At: Guitar Center

As a professional musician for the last 21 years, Joe Bonamassa has passed more milestones than a veteran Indy 500 racer. Joe was only 12 years old when he opened for B.B. King and jammed with Danny Gatton’s band, and when he was only 14 he shared the stage with James Burton, Dick Dale, Robben Ford, Robbie Krieger, Albert Lee and Yngwie Malmsteen at the 1991 Leo Fender Memorial Jam Benefit. At 17 Joe had several hits on mainstream rock radio with his band Bloodline, including “Stone Cold Hearted” and “Dixie Peach.” In 2000 while he was just 22, Bonamassa released his first solo album, A New Day Yesterday, kicking off his career as a solo blues rocker, a career that’s still going strong today.

Now at 33 years old, Bonamassa is preparing to write yet another exciting chapter of his biography with his new band, Black Country Communion, which features an all-star classic rock lineup consisting of singer/bassist Glenn Hughes (Black Sabbath, Deep Purple), drummer Jason Bonham (UFO, Foreigner, Led Zeppelin), and keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Alice Cooper, Dream Theater). The idea for the band came together when Joe was playing at Guitar Center’s King of the Blues Grand Finals last November at the Hollywood House of Blues.

“Glenn joined me on stage at the end of the night,” Joe remembers. “My producer, Kevin Shirley, was there and he suggested that I do something with Glenn, like start a band or something. I was having so much fun listening to Glenn sing and playing old Trapeze and Deep Purple songs with him like ‘Medusa’ and ‘Mistreated.’ In less than a year we went from that gig at the House of Blues to forming a band and releasing a record.”

Experience the complete interview HERE as appears in our September Guitar Guide and see exclusive video HERE.  Also be sure to grab his new record “BLACK ROCK” available now.

Many music fans found it hard to believe that Alicia Keys was only 20 years old when she released her debut album, Songs In A Minor, in 2001. Her sophisticated blend of R&B, hip-hop, jazz and classical flavors was a sharp contrast to the prefab dance pop performed by most other female singers near her age, and her sultry, bluesy vocals seemed to come from the same deep emotional well that inspired legends like Nina Simone, Dinah Washington, Billie Holliday and Lena Horne. While her sound was certainly contemporary, her approach reminded listeners of classic recording artists who were more concerned with making art than making cash.

“I tend to be a bit of a vintage fanatic,” admits Keys. “That’s the music that I love and the kind of energy that I like. There’s something about the Sixties and Seventies that’s always spoken to me since I was little. I always felt like I was born in the wrong decade. I was supposed to be alive when Nina Simone was alive. I was supposed to get that whole vibe of Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield. There’s just something about the honesty, craftsmanship and integrity that existed during that time. There was a genuine passion that I share with those artists and that time. People did what they did because they loved what they did, not because they got paid exorbitant amounts of money or got massive amounts of recognition.” Like many of the artists who inspired her, Alicia is a consummate performer who writes and arranges most of her own music and an accomplished musician who plays several instruments, including piano, guitar, bass and cello. She started taking classical piano lessons when she was just seven, and she was educated at New York City’s Professional Performing Arts School, where she graduated as class valedictorian. The music industry quickly recognized her talent and potential, particularly Clive Davis, the former president and founder of Arista Records, who helped develop the careers of Whitney Houston, Sarah McLachlan, Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith. When Davis left Arista and formed J Records, he brought along Alicia, who he had signed while he was still with Arista.

Experience the complete exclusive interview with Alicia Keys as it appears in our September hi-tech guide – READ or WATCH.

Learn more about her new virtual instrument software “Alicia’s Keys” from Native Instruments HERE.

Most lists of 100 things to do before you die involve travel to exotic locations and participating in some sort of extreme sport, but if you are a musician your bucket list should also include attending a KISS concert.

For the last 35 years KISS has staged a spectacle unlike any other in the rock and roll business—one that keeps getting bigger and better every time they go out on the road on tour. This year’s tour, called “The Hottest Show on Earth,” is a two-hour extravaganza filled with enough fireworks and pyrotechnics “to bring down low-flying aircraft,” promises KISS rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley.

“When we go on stage, we want people in the audience to go, ‘This is what a rock concert is supposed to be!” says Stanley. “Our show started out by us wanting to get up on stage and show people how it was supposed to be done. We wanted to be the band that we always wanted to see but never saw. We still go out there every night and try to be the ideal band.”

Read the exclusive interview as appears in our August Anniversary Buyer’s Guide HERE.

From his early days with British blues-rock powerhouse Humble Pie to the stratospheric, multi-platinum success of Frampton Comes Alive, there’s no mistaking his soaring and skillfully-crafted guitar playing. Peter Frampton discusses his remarkable career, shares guitar tips and tricks, and talks about his new album Thank You Mr. Churchill at Guitar Center Sessions. See the entire series of videos on our official YouTube channel.

From an artistic perspective, Peter Gabriel has never stayed in one place very long. A relentless innovator and inquisitive musical explorer, Gabriel has constantly pushed forward whether experimenting with technology or scouring the most remote corners of the globe for inspiration.

Gabriel made a bold first impression as the eccentric leader and highly theatrical lead singer of the British progressive rock band Genesis in the early Seventies. However, when Genesis reached new creative heights in 1974 with their ambitious concept album, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Gabriel left the band to pursue his own creative muse. Between 1977 and 1982 he released four highly individualistic solo albums that blended electronics, ambient atmospheres and African and Latin rhythms in a truly unique and innovative manner that still inspires musicians today. These albums delivered a consistent string of hits like “Solsbury Hill,” “Games Without Frontiers,” and “Shock the Monkey.”

Join us for the extremely rare exclusive interview as we sit down with one of music’s most prolific icons, Peter Gabriel at Guitar Center Hollywood (as appeared in our July Hi-Tech Guide).

Read the full interview HERE.