Category: Newswire

MOD Kits DIY’s ThunderDrive Deluxe is an overdrive pedal kit that provides a clean signal boost in the early gain settings and smooth distortion at maximum gain settings. Its pre-painted black enclosure has red control knobs and an LED indicator.

MOD Kits are designed to give novice and experienced musicians the opportunity to build their own amps and effects pedals. All kits come with clear and easy to follow instructions and use point-to-point wiring. A pre-drilled enclosure and all parts are included.

For more, visit modkitsdiy.com.

Joe Satriani and Steve Vai have announced plans for a second benefit concert supporting music industry veteran Cliff Cultreri.

“A Benefit for Cliff II” will take place July 10 at the House of Blues, Hollywood, and will feature performances by both Satriani and Vai, as well as special guests  and friends of the duo, including Dweezil Zappa, Orianthi, Brendan Small and Tony MacAlpine, among others.

In addition to the event, Satriani, Vai, and others have donated items to be auctioned that evening, including a signed 20th Anniversary JEM guitar commemorating the line of Ibanez guitars. Vai used the guitar on the 2007 String Theories Tour and on the Grammy Nominated song “Now We Run,” featured on the  DVD Where The Wild Things Are.  Other auction items include Joe Satriani JS1000 guitar with personalized art, Joe Satriani JS1200 guitar autographed by all the musicians, and a Paul Gilbert autographed guitar.

Cultreri is the A&R exec who discovered Satriani and Vai, as well as many other popular recording artists, while working at Relativity Records and Koch Entertainment. He is suffering from a host of auto-immune and connective-tissue disorders that are attacking his immune system. In 2006, Satriani and Vai joined forces for the first Cultreri benefit show and raised money as well as attention to the devastation this disease takes out on both the patient and their family.

Learn more at satriani.com and vai.com.

Amptweaker’s new TightRock distortion pedal produces sounds ranging from dirty to screaming and has a SideTrak loop that kicks in when bypassed, to add chorus or compressor to clean tone, or switch to other distortion pedals. Other features include an EQ switch, noise gate, effects Loop with pre/post switch, and a battery on/off switch. Learn more at Amptweaker.com.

Reverend Guitars is donating a PA-1 Pete Anderson signature guitar to an upcoming benefit for Danny Amis, guitarist in the instro-surf band Los Straitjackets. Amis is battling Multiple Myeloma.

The benefit, which happens June 7 beginning at 8 p.m., will be held at Club Mayan, 1038 Hill Street, Los Angeles, and will include a concert with performances by Jimmy Vivino & The Basic Cable Band, as well as Los Straitjackets with guests including Cesar Rosas and David Hidalgo (of Los Lobos), Michael McKean, Big Sandy, El Vez, Ben Vaughn, Tony Valentino, Rosie Flores, Pete Anderson, Stan Ridgeway, and Exene Cervenka.

Learn more at http://www.straitjackets.com/fr_intro.cfm.

 

The Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) has announced the state legislature’s appointments to the positions of State Poet Laureate, State Musician, State Two-Dimensional Artist, and State Three-Dimensional Artist. The 2011 appointees, who fill the positions for one-year terms. include State Musician Lyle Lovett, Poet Laureate David M. Parsons, Two-Dimensional Artist Melissa Miller, and Three-Dimensional Artist Jesus Moroles of Rockport. The 2012 appointees include State Musician Billy F Gibbons of Houston, Poet Laureate Jan Seale, Two-Dimensional Artist Karl Umlauf , and Three-Dimensional Artist Bill FitzGibbons. 

The Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) promotes the state economically and culturally. Learn more at arts.state.tx.us.

 

Big Sky Rockin’ Rendezvous, a multi-genre guitar workshop series organized by Chris Gray and Dave Goodwin in Bozeman, Montana, will welcome guitarist/singer/songwriter Roy Book Binder as an instructor at its next event, July 6-9. Past instructors at the Rendezvous include John Jorgenson, John Bohlinger, and others. Learn more at bigskyrr.com/.

Big Sky Rockin’ Rendezvous, a multi-genre guitar workshop series organized by  Chris Gray with Dave Goodwin in Bozeman, Montana.  Instructors include guitarist/singer/songwriter Roy Book Binder, John Jorgenson, John Bohlinger, and others. Book Binder will conduct the next event , July 6-9. Learn more at http://www.bigskyrr.com/.