Posts Tagged Guitarist
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September 18, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Vai is Zen: Watching Steve Vai Live
Vai is zen. Vai was amazing. Beautifully intense with a cool charm; he had the rock-star look and strut but this was no shred-guitar goon. Let me just break off here and say I had expected to find a live set by Steve Vai in 2012 to be quite ridiculous, possibly painful.Archive
June 19, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Jeff Beck – Still on the Run: DVD
Jeff Beck: Still On The Run Director: Matthew Longfellow Eagle Rock Ask any guitarist – they’ll tell you Jeff Beck is one of the greatest. Many will tell you he is the greatest, certainly he’s peerless in terms of his quest for exploration and expression given he’s forever linked to his Yardbirds-colleagues Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. […]Archive
August 3, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Sweetman Podcast: Episode 127 – Ray Ahipene-Mercer
Welcome to episode 127 of Sweetman Podcast with support from our sponsors – T Leaf T, Yeastie Boys and La Petite Chocolat. I first met Ray Mercer some 15+ years ago. I had met him through a friend. And then, when I was commissioned to write my first professional piece for the then-Evening Post, a housing feature, of all things, I […]Archive
April 19, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Sweetman Podcast: Episode 112 – Darren Watson on ‘Too Many Millionaires’
Welcome to episode 112 of Sweetman Podcast with support from our sponsors – T Leaf T, Yeastie Boys and Le Petite Chocolat. I had a conversation with Darren Watson. You might remember that he was the subject of the very first episode of Sweetman Podcast. If you want a career overview and you missed it at the time go back and […]Archive
February 14, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Gat This: My Top 10 ‘Guitar’ Albums
A while ago I described something/someone as “guitar music” and was chortled at from all directions; there’s no such thing as guitar music. This is not a genre. This is no way to explain or define music. Andres Segovia and Derek Bailey and Jimi Hendrix and Django Reinhardt and Eddie Van Halen have all made amazing music by approaching the same instrument (or versions of […]Archive
February 8, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Win A Double Pass to the Eric Clapton Documentary – Life In 12 Bars
To celebrate the New Zealand theatrical release of Life In 12 Bars the new feature-length Eric Clapton documentary Madman NZ has given me five double passes for fans. The film will be screening in New Zealand from February 15-28 at selected theatres. To be in to win it is this simple: Write a comment below […]Archive
November 28, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
Richard Thompson’s Dream Attic: A Firm Favourite
I’ve been a Richard Thompson fan for a while. At first he was someone I read about, and I knew he was revered; I trialled some of his material but struggled to find much that actually matched up with the raves. But in recent years I’ve found the good oil – and there’s plenty. You can take […]Archive
July 15, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
Gig Review: Steve Gunn (July 14, Wgtn)
Steve Gunn Caroline Friday, July 14 American guitar wizard Steve Gunn was in town for a small show, part of his first New Zealand tour – Gunn is known for (and because of) his work with Kurt Vile and from there to a handful of records that alternate between solo, acoustic excursions and band projects […]Archive
July 10, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
“Keeping It Interesting Is No Issue”: On Steve Gunn Finding His Voice/s
Steve Gunn, American guitar wizard – one of many exciting talents currently cutting their own path away from the early influence of John Fahey – says that once he discovered music he “kinda gave up everything else that was going on as a kid”. He was born in Pennsylvania and grew up in Philadelphia – […]Archive
June 23, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
From The Archives: The Jennifer Batten Interview
Here’s an interview I did a few years ago with Jennifer Batten. It was fun talking to her, interesting getting her insight on working with a) one of pop music’s biggest stars – and b) one of the most respected guitar heroes on the planet. * Jennifer Batten made her name as the shock-haired guitarist […]Archive
June 8, 2017 by Simon Sweetman