He calls it trance blues. And Chicago-born bluesman Otis Taylor has honed his art into a razor-sharp, steely mojo machine, garnering critical acclaim for such albums as 1979's When Negroes Walked the Earth, 2008's haunting Recapturing the Banjo, and the recent Hey Joe Opus Red Meat.
Since emerging as co-founder of the SF Bay Area psychedelic band Zero in 1984, Steve Kimock has slowly but surely developed a reputation as one of the most distinctive and inspiring guitarists in the jam band world—a
This electro-pop artist is steeped in bluegrass. Who knew? Dillon Hodges is a popular singer, songwriter, and guitarist whose recent album firekid (Atlantic) is the vanguard of a stealth campaign to bring bluegrass music to the masses.
Acoustic-guitar duo Dawn & Hawkes recently stopped by the AG offices in advance of their upcoming SXSW shows. Miranda Dawn and Chris Hawkes met five years ago in an Austin bar (he asked her to dance) and quickly realized their romantic chemistry inspired them creatively. Watch them perform “Love Your Forever,” “Almost Mine,” and “Silver Line,” all…
“This new album is the culmination of what the band can do together, but I’ve got to say, it is and it isn’t, because it was recorded two years ago now,” says singer, songwriter, guitarist, and bandleader Lukas Nelson, when asked about the new Promise of the Real album, Something…
For New West Guitar Group's Acoustic Guitar Sessions performance, the trio played three instrumentals including Dave Brubeck's whimsical classic "Blue Rondo A La Turk."
In this special edition of Acoustic Guitar Sessions, bluegrass guitarist Laurie Lewis and mandolinist Tom Rozum perform the Carter Family classic "Who's That Knocking ?" and "Won't You Come and Sing for Me?
Maurice Tani has been a popular fixture in the San Francisco Bay Area music scene for many years, dating back to stints with a pair of eclectic retro party bands, the Zasu Pitts Memorial Orchestra and Big Bang Beat.
One of AG’s very own guitar instructors, Ron Jackson, stopped by the Acoustic Guitar booth at NAMM 2016 to do a little jazz shredding on an Eastman AR810CE-7 archtop. Watch him put his magic to the Dorothy Fields/Jerome Kern standard “The Way You Look Tonight,” from Jackson’s 1991 album, A Guitar Thing. Also check out his most recent release,…
Michael Franti occupies a unique position in the current music scene. He was a founding member of late-'80s experimental funk band the Beatnigs -- which combined noisy, industrial punk and hip-hop with hard-hitting political songs, eventually evolving into the marginally more accessible Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy.
Duncan Sheik, in tow with keyboardist Jason Hart and percussionist Doug Yowell, took time out of his tour Suzanne Vega to stop by the AG offices and perform three songs off his latest electro-acoustic album Legerdemain.
Quiles and Cloud were a long way from their home in San Francisco in 2014, when they captured the audience at FreshGrass, the early-fall festival in the Berkshire Mountains where this act took a big step onto the national scene by winning the FreshGrass duo contest. Part of their prize…
This San Francisco-based progressive bluegrass band Front Country, featuring guitarist Jacob Groopman and fronted by vocalist and guitarist Melody Walker, has won rave reviews from critics and peers alike.
Fresh from the release of her recent Uncovered, a critically acclaimed collection of cover songs, Shawn Colvin stopped by the AG studio to perform a trio of songs.
Watch Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan perform the title track from their latest album, then enjoy the writing partners' dry repartee as they attempt to describe how their guitar styles complement one another.
Rising star Jennah Bell recently stopped by the Acoustic Guitar offices to perform three of her stunning original songs. Watch the Brooklyn-based, Oakland-grown songwriter—who trained at Berklee College of Music—play “Phoenix Lights,” “Candied Daylight,” and “The Common Cold” and reveal the backstories behind her mysterious lyrics wrapped in gorgeous melodies. Bell is hard at work on her debut full-length album, so…
Break out the champagne, confetti and noisemakers—this marks the 100th entry in the Acoustic Guitar Sessions series! From the outset, it has been the mission of Sessions to capture a broad range of artists working in many different styles, from soulful singer-songwriters to fingerstyle wizards, “name” performers and rising talents.…
