Inspiration
#Inspiration
10 Blistering Drum Solos that Took Centrestage
“Playing drums is my therapy,” confesses a certain Travis Barker. The punk rock stalwart was considered by many as being single-handedly responsible for the genre’s renaissance in the early 90’s just by his need to beat the drums like his life depended on it. While banging out anthems with Blink… Read more
#Inspiration
5 Cajon Covers To Get You Started
For all the times we’ve flipped a box over and created beats by banging on them, we’ve wished for an actual instrument that could take that much of a beating. The cajon (pronounced "CAR-HORN") serves that very purpose, and was born out of poetic necessity that traces back to the 18th… Read more
#Inspiration
5 Groundbreaking Effects That Pushed The Guitar To Its Limits
On the fields of a dairy farm in the rural town of Bethel, New York, a mud-soaked crowd of 400,000 witnessed Jimi Hendrix’s rendition of Star Spangled Banner. It was 1969, and the crowd were treated to the squeals and wails of his white Stratocaster. What dominated his sound, was… Read more
#Inspiration
4 Producers We Love That Went Against The Clock
A home studio can mean different things to different people, and there hasn’t been a more exciting time to build your own. Get your foundation up and running with a software on a laptop, and a nice pair of monitor speakers. Once you’ve got that, take your studio anyway you… Read more
#Inspiration
6 Fender Custom Finishes To Drool Over
Ever wondered about Fender’s custom finishes - how they came about, and what they’re meant to represent? Throw it way back to the post-war era in 50s and 60s and you’ll find America’s obsession with the automobile at its peak. Beyond its interiors and functionalities, a car’s paint was really… Read more
#Inspiration
Vinyl and the Art of Digging
Vinyl has seen a massive resurgence in recent years, and aren’t all of us just loving it! We’re thrown back to the days of drool dribbling artwork, the sensation of removing the record from its sleeve for the first time, dropping the needle, and hearing it crackle like admiring your… Read more
#Inspiration
6 Face-melting Solos You Never Knew Were Played On An Ibanez
We've all dreamed of performing a ripping guitar solos on an Ibanez after watching our guitar heroes do it on one track after another. Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert, Joe Satriani are just some of the Ibanez-playing legends you know... But do you know all of these awesome under-the-radar performances? Steve… Read more
#Inspiration
Celebrating 100 years of Chuck Taylor’s
A full century ago, the Chuck Taylor All Stars made their first appearances on the streets of America. Not just a pair of shoes, Chucks stepped into a special place in pop-culture. From college and professional basketball players, to Kurt Cobain and The Ramones, these iconic shoes were a fashion… Read more
#Inspiration
D’Angelico: The Gem Hiding In Plain Sight
D’Angelico Guitars has come a long way since its humble beginnings in NYC’s Little Italy, where John D’Angelico would only make 35 guitars a year. All lovingly hand-made, the novelty of a D’Angelico became part of its mystique. Whether John knew it or not, he laid the groundwork for the… Read more
#Buying Guides
Music You Should Know
Nothing inspires like hearing some really great new music. So check out some of the freshest new tunes our friends at BandLab have gathered together for you. Want more music like this? Explore BandLab here. Read more
#Inspiration
The Best Independent Music Right Now
Click, listen, and be moved. Tired of lifeless tunes on the radio? Fatigued by rehashed playlists at your favourite bars? Perhaps it’s time to pop over to a different channel for inspiration. We’ve cherry-picked some of the freshest tracks from the year’s most prolific artists on BandLab. Check out their… Read more
#Inspiration
Tracks That Inspired Us This Month
Here at Swee Lee, we take joy in all new music, and the unique creativity our customers and blog readers have. This month, our good friends at BandLab have curated a selection of tracks designed to inspire! Listen to them all below. Read more