About

Liam is a British musician who specializes in all things guitar, audio, and gear.

He was trained as a guitar technician at the Oxford Guitar Gallery and currently teaches at multiple music schools across the UK.

As a music producer, Liam has access to cutting-edge hardware and software including plugins, which are an obsession of his!

Apart from just music, Liam is also experienced in editing podcasts and video, so he may as well be the last friend anyone needs when it comes to audio & video handholding!

Liam's key skillset includes purchasing unnecessary guitar equipment and accumulating far too many plugins!

Hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, Alexis has been performing since her childhood!

She picked up the violin at age 8 and has been attempting to make interesting sounds with it, sometimes even successfully, since then.

Currently, she plays with instrumental rock band Larkspurs and an improvisational collaboration called The Bone Stitchers.

Aside from adding effects to her pedalboard and discovering exciting new artists, few things delight her more than writing about all things music in support of the music community at large.

A skilled and passionate bluesman, Brad has been wielding his guitar for as long as he can remember. His love for the blues runs deep and is ever-present in his soulful playing, where every note is infused with raw emotion and depth.

When it comes to playing the guitar, Brad reaches for his trusty telecaster, which allows him to bring a wide range of sounds to life. This versatile instrument has been by his side through countless gigs, providing the perfect foundation for Brad to express himself through his music.

In addition to his guitar playing, Brad is also a professional producer, lending his ear and expertise to various artists to help them realize their musical visions. He knows how to coax the best performance out of musicians, all while bringing his own unique style to the mix.

When Brad isn't busy creating music, he enjoys exploring and testing new gear. He knows that the right tools can take an already great performance to new heights, and is constantly experimenting with new ways to perfect his craft.

Hey there! My name is Santiago, but my friends call me Sandel. I absolutely love telecasters and all-mahogany Martins.

Besides that, I am a professional writer, guitar player, self-confessed guitar nerd, and all-things-guitar consumer. I have been playing for 25 years which makes me a nineties kid with a serious low-tuning youngster years, and a pop palate for melodies, ballads, and world music.

Whenever I’m not pouring all that experience and love for the instrument into articles, you can find me playing live shows supporting my music and poetry books as “Sandel”. If I’m not doing either of those, you can also find me gigging with my band, “San Juan”, writing, reading, or enjoying the Sun.

I hope you find my content helpful and that it works as a friend’s voice who tells you how to avoid pitfalls and continue to get better as a player.

See you out there, where the music lives, on a stage.

James is a true music aficionado, with a passion that extends far beyond just playing the guitar, which he's been playing for longer than he can remember. He's also a home recording enthusiast and has a small (but functional!) setup at home.

Apart from recording, playing live with his band and writing songs, he's also an avid music listener with a deep interest in the latest and greatest technologies and audio gear, such as headphones and speakers.

James is also super proud of his ever-growing collection of vinyl records, a large amount of which he exhibits on a wall inside his home studio!

Apart from covering guitar and audio gear for Music Strive, James also tackles highly-technical topics like nobody else, thanks to his passion for tech in general.

Originally from Denver, Colorado, Richard had a passion for music from all the way back in his early teenage years. Apart from playing the guitar, he’s also into music production.

He’s recorded in some of the most prominent studios of the Denver area, including Side 3 Studios and CCM Recording Studios.

He’s toured coast-to-coast with his alt rock band. At the start of his musical career, he was a very active busker in downtown Denver. He wanted to pursue his passion of music full-time, so side jobs didn’t seem that much appealing.

He’s currently involved in several projects, and regularly learning new things. He finds the time to share those on Music Strive.

Brian is a music educator based out of Columbus, Ohio. He has been playing the piano since elementary school and the guitar since grade 7.

Growing up, he moved frequently between Colorado and West Africa. He credits this for opening his eyes to the rich tapestry of music that exists in the world, and inspiring him to pursue his own musical journey.

In addition to his work as a teacher, Brian is also an accomplished writer and musician in his own right. He draws inspiration from a wide range of musical influences, including J.S. Bach, Bill Evans, John Coltrane, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles and Radiohead.

When not making music or teaching, Brian enjoys spending time in the great outdoors. He's an avid hiker, traveler, and reader, and he's also a coffee aficionado, always seeking out the perfect shot of espresso.

As a sound engineer, Dedrich regularly handles studio recording and mixing duties.

He's been playing guitar, bass and keyboard since a very young age. As a multi-instrumentalist, he often has to be the drop-in bassist or keyboardist during his sound mixing endeavors.

He has an immense passion for gear, and has tested almost every popular pedal, amp and pickup in existence.

Dedrich has to frequently travel cross-country for studio work, and this has allowed him to test more hard cases and shipping boxes than he remembers.

Dedrich covers most of the guitar and bass gear for us here on Music Strive. Classic rock and punk are his favorite genres!

Brett is still in his 20’s, and yet his extensive drumming knowledge has led him to teach students at 3 different educational institutions in his hometown of East London, South Africa.

Brett not only has extensive fundamental knowledge about drumming, he’s also quite enthusiastic when it comes to drumming gear.

He’s also pretty active on Instagram, where he regularly shares his drumming videos. Here’s Brett in action:

Joseph is a drummer who’s part of the metal band Cultt of She. As a drummer, he has endorsements with TRX Cymbals, Scorpion Percussion and Grombal Cymbal Mounts.

He’s also associated with acts like The Maension, Dave Simmons and Square Hammer (Ghost Tribute).

Joseph is also a prominent actor, seen in award winning films like ‘My Brother’s Girlfriend’, ‘Second Thoughts’, ‘Vinyl’ and several others.

Here’s him in action in one of their music videos: