New year, new mag!
Well okay, it’s the same mag, but there IS a new issue of it! We’re kicking Australian Guitar’s 2021 off with an epic double-length AC/DC cover story, featuring two in-depth interviews with Angus Young. Even for someone who admittedly isn’t that big a fan of the High Voltage rockers (sorry, dads of the world), I’d argue it’s a pretty solid read. We grabbed both interviews from the syndication system – if I’m not mistaken, they’re both from the UK – and honestly, this is the most stoked I’ve been about having access to Future’s massive stable of in-house content. I always want to make our cover stories unique and tailored to AG wherever possible, but I am really excited to bring Australian readers more awesome stories from that pile throughout 2021. I started working on #142 today and the cover artist on the top of my wishlist is extremely selective about who they grant interviews, so I’ll probably end up syndicating a piece for that one as well – but of course, I have my fingers crossed I can wrangle something up myself. Praying every night to the gods of rock ’n’ roll.
Anyway, #141! We’ve used this edition to backflip a bit on the approach to content that carried us through 2020 – where the last few issues were jam-packed with a whole bunch of small features spanning one to three pages, this one features a small amount of really big, in-depth features. There’s a beautiful deep-dive into the origins of the blues, celebrating the players that not only invented, but individualised the genre. There’s a piece that explores the women around the world who are shaking up the lutherie game – who are not only destroying the notion that only men can build great guitars, but taking real innovative leaps forward in the design sphere. There’s the ultimate guide to building the ultimate pedalboard, a ten-page technique bootcamp, and an intro to the world of podcasting (because let’s face it, are you really a musician in the 2020s if you’re not also a podcaster?).
And then there’s all the interviews – so many interviews! I had the incredible privilege of yarning with some absolute legends for this issue, like Billy Corgan, Orianthi, Julien Baker, Steven Wilson… I had a great chat with my all-time favourite musician, Laura Jane Grace (who is always such a fantastic interviewee, all fan bias aside), and had the time of my life talking shit with Heather from Pale Waves – who are about to drop a very easy contender for 2021’s AOTY.
You can read more about what’s in the issue over on the Guitar World site. Copies are on sale now at newsagents all around Australia, online via Techmags and iSubscribe, and digitally wherever great magazines can be downloaded.
