film is the never-before-told story of the 10 grueling years leading up to Twisted Sister’s breakout success.

The film, the first-ever documentary of the band, opened in Los Angeles February 15. It will open in New York this Friday, February 19, and there’s a one-night-only event scheduled for Chicago’s Music Box Theatre February 22.

On February 23, the film will be released on DVD, Blu-ray, VOD and digital formats with two hours of bonus material and director commentary.

Twisted Sister consists of Dee Snider, Jay Jay French, Eddie Ojeda and Mark “The Animal” Mendoza. Drummer A.J. Pero died in 2015.

I recently spoke with French about the new documentary as well as Twisted Sister’s plans for 2016.

I’d like to start off by asking you about the recent passing of David Bowie, who played a big role in your early years. How influential was he to you and your music?

He was a huge influence. Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust changed my life. They altered my world and changed me from a Grateful Dead hippie into a glitter guy. Where the Beatles gave me my dream, Bowie gave me direction and took me to the stars. I cut my hair off and dyed it blonde because I wanted to be Mick Ronson.

Everything just sort of hit at the same time after that. I used to see the New York Dolls every Sunday at the Mercer Arts Center. One night, Bowie was there. Then Bowie played Carnegie Hall on September 28, 1972, and I said, “That’s it, I’m sold!” That’s when word went out and I soon got a call from someone who told me some guy he knew had told him I wanted to be in a glitter band. That band was Silver Star, which changed its name in February 1973 and started performing under the name Twisted Sister.

How did the idea for the Twisted Sister documentary originate?

It came about through a consonance of coincidences. I was being interviewed by the director, Andy Horn, for another documentary on the life of a German-born performance artist named Klaus Nomi. It just so happened that Klaus and Twisted Sister had crossed paths one night in the early Eighties when Klaus opened up for us at a nightclub in New Jersey. The reaction of the crowd to his performance was very negative and a complete disaster. So they wanted to discuss that night with me.

When Andy came over, I asked him how much he knew about Twisted Sister. He admitted he didn’t know much, so over the next few hours of talking I overwhelmed him with the story about Klaus and other historical facts. That’s when he said, “Whoa! This is another story that needs to be told!” That’s how it evolved.

You can read the rest of mygw_logoInterview with Jay Jay French by Clicking Here!

Guitar World Interviews, Interview, Music

Bangles Guitarist Vicki Peterson Discusses the 30th Anniversary of ‘Different Light’

BanglesWhen the Bangles released their sophomore album, Different Light, in 1986, it represented something of a departure from the guitar-driven, Sixties-oriented sound the band had been known for.

With its eclectic mix of radio-friendly pop, dance and Motown groove, Different Light would go on to become one of the year’s biggest albums, yielding the hits “Walking Down Your Street” and “If She Knew What She Wants,” plus the Prince-penned “Manic Monday.”

The album also gave the Bangles their first Number 1 song, the quirky yet strangely infectious “Walk Like an Egyptian.”

Below, Bangles guitarist Vicki Peterson recalls the making of Different Light and the tidal wave of success that followed. We also discuss her current work with the Bangles, the Psycho Sisters and Continental Drifters, gear and more.

When you look back at Different Light with 30 years of perspective, what comes to mind?

Different Light was a really important record for us and transitional in some ways. We had started out as a very raw garage band, and the first full record that we did with Columbia had more of that Sixties, guitar-rock sound. Different Light has some songs that kind of veered away from that. In some ways, it was a little uncomfortable, but new things always are.

What prompted that change in direction?

We were trying to feel our way through growing up as a band, and that started happening with that record. It was a band decision. Instead of staying in one spot musically and working directly from that Sixties, guitar-based platform, we launched into other things. David Kahne (producer) did a lot to take any ideas we had and was musically creative as an arranger. He was actually the one who brought us “Walk Like an Egyptian.”

You can read the rest of my
gw_logoInterview with Vicki Peterson by Clicking Here!

Guitar World Interviews, Interview, Music

Rival Sons Guitarist Scott Holiday Talks New Music and Black Sabbath Tour

RivalSons-ScottHolidayLegendary rockers Black Sabbath kicked off their final tour earlier this month. And the band that was handpicked by Ozzy to join Sabbath on the road for this momentous trek? Long Beach, California, rockers Rival Sons.

Rival Sons–Jay Buchanan (vocals), Scott Holiday (guitar), Michael Miley (drums) and Dave Beste (bass)—are part of Sabbath’s North American, Australian and European dates; they’re also headlining a few shows of their own along the way.

The band is still riding high on its latest release, Great Western Valkyrie: Tour Edition, which includes an extra disc of bonus tracks and rarities. Rival Sons also plan to release a new album later this spring.

I recently spoke with guitarist Scott Holiday about Rival Sons’ upcoming tour with Sabbath and more.

GUITAR WORLD: What goes through your mind when you think about opening for Black Sabbath on their last-ever tour? 

We’ve been touring for years now and have had a chance to tour with many of our heroes and other great acts, and it’s been an honor. But a tour like this is something you really hope comes around if you’re a band. ANY band. It’s surreal. And the way we got it was probably the best thing.

How did it all come about?

Usually, tours like this happen in the back office between agents and managers. But Ozzy, Sharon [Osbourne] and the Sabbath establishment didn’t do it that way. We had been nominated for Album of the Year by Classic Rock magazine and were asked if we’d like to perform at the awards show. We’ve done it a few times before and it’s such a great gig. The room is filled with your heroes and fans, and we jumped at the opportunity. So we played a few songs and had a really great response. Then as we were leaving the stage, I could hear Sammy Hagar, who was hosting and is a good friend of the band, say, “I hope Sharon and Ozzy saw that!”

Turns out, they did see it. They had been in the front row and ended up coming back and meeting us a little bit later. It was an amazing feeling. They gave us huge accolades and were very excitingly telling us how much they had enjoyed the show and pretty much proposed the tour to us on the spot. Our manager was there and people began talking immediately. That’s really how it happened.

You can read the rest of my
gw_logoInterview with Scott Holiday by Clicking Here!

Guitar World Interviews, Interview, Music

3 Doors Down Guitarist Chris Henderson Talks Gear and New Album, ‘Us and the Night’

3DDIt’s hard to believe it’s been nearly five years since Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum rockers 3 Doors Down released their last album, Time of My Life.

But fans who’ve been clamoring for new music from the Mississippi rockers are about to get their wish granted—in true guitar-driven fashion.

3 Doors Down recently announced their sixth album, Us and the Night, which will be unleashed March 11. The album’s first single, “In the Dark,” was released January 15, and you can hear it below.

Us and the Night, which was produced by Matt Wallace (Maroon 5, Train, Faith No More), showcases the robust riffs and hooks that’ve helped make 3 Doors Down one of rock’s most instantly recognizable bands. That said, it also emphasizes a new groove and swagger.

3 Doors Down—Brad Arnold (vocals), Chris Henderson (lead guitar), Greg Upchurch (drums), Chet Roberts (guitar) and Justin Biltonen (bass)—are planning a huge summer tour in support of the album.

We recently caught up with Henderson to ask him about the new music, his gear and more.

Did the band try to go in any particular direction when recording Us and the Night?

Every time we’ve recorded a record as a band we’ve always made some sort of conscious decision of where we wanted to go or not wanted it to go. Instead of doing that, this time the strategy we took in the pre-production phase of writing the songs was to push left really far until it started to become a little bit uncomfortable.

Then once we got to that point, we’d let it organically fall back into a rock song. Although it’s not the same, this record is more like Seventeen Days and The Better Life than any of the records we’ve made after those two, in my opinion. It’s got modern elements along with some of those rock elements, and I think we kind of molded both of those together. At the end of the day, it’s got all of the elements of a 3 Doors Down record.

You can read the rest of my
gw_logoInterview with Chris Henderson by Clicking Here!

Guitar World Interviews, Interview, Music

Steve Vai Talks Tony MacAlpine Benefit Show, Upcoming ‘Passion and Warfare’ Remaster and Next Vai Academy

vaiAs recently reported, guitar greats Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde and John 5, along with drummer Mike Portnoy, bassist Billy Sheehan and keyboardist Derek Sherinian, are joining forces to play a benefit concert for guitar and keyboard virtuoso Tony MacAlpine, who was diagnosed with colon cancer earlier this year.

The show will take place December 12 at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles.

In addition to this extraordinary musical event, Vai, John 5, Joe Bonamassa, Steve Stevens, Paul Gilbert, Steve Lukather and Joe Satriani have all graciously donated a few of the their personal guitars to be auctioned during the event. MacAlpine’s gear manufacturers—Ibanez, Hughes & Kettner, EMG Pickups, Ernie Ball, Source Audio and Voodoo Lab—also have donated equipment to be raffled.

All proceeds will assist MacAlpine and his family.

Tickets for the show are available here.

For fans who are unable to make the show but still want to contribute, a GoFundMe campaign has been set up for MacAlpine. You can contribute to the fund here.

I recently spoke to Vai about the event—dubbed the Benefit Concert for Tony MacAlpine—and a lot more in this exclusive interview.

GUITAR WORLD: Tell me about your relationship with Tony MacAlpine and how you guys met.

Back in the Eighties when there was this emergence of virtuoso-style guitar players, there was this handful of guys that had extraordinary chops and were always raising the bar. Tony was a part of that movement in a big way. He made some excellent records that really showcased his tremendous guitar finesse and virtuosity.

So I had always known of him, but it wasn’t until years later that we actually met. I was putting a band together and needed a guitar player who could also play keyboards, and I had heard that Tony could play some keyboards. I also knew having someone like Tony in the band would bring everything to a whole different level. It worked out great and we had so much fun. Tony’s a lovely guy and it was such a pleasure to tour with him. Some people are just naturally gifted, and Tony’s one of them.

So when Mike Mesker [Tony’s manager] called me about the benefit, I was completely on board. It’s since snowballed into what’s going to be an absolutely incredible event to raise money to help Tony. There’s a tragedy in it, but there’s also the divine shining through from all the love and support he’s getting from everyone he’s worked with and who’s supported him.

Was there anything you didn’t already know about Tony that surprised you?

When we were on tour, we were at a venue where they had a piano set up in the back room, and I remember hearing this piano playing from around the corner. At first, I thought it was a concert pianist that had somehow been left over from the night before. But when I go around the corner there’s Tony playing this Chopin etude absolutely flawlessly. Just like an accomplished concert pianist with tremendous accuracy and emotional investment. It was something I never expected. After he had finished, I said, “What the heck was that?” He told me it was a Chopin etude. I asked him if he could play some more and that’s when he said, “Which one? I know them all.” [laughs].

Read the rest of my
gw_logoInterview with Steve Vai by Clicking Here!

Guitar World Interviews, Interview, Music

Vivian Campbell Discusses New Albums by Def Leppard and Last in Line

VivianCampbellWe recently caught up with Vivian Campbell, who was eager to discuss Def Leppard’s new self-titled album and his more recent project, Last in Line, which reunites the veteran guitarist with his fellow Dio bandmates Vinny Appice and Jimmy Bain. Their new album, Heavy Crown, is set for a February 2016 release.

You can check out the complete interview below.

GUITAR WORLD: How did Def Leppard approach recording the new album?

The first thing we did was to write, record and play live in the studio, which was something we hadn’t done since ’96 and the Slang album. The one thing I think really unifies all of the songs is the Def Leppard vocals. It makes us who we are. Although it’s stylistically a very diverse record, it also undeniably sounds like the band. That’s why we ended up calling it Def Leppard.

What’s the writing process like for Def Leppard? Does it begin with a melody, a riff, a hook?

All of the above. Sometimes, someone will come in with a completed song or someone might just have an idea and we’ll all talk about it. A lot of times on this record, we started off with a conceptual idea or an emotion, and a song was written to fulfill that notion.

What can you tell me about the track “Dangerous”?

Phil had a musical idea for that song and worked up a demo for it. It’s flashy and punky with a very immediate chorus. It’s very reminiscent of “Photograph” in a way, and it’s one of the catchiest songs on the album.

How about “We Belong”?

That’s a Joe [Elliott] song and one of my favorite songs on the record. Joe had that written just as we started working on the record. He also had a concept that the song would feature all of us individually taking turns on lead vocals. We’re known for our collective, group vocals and it was nice way to showcase us as individuals. That was a first for the band.

Read the rest of my

gw_logoWith Vivian Campbell by Clicking Here!

Guitar World Interviews, Interview, Music

‘Get Up!’: Bryan Adams Talks New Album, Guitars and Working with Jeff Lynne

BryanAdamsGet Up!—Bryan Adams’ new album—finds the Canadian rocker reuniting with his longtime songwriting partner, Jim Vallance.

This is the same pair that composed many of the guitar-driven songs that became the soundtrack for the Eighties: “Cuts Like a Knife,” “This Time,” “Run to You,” “It’s Only Love” and “Summer of ‘69” to name but a few.

Although it’s his first album of new material in nearly seven years, Adams’ new Jeff Lynne-produced studio release feels more like a successor to his early catalog. From the late-Fifties-style rockabilly innocence of “You Belong with Me” and the Beatles-flavored “Don’t Even Try” to the upbeat groove of “Brand New Day,” Get Up! is a reminder of what made Adams one of the best-selling artists of our time.

I recently spoke with Adams about Get Up!, guitars and working with Lynne.

GUITAR WORLD: You’ve said Get Up! is an album you wish you had made 25 years ago. Why do you feel that way?

I look at You Want It You Got It, Cuts Like a Knife and Reckless as sort of a trilogy, and this record seems like it would have easily slotted in as the logical successor to Reckless. Only because it’s Jim [Vallance] and I really on top of our game again. There’s something between us that’s completely unique. Of course, working with Jeff Lynne has really brought a nice plot to the record as well.

What inspires you when you write?

Every song is different. For Jim and me, it’s about finding your way down a path you’ve never been down before. Musically, it’s about working out the most interesting way to make the song go forward. With all of the songs there’s definitely a guitar that’s in there somewhere pushing it forward.

You can read the rest of my
gw_logoInterview with Bryan Adams by Clicking Here!

Guitar World Interviews, Interview, Music

Ozzy Osbourne and Billy Morrison Talk New Single and Black Sabbath’s Final Tour

Billy MorrisonLast week, U.K. musician Billy Morrison—who plays in guitar for Billy Idol—released a solo album, God Shaped Hole, via his own King Mob Music label.

On the disc, Morrison is joined by Idol bandmates Steve Stevens and Erik Eldenius, plus Jane’s Addiction’s Dave Navarro and none other than Ozzy Osbourne, who sings lead vocals on “Gods,” which he co-wrote with Morrison.

In this exclusive interview, I spoke with Morrison and Osbourne about the new track, Morrison’s album and, as you’ll see, a lot more.

GUITAR WORLD: Ozzy, How did you and Billy get together for “Gods”?

OSBOURNE: Billy’s been a longtime friend of mine. He called me up one day and when I asked him what he was doing he said, “I’m making an album.” That’s when I said, “Well, I’d love to sing on your album!” So we got together, worked up a couple of melody lines and it literally took us half an hour to write.

Billy, when someone like Ozzy tells you he wants to sing on one of your tracks, what goes through your mind?

MORRISON: If the Prince of Darkness says he wants to sing on your record, you don’t say “No,” now do you? I remember Ozzy sent me a text that said, “Do you have a ballad?” and I said, “Yeah!” But of course, I didn’t! [laughs]. So I wrote the music and took it down to South America when we both went and we literally wrote it in about 20 minutes. It was amazing watching him write those lyrics.

OSBOURNE: And I’m not just blowing smoke up your ass when I say it came that quick. I even remember saying to Billy, “You know? I don’t think we wrote this song. I think it was given to us by someone.” Because you can literally sit in a rehearsal room for months and not come up with anything. But then there are times when you just strike gold, and it’s a great feeling when you do something like that. It’s like giving birth… but without the pain!

Read the rest of my
gw_logoInterview with Ozzy & Billy Morrison Here!