Riffmaster's Spotlight

Guitar Tab

I was checking out GuitarHoo.com's site a while back and I noticed they have a real cool section for unsigned guitarist with links to their websites and music. Well... Chris Watson caught my eye and my ear. Man... can this guy wail on the guitar. He's a true sound guy too! He's a professional guitar player,and very versitle. Just listening for a few minutes and you can tell he understands tone, dynamics, phrasing, and of course he can play all the All Star Licks. After listening to his music on his website, I was sold! I contacted Chris and told him I wanted to put him in my spotlight page. I asked if he wouldn't mind sharing some of his tone knowledge with the readers of Guitarz Forever.com. So he wrote us an article on TONE AND THE �CURSE� OF THE BOUTIQUE VALVE AMP.

Who is Chris Watson?

I�m a UK guitarist who has been playing for 30+ years. I'm the lead guitarist in NWOBHM band BLACK ROSE. We did a couple of albums, a handful of singles and played every bar, dive, toilet as well as some decent venues (like The Marquee in Wardour Street, London, The Dynamo Club in Eindhoven, Holland and Newcastle City Hall; a boyhood dream for a Northerner like me!) in both the UK and Europe. Now we're BACK and hoping to get a new album released early next year.

�Maybe third in line after Def Leppard and Heavy Pettin�, Black Rose had the stadium riffs but never got the producer nor the studio time they needed to break radio big...� � Martin Popoff, �The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal Singles�

That says it all � Black Rose were a band that, given the breaks, could genuinely have been amongst the big boys.

Chris Watson Interview

Lastly, here is Chris's kick-axe music: CLICK HERE

Duke McVinnie

Guitar Tab

Duke McVinnie

Hometown: West Hurley, NY

Axes: Fender Deluxe Reverb, Blues Junior

FX: Moog Moogerfooger,Crwther Hotcake, Prunes & Custard

Essential Listening: Sex and Death, Shivaree's Who's Got Trouble (Zoe)

Website: www.dukemcvinnie.com

McVinnie grew up listening to soul man Wilson Pickett and spent time hanging out with avant sax player Albert Ayler. From Ayler he learned that "once you learn the rules, then there are no rules." Says the guitarist, "I think of the studio as a cathedral, a holy place, where you get your shit together first and then go and record.

Dovetailing of disciplined R&B grooves with the freedom of outside jazz is most evident on McVinnie's solo records but also subtlety informs his work with Shivaree, where anything from a Moogerfogger electronic blips to purposely unresolved pedal-steel licks garnish otherwise traditional song forms. The results - namely the lowend tremelo, craggy vocals, and dark atmoshere - are simply haunting. Adds McVinnie, "I would love to score a horror film someday." - Michael Ross

Greg Marra

Guitar Tab

Greg Marra

Los Angeles area guitarist Greg Marra has just completed his first instrumental solo CD, Collective Disorder, featuring Glen Sobel (Gary Hoey, Tony MacAlpine, Jennifer Batten, Impelliteri) on drums and a guest guitar solo by Joy Basu (Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Lopez, Tamyra Gray). Marra has been playing live for years and has advanced his technique to a dizzying level. Collective Disorder takes all of his many influences and styles (including Shred, Fusion, NuMetal, Rock, Punk Rock, Pop, Pop Punk, Funk, Blues and Classic Rock) and delivers nine, high-energy monuments to guitar fury. Marra has assembled his best material to date for your listening pleasure, finishing the major guitar work in one creatively productive week in July of 2004. Fans of heavy guitar instrumentals - take note! Instrumental Guitar (Electric (Heavy)/Shred/Hard Rock), total running time, 37:06

GREG MARRA'S WEBSITE

Guitarz Forever.com PodCast