One of my musical idols has left us. Neil Peart was the engine that propelled superstars Rush from 1975 onward. Only 67 years old, his passing hit me like a bolt of lightning. Always a private person, no one in the general public was even aware that he had been battling Brain Cancer for the [...]
A little over a year ago I acquired a Steinberger Spirit. You know, the “headless” guitar that seemed so alien when it came to fairly widespread attention back in the eighties. Thanks to prominent players like Eddie Van Halen, and Geddy Lee (Steinberger Bass) amongst others. However even today it still remains a bit of [...]
The term “Supergroup” has been, in my opinion, tossed around a little too freely at times. Anyone with a working knowledge of heavy prog and Rock/Metal knows that this is not the case with Sons of Apollo. Consisting of Mike Portnoy, Billy Sheehan, Jeff Scott Soto, Derek Sherinian, and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal this is the [...]
The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL is a Seminole-run property that has just opened to great fanfare in south Florida. The massive 400 foot tall Guitar-shaped hotel dominates the Skyline and landscape for miles. This is a 1.5 billion (yes, with a "B") project, and it shows. A friend of mine who [...]
Guitarist/producer Billy Alexander, upon seeing videos of bass virtuoso Tim Starace approached him about forming an online collaboration. Beginning in 2015 the two went to work on not only impressive original compositions such as the eponymous “YYNOT”, but covers of legendary Rush songs with staggering precision. After recruiting the talented-beyond-her-years vocalist Rocky Kuner, the band [...]