Jim Beaugez

Jim Beaugez

Jim Beaugez has written about music for Rolling Stone, Smithsonian, Guitar World, Guitar Player and many other publications. He created My Life in Five Riffs, a multimedia documentary series for Guitar Player that traces contemporary artists back to their sources of inspiration, and previously spent a decade in the musical instruments industry.

Latest articles by Jim Beaugez

Aaron Lee Tasjan performs onstage during day 1 of Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival 2018 on September 22, 2018 in Franklin, Tennessee

“The Best Stuff Happens Accidentally. You Don’t Quite Know How You Got There”: Aaron Lee Tasjan Talks Getting In the Zone

By Jim Beaugez published

The guitarist’s latest album ‘Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan!’ is full of psychedelic surprises.

Mac McAnally performs onstage during the BMI 2015 Country Awards at BMI on November 3, 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Mac McAnally Shares the Music That Inspired His Incomparable Career

By Jim Beaugez published

The Nashville session ace takes us from a porch in Belmont, Mississippi, to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where he worked sessions as a teenager, and finally to Music City.

Juliana Hatfield, 2019

“What Drives Anyone Who Has Obsessive-Compulsive Leanings?” Juliana Hatfield Talks Creativity and Songwriting

By Jim Beaugez published

The alt-rock songstress reveals the inspiration behind her many albums and collaborations.

Zack Feinberg (left) and Ed Williams, 2019

The Revivalists’ Guitar Duo Zack Feinberg and Ed Williams Talk Creativity in the Wake of Success

By Jim Beaugez published

The New Orleans stars discuss their unique musical kinship and the making of their latest long-player ‘Take Good Care.’

Lindsay Ell performing at the Troubadour on December 07, 2019 in West Hollywood, California

No One Works Harder to Keep Guitar in the Nashville Sound than Lindsay Ell.

By Jim Beaugez published

The Canadian country star talks Strats and touring with A-listers.

Dylan LeBlanc

“Guitar should be utilized for making a song really interesting”: Dylan LeBlanc Talks Songwriting and Gear

By Jim Beaugez published

The Louisianan maestro reveals the inspiration and the axes behind his latest long-player.

Samantha Fish

Samantha Fish Talks Her Role in the Blues

By Jim Beaugez last updated

The electric guitar firebrand reveals how “blues always glued everything together” in this classic interview.

Lillie Mae performs during 2019 Railbird Festival at Keeneland Racecourse on August 10, 2019 in Lexington, Kentucky.

Third Man Records Artist Lillie Mae Reveals How She Ended Up on Jack White’s Label

By Jim Beaugez published

Video The Nashville multi-instrumentalist talks inspiration and songwriting.

Video
Chris Shiflett performs on Day 2 of BottleRock Napa Valley 2017 on May 27, 2017 in Napa, California

Chris Shiflett: My Life in Five Riffs

By Jim Beaugez last updated

VIDEO The Foo Fighter’s lead guitarist counts down a quintet of tunes that rock his world.

VIDEO
American singer-songwriter and guitarist Samantha Fish, portrait, Germany, 2011

Samantha Fish: My Life in Five Riffs

By Jim Beaugez published

Video Five unforgettable riffs that shaped a modern blues maestro.

Video
Madison Cunningham Talks Open Tunings, Jazzmasters and Why Her Amps Have Got to be Fender

Madison Cunningham Talks Open Tunings, Jazzmasters and Why Her Amps Have Got to Be Fender

By Jim Beaugez last updated

Cunningham's playing is a tour de force of melodic chord voicings and bold rhythmic choices. Here's the story behind it.

KT Tunstall performs on stage at The Roundhouse on March 25, 2019 in London, England

How KT Tunstall Rekindled Her Love of Guitars

By Jim Beaugez published

The former folkie talks inspiration and musical reinvention.

Julien Baker

Julien Baker Shares Her Stompbox Epiphanies and Discusses the High-Wire Risk of Solo Live Performances

By Jim Beaugez published

Broadening her sound and her pedalboard for her new album 'Little Oblivions,' Baker looks forward to playing it live in the company of her band.

Lindsey Ell

Lindsay Ell: My Life in Five Riffs

By Jim Beaugez published

Ell reveals the songs that shaped her fierce, bluesy style.

Sierra Hull

The Many Instruments of Sierra Hull: How Transferrable Skills Are Redrawing the Boundaries of Her Sound

By Jim Beaugez published

She made her name on mandolin in the bluegrass scene, but Hull's six-string skills have been there the whole time.

Ayron Jones

Ayron Jones on Dynamics, the Seattle Sound and Building the Next Generation's Rock and Roll Guitar Tone

By Jim Beaugez published

Seattle’s Ayron Jones channels rock, blues and hip-hop into music that spans the eras - from Hendrix to Morello.

null

Sadler Vaden: My Life in Five Riffs

By Jim Beaugez published

Sadler Vaden reveals the sources of his sweetly melodic, classic-rock-influenced riffage.

Jason Isbell on the Redemptive Power of Vintage Gear, Sweet Tones and Finding What Works for the Song

Jason Isbell on the Redemptive Power of Vintage Gear, Sweet Tones and Finding What Works for the Song

By Jim Beaugez published

On 'Reunions,' Jason Isbell shows that his fretboard skills deserve as much recognition as his peerless songwriting.

null

How Jason Isbell Ended Up with Ed King’s Legendary “Red Eye” Les Paul

By Jim Beaugez published

Guitar-wise, Ed King "got the best versions of pretty much everything.” Learn about his stunning Les Paul, and how it came into the possession of Jason Isbell.

null

Lilly Hiatt Talks Rhythm, Rickenbacker and the Limitless Possibilities of Guitar Playing

By Jim Beaugez published

Lilly Hiatt jumps the line between Gen Y rock and Nashville Americana on her life-affirming new album, 'Walking Proof.'

Ethan Gruska Decodes His Songwriting and Explains Why It's All About the Vibe

Ethan Gruska Decodes His Songwriting and Explains Why It's All About the Vibe

By Jim Beaugez last updated

Gruska’s “naïve” approach to guitar creates beautiful moments of surprise on his sophomore solo album, 'En Garde.'

1 2 Archives