Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer hits the mark with Inhibition, the first release from Dot Hacker. © Sayre Berman/Corbis

October of 2009 was a momentous month for guitarist Josh Klinghoffer. He turned 30, moved into a house and finished the debut record by his band, Dot Hacker. "I felt like I had really accomplished something," he says. Nine days after his birthday, he began writing songs with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and when the announcement was made soon after that he was an official member, his life forever changed.

The only problem was, Dot Hacker, the quartet he formed with his friends Clint Walsh, Eric Gardner and Jonathan Hischke - all of whom boast serious credentials as touring or recording musicians with acts such as Gnarls Barkley, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Broken Bells - had to be put on hold. "It was just one of those things," Klinghoffer says. "That's how life is."

Two and a half years after its completion, Dot Hacker's maiden disc, Inhibition, is finally being released (1 May via Org Music). Klinghoffer acknowledges that his position as a Chili Pepper will bring the band the attention of millions of fans across the globe, but the good news is that this is no vanity project. The music, a captivating blend of adventurous soundscapes and transfixing rhythms, topped off with Klinghoffer's dreamy vocals, grows in scope and meaning with each listen.

MusicRadar sat down with Klinghoffer the other day to talk about the recording of Inhibition, the guitars and gear he used, his plans for the band and how he's adjusting to life with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Seeing as you formed Dot Hacker in 2008, is it safe to assume that you were planning to make it your full-time band before you joined the Chili Peppers?

"I was, actually. I had spent years touring with other bands as a sideman. That's how I spent my 20s. My dream was always to have a band with my friends, but it never seemed to happen – I kept getting offered great tours with incedible musicians. [laughs]

"So after tour upon tour, being in these amazing situations but basically being unhappy all the time, I felt like it was time to stop doing that, focus on writing songs and putting a band together fully. When I met Clint Walsh, who was in Gnarls Barkley with me, that's when we started plotting the band.

"Through Clint, I met Eric, and then I had known Jonathan the bass player previously. The four of us got on really well, musically and personally. I was gung-ho about making it my full-time thing, but economics played a part – everybody needs to make money. Just because I had made the decree of 'I'm not going to do it anymore!' didn't mean that everybody had to live by my rules.

"We started making the record, and then Clint went on tour with a really big French artist. We felt a bit splintered for a little while. And then Flea asked me to join the Chili Peppers."

Dot Hacker are (from left) Eric Gardner, Klinghoffer, Clint Walsh and Jonathan Hischke. © Geoff Moore

So you had the unfortunate task of telling the guys, 'The good news is, I'm in a big band. The bad news is, Dot Hacker now have a weird schedule.'

"Yeah, but one of the guys had already left first. There was a little bit of an unspoken 'Fuck you, you left first!' kind of thing – in a really sweet, brotherly way. A lot of foolish blame being pushed around. Everybody wanted to do Dot Hacker, because it's a band formed of friends. But I love the Chili Peppers, I love the guys, and I'm so fortunate to be in this situation."

When Dot Hacker got together, which bands were tossed about as reference points?

"I always like to say that the music I'd like to make is somewhere between Pan Sonic and Scott Walker. But I don't sing anything like Scott Walker. [laughs] I like really sparse electronics, lush arrangements and interesting chord structures. We all listen to lots of different music.

"This could have gone nowhere. We could have made this record and it could have existed in our minds only. So I'm very glad to be putting the record out, and I have to thank the guys at Org for putting it out. It makes the band exist, even though we're not able to really pound the pavement right now.

"I think we can do good stuff. When we do another record, it'll feel like the next step. This album is three years old, and to me it feels like a band that wasn't able to spend as much time making it as we could."

The quality of your singing voice is quite striking. It's fragile and sort of ghostly sounding. Are you comfortable with fronting a band?

"I've always been a singer in my mind. Fronting a band is something I've never done because I've always done other things. It's something I want to do, and the more I do it, the more and more it feels very natural. I've always been a little timid and shy. Playing with both bands, Dot Hacker and the Chili Peppers, has given me a lot of confidence."

What was your writing and demoing process? Do your demos turn out to be the actual recording?

"I write a lot of stuff and do demos, play it for them, and then it gets changed. I'd say that a lot of the demos wound up being the record – certain songs. Some songs were from playing together, others were from demos. But we didn't do demoing and then recording. I'd like to do that – as a singer, the more you live with something, the more comfortable you are."

The song Discotheque is awash in electronics. What are you using on it?

"That's an 808 kick [Roland TR-808] and the synth is… I want to say it's a Nord Lead. It was probably some pad on the Nord Lead treated with a modular synth. The bass is a tag-team – I play the verse, and Jonathan plays the amazingly fast bit later on."

What were your go-to guitars for this record?

"I used my '67 Telecaster Custom that I have on tour with the Chili Peppers. That was John Frusciante's guitar and I sort of inherited it. I also used my Fender Starcaster, a newer Rickenbacker and my black '62 Jaguar."

The guitar distortion on Order/Disorder is very powerful. Do you like to use pedal effects, or do you prefer to overdrive your amps?

"I'm basically straight amp – the Silvertone is what I tracked with. Clint is probably using some effect on that song. I've been going through a conundrum with the Chili Peppers – I use overdrive and distortion pedals, and every time I go to clean I think, It sounds so much better! [laughs] Then when I try to get a jump in level or a jump in tone, I feel like it sucks down. I don't feel as though I've cracked the code yet."

The song Eye Opener is like a dream almost. What are you using for delays and reverbs?

"I probably had a [Electro-Harmonix] Holy Grail on, along with a Boss DD-3 and a Boss DM-2. I can't remember if it's on this song, but I liked to treat the guitars with an [Korg] MS-20 synthesizer. There's a lot of treated guitars, even if they're subtle."

The closing song, Puncture, is a soundscape masterpiece. Can the band play it live?

"Yeah, yeah. We got bold and opened with it when we played a couple of years ago. It's a lot of fun. Clint fills up a lot of space on the guitar live, but there's a lot of Hammond B-3 in there and a few other keyboard things. Every time we do it, it's different. I can't wait to play live again, and hopefully do more than one show in a week."

Given your Chili Peppers schedule, what kind of touring will Dot Hacker be able to do?

"The Chili Peppers have a real strict two-week on/two-week off policy – aside from me, everybody has families. So in theory, this band could hit the road in any of those breaks. We don't have plans yet. Everybody has little things here and there. But the first chance we get to do something, we will."

On stage with Flea in Cologne, Germany, 2011. © Oliver Berg/dpa/Corbis

Speaking of the Chili Peppers, do you still feel like the 'new guy' in the band? It's been a few years since you joined.

"I'll probably always feel like the new guy to a certain degree. But they've gone out of their way to make me feel – and I do – 100 percent part of the band. I never feel like I'm not listened to or not respected. But there will always be an aspect of 'What the fuck am I doing here?' [laughs]

"I think Chad probably still feels like he's the new guy sometimes. Because when you go up against a friendship and a connection that the other two have, it's hard not to recognize how much like brothers and a family they are. At the same time, they're very all-inclusive. I really do feel like this is a band. I can't wait to make more music with the Chili Peppers.

"Even with John coming back, they had 10-plus years of working together. For me to come in, even though I've been around them and have played with them, you can't make up for that time. You can't compare 10 years of history with a week – even though it was obvious, when I first played with them, that it could work and it would work. We all liked it and wanted to see where it could go."

What's been the biggest musical lesson you've learned from playing with the Chili Peppers?

"It's really been highlighted and accentuated… just being free and being yourself, not being fearful. Being on stage, I can trust myself more easily. Playing with guys like Flea and Chad, they just go for it. Just be me – that's the lesson I've learned.

"Like John Frusciante – I'll never be him. I can never be another person. I can only be me, and hopefully people will like it. I mean, I've been a fan of this band since I was 10 years old, so it's hard to sit and go, 'You're playing songs off of Blood Sugar…' But like I said, you just have to be yourself, play the song as yourself – that's what I'm reminded of every time I play with them."

Has there been a Chili Peppers song from their catalogue that you're still trying to nail? Not just like the record, but to your own standards.

"Yes, actually – the song Snow. It's funny, because I remember being in England right at the same time they were, too, and it was when Stadium came out. We hooked up, I was hanging out, and they were playing something for the BBC. They started playing the song and I was like, 'Fucking hell! No way am I ever going to be able to play that and sing that backup part. And thank God I will never have to!' [laughs]

"Cut to now, and we've been on tour for six months collectively, and you know, because that song was a hit, a couple of people, and one of our managers especially, were like, 'Where's that song?' And it's just because I feel like I haven't nailed it, not so much the guitar part but the guitar part and the background vocal at the same time – it feels so much like John.

"I guess I should be sitting in front of my stereo playing it 100 times a day. But you know, when it's ready, when it's natural, it'll happen. I've played it twice today already. I can play it, but there's that syncopated background vocal and the guitar at the same time. It still feels like an exercise. I just want it to feel natural. To make it good, I have to feel free."

Ahead of the 15 May release of their new album Rize Of The Fenix, that irrepressible duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass - better known as Tenacious D - have issued a hilarious promo clip in which Doctor Bill Teetz (Bob Odenkirk) of the Tinnitus Institute and bassist Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne) attempt to study the effects 'super painful extreme tinnitus.'

As you might imagine, cranking Rize Of The Fenix is key to Doctor Teetz's research.

"This is for real," Odenkirk told Rolling Stone. "When Jack gave me an early version of Rize Of The Fenix, I couldn't stop blasting it. I couldn't play it loud enough or often enough, and every night for a week, I went to bed with the sweet sounds of tinnitus ringing merrily in my ears, and yet, the next day I couldn't help cranking it again. I don't know if there is a Tinnitus Institute or not, but I predict there will be. Blame it on Rize."

Several weeks ago, Tenacious D released a star-packed video to their song To Be The Best. Check it out below.

Ahead of the 15 May release of their new album Rize Of The Fenix, that irrepressible duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass - better known as Tenacious D - have issued a hilarious promo clip in which Doctor Bill Teetz (Bob Odenkirk) of the Tinnitus Institute and bassist Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne) attempt to study the effects 'super painful extreme tinnitus.'

As you might imagine, cranking Rize Of The Fenix is key to Doctor Teetz's research.

"This is for real," Odenkirk told Rolling Stone. "When Jack gave me an early version of Rize Of The Fenix, I couldn't stop blasting it. I couldn't play it loud enough or often enough, and every night for a week, I went to bed with the sweet sounds of tinnitus ringing merrily in my ears, and yet, the next day I couldn't help cranking it again. I don't know if there is a Tinnitus Institute or not, but I predict there will be. Blame it on Rize."

Several weeks ago, Tenacious D released a star-packed video to their song To Be The Best. Check it out below.

Here's an update to NI's Skanner synth. Once again, Skanner XT is built around the Reaktor engine and co-developed by the father of Reaktor, Stephan Schmitt. The new version keeps all the features of the original, but adds double the preset sounds and two new effects.

The synth combines samples which the oscillators then 'scan' to create everything from rowdy basses to angelic pads and keys. This new XT version adds extra samples, resulting in two new categories: chiptune for arcade style sounds; and motion for more rhythmical patches.If you have the full version of Reaktor it's possible to tweak further by adding your own samples.

Skanner XT is available for download now at the NI site for just €49, or if you are a registered Skanner owner, you are eligible for a limited time special offer to upgrade to Skanner XT for just €24.50.

Native Instruments Skanner XT press release

While the Fender Rhodes electric pianos can lay claim to being the most famous in history, many keyboard players cherish the slightly grittier sound of the Wurlitzer EP 200A just as dearly.

This long-standing love affair has now been recognised by Arturia, which has moved away from synth emulations to launch the Wurlitzer V, a physically modelled emulation of the 200A that works standalone and as a plug-in.

Offering you Studio, Stage and Rotary modes, the Wurlitzer V also comes with models of classic tube amps, mics and stompboxes, enabling your to tailor your sound within it.

Find out more on the Arturia website or in the press release below. Wurlitzer V costs €99 as a download and €119 in a box.

Arturia Wurlitzer V press release

Music software and hardware company Arturia is proud to announce availability of Wurlitzer V, a (Standalone, VST 2.4 & 3 -32-bit and 64- bit, RTAS and AU -32- and 64-bit) high-end software recreation of the classic Wurlitzer EP 200A electric piano as of April 26, 2012.

Think electric piano, and many musicians still think Wurlitzer or 'Wurly' -one of a series of electromechanical stringless pianos manufactured and marketed by the US-based Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, coining the trademarked Electronic Piano phrase in the process. The 1972-launched Wurlitzer EP 200A represented Wurlitzer's top-of-the-range, reed-based piano line throughout its impressive 10-year production lifespan; today Arturia's Wurlitzer V faithfully resurrects that still-sought-after sound - and more besides!

Unlike traditional sampling libraries, the Wurlitzer V's embedded physical modelling engine readily reproduces the agreeable acoustic properties of the Wurlitzer EP 200A's musically distinctive reeds, key action, and amplification combo by 'constructing' played notes in real time, creating cost-effective and reliable realism in a computer-based, truly portable package fit for a 21st Century performer; moreover, maximising integral sonic flexibility to skilfully surpass its hardware namesake is also the virtual order of the day here, appealing to studio and stage users alike.

Indeed, Wurlitzer V lets users choose between three output modes: Studio (Wurlitzer V and associated effects are 'connected' to a virtual DI box with reverb thereafter); Stage (with guitar amp simulator, multiple mic and speaker options, and a satisfying-sounding spring reverb at the output stage); and Rotary (with a rotary speaker simulator to create musical movement).

As most producers are already aware, the beloved bright and overdriven 'Wurly' sound so musically ingrained in popular music culture -thanks to artists as diverse as The Beatles, Supertramp, and Marvin Gaye -is actually a clever combination of admirable amplification -Fender Bassman and Twin Reverb guitar tube amps, et al; mic'ing par excellence; and precision processing, with multiple analogue chorus, phasing, and tape echo units often being used to fashion a deeper, luscious tone.

As such, Arturia's Wurlitzer V effectively places its users in an authentic-sounding Seventies-style virtual recording studio, replete with classic tube amps (Fender Deluxe Reverb Blackface, Fender Twin Reverb Blackface, Fender Bassman, and Marshall Plexi guitar tube amp models; Leslie Speaker rotary simulator model); modelled mics (Shure SM57, Sennheiser MD 421, and Neumann U87); and vintage stompboxes (Wah-wah, Autowah, Overdrive, Flanger, Compressor, Phaser, Chorus, Delay, Pitch Shifter/Chorus, Vocal Filter, and Reverb models) -everything needed to achieve that classic 'Wurly' vibe or more adventurous sound design (thanks to advanced in-depth control parameters: 10-band Graphic Equaliser; Vibrator Rate; Pickup Distance; Pickup Axis; Impedance; Damper Position; Dynamics; Octave Stretch; Hammer Hardness; Hammer Noise; Note Off Noise; Sustain Pedal Noise; Velocity Curve).

For anyone looking for an effective electric piano paired with stimulating studio tools (including extensive MIDI mapping of pedals, effects, and sound engine parameters), Wurlitzer V is the answer and you know that for sure!

We brought you a three-track preview of Mark Tremonti's debut solo album on Monday, but now the Creed/Alter Bridge guitarist has revealed the collection, titled All I Was, is set for release on 10 July (likely to 9 July in the UK/Europe).

For the purposes of his solo work, the Alter Bridge man will apparently operate under the 'Tremonti' moniker.

The album was produced by Michael 'Elvis' Baskette (who has previously worked on Alter Bridge's ABIII and Blackbird, as well as the likes of Limp Bizkit, Cold and Trivium) and also marks the guitarist's debut as a lead singer.

In addition, the guitarist will be taking the album on tour later this year with Eric Friedman (Staind, Creed tour player) on rhythm guitar duties, Brian Marshall (Alter Bridge) on bass and Garrett Whitlock on drums.

No word on specific tour dates yet, or whether Tremonti will be bringing the show to Europe, but we have got a full tracklist and cover art, which you can check out below.

Mark Tremonti All I Was tracklist

1. Leave It Alone
2. So You're Afraid
3. Wish You Well
4. Brains
5. The Things I've Seen
6. You Waste Your Time
7. New Way Out
8. Giving Up
9. Proof
10. All I Was
11. Doesn't Matter
12. Decay

The British Music Experience (based in London's O2) has announced that it will be hosting the acclaimed show Still In Love With You: The Philip Lynott Exhibition from now until 24 June.

The show features all manner of Thin Lizzy and Phil Lynott-related memorabilia, including guitars, basses and music equipment used by the singer/bassist, as well as tour jackets, diaries, lyric books and even school reports. There are also video installations, archive photography and paintings on display.

An expansive exhibit, Still In Love With You is being run in conjunction with MusicRadar's sister magazine Classic Rock and drew crowds of Thin Lizzy fans from all over the world when it opened in Dublin last year.

Tickets for Still In Love With You: The Philip Lynott Exhibition are priced at £8 (£6 concessions, £4 for children) and are available to purchase on the door or via Ticketmaster.co.uk.

Korg's Wavedrum is one of the most inspiring electronic percussion instruments on the market, but if you don't happen to own one (or you do own one but can't play it very well), SampleRadar is here to give you a taste of what it can do.

Our sample team has got hands-on with the Wavedrum to bring you a selection of exotic-sounding loops that can be used to spice up your productions.

What you need to know

The Wavedrum samples are named according to the type of sound used. The tempo of each one is listed as well.

All the samples are supplied as 24-bit WAV files so can be imported directly into your DAW or sampler of choice. Because they're royalty-free, you're welcome to use the samples in your music in any way you like - all we ask is that you don't re-distribute them.

The Wavedrum samples are supplied in a zip file, so you'll need to extract them before you can see them. Enjoy!

Example sounds

Djembe 90bpm

Okokolo 120bpm

Big hand 90bpm

Cajon 120bpm

Wavedrum samples: click to download

Wavedrum samples (184MB)

Tutorial

12 drum pad controller tips

These samples originally appeared on Computer Music magazine's cover DVD. Check out the latest issue for many more.

A new marketplace website, GuitarTrader.co.uk, aimed at helping shops and guitar buyers find second-hand, used and vintage items has launched.

Pitching itself as the AutoTrader of the guitar world (though not in any way affiliated with that brand), GuitarTrader is essentially an online classified ad service, which hopes to provide a forum for anyone wishing to buy or sell guitar gear.

The idea is that guitar players and retailers (particularly those that have little discernible online presence/catalogue) sign up to the service and list their available products, without having to setup their own e-commerce platform.

It's no secret in the guitar world that there are a lot of second-hand instruments sat in shops, or the homes of collectors without websites, so fingers-crossed the service will make it easier for players to find their ideal guitars.

Computer Music magazine has a fine tradition of including great software on its cover disc, and the AudioRealism ADM CM drum machine that's bundled with issue 178 (on sale now) looks like something of a corker.

Featuring a Roland TR-606 emulation and a selection of CM sample banks, it's a cutdown version of the excellent AudioRealism ADM.

Find out more about AudioRealism ADM CM in the video above, and go to the Computer Music website for issue 178 details and print/digital purchasing options.

When you're learning the guitar, particularly if you're self-taught, it's easy to make mistakes without realising it, but here are 10 clangers that you should try and avoid from the start…

Carlos Santana reaches new heights of guitar greatness on Shape Shifter. © MIGUEL SIERRA/epa/Corbis

Carlos Santana still blows his own mind. Decades after he caused a sensation at Woodstock, the Grammy-winning, Rock And Roll Hall of Fame guitarist says that his greatest thrill as a player is when he gets out of his own way and sets sail for unknown territories.

"I'm happy to say it happens all the time," he says, "but it's based on the subtle things, the unconscious. You have to go inside the notes and see what's there, the things you don't know about. Teachers should say to kids, 'OK, you know the notes, the chords – now play some shit you don't know. That's when it really happens."

It all happens on Santana's bold and brilliant new album, Shape Shifter, on which the legendary guitarist takes a break from star-studded pop and lets his instrument rule the day, screaming and sighing, growling and swooning. Only one of the record's 13 tracks features vocals, which means that if you ever thought the only problem with any great Santana album was that it needed more Carlos Santana, then Shape Shifter should feel like something of a bounty.

"It's more a collection of stories than songs," says Santana. "Songs require intros, choruses, bridges, endings. On this record, it was more about 'close your eyes and play.' They're still songs, but they're not directed at radio. I was just being true to what I felt."

MusicRadar sat down with Carlos Santana recently to talk about Shape Shifter, his playing philosophy, his upcoming Las Vegas residency and why he feels that making ugly faces makes for great music. (For an audio preview of Shape Shifter, be sure to check out the scorching new track Nomad on page two.)

With the exception of one song, Shape Shifter is all instrumental. As a guitarist, is making this kind of record more satisfying?

"In a lot of ways, yes, because I don't need to accommodate lyrics, and I don't need to accommodate artists. I say this in a funny way, but it's more about letting a Mexican play the guitar, you know?

"I'm never going to wait so long to brew 'em like this anymore. I'm going to make sure that I do one album like this and then another kind. I remember reading that John Coltrane would do one Pursuance album, and then he'd do a ballads album where he'd hardly play a solo – he'd just play the melody verbatim.

"I'm just really grateful I can do this kind of record. Jeff Beck does it all the time. Very seldom now does he do things with vocalists like Rod Stewart. For me, I need the balance."

When writing instrumentals, what's the ratio of structure to improvisation?

"It's more like loose sketches, and then closing your eyes and letting it happen. For me, it's normal and natural to play this way. With other types of songs, I have to be a lot more thoughtful with knowing when and where and when not to do something. Here, it's me saying, 'Roll the tape!'" [laughs]

Above: listen to Santana's Nomad from the album Shape Shifter.

You dedicated the album to Native Americans. Can you talk a little about that?

"Yes, I dedicated this album to them because I think it's important with where we are in 2012, since the world is supposed to end, and they know more than anyone about the shifts in perception. You know, Mother Nature is shifting – that's why there's more tornadoes. But as Bob Marley said, 'It's the beginning, not the end.'

"What I would like to see to this degree, it's like Chuck Berry ringing a bell and inviting Caucasians to invite American Indians into schools, for them to teach a curriculum on how to be connected and stay connected to Mother Nature. We have computers and satellites, but we're not as connected to Mother Nature as they are. We're always fighting with her.

"I'd like to do a yearly event like Bonnaroo and invite Native Americans from Alaska to Brazil, including Siberian shamans to Australian Aborigines, and do a concert, with artists like Sting – I'd sandwich it like that."

What kinds of guitars did you use on the album? Obviously, you used Paul Reed Smiths…

"I basically used anything that was in front me – Stratocasters, nylon-string guitars – anything I need to use to complete the painting. For amps, I used Marshalls, Dumbles, Boogies, Bluetone – mainly Boogies and Dumbles."

What's amazing is, you can play any kind of guitar and still sound like yourself.

"Well, I'm very grateful for that. I tried to sound like other people and I couldn't. I couldn't sound like BB or Otis Rush, so I gave up and said, 'Maybe there's a reason. Don't fight it anymore.'"

On the title track, the sound of Chester Thompson's keyboard recalls the classic Santana Hammond B3 from back in the day.

"Oh yeah. That's something we grew up with in the '60s, with Procol Harum and Robin Trower, the Whiter Shade Of Pale sound, or Jimmy Smith and Kenny Burrell… Jack McDuff and George Benson. For me, it's very natural. We complement each other very well, Chester and me. In the future, I look forward to doing something with my brother Gregg Rolie."

"Close your eyes and play" - Santana practices what he preaches in Switzerland, 2011. © LAURENT GILLIERON/epa/Corbis

The song Dom is a cover – originally it was done by Toure Kunda.

"Yes, they sang it, but we did it as an instrumental. I wanted to sing the parts myself. I love the fact that it sounds like Bob Marley with Yo-Yo Ma and Santana."

Your guitar tone is remarkable on the song Nomad. How much does tone affect your playing? Can you give a great performance if you're dissatisfied with your sound?

"Only if I really, really have to, if I'm sitting in with a band and I have no control over the sound. When I sit in with a band, whenever people invite me, I always plug straight into the amplifier, and then I'm going to sound good. Once I start going through all that stuff they have on the floor, I'm going to sound like an electric mosquito caught in a screen door. I don't want to sound like that.

"On Nomad, I purposely sound really raunchy and harsh. That's because the song is supposed to be like that. I like a loud electric zeetar – like Ravi Shankar."

But you use some pedal effects...

"Just a wah-wah and once in a while an Echoplex."

What do you use for distortion?

"You make some ugly faces and crank it up till it hurts and point it so that it doesn't hurt the band. Basically, you try a bunch of settings on your amplifier. I like to experiment like the African people do, with more pedals than Jimi Hendrix – here and there. But mostly, I want to utilize the amplifier and just make ugly faces."

You're not kidding about the ugly faces.

"No, I'm not. It's required. If you're not making ugly faces, if your face is really nice and gentle when you're playing a solo, you're not doing anything. When you're having sex and you're just about to reach that point, if you're not making an ugly face, you're faking it.

"Five things: genuine, honest, true, sincere and for real. You can't fake an orgasm. If people squirm and feel uncomfortable with that, I feel sorry for them. This is real life. Real life is about the peak of your emotions. Look at Stevie Ray Vaughan – when he's hitting the prettiest of notes, look at his face. Damn!" [laughs]

Going inside the notes in San Francisco, 1981. © Roger Ressmeyer/CORBIS

One would assume that you haven't tried amp modeling software or anything like that.

"I'm fairly old school. If you think you can sound great plugged into a laptop, I've got news for you, man, you're kidding yourself. Ain't nothing like a Marshall or a Boogie. If you think you can get Marshall on a laptop, you're defeating yourself and you don't even know it.

"I grew up in the '60s, and the sound coming out of an amp... see, you're moving air and molecules. Anything that comes out of a laptop or a computer, that stuff sounds horrible to me. I need the real thing. Give me a Marshall, a Boogie, a Twin – three Twins! Ain't no substitute for the real deal."

Never The Same Again has a feel that is not unlike Marvin Gaye's What's Going On.

"Oh, that's so sweet of you to say that! That's the nicest compliment anyone's ever given me, man. I love Marvin Gaye. Yeah, yeah, thank you. Marvin Gaye and Patti Labelle – those are the two people I was thinking of when I was playing it."

The percussion work on the song Macumba In Budapest is phenomenal. As a guitarist, how do you work off of rhythms?

"It's very easy. It's like they're windsurfing. For me to play with conga players and timbale players and drummers, it's like windsurfing. You don't have to do much except close your eyes and go. They're creating waves, rhythm waves… Hey, that's a great title for a CD! [laughs]

"I know when to dance with them and when to goat them. Complementing is knowing where and when to add something, to throw more logs on the fire. It's OK to not be embarrassed because you have a lot of energy."

Your son Salvador plays piano on two songs, Canela and Ah, Sweet Dancer. As both a father and musician, what's it like to play with him?

"Thank you for asking that. There's four words that create an ambience to reach something that is very complementary to an interchange with your son: confer, defer, endearing and delicious. You need to know when to confer with yourself and your son; and defer either to him or yourself; and make something very endearing and delicious.

"The other thing I'll say is, you're very conscious and I'm very conscious that you would never slam a door on a baby's fingers. He's very conscious of that with me, and I'm very conscious of that with him."

In the future, Santana plans to explore "supersonic sounds." © KARL MATHIS/epa/Corbis

What would you like to be able to do on the guitar that you feel you can't?

"You know, at this point, the only thing I'd like to do is experiment with supersonic sounds – like Jimi Hendrix before he went to the National Anthem or before he played Wild Thing. There was a celestial texture that he achieved, and the only other person who got to that same place was Stevie Ray Vaughan. Here it comes: celestial supersonic textures.

"You open up the guitar and the amplifiers, and all of a sudden it's like an Aurora Borealis of sound. If you don't know what you're doing, it can sound really corny and awful. But if you know what you're doing, it's like all of the dinosaurs in the world are screaming, with motorcycles from the Hell's Angels. Jimi Hendrix knew how to create a texture on a big canvas, but it wasn't noise – it was art."

You start a two-year residency at the House Of Blues in Vegas soon. Will you be able to do any other touring during that time?

"Oh, yeah, sure. There's days off during the week, and I'll have months off at a time, so I can go out and tour with the Allman Brothers or other people. It's not like I'm doing time in San Quentin or anything. [laughs]

"It's going to be a lot of fun; I'm looking forward to it. For me, it's going to be like having a laboratory where I can experiment with new alchemy. I know the songs that people want to hear, and they're going to hear them, but I get to bring new intros, middles and endings. And in the middle of the show, I can go to places nobody knows about for half an hour or so. It'll be like the Grateful Dead. I'll play what I don't even know how to play."

It may have taken six albums and over a decade but Brandon Barnes and Rise Against are finally getting the worldwide recognition they so richly deserve.

The US punks have stood and watched as countless poppier exports lapped up the record sales this side of the Atlantic, but last year's Endgame, the band's sixth and most recent studio album, seems to have at last turned the tide.

Coming on the back of two hit US albums, the record cracked the UK's top 30 for the first time in the band's history - their previous highest chart entry over here was 68 - and a run of hugely successful, sold-out UK shows at the tail end of 2011 firmly rammed home that the Chicago-based punk band has finally courted the attention of the UK mainstream despite refusing to compromise, remaining unwavering in both their musical and political standpoints.

Rhythm spoke to Brandon last year ahead of that UK tour. Here we bring you pictures of his live drum kit, along with extracts from that interview, which you can read in full in Rhythm issue 200. Or you can subscribe to Rhythm Magazine to read interviews with the world's top drummers each month.

The reunited Black Sabbath have announced an intimate warm-up show at the Birmingham O2 Academy on 19 May ahead of their scheduled Download 2012 headline slot (10 June).

There's still no word as to whether original drummer Bill Ward will be joining his fellow pioneering metallers at the 3,800-capacity venue or at the later festival date, but the band have not yet announced a replacement.

Ward fell out with the band after he disputed his reunion contract, deeming it "unsignable" and both camps appear to have fallen silent on the matter for the time being.

The other worry for Black Sabbath fans will be the health of guitarist Tony Iommi, who has been battling cancer for the last four months.

According to posts on Iommi.com, the guitarist should now be coming to the end of a three-week course of radiotherapy treatment, but it's yet to be revealed whether or not the disease is in remission.

Most of the previously announced Black Sabbath tour dates have now been rescheduled as 'Ozzy and Friends' shows in order to allow the metal legend time to recuperate.

Tickets for the show are priced at £45 and are set to go on sale at 9am (BST) on Friday 4 May via Ticketmaster.co.uk and LiveNation.co.uk.

Tuareg man and camel in Algerian Sahara. © Philippe Roy/Hemis/Corbis

During the course of the past 50 years, guitar music from Africa has gifted the world a vast array of incredible records, musicians, songs and musical styles. TG gives you a definitive guide.

Africa has always been one of the most culturally diverse and artistically creative continents on the planet and, when it comes to music, there's certainly been no place as influential on the sounds we all know and love today.

The roots of blues, rock, jazz, soul and dance, as well as the many Latin American and Caribbean sub-genres, can – in one form or another – all be traced back to the pre-slavery musical world of the African continent and in particular to the countries of West Africa.

While stringed instruments of African origin such as the kora and n'goni can be dated back several centuries, the humble six-string guitar only really began making inroads in the latter half of the 20th century.

Ever since that influx, the fusion of Western guitars with traditional African instruments, rhythmic structures and musical styles has created some of the most vibrant, exciting and original music you're ever likely to wrap your ears around.

A - Ali Farka Touré

Ali Farka Touré performing in Spain in 2000. © STR/Reuters/Corbis

Ali Farka Touré (1939- 2006), who hailed from the Malian town of Timbuktu, was one of the most famous and prodigiously talented of all 20th century African guitarists. Transferring traditional African musical styles to the Western instrument and singing in a diverse range of languages, Ali first gained international recognition in 1987 with the release of a self-titled album on the World Circuit label. He went onto collaborate with Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal and Toumani Diabaté and won two Grammy Awards. Martin Scorsese described Ali's music as constituting the "DNA of the blues".

B - Benga

This popular Kenyan form of guitar music first came to prominence in the 60s with the band Shirati Jazz led by Daniel Owino Misiani. Based around the traditional melodies of the eight-string nyatiti lyre, benga is characterised by the interplay of two or three fast-paced electrics backed by a prominent bass.

C - Chimurenga

Thomas Mapfumo in 1991. © Peter Williams/Corbis

A Shona word meaning 'struggle', this music is closely associated with the Zimbabwean independence movement of the late 1970s. Popularised by The Blacks Unlimited, and led by chimurenga pioneer Thomas Mapfumo and guitar whizz Jonah Sithole, traditional mbira 'thumb piano' melodies were initially transcribed to the electric guitar with highly emotive results.

D - Diblo Dibala

Oft-honoured with the nickname 'Machine Gun' for his lightning fast guitar skills, Diblo Dibala has long been one of the best known and most talented Congolese soukous guitarists on the scene. After treading the boards with groups such as TPOK Jazz, Vox Africa and Bella Bella, Dibala's silky skills really began to grab headlines when he moved to Paris in 1981 and joined old compatriot Kanda Bongo Man's new band.

E - Etran Finatawa

Etran Finatawa performing in the UK in 2009. © Paul Tomlins/Lebrecht Music & Arts/Corbis

Since 2004, Etran Finatawa have been elegantly fusing the music of Niger's Wodaabe and Tuareg nomadic peoples. Traditional Wodaabe dance and polyphonic harmonies are wedded with characteristic Tuareg 'desert blues' guitar styles to mesmerising effect. Over the past few years, the collective group have been festival regulars across the globe.

F - Franco Luambo

Franco Luambo Makiadi (1938-1989) was arguably the most influential six-stringer on the way guitar music developed across Africa during the 20th century. From the mid 50s onwards, Franco's slick mix of Cuban rumba and Congolese traditional rhythms – as typified by his hugely popular bands OK Jazz and TPOK Jazz – not only made him a star in his own right, they also significantly helped the development of the soukous musical genre.

G - Griot

Renowned kora player Toumani Diabaté on stage with Bela Fleck in Canada, 2009. © Michael Weintrob/Retna Ltd./Corbis

This term describes a centuries-old hereditary caste of wandering musicians whose role across many countries and cultures in West Africa is to record and recount the social history of their people through song and storytelling. Griots often play the kora and one of the most renowned globally is Mali's Toumani Diabaté.

H - Highlife

Highlife music, which originated in late 19th century Ghana, has taken many forms in West Africa over the years. The guitar-based highlife of groups and musicians like the Oriental Brothers International Band, Dr Sir Warrior and the African Brothers Band is characterised by strong rhythm structures and uplifting melodic interplay between multiple six-strings.

I - (Group) Inerane

Raw, hypnotic, psychedelic Tuareg blues is what Group Inerane are all about. Hailing from Niger's Agadez region, the band follow in the footsteps of fellow Tuareg 'protest groups' – like Tinariwen and Toumast – with a chorus of female vocals shimmering over a lo-fi guitar attack that's led by lead man Bibi Ahmed.

J - 'Juju Music'

1982's Juju Music album was the first international Island Records release for Nigerian superstar King Sunny Adé and His African Beats. The record's mesmerising dubby mix of talking drums, space-rock pedal steel and percussive guitars result in one of the greatest African guitar long players ever made.

K - Kora

Toumani Diabaté playing the kora at Brave Festival in Poland, 2009

Dating back to the 16th century, the 21-string kora is one of the most important stringed instruments in traditional West African music. Crafted from the dried hollowed out shells of large calabash gourds, koras have a double bridge and produce a sound similar to that of a harp. The instruments, which are now sometimes built with a guitar machinehead, are played using the thumb and forefinger of both hands to pick out both polyrhythmic patterns and solo runs. Koras are often the weapon of choice for West African griots. Current notable players include Ablaye Cissoko, Djeli Moussa Diawara and Toumani Diabaté.

L - Lobi Traoré

A short interview with Lobi Traoré, recorded in 2008

The Malian guitar god (1961- 2010) may only have been just over five feet tall, but his masterly blend of rock, blues, psychedelia and traditional African music revealed a talent that was sky high. As well as regularly collaborating with Ali Farka Touré, Lobi worked with Western artists like Damon Albarn, Bonnie Raitt and Joep Pelt.

M - Mali

Over the past half century, the West African country of Mali has produced a slew of musically diverse artists who have garnered relative levels of success across the Western world, from Toumani Diabaté's traditional kora virtuosity and singer-songwriter Salif Keita's afro-pop, through to the African blues stylings of Lobi Traoré, and Ali Farka Touré and his son Vieux. The desert blues of Tuareg rebels Tinariwen, and Damon Albarn's Mali Music album also deserve a mention here.

N - Niger

The Republic of Niger has been a hotbed of musical activity over the past 20 years, most notably producing the guitarbased music known as Tuareg blues. Many of the genre's groups were formed in refugee camps, a by-product of the rebellions in which the Tuareg people pushed for independence during the 1990s. Toumast, Group Bombino, Group Inerane and Takrist N'akal are some of the best Niger-born Tuareg blues bands.

O - Osibisa

Although Osibisa formed in London in 1969 and included three Caribbean ex-pats in the original line-up (as well as four Africans), they were arguably the first African-based music act to break through in the Western world. Fusing rock, soul, funk and jazz with African highlife rhythm structures and vocals, Osibisa – aided by the sublime skills of Antiguan axeman Wendell Richardson – still sound as fresh today as they did back in the 70s.

P - Paul Simon

Paul Simon and guitarist Ray Phiri on the Graceland tour, 1987. © Penny Tweedie/Corbis

Across his Grammy Award winning 1986 masterpiece, Graceland, Paul Simon incorporated elements of traditional South African mbaqanqa music while also choosing to record with many South African musicians in their home country. Gumboots, which was based around an instrumental written by the Boyoyo Boys, is a real highlight.

Q - Queen Babito

While it's almost impossible to find a word that begins with the letter Q in relation to African guitar music – partly due to African language structures – special mention can go to Queen Babito, the current band leader of Kenyan benga legends, Shirati Jazz.

R - Rokia Traoré

Self-taught Rokia was championed by the Ali Farka Touré and plays fingerpicked sixstring acoustic and semi-acoustic to back her sublime vocals, as well as the traditional n'goni and the wooden keyed percussive balafon.

S - Soukous

Soukous band Zaiko Langa Langa on stage (thought to be recorded 1980 - 1981)

Soukous originated as a form of the Congolese rumba and, in the 1940s, guitar legend Henri Bowane reputedly added the sebene – an instrumental passage characterised by one or two guitars developing repetitive arpeggios while another axe improvised over the top. Soukous guitar styles were pushed even further by Franco Luambo and Nico Kasanda in the 50s and 60s, and Zaiko Langa Langa and Diblo Dibala from the 70s onwards.

T - Tinariwen

Members of Tinariwen, including guitarist/frontman Ibrahim Ag Alhabib performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival, 2006. © Laurent Gillieron/epa/Corbis

Formed by lead guitarist Ibrahim Ag Alhabib in Libya in 1979, Tinariwen are a collective group of Malian Tuareg musicians, some of whom fought in the rebel insurgencies during the 1990s. The collective, who fuse electric guitars with the melodies and rhythmic styles of traditional Tuareg music, have wowed audiences the world over since they first garnered international attention a decade or so ago. 2007's Aman Iman album is a must hear.

U - Sir Victor Uwaifo

Sir Victor Uwaifo's biggest hit, Guitar Boy - apparently inspired by an encounter with a 'mami water' (mermaid) in Lagos, Nigeria.

Uwaifo is arguably Nigeria's greatest guitar hero as well as being one of the country's most successful. His 'joromi' adaptation of highlife music mixed up soul, rock and funk with more traditional African musical forms. In his heyday, Victor Uwaifo even played his guitar with his teeth, feet and tongue!

V - Vieux Farka Touré

Vieux Farka Touré covers one of this father, Ali Farka Touré's, songs 'Ai Du'

Still only 30 years old, Ali Farka Touré's son is one of the rising stars of African guitar music and has certainly inherited his late father's virtuosic leanings. His latest album, last year's The Secret, includes collaborations with Derek Trucks, Dave Matthews and John Scofield.

W - WOMAD

Dobet Gnahor from Cote d'Ivoire on the BBC stage at WOMAD 2010. © David Mbiyu / Demotix/Demotix/Corbis

Co-founded by Peter Gabriel in 1980, World Of Music, Arts and Dance is an international arts festival that has showcased 160 major festivals across 27 countries. Many African artists, including guitar-based acts, have been given their first international gig opportunities by WOMAD.

X - Africa Express

Johnny Marr on stage with Amadou & Mariam at an Africa Express show in London, 2008

Damon Albarn kicked off this touring musical collective in 2006 with the aim of bringing together Western and African musicians on an equal live footing. Toumani Diabaté, Bassekou Kouyaté and Amadou & Mariam have all taken part, as have Jamie T, Fatboy Slim and Johnny Marr.

Y - 'Yasimika'

If there's one traditional kora album everybody needs, it's Yasimika by Guinean virtuoso Djeli Moussa Diawara (sometimes written as Jali Musa Jawara). Recorded in Abidjan in 1982, the (initially untitled) record features four beautiful lengthy tracks of kora, guitar, balafon and vocals.

Z - Zaiko

Langa Langa Zaiko Langa Langa formed in 1970 and are one of the most important Congolese soukous bands of the 20th century. They're widely credited with pushing the genre into more up-tempo, electric guitar-focused areas. Lead guitarist Manuaku Waku, aka Pépé Fely, was renowned for his speed, dexterity and extended sebenes.

Forty-plus years after he first tapped on a fretboard, guitarist Steve Hackett is still at it. © Tonsoffun (Mario) Rimati / Demot/Demotix/Corbis

Think Eddie Van Halen invented finger tapping on the guitar? Think again. Seven years before Eruption created a new school of shredders, Steve Hackett, then guitarist for prop-rock godfathers Genesis, set aside his pick and applied his index finger to the fretboard of his Les Paul - and he's not afraid to lay claim to conceiving of the technique.

"I'm the inventor of tapping on record," he says. "We haven't found anyone who tapped earlier than me, unless somebody did it in the 1930s, but I doubt it."

While Hackett admits that Van Halen and his followers popularized and expanded on finger tapping, his place as a wholly inventive guitarist, one who also helped introduce players to techniques such as sweep-picking, is assured.

And with progressive rock now more popular than ever with such disparate bands as Dream Theater, Muse and Elbow owning the hearts and minds of fans worldwide, Hackett has teamed up with another godfather of the genre, Yes bassist Chris Squire, for the collaborative project Squackett. But their debut album, A Life Within A Day, might surprise some chops-hungry listeners, as it's rife with melodies and idiosyncratic playing but light on showboating acts of instrumental wizardry.

MusicRadar sat down with Hackett recently to talk about how he and Squire formed Squackett, the guitars and gear he used on their album, whether we'll be seeing a "classic era" Genesis reunion soon and how he tapped into a new way of playing.

"Squackett," huh? What, you guys couldn't think of a better name?"

[laughs] "It was Chris' wife's name. I could think of lots of better things to call ourselves, but Chris insisted on Squackett. Of course, this could work in our favor: With a name like Squackett, we're lowering people's expectations, in which case they might find what we do to be really fantastic. [laughs]

"I never thought The Beatles was a good name either, but then, they never amounted to much. They might have been even better if they stayed with The Silver Beatles? Who's to say they wouldn't?"

Is Squackett a band or a "project"? Do you plan to play live?

"When you start doing gigs, people call you a band. When you make a record, you're a project. That's the difference there. I'm hoping we do shows, although with Chris' schedule and mine – things are quite busy for both of us right now – we'll see. When we do some gigs, we'll be a band."

The prog-rock kings that are Squackett: Steve Hackett and Chris Squire

How did you and Chris Squire hook up? Did you know him socially?

"I met Chris midway through the '80s, when I was working with Steve Howe in GTR. Over the years, I'd seen Yes live, usually once a decade. I always found them interesting in their various incarnations.

"Chris called me late in 2007. He was doing a Christmas album, and he wanted me to play on it. I did, and then I asked him to return the favor, so he's on a couple of my solo albums. One of those albums turned into this project, this band – whatever it is, this thing we have.

"I let Chris have first choice on my material, and I selected things that he had – only a few things were written face-to-face. When we started the album, Chris was living in London. When his wife was expecting their baby, he relocated to Phoenix, Arizona, so a lot of things were flying back and forth across the Pond. We did some things in studios here and there, but a lot of this record was done in the living room of my apartment in Twickenham."

What does your home setup consist of?

"We were using Apple Mac Logic. At the time we were using some Australian Event speakers. I did a lot of the vocals and keyboards at home, and quite a bit of the guitar. Jeremy [Stacey] recorded his drums in his studio. We recorded [singer] Amanda [Lehmann] at her home in Norfolk in East Anglia."

What kinds of guitars did you use on the album? Any of your vintage Les Pauls?

"Well, you know, during my time with Genesis, I tended to use a 1957 Les Paul. Since then, in recent times, I've been using Fernandes Guitars, which have the advantage of the Sustainer system. I do prefer to use a Les Paul shape, so I've got a guitar that Fernandes made for me in the style of a Les Paul Goldtop. They made it for me as a present, so that was very nice. I have a Floyd Rose attached to that, but I use it very little these days – I like finger vibrato."

What about you gear? Do you use any new technology, such as amp modeling software?

"Yes, I do. I use Amp Farm and various other things. So when I record these days, I'm not using my favorite Marshalls – I tend to use those live. I like to record my guitar in a way that I can still maintain a comfortable conversation over anything I'm playing.

"You don't fool yourself with volume when you record like that. Just because you're hearing yourself back loud doesn't mean it's great; in fact, if you record your guitar at a whisper, you might find that what you play is better – and it'll still sound like it's screaming when you listen back to the recording."

Before we get into some of the new songs, let's address the matter of finger tapping. Eddie Van Halen does credit you as having done it first. Have the two of you ever talked about it?

"Eddie and I have never spoken about it, but yes, he has credited me with tapping. When you see old films of Genesis from 1971 on, you can see me using the technique. It's there on many recordings, as well. Eddie is a fine player, of course, and he's the one who named the technique. The important thing is that you play as fast as you'd like, but you do it all on one string – and you have to use a finger from your picking hand instead of the pick."

Between 1971 and 1978, the year Van Halen's first record came out, did you hear anybody else finger tapping?

"No, I'm not really aware of that, I must admit. All I know is that it became part of the language for heavy metal players, and it became one of the glossaries of terms that you can dip into if you're playing electric guitar. You can play it on a nylon-string guitar, of course, or acoustic steel, but it's really going to work best on a electric through an amp with some distortion."

So where did you get? How did you start doing it?

"Well, I'll tell you: I was trying to play a tiny phrase from Toccata and Fugue by Bach, and I was wondering how to do it, because you couldn't really do it across the strings. I figured that if I could do it on one string, then I'd be using the fretboard like a keyboard. There's a couple of techniques I took from Bach, like sweep-picking, which is akin to a violinist rocking the bow across the strings.

"I did it one day, the tapping, but I thought it was a little unwieldy at first because I couldn't play it in time. But then I could play it in time, and I started doing it live with Genesis. This was back in 1971, an awfully long time ago. It enabled me to be the fastest gun in the west for about five minutes, until somebody else came along and did it in a whole new way.

"It's a little bit like Bruce Lee's technique for martial arts: just like he did things so fast that the camera couldn't pick them all up, with tapping, the microphone can't pick up all the notes – it's a blur of music."

What did you think when Eddie burst on the scene with tapping – and when everybody started copying him? Did you say, "Hey, that's mine! I invented that"?

"No, I'm not protective of any techniques. I've learned from every guitarist that I've watched. Everybody plays slightly differently; everybody has been my guitar teacher. I guess I've shown a few moves to some people. A guitar can sound like anything – a harp, even."

The title track of the new album features a very striking guitar solo. Do you plot your solos out, or do you prefer to improvise?

"I would say they're refined improvisation. Sometimes I'll have phrases ready – I'll work them out on a nylon-stringed guitar. I do a lot of things on paper; I tend to write things down. When you're holding an electric guitar and you want to be spontaneous, that's the time to do it. The beauty is, you can always go back and correct what you play if you don't like something."

Working vibrato in Italy, 2011. © Tonsoffun (Mario) Rimati / Demot/Demotix/Corbis

The song Tall Ships has a pretty jazzy feel. For something like that, do you use a different guitar than the Fernandes?

"No, it's the same guitar. The Fernandes is quite versatile. It's like having an onboard E-Bow, something that'll make the strings sustain. That song is a little bit like a piece of trance music."

The distortion on Stormchaser is quite powerful. Are you using amp modeling software on that?

"On that, I use using a Sans Amp. I plugged it straight into the computer. I like to use that for overdrive, even with my Marshalls. But if I want something really screaming, I'll crank up a 50-watt or even a couple of 50-watts. I get one to drive the other – a marvelous sound that. But you can't have anyone near them when you're doing that. They're set on 'stun.'" [laughs]

People will undoubtedly focus on the playing, but the vocals are wonderful. As singers, where did you and Chris meet?

"We took the view that we both liked vocal harmonies. I think a lot of what Chris does is what forms the vocal sound of Yes. He was trained in the choir as a kid, so there's a lot of harmony singing. Luckily, we share a love of that, as well as music that has a lot of detail."

Because the two of you have such incredible prog-rock pedigrees, some might be expecting gonzo instrumentals. But the record is full of tightly constructed songs.

"I think it might surprise people in that we took a melodic approach; not everything we do is based around chops per se. The first track probably shows off our chops, but we didn't want to hammer that home. After you've done that, you've sort of made your point. It's not just about the guitar solos for me. Music that displays a lot of hardware and chops appeals to males, but I've been finding that a lot of the stuff I do attracts both men and women. Long may that reign!" [laughs]

In other words, it's still about getting the girls.

"It's about getting the girls to your shows. What you do with them later is your own concern. But I'm a happily married man, so I don't go there." [laughs]

Going back to your time with Genesis, do you have a favorite record you did with them?

"I was very fond of Selling England By The Pound, which was our album from 1973. I liked it for its quirkiness and certain guitar techniques. I liked my setup then – a Les Paul, an Echoplex, a couple of fuzzboxes and an octave divider. You can do a lot with that. It worked great live and in the studio."

Has there been any new talk of a Genesis reunion, one involving you?

"I've been working on a version of Genesis material that I'm going to take live with some guests. I've always said that I'd be up for a reunion if anyone wanted to do it. They approached me some years back, but it seemed to be far too complicated. As far as I'm concerned, with some of the guys from Genesis saying they're going to retire, I feel that nobody should hold his breath, although I won't be the reason why it won't happen."

The Smashing Pumpkins will release their much-anticipated seventh studio album, Oceania, on 19 June, and today (30 April) the band unveiled the record's tracklisting and cover art.

Produced by Billy Corgan and Bjorn Thorsrud and recorded at Corgan's private studio in Chicago, Oceania was mixed by David Bottrill. Described as "an album within an album," it is part of the Pumpkin's 44-song work-in-progress Teargarden By Kaleidyscope. (Click here to see the cover art for Oceania in our gallery.)

According to Corgan, the band holed up in an empty movie theatre in Sedona, Arizona during the early months of 2011, mapping out rough versions of the songs and "trying to dial in the emotional terrain we were seeking. In that kind of process it wasn't that unusual from past records where I'd worked with a band as a unit to help me define a set of templates to work towards.

"We'd just come off the road, and had a good sense of what was no longer working in our eyes from a dynamic point of view. We worked hard to create space in the music, but not lose any of the emotive power that I like to have behind my songs."

Oceania marks the first stand-alone album recorded with the new lineup of The Smashing Pumpkins, which also includes guitarist Jeff Schroeder, bassist Nicole Fiorentino and drummer Mike Byrne.

"I've been adamant in stressing that as a group, first and foremost, we are here to make new music together," said Corgan. "I'm proud to say that on Oceania I feel we've cut our own path forward. Jeff, Mike and Nicole have all made significant contributions to the tone and texture of Oceania, which is an album that is unlike any I've ever made. Yet at the same time I believe it upholds the same musical values I've always pushed for with the Pumpkins, be they progressive, emotional, epic or restless."

The tracklisting for Oceania is as follows:

Quasar
Panopticon
The Celestials
Violet Rays
My Love Is Winter
One Diamond, One Heart
Pinwheels
Oceania
Pale Horse
The Chimera
Glissandra
Inkless
Wildflower

Every month MusicRadar's industry-leading sister magazines - Guitarist, Computer Music, Total Guitar, Rhythm, Future Music and Guitar Techniques - publish the best independent and in-depth music-making gear reviews.

This is a collection of kits, percussion, accessories and more from Rhythm Magazine's gruelling testing process. First reviewed in Rhythm issue 202 and published on MusicRadar throughout April.

Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello has put out calls for a "GuitArmy" to join him at New York's Occupy Wall Street demonstration, due to meet in Bryant Park in the city later today.

Using his Twitter to get the message out, the guitarist said:

"I'm putting a new band together and ur in it. Our 1st rehearsal is tomm noon @ Bryant Park in NYC. Looking for about 10,000 guitar players [sic]"

Later the guitarist revealed that fellow songwriter Ben Harper will be joining the protest, tweeting:

"Hellooo GuitArmy! BEN HARPER will be joing us in the march and concert tomm! Bryant Park! Noon! Nyc! #MayDayThrowdown [sic]"

The Rage man also called for any other musicians in the area to get involved, asking everyone from "marching band veterans [to] pots and pans bangers" to come and show their support for the global protest against income inequality.

UPDATE: Fender has now 'officially' announced the new Pawn Shop models, check out the press release and gallery on the links below.

New Fender Pawn Shop models press release

New Fender Pawn Shop models gallery

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Fender has unveiled a first glimpse at four new additions to its Pawn Shop range, which showcases "guitars that never were but should have been".

Posted on the company Twitter feed with the simple message "Coming soon… Pawn Shop 2.0", the above picture showcases four new models, which will join the existing Mustang Special, Fender '51 and Fender '72 in the Pawn Shop range.

As far as we can tell from the image, the new additions include the following models:

- A Mustang Special with Sunburst finish

- A new variation on the Fender '72 semi-hollow body, equipped with Jazzmaster-style pickups, a 'floating' vibrato bridge, volume and tone controls and a toggle-switch pickup selector

- An HSS-equipped Jaguar-style body with a 'floating' vibrato bridge and a blade-style pickup selector

- A reverse-body Jaguar Bass, equipped with two humbuckers

More news as we have it, but what do you think of the new models? Worthy additions to the Fender range, or worthless and deranged? Let us know via Facebook and Twitter!