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Gibson: The True Sound of Punk
Ever since the raw, ragged sound of punk snarled out of the working-class basements and garages of the world—and for all intents and purposes, we could go all the way back to Elvis and Scotty Moore, or Link Wray and “Rumble,” or the none-hit wonders of the Nuggets era or the Stooges and MC5 in late-'60s Detroit—Gibsons have defined the thick, buzz saw howl of punk guitar. Gibsons are truly able to deliver the throaty, growling ferocity of punk. Other guitars can render the music tinny and thinner than a skinny tie—more New Wave than “New Rose” for you kids playing at home.
Dipping into our voluminous and cluttered editorial vaults, here are a few punk classics—story-wise, that is—from Gibson. Not only do we build the guitars that built punk, we’ve made sure to give credit where credit is due along the way.
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Duane Allman:
November 20, 1946 - October 29, 1971
Rest in peace, Skydog
Louisiana Man Wins Gibson Sam Bush Signature Mandolin!
Steve Meier of Lake Charles, Louisiana was the Grand Prize winner of the Gibson Original Acoustic Sam Bush Signature mandolin contest—a historic contest with a gorgeous prize at stake. More than 32,000 people visited the Gibson website to enter the random drawing to win the mandolin, designed and hand-signed by bluegrass legend Sam Bush. Upon hearing the news that he’d been selected as the winner of the mandolin, valued at $9,999.95, Meier couldn’t have been more thrilled.
“My mandolin arrived this weekend,” Meier said Monday. “It is awesome. The craftsmanship is unreal. I hate putting it back in its case.”
The mandolin that Meier received was personally inspected and signed by Bush, who first designed the model in 2000 to replicate his beloved 1937 Gibson F-5, which he fondly calls Ole Hoss. Distinguished by its larger neck, wider fingerboard, and broader spacing between the string-pairs, Bushs mandolin is one of the finest in the industry. Today, he continues to personally oversee the production of each Sam Bush mandolin made at the Gibson facility in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Its a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock and Roll): Real Life on the Road
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Somewhere in Germany: Shattered Image
I am a U.S. Army soldier stationed in Germany—actually West Germany—and I’ve had the distinct opportunity to play several USAREUR (United States Army Europe) talent shows with my heavy metal cover band, Shattered Image, and my 1984 Gibson Les Paul Black Beauty. All of the band members are active duty Army soldiers, and participation in such events isn’t the easiest thing to get approval for. You also have to get used to not getting much sleep, or not sleeping at all, because under Army regulations, we’re not allowed to miss scheduled military training of any kind—including kitchen detail—to take part in extracurricular activities.
As far as cover bands go, were actually not that bad. We entered the local USAREUR talent show and won the first round. Unfortunately, this required us to travel to participate in the regional USAREUR show, which also required a lot more preparation and shuffling of schedules, as well as approval from our commanding officer. Shuffling our schedules wasnt a problem, but getting approval from our commanding officer was like pulling the nose hairs off an already agitated bull.
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Country Legend Porter Wagoner Dies at 80
Gibson bids a fond farewell to country legend Porter Wagoner. The singer died Sunday, October 28 in Nashville at the age of 80. This news comes just a few weeks after it was announced that Wagoner had been hospitalized with lung cancer.
A frequenter of the Grand Old Opry stage, Wagoner is credited for launching the career of Dolly Parton, and is himself behind a string of country hits in the '60s.
Most always decked out in one of his ubiquitous rhinestone suits, Wagoner will continue to shine brightly in the memories of fans worldwide.
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The Dropkick Murphys' Marc Orrell on Lucky Breaks and One Tough Epiphone
If you don’t think you’ve ever heard the Dropkick Murphys’ music, think again. “When people ask me what I do, I say ‘I’m in a band called the Dropkick Murphys’—and if they still haven’t heard of us, I say we had that song in The Departed and they instantly know what I’m talking about,” explains the band’s guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Marc Orrell. “That movie helped us become a household name—and I think it also helped our album [The Meanest of Times] debut in the Billboard Top 20, which was unreal.”
That star-making song, “I’m Shipping Up To Boston,” features lyrics from legendary protest singer Woody Guthrie and was originally included on the Dropkick Murphys’ 2005 album The Warrior’s Code and passed on to the film’s director Martin Scorsese by the Band’s Robbie Robertson. “Amazingly, I guess Robbie is a fan of ours and knew Martin from The Last Waltz; he heard he was doing a film about Boston, so he passed our song along because it has a really Irish feel,” Orrell explains. “We were in Europe and we saw the trailer on our computer and we were like, ‘Oh my God, it’s even the trailer—this is going to be huge!’”
Impressive as it may be, this is only the latest milestone in the Boston band’s decade-long career which has also included performing at Fenway Park and re-recording the song “Tessie,” recently reserved as the rallying call for the MLB Champions. Gibson has proudly been sitting shotgun throughout the entire crazy ride. “I have to play a Gibson when I play guitar,” Orrell explains, adding that his main axes include a 1972 SG, 1973 Les Paul Custom, and 1974 Les Paul Standard. “I’m very self-conscious about my face and body, so I have to have something that’ll make me look cool.”
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Gibson Recommends Dashboard Confessional The Shade of Poison Trees (Free MP3 Stream!)
Chris Carrabba is far more than a one-trick pony, as he proves on this emotion-laden—but not pure emo—return to action.
Far more stripped-down than last year's Dusk and Summer, the new disc focuses almost exclusively on Carrabba’s expressive voice and increasingly intricate fretwork—the latter of which is showcased vividly on the dramatic “Thick as Thieves,” on which he wields his J-45. The singer does tend to push the envelope in terms of intensity, bringing a tinge of bitterness to “Matters of Blood and Urgency” and “Little Bombs,” but in contrast to the band’s earliest work, he also displays a good sense of when to give the listener the chance to catch his or her breath.
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A Closer Look: Joy Division
Joy Division has always been one of those bands that occupy a unique space—short-lived, cagey, dark and tragic, they burned quick and bright. While hindsight has proved a double-edge sword as far critical evaluation, what’s unquestionable is that the band became a touchstone and reference point.
Formed in 1976 in Manchester, England, the band went through several lineup alternations and name changes before becoming Joy Division in 1977. The lineup featured lead singer Ian Curtis, guitarist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook, and drummer Stephen Morris. Inspired by the D.I.Y.-ethos of the Sex Pistols, the primacy of Iggy Pop and, in certain ways, the Doors, along with the trippy, droning haze of the Velvet Underground, Joy Division cut a new swath with their music. Helping to spearhead the burgeoning sound of Manchester at the famed club The Factory, the band eventually signed to the venue’s label, Factory Records, despite Curtis’ entertainment of offers from major labels like RCA and Warner Bros.
Joy Division’s full-length debut, Unknown Pleasures, was released in June 1979, and showed a considerable maturation from the group’s earlier more ragged work. Thanks in large part to producer Martin Hannett, the band’s sound was significantly more spacious as Sumner’s guitar and Hook’s bass became as important as Curtis’ voice—squalls of thick feedback, tension-ridden hooks, high-toned bass work that was at once inviting and chilling. Sumner would often use a customized Gibson SG without the Vibrola for his distinct sound while Hook cut his teeth using a Gibson EBO. Later that year, the band’s status was propelled further with Curtis’ appearance on the cover of New Music Express and the championing of legendary DJ John Peel, who had the band on his radio show for live sessions.
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Player Profile: The Appearance (Free MP3 Download!)
BAND: The Appearance
HOMETOWN: Orange County, California
PLAYERS: Alan Oakes (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Chad Kulengosky (lead guitar, backing vocals), Jason Nelson (bass), Justin McCarthy (drums)
WHAT TO BUY: The band’s debut album, Lost In Aurora (Adrenaline Music Group), sports a driving, hard rock sound tempered by pop-based melodies and the occasional arena-worthy ballad. Walls of guitars and stinging riffs abound. Oakes’ vocals combine a serrated, metal edge with boyish yearning. “As far as our general sound goes, there are pop influences, punk influences, and good old solid rock influences,” says Oakes. “It’s a mix. I hear lots of different things there.”
GUITARS: SG Gothic (Oakes), Epiphone Les Paul Standard (Oakes), ’72 Les Paul Standard (Kulengosky). “I first started playing guitar when I was 11 or 12 years old,” says Oakes, who’s now 27. “I took lessons for about three months, but I enjoyed sitting in my room, trying to learn from listening to records, much more than learning about theory. I got the Epiphone when I was about 14 and I got the SG a few years back. I love the SG’s warm sound―both clean and with full gain. You really can’t beat it." About the Les Paul Standard, Kulengosky says: “I like the consistent, ballsy tone I get when I plug it into practically any decent amp.”
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