In this week’s episode of the ArtistWorks Music Series podcast, our co-founder Patricia Butler sits down with shred guitar icon and ArtistWorks rock guitar instructor, Paul Gilbert, to discuss his latest holiday album release, ‘TWAS. Together, they explore the album’s writing and recording process, musical selection, wide breadth of featured genres, and more. The show is available wherever you listen to podcasts, or you can listen here at ArtistWorks.

LEARN MORE: Want to learn how to play electric guitar from a rock master like Paul Gilbert? Try a free online guitar lesson now!

For many of us, the holiday season just hasn’t begun until we’ve heard “Frosty the Snowman,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” or “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” on the radio or television. Who doesn’t love the classic performances of these tunes by Gene Autry, Frank Sinatra, or Judy Garland? And, let’s certainly not forget Mariah Carey’s timeless rendition of “All I Want for Christmas is You.”

Some of us, however, prefer a more modern take on these holiday standards and crave some fresh flair with each new winter season—enter Paul Gilbert and his brand new album release, ‘TWAS.

Paul’s new twelve-track record presents ten familiar holiday classics, including “Frosty the Snowman,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” to name a few, as well as two original holiday songs that were written by Paul specifically for the record—“Three Strings for Christmas” and “Every Christmas Has Love.”

“I’ve heard these holiday songs a lot, and I remember thinking a few years back that I’d had enough of them,” Paul explains. “But, somehow when I heard a few of these tunes this past summer, it just brought out something special. These songs just have great melodies!”

Unlike Paul’s last album, Werewolves of Portland, for which Paul recorded all of the instruments on the album himself, Paul was able to record the entirety of ‘TWAS live with a group of hand-selected musicians to accompany him. This allowed Paul to stretch his creative limbs and pack ‘TWAS with a smattering of elements from a variety of genres like jazz, blues, funk, soul, and R&B.

“Christmas songs are typically arranged with a really strong central melody that repeats a few times, and that’s usually about it,” Paul explains. “So, after listening to how other folks had arranged these songs in the past, I wanted to put my own unique spin on these classics.”

To learn more about ‘TWAS, the album’s development process, and more, listen to the full podcast with Paul Gilbert here:

If you’re interested in studying electric guitar and learning more about Paul’s one-of-a-kind shred guitar methods, check out his online guitar lessons right here at ArtistWorks!

ABOUT THE ARTISTWORKS MUSIC SERIES:

On the ArtistWorks Music Series, CEO Patricia Butler speaks with master musicians across all genres who teach at ArtistWorks. Join them as they dive deep into topics like becoming a musician, playing at all skill levels, and the journey of learning music.

Looking to dive into more music podcasts? You’ve come to the right place. Investigate previous episodes where plenty of topics are explored with fantastic, hand-selected, and knowledgeable guests.

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