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February 2025

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23 articles

February 18
- "We were like, ‘Who?’” Metallica's first national tour in 1983 left audiences scratching their heads. The band that gave them their break reveals what went down when James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett hit stages
- "I think Eddie got rubbed the wrong way." Peavey's CEO says Joe Satriani's endorsement deal led Eddie Van Halen to depart for Fender — and take the 5150 amp with him
February 17
- “Thank you for your understanding, and remember – drink your water!” Former Eagles guitarist Don Felder feeling better after being rushed offstage by medical emergency
- “She can shred any guy out there.” Joe Satriani says this young musician shows how guitarists are “playing better than guitar players have ever played before”
February 14
- "I cannot play guitar." Rockabilly legend Brian Setzer reveals he has an auto-immune disease that prevents him from playing guitar
February 13
- "I thought, Wow, what an effective thing to do! And I learned it directly from him.” Alex Lifeson reveals the technique he stole from Rory Gallagher during their time together on the road
- “He ain’t no Mick Taylor, and he’s no Harvey Mandel! He’s what I call a C-plus guitar player.” Harvey Mandel tells how Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards ruined his chance to join the Rolling Stones
February 12
- “Those guys were focused. We were drug addicts.” Marty Friedman and Chris Poland downplay the Metallica/Megadeth rivalry and admit they learned a lot from the metal giants
- “I said, 'Oh God, I made a big mistake!'” Rudy Sarzo nearly lost the opportunity of a lifetime when he rejected Ozzy Osbourne's offer to join his band
- Win tickets to see Julian Lage in a special duo setting with Marc Ribot as the two jazz masters make a dozen strings come together as one sound
- "She got me a black '50s Gretsch Duo Jet and a Gibson ES-350 with three P90 pickups — a really rare guitar — for like $125.” Jeff Tweedy tells how his mother scored rare guitars for him at farmer's auctions
February 11
- "You need that pedal to give you the oomph.” Zakk Wylde says his job “wouldn’t be as much fun” without this must-have pedal in his setup
- “I have this little box, I turn it up and it sings for me”: Brian May recalls meeting Rory Gallagher in the late ‘60s and how it changed his tone forever
February 10
- “You’d be surprised how hard it is to find a big rock electric guitarist playing rhythm in tune.” Steve Vai says he's “admired” this guitar player “for quite a while.” Now they're playing together
February 6
- “ZZ Top didn’t just happen upon becoming a trio because it was easier; it’s a lot more challenging.” Billy Gibbons explains the role Cream and Jimi Hendrix played in the creation of ZZ Top
- “He just didn't want to do it, so he came up with the most ridiculous suggestion.” Joe Satriani reveals that a G3 tour with Jeff Beck nearly happened – only for him to pull out last minute and suggest Prince filled his spot
- “I've experienced everything, but this was a different level.” Rudy Sarzo on the differences between Ozzy and Dio — and the Dio rarities tour that never was
February 5
- “He was the whole package; I learned a lot from that.” Eric Johnson on the one thing that took Stevie Ray Vaughan’s playing to the next level
- "I remember thinking, Why didn’t anybody tell me that you could do that with a guitar?" Nita Strauss opens up about the support of her guitar hero, Steve Vai, and her hopes to inspire more female guitar players
- “This will be the greatest heavy metal show ever!” The original Black Sabbath lineup will reunite for one final show with Ozzy Osbourne, with guests to include Metallica, Slayer, Pantera and an all-star supergroup
- “Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore and Jimi Hendrix were great at writing them. Now the guitar riff has disappeared from popular music." Dweezil Zappa laments the absence of riffs in modern music and what it means for future guitar players
February 4
- “It sounded like an angry wasp. It didn’t have any depth or articulation.” Brian May details his disastrous experiment with a Marshall stack — and how Jimi Hendrix showed him up with it
- “It's the sound you recognize when you hear 'You've Got To Hide Your Love Away.' ” John Lennon’s legendary Framus 12-string gets an official reissue just months after its landmark sale