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Black Midi is a young, progressive outfit from the U.K., and their music is abrasive and outrageous. Except when it isn’t. “I hate stuff which is purposefully ugly or difficult or too obtuse or [...] read more

Matt Sweeney thinks you should fingerpick. “I don’t want to sound like some sort of dick who hates guitar picks,” he says, after about 20 minutes railing against guitar picks. “But try it. It’s [...] read more

In 2018, Greg Edwards stepped out of his comfort zone. For the most part, his career up till then had been focused on his own projects—like his bands Failure and Autolux—not on being a [...] read more

Larry Schemel, from the Los Angeles-based psychedelic band Death Valley Girls, has been on the scene and in and out of bands for over 30 years. He’s a seasoned, grizzled professional, and quit his [...] read more

Guitarist and composer Sarah Lipstate works under the name Noveller and creates luscious, expansive soundscapes with a guitar, an amp, and an overwhelming array of pedals. Her looped textures are mood-inducing works of art. [...] read more

Not long ago, guitar pedals were made by larger companies with the machinery, infrastructure, distribution networks, and resources to bring them to market. The big players were names you know—like Boss, MXR, Ibanez, Electro-Harmonix, [...] read more

In the mid 1960s, the Byrds were one of a handful of bands that defined the era. Built around tight vocal harmonies and Roger McGuinn’s jangly Rickenbacker 12-string, their chart-topping music incorporated elements of [...] read more

In the early 1980s, Austrian guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel moved to Boston with something of a split musical identity. He went to the New England Conservatory and divided his time between jazz studies with legendary [...] read more

“People usually call me a jazz musician, and that puts huge pressure on me. I feel stressed that people expect something from me, and I am still a work in progress,” says Polish bassist [...] read more

According to Adrianne Lenker, the principle songwriter, lead vocalist, and guitarist for the New York-based indie band, Big Thief, sometimes it’s important to sound bad. “What excites me the most is making my own road [...] read more