Today we begin our series of specials on 'The Dark Side of Rock'

Episode 1 finds us hanging out with mr Charles Manson. A scary character indeed. We chat about his musical connections in the LA Rock scene of the late 1960's.

Sit back and brace yourself from some unbelievable facts about mr Manson and some folks you may have heard of before. #rocknrollmurder

Charles Milles Manson (né Maddox, November 12, 1934 – November 19, 2017) was an American criminal and cult leader. In mid-1967, he formed what became known as the "Manson Family", a quasi-commune based in California. His followers committed a series of nine murders at four locations in July and August 1969. According to the Los Angeles County district attorney, Manson plotted to start a race war, though he and others disputed this motive.[3] In 1971, he was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the deaths of seven people. The prosecution conceded that Manson never literally ordered the murders, but they contended that his ideology constituted an overt act of conspiracy.[4] Manson was also convicted of first-degree murder for the deaths of Gary Hinman and Donald Shea.

Manson was an unemployed ex-convict who had spent more than half of his life in correctional institutions at the time when he began gathering his cult following. Before the murders, he was a singer-songwriter on the fringe of the Los Angeles music industry, chiefly through a chance association with Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys. In 1968, the Beach Boys recorded Manson's song "Cease to Exist", retitled "Never Learn Not to Love" as the B-side on one of their singles, but without a credit to Manson.

The Los Angeles district attorney said that Manson was obsessed with the Beatles, particularly their 1968 self-titled album known as the "White Album". He claimed to be guided by his interpretation of the Beatles' lyrics and adopted the term "Helter Skelter" to describe an impending apocalyptic race war. At trial, the prosecution claimed that Manson and his followers believed that the murders would help precipitate that war. Other contemporary interviews and those who testified during the penalty phase of Manson's trial insisted that the Tate–LaBianca murders were copycat crimes designed to exonerate Manson's friend Bobby Beausoleil.[5][6]

From the beginning of Manson's notoriety, a pop culture arose around him and he became an emblem of insanity, violence, and the macabre. Recordings were released commercially of songs written and performed by Manson, starting with Lie: The Love and Terror Cult (1970). Various musicians have covered some of his songs. Manson was originally sentenced to death, but his sentence was commuted to life with the possibility of parole after the California Supreme Court invalidated the state's death penalty statute in 1972. He served his life sentence at California State Prison, Corcoran and died at age 83 in late 2017.

Jam Session #35 - Alan Leslie plays a 2016 Gibson Les Paul Standard with the AX8, Colonel (in cap) plays a Fender Telecaster 72 Custom USA with the Mooer GE300.

This time it's the Colonel with a Gibson ES335 Yamano and his Mooer GE300 vs Alan 'geordie shredder' Leslie and his Axe 8.

The Mooer is using an Impulse Response by ownhammer for its cabinet.

G12T-75 412 C Hi-Gn 421+57 Celestion

It's a Gibson ES335 2013 Memphis with a Line 6 Helix VS a Gibson Les Paul Standard 2016 with a Mooer GE300. Time for the 80s licks.

Welcome back folks. Today we say goodbye to the 60s and 70s, and enter the early 80s. We begin the project of breaking down Jessie's Girl. Yes you heard that correctly. Sir Nigel chimes in with some incredible Rick Springfield information (he's a broady boy!) J Geils gets a look in, along with Wall of Voodoo. Tune in as we hot tub time machine back to 1981 and the introduction of MTV.

Neil Boland returns to have a beer and share some fantastic blues tips. Neil takes us through Stormy Monday, how to add some comping chords and what are the options for soloing. If you like Blues in G this might be for you. We finish by jamming out Stormy Monday. You can contact Neil directly for guitar lessons, or follow his @bluesguitarsnacks instagram account.

Reposted the 720p version. Drink Beer Play Guitar #26 - It's beer time again. Alan Leslie comes straight from the cocktail lounge at Eureka Tower and joins me in our South Melbourne bar. We test out the Mooer GE300 (Colonel in baseball cap) against the Fractal Axe Fx. Beers review are Panhead Hardtail Henry Oaked Stout and Stone and Wood Pacific Ale. Note: The Panhead almost killed the Colonel. MOOER Fractal Audio Panhead Brewery Stone & Wood Brewing.

We're back again with beer reviews and guitar gear. This week it's Alan Leslie playing his Line 6 Helix vs the Colonel (bear cap) and his new MOOER GE300. Stay tuned as we jam some tunes and try to stay upright after the 'illegal in 56 countries' beer that Alan brought in. Beer brands posted after we wake up. Guitars used include a Gibson ES335 2013 Memphis and a Gibson Les Paul Standard 2016 Trans Amber.

Welcome back to our Saturday morning show. The theme this week is 'FREE'. Continuing our trek into the world of Beginner guitar, we look at Tom Petty's 'Free Fallin' and Neil Young's 'Rockin in the Free World'. If you have a request, please send it through and we can give it ago.