Nick Bowcott

WISHING ME OL' BAND MATE, "CHIEF", A FAR BEYOND HAPPY BIRTHDAY! This dodgy looking photo was taken way, way back in 1985 at the Texxas Jam at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Fast toward a sobering 42 years later, and Dave (a.k.a. "Chief"!) doesn't look a day older...darn him! But sadly, the same is not true of me! Happy Birthday, Chief...hope you get some beans, mate!! Loads and loads and loads of them! IMPORTANT PS. Dave has just put some new music out: head to his Facebook page for details and check it out, you might recognize the singer's much missed voice...the one-and-only, Steve freaking Grimmett!

GOOD TIMES WITH BAAD-ASSED MEN! My job freaking sucks...NOT! Yep,I'm still at work after a long, long day but guess what...I'm hanging out with and vibing off amazing playing by the one-and-only COC recording live in Sweetwater's Studio A. Great players, great songs, great guys and they're so tight yet greasy, it's just plain inspiring... no freaking click tracks or AI help needed here! Just four guys playing as one, with pure passion, fire and infectious energy. And as a bonus, they're far beyond funny. The planned riff interview with Pepper has been put on "raincheck" until next time, as they guys are having so much fun recording , they've decided to knock out a cover too... and their version of a deep cut by a certain Texan trio is freaking amazing. As a result, I'm sitting here grinning from ear to ear like a demented chimp. Yep, I repeat...my job really, really sucks!!

TO ALL THE MOTHERS OUT THERE I'M FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO KNOW... Have a wonderful, wonderful day...you've far beyond earned it!!

WANNA WIN TICKETS TO SEE THIS GEM?!? If you live in the Fort Wayne, IN, area and you wanna the chance to win tickets to see the new Iron Maiden Documentary, "Burning Ambition." on the big screen at the AMC movie theater at Jefferson Point - here's watcha do. Tuning into my weekly radio show, "Tales From the Hardside" at 10pm tonight on 963 XKE and all will be revealed. See you then.... GOOD LUCK & UP THE IRONS!!

R.I.P. D.A.C. – LEGENDARY OUTLAW COUNTRY REBEL ROUSER. To a great many folk, myself included, David Allan Coe not only embodied Outlaw Country, he exuded it. Sadly, the man often referred to as simply D.A.C. passed away yesterday – he was 86 years young. The reason a hard rock/metal head like me is paying reverent homage to the man behind classic country/rock songs such as “Longhaired Redneck” and, of course, “Take This Job and Shove It”? The aptly named and criminally overlooked 2006 album, “Rebel Meets Rebel” of course!! A true unpolished diamond that also features the talents of the much-missed Abbott Brothers, Dime and Vinnie, plus Pantera bassist, Rex Brown. Not surprisingly, this stellar quartet were credited on the album as “D.A.C. and the Cowboys From Hell.” Long story short, the late great Dime was a huge D.A.C. so after seeing him live he stood in a “long-assed line” for an autograph – typical Darrell! Most rock stars would’ve used their status to jump to the very front of the queue, but not him. Anyways, the pair hit it off and, as a result, the Rebel Meets Rebel collaboration was born. Sadly, the album was released after Dime was no longer with us and was put out on Vinnie Paul’s label - Big Vin. I was fortunate enough to interview both D.A.C. and Vinnie Paul for the resulting Guitar World story and was honored to be invited by Vince to play my Dime Tribute medley at the legendary “Clubhouse” (if you know, you know!) at the official record release for “Rebel Meets Rebel.” David was not only extremely friendly and funny, his love and respect for Dime was palpable. And, IMHO, the album rules – the song “Get Outta My Life” alone is well worth the price of the album. And as for the swagger of that opening riff? It’s Goddamned Electric – as is the rest of the song! As a tribute to his friend, Dime, D.A.C. frequently and aptly (that word again!) played a Rebel flag Dimebag signature guitar live. Far Beyond Perfect…. I have no doubt that as I thumb type this, D.A.C., Dime and Vinnie are enjoying a BlackToothGrin or three in God’s Tavern while the Dukebox is cranking “Rebel Meets Rebel.” RIP DAC…RIP

SABBATH & MEGADETH RIFFER MADNESS: DOUBLE DOWN! The only thing more fun than doing a favourite riff video with the almighty Uncle Ben (@benellerguitars )? Doing two and then releasing them simultaneously on YouTube: one on the Sweetwater channel and one on Ben's. So that's exactly what we did at 11AM EST this very morning. Links to both are in the comments below. Too many great riffs to choose from and so much freaking fun! All hail the almighty Uncle Ben!!

AMN BOWCOTT: NEXT STOP KOREA!!! SO VERY PROUD OF HER...DUH! As I thumb type this, my youngest daughter is on a US AirForce Cargo plane heading for her first posting: as an F16 maintenance mechanic in South Korea. She's scheduled to be there for 2 years. What an amazing journey this incredibly driven 19 year old has traveled in the last 6 months since graduating Basic Training with Honours... So,guess where I'll be heading later this year? Yep, the city of Souel. Far Beyond Proud...

GRANDFATHER NICK?!? Yeah, I can definitely live with that title! One of the many collateral beauties of getting old...er!!!

OH, I'M A LUMBERJACK & I'M OK... ...If y'know, y'know! Time to cut up that pesky tree limb. Thank goodness it wasn't a Larch (if y'know, y'know #2)!

THE REASON I TEACH #333... Way back in 2019, I started teaching guitar to a young lad named Sam. He was 11. Sam came to the Sweetwater Academy armed with a copy of "See You In Hell," a Strat bigger than he was, and a tenacious drive to succeed. His heroes back then included Ace Frehley, Dimebag, Randy Rhoads, and Father Zakk Wylde, so I immediately knew he was already on the right path! Fast forward 7 years and Sam has grown into a veritable axe-wielding monster. He is not only a respected veteran of Sweetwater's excellent bi-annual "Rock Camp" but is in a band called NYX that's already got several gigs under its belt ,and is about to enter the studio to record a demo. And their songs are good - really good! Furthermore, at age of 18, Sam has the heart and soul of a much, much older musician because he actually plays for the freaking song!! He's not trying to impress other guitarists with flashy but totally redundant "look at me," light-speed, noodling that Social Media is flooded with. He plays with his heart, not his ego. What a concept... People often ask me "why on earth do you spend so many evenings and Saturdays teaching at the Sweeetwater Academy, Nick?" My answer is always as immediate as it is simple: I do it because of fellow guitar and rock fanatics such as Sam....Amber, Gage, Marik, Ethan, Elliot, Theresa, Kylah, Wade, Brian, Jose, Josie, Niko, Cara, Brandt, Tyson, Kathi, Kayden, Luke, Augi, Danika, David, Hunter, Sophia,...damn the list just goes on and on and on!! The dedication and enthusiasm of every-single-one of my students is 110% infectious, and that makes me smile...a lot! Especially when I get to witness the delighted look on their faces when a new riff or lick is mastered. Trust me, it's not "work," it's a total pleasure. Actually, it's a freaking honour (correct spelling!) that I do NOT and ever will take for granted. For all the sheer joy teaching guitar brings me, the only thing I can say to Sam and ALL of my students is this - thanks for allowing me to play what little I know forward to you! And thanks for teaching me to be a better player too. P.S. It sure as hell beats doom-scrolling, video games, & Netflix-binging too!

HALF-BAKED REUNION WITH GOAT BOY! One of the funnest and most memorable shows I ever did was over 25 years ago, playing guitar with SNL comedic legend, Jim Breuer at a sold-out show on Long Island, NY. It was freaking epic! We did "My Generation"'by the Who, and Megadeth's "Peace Sells", plus a couple of lengthy jams where Jim would talk and his excellent bassist, drummer and myself had to follow his flow...and we had no idea what that was gonna be! Too much fun... Sadly, thanks to life, geography and cell phone crashes, we lost contact and our paths hadn't crossed in over 12 years. Thankfully that wrong was righted last Sunday when Jim performed at the Clyde Theater. Not only was the show amazing, our reunion was equally memorable...I surprised him (he had no idea I was gonna be there) and it was as if we'd only seen each other yesterday. We chatted for a long, long time and laughed really, really long and hard! PS. Just so you know, what you see onstage isn't an act...that's Jim 24 freaking 7! IMHO he isn't merely goat-boy but, in his unique brand of humour (no cursing, no jokes, just amazing, real-life stories that are side-splitting funny) Jim IS the GOAT. Period. End of story.

A BIG MAN WITH AN EVEN BIGGER HEART!! This act of selfless kindness not made not only my day, it made my whole freaking week... Wade, the big fella in the first picture below, is one of my guitar pupils at the Sweetwater Academy. And, just like a lot of guitarists, he has quite a few axes! He asked me if I had a student who might be in need of a guitar as he had a nice Schecter at home that was just “collecting dust” since he added a Gibson Les Paul to his arsenal. And, as it just so happened, I did: a hard working 14 year old whose beloved old guitar is literally on its last legs. Wade not only brought his Schecter, he purchased a new gig bag, a tuner, strap and bag of picks for it from the store. He also had the guitar restrung and set up too! The look on the youngster's face with his new guitar literally speaks volumes… all thanks to the generosity of a big man with and even bigger heart, who wanted to remain anonymous but I insisted on the “hand shake” photo. File under “AI could NEVER freaking do that... EVER!"