With a strong focus on the Australian music scene, Australian Guitar is a rich source of information on playing techniques, styles, the wide range of instruments available and all the technology that guitarists have to consider in the 21st Century.
The first and only authorized biopic of blues guitar legend B.B. King is in the works, and it's named after the legendary Gibson ES-355 with which he made guitar history. The news was broken exclusively by Deadline, and production is being handled by Canton Entertainment, in partnership with Grammy-winning producer Vassal Benford and The B.B. King Music Company & Estate. Entitled Lucille, it is set to be the first and only authorized film chronicling everything that made King a legend. Benford, who is the Chairman of The B.B. King Music Company & Estate, will be co-producing the film on behalf of the King's estate. The film will chart his rise from extreme poverty to electric guitar stardom, and will depict his most famed collaborations with the likes of Eric Clapton,…
Tommy Emmanuel says bluegrass and Americana guitar is officially in safe hands with a new generation of players who have come along to “shake us out of our comfort zones”. Speaking in a recent interview with our stablemates Guitar World, the Aussie acoustic guitar virtuoso was effusive in his praise for four young players who have “raised the bar” for the art form. Asked who his guitarist of the year was for 2025, Emmanuel had no hesitation, naming the man who had just been voted guitar player of the year by the International Bluegrass Music Awards for the third time. “Trey Hensley,” said Emmanuel. “I'm glad to see the IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards thought so, too.” But Emmanuel couldn't stop at one. There were three more, including a Gibson signature…
Paul Reed Smith has added another name to the list of ‘guitarists you didn't know played PRS guitars’: Jeff Beck. Over the course of his storied career, Beck played a number of different electric guitars from a variety of brands. But one brand that is seldom mentioned in the same breath as Beck, though, is PRS. That Beck would play something plucked from the PRS shelf might come as a surprise to some guitar fans, but that, as it turns out, is exactly what happened. According to Paul Reed Smith, Beck had a PRS guitar that he “loved”, and although he made it clear to Smith that he'd never play it live, he did find it a valuable guitar for recording and playing at home. Smith is coy on which…
Perth-based melodic death metal three-piece Vanta sounds like a potent mix of old and new. On the one hand, the prominent, elaborately screeched vocals are reminiscent of Death's heyday, while the 21st century production gloss nods to modern touchstones like the Black Dahlia Murder. The group's new single Kuyang released online in November, and according to Vanta's drummer Ferdi Handojo, it takes its inspiration from Indonesian folklore. “The folklore [referenced] describes a parasitic spirit, but I see it as symbolic of the young being drained and their minds rotting under algorithmic distractions, AI, and tech acting like a modern vampire feeding on their energy and potential.” Australian Guitar spoke with Vanta's new guitarist and vocalist Jesse Venus, who joined the group in 2023, shortly after the recording of debut EP…
Debuting in 2015, the Melbourne Guitar Show has quickly become an essential outing for Aussie guitarists and listeners alike. As Peter Hodgson put it in his review of last year's event, it's a brilliant opportunity to connect with “other musicians, other dreamers, other gearobsessives, other songwriters, and other people who feel this passion in the same way.” That's all true, unless you live in Sydney (or anywhere else in the country!) and can't travel. But hold on: in 2026 the show is hopping over the state border to Sydney, where it'll take place on March 7-8 at the Sydney Showground. As far as performing artists go, the show line-up so far includes Ray Beadle, Godriguez, Hussy Hicks and Lucy Glifford among performers. Exhibitors include a wide range of international and…
Jimmie Vaughan is still kicking at 74, but he's endured a few setbacks along the way, mostly in the form of three recent heart attacks. After the third of these — which happened in 2022 — the Texas blues guitar slinger underwent successful quadruple bypass surgery. Two years later, Vaughan was diagnosed with “a curable form of cancer.” But this also seems to be at bay, as he just wrapped a rippin’ tour beside fellow guitar legend Bonnie Raitt. “I'm feeling great,” Vaughan says when asked about his health. “I just did a tour with Bonnie — 30-something shows — and I went to Europe before that. We had a great time.” Meanwhile, Vaughan is preparing to revisit his iconic — and undeniably influential — days with his old band,…
