Hi gang...

Here is what we have planned for the rest of the year. Feel free to rant and rave.

OCTOBER: Steve Vai
He has tons of stuff going on, including his Naked Tracks project and a new live DVD.

NOVEMBER: Green Day
Yeah, they're punks, but they've made one of the biggest records of the year, and it's guitar from top to bottom, and side to side.

DECEMBER: Tony Iommi
He wanted to talk, who are we to argue?

BONUS 13th Issue: KISS
Paul and Gene are finishing the first new KISS album in years with guitarist Tommy Thayer. Ace Frehley is finishing his latest solo album, so we'll talk to him, as well. In addition, we plan to check in with Bruce and Bob Kulick, Eddie Kramer, and Bob Ezrin. I guess this is kind of a KISS retrospective.

Please note: If you have any questions you'd like us to ask any of these players, post them here, or send them to mmolenda@musicplayer.com.

Best to all,
Mike

That sounds like a good lineup. Also, when is Van Halen's new CD slated for release? That is definitely a cover waiting to happen.

That sounds like a good list to me. I really want to hear what Tony Iommi and Steve Vai have to say. And what the hey KISS ought to be interesting at the least

GP has always featured players from heaps of different genres which is why it rules and also why it doesn't matter to me so much who is on the cover.

I recall one of Editor Boy's editorials from yesteryear describing how the cover helps drive sales at newstands etc and I can understand that concern. In that light, the proposed covers look like safe enough choices; well known and accomplished players or bands with some new wares to discuss. But also in that light, the Nels Cline cover from a while back stands out as particularly ballsy - a brilliant though lesser known artist in a band unlikely to get as much MTV as Green Day et al. Did that issue sell ok in comparison to, say, a Satriani, Santana or Clapton cover? I would love to see more coverage of post-rock and ambient stuff like sigur ros, fridge, godspeed you black emporer and mogwai.

Anyway, some artist questions would be:

Tommy Thayer - he has to dress like Ace (who wouldn't love to btw?!), does he have to play like him too? Is there any opportunity for him to bring his own voice to the table (like Vinnie Vincent or Bruce Kulick arguably did)?

Green Day - In GP a while back Billy Joe Armstrong said that the multi-layered American Idiot album represented "maximum Green Day". Is new record American Idiot II (sounds a bit like it to me) or have Green Day re-maximised and are bigger, brighter, NEWER?? If so, how?

Green Day - GD have been accused of selling out ever since Dookie. Given that they are located more in the mainstream than ever, how do they maintain the rage?

cheers,

An issue devoted to comic book characters? Eh....I've never been a Kiss fan.

Green Day has taken up the mantle for intelligent social commentary from the Who. Excellent choice.

Vai is always interesting, Iommi not so much.

How 'bout a Jason Vieaux cover for 2010? ;-)

I'm interested in the origin of Vai's "naked tracks" thing, since I put a few jam tracks of my tunes on my website last year. Not that I originated the idea, because I stole it from another small potatoes guy.

I'd like to hear what Iommi has to say about the lasting influence of Black Sabbath (40 years!), since their early albums were put together in a matter of hours.

some nice cover choices. i happen to have the new Heaven and Hell CD and it is great. Ace is still a cool and funny guy. Steve is always a good read.
it will be interesting to hear Kiss 0.5.

Super, thanks for asking!

Fine with me, although I hope that there might be some more eclectic, off-the-beaten-path players displayed on the cover from time to time, as well. A good picture that can catch peoples' interest even if they might not recognize the subjects can work.

Also, the cover doesn't necessarily have to feature any artists on every issue, does it? There were plenty of great topical covers on GP in the '80s and '90s...

On the KISS retrospective I would love to see you reprint a couple of the letters to editor from the issue following the first issue they were on the GP cover back in the 70s. Some of those letters were HILARIOUS!

Sounds like a reasonable cover lineup to me. I'm just glad you still include the noteworthy but less famous players inside the mag.

(KISS is a band I have no admiration for, but heck, they'll be on the 13th issue, which I think of as a "bonus" so I won't complain about their cover status).

Agreed with Cavean about the value of topical covers, especially since let's admit it - so many of us are pretty much cuckoo for gear porn!

Always glad to see what you guys are up to.

Not a big fan of Green Day, but I guess the numbers don't lie.

Is Andy Summers up to anything?

Possibly anything on Nirvana or Kurt?

Maybe...something on someone NEW for the new year...that is just kicking major ass!?

Otherwise...I've been a GP subscriber since the 70's and I've rarely been disappointed in one of your issues.

Randy

Tony Iommi:


Why did you shave your moustache off as seen in California Jam 1974?

Why did you grow it back afterward?

Vai & Iommi should be great. Kiss could be interesting if you ask some real questions. I could do without Green Day.

Question for Iommi:
What do you think is your best work or best period of work?
(And don't let him get away with the standard last one/next one answer)

Question for KISS:
Do you consider it cheating the audience by dressing up other musicians in Ace's & Peter's costumes?

As for other people on the cover, how about some guys who had very short but impactful careers such as Paul Kossoff or Tommy Bolin. Or perhaps a feature on a bunch of guys who made their marks in a short time such as Kossoff, Bolin, Rhoads, Allman, etc...

KISS? Are you serious?
But hey, if it keeps the ship afloat, great, because I don't stare adoringly at the cover... my favorite part is the instructional columns.
But for Kiss, why don't you have them give a master class on make-up and tongue extensions...... LOL
Maybe they actually are better players than I give them credit for.. and it's been a few years since their glory days; they might have learned a trick or two in the meantime!
I did read Gene Simmon's autobiography, and found it an entertaining read. At least he didn't PRETEND he didn't like money, like some guys feel compelled to do.

Well they came up with some pretty cool riffs & arrangments for a lot of their songs. None of the solos did much for me with the exception of "Detroit Rock City." Nice layering on that one.

Also, I really liked Gene Simmons bass-playing. I always thought he was a bit underrated as a bassist.

Having said that, none of it is technically amazing, but who said you needed that for rock-n-roll?

Hey, Editor Boy...
Please change the title of this thread before my head explodes.

I'm pretty sure you have four fingers and a thumb on each hand, right?

Come on, man. You're an editor.

Don't make me come over there and thump you.

...or thumb you! ""

Michael,

In the Kiss issue, since you're talking to Bob Ezrin, maybe it's a good time to do an article on Steve "The Deacon" Hunter too...

Ha!!!!

Thump...

That's what I get for typing too fast!

Or I might have been thinking about a local band with that name that one of my friends is in, and, well, the old brain just got all gummed and stuff.

Thumping accepted!

M

I guess I have to agree with most of what I have read on this thread; Steve Vai is usually pretty interesting; Kiss, well, I'm sure most folks would rather hear from them than me; not big on Green Day, but somebody's got to carry on when all us B.O.F.s get covered over with dirt. I really wish it could be somebody who at least pretended to be impressed with virtuosity, but my parents would have preferred someone like Sinatra or The Dorsey Brothers for me over Elvis & The Beatles. The current generation never gets to choose the next ones entertainment.
I would be interested to know how those three issues sell compared to each other, and what y'all figure that means. Wouldja check back in and give us the 411 when it's available, Mike?

Green Day has certainly had an influence, and arguably might be as responsible as Nirvana for kids not ditching the idea of guitars in favor of turntables in the last couple of decades.

Jeff Tweedy, Nels Cline and Pat Sansone of wilco would make a great triple cover/3 story thing - the singer/songwriter, the muso lead guitarist and the consummate multi-instrumentalist complimentary guy... and probably sell a lot of issues to Wilco fanatics who don't even play (I know a few who bought the Nels issue a few years ago...)... they certainly have a sizable following that follows them across every all media.

Good call!

Omar Rodríguez-López / The Mars Volta / At The Drive-In might not be too shabby a consideration, as well. I was floored by the music on TMV's De-Loused In The Comatorium, what a great prog/psychedelic/whatever/rock album!

Well, as is oft discussed elsewhere, my opinion is that whoever seems to be the editorial/marketing choice is OK.
Disappointed readers can always (as I used to do) create their own covers by passting a photo of their hero (or themselves) on.

I do have an idea, which I hereby offer totally gratis.
For the Kiss photo maybe you could get them to do a left/right spilt on their natural faces & the face make-up.
BTW, what month would this "13th" issue be?

I'd still like to see a contemporary jazz roundtable with Scofield, Stern, Frisell, Rosenwinkel, etc.

Well, if we're also suggesting article ideas, why not something that catches us up on the world of pro sessioneers ?
I still hear a lotta guitar work on TV, etc., but I'm sure the gear & production techniques are not like they once were.
For instance, how many are using amp modelling or laptops loaded with processing programs ?

Thanks for checking with us Editor Boy...Maybe in 2010 we could get an interview with the Stones and then GP would be "on the cover with the Rolling Stones"...or at least get the guitar duo Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood on their guitar history, riffs, writing, chord and lead strategy, etc. thumps up...

Tony Iommi is just my favorite guitar player. His style just resonates with me. I'd love to know what songs he has most enjoyed playing over the years; not necessarily his best, but the most enjoyable for him to play. I'd also like to know how he works with his bass players to achieve the interaction he wants.

H&H

get right out there and buy this now!!!

I'm not a Black Sabbath fan, but Tony Iommi's story of continuing to play in spite of having had his fingertips cut off is inspiring.. shades of Django!

Actually, I don't have to like the artist's music, or have even heard it, to enjoy reading the interviews. Even punk rockers can have interesting insights.... (just kidding, guys!)