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Michael Astley-Brown

@michaelastleybrown

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@guitarworldmagazine Digital Editor-in-Chief. Nerdy post-/math-/prog-rock as @maebe.music.

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It's been a good week for interviewing heroes. @markhoppus took the time to guide me through his new @fender Jag Bass, writing with Tom and Travis, and where blink-182 are at with their next album. blink were heeeuge for me growing up, and I still use all their melodic and octave tricks in my playing today, so this was pretty magical. Up top on @guitarworldmagazine / @bassplayerweb right about now

#markhoppus #blink182 #fender #bassplayer #guitarworld by @michaelastleybrown

The first three @museband albums practically taught me how to play electric guitar. I studied those tab books endlessly - they were a font of knowledge when it came to Buckley-esque chord voicings, catchy riff writing and inventive lead playing. I'd interviewed @mattbellamy on the phone during Covid, but it was a real full-circle moment to visit @mansonguitarworks and thank him in person for all the inspiration. Then grill him on why he's addicted to playing Rage Against the Machine riffs at every show. Full interview up top on the @guitarworldmagazine site today

#mattbellamy #muse #mansonguitars #guitarworld by @michaelastleybrown

A joy to see my review of @anginedepoitrine's otherworldly live show in a recent issue of @guitarworldmagazine. I'm predominantly a digital man these days, but my roots are in print, and the thrill of seeing my name on the page has never left

#anginedepoitrine #guitarworld #guitarmagazine #guitarist #guitarlife by @michaelastleybrown

Our intrepid digital editor-in-chief, @michaelastleybrown, recently got an exclusive tour of @officialjackwhite’s rig before his gig at Bristol, UK’s Prospect Building, via White’s guitar tech and chief @thirdmanhardware collaborator, Dan Mancini. He even got to play through it! The rest of us are only a liiiitle jealous. Just a little...

#jackwhite #thirdman #guitar #guitarrig #rig by @michaelastleybrown

I don't want to make a big deal out of this, but I played through @officialjackwhite's actual guitar rig. At skeleton-shaking stage volume. It had 20 pedals, six of which were fuzzes. Proper career highlight stuff. Full video is on the @guitarworldmagazine YouTube channel and my writeup of the experience is on the site. Much love to Jack's tech and @thirdmanhardware mastermind Dan Mancini for being one of the biggest sweethearts in the game and letting me sweat all over Jack's stuff

📸 @dan_camera_smith

#jackwhite #guitarworld #guitargear #guitarist #guitaristsofinstagram by @michaelastleybrown

When my old amp blew up onstage, I gave the @blackstaramps Amped 1 a try. It quickly became one of the most important pieces of gear in my rig. I used it to record the new Maebe album. I've played it through 4x12s at @arctangentfestival and @rdrfestival, and run it direct into PAs across the UK. It takes pedals so well, it convinced me to switch from modeling. My bandmate bought one after trying mine. This is not an ad, just me being generally hyped on a piece of gear that not enough people are raving about and has genuinely made my life easier #blackstaramps #guitaramp #guitarist #guitarplayer #guitargear by @michaelastleybrown

@mikevennart won't remember this, but 16 years ago, I told him how much his band Oceansize meant to me. I might have rambled about them being the perfect blend of Mogwai, Soundgarden and every other artist I adored. We took this goofy picture. Then they split up a few months later. I don't think a band ending has ever affected me quite so much.

When I got into this guitar journalism lark, I vowed to one day write a feature detailing their influence – because it goes deeper than anyone in that group realises. It's taken the best part of a year to track down all the folks I wanted to speak to, and I'm more proud of this @guitarworldmagazine piece than anything else I've written. This band matters. Niche music matters. Progressive, sky-scraping, otherworldly, weird-ass music matters. It changes lives. It helped me through every difficult moment in my own existence, and inspired me to make weird-ass music with three guitarists.

Big thanks to @mishaperiphery, @nollyggd and @yvetteyoung for giving up their time to talk to me about how singularly brilliant this band is. Thank you to Mike for sharing these stories. And thank you to Oceansize for championing big, high-concept songs that don't always make sense when you first hear them, but go on to unfurl and embed themselves in your brain over weeks, months, years, decades. We need more music like that in this world

#oceansize #guitarworld #progrock #progressiverock #musicjournalism by @michaelastleybrown

Playing @rdrfestival was a huge moment for my band @maebe.music. Endlessly grateful to everyone at the fest for being such sound people and supporting weird instrumental bands like us. Big up @jezpennington for these shots 📸

#radarfestival #mathrock #postrock #progrock #livemusicphotography by @michaelastleybrown

Nearly got it 🥵 (come see me mess this up with @benthos_official at @thegraceldn on 31 July and @rdrfestival on 2 Aug 🤙)

#guitarsolo #shredguitar #guitaristsofinstagram #mathrock #offsetguitars by @michaelastleybrown

"Once I cottoned on to the potential of the HX ecosystem, I took the plunge on the HX Stomp XL. That meant more footswitches, more potential, and it finally forced me to get my head around its MIDI capabilities. I’d always been terrified of MIDI – I’m a words guy, not a numbers nerd. But HX made it easy." - @michaelastleybrown.

ICYMI: In the latest Model Citizens blog post, GuitarWorld.com Editor-in-Chief and @maebe.music guitarist explains "Why The HX Stomp is the Ultimate Pedalboard Enhancer."

Link in our bio or head to blog.line6.com. by @michaelastleybrown

"When I first bought the HX Stomp, I never imagined it would become the most important pedal in my guitar rig. The flexibility it has afforded me as a guitarist has simplified my setup, honed my tone and made me more confident in my live performances." - @michaelastleybrown.

In the latest Model Citizens blog post, the GuitarWorld.com Editor-in-Chief and @maebe.music guitarist explains how the HX Stomp became the centerpiece of his rig.

Link in our bio or head to blog.line6.com. by @michaelastleybrown

Our new album, Brain Paint, is out today! It's our first full-band release, and if I've learned anything since starting Maebe, it's that it takes a village to make an album. So huge thank yous go to @dom_mitchison_producer at @humm_studios for making the drums sound so huge, @tompeters_producer for mixing the many layers of guitar orchestrations and @stephen_kerrison for making two sessions recorded a year apart sound like one epic album.

Big love to @ollycurtisphoto for masterminding video, snapping the band and accidentally shooting the album cover. Shoutout to @nathfiction_design for laying everything out and making it look all purdy. Huge thanks to @weareripcord for handling CDs and promotion, and to @wallofsoundpr for getting the album in so many ears.

Most of all, thanks to @niclass_app, @patrickjdacosta, @duncanstagg and Will for playing their arses off and making Maebe a Proper Band. Brain Paint is all the better for it.

Finally, thank YOU for listening. We are so proud of this album. Let us know your favourite tracks. And we'll see you on tour, starting next week. Love and gratitude, Mike x by @michaelastleybrown