First, a quick background check: Barry “The Fish” Melton played lead guitar on the San Francisco scene’s first psychedelic record, and went on to play the Monterey and Woodstock festivals. His new “neo-psychedelic” release with Parisian guitarist/vocalist Stephan Missri and band is, in a word, extraordinary. It’s trippy, politically and socially conscious, and brilliantly played. Deadheads – Garcia freaks in particular – will love Melton and Missri’s flowing solos, epitomized by the Jerry-esque joyride of “Jamasutra Mantra.” Like the early Allman Brothers Band and Steve Hunter-Dick Wagner with Lou Reed, …

Neil Woodward looks, sings, and plays like someone straight out of the 1870s. A natural-born storyteller, he’s culled a portion of his extensive repertoire from old books, sheet music, and the musical memories of people he’s encountered, but an equally important part of it comes from somewhere deep within. He expertly plays guitar, banjo, and fiddle, as well as autoharp, bass, bells, accordion, concertina, dulcimer, harmonica, mandocello, mandola, mandolin, pennywhistle, spoons, ukulele, and washboard. He sings with an appealing, wizened voice.
Woodward has performed everywhere from schoolhouses, pit orchestras, and concert stages …

Exciting times for Eric Johnson fans! One of America’s finest guitarists, Johnson is currently on the road with the Acoustic Guitar Masters tour. Later in October and November, he’ll switch to electric guitar for the Experience Hendrix Tour 2010. His new album, Up Close, comes out on November 9 and features 14 original songs and a cover of Electric Flag’s “Texas.” While Steve Miller, Jimmie Vaughan, Jonny Lang, and Sonny Landreth make guest appearances on the album, Eric’s first in five years, his heartfelt singing and transcendent guitar playing remain …

Some guitarists just seem destined for ascendency. I felt this for the first time listening to Eddie Van Halen’s “Eruption” on Don Menn’s stereo at Guitar Player magazine in 1978. It happened again a few months later while watching Steve Morse front the Dixie Dregs. In the 1980s, that premonition came roaring back while listening to early demos of Yngwie Malmsteen, Eric Johnson, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Shawn Lane, and Buckethead. And now, after a many-year hiatus, that intuition strikes again: Meet Gretchen Menn, best known for her work with …