GuardiansGuitar

Great stuff, Winston Psmith! Thanks for adding to the conversation...

Great tip, A String.

So true, Sharkman!

Dannyalcatraz â This is funny and awesome Thanks!

Thanks tons, Caevan!

Thanks, Caevan! I hope you'll all check it out. And J. Dan â I guess I'll never ever ever ever live down that "Mikey Likes It" commercial. Hahaha.

Thanks, A String! Hope all is well with you.

Ack. Sorry... https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/3004407/why-no-one-cares-about-your-band#Post3004407

Hey Gang... Just posted this little missive in the Guardians of Guitar Forum. I'd love to get your thoughts, arguments, and gig strategies added to the discussion. I hope everyone is groovy over here! I'm really happy to be a part of this fab family again! Sincerely, Michael Molenda

Ah, the travails of rocking when you're "of a certain age." Typically, we're not running with the cool kids anymore, and we may not be playing the cool clubs, either. Let me break in here to provide some of you with a "time saver:" If you're gigging like mad, and having audiences of all ages go nuts for your show, then please STOP reading now. You are miraculous. Blessed. Awesome. Go forth and change the world. Bravo! But if you're not getting the number of shows you want, aren't seducing fans, and can't get booked into the venues with the fab sound systems and lights, then please be my guest to read on. There may be something here you can useâeven if you're, say, 25 years old, tremendously beautiful, and talented as hell. I'll even shorten it all down to snippets for you. Obviously, if you need more infoâor want to debate my opinionsâwe can continue the discussion in this forum. Fair enough? So here are 5 Reasons Why Not One Cares About Your Band [1] You Dress Like Crap We are entertainers. Our job is to make audiences feel the fun and absorb the excitement we generate. If you step onstage in the same clothes you wore to work, or while gardening, then you probably aren't broadcasting to the crowd that you really care enough about providing them a great time. Heck, you couldn't even bother to dress like a rock starâor, at least, someone INTERESTING. Look in the mirror. Assess. Evolve. [2] You Don't Engage the Crowd Oh boy. So many many many many times, I've walked into a club where the musicians appear to be having a lodge meeting amongst themselves. They could care less that people are watching them. Any time on the mic talking to the audience is either inaudible, dorky, snarky, uncomfortable, disconnected, vague, or indecipherable. These acts don't bring the audience into their world and make them feel as if performer and fans are in the scene together to make the evening memorable. Unless you have that kind of silent, smoldering charisma that works best when you are aloof and uncaring, you might want to punch up your public speaking and entertainment skills. [3] You Feel Musicianship Makes Up for All Deficits No one wants to fly the flag for musical incompetence, but musicianship is only PART of playing to an audience. Sinatra and Dino could get pretty deep into their musical skill sets, but while they respected musicianshipâand worked with stellar playersâthey also knew they had to ENTERTAIN. I've seen far too many boring-ass bands that could play the pants off of the greats, legends, and pop stars. Trust me, normal everyday people aren't always as hip to musical chops as you are. If you torture them with chops but no personality, you just might lose them. Don't let your ego pull you over to an "entertainment dark side" that ultimately tanks your gig calendar. [4] You Could Give a Toss About Social Networking I hate to break this to you, but socials are essential these days for doing business. Things may change at some point, but that's the reality for now. Ignore that reality at your peril. You should invest in your business smarts by learning how to bend social networks to your will, rather than saying something like, "Who needs that kiddie crap?" [5] You Treat the Club Crew Like Doo-Doo You may feel like sound and lighting peeps and bartenders and servers and club managers should kiss your dusty Nikes because YOU are providing the entertainment for the evening. You may think the soundperson doesn't know squat, and needs to be constantly informed how to do his or her job. It might drive you totally insane that water bottles and beers aren't in the dressing room before you soundcheck. Perhaps you think you know everything about music, sound, and running a music venue. All of this may even be true. But here's a tip: Don't Ever Be a Jerk to Club Employees. They talkâto each other and to other local music-venue staffers. Be a constant pain-in-the-ass, and you will be found out. And, eventually, the clubs may freeze you out. Think about that.

Hi all... The Guardians of Guitar/Mi5 Recordings/UMG label is super thrilled to have its first release on the books... https://guardiansofguitar.com/2019/08/20/guardians-of-guitar-mi5-recordings-releases-digital-single-by-jj-savage/ Help me find MORE cool guitarists and rockers. From the story above: Guardians of Guitar seeks to promote and evangelize guitar playing, guitar music, and beautiful and feral guitar noises through its website, social network, and label relationship with Mi5 Recordings/UMG. Please contact Michael Molenda at gpeditor@gmail.com if we should know about your awesome playing, a cool recording/video, or anything else guitar related. We passionately promote young talent and female guitarists along with players of all ages and styles. Cowabunga!

It is up to us to make wonderful music with guitarsâwhether we support or drive the track. Guitars can create sooooo many sounds and texturesâthe instrument's capacity for dynamic impact is massive, as wellâand they should be a part of almost everything we hear. That's my two cents! Cheers, Mike

Any elaboration? You don't think that just the right solo can elevate a track? Best, Mike

I'm been there. In fact, I was "made redundant" at GUITAR PLAYER (along with tons of fine editors and staffers) when new owners Future U.K. assessed the revenue streams and expenses and determined that a leaner, lighter, and less-staffed ship might not sink. So, yeah, a significant amount of media brands struggle to maintain ad support, readers, and cultural relevance. And many of those brands choose to deploy clickbait to (hopefully) increase traffic to their websites and social networks. Personally, I kind of enjoy "what-is-promised-is-what-you-get" clickbait such as "Former Hollywood Megastars Who Are Now Working Normal Jobs," "Unseen Woodstock Photos," or "10 of the Best French-Italian Garage Bands You've Never Heard." But let's look at today's less-honest and less-accurate clickbait: "Mick Jagger Ripped By Big Name for Bedroom Performance" Hmmm. The sexy singer causing sexual controversy? Nope. The rich rocker wants a new mattress whenever he checks into a hotel. And the big name? Some person called "Mattress Mick." "AC/DC Member Brutally Attacked by Angus Young" Not anyone reportedly prepping for the reportedly maybe re-emergence of the band. Simply an ages-old report about Angus losing his temper and fighting with his brother Malcolm. Snore. "Slash Family Makes Sad Drug Smoking Revelation" Not about Slash, despite the inference. It's about his brother. And not sad, really. It just appears that Slash's brother finds it "depressing" to get good weed in Japan. Snore. I could go on, but I'm sure you know what I'm talking about here. On one level, it's all slightly humorous drivel for bored music fans to chip away at that boredom, and hopefully enrich the website selling the drivel if traffic spikes. Gotta sell those ad banners! On another level, however, it is senseless, inaccurate, not-so-sneaky commercial prattle posing as "information." It's curated, as well, and some social wizards actually get paid a fair amount of money to seek out and repurpose interview and/or news snippets that might seduce clicks. None of this is going away anytime soon, but I shed a few tears every day for where "music journalism" has sadly evolved, as well as for those of us who keep these kinds of "non-information peddlers" doing what they do, because clickbait works. But maybe I'm just a grumpy old journalist. What's your view...

Hey... I was in the media! Be kind. Hahaha. But I get thatâespecially today. The panic of maintaining a brand's relevance and revenue with clickbait-style posting â and all that entails â can really tank deep, constructive thought-sharing. Best, Mike

Nice. Hahaha.

Happy 50th Anniversary of the Woodstock Festival. If you are curious about what all of those legendary performers got paid to make the scene, here's the list... 1. Jimi Hendrix â $18,000 2. Blood, Sweat and Tears â $15,000 3. Joan Baez â $10,000 4. Creedence Clearwater Revival â $10,000 5. The Band â $7,500 6. Janis Joplin â $7,500 7. Jefferson Airplane â $7,500 8. Sly and the Family Stone â $7,000 9. Canned Heat â $6,500 10. The Who â $6,250 11. Richie Havens â $6,000 12. Arlo Guthrie â $5,000 13. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young â $5,000 14. Ravi Shankar â $4,500 15. Johnny Winter â $3,750 16. Ten Years After â $3,250 17. Country Joe and the Fish â $2,500 18. Grateful Dead â $2,500 19. The Incredible String Band â $2,250 20. Mountain â $2,000 21. Tim Hardin â $2,000 22. Joe Cocker â $1,375 23. Sweetwater â $1,250 24. John B. Sebastian â $1,000 25. Melanie â $750 26. Santana â $750 27. Sha Na Na â $700 28. Keef Hartley â $500 29. Quill â $375

Full-disclosure: I currently do social-networking posts for the camp, and I have been engaged with the brandâand founder David Fishofâfor 15 or so years. There is tons of credible feedback from campers that the experience "changed their lives." I've been there and seen it. That said, would YOU ever consider attending? If not, why not? Besides the cost of attending a camp, what's the main reason you would blow off an opportunity to sign up? It's much the same for musical "retreats" with famous guitarists, bassists, drummers, and so on. Do you feel any of these initiatives are enjoyable and/or could make you a better player? I'm not asking any of you fab people to do my research homework for meâtrust me, I fixate on why companies rock like demons or struggle to succeed far more than is healthyâbut I am always interested in how Rock Camp and destination-style workshop retreats are perceived by the musician community. Thanks tons for weighing in! Cheers, Mike

Hi J.Dan -- No argument there. I haven't disliked ANY Tech 21 product that I've reviewed or used since my first original SansAmp. Sure, there have been a few items that didn't work for me, but nothing has ever sucked, imploded, sounded daft, or otherwise taken a dump. Great track record for that company. Best, Mike

Hi Danzilla... My bad on the effects. I don't use effects a lot, and to my ears, all three effects sounded fineâclean, stout, and vibey. Definitely not cheap effects that are one-dimensional or too bright. I sooooooo dig my pedalboards of individual analog and digital stompboxes, but for those times when lugging a somewhat larger 'board to a gig is maybe too much, I would absolutely use the PL1 without any concerns about my tones taking a nap. I hope this helps flesh things out a bit more. Cheers, Mike

Hi all... I did a four-month torture test of Tech 21's Paul Landers Fly Rig PL1âwhich would seem to be a "not-for-everyone" kind of tone tool. What do you think? https://guardiansofguitar.com/2019/08/12/if-loving-you-is-wrong-i-dont-wanna-be-right/

DAVE BRYCE: There were certainly things I couldn't put down and never wanted to return to the manufacturers. Hahaha. The Collings 290 was one of them (I finally up and bought one), as was a fabulous Gretsch anniversary model. The Gibson Johnny A Signature model hung out in my office for months before Gibson finally came looking for it. There were some notable amps by Bad Cat, Mesa/Boogie, Orange, and others that I borrowed to gig with, and was bummed out when they asked for them back. The goofiest product actually started a staff prank that never seemed to end. The product was Pik Stik. http://stickyourpick.com/picstik.html It wasn't necessarily an awful product. It was simply an option for keeping your picks at hand. But the GP staff couldn't get over its giggles, and soon enough, the Pik Stik showed up affixed to car windows and license plates, office desks, and, well, just about everywhere. It became a "thing" to "Pik Stik" someone on the staff. Mean? Sure. Funny? Absolutely. Did the pranking go on far too long. Undoubtedly.

KevinIanCommon: Ray Davies' confessional interview snippet about his family not digging him as his voice rose up was a surprise. My tape deck was shuddering atop the table in the restaurant where the interview was taking place. I also never got Johnny Winter to say anything of value in three interview attempts. He was going through some "issues" each time, alternately dozing off, or being silent, or giving one word answers. I know that other journalists got really good interviews from him, but my timingâor maybe just meâwas so off that none of the interviews were usable. Way back in the dayâbefore GP when I worked as a stringer for Musician's NewsâI have a hilarious tape of trying to interview Iggy Pop backstage at the Market Street Cinema as he was simultaneously running into the walls of a hallway. "Jabber jabber BAM jabber jabber BAM." Of course, when I interviewed Iggy for GP many years later, he was a delightâso smart and really open to sharing his creative process.

Here's the thread to post any question to former GUITAR PLAYER Editor in Chief Michael Molenda. What happened at GP? What was your best/worst interview? Why did you do this or that while managing the magazine content? Post YouTube links and I'll be happy to constructively critique your songwriting, guitar playing, audio production, or video-concept skills, and offer tools for improvement and/or self-examination. Post YouTube links and I'll consider your track(s) for release via the Guardians of Guitar label distributed by Mi5 Recordings/Universal Music Group. Pretty much whatever you want to know will be revealed if you ask, and whatever counsel you desire to assist your musical endeavors will be offered. Please don't be shy...

Ha. Okay, Dave. I'll bite. Obviously, I've had a chance to play a ton of gear during my career at GUITAR PLAYER, and, overall, I've dug soooooo many music-making tools that it's tough to even remember all the stuff I've rocked with. But here are the goodies hanging out in my garage that I often take out on gigs... GUITARS I've adored Les Pauls ever since I saw Mick Ronson wield one with David Bowie on a MIDNIGHT SPECIAL television episode when I was a teen. I bought a crap copy when I was taking lessons, and I was finally able to afford a Les Paul Heritage in the late 1970s. I still own that baby and I still love it. I gig with The Trouble With Monkeys using a red Gretsch Electromatic that I "transformed" into a "Monkees Model" via a new Monkees pickguard and a trussrod cover, and I also use a truly kick-ass Collings 290 in Monkees red and a Reverend Reeves Gabrels Signature Dirtbike in Schwinn blue. For 12-string work, I grab my Musicvox 12-string. In my office I have an Eastwood Bill Nelson Signature and a Gretsch Rancher acoustic. AMPS I've never been able to make Fender amps work for me. My first amp as a kid was a Fender Champ, but since then, I've blown it on the Fender front. Marshalls really worked for me during my punk-rock and new-wave years, but I lost my mojo for carting half-stacks around once I passed 50 years old. Hahaha. I now use either a Vox AC30 (for festival gigs and large venues) or a Vox AC15 (for club shows). I also have an Orange Tiny Terror and a Mesa/Boogie 1x12 cabinet ready to go in The Trouble With Monkeys rehearsal space. PEDALS Gads. I've used so many and I switch things out all of the time. Currently, I have a Line 6 Helix FX or a Line 6 M5 for goopy stuff whenever I need/want modulation, delay, or reverbâalthough I typically play pretty dry in The Trouble With Monkeys. I'm a fuzz freak, so I have a ton of fuzz pedalsâmy favorites being the Tech 21 Boost Fuzz, a JMI Mick Ronson Signature Tone Bender, an Electro-Harmonix Cock Fight, and a Hallmark Nu-Fuzz. My wah pedals include a Morley DJ Ashba Signature, a Vox Wah, and a Dunlop Cry Baby. To boost solos, I use a Pro Tone Reeves Gabrels Distortion Engine, and to get all Beatle-y, I use an Electro-Harmonix Mel9. The tuner is a TC Electronic Chromatic Tuner, and my tiny rig for tiny gigs is a Tech 21 Paul Landers Fly Rig and my Vox wah.