”Joe Bonamassa, calling in from “Nerdville,” his home in Nashville, is referring to the guitar duel that took place between Eric Gales and himself in August 2019 during his annual Keeping the Blues Alive cruise in the Mediterranean. This epic throwdown between two of today’s primary blues/rock virtuosos has garnered well over 3 million views on YouTube; if you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and check it out. It’s a miracle their guitars didn’t spontaneously combust into flames.
“That was so much fun,” Bonamassa says. “Everyone wanted to see Eric and me go at it in a friendly way. And it has to be just like that: it’s not a ‘competition’; it’s about spurring each other on in a playful, ‘Can you top this?’ way. It’s really fun for us, and I think it’s fun for the audience to see each of us trying to ‘outdo’ one another, raising the bar as we go.”
Bonamassa has just released Time Clocks, his 15th solo album, on his own J&R Adventures label. Eleven of these albums have reached Number 1 on the Billboard blues charts. About the new record, Bonamassa says, “What started out with the intention of being a trio record turned into probably my most adventurous and involved record.”
This story is from the February 2022 edition of Guitar World.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 2022 edition of Guitar World.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
DEMMEL-ITION MAN
HOW FATE (AND PERSISTENCE) LED FORMER MACHINE HEAD GUITARIST PHIL DEMMEL TO A TREASURED SPOT IN KERRY KING'S BAND
THE AXES OF A KING
KERRY KING'S JOURNEY FROM B.C. RICH TO ESP TO DEAN
The Dandy Warhols
\"SMELLY BOY ROCK\" RULES THE DAY ON THE PORTLAND ALT-ROCKERS' RIFF-DRIVEN NEW RELEASE
The Pineapple Thief
THE BAND FROM THE RURAL BACKWOODS OF SOUTH-WEST U.K. WHO TOOK THE PROG-ROCK WORLD BY STORM
DigiTech SDRUM Strummable Drums pedal
DIGITECH CALLS THE SDRUM a “strummable drums” pedal, but that’s really only a small fraction of what this powerful device can do.
MXR Joshua Ambient Echo
IT’S AMAZING HOW many players have chased after and adopted the Edge’s signature delay tone.
Sometime in February
TRISTAN AUMAN INJECTS HIS BAND'S WILDLY ADDICTIVE PROGRESSIVE METAL WITH CLEVER HOOKS, GONZO SHRED AND ARRESTING MOMENTS OF AMBIENT BEAUTY
THE 30 GREATEST GARDEN STATE GUITARISTS OF ALL TIME
New Jersey derives much of its water from New York’s Catskill Mountains. Low in calcium and magnesium, it’s a naturally soft water that’s ideally suited for bread flour. And, of course, that means it’s also a crucial component in the making of New Jersey pizza, which everybody knows is the best in the United States. (Oh, you wanna argue about it? How about this? Fuggedaboudit!)
SONG OF MYSELF
\"MILES DAVIS ONCE SAID, 'SOMETIMES IT TAKES A WHILE TO SOUND LIKE YOURSELF\"\"
KEITH SCOTT
From \"Cuts Like a Knife\" to \"Summer of '69,\" the Canadian guitar great discusses the gear and solos that have fueled Bryan Adams' music for more than 40 years