Mick Jones, Warren Haynes and More in Holiday Issue of Gibson Guitar Online Magazine

Press release
Source: Gibson Guitar

Backstage Pass, Gibson Guitar’s popular and critically acclaimed online magazine, rounds out its successful first year with a special holiday double issue. Launched this week at www.gibson.com/backstage, the new issue features a rare interview with Mick Jones, the guitarist for the groundbreaking English punk band the Clash. Jones talks about his early days as a budding guitarist. Inspired by New York Dolls guitarist Johnny Thunders, Jones saved for months to buy a Gibson Les Paul Junior. He then went on to form the Clash, one of the most influential bands of all time. “I like the first Clash album the best,” Jones told Backstage Pass. “It’s kind of pure. I played my Gibson Les Paul Junior through a big 4x12 cabinet, and when we recorded it, we didn’t care about nothing. We didn’t really care to even care about it. So it’s kind of raw.” In addition to the interview, the story also features streams of rare live footage of the Clash and two of their powerful early singles.

The new issue of Backstage Pass also features one of the most substantial and in-depth interviews ever conducted with Warren Haynes, the brilliant and hard-working guitar player for the Allman Brothers and Gov’t Mule. In live sound clips, Haynes demonstrates his fluid guitar style on a Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul, offering a sample of the blues guitar he played with outlaw country artist David Allan Coe, who gave Haynes a start in music. He also discusses his role in the historic reforming of the Allman Brothers, and talks about finding his way musically through the role played by the much-missed slide guitarist Duane Allman. With the intro from the Allman’s classic “Statesboro Blues,” Haynes demonstrates how he was able to stay true to Duane Allman’s legacy and his own style at the same time. “The biggest challenge was: How do I sound like myself to the audience, but still sound like a member of the Allman Brothers?” Haynes says. “Because one day I wasn’t, and the next day I was.”

Also in the issue are moving portraits of Chicago blues great Magic Sam, one of the pioneers of the guitar-heavy West Side sound and John Lee Hooker, both heroes of the blues who played Gibson guitars. There is also a heartfelt profile of guitarist Ron Wood, and a look at the career that has led him from integral roles in the Jeff Beck Group, the Faces, and the Rolling Stones. The magazine is rounded out with a season’s greeting, Gibson-style. Blues guitarist Johnny Jones performs a swinging solo version of “Jingle Bells” on a cherry red Gibson ES-345.

Over the course of 2006, Backstage Pass has established itself as one of the most innovative and popular online magazines available. Drawing from Gibson’s incredible history and legacy, the magazine has used great writing and eye-catching design to profile some of the greatest performers in rock ’n’ roll, country, blues, and bluegrass. Each issue has featured rare audio and video content, and now boasts a monthly fan base of 1.2 million readers.

Check out the latest issue of Backstage Pass on Gibson.com at www.gibson.com/backstage.

For the entire year’s collection of issues, go to www.gibson.com/backstage/backissues.htm.

Gibson is known worldwide for producing classic models in every major style of fretted instrument, including acoustic and electric guitars, mandolins, and banjos. Gibson’s HD.6X-PRO Digital Guitar represents the biggest advance in electric guitar design in over 70 years. Founded in 1894 in Kalamazoo , Michigan , and headquartered in Nashville since 1984, Gibson Guitar Corp.’s family of brands now includes Epiphone, Dobro, Kramer, Steinberger, Tobias, Slingerland, Echoplex, Electar, Flatiron, Gibson Baldwin Music Education, Valley Arts, Maestro, Oberheim, Sunshine, Baldwin, Chickering, Hamilton , J&C Fischer and Wurlitzer. Visit Gibson’s website at www.gibson.com.

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