Iconic Rigs: Slash
The man, the myth, the top hat. Is there anyone out there who doesn’t know who Slash is? The guitar-playing community certainly knows, and I’d say it’s fair to claim that he’s extremely well known far beyond our our little circle. Along with his ubiquity, I would argue that he’s got to be one of […]
Meet the Velcro Lewis Group
If you stumbled upon the Velcro Lewis Group online, perhaps through their single “Bernadette,” which was featured on an episode of Showtime’s Shameless, and assumed they were a lost relic of a band from 40 years ago chosen by a music director steeped in rock ‘n’ roll gems, it would be hard to blame you. But listen closer and […]
Leonard Cohen Dead at 82
If we know anything about these times, it’s that sacrifices — whether earned or unearned — are coming. Leonard Cohen’s whole life was one moved by sacrifice. He was the first of his generation of Polish-Jewish immigrants to look for a better life in Quebec, Canada. Born into a middle-class family in 1934, his upbringing […]
Interview: Kenny Carkeet, Keyboardist for AWOLNATION
Kenny Carkeet has been making music with AWOLNATION — the electronic alt-rock band masterminded by frontman Aaron Bruno — since the project’s inception in 2009. “I’ve been playing with AWOL since the very beginning,” recalls Carkeet. “I met Aaron when he was still kind of creating the AWOLNATION thing…even before this was a band.” The […]
Artist Impressions: Minimoog Model D
Moog’s Minimoog Model D — back in production for the first time since 1981 — has been making waves among analog synthesizer fans. Among those fans are Greg Spero, touring keyboardist for Halsey, and AWOLNATION’s Kenny Carkeet. Both musicians took a brand-new Model D for a spin at the zZounds HQ. In addition to his […]
Korg Announces Monologue
Korg just announced the new Monologue monophonic analog synthesizer today, putting countless rumors to rest. The company had teased a Nov. 1 product launch earlier on social media, but had removed the teaser graphics. With little clues to work with, fans guessed the new product could have been anything from an ARP 2600 reissue, a mini […]
Perfect Pairings: Novation Circuit and Zoom H6/Q8
In this edition, we’re taking cues from the beat makers out there and pairing up the Novation Circuit and the Zoom H6 to turn some real-world samples into full-fledged songs. When the Novation Circuit showed up at zZounds HQ, our wheels started turning immediately, thinking of ways to show just how instant the gratification of […]
Jamie Kent & The Options on All American Mutt
Nashville-based singer-songwriter Jamie Kent and his band, The Options, recently swung by zZounds HQ for a few reasons. One was to showcase the Bose L1 Line Array and F1 Flexible Array loudspeaker systems. For the past few years, Kent has served as an artist representative for Bose, as well as Telefunken microphones and Durango boots. […]
Fender Refocuses on Acoustic Guitars
Billy Martinez, Vice President and Category Manager of Fender’s Acoustic Guitars Division, is on a mission. Data suggests that just 10 percent of people who purchase a guitar as a new player will stick with the instrument. Martinez not only wants more players to stick with guitar, but with Fender guitars. To do so, he thought […]
