With a strong focus on the Australian music scene, Australian Guitar is a rich source of information on playing techniques, styles, the wide range of instruments available and all the technology that guitarists have to consider in the 21st Century.
UNKNOWN ZONE Howdy Aus Guitar, Just wanted to say cheers for another great issue – those Foo Fighters and Angus Young interviews were just tops. Keep up the good work! But I’ve gotta ask, who is this Pete Hawkes fellow? I like to think I’m pretty dialed into guitar music, particular Australian stuff, but I haven’t the faintest idea who this guy is. I think it’s really great to feature new artists and I found his work interesting but did you really need to spend three whole pages on the bloke? Please shoot for Van Halen next time, haha? KEVIN, VIA EMAIL Thanks Kevin. We gotta give everyone a shot at the title. Trust us, if we could get Eddie on the phone we would. He’s currently not taking our…
EONE DVD PACKS After a hard down on the fretboard, everybody needs a little feet up, binge-watchin’ time. Thanks to our pals at eOne Entertainment, we have five amazing DVD packs to give away each valued at $114.95 and containing Rectifty Season 2, Dates Season 1, Hell On Wheels Season 4 and The Village Season 2. That’s some serious quality TV time. For you chance to win a pack, tell us your favourite character from any of the featured shows. UNIVERSAL MUSIC CD PACKS Craving some fresh tunes? We’ve got copies a killer new album from JD Mcpherson called Let The Good Times Roll and the new Queen Forever collection featuring previously unreleased material from Freddie Mercury. Each pack is worth $43 and will be delivered to five lucky winners…
JMC Academy, one of Australia’s leading creative industry colleges, has unveiled its new Digital Design and Songwriting courses for commencement in 2015. JMC Academy has added two exciting new courses to its existing range of contemporary music and entertainment industry diplomas. As of February 2015, Songwriting will be offered at all three JMC campuses nationwide (Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane), while Digital Design will be offered at JMC Academy Sydney. Both courses are available in two forms – a Diploma, with a study duration of eight months, or a Bachelor’s Degree, with a duration of two years. Rejecting the oft-held idea that good songwriting comes either naturally or not at all, the JMC Songwriting course aims to give students a comfortable environment in which to brainstorm and express their ideas, as…
The National Museum of American History is filled with important artifacts; items that played a key role in shaping the culture of the United States such as Abraham Lincoln’s top hat, the original Star-Spangled Banner and a replica of Eddie Van Halen’s custom-made Frankenstrat, which was acquired in 2011. The rock’n’roll icon has now donated additional pieces to the museum when he visited and spoke as part of the Smithsonian Institute’s “What It Means To Be American” program. Van Halen detailed his experiences growing up in America, from his origin as a Dutch immigrant to the formation of one of the most important American rock bands of all time. He also discussed the various innovations and inventions he has brought to the table when creating guitars. He donated an EVH…
CURRENTLY PLAYING WITH: Clowns USUALLY FOUND PLAYING: Hardcore punk rock. YEARS ON THE FRETBOARD: I got my first guitar for my 12th birthday. I just turned 23, so that’d be 11 years. I kinda sucked for the first few years until I figured out what I actually wanted to play and how to do it. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PLAYING STYLE? Our music is heavily rhythmic, so most of the work I do on the guitar definitely comes from my picking hand. There’s nothing particularly technical about the fretwork, but the fast pace and quick changes in rhythm can definitely test your picking limits and endurance. We have some solos in our songs, but I just don’t have the patience to sit down and figure out long, face-melting passages.…
Metal’s long-standing Bay Area heroes Machine Head are heading Down Under to give us a taste of their new album, Bloodstone & Diamonds. The headline tour kicks off this June, and punters can expect a solid lashing of metal classics from their 20+ years in the business of crushing eardrums. Frontman Rob Flynn says, “To say that we are f*****g stoked beyond belief would be the understatement of the year! We cannot wait to plunder your cities into the dust!” Catch them doing just that on Monday 22 June at 170 Russell in Melbourne; Wednesday 23 at The Metro, Sydney; Saturday 27 at Eatons Hill in Brisbane; Sunday 28 at The Gov in Adelaide and Monday 29 at the Astor Theatre in Perth.…
