“I’ve typically been afraid of Strats just because they carry so much baggage”: How a gift from Mike McCready helped change St. Vincent’s relationship with the Stratocaster By Janelle Borg published 3 May 24 Listen to the song that St. Vincent reveals begged for a Strat moment
“When Van Halen came out, I thought it was the greatest sound I’d ever heard. Eddie was like, ‘Nah, I never really liked the sound of that record’”: Mike McCready recalls meeting Eddie Van Halen – and tries his hand at playing Eruption off the cuff By Phil Weller published 26 April 24 The Pearl Jam guitarist has opened up about his encounter with the guitar legend on Howard Stern, before showing off a few two-hand tapping licks
“Playability is where this guitar shines. This Strat is a player”: Fender Mike McCready Stratocaster review By Daryl Robertson published 24 January 24 With its Road Worn finish and easy neck, the Pearl Jam guitarist's new signature Strat feels like it's had a few decades under its belt, and is just warming up
“I loved Hendrix – he was my first guitar hero... But seeing Stevie Ray Vaughan was transcendent. He made me understand Hendrix better”: Mike McCready says SRV helped him make sense of this Hendrix technique By Matt Parker published 8 December 23 “When he [Vaughan] did Voodoo Child, it was so bad-ass," McCready says. “He changed how I wanted to play, and if you listen to Even Flow, you can hear me trying to emulate his stuff”
“Two of rock’s elite guitar soloists go lick for lick”: Watch Slash and Mike McCready trade leads on Paradise City as the Pearl Jam guitarist joins Guns N’ Roses onstage By Matt Parker published 16 October 23 McCready dropped in on the LA legend’s Seattle show for a barn-storming cameo
“My original ’60 Stratocaster will always sound the best. This one is right next to the best”: Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready on why he’s playing his more affordable signature guitar live, covering Eruption and embracing digital amps By Michael Astley-Brown published 18 September 23 Now onto his second signature Fender, grunge’s answer to Stevie Ray Vaughan reflects on his greatest Stratocaster moment, how Eddie Van Halen and Chris Cornell inspired his guitar playing, and why you should be excited for the next Pearl Jam album – oh, and his rock opera about the Seattle scene
“They’re some of the best amps I’ve ever played”: Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready on why he made the switch to Fender’s digital Tone Master amps By Michael Astley-Brown published 15 September 23 The self-confessed tube lover changed up his backline for Pearl Jam’s 2022 US tour – but it wasn’t a decision he took lightly
“Andrew Watt pushed us as hard as we could be pushed”: Pearl Jam’s energetic new album is “just about finished” – but Mike McCready is also working on a rock opera about the Seattle music scene By Michael Astley-Brown published 13 September 23 The lead guitarist shares the first details of his ambitious new musical that honors Chris Cornell and other Seattle legends – and why he used Andrew Watt’s gear rather than his own for the rock veterans’ forthcoming record
“I’m honored to deliver a more approachable guitar to the next generation of players”: Fender makes Mike McCready’s iconic 1960 Stratocaster accessible to the masses with new signature model By Matt Owen published 12 September 23 The Pearl Jam legend’s second signature Strat is vastly more affordable than its $15,000 Custom Shop sibling, but still carries all the hallmarks of McCready’s fabled 1960 workhorse
“So that harmonic, I'm kind of ripping The Firm's Radioactive”: How Jeff Ament discovered a slide harmonic on Pearl Jam’s Even Flow By Nick Wells published 15 July 23 “I remember accidentally hitting harmonics and sliding on it, so I just started experimenting”
A lost Dumble Overdrive Special that's been called “possibly the greatest amplifier ever made“ has resurfaced after 40 years By Jackson Maxwell published 13 July 23 Formerly owned by producer/guitarist Dennis Herring – known for his work with Bonnie Raitt and Buddy Guy – the amp now belongs to Jason Isbell
Watch Mike McCready share solo duties with Jason Isbell in epic guitar duel – on a 1960 Fender Stratocaster he borrowed from Isbell By Matt Owen published 10 July 23 The performance of This Ain't It doubled as a fine vintage guitar display, with Isbell himself playing both a '50s Fender Telecaster and a 1961 Gibson SG
Stone Gossard spotted playing Pearl Jam bandmate Mike McCready’s signature Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster onstage By Michael Astley-Brown published 14 March 23 The $15,000 guitar appeared to be one of the Seattle rhythm king’s main squeezes at side-project Painted Shield’s debut shows
St. Vincent and Nile Rodgers are working together in the studio By Sam Roche published 31 January 23 Calling St. Vincent the “real deal”, the funk guitar legend says he's “trying not to lose his mind” at the thought of working with her
Learn the rhythm and soloing styles of Pearl Jam's Mike McCready By Martin Cooper published 30 January 23 A fusion of classic rock with elements of funk, Pearl Jam's sound is unique and slippery, and this lesson in McCready's style offers a stern test of your rhythm and pentatonic phrasing
Mike McCready breaks down the gear and inspiration behind 15 landmark Pearl Jam tracks By Jeff Gilbert published 28 October 22 In this classic 1995 interview, the Seattle great details how the tricks he “stole directly from Ace Frehley, Angus Young and Keith Richards” wound up on choice Pearl Jam and Temple of the Dog cuts
Watch Nancy Wilson and Mike McCready tear it up in raucous live cover of Led Zeppelin’s Rock and Roll By Matt Parker published 7 October 22 The Pearl Jam man dropped in as a guest at the Heart legend’s recent Seattle show – and even borrowed her iconic Fender Telecaster
Watch Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready pay tribute to Eddie Van Halen with Eruption cover By Michael Astley-Brown published 17 May 22 McCready tackles the track’s iconic whammy bar dives and two-hand tapping on a vintage Strat
Pearl Jam break out digital amps and rare Gibson guitars on US tour By Michael Astley-Brown published 13 May 22 Mike McCready is now rocking Fender Tone Master combos, while Stone Gossard and Eddie Vedder have been wielding obscure Gibson models
Ozzy Osbourne has completed his guest star-packed new album By Jackson Maxwell published 11 April 22 The Prince of Darkness revealed on social media that he had delivered the completed album to his label, Epic