Originally printed in the April 2012 issue of Guitar Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Guitar Player. Copyright 2008 NewBay Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Guitar Player is a Music Player Network publication, 1111 Bayhill Dr., St. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. T. 650.238.0300. Subscribe at www.musicplayer.com

EDITORS’ APRIL FAVES MATT BLACKETT

UFO Seven Deadly Vinnie Moore con- tinues to kick major ass on UFO’s latest. All the guitars sound great, but defi nitely check out the killer chugs on “Mojo Town,” the sustain-y EBow-ish lines in “Angel Sta- tion,” the slinky slide work in “The Fear,” and the all-out blazing in “Wonderland.” Moore can still shred—maybe better than ever—but he’s just so damn bluesy, and that’s ultimately what makes him special. on Making Guitars “Sacred” SPV/Steamhammer. Sore Throat Musically Reclined Industry types know Ryan Rhodes as the less-attractive half of the Nick Bowcott/ Ryan Rhodes juggernaut that runs Mar- shall Amplifi cation U.S. Guitar fans will soon know him as a guy who cranks out crushing and demented riffs, super-inter- esting solos, odd meters that actually make sense, and positively kick-ass tones. Some of Rhodes’ guitar parts are pretty twisted. How twisted? Like “severed heads in the freezer” twisted—which is unbelievably I’M SURE YOU NOTICED OUR STUNNING COVER GUITAR THIS MONTH. refreshing! reverbnation.com/sorethroat. It’s a Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II custom painted by singer-songwriter and artist Joseph Arthur. The fi rst American musician signed to ’s Real World label in 1996, Contemporary Guitar Arthur tours and paints constantly, was nominated for a Grammy in 1999 for Best Record- Improvisation: ing Packaging, and launched his own imprint, Lonely Astronaut Records, in 2006. Though Utilizing the Entire he has painted guitars since childhood, the Godin relationship started in mysterious ways. Fretboard “My manager is from Canada,” explains Arthur, “and he drove to Brooklyn one day By Marc Silver to drop off fi ve or six raw bodies and necks, saying, ‘Godin wants you to paint these.’” Originally published Arthur procrastinated for six months, and then, in a fi t of guilt, painted all the gui- in 1978, this 150-page tars in a few days. study guide is still valid “Pretty soon,” he says, “there was another pile of raw bodies and necks in my room today for anyone seeking to improve their to paint.” musicianship by becoming fluent with The one-of-a-kind, hand-painted Kingpins will be offered as extremely limited- chords and scales in all reaches of the fret- edition models by Godin (godinguitars.com). Infl uenced by artists Cy Twombly, Bas- board. The course is laid out in a stepwise quiat, de Kooning, and Jackson Pollack, Arthur encourages all players to “desecrate” manner so that a player can come in at a their instruments. rudimentary level, learn the material at “Painting these guitars appeals to my irreverent side,” he says, “but, at the same time, their own pace, and ultimately become it’s a way of making the object sacred. It’s a paradox. Like all the best things, it dese- more profi cient at improvising solos and crates and makes sacred at the same time. And there is risk involved, which is appealing.” rhythms in practically any musical situa- Arthur recently released the double-album, Redemption City, and is offering it as tion. MarcSilverGuitarImprov.com a free download at josepharthur.com. —MICHAEL MOLENDA

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