With a strong focus on the Australian music scene, Australian Guitar is a rich source of information on playing techniques, styles, the wide range of instruments available and all the technology that guitarists have to consider in the 21st Century.
BOSS DEBUTS ITS SYNTH-EQUIPPED FIRST GUITAR Effects pedal and guitar amp specialist Boss has unveiled its first-ever electric guitar: the Eurus GS-1. Described by Boss president Yoshi Ikegami as a tool to “take your musical vision where it’s never gone before,” the elegantly styled six-string boasts an array of premium hardware appointments, as well as a series of onboard digital effects for added oomph. The magic, of course, happens under the guitar’s Gloss Black hood. A polyphonic synth engine offers a range of analog-flavored sounds that line up alongside the guitar’s more conventional tonal capabilities. Of the intelligent new guitar, Ikegami said, “Guitarists are forever chasing their signature tone, exploring all types of guitars, pedals and amps to discover that magical combination that fuels fresh inspiration and makes them stand…
ELLA & SIENNA THEY ARE trailblazing youngins from the Adelaide Hills (aged 15 and 18, respectively) cranking out rivetingly impassioned slivers of sharp and summery folk. Acoustically inclined, the duo’s performance wields a uniquely charged energy: the soundscape’s core is always a dry, cleanly produced strum, fleshed out with crisp and thumping drums, subtle atmospherics and layered lead vocals jam-packed with character even in their most understated moments. Peter Noble, if you’re reading this, get these girls on a Bluesfest lineup ASAP! THEY’RE FOR FANS OF Kasey Chambers, John Butler, and Missy Higgins. THEIR LATEST RELEASE IS “Save Your Breath”, an emphatic folk belter written in response to the ruinous bushfires that tore through the country in January of 2020. The sisters are also active on YouTube, where they regularly…
ELLA WILLIAMS HAILS FROM BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS USA PLAYS SOLO (AS SQUIRREL FLOWER) SOUNDS LIKE POWERFULLY EMOTIVE, DRIVING FOLK LATEST DROP PLANET (I) (LP OUT NOW VIA POLYVINYL) What’s your current go-to guitar? I’ve been playing acoustic a lot more in my free time, and my go to is my Gibson Robert Johnson. It was the first guitar I ever bought for myself after saving up for three years, working at a bakery throughout high school. I walked into a shop in Massachusetts and saw it – I was first drawn to the colour, and as I tried it out I knew it was the guitar for me. It was so gentle but also resonant, the neck was so comfortable, and overall it just felt so full of character and dynamics.…
ALICE SKYE I Feel Better But I Don’t Feel Good BAD APPLES / UNIVERSAL Equally pensive and punchy, Alice Skye’s second LP is nothing short of breathtaking. Ebbing and flowing between deep, simmering melancholy and bright, captivating dreaminess, the Wergaia stalwart simply refuses to hold back; she’s crafted a record perfect for those long, introspective late-night road trips. Guitars on the record are subtle and understated, but strikingly impactful when they do lead the fray – take for example the gravelly, distorted leads on “Everything Is Great” or the shimmery, ‘70s-channeling strums on “Grand Ideas”. Less really is more throughout; the bold, attention-grabbing solo on “Browser History” feels so because it’s underscored by a simple, cantering beat, Skye’s warm, honeyed ruminations so easy to melt into on either side of…
TURNSTILE Glow On ROADRUNNER / WARNER Virtually anyone could whip themselves up a decent burrito, but it takes a true master of the culinary arts to make a great burrito. It’s not just about all those ingredients snuggled up under a soft tortilla, but their quality, their source, how they’re seasoned and prepared; the intermingling of textures and collision of flavours. When treated with the right care and cogitation, a concept so simple can become something so life-affirmingly beautiful. In this analogy, the burrito is hardcore punk, and our culinary maestro is Baltimore outfit Turnstile. The band have always tackled their slate of scream ‘n’ shred with an outsider’s perspective, spicing up their palate with summery grooves and kinetic percussion. But on LP3, it’s like they’ve finally cracked the code…
Wolfgang Van Halen’s solo debut began in 2015 when Eddie told Guitar World: “It’s like AC/DC meets Van Halen meets aggressive pop... It’s so powerful that I’m jealous.” The project had to wait, as Wolf fulfilled his commitments as bassist in Van Halen and Tremonti, as well as drummer for Sevendust’s Clint Lowery. But following the devastating loss of Eddie on October 6th, 2020, Wolf released the tribute single “Distance”. A moving video featuring childhood footage of Wolfgang with Eddie quickly racked up four million views, and the song debuted at #1 on the Billboard Rock chart. With the album completed, Wolf told Twitter, “It’s important I forge my own path.” But that doesn’t mean distancing himself from his father. His band name and album title, Mammoth WVH, is a…
