Hey folks! Long time no blog. As many of you know, this month saw me cramming for NAMM, as well as jumping straight onto a tour (leg 2 of Anthrax/Testament/Death Angel in the US). As I write this, I’m enjoying a rare day off in Tampa.
I’ve been receiving many requests for another ‘NAMM blog.’ I’d originally written ‘Wham Bam, Thank You NAMM,’ in 2010 to capture NAMM for the uninitiated. It was something I felt had never been adequately documented. Then, in 2011, NAMM was full of crazy situations (meeting Mike Huckabee, partying with Adrian Belew, appearing alongside the guitarist from Def Leppard etc…). It just had to be documented: ‘Post NAMM Prog-Nosis’ . However, a yearly ‘NAMM report’ was never the intention.
Though jam packed (pun not intended), this year’s trip lasted barely two days (half the time of last year). With appearances all day, performances by AS Trio and Testament on the same night and having to jump on a tour bus and leave in the midst of it all, there just weren’t as many stories. So while NAMM 2012 was very productive and one of the most enjoyable personally- it hasn’t triggered a blog post at this time.
I have, however, been hard at work on a something else: the latest in my blog series for Guitar Player Magazine. In the past, I’ve enjoyed using this platform to – among other things – reveal ‘lies’ by legendary bands (click here), expose the head of a major guitar company as a bit of a wack job (click here), and ask the following question: why are so many people who work in music stores (some- not all) complete pricks? (click here) Next to those blogs, this post is non-provocative and tame by comparison:
“TEN OVERLOOKED ESSENTIAL SOLOS OF THE ’70s”
Hopefully it is no less entertaining and informative. Enjoy!
Alex
PS By the way, since writing this, I’ve done further research into the one guitarist on this list who’s no longer with us: Steve Gaines (pictured). It turns out that there is much more to him than his work with Lynyrd Synyrd – he’d previously released a solo album ‘One In The Sun’ that while little known, is deeply valued by those who do. This clip ‘Give It To Get It’makes me realize where my favorite 90’s ‘jam band,’ Aquarium Rescue Unit, may have taken inspiration for its sound. I recommend that more guitarists look further into the work of this tragically overlooked player.