News Latest News from Ultimate-Guitar.Com. en-US Copyright 1998-2026 Ultimate-Guitar.Com. All rights reserved. https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/modules/rss/news.xml.php Wed, 19 Aug 2026 22:26:43 -0400 Fri, 14 Aug 2026 08:37:26 -0400 60 Ultimate-Guitar.Com https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/static/_img/logo_trans.png https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/modules/rss/news.xml.php 144 44 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/eddie-van-halen-hated-2-hand-tapping-and-stratocasters-terry-kilgore-claims-but-ed-picked-up-on-it-with-a-vengeance https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/eddie-van-halen-hated-2-hand-tapping-and-stratocasters-terry-kilgore-claims-but-ed-picked-up-on-it-with-a-vengeance Music News: "I was his friend, I didn't want to be identified as like some little clone toady. I wanted to have my own identity."]]> Wed, 19 Aug 2026 22:26:43 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/consummate-professional-but-stubborn-as-a-mule-geddy-lee-and-alex-lifeson-remember-late-rush-bandmate-neil-peart https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/consummate-professional-but-stubborn-as-a-mule-geddy-lee-and-alex-lifeson-remember-late-rush-bandmate-neil-peart Music News: "This was a man with a huge appetite for life, an enormous appetite for knowledge, for living, and enjoyment."]]> Wed, 19 Aug 2026 22:02:21 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/trends/the-beach-boys-own-father-sold-nearly-their-entire-catalog-for-700000-behind-their-backs https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/trends/the-beach-boys-own-father-sold-nearly-their-entire-catalog-for-700000-behind-their-backs Trends: A 1969 sale for $700,000 sparked decades of legal fallout, including a 1989 suit seeking $100 million and a 1994 verdict awarding Mike Love songwriting credit on 35 tracks.]]> Wed, 19 Aug 2026 12:17:39 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/some-jerk-starts-wheedling-on-his-guitar-kim-thayil-on-why-he-disliked-traditional-solos https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/some-jerk-starts-wheedling-on-his-guitar-kim-thayil-on-why-he-disliked-traditional-solos Music News: "Although there's some amazing solos on Meat Puppets: 'II' and amazing solos on [Black Flag's] 'My War.'"]]> Wed, 19 Aug 2026 10:17:16 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/simon-mcbride-defends-ritchie-blackmores-playing-of-smoke-at-purple-reunion-as-he-admits-praise-from-blackmore-came-as-a-shock-people-should-look-at-it-for-what-it-was-a-magical-night https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/simon-mcbride-defends-ritchie-blackmores-playing-of-smoke-at-purple-reunion-as-he-admits-praise-from-blackmore-came-as-a-shock-people-should-look-at-it-for-what-it-was-a-magical-night Music News: "If I can play that well when I'm that age, I'll be happy."]]> Wed, 19 Aug 2026 06:02:01 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/zz-top-drummer-frank-beard-dead-at-77-the-world-lost-one-of-the-most-innovative-drummers-and-a-true-son-of-texas https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/zz-top-drummer-frank-beard-dead-at-77-the-world-lost-one-of-the-most-innovative-drummers-and-a-true-son-of-texas Music News: Frank Beard's passing was confirmed by ZZ Top in a statement.]]> Wed, 19 Aug 2026 03:43:06 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/sabbath-wasnt-alone-in-creating-metal-two-bands-got-there-before-them-one-coined-a-phrase-that-still-defines-the-genre-188078 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/sabbath-wasnt-alone-in-creating-metal-two-bands-got-there-before-them-one-coined-a-phrase-that-still-defines-the-genre-188078 Features: Blue Cheer's 1968 album beat Sabbath's debut by two years, and Steppenwolf wrote "heavy metal thunder" into "Born to Be Wild" that same year, making both overlooked contributors to a genre usually credited to one band.]]> Tue, 18 Aug 2026 22:50:17 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/the-secret-weapon-behind-slippery-when-wet-wasnt-jon-bon-jovi-or-richie-sambora-it-was-desmond-child-bruce-fairbairn-and-bob-rock-188054 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/the-secret-weapon-behind-slippery-when-wet-wasnt-jon-bon-jovi-or-richie-sambora-it-was-desmond-child-bruce-fairbairn-and-bob-rock-188054 Features: The album that "changed the course of popular music" turns 40.]]> Tue, 18 Aug 2026 22:04:15 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/interviews/tommy-thayers-got-a-funky-new-rock-band-in-europe-i-love-to-get-creative-and-i-just-want-to-enjoy-what-im-doing https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/interviews/tommy-thayers-got-a-funky-new-rock-band-in-europe-i-love-to-get-creative-and-i-just-want-to-enjoy-what-im-doing Interviews: UG Exclusive: According to Thayer, his new project Shogun Mojo will be releasing a record this fall.]]> Tue, 18 Aug 2026 15:37:57 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/trends/van-morrison-escaped-his-record-contract-by-recording-31-nonsense-songs-in-one-afternoon https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/trends/van-morrison-escaped-his-record-contract-by-recording-31-nonsense-songs-in-one-afternoon Trends: In 1968, Morrison simply walked into a New York studio, recorded a bunch of deliberately awful songs, and walked out free to make "Astral Weeks."]]> Tue, 18 Aug 2026 12:56:12 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/jimi-hendrixs-roadie-says-hendrix-smashed-guitars-to-set-their-inner-spirit-free--but-certain-guitars-hed-never-smash-because-of-the-wood-they-were-made-from https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/jimi-hendrixs-roadie-says-hendrix-smashed-guitars-to-set-their-inner-spirit-free--but-certain-guitars-hed-never-smash-because-of-the-wood-they-were-made-from Gear: "It had given him everything it could, so he smashed it to set the spirit free."]]> Tue, 18 Aug 2026 04:02:02 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/rush-endorses-angine-de-poitrine-after-devin-townsends-criticism-most-entertaining-and-exhilarating-music-in-a-long-long-time https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/rush-endorses-angine-de-poitrine-after-devin-townsends-criticism-most-entertaining-and-exhilarating-music-in-a-long-long-time Music News: The very cream of Canada's prog crop seems to be divided about the masked internet sensation.]]> Tue, 18 Aug 2026 01:23:59 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/tab_spotlight/acdcs-highway-to-hell-why-bon-scott-sings-the-chorus-on-almost-one-note https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/tab_spotlight/acdcs-highway-to-hell-why-bon-scott-sings-the-chorus-on-almost-one-note Tab Spotlight: The song runs on three chords and one guest note, with the second guitar sitting out for the first twenty-four bars and the chorus melody parked on nearly a single pitch.]]> Mon, 17 Aug 2026 22:28:11 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/interviews/never-found-myself-in-a-position-that-requires-the-tone-pot-why-james-ivanyi-cut-the-common-control-from-his-signature-suhr https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/interviews/never-found-myself-in-a-position-that-requires-the-tone-pot-why-james-ivanyi-cut-the-common-control-from-his-signature-suhr Interviews: UG Exclusive: "Clicking through presets on a VST is a very different experience to plugging into a tube amplifier."]]> Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:58:47 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/slash-agrees-sweet-child-o-mine-riff-is-a-really-annoying-lick-i-feel-for-the-people-working-in-guitar-stores https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/slash-agrees-sweet-child-o-mine-riff-is-a-really-annoying-lick-i-feel-for-the-people-working-in-guitar-stores Music News: "I can just hear all the different little mistakes that happen and they could go really out of tune."]]> Mon, 17 Aug 2026 12:14:41 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/blackmore-admits-playing-smoke-at-emotional-purple-reunion-was-tricky-i-was-there-to-heal-any-wounds-but-there-werent-any https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/blackmore-admits-playing-smoke-at-emotional-purple-reunion-was-tricky-i-was-there-to-heal-any-wounds-but-there-werent-any Music News: "I think we realized it could be the last time we see each other, maybe."]]> Mon, 17 Aug 2026 03:02:02 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/theyre-your-songs-motherfu--er-geddy-lee-admits-alex-lifesons-rush-tribute-pre-reunion-comments-threw-him-off-balance https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/theyre-your-songs-motherfu--er-geddy-lee-admits-alex-lifesons-rush-tribute-pre-reunion-comments-threw-him-off-balance Music News: "It's like, 'They're your songs, motherfucker!' It's not a tribute band! We own those songs as much as we did with Neil."]]> Sun, 16 Aug 2026 23:02:04 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/analysis-why-minor-chords-sound-sad-and-why-that-might-be-cultural-not-universal-188039 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/analysis-why-minor-chords-sound-sad-and-why-that-might-be-cultural-not-universal-188039 Features: Are minor chords and keys really sad, or is it just a fact of life we accepted without question over generations?]]> Sun, 16 Aug 2026 21:09:24 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/billy-sheehan-says-mr-big-outsold-pearl-jam-40-to-1-in-japan-during-the-grunge-era-they-didnt-get-it https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/billy-sheehan-says-mr-big-outsold-pearl-jam-40-to-1-in-japan-during-the-grunge-era-they-didnt-get-it Music News: "Why are you wearing ripped up clothes?"]]> Sun, 16 Aug 2026 14:27:46 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/jay-weinberg-says-a-part-of-him-was-dying-while-legally-barred-from-collaborating https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/jay-weinberg-says-a-part-of-him-was-dying-while-legally-barred-from-collaborating Music News: "Although I was super intensely focused on one aspect of my creative life and happy to do so, a little part of my creative self, it was dying for sure."]]> Sat, 15 Aug 2026 22:23:11 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/retrospective/pearl-jams-jeff-ament-got-super-pi--ed-after-a-fan-threw-a-soda-can-between-his-eyes-but-then-made-a-mistake-that-cost-him-one-of-his-precious-bass https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/retrospective/pearl-jams-jeff-ament-got-super-pi--ed-after-a-fan-threw-a-soda-can-between-his-eyes-but-then-made-a-mistake-that-cost-him-one-of-his-precious-bass Retrospective: "I didn't mean to break that bass, but we don't play music to get full cans of soda thrown at us."]]> Sat, 15 Aug 2026 19:53:15 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/a-folk-hit-that-revived-a-150-year-old-murder-case-the-true-crime-behind-tom-dooley-187802 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/a-folk-hit-that-revived-a-150-year-old-murder-case-the-true-crime-behind-tom-dooley-187802 Features: The hit version cut Ann Melton, the syphilis, and the love triangle down to a lone confession, and the man whose recording actually built the song never saw a dime until he sued.]]> Sat, 15 Aug 2026 14:58:10 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/trends/a-fan-was-pulled-from-the-crowd-to-finish-a-who-concert-and-the-band-never-saw-him-again https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/trends/a-fan-was-pulled-from-the-crowd-to-finish-a-who-concert-and-the-band-never-saw-him-again Trends: "Can anyone play drums? I mean somebody good!"]]> Sat, 15 Aug 2026 13:07:12 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/angine-de-poitrines-khns-guitar-teacher-filed-his-nails-down-visibly-disgusted-by-my-s--t-and-made-him-play-with-a-metal-ring-on-his-right-hand-he-still-became-khns-definition-of-a-guitar-hero https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/angine-de-poitrines-khns-guitar-teacher-filed-his-nails-down-visibly-disgusted-by-my-s--t-and-made-him-play-with-a-metal-ring-on-his-right-hand-he-still-became-khns-definition-of-a-guitar-hero Music News: "Someone passing down knowledge and sharing a passion with such generosity would be my definition of a guitar hero."]]> Sat, 15 Aug 2026 06:29:41 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/slipknot-reportedly-confirms-sid-wilsons-firing-before-deleting-post-as-media-claim-band-freaked-out-behind-the-scenes-over-losing-control-of-the-rollout https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/slipknot-reportedly-confirms-sid-wilsons-firing-before-deleting-post-as-media-claim-band-freaked-out-behind-the-scenes-over-losing-control-of-the-rollout Music News: "Effective immediately, Slipknot will no longer be associated with Sid Wilson," Slipknot wrote, before reportedly deleting the announcement.]]> Sat, 15 Aug 2026 05:24:17 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/tab_spotlight/olivia-rodrigos-the-cure-flips-her-robert-smith-nod-into-a-song-that-cant-fix-anything-its-fingerpicked-pedal-tone https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/tab_spotlight/olivia-rodrigos-the-cure-flips-her-robert-smith-nod-into-a-song-that-cant-fix-anything-its-fingerpicked-pedal-tone Tab Spotlight: Three guitar parts built around a fingerpicked pedal tone, layered hammer-ons, and a chorus that finally opens up into full strumming.]]> Fri, 14 Aug 2026 22:18:34 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/when-fender-built-a-guitar-for-gibson-players-the-toronado https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/gear/when-fender-built-a-guitar-for-gibson-players-the-toronado Gear: A Mexican-made Fender offset with a 24.75-inch scale, Les Paul-style humbuckers, and a name borrowed from a front-wheel-drive Oldsmobile, built for a crowd that never fully claimed it as their own.]]> Fri, 14 Aug 2026 21:47:45 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/sweep-pickings-and-pinch-harmonics-real-origins-trace-back-decades-before-their-famous-users-188018 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/sweep-pickings-and-pinch-harmonics-real-origins-trace-back-decades-before-their-famous-users-188018 Features: We all think of the obvious culprits like Yngwie Malmsteen and Zakk Wylde, but the story of these techniques goes much further into the past.]]> Fri, 14 Aug 2026 16:39:25 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/trends/princes-best-concerts-started-at-3-am-in-tiny-clubs-and-almost-nobody-got-in https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/trends/princes-best-concerts-started-at-3-am-in-tiny-clubs-and-almost-nobody-got-in Trends: From a 1993 warehouse show in King's Cross to Amy Winehouse joining him onstage in 2007, official releases prove Prince's after-hours sets were more than fan legend.]]> Fri, 14 Aug 2026 13:50:16 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/geddy-lee-says-rush-is-done-making-new-music-not-done-touring https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/geddy-lee-says-rush-is-done-making-new-music-not-done-touring Music News: "We have enough to do."]]> Fri, 14 Aug 2026 08:37:26 -0400