Mason has played guitar since age 14 and has remained a charmingly amateurish musician ever since. Mason joined zZounds in 2014 and serves as editor of the zZounds Blog, as well as Accessories Merchandiser. Prior to zZounds, he earned a degree in journalism and worked as a newspaper editor and freelance writer. When not writing or editing for zZounds, you can find him playing his Strat, hosting bar trivia, and chasing his toddler around the house.
Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment – Surf
The backing band of a gifted lyricist and songwriter takes the spotlight to craft a work under their own name, with a slew of big-name guest stars joining in. Have we heard this before? In the case of Surf, an ambitious release by Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment, the answer is no. Unlike the reference above, this is no […]
Mark Holcomb Interview
We recently got the chance to sit down with Periphery guitarist Mark Holcomb before a show at Chicago’s House of Blues. Mark gave background on his history with Periphery, shed the details on his signature PRS guitar — which boasts several subtle but seriously unique features — and even offered some advice for up-and coming bands. Check it […]
Modded: Epiphone Sheraton II
Every now and then, you pick up a guitar and it’s perfect from minute one (or at least, right after a quick setup). Other times, you’ve got to take a perfectly good guitar and completely overhaul it just to make it your own. This is the story of a perfectly good guitar that fell victim […]
QUITAPENAS (self-titled)
A thumping bass line, hand percussion, vicious guitar and chanting vocals? When I first heard “Valle Moreno,” the intense opening cut from self-titled LP QUITAPENAS, I was almost convinced I was listening to a B-side from another latin rock group’s self-titled debut, though that one was released in 1969… Each song off this record introduces a new facet of QUITAPENAS’ […]
Barcelona – “Fall in Love” at Moog Sound Lab
Ever wonder what a nearly all-Moog rig would sound like? So have we, and we’re happy to announce the answer is thoroughly awesome. Moog recently invited Barcelona into their Sound Lab to perform their song “Fall in Love” as the latest in their excellent Moog Sound Lab series on YouTube. The series has featured the likes […]
Neat BumbleBee & BeeCaster: Gear for a “Podcast Revolution?”
It seems like for the past decade, news organizations have been saying we’re on the verge of a podcast revolution. And while news headlines are of course exaggerating things out of proportion, the truth is podcasts have been continuously gaining momentum and widespread acceptance over time. In just a few short years we’ve seen powerful […]
zZounds & QSC Present Battle of the Bands!
Know a sweet band you want to tell us about? Is that band your own? Together with our partners at QSC, we’re hosting a Battle of the Bands this summer! We’ll be taking submissions from across the country to find our next favorite band, and if yours is chosen, you’ll earn a gargantuan prize package — […]
Happy 100th Birthday, Les!
Today, Les Paul (born Lester William Polsfuss in 1915) would have turned 100 years old — but that’s certainly not to say that he didn’t leave a momentous legacy behind after his 94 years. Guitarists (and many non-guitarists) surely are familiar with his namesake guitar, first produced by Gibson in 1952. From those early “Goldtop” […]
New Gear Report: Epiphone Tony Iommi SG Custom & Numark MixTrack3
Epiphone Tony Iommi SG Custom This isn’t the first signature model for Tony Iommi, the founding guitarist of doom metal pioneers Black Sabbath, but it may be the the most appealing. Iommi’s past signature SGs include a limited-run Gibson Custom Shop model, and a signature version of the Epiphone G-400. But where those models fell on opposite […]
