Interviews of the Year 2022
Published on 29 December 2022
As we draw the curtains on 2022, we cast our minds back over all of the wonderful people we’ve had the privilege of talking to. 2022 was the year that live music came back, after an enforced two years’ postponement, so many of these artists were embarking on monumental live shows as well as releasing triumphant new albums.
There’s a pretty diverse list of interviews to check out today, all rounded up here for your convenience! If you’ve read some of these already, you have our thanks! If not, why not pick someone you don’t know so much about and see what they have to say? We may be biassed here, but we think they are all extremely interesting and insightful!
We hope you enjoy our selections here, from some of our best interviews of 2022.
Steve Vai
Back in January, we published our first interview of the year, and it was a biggy! Steve Vai, one of the greatest living practitioners of the guitar, was releasing a new record and wanted to tell us all about it!
Interrupting his own family holiday, Vai joined us on Zoom to reveal the backstory behind Inviolate, as well as sharing stories and wisdom about working through physical setbacks and how one’s relationship with a guitar is really a relationship with oneself. It’s inspiring stuff indeed, and was a great start to the year.
Author & Punisher
San Diego-based innovator Tristan Shone - aka Author & Punisher - has long been on gg’s radar for his incredible, no-compromise approach to music. Building his own industrial strength devices to trigger and manipulate his armada of heavier-than-hell synths, Shone has more than made a name for himself on the world’s music scene.
His newest release (also one of our Albums of the Year) Kruller, saw him developing his sound further into a grander, more epic vista, whilst losing none of his singularly aggressive crunch and bludgeon. We enjoyed an excellent conversation that took in his inspiration, influences and composition amongst many other things.
Read our interview with Author & Punisher
Amanda Shires
Alternative country legend Amanda Shires - founder of the Highwomen and member of husband Jason Isbell’s 400 Unit - was a delight to speak to earlier in the year. We were mere weeks away from the release of her solo record Take it Like a Man when we spoke about her process, writing methods and much more. Amanda was charming and full of stories, as well as plenty of practical advice on harmonising, writing and everything else.
Read our Amanda Shires Interview
Neil Fallon
Clutch are a mighty institution of heavy, swaggering rock and roll. Their frontman is something of a modern day legend, so we were very pleased to hear that he'd agreed to chat with us recently! Clutch were heading on a massive UK and European tour to support their awesome Sunrise at Slaughter Beach record, and Fallon was on fine fettle as we chatted. As engaging to speak with as he is to watch perform, Fallon’s easy charm and charismatic baritone voice had us in stitches at his wry observations on writing, touring and Tom Waits, amongst many other things.
Read the gg Interview with Clutch’s Neil Fallon
Steve Rothery
Routinely known as the most underrated guitarist in British rock, Marillion’s Steve Rothery is also one of the most pleasant. We enjoyed a mid afternoon backstage chat that covered all manner of subjects, from the influence of a youth spent near the ocean to the intricacies of vibrato. Marillion are one of those timeless bands who continue to deliver, and Rothery is a treasure trove of guitar wisdom.
Joe Satriani
We were delighted to welcome legitimate guitar legend Joe Satriani for another fascinating conversation last Spring. Joe was gearing up to release his newest record, The Elephants of Mars, and was excited to share stories about its genesis. Joe is always a great person to talk to, since he is as down-to-earth as he is knowledgeable, so we’re pretty much guaranteed a great conversation!
He also shared details about his fine art, his new JS model Ibanez guitars, and much, much more!
Read our Joe Satriani Interview
Scott Ian
From one legend to the next! The mighty Anthrax axe-slayer was on hand for a brief but entertaining chat as his band celebrated 41 years of service with a huge international tour. We got the skinny on gigging, Jacksons and the secrets of longevity whilst also learning about roadworthy footwear and the finer points of Stephen King’s back catalogue!
Click to read our Scott ian Interview
Wovenhand
Cult Denver rock-shamans Wovenhand are a mysterious bunch indeed. After trying for well over two years to gain an audience, we finally won access to guitarist Chuck French, who did not disappoint as he told us tales of the band’s newest record, Silver Sash. Chuck was friendly and fun, and was happy to share war stories of life on the road as well as describing the singular experience that is Wovenhand on stage. They don’t head over here too often, but you can be sure we’ll be in attendance whenever they do.
Andy Timmons
Sometimes, we have such a fun time talking to an artist that our time gets eaten up long before we are done! This was the case with supremely gifted guitarist and composer Andy Timmons, who is frankly excellent company. Fortunately for us, he enjoyed the chat too, and allowed us to arrange a further Zoom call to finish up! Read all about it by clicking below.
Andy Timmons guitarguitar Interview
Jared James Nichols
We rounded off 2022 with a most motivating chat with Jared James Nichols. The Blues Power rising star is a real force of nature, and his good natured enthusiasm left a lasting positive effect for sure. Nothing can stop this guy, not even a broken arm, as you’ll read in our interview below. As the last interview of the year, this was a great tone to go out on for sure.
Click through to read our Jared James Nichols Interview
Hundreds of Interviews Online
These were just some of the best interviews from the past year, but remember, we now have well over 150 exclusive interviews up online! Blues, prog, alternative, metal… all sorts of artists, including those above plus Smashing Pumpkins, Slipknot, Joe Bonamassa, The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Steven Wilson, Myrkur, Big Wreck and many, many more are all online and ready to read!
We’ll bring you more next year, but in the meantime, click through to our interviews page to check out hours and hours’ worth of exclusive content, made by us for you!
Click Through for All guitarguitar Interviews
