Ali Isabella - Not Your Average High School Student

This time of year most 17-year old girls are thinking about things like final exams, boys and senior prom dresses. Very few are also pondering which songs to include on a debut follow-up album. Westchester County, New York native Ali Isabella is one of those select teenagers who are knee-deep in the business of making music, as well as in the business-as-usual of an average high school student; but average she is not. With runway-model good looks and the poise of someone much older, the singer ...

Lone Eagle Don Felder Talks About New Records, Old Friends And More

Rock n’ Roll infamy can either by measured by sneer, attitude, or posturing—all the necessary badass rock star ingredients. And then there’s a legendary guitarist like ex-Eagle Don Felder, who embodies the flipside to all of those bizarre heroics that invariably come with the music. He’s a musician’s musician whose power and imagination has spawned some of the most memorable guitar lines (his introduction to “Hotel California” has been called one of the six most memorable guitar riffs of all time) ever ...

Lisa Johnson - I Don't Feel Like a Female; I Feel Like a Publisher - Part 2

Lisa Johnson is one of Nashville’s most experienced publishers. In the music business twenty-two years and counting, her influence can be heard daily on Country radio. As VP Creative, she established the Nashville division of Razor & Tie Music Publishing, and in a few short years the company has found three of their songs at the top of the Country charts. Janet Goodman of MNN sat down with the veteran publisher last summer at her Music Square West office. In Part I of ...

Lisa Johnson - Every Cut I Get Is My Proudest - Part 1

Lisa Johnson is one of Nashville’s most experienced publishers. In the music business twenty-two years and counting, her influence can be heard daily on Country radio. As VP Creative, she established the Nashville division of Razor & Tie Music Publishing, and in a few short years the company has found three of their songs at the top of the Country charts. Janet Goodman sat down with the veteran publisher last summer at her Music Square West office. In Part I of our interview, we discuss Johnson’s background, her ...

A Conversation with Pat Simmons of The Doobie Brothers – Part 2

Pat Simmons, one of the original members of legendary classic rockers The Doobie Brothers, recently sat down with Dan Harr of Music News Nashville while on a tour stop at the IP Casino’s Studio A in Biloxi, MS. In part two, Simmons talks about the complete story behind the song for "Blackwater," one of the most iconic songs to come out of the 1970's, and a song which propelled the album What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits into platinum status, and the song to the top of the charts as the Doobies' first #1 single.

Guitar Talk with Dropkick Murphys’ James Lynch

Celtic punk-rock band Dropkick Murphys released their debut full-length 15 years ago, and they’re not slowing down at all. The Quincy, Mass.-based guys unleashed their eighth studio album, Signed and Sealed in Blood, in January, and the album debuted at a sky-high #9 on the Billboard 200 chart. Musically, the set stays true to the band’s unwavering punk rock energy and catchy mix of Irish folk and American rock ‘n’ roll. With St. Patrick’s Day just around the bend, we here at Gibson.com thought it would be the perfect ...

A Conversation with Pat Simmons of The Doobie Brothers - Part 1

Pat Simmons, one of the original members of legendary classic rockers The Doobie Brothers, recently sat down with Dan Harr of Music News Nashville while on a tour stop at the IP Casino's Studio A in Biloxi, MS. In part one, Simmons shared his thoughts on life in the Doobies, songwriting, what makes the Doobies music connect so well with fans, the secret of staying together in one of the longest-running rock bands and more. In part two, Pat shares the full story behind the song "Blackwater".

A Conversation With Tom Johnston of The Doobie Brothers

Tom Johnston, one of the founding members of legendary classic rockers The Doobie Brothers, recently sat down with Dan Harr of Music News Nashville while on a tour stop at the IP Casino's Studio A in Biloxi, MS. Johnston talked about life in one of the longest-running bands, his solo work in the late 70's, what's coming next for the Doobies and more, including discussing the possibility of a new album in the works. watch the full interview below, and stay tuned for the upcoming two-part interview with Pat Simmons...

A Conversation With Mike Magno and Acoustic Version of "Be The Man (See Something)"

Mike Magno, singer, songwriter, solo artist and lead singer of the alt-rock band The Villains, recently sat down with Dan Harr of Music News Nashville and talked about his career as both lead singer of The Villains as well as being a solo artist, and the differences between the two. He also talked about life on the road and two mentoring programs in the Atlanta area with which he is involved, teaching children ...

Jaida Dreyer Writes Them...And Sings Them!

For a newcomer, getting to launch your debut album during the Country Radio Seminar is a big deal. After all, it’s not every day when over 2,900 radio programmers all come to you. For Streamsound recording artist Jaida Dreyer, having the release party for her I Am Jaida Dreyer debut disc was a rewarding feeling – for many reasons. "It was amazing,” she told MNN. To have everyone in the same room who have contributed not only to this...

Interview and Acoustic Performance With Old Man Markley

L.A.-based punk bluegrass band, Old Man Markley, recently sat down with Deena from Music News Nashville to talk about the origins of their name and music, life on the road and more. Four of the seven members - Johnny Carey, Katie Weed, Joey Garibaldi and John Rosen - then gave an acoustic performance of the band's song, for Better, For Worse. check out the interview and song below.

Tim Henderson: Talking Brave Words

Metal Shock Finland‘s Chief Editor, Mohsen Fayyazi, has recently conducted an interview with Tim Henderson, CEO and Founder of BW&BK. When asked about how he sees the future for online magazines, Tim said: “Well, there’s a couple of ways to go – I have a website that you’re changing content all the time, or I have people that continue to pitch me that they want an online magazine. All that kind of content doesn’t change, whether you’re laying it out on a piece of paper or you have an online magazine. So in the next...

Stone Sour's Corey Taylor Talks Les Pauls

Corey Taylor splits his worlds between making music with melodic rockers Stone Sour and masked metallers Slipknot, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. “People wonder if it’s a hassle or a chore, and honestly, it’s not,” Taylor told Gibson.com. “If you’re like me and go off pure instinct when it comes to music, it’s way easier than you would imagine.” Stone Tour’s fourth studio album, House of Gold & Bones Part 1, was released last year, and House of Gold & Bones Part 2 will hit stores and online outlets on April 9. The two ...

The World According to Leslie West

Had Leslie West done nothing more than record "Mississippi Queen” – one of rock guitar’s finest moments -- his place in music history would be assured. Fact is, however, that classic, which West recorded with the legendary trio Mountain, is just one chapter in a vast body of work that attests to his monumental skills. In the summer of 2011, West underwent an amputation of his lower leg due to complications from Type 2 diabetes. Just three months later, he released Unusual Suspects, a guitarist’s dream album featuring an A-list of fellow six-string greats. Such is the fortitude of the man. In the quotes below, he talks about playing with Jimi Hendrix, how he gets his unique tone and the “coolest rock star” with whom he’s ever jammed.

CMA New Artist of the Year Hunter Hayes

Imagine your name has just been announced at the CMA Awards as New Artist of the Year. Celebrities seated around you in Nashville's Bridgestone Arena, the ones you admired as you were growing up, are applauding. Thousands of fans throughout the venue are cheering. Millions are watching you on live TV. What goes through your mind at that moment? For Hunter Hayes, who received this honor at the 2012 Awards, the first reaction was something like disbelief. “I looked at my manager, Ansel Davis...