Music distributor John Hornby Skewes & Co. Ltd. and Paul Brett donated a signed prototype Vintage Paul Brett Signature guitar to a charitable auction held May 18 to benefit the Search And Rescue unit of “C” Flight, 22 Squadron, based at RAF Valley in Anglesey, Wales. The unit flies helicopter search-and-rescue sorties and has been serving local communities for 57 years.
ZZ Top will release their first new studio recordings from the band in nine years. Texicali, a four-track digital collection, offers a preview of the group’s full-length album, as yet untitled, that will be released late this summer or early fall. Those purchasing the four songs will benefit from a pro-rated discount on the purchase of the full album when it is released.
This week, the band embarks for a six-week “Gang of Outlaws” tour that includes bills shared with 3 Doors Down and Gretchen Wilson. Thereafter, ZZ Top departs for Europe where they will be playing concert and festival dates in Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Norway in July. Additional North American dates are planned for August and September.
C.F. Martin & Co. is set to release four new models – the DCPA1 Plus, the GPCPA1 Plus, the OMCPA1 Plus, and a new GPCPA2 Mahogany.The Performing Artist Series PA1 has Fishman F1 Aura has three pre-blended image/pickup presets improve “plug and play” ease, while the programmability of the original F1 Aura. The GPCPA2, from the company’s Certified Wood line, uses the same Fishman F1 Aura. Both the GPCPA2 and the Fishman F1 Aura have a new tortoise-color rosette design and back purling.
Learn more at martinguitar.com.
Doc Watson, the iconic country and bluegrass guitarist/performer who helped popularize the flat-picking playing style, passed away May 29 at a hospital in North Carolina. Watson had been hospitalized after falling at his home, and died in hospital after undergoing abdominal surgery. He was 89.
Born Arthel Lane Watson in Stoney Fork, North Carolina, he was the sixth of nine children born to laborer/farmer parents. As a baby, he suffered from a congenital vascular disorder near his eyes, and was blinded when a midwife used contaminated eyedrops on him. He began playing banjo as a child, using an instrument made by his father. Later, after he began attending the North Carolina State School for the Blind in Raleigh, he learned to play guitar. By 19, he was performing on a radio station in Raleigh, where the announcer dubbed him “Doc” rather than his given name, because Doc was easier to pronounce. In 1960, while performing in North Carolina, he was introduced to folklorist/music promoter Ralph Rinzler, who organized for Watson a tour of coffeehouses in the Northeast, which in turn led to him playing the Newport Folk Festival in 1963. Received enthusiastically by the audience there, recording contracts and more gigs soon followed.
By the mid ’60s, he began performing with his son, Merle, who had taken to the guitar while his father was on tour. Through the remainder of that decade and into the ’70s, the two played to dedicated audiences and received critical acclaim for their recordings and live performances. In October of 1985, Merle was killed in an accident on the family farm. In ’88, Watson, with the help of Frederick Townes, Dean of Resource Development at Wilkes Community College, and friend Ala Sue Wyke, organized a benefit concert to raise money for a memorial in honor of Merle. The event evolved to become MerleFest, which today is one of the most popular acoustic-/roots-music festivals in the world.
Watson received many awards, among them several Grammys, including a 2004 lifetime achievement award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. He is survived by his wife, Rose Lee Carlton, and a daughter, Nancy Watson.
SOS: Save Our Studio – A Benefit Album, a compilation album to benefit The Compound Studio will be released today in digital format. Established in 2001 in part by chief engineer and producer Anthony Arvizu as a partnership deal, debt has been threatening to shut down The Compound Studio in recent months. In its attempt to stay open and service the community that it is such a vital part of, the studio put out a call to former clients to contribute songs to a benefit album.
Among those donating a song to the album are Mike McCready (Pearl Jam), Marc Ford, Mike Watt and The Black Gang (featuring Nels Cline), Neal Casal, Jay Buchanan, Phantom Limb, Free Moral Agents (Ikey Owens), Avi Buffalo, Crystal Antlers, Josh Freese, Krista Polvere, Chris Lizotte, Mike Malone, Jameson, Elijah Ford, Dumb Love, Mode, Jusso, Elderly Rock Opera, and The Wildbunch.
The O2 arena in London was stage for the gathering of some of the UK’s most notable, and charitable music icons. The “Rockwell” event brought together the likes of Robert Plant, Tom Jones, Joss Stone, as well as Lulu, Razorlight, Beverley Knight, Escala, and Dan Gillespie Sells. The evening culminated in the final song that saw every act hit the stage for a fantastic version of The Beatles’ classic “Let It Be”! The Rockwell Benefit Concert at O2 London will released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 19.
Daisy Rock Girl Guitars, the original girl guitar company, welcomes to its artist roster Kathy DellaValle, a guitarist, bassist, and vocalist with a combined sound of pop, blues, country, and folk with soulful vocals and great harmonies. In addition to being a solo artist, Kathy is the bassist and vocalist for The Look, a band she shares with her husband Kevin (guitar and backing vocals) and friend Vince Napolitano (drums and vocals).
For more info visit daisyrock.com.
It’s been five years since Guthrie and Irion’s Exploration album showcased their knack for navigating country, pop, folk, and rock – and their ability to write engaging songs with gorgeous sounds.
The duo’s talent is obvious from the opening cut, “Ahead of Myself,” which delivers via a spooky, haunting feel with slightly reverbed guitar and a great hook/guitar changes. Otherwise, throughout the disc, their voices blend with near perfection; Guthrie’s supplying the lovely voice while Irion’s is high and wispy, sometimes bringing to mind Neil Young.
Joined by fine artists including Gary Louris and Mark Olson (formerly of the Jayhawks), the former’s influence is especially strong on the brilliant “First Snow.” The guitar changes are stunning, the vocals magnificent, and the steel guitar of Charlie Rose is perfect.
Punchy guitars highlight the melancholy of the title cut, while “Hurry Up and Wait” is a big acoustic anthem with Rose’s steel darting in and out, and a lovely twangy solo doing the same on the way out. A blistering solo bolsters the acoustic-waltz feel and reminiscing lyric of “Dupont Circle.”
This disc’s 12 songs cover a lot of ground. Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait five years for the next record from this fine duo.
This article originally appeared in VG‘s Feb. ’11 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Steve Vai will release The Story of Light, a new solo album of original material, on August 14. The 12-song set continues a conceptual narrative arc begun on his 2005 album Real Illusions: Reflections. The Story of Light follows the journey of a man driven mad by grief, intertwining tragedy, revelation, enlightenment, and redemption. Although it is largely instrumental, the album does feature guest vocalists including singer-songwriter Aimee Mann and Beverly McClellan, a season one finalist on The Voice.
Looking ahead, Vai envisions a third set of songs that will unravel the mysteries and reveal truths that swirl through both The Story of Light and Real Illusions: Reflections. The completed trilogy, intended to be cinematic—even operatic—in scope, will include lyrics and narration.
For more, visit vai.com