Author Archives: gstv
NYC Venues: Madison Square Garden – Arcade Fire Performs “Wake Up” (Unstaged)
Performing at the one and only Madison Square Garden, Win Butler brings an army of Canadian musicians on stage with him whenever Arcade Fire plays a show. They scream, they chant, they rock, and now that they’re playing to large venues, “epic” is an accurate word to describe their performances.
Take this version of “Wake Up” from their enormously successful sophomore record Funeral, for instance. Arcade Fire captivates a large audience better than most. Bruce Springsteen used to be the only man who played in… Read More
Nashville Players: Brent Mason (with Vince Gill)
The acclaimed session guitarist Brent Mason is one of the most recorded six-stringers of all time. Proof of his ubiquity: Mason’s been named Guitarist of the Year by the Academy of Country Music a staggering 12 times, he’s a two-time winner of the CMA Musician of the Year award, and—really raising the bar on the heights a studio musician can reach—he earned his own signature model guitar. Gibson debuted its Valley Arts signature Brent Mason guitar in 2003. The best-selling guitar is a replica of Mason’s… Read More
NYC Venues: Arlene’s Grocery
Wanna see where the cool kids hang out? Take the F train to Arlene’s Grocery, a Lower East Side club that books the best indie bands in New York City—and hosts an incredibly popular World Famous Rock N Roll Karaoke with a real live band every Monday night.
Bands like The Strokes and The Damnwells have been signed right off Arlene’s stage to major label record deals, and the Karaoke night draws downtown scenesters and celebs onstage to rock… Read More
Larry Carlton & Robben Ford: LIVE in Tokyo
Two of the greatest blues/jazz guitarists—Larry Carlton and Robben Ford—jam together live in Tokyo on “Rio Samba.” This performance was recorded at the Blue Note in Tokyo in 2006 and appears on the DVD Live in Tokyo: Larry Carlton with Special Guest Robben Ford. The band includes Travis Carlton on bass, Jeff Babko on keys, and drummer Toss Panos.
Larry Carlton’s “smooth jazz” style made him one of the most in-demand session players in LA during the 1970s… Read More
Rare 1967 European TV Interview with Eric Clapton in Cream
This black and white video of Cream-era Clapton being interviewed for a Dutch psychedelic pop show in 1967 is simply a must-see! Cheeky, young, shaggy haired Clapton is just brimming with confidence as he pours forth about the Beatles, Hendrix, and the emerging psychedelic underground.
Cream drummer Ginger Baker smokes nonchalantly in the background, while young master Clapton says things like, “I like the Pink… Read More
Guitar of the Month: 1968 ES-355 Gold Sparkle
All that Glitters…
Guitar Shop TV’s “Guitar of the Month” is this magnificent 1968 Gibson ES-355 Gold Sparkle double cutaway, recently featured by The Chicago Music Exchange, which is located at 3316 North Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. The CME website described this amazing guitar as follows: “Perhaps inspired by the radical spirit of the times as much as by the then-traditional, elegant looks of the Les Paul Goldtop, this 1968 ES-355 was ordered as a… Read More
