New Tracks And Lessons:

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Alice Cooper, Social Distortion and 'Funk and R&B Styles Part 2'

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Damn the Torpedoes

Cover:   Refugee From their first Top 10 album, which quickly went platinum, 'Damn The Torpedoes' garnered both commercial and critical acclaim. "Refugee", the second single, peaked at #15 on the singles chart, and was ubiquitous for most of 1980. The combination of Petty's gutsy vocal, Mike Campbell's raw, signature guitar, and Benmont Tench's punchy-yet-haunting keyboard riff hit a bulls eye.

Lesson:   Funk and R&B Guitar Styles Part 2 Hi and welcome back to the second installment of "Funk and R&B Guitar Styles". In the first lesson we looked at riffs and grooves inspired by R&B and Funk giants such as James Brown, the Meters, and Curtis Mayfield. In this lesson we will check out licks you can use for introductions and some other things R&B and Funk players use regularly. So grab your tele, strat, les paul, 335, starcaster, hollow body, or whatever you got, and set the amp to clean and start grooving.

Alice Cooper - Killer

Cover:   Under My Wheels This take-no-prisoners, hard rock classic from the 'Killer' album is one of Alice Cooper's best (it also appears on the group's Greatest Hits collection). With it's energetic, tension filled melody and riffs, and a campy lyric oozing with a twisted sense of humor, it's quintessential Alice Cooper.

Social Distortion - Social Distortion

Cover:   Ball and Chain This hit single by Social Distortion (from their self-titled, third album) remains a concert staple and fan favorite. Singer-songwriter Mike Ness described it as "a hard luck story" and a "folk prayer". Some of the best punk rock to ever come out of Southern California, and one of the band's finest moments by far.