No. 276, December 2015

On the cover: The Art of the Axe—nine guitar inlay artists show and discuss their magnificent creations. Special Focus: The DADGAD Way—three masters of the Celtic tuning demonstrate its versatility: Pierre Bensusan, Sarah McQuaid and Dáithi Sproule. Plus, Developing melodic solos, Don Henley returns to his country roots, David Rawlings’ new Southern Gothic album Nashville Obsolete, Yo La Tengo strip down acoustic (again), David Hidalgo on Los Lobos’ Gates of Gold. Also, we have songs to play—George Harrison’s gospel turn on “Hear Me Lord,” the Left Banke’s 1966 smash “Walk Away Renée,” and Charley Jordan’s classic blues “Keep It Clean’; gear reviews—Lichty’s powerful Small Jumbo, Takamine’s electro-acoustic EF360S-TT, and Mackie’s feature rich Freeplay personal PA;  CDs, including Shawn Colvin’s Uncovered, Tom Russell’s The Rose of Roscrae: A Ballad of the West, Beppe Gambetta and Tony McManus’ Round Trip; and much more.