BY MIKE METTLER

“Nothing moves me like the sound of a guitar.” It’s the opening sentence to author Lisa S. Johnson’s passionate introduction to 108 Rock Star Guitars (Glitterati Incorporated), her lavishly photographed and beautifully bound ode to a score of axes ‘n planks that have created some of the most indelible sounds in our lifetime, and I swear I could have written that line myself. I was enamored with guitars even before I learned how to form the chords that open Yes’ “Roundabout” on a no-name acoustic in a junior high school guitar class, and to this day my attention is rapt whenever I hear certain riffs or see guitar wizards both budding and seasoned practicing their own special brands of fretboard magic live.

108 Rock Star Guitars captures many of those jamtastic fretboard-induced feelings between its covers, so if you’re ... Read More »]]>

BY MIKE METTLER

“Nothing moves me like the sound of a guitar.” It’s the opening sentence to author Lisa S. Johnson’s passionate introduction to 108 Rock Star Guitars (Glitterati Incorporated), her lavishly photographed and beautifully bound ode to a score of axes ‘n planks that have created some of the most indelible sounds in our lifetime, and I swear I could have written that line myself. I was enamored with guitars even before I learned how to form the chords that open Yes’ “Roundabout” on a no-name acoustic in a junior high school guitar class, and to this day my attention is rapt whenever I hear certain riffs or see guitar wizards both budding and seasoned practicing their own special brands of fretboard magic live.

108 Rock Star Guitars captures many of those jamtastic fretboard-induced feelings between its covers, so if you’re looking for an extra-special tome for the music lover on your holiday shopping list, then you’ve come to the right place.

“Living guitar art” is a phrase used to describe the photos Johnson took over the course of the 15 years needed to compile this book, and it’s quite apt. The angles are dramatic and the luthiers’ detail work well evident in each guitar shown within. It’s not easy to choose favorites — especially since I continue to comb through the book like it’s a lost rune, and I could probably cite them all — but, ok, fine, I will list some of them here nonetheless: Jack White’s crackled early-’60s Airline. Eric Clapton’s 1956 Fender Stratocaster, a.k.a. “Brownie.” (Yes, that’s the one he used to record “Layla.”) Geddy Lee’s 1972 Fender Jazz bass. (Natural wood, people!) Rick Nielsen’s checkerboard Hamer “Enola.” Phil Collen’s 1985 Jackson Custom Shop “Crackle.” Brian Setzer’s 1959 Gretsch 6120 “Stray Cat.” Jimmy Page’s 1968 Gibson EDS 1275 SG double neck. Bonnie Raitt’s “Brownie” Stratocaster. Lou Reed’s Bolin NS with customized silver skull control knob. Tommy Shaw’s Fender Electric XII and 1998 Gibson Les Paul. James “JY” Young’s 2001 Fender Stratocaster and JY Custom “Cerberuscaster” — and yes, the look of the mythical three-headed creature on the latter axe is as cool as you think. And as I recently discovered, I happened to be in the house and backstage when the two Styx men’s guitars were being photographed on August 2, 2011 at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. “Tommy and JY play off of each other so well — they’re two pros who are a joy to watch,” Johnson told me recently about her experience at that show, and I have to agree.

Naturally, I also asked Johnson a few SoundBard-ian Qs, and herewith is our exchange on those weighty topics.

Mike Mettler: What was the first album you bought with your own money, and what do you remember about how it sounded to you?

Lisa S. Johnson: My first album was Kiss: Hotter Than Hell [1980]. I loved their costumes and the album cover art. I played it over and over on my very cheap turntable. I clearly remember the sound of the needle dropping on that record. I was 11 years old and so impressed with the hard-rock sound and sexy lyrics, but my ear was not trained yet to hear for anything specific; I just knew that I loved it. Until then, I had pretty much grown up on a lot of country classics, so it was quite a revelation.

Mettler: Do you still own that record?

Johnson: I still own the LP, yes. It’s stored up in Canada at my mother’s house.

Mettler: What’s your favorite guitar-oriented album, and why?

Johnson: Led Zeppelin [1969] is a real favorite. Jimmy Page is such an innovative guitar player. Everything he did was new to my ears, so I love the originality of this material — and I especially love “Dazed and Confused.” Jimmy playing his guitar with a bow is incredibly moving, and it takes me out of my body.

Mettler: Is vinyl still the best way to listen to music?

Johnson: I don’t own a turntable anymore, but I’m seriously thinking I’d better get one again. [Please do!—Your LP Lovin' SoundBard] Vinyl is back in a serious way, despite that digital is here to stay. Vinyl just offers a deeper, more luscious listening experience that adds an organic feeling to the sounds you are hearing.

BY MIKE METTLER

Get Tommy Shaw and me, Mr. SoundBard, in a room talking about music, and chances are you’ll have to drag us out by our respective ears to get us on the way to our next destinations. (Just ask Styx’s ever-patient, ever-gracious tour manager and assistant tour manager.) Tommy and I bonded over a mutual passion for music, and especially vinyl, years ago, and we share our LP love regularly in text, photo, and email. A typical message might begin along the lines of “Look what I found!” and subsequently “You won’t believe how GOOD this album sounds!” — followed soon thereafter by a fervent discourse on all of the aural subtleties and production nuances that cause us to pick the needle up and play that record again and again and again.

That’s my ’round-the-bend way of saying welcome to ... Read More »]]>

BY MIKE METTLER

180-gram, and other assorted love songs.

Get Tommy Shaw and me, Mr. SoundBard, in a room talking about music, and chances are you’ll have to drag us out by our respective ears to get us on the way to our next destinations. (Just ask Styx’s ever-patient, ever-gracious tour manager and assistant tour manager.) Tommy and I bonded over a mutual passion for music, and especially vinyl, years ago, and we share our LP love regularly in text, photo, and email. A typical message might begin along the lines of “Look what I found!” and subsequently “You won’t believe how GOOD this album sounds!” — followed soon thereafter by a fervent discourse on all of the aural subtleties and production nuances that cause us to pick the needle up and play that record again and again and again.

Everything will be alright… within the grooves.

That’s my ’round-the-bend way of saying welcome to the debut installment of The Vinyl Brothers videoclip Q&A series, wherein Mr. Shaw and I will discuss the sonic merits of a cherished album, whether it be a longtime favorite, a remastered classic, or a new discovery. Our initial subject is Eric Clapton‘s underrated 2010 release, Clapton. Sitting in his dressing room backstage after Styx had performed a particularly rousing set at Bergen PAC in Englewood, NJ on October 19, 2013, Tommy asked me if I had heard this album, as he had been particularly taken with the tone and tempo of Track 1 on Side 1, “Travelin’ Alone” — so much so that he often found himself picking up a guitar and playing right along with it. While I had indeed bought the record when it came out almost 3 years ago, I admitted that I had hardly spent any time with it, so I clearly needed a 33 1/3 refresher spin or two. I duly pulled it off the shelves (it was slotted in between EC’s current Old Sock LP and the three-LP box set for EC & Steve Winwood’s Live From Madison Square Garden) and brought it to Styx’s gig the following night, October 20, at State Theatre in New Brunswick, NJ, so we could talk about it after the show. We tell the double 180-gram Clapton LP’s tantalizing tale in the YouTube clip at the top of this post.

And, as always, enjoy the music.