Latest articles by Joe Bosso
Michael Romeo: “There’s always some Randy Rhoads in what I do, but I throw in a little Van Halen, too”
For his latest solo album, Symphony X shredder Michael Romeo returns to the H.G. Wells of inspiration
Beach Goons’ Pablo Cervantez: “Jose Feliciano is untouchable for flamenco, but he’s an amazing rock guitarist, too”
Cervantez on stirring up hysteria – and lo-fi masterpieces – with his San Diego-based surf punk trio
"I like to approach every track and every solo I do with an open mind": David Gilmour discusses his blues influences, Steinbergers, his oft-imitated tone and more in 1988 GW interview
The Pink Floyd legend also reveals his admiration for Eddie Van Halen and Steve Lukather, and why he likes to keep things spontaneous in the studio
Steve Vai: “I’m very fortunate in that whatever ridiculous ideas come into my head, the people at Ibanez can make them real”
After two serious surgeries, Vai could have simply packed it in. Instead, he gave himself some familiar-sounding advice and emerged with his most dazzling new album – and triple-neck guitar – in years
Steve Howe: “Sometimes I’ll play something and it’s over the top, so I’ll pull it back. There’s a certain kind of order and sensibility I like to bring to my guitar”
The stalwart Yes guitarist discusses the inspiration, tones and sentiment behind The Quest, the prog-rock masters’ first studio album since the passing of founding bassist Chris Squire
Kim Thayil on 30 years of Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger: “Right before we released the album, you could feel things were ready to explode”
The guitarist charts the writing and recording of Soundgarden's 1991 commercial breakthrough, and explains how it ended up as his favorite of the Seattle pioneers' releases
Jerry Cantrell: “I'd plug into Eddie Van Halen's amp and sound like Jerry Cantrell. Eddie would play through my s**t and sound like EVH. It's in the hands. It's in your flesh”
Cantrell unpacks Alice in Chains’ rollicking past, present and future, recalls his time touring with EVH, and sheds boundless light on Brighten, his first solo album in 19 years
Knifes' Ben Young: “We have great day jobs, but if the new EP takes off, maybe our own band can be more than just a hobby”
Composed of guitar techs and roadies for the likes of Linkin Park, Fall Out Boy and Stone Temple Pilots, Knifes vie for the limelight with their latest EP, Regression to the Mean
Chris Mike: “Going back and forth between styles and trends won't help you achieve a personal sound. You have to be committed to who you are"
The veteran CandyRat Records six-stringer shares his thoughts on what makes a great instrumental guitar album
John Petrucci: “When you solo, you’re the vocalist in the band... In that way, I’ve always been influenced by guys like David Gilmour, Neal Schon and Gary Moore”
Beard oil, bourbon, eight-string guitars and 20-minute songs – the Dream Theater virtuoso takes us inside his epic year
The Police's Andy Summers: "The way I was casting myself was like a sonic experimenter – I was leading the way and everybody was copying me"
One of rock's greatest tone gurus discusses the making of Ghost in the Machine, which turns 40 this month
Dirty Honey's John Notto: “There was no doubt I was going to succeed as a guitarist... failure just wasn’t an option”
The Dirty Honey six-stringer shares the secret of the LA rock band's success and talks influences, practice regimes, and the totemic power of the Gibson Les Paul Standard
Ayron Jones: "I can’t say the guitar provided me with a direction – the guitar became an obsession, and that’s what provided the direction"
Seattle's self-taught six-string dynamo talks tone, tension, channeling Tom Morello – and why he considers himself the Bruce Lee of guitarists
Marty Friedman: "I spend 80 percent of my time on the arrangement. If I have that beautiful frame, the notes I play inside it are going to really come through"
On the goosebumps-inducing Tokyo Jukebox 3, shred great Friedman tackles the Japanese pop charts
Rivers Cuomo: “We suppressed these impulses for many years... It was a real joy to open up that Pandora’s box of evil guitar tools and go crazy“
The Weezer frontman and hair-metal enthusiast takes us back to the '80s, when big hair and fast shred was sowing the seed for going off the rails on the crazy Van Weezer train
16 pro guitarists name the live shows that changed their lives
Featuring Billy Gibbons, Joe Bonamassa, Nita Strauss, Tom Morello and many more...
How Paul Gilbert, Vince Gill and Gretchen Menn powered through the pandemic – and what it means to return to the road
With live music reopening, we talk to three touring pros about life mid-pandemic and how it will feel to see an audience again
Greta Van Fleet's Jake Kiszka: “I work very hard to articulate chords and notes. All of that sensitivity and technicality gets lost when you have too much overdrive“
Can one of rock’s most polarizing young bands silence critics with their cinematic new album, The Battle at Garden’s Gate?
Reb Beach: ”When I was a kid, I took an aptitude test, and it basically said I had no aptitude for anything except music”
The guitar legend on re-learning his solos, juggling Winger and Whitesnake and his new solo album, A View from the Inside
Five Finger Death Punch’s Zoltan Bathory and new recruit Andy James on new beginnings and shred in the era of Covid
Augmenting the FFDP sound with seven-string shred, James' arrival marks a new chapter for the perennially touring metal juggernaut
Cory Wong: “Joe Satriani told me, ‘You’re the funkiest guitar player around, and I’d love to do something with you.’ I decided to call his bluff!“
The Vulfpeck rhythm king is as prolific as ever – and this time, some high-profile names have come along for the ride
Plini: ”The biggest thing is writing music I think is interesting... Once I’ve done that, I find room to put guitar on it”
The Australian guitar phenom on the perils of “guitar fame,” the challenges of modern prog and his stunning new album
Richard Williams: “Not to sound pompous, but Kansas pretty much gave birth to American prog bands”
The Kansas co-founder and guitarist talks highlights, hits, classic guitar solos and new album The Absence of Presence
