A pair of Grammy awards underscores Jason Isbell’s reputation as a singer/songwriter, but his latest album, The Nashville Sound [Southeastern], also finds him flexing his 6-string strengths. Along the way to mastering his mix of melody, ferocity, and restraint, Isbell’s journey intersected some serious guitar techniques. Here are the five riffs that changed his life. … Continue reading Jason Isbell: My Life in Five Riffs

Blues and Americana chameleon Samantha Fish picked drums as her first instrument but found her true passion when she switched to guitar. Digging backward from the classic rock she heard at home led her to discover the Delta blues and the Mississippi hill country scene. Along the way, she developed a knack for blurring genre … Continue reading Samantha Fish: My Life In Five Riffs

Nels Cline follows two distinct tracks in his guitar playing, alternating the avant-jazz arc he explores solo along with the psychedelic-punk-freakout textures he brings to Wilco. Here are the five riffs that changed his life, and inspired his own fearless fretting. Read the full article and watch the video online Download PDF

Growing up in South Carolina, Marcus King found the guitar early in childhood and dug in deep. Sitting in at gigs with his father, blues guitarist Marvin King, taking jazz lessons from session player Steve Watson and absorbing music from hometown heroes the Marshall Tucker Band prepared him to release his debut album while still … Continue reading Marcus King: My Life in Five Riffs

Luther Dickinson’s second solo record, “Blues & Ballads (A Folksinger’s Songbook), Vol. I & II,” is a celebration of the heroes of Mississippi hill-country blues. Much like early bluesmen weaved folk heroes Stagger Lee, Casey Jones, and John Henry into the American songbook, Dickinson aimed to canonize the characters that inspired him with original songs. … Continue reading Luther Dickinson: My Life in Five Riffs

Chris Shiflett’s long career path has seen him perform in many bands and genres. After starting out with the punk rock bands No Use for a Name and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, he landed with arena rockers Foo Fighters and pursued a solo career playing twangy country rock. Through it all, he’s tapped into … Continue reading Chris Shiflett: My Life in Five Riffs