Our columnist shares a 6-string moment with Willie in 2004.
Over the years, I’ve done two TV shows with Willie Nelson—Nashville Star in 2004, and a CMA award show a few years later. On TV sets, there’s a lot of standing-around time while producers fiddle with lights and other details. What struck me both times was that whenever the action stopped, Willie did not stand around: He’d get on the ground and rip out a bunch of pushups. No wonder that today, at 92, Willie Nelson is still out there, braids swinging and beating Trigger, his Martin N-20 he bought new in 1969, like it owes him money. Willie and that guitar have both ridden some hard miles that have left them a bit threadbare, but to my ears, their voices are a bit warmer, softer, and darker for it—like weathered tapestry. You have to marvel at his endurance. In an era where artists tour sparingly and drop albums like rare comets, Willie Nelson is a throwback to a time when musicians lived to play and create, night after night, record after record.
Willie’s numbers tell the story. Since his debut album, …And Then I Wrote, in 1962, he’s released 153 albums—76 solo studio records, 26 collaborations, 14 live albums, 51 compilations, and soundtracks like The Electric Horsemanand Honeysuckle Rose. That’s roughly 2.5 albums per year over 62 years. His latest, 2024’s Last Leaf on the Tree, proves he’s still got something to say. Compare that to today’s artists: Many release an album every two to three years, often with heavy promotion and long breaks. Billie Eilish, a generational talent, has three albums since 2019. Taylor Swift, a prolific outlier, has averaged roughly one album per year since 2006. Willie’s output dwarfs them all.
Then there’s the road. Estimating Willie’s live shows is like counting stars, but conservative math suggests he’s played 4,700 to 10,000 gigs since the 1950s. In his peak decades (1960s–2010s), he averaged 50–100 shows annually, from honky-tonks with Ray Price to headlining Farm Aid, which he co-founded in 1985. A 2018 Rolling Stone piece noted that even at 85 he was still clocking 100 dates a year. That same year, his harmonica player, Mickey Raphael, claimed to have played over 5,400 shows with Willie since 1973. Today’s artists? Many cap tours at 20–50 dates, citing burnout or “self-care.” The contrast is stark: Willie’s work ethic is a relic of a bygone era.
Why the difference? Part of it is cultural. In Willie’s day, musicians survived on gigs and records, not streams or brand deals. The 1960s and ’70s demanded constant output—labels expected albums, fans expected shows. Willie, Waylon, and the Outlaw crew thrived in that grind, playing dives and arenas alike. Today, streaming platforms prioritize singles over albums, and social media rewards viral moments over sustained creation. Artists can tour less and still profit through merch and sync deals. Willie’s era had no such shortcuts.
But it’s not just economics. Willie’s drive feels existential. Born in 1933, he’s outlived the male life expectancy of his time (59.1 years) and today’s (74.8 years). Despite early years of heavy smoking and drinking—traded for marijuana in 1978—Willie’s still here, defying odds. I suspect it’s because he has to create. Music isn’t just his job; it’s his oxygen. Compare that to modern artists who pause careers for side hustles or other non-musical reasons. There’s wisdom in balance, but Willie’s relentless output suggests purpose fuels longevity.
He’s got things to do, but he never seems rushed … he’s just always moving. Like his 1993 song says: “Still is still moving to me / I swim like a fish in the sea all the time / But if that’s what it takes to be free, I don’t mind / Still is still moving to me / Still is still moving to me.”
Willie cut his classic 1975 record, Red Headed Stranger, in a week, and on a shoestring budget. It’s not a polished effort, but it carries a lived-in authenticity, each track a snapshot of a moment. Today’s overproduced tracks can feel like products, not stories. Stranger feels like Willie is an old friend sitting in your living room, singing his story.
What can we learn from Willie? For musicians, it’s a reminder that creation is a muscle—use it or lose it. The road, the studio, the stage … these are where songs are born, not in boardrooms or Instagram reels. Willie’s not chasing trends; he’s chasing truth. His 153 albums aren’t all masterpieces, but they’re all him. Modern artists could take a cue: make more, fear less. Quantity breeds quality when you’re unafraid to fail.
Willie has had plenty of tragedy and struggle, but one of his superpowers is his ability to let go of worry and lean into the good in life. As he has said, “Worry will make you sick. I’ve never seen it accomplish anything. I’ve never seen worrying about something change it, so I decided not to do it. Every negative thought you have releases poison into your system … so if you’re thinking negatively about something, erase that.”
In a world of fleeting hits and curated personas, he’s a beacon of what it means to live for the music. Maybe that’s why he’s still here, outlasting time itself.
This is a lesson in what I call “finding dissonance in tonality.” The goal here is to focus on creating arpeggiated chord shapes and riffs that use tense intervals like 2nds, tritones, and 7ths, while still remaining in a particular key signature. This creates a haunting and moody sound that I often like to think of as “pretty dissonance.” In these examples we will find progressions that are dissonant yet still diatonic. It is a sound I use quite often in my own music and one that my ears are naturally drawn to.
Ex. 1
Ex. 1 demonstrates this concept by picking a key—in this case A minor. Then, I decide on a modal sound in that key (D Dorian). Next, we construct chord shapes in that key to include things like stacks of 2nds, or tritones mixed with 2nds. We have to look at our key signature and find which notes give us 2nds, tritones and 7ths. In this case, the notes we want to utilize are B and C, and E and F for our minor 2nds (or major 7ths depending on which note is in the bass). We’ll use A and B, D and E, and G and A for our major 2nds, and F and B for our tritones.
You might find that this example has a pleasing sound, despite the dissonance, since Dorian has a dreamy and nostalgic feeling to it. Yet the particular mix of intervals gives it a certain tension. The stretches here can be challenging, and there is a bit of movement around the neck. This example sounds best when played with a clean sound with all the notes ringing out together. We also have some time signature changes to keep us paying attention as well.
Ex. 2
For Ex. 2, we’re in the key of G major and are focusing on using a combination of 2nds, tritones, and 7ths to create some lush modal chords. The tension in these chords in particular is created by the G root note of chord one ringing against the F# on the D string, creating a major 7th. Then, we have that same F# hitting a C to create a tritone. Finally, the C to open B string at the top is creating a minor 2nd. Chord two has the major 7th again with the low C to B, then we have a major 2nd with the E to F#, and at the top of the chord, that same F# against the open E, creating another major 2nd. The final chord uses tritones again with the F# to C and then up to F# again. The top of the chord has an A to open B creating a major 2nd. This is a good example of how to create uplifting, major-key progressions that have a little spice to them.
Ex. 3
Ex. 3 takes the same chords of Ex. 2 but “octave displaces” certain notes to create wider spread voicings. The note relationships are still the same, it’s just that some notes have now been placed an octave higher throughout the progression. This makes it a bit more challenging to play, so I’ve taken the bpm down a bit. In general, I recommend practicing these very slowly at first and aiming for clarity and articulation. Utilizing the approach of octave displacing can create some very interesting melodic sequences. It is a fantastic way of creating a variation out of something you’ve already written.
So far these examples have been fairly light and bright sounding despite the dissonance in the chords. Ex. 4 gets a little darker and more tense. It’s also in 5/4 time. Based in the key of D minor, this riff heavily focuses on using minor 2nds. First, I look at the key signature, which has one flat: Bb. Next, I find which notes in the D minor scale give me minor 2nds. These notes are A to Bb and E to F. Bb to E also gives me a tritone. Once again, there is a bit of movement all around the neck in a short amount of time.
Ex. 5
Ex. 5 is again in D minor but more of a lower-register riff. In this example, I also use a somewhat tense interval we haven’t talked about yet, the minor 6th. In the first three notes of the example, we have a D to an A. Nothing tense there, just a perfect 5th. Next, though, is an A to a Bb—a minor 2nd. In addition, the relationship between notes one and three is a minor 6th. This interval appears again as the last dyad in the first bar. Those first three notes (D, A, and Bb) give us a sus b6 chord shape. I first came across this chord in the song “Guardian” by Fates Warning. Their guitarist Jim Matheos uses a lot of these haunting interval combinations, which became an influence on me early on in my playing.
Ex. 6
I encourage you to find some chords and progressions of your own that take inspiration from this approach. I’ll leave you with Ex. 6, a simple way to start. Take some basic major and minor chord shapes and add extensions to them like 2nds, 4ths, 6ths, etc. Chord one is an Am(add9), which is the 2nd moved up an octave. Chord two is a Cmaj(add#4). Chord three is a Bm(add11/b9). Chord four can be thought of as an inversion of Cmaj(add#4). The E in the bass makes it sound very dark. Those new scale tones create extra tension and dissonance and automatically make what you’re playing sound more evocative. Try these ideas out and see what paths they take you down!
A: Besides my entire playing style and mess of a pedalboard? I’d say my Jagstang, which is my main touring guitar. It’s starting to become a bit of a Frankenstein's monster purely due to use (and destruction) on the road. Originally I just modified the bridge, replacing the standard one with a Fender American Pro Mustang bridge. This was supposed to help the strings stop slipping out of tune when I struck them too hard playing live. I have since lost the original tremolo bar (and the screws) so I can’t attach a new one. Instead, I duct-tape whatever Jazzmaster/Jaguar/Mustang one we have lying around on at every show because I’m too lazy to get it fixed. I should really get around to that…
Obsession: My current obsession at the moment is terrible (and rarely not-so-terrible) true-crime documentaries on Disney+/Starz. If what they say about smart people loving reality TV is true, then I must be a genius. From The Secrets of Hillsong to Mr. & Mrs. Murder, there is nothing that helps calm my brain or shut it down more than a terrible whodunnit. I love you, true crime. Never change.
Randall Brown - Reader of the Month
A: My most in-depth DIY so far is a sad tale! I tried to upgrade my very old and beaten-up—but still very playable—Memphis Les Paul copy with new tuners, bridge, and tailpiece. While working the posts in for the new tailpiece, I heard a wooden creak and a snap. My attempt to firmly plant the poles had caused the laminate top to politely separate halfway off the body. I bought wood glue and clamps to do more serious repairs, but I haven’t trusted my (lack of) skills to actually start. If I can’t find just the right YouTube tutorial, I might have to seek professional help.
Obsession: P-90 pickups and the music of Osees. I bought a Rivolta Zenyata earlier this year, and its neck-position P-90 has won my tone-heart. I love full-on humbuckers, but when I commence repairs on the old Memphis again, I want to replace its ancient no-name HBs with P-90s. Coincidentally, I’ve been obsessing over John Dwyer’s guitar wildness with Osees, and he gets amazing sounds out of his P-90-packed Les Paul Junior.
John Bohlinger - Nashville Correspondent
A: DIY is part of the guitar’s DNA. From its humble lute origin over 1,000 years ago, players have been altering the instrument ever since to create the sounds in our heads. Les Paul and Van Halen are prime examples of players who reshaped the instrument, and in doing so, reshaped music. I’ve tweaked every instrument I’ve owned, swapping pickups, sanding bodies, adding Bigsbys, adjusting setups, or hiring luthiers to add B-benders. Honestly, many of these DIY tangents have ended in expensive, frustrating, lateral trades. That’s the thing about obsessions: They do not call reason into question.
Bohlinger’s heavily modded PRS SE One, with swapped pickups, an added middle pickup and switch, and a B-bender.
Obsession: Of late, it’s working flatted or raised 5ths into solos. It’s fun to shoehorn in the devil’s interval, with its foreboding dissonance, and try to resolve into something sweet.
Luke Ottenhof - Associate Editor
A: I love DIYing stuff in my rig, even though I have little to no idea what I’m doing a lot of the time. Last year, I used an ill-equipped dremel to clumsily carve out space under a small aluminum pedalboard for my power supply, then superglued some rubber feet onto the board for more clearance underneath. A smarter person might have simply bought a board that could accommodate the power unit without mods, but where’s the fun in that?
Obsession: The new Alien: Earth series on FX. The major plot device is so original but totally believable, and the atmosphere is delightful: ’80s sci-fi aesthetics mixed with contemporary special effects and some bizarre, unsettling new creatures. Plus, the awesome needle drops at the end of each episode, featuring classic metal songs. TV can and should be this fun—while also still being very good.
Revv Amplification set the standard for clean lunchbox amplifiers in 2019 with the release of the D20: a portable all-tube amplifier & the world’s first with Two notes Torpedo-embedded direct XLR for zero-compromise tone & feel without a cabinet. 6 years later, Revv saw fit to raise the standard with the D20 MK2, featuring a host of tonal and functional upgrades based on feedback from some of the most respected recording & touring guitarists in the world. Even better - Joey Landreth is once again lending his ears to a Joey Landreth D20JL, promising the same MK2 improvements with additional headroom & top end on tap (not to mention the exclusive JL colorway); similar to the fan-favorite D25JL released earlier this year. Both heads now come standard in a new tolex lunchbox enclosure for an ideal combination of looks & weight reduction. Complete with onboard reverb & an included 2-button footswitch, the D20 MK2 & D20JL are ideal for any player looking for a single-channel clean/edge-of-breakup amp with a touch-sensitive feel & record-ready tone.
“These new D20s feel like a step towards the next generation of Revv. Getting to introduce these to the world all over again with 6 years of tone tweaks & workflow improvements is a dream come true & getting to work with Joey is always super fun. I really look forward to seeing what guitarists do with these.” - Dan Trudeau, President & Designer Revv Amplification Inc.
The D20 MK2 features:
The award-winning D20 platform w/ new switching, reverb, & tonal updates 6 years in the making.
All-tube design w/ 2x 12AX7 preamp + 2x 6V6 power tubes. Switchable from 20w to 4w operation.
Gain, Treble, Middle, Bass, Volume, Reverb, & Level controls + Treble & Gain Boost switches.
Perfect for clean & edge of breakup tones w/ an organic, touch-sensitive feel ideal for pedals.
Pristine digital reverb, transparent buffered effects loop, MIDI control, & more.
Two notes Torpedo-embedded reactive load & impulse response XLR out for direct performance & recording.
Special Joey Landreth Edition D20JL features tone tweaks & exclusive aesthetics inspired by the D25JL.
New standard tolex lunchbox design. 10” x 14.75” x 8.75” - 15.5lbs.
Manufactured in Canada to rigorous quality standards w/ 2 year limited warranty & included 2-button footswitch.
The street price for Revv’s D20 MK2 is $1349US, & $1499 for the D20JL. Both can be ordered immediately through many fine dealers worldwide or directly at www.revvamplification.com.
Epiphone is proud to continue its decades-long signature relationship with blues-rock legend Joe Bonamassa. Today, Epiphonehas released an attainable version of Bonamassa’s pristine and rare, vintage 1959 Black Beauty Les Paul™ Custom, bringing this remarkable instrument—offering vintage tone, elegant craftsmanship, and the unmistakable spirit of Bonamassa in a guitar built to inspire—to a wider audience. The Epiphone Joe Bonamassa ’59 Les Paul Custom is a limited-edition model now available worldwide at authorized dealers, Gibson Garage locations, and on www.epiphone.com.
Joe Bonamassa is widely renowned for his guitar-playing prowess and as a world-class guitar collector. One prized gem in his collection is his 1959 Gibson Les Paul Custom. The original Les Paul Custom became known as the “Black Beauty,” and examples from the late 50s are highly sought after, but this particular guitar is quite unique. Joe’s guitar is a rare custom order with two pickups instead of the standard three-pickup configuration. Adding to its allure, it also sports Grover® Imperial™ tuners and a Bigsby® vibrato tailpiece.
Designed to be both faithful and accessible, the Epiphone Joe Bonamassa ’59 Les Paul Custom features an Antique Ebony finish over a solid mahogany body, accented by aged multi-ply binding on the top and back. The mahogany neck sports a 1959 Rounded Medium C profile and is topped with a bound ebony fretboard, complete with 22 medium jumbo frets and dressed up with pearloid block inlays. The multi-ply bound 60s Kalamazoo-style headstock features the Epiphone logo and the iconic Custom Split Diamond inlay in mother-of-pearl and is outfitted with a low-friction Graph Tech® nut for excellent tuning stability.
The Joe Bonamassa ’59 Les Paul Custom is powered by a pair of punchy-sounding Epiphone ProBucker™ Custom pickups, which are wired to individual volume and tone controls using high-quality CTS® potentiometers for outstanding tonal versatility and reliability. As is fitting for a Les Paul Custom, the hardware is gold, including a LockTone™ Tune-O-Matic™ bridge, the Grover tuners, and the Bigsby B70 vibrato tailpiece. The combination of these elements creates an instrument that is not only visually stunning but also remarkably versatile in its sound. The Epiphone Joe Bonamassa ’59 Les Paul Custom comes with a certificate of authenticity and a hardshell case with “Nerdville” graphics. This limited-edition Epiphone Joe Bonamassa ’59 Les Paul Custom is a tribute to a legendary guitarist and an iconic guitar. It represents both a lasting investment and excellence in musical instrument craftsmanship. This release will be available in a limited quantity of 1,000 exclusively through Epiphone, the Gibson Garage, and authorized Epiphone dealers. In addition, a limited run of 300, with an exclusive custom inlay on the fretboard, will be available via the Joe Bonamassa webstore.
Blues-rock superstar Joe Bonamassa is one of the most celebrated performing musicians of today. As a 4X GRAMMY®-nominated artist and 15x Blues Music Award Nominee (4X winner), he recently notched his 29th No. 1 album on the Billboard Blues Chart with his latest studio release, Breakthrough, hailed as his most adventurous and genre-defying album to date. Live at the Hollywood Bowl With Orchestra became his 28th No. 1. Bonamassa has become a living legend with an astounding multi-genre catalog, releasing more than 50 albums, including studio and live recordings, as well as collaborative projects like Black Country Communion and Rock Candy Funk Party.
Recently, Bonamassa released Blues Summit 100— a massive 32-track project featuring multiple artists paying tribute to B.B. King; listen HERE. Bonamassa returns to the road this fall and will continue through his spring 2026 tour, dates below and HERE.
Catch Joe Bonamassa on tour in the following cities:
U.S. FALL TOUR 2025
November 3 – Columbus, OH – Palace Theatre
November 5 – Toronto, ON – The Theatre at Great Canadian Toronto
November 7 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre
November 8 – Fort Wayne, IN – Embassy Theatre
November 10 – Rockford, IL – Coronado Theatre
November 11 – Kansas City, MO – The Midland Theatre
November 14 – Durant, OK – Choctaw Grand Theater
November 15 – Houston, TX – Hobby Center
November 18 – Corpus Christi, TX – American Bank Center Selena Auditorium
November 19 – Abilene, TX – Abilene Auditorium
November 21 – Midland, TX – Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center
November 22 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at The Moody Theater
November 23 – Shreveport, LA – Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
November 25 – Fayetteville, AR – Walton Arts Center
November 26 – St. Louis, MO – Stifel Theatre
November 29 – New Orleans, LA – Saenger Theatre
November 30 – Montgomery, AL – Montgomery Performing Arts Centre
December 2 – Savannah, GA – Johnny Mercer Theatre
December 3 – Sarasota, FL – Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
December 5 – Estero, FL – Hertz Arena
December 6 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live
U.S. SPRING TOUR 2026
February 21 – South Bend, IN – The Morris Performing Arts Center
February 23 – Cedar Rapids, IA – Paramount Theatre
February 25 – Madison, WI – Overture Center for the Arts
February 27 – Peoria, IL – Prairie Home Alliance Theater
February 28 – Cincinnati, OH – Taft Theatre
March 2 – Wilkes-Barre, PA – F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts
March 4 – Springfield, MA – Springfield Symphony Hall
March 6 – Westbury, NY – Flagstar at Westbury Music Fair
March 7 – Pittsburgh, PA – Benedum Center
March 8 – Red Bank, NJ – Count Basie Center for the Arts
March 10 – Reading, PA – Santander Performing Arts Center
March 11 – Virginia Beach, VA – Sandler Center
March 13 – Durham, NC – DPAC
March 14 – Greenville, SC – Bon Secours Wellness Arena
March 17 – Knoxville, TN – Knoxville Civic Auditorium
March 19 – Huntsville, AL – VBC Mark C. Smith Concert Hall
March 20 – Macon, GA – Atrium Health Amphitheater
March 21 – Clearwater, FL – The BayCare Sound
March 25-29, 2026 – Miami, FL – Keeping The Blues Alive at Sea XI +
April 10-12, 2026 - Miramar Beach, FL - Sound Wave Beach Weekend +
+Sold Out
EU TOUR 2026
April 22 - Hamburg, DE - Barclays Arena
April 24 - Rotterdam, NL - Rotterdam Rtm Stage
April 25 - Paris, FR - La Seine Musicale
April 27 - Esch-sur-Alzette, LU - Luxembourg Rockhal
April 29 - Mannheim, DE - SAP Arena
May 1 - Chemnitz, DE - Stadthalle Chemnitz
May 2 - Nürnberg, DE - Psd Bank Nürnberg Arena
May 3 - Zürich, CH - Hallenstadion
May 6 - London, UK - Royal Albert Hall
May 7 - London, UK - Royal Albert Hall
October 21 - Helsinki, FL - Veikkaus Arena
October 23 - Stockholm, SE - Stockholm Avicii Arena
October 24 - Oslo, NO - Oslo Spektrum
October 25 - Gothenburg, SE - Göteborg Partille Arena
October 27 - Copenhagen, DK - K.B. Hallen København
October 29 - Rostock, DE - Stadthalle Rostock
October 30 - Berlin, DE - Uber Arena
October 31 - Dortmund, DE - Westfalenhalle
November 4 - Milan, IT - Unipol Forum
November 6 - Toulouse, FR - Zénith Toulouse Métropole
November 7 - Barcelona, ES - Barcelona Sant Jordi Club
