Category: Newswire

Fender introduces the Roger Waters Precision Bass, named for the bassist/singer/songwriter whose grooves and riffs are hallmarks of the legendary Pink Floyd sound and an acclaimed solo career.

The instrument is as tastefully tailored as Waters’ own simple-yet-sophisticated bass work, with distinctive features including a black-on-black color scheme (black body and single-ply pickguard), Seymour Duncan Basslines SPB-3 Quarter-Pound split-coil Precision Bass pickup, knurled black control knobs (master volume, master tone), brass nut, black bridge and strap buttons, vintage ’70s-style "Fender"-stamped open-gear chrome tuners, and gasketed "F"-stamped neck plate.

Other features are a 9.5"-radius maple neck with vintage-style truss rod and slotted truss rod nut, maple fingerboard with 20 medium jumbo frets, a gloss urethane finish (body and neck), and gig bag.

For more, go to fender.com.

On December 6, 1983, legendary blues guitarist Albert King joined his disciple Stevie Ray Vaughan on a Canadian sound stage for the live music television series "In Session." Magic happened. The highly sought after video footage from that one-time legendary summit becomes available for the first time ever on November 9 with the release of Stax Records’ deluxe two-disc CD/DVD In Session.

The DVD contains three classic performances unavailable on the previously issued audio disc: "Born Under a Bad Sign," the landmark title track from Albert King’s biggest Stax release written by William Bell and Booker T. Jones; Stevie Ray’s "Texas Flood," the Larry Davis-penned title track of Vaughan’s immortal debut album; and "I’m Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town," made famous by Louis Jordan and later, Ray Charles.

"It was evident from the first choruses," writes liner notes author/musicologist Samuel Charters, "that they were playing for each other. And that was the best audience either of them could ever have. The music never lost its intensity, its quality of something very important being handed back and forth and there was time for Stevie and Albert to see where their ideas took them."

Accolades have showered upon this momentous encounter. "As a document of what was probably one of the greatest nights in the musical life of SRV, this belongs in the collection of every true fan," said the Austin American-Statesman. Sonic Boomers added, "Both men are gone now, but rare recordings like In Session remind us of a time when blues giants still walked the earth side by side." Elmore magazine called it "an indispensible part of any blues fan’s collection." And BluesWax noted, "thank goodness, this disc lives on and on."

Now this one-of-a-kind visual document featuring two giants of American blues can be enjoyed by audiences all over the world. Sadly, King and Vaughan would not share a stage together ever again. Vaughan, 31 years King’s junior, died in a helicopter crash in the fog on the way back from a concert in 1990. King outlived him by two years, dying of a heart attack in 1992. They didn’t meet often, and their careers took different paths. But we can all be grateful for that one long day in a television studio when sparks flew and this timeless performance was forever captured.

Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks have created a Christmas album set for release October 12. <em>Crazy For Christmas</em> is classic Hot Licks, full of the same dry wit and musical brilliance that has defined Dan Hicks’ music for the past four decades and established him as one of American music’s true cult heroes.

"We wanted to have the Hot Licks sound going, with our signature violin and guitar and two girls backing me up and the tongue-in-cheek approach to the material and the delivery. Keeping it swingin’, keeping it light, with lots of good solos and some cool scat stuff," explains Hicks. "It’s a Christmas album, yes, but first and foremost it’s a Hot Licks album."

<em>Crazy For Christmas</em> covers it all – with Hicks originals "I’ve Got Christmas By The Tail" and the humorous "Santa’s Workshop" nestled in with classics (done Hicks’ style) like "Here Comes Santa Claus" and an amazing original take on "Carol Of The Bells." Of course, no Dan Hicks holiday album would be complete without a few irreverent parodies including "Christmas Mornin’" (done in the tune of Hicks’ hit "Where’s The Money") and "Santa Got A Choo-Choo" (a Hicks re-write and salute to "Choo Choo Ch’Boogie").

<em>Crazy For Christmas</em> comes on the heels of Hicks’ critically acclaimed 2009 release <em>Tangled Tales</em>. The recording, dubbed an "irreverent, rowdy, even dangerous distillation of real American music," by the East Bay Express, proved once-and-for-all that Hicks’ undeniable musical legacy is still evolving. "Talk about a rugged, all-American individual," the <em>LA Weekly</em> reviewed, "Dan Hicks has plowed deep furrows through some of the most fertile pop music territory known to man, and during it all has maintained both his own distinct, light yet emphatic touch and a pace that’s always kept him more than a few steps ahead of his colleagues."

Dan Hicks began his career in 1965 as the drummer for psychedelic San Francisco rock band The Charlatans before forming the acoustic ensemble Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks. His unique songwriting and blend of styles, masterful folk-swing guitar playing, and unmistakable sense of humor have made him a cultural icon, landing Hicks on the cover of <em>Rolling Stone</em> twice and provoking Tom Waits to say, "Dan Hicks is fly, sly, wily and dry" while Elvis Costello proclaimed him "an American treasure." Learn more at danhicks.net.

Paul Rodgers &amp; Bad Company are offering fans an exclusive experience when the rockers reunite to perform at the 2010 L.A. County Fair October 2 benefitting the Kids Rock Free program at the Fender Center.

Twelve lucky fans will meet the band, receive an autographed Fender guitar, have their photos taken with the band, and enjoy the concert from premium seating. Additionally, they will receive a personal stage-worn item of Rodgers from that night’s performance.

A major supporter of Kids Rock Free and the Fender Center, and longtime advocate for music education, Rodgers has personally invested his time and resources in Kids Rock Free music education programs by performing several fundraising benefits at the Fender Center, a museum and education facility located in Corona, Calif.

"With so many schools deleting music from their curriculum, the Fender Center is filling a huge void making music accessible and affordable," said Rodgers. "It is absolutely fantastic that youth have an affordable place to study all types of music from rock to classical. Without music in my life as a kid, I may have taken a wrong turn."

"Given the current social and economic strains on schools and families, our students wishing to participate in Kids Rock Free are in need of scholarships," said Debbie Shuck, executive director of the Fender Center. "With supportive artists such as Paul Rodgers, we get to stay true to our non-profit mission and keep our ‘open door’ policy for every young child with interest and talent for music, regardless of their parents’ ability to pay for lessons."

Visit fendermuseum.com.

The Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase is an alternative guitar show, featuring fine, handmade acoustic guitars and stringed musical instruments exhibited by their makers. Show and sale with continuous live acoustic music performances, luthier mini-concerts, and special appearances.

The Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase presents a gathering of some of the best contemporary stringed-instrument makers in the USA, and the finest examples of the luthiers’ art. Fine handmade instruments such as these are not usually available in music stores or other retail environments, and this is a rare opportunity for the public to see, play and experience the instruments, meet with their makers, discuss custom options and one of a kind creations, and to buy or order a dream guitar from dozens of master builders, gathered together in one place. Nylon-stringed classical and flamenco style guitars, steel-string flattop and archtop guitars, crossovers and hybrids, mandolins, banjos, and more will be on display. This year we are pleased to welcome a number of significant builders from the West Coast, eminent innovators all. Thirty Luthiers exhibiting in Bearsville Theater, with more Luthiers and other vendors in the Vendors Annex, next door in Utopia Soundstage. More than Fifty Exhibitors in all, including wood dealers, parts and tool suppliers, inlay artists, and lutherie services, string and accessories manufacturers, magazines and publications, lutherie schools and our Sponsors. Also included is a Special Exhibit of significant historic, vintage and contemporary acoustic guitars and stringed instruments loaned by major collectors, a mini-museum of spectacular stringed exotica. For the complete list of Exhibiting Luthiers &amp; Vendors, please visit our website at http://www.woodstockinvitational.com

There will be continuous Live Music, Luthier Mini-Concerts and Special Appearances on the Performance Stage throughout both days, with fine and famous musicians, international recording artists and music educators demonstrating instruments and performing on behalf of the makers, included in the price of admission. Diverse musical styles – Folk, Flamenco, Fingerstyle Blues and Celtic, Jazz, Bluegrass, Middle Eastern, Latin-American, Classical – represented. There will also be Charity Raffles of guitar products, strings and accessories donated by sponsors, the entire benefiting various charitable organizations.

In addition, there will be a "String Sampler" Concert in the Bearsville Theater on Friday night, October 22, (separate admission) and a number of Instructional Clinics and Workshops (also by separate admission) on Saturday and Sunday.

The Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase is nationally advertised in the guitar press, locally promoted in regional journals and papers, and draws attendees from the populous heart of the northeastern seaboard. The Woodstock Invitational has something for everyone, player, collector, aficionado, casual fan, educational for the general public, and great music for all. A portion of any proceeds will benefit The John Herald Fund, Family of Woodstock, regional food banks and local soup kitchens, and The Direct Grace Project.

All clinics and workshops will take place at The Bear Caf&eacute;, 295 Tinker Street (Route 212), Woodstock, NY 12498 (right next door to the Bearsville Theater). Cost per clinic is $35, advance reservations recommended. Participants should bring their own instruments. Dates and times still to be announced.

Paul Asbell: "Fingerstyle Country Blues Workshop"
Vicki Genfan: "Percussive Techniques for Acoustic Guitar"
Vic Juris: "Jazz Guitar Workshop"
Kinloch Nelson: "Arranging Songs For Solo Guitar, Some Fingerboard Mapping &amp; A Little Theory"
Maria Zementauski: "Flamenco Techniques"

Visit woodstockinvitational.com.

The Grand Ole Opry is set to return to its historic home – the Grand Ole Opry House – for the first time since being displaced as a result of May’s historic Nashville flood, and Great American Country (GAC) will broadcast the event live in "Country Comes Home: An Opry Celebration," tonight at 8 p.m. Central.

Among the stars scheduled to appear are Trace Adkins, Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Charlie Daniels, Jimmy Dickens, Martina McBride, Montgomery Gentry, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Josh Turner and Keith Urban. Viewers will also get an exclusive look at the fully refurbished Opry House and beloved Opry stage where 46 inches of water stood following the May flood. No doubt plenty of attention will be focused on the Opry House’s signature element, a six foot circle of oak taken from the stage of the Ryman Auditorium, the Opry’s former home. The circle was removed from the Opry House stage, painstakingly refurbished and returned to its rightful spot center stage.

More important to fans of guitar music is that tonight’s show will be a jam that will include Ricky Skaggs, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Steve Wariner, and Marty Stuart. Learn more at opry.com.

C.F. Martin &amp; Co., Inc. has announced the retirement of long-time employee John A. "Jack" Messer, the company’s vice president of finance and administration effective September 30, 2010. Additionally, Nathan S. Eckhart joined Martin Guitar in July 2010 as its new chief financial officer (CFO). The announcement was made today by company Chairman and CEO Christian Frederick Martin, IV.

Eckhart joins Martin with 25 years of experience the business and finance, with 17 of those years in the music industry. Before joining Martin, Mr. Eckhart worked at Allen Organ Company from July 1993 to June 2010 as CFO and VP Finance. He began his career employed at a public accounting firm, and is a Certified Public Accountant. He earned his BA in Accounting from Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA.

Joe Satriani, is ready to release his 14th studio album, <em>Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards</em> October 5. Following the release, Satriani will embark on a world tour, kicking off October 16 in Dublin, Ireland. North American dates will begin on December 1 in Atlanta, with scheduled dates in Chicago, New York, Boston. The second leg of the Satriani’s <em>Black Swans…</em> tour will begin on January 4 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with dates confirmed in Seattle, Portland, Bay Area and Los Angeles.

Nicki Minaj recently sampled the classic Satriani song, "Always With Me Always With You" in her new release, "Right Through Me" from her upcoming debut album, due out this November. "Always With Me Always With You" originally appeared on Satriani’s platinum-selling album, <em>Surfing With The Alien</em>.

Joining Joe on the road will be veteran Satriani bandmate Jeff Campitelli on drums, and newcomers, keyboardist Mike Keneally (Frank Zappa, Steve Vai) and bassist Allen Whitman (Mermen), all of whom recorded with Joe on this album. Satriani’s classic six-string sound has become a staple on the American music scene and is now matched with a surprisingly rich texture of new material as well. All together, both album and tour, Joe Satriani’s Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards promises nothing less than a magical, musical experience that lifts the spirit to take flight.

Just in time for the holidays, Steve Wariner and SelecTone Records will make his <em>Guitar Christmas</em> album, available October 12. Originally released in 2003, the instrumental collection of Christmas standards arranged, recorded, and produced by Wariner was previously available only through his Web site. Allegro Media Group, one of the largest independent distributors of music in North America, will handle distribution for this project.

"I absolutely loved recording this album," Wariner says. "The initial idea came about as I was thinking of the wonderful gatherings that Chet Atkins would host in his office around the holidays. Everyone would sing and play and remember those beautiful melodies from our childhood.

"I wanted the album to convey the warmth and intimacy of those picking parties, so the listener will feel as if I’m sitting in their living room playing for them. That’s the reason I left some imperfections in there, because I wanted it to be real."

Among the holiday standards included on the CD are "White Christmas," "Silent Night," "Winter Wonderland" and "The Christmas Song." Wariner, who was born on Christmas Day, previously released one Christmas album on MCA Records, but this is his first all-instrumental holiday collection.

A Grammy-winning guitarist, Wariner played several different guitars on the CD, matching certain guitars with particular songs and musical styles to create a broad landscape of aural textures and colors. Among the guitars he used are a handmade Hascal Haile classical guitar, the Gibson Chet Atkins Country Gentleman model (1989), which had belonged to Chet, an Olympia dulcimer, a Tacoma Papoose, and Wariner’s own model Takamine acoustic guitar. The package includes Wariner’s notes on the guitars selected for each track. He also created the CD cover artwork.

Yngwie Malmsteen’s new album, <em>Relentless</em> is the follow-up to 2008’s <em>Perpetual Flame</em>, his first album for Rising Force Records. It’s the second to feature ex-Judas Priest and Iced Earth singer Tim "Ripper" Owens.

"This title truly is the right one for this album, explains Yngwie. "I mean, after all these years, some kind of force is driving me to create something that totally surpasses everything I’ve done before. I tried to capture the raw energy of a live performance, yet push myself to the most demanding level of playing and composing to harness that elusive magic that can’t just be switched on. All the way out, caution to the wind, but disciplined performances was what I went for. Maybe I did it too, check it out!"

Confirmed song titles for ‘Relentless’ include "Relentless," "Look At You Now," "Shot Across the Bow," "Adagio B Minor Variation," "Caged Animal," "Critical Mass," "Into Valhalla," "Enemy Within," and "Caprici Di Inferno."

Visit yngwiemalmsteen.com.