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“Were you the first official member of AC/DC to quit?” That’s the question posed to former AC/DC drummer, Simon Wright, during the latest episode of “AC/DC Beyond The Thunder”, a podcast that features high-profile guests who’ve been influenced by, or in this case involved with, the Rock And Roll Hal…

PANTERA will perform at the Monterrey Metal Fest on December 6 at Estadio Mobil Super in Monterrey, Mexico. Also scheduled to appear are JUDAS PRIEST, MERCYFUL FATE, BEHEMOTH and STRYPER, among others.
As previously reported, PANTERA will also co-headline the first night of this year’s edition of Me…

Hard rock group POP EVIL has released a new single, “Paranoid (Crash & Burn)”. The track will appear on the band’s upcoming album, due in early 2023 via MNRK Heavy.
Following “Eye Of The Storm”, which recently reached No. 1 at Active Rock, “Paranoid (Crash & Burn)” oscillates from something…

Conservation-minded construction shines in a comfortable, compact junior-sized 000.Inspired by Shawn’s go-to vintage Martin and featuring classic Shawn imagery, every detail of this guitar was designed and created in collaboration with Mendes for his official signature model. This edition is crafted with 100% Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified tonewoods in a 000 Junior-sized, 14-fret instrument and comes with a gig bag made from recycled ocean plastic that meets the Global Recycled Standard. The Shawn Mendes Signature Edition marks the largest production run of 100% FSC-certified guitars Martin has ever completed, and it is the first time a Martin guitar has been paired with a gig bag made from recycled ocean plastic.The Jr. size and 000-body depth are intended to make this guitar extremely comfortable for any player. And with Fishman Sonitone electronics included, it’s designed to sound great on stage. A sample of Shawn’s lyrics is hidden somewhere inside the guitar. You might find one laser-etched on a brace, or under the bridge, or even under the rosette. Some of the phrases include: “We lay under the same stars,” or “You’ll never be alone.”As part of the partnership, Martin will be supporting Mendes’ goal of making music accessible to everyone. Martin will be making a contribution to the Wonder of Music Program at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) presented by The Shawn Mendes Foundation. SickKids, affiliated with the University of Toronto, is Canada’s most research-intensive hospital and the largest center dedicated to improving children’s health in Mendes’ home state. The Wonder of Music Program Presented by Mendes aims to fund music therapy activities that are accessible to young patients at the Toronto hospital, with activities including songwriting, first exposure to music, heartbeat songs for families of patients, and lullabies.Shawn Mendes is a Grammy-nominated, Toronto born, multi-platinum singer/songwriter who has released four straight #1 studio albums. The international superstar has won 18 Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) awards, twelve Juno Awards, eleven MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA), eight iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards (MMVA), five BMI Awards, three American Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, and the Allan Slaight Honour from Canada’s Walk of Fame.$799 USD. Connect with Martin Guitars and Martin Strings on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. More info at martinguitar.com.Martin 000JR-10E Shawn Mendes Signature Acoustic-electric Guitar – Natural

000JR-110E Shawn Mendes Cstm Art, Nat

A few short months before his untimely death in January 2018, MOTÖRHEAD guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke gave one of his most revealing interviews ever to Rock Candy magazine editor Howard Johnson. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of MOTÖRHEAD’s fifth studio album, “Iron Fist”, Rock Candy brings you t…

Formed in 1968, the original ALICE COOPER band forged a theatrical brand of hard rock that was destined to shock and had never been seen before. Within five years, they would release no fewer than seven studio albums, amongst them their international breakthrough “School’s Out” (including the Top 10…

Inspired by celebrated crooners like Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and VELVET REVOLVER singer Scott Weiland recorded a deeply personal album of holiday standards in 2011 titled “The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year”. The original 10-song collection will be expanded…

It’s crazy how 13 years fly by. When I applied for the editor-in-chief position at Premier Guitar, it was the 2009 holiday season and I was only peripherally aware of the fledgling Iowa-based outfit. Having spent the previous decade working both full-time and as a freelancer for the industry’s biggest guitar magazines, long the power players dominating from the coasts, I could see PG was poised—with help from the singularly awesome team we built—to take the guitar universe by storm. And I was right. Over the ensuing years, long-timers and new hires alike worked side by side to elevate PG to the best in the business, hands down.As a Salt Lake City native who’d done two stints in the San Francisco Bay area, I’d never been to Iowa, let alone contemplated living here. Known to most as the U.S. “swing state” first to hold presidential primaries in general elections, Iowa—if it ever entered my consciousness at all—pretty much only conjured images of Corporal Walter “Radar” O’Reilly, a character portrayed as a naïve farm kid from the tiny town of Ottumwa in the old TV show M*A*S*H.My always-awesome wife/best friend made the trek out to Cedar Rapids with me on New Year’s Eve that year to see if it was a place and an opportunity we could feel good about uprooting our family of five for. Stepping off the plane, we were welcomed by icy winds and the most ungodly temperatures I’d felt since being caught in a blizzard at the top of Snowbird ski resort as a teen. But, as I’m typing this from the confines of the office I’ve occupied ever since, needless to say it has been all that and more.I’m honored to have worked alongside—and become lifelong friends with—some of the best people I know. (You know who you are!)When my role expanded to editorial director a few years later, I entered some of the most rewarding, challenging, and lesson-filled years of my life. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to achieve the career goal I set way back in university, when I chose to major in journalism with the specific aim of one day taking the reins at the world’s best guitar-media outlet. I’m exceptionally fortunate to have been able to go to work every day in a sphere that resonates within me more than almost any other. I’ve gotten to meet many of my musical heroes and to discover many more, and I’ve been introduced to an incredible amount of life-enriching music I never would’ve heard, let alone even been aware of, had I not taken this path.Most of all, I’m honored to have worked alongside—and become lifelong friends with—some of the best people I know. (You know who you are!) I will miss y’all somethin’ fierce, but “Goonies never say die” … or some such shit. (Interpreted: You better stay in touch, or else!)For anyone wondering, my love for guitar and music in general have not diminished one iota. I have long been, and will always be, a guitar junkie. But it’s time for me to move on to other work.Peace and love, friends!

Swedish metallers SABATON have made an exciting announcement: with their fascination for the stories of World War I and two dedicated studio albums filled to the brim with stories from this conflict, the band from Falun has decided to dive even deeper into this topic with its newest release, the EP…