Month: June 2010

A bright red Gretsch Brian Setzer Nashville model guitar autographed by Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush-better known as Atlanta-based country music super-duo Sugarland-will be auctioned on eBay between June 23 through June 30. The proceeds will go to support educational music programs sponsored by AthFest, Athens, Georgia’s long-running music festival.

The guitar was donated to AthFest by The Gretsch Foundation, an organization chartered by Savannah’s Fred and Dinah Gretsch to help promote music and arts education programs. Says Fred Gretsch, "When folks who understand the value of music as a way to enrich people’s lives work together, amazing things can be accomplished."

The Gretsch Foundation donates Gretsch guitars to programs like AthFestAfterSchool, AthFest InSchool, and Keys For Kids. The guitars are decorated by major artists and/or signed by prominent musicians, and then auctioned off on eBay to raise funds. Over the past two years The Foundation has donated guitars signed by the members of R.E.M., Widespread Panic, and The Drive By Truckers.

Gretsch’s Nashville model guitar was first built in 1954 in collaboration with Chet Atkins. It’s been offered in many deluxe versions over the succeeding years. Current prices on Gretsch Brian Setzer Nashville models start at $4,100. The auction will commence at 8 p.m. PDT/11 p.m. EDT June 23.

For more information go to athfest.com and gretschguitars.com.

Backbeat Books is proud to present three new titles from vintage-instrument authorities George Gruhn and Walter Carter!

Over the years the <em>Gruhn’s Guide to Vintage Guitars</em> has come to be the bible for collectors, retailers, and guitar enthusiasts alike. Originally published in 1990 and revised in 1999 this updated and expanded third edition includes a wealth of key info not included in the previous editions. The book is the most extensive and detailed list of specifications ever published on guitars and is the last word with regard to identifying, dating, and establishing an instrument’s authenticity. The book’s coverage extends to all major collectable brands including but certainly not limited to Gibson, Fender, Martin, Rickenbacker, Mosrite, and Dobro as well as vintage and highly sought after amplifiers.

And for the first time ever Backbeat is pleased to offer a pocket-sized field guide edition packed with the same info as the full-sized with detailed specs on every model’s frets, wood type, body shape and size, pickups, serial numbers, date of manufacture, and other significant features.

Also due out from Backbeat is a revised and expanded edition of Gruhn and Carter’s <em>Electric Guitars and Bases: A Photographic History</em>. Both Gruhn and Carter have lived and worked inside the guitar universe for many years and this lavishly illustrated volume offers a unique insider’s look into the rich history of countless rare and iconic makes and models. Gruhn and Carter trace the evolution of the instrument from a couple of copper wire wrapped magnets nailed onto a wooden plank to the beautiful sunbursts, goldtops, Korinas, and hollowbodys beloved by players and collectors alike.

It’s not uncommon for a musician to record more work than they release. In Vai’s case, the Grammy&reg; award-winning guitarist has a digital ocean of snippets in various degrees of completion. Some are leftovers from assorted sessions, projects that were never completed, soundcheck jams, or songs that were specific to a particular venture. "There are enough lonely, unreleased notes in my world to fill an infinity shelf," says Vai. In between composing new scores for his upcoming performance with the North Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, Vai has transformed these snippets into full, lush songs and these rarities are being released as a series of single digital downloads called VaiTunes.

Each release comes with a PDF booklet containing detailed notes about the creation of the song, the story behind the recording, and gear involved. The latest release from the series, "The Moon and I" evolved from a soundcheck jam in Athens, Greece in the spring of 2000. The PDF liner notes allow the listener to follow Vai as he birthed the chord changes in Greece and subsequently watered and fertilized the song ten years later half way around the world in his Encino studio. Equally fascinating is the story of the guitar used to finish "The Moon and I." Under unique circumstances, Vai recently purchased an original Desert Yellow Ibanez JEM 777DY guitar, a guitar he designed in 1987, from a local pawnshop and named the guitar "Moon."

Vai plans to offer one track every month or so, each one representing a unique moment in his personal musical history. The releases can be purchased via iTunes and other digital music providers worldwide through www.vai.com/vaitunes.

As part of his continued recovery from Hepatitis C,Gregg Allman recently underwent a successful liver transplant operation at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. The singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and guitarist had been on a waiting list for the transplant and is looking forward to a speedy recovery.

"I feel pretty good, considering everything that’s happened," says Allman, who co-founded the Allman Brothers Band in 1969. "Everybody involved – my doctors and nurses in the hospital and all the Allman Brothers fans – they’ve just all been great." The surgery the morning of June 23, after Allman was notified that an appropriate liver had been donated.

The transplant comes as a result of the artist’s previous battle with Hepatitis C, a liver disease. In late 2007, Allman began a series of treatments, but chronic damage of his liver led to doctors recommending a transplant. "I changed my ways years ago, but we can’t turn back time," Allman said. " Every day is a gift, and I can’t wait to get back on the road making music with my friends."

Updates on his recovery will be posted on greggallman.com and allmanbrothersband.com.

Lick Library is offering a new collection of guitar tutorial DVD sets demonstrating how to get the sound of Hank Marvin and The Shadows. Lee Hodgson, a studio musician and stage performer, conducts the lessons.

The Shadows were pioneers of the four-member rock-group format (consisting of lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass guitar and drums) in the UK. Their playing had a rhythmic bite and variety of tone which is distinctly their own. Hank Marvin has an individual guitar sound and appearance, primarily using a clean sound with very distinctive echo and vibrato giving a dreamy effect. His expressive use of the tremolo arm has made him one of the most distinctive guitarists ever

<em>Learn to Play Hank Marvin</em> breaks into manageable pieces five classic Shadows tracks; "Apache", "Wonderful Land", "F.B.I.", "Man Of Mystery and Guitar Tango". Lee takes you through these tracks at three different tempos; Dead Slow – so you can learn the notes; Medium Tempo- to help you practice, then Up To Tempo – so you can play along to the backing track. He covers topics like scales, muting and single and twin note walk ups whilst sharing with you clever tricks to help you remember the phrases and rhythms he is teaching you such as little rhymes and use of a metronome.

<em>Learn to Play Hank Marvin</em> is a double-DVD looking at the five more classic tracks: "Geronimo", "Kon Tiki", "Riders in the Sky", "Sleepwalk" and "Foot Tapper". Lee’s through, careful, clear explanations and demonstrations will soon have you performing in the same melodic way as Hank Marvin. Lee shares with you the version of the track he his teaching you the chords and use of reverdb and vibrato techniques, so you can go and listen to the original, then explores variations you can use to make these tunes your own.

<em>Learn to Play Cliff Richard and The Shadows</em> takes you through, note for note, five tracks: "The Young Ones", "Fall In Love With You", "Living Doll", "Dance On", "Please Don’t Tease". Lick Library’s characteristic split screen ensures that you can see what Lee is doing with both hands while he is teaching you how to perform these enduring songs.

Learn more at licklibrary.com.

Slash, the iconic musician consistently referenced as one of the best living guitarists, announced today a summer U.S. tour that comes after the artist blazed a trail across Europe performing at some of the largest outdoor Festivals. Slash recently landed on the top of the charts with his first true solo album, <em>SLASH</em>, which debuted as #1 Rock Album and #3 overall on Billboard’s coveted Top 200 charts, in addition to going #1 in more than 13 countries. The album features an all-star roster of guest musicians including Ian Astbury, Chris Cornell, Rocco DeLuca, Fergie, Dave Grohl, Myles Kennedy, Kid Rock, Lemmy Kilmister, Adam Levine of Maroon 5, Duff McKagan, M. Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold, Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop, and Andrew Stockdale of Wolfmother.

Slash’s U.S. dates will feature vocalist Myles Kennedy who was also part of the European tour and received strong critical praise at shows like the Download Festival which had over 100,000 fans and Rock-Am Ring which had more than 70,000 concert-goers. Audiences in Europe were treated to a career-spanning Slash set list of songs from the new album which Kennedy provides vocals for two songs, along with Slash classics from Guns N Roses like "Sweet Child O’ Mine", "Paradise City" and numerous Velvet Revolver, and Slash’s Snakepit favorites. Full tour routing listed below, additional dates/cities to be announced shortly. Check local ticketing agencies for on-sale dates and locations.

In addition to a long career filled with prestigious awards and accolades, Slash was just honored this week by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce who named him as an official selection for 2011 to receive a star on Hollywood’s iconic Walk of Fame. A date for the ceremony has yet to be determined.

For more, go to www.slashonline.com.

Guitar Notes Master is a new software application that promises to help guitarists rapidly learn essential fretboard theory, scales, arpeggios and chords in an enjoyable way. Guitar Notes Master takes the student from the very basics of the guitar fretboard, through learning to find notes and to build scales, arpeggios and chords. Lessons go from the most basic chords and scales up to many of the more complex chords and scales in common usage.

Guitar Notes Master incorporates interactive lessons, building knowledge of guitar fretboard theory from the ground-up rather than relying simply on rote learning of chords and scale patterns. Thousands of practice questions are included so that students can practice the topics learned in the lessons using a virtual fretboard – so users can practice without a guitar! Finally, customisable and printable guitar exercises can be generated for the patterns to help the user to get the patterns they’ve learned "under their fingers".

Graham Pett of Pett Software comments "As a guitarist, I found that the books that aim to teach guitar fretboard theory tended to be very dry and confusing, and lacking in information on how to incorporate building the knowledge into your practice routine. Existing software tools seemed to concentrate only on rote memorisation of the position of notes on the fretboard rather than true understanding of the fretboard. I wanted to build something that would give guitarists the fretboard knowledge they really need and do it in an enjoyable way, so Guitar Notes Master was born."

Guitar Notes Master includes lessons and practice exercises covering the following topics:

Open Strings
Root Shapes
Note Names and Finding Notes on the Fretboard
Diatonic Scales (Major and Minor Scales)
Pentatonic Scales
Pentatonic Lead Patterns
Intervals
Triads – Arpeggios and Chords
Seventh Arpeggios and Chords
Other Chord Types – Extended (e.g. 9th, 11th), Suspended Chords, 6, 6/9, Add9, Slash Chords and Power Chords
Modes – Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Locrian
Other Scales – Blues Scales, Harmonic and Melodic Minor, Phrygian Dominant Mode, Whole Tone and Diminished Scale

No previous knowledge is assumed, so it is suitable for beginners, but the lessons progress to advanced topics so nearly all guitarists will find valuable information in the lessons. Guitar Notes Master also provides MIDI playback of examples, customisable display and support for left-handed guitarists.

Learn more at guitarnotesmaster.com.

It’s been 10 years since John McVey released his second solo album, Jigsaw, but the singer/songwriter has been plenty busy during that time, working as a producer and engineer at Coupe Studios in Boulder, Colorado, while volunteering his time and music to both local and national charities. He never stopped writing, though, and now the Princeton, New Jersey, native is set to release his new album, <em>Unpredictable</em>, on July 20.

"I like taking time with my songs," McVey says of the span between Unpredictable and Jigsaw. "My process includes a lot of thinking and a lot of free writing. But when I get an idea that I really want to chase down, I’m relentless. I’ll fill pads with all of the writing that isn’t the song — like Michelangelo chipping away all of the stone that wasn’t the David." The end result of all of that chipping is Unpredictable, an album McVey is especially excited about because he’s donating a portion of every album sale to Kids Food Basket, a charity that provides bag lunches to underfunded kids and schools in Grand Rapids, MI. "I want this CD to be about something other than my own ego," he says. "It’s fun to watch sales when I know it’ll go toward something other than me."

Once named The National Academy of Songwriters’ "Artist of the Year," McVey has also won the Kerrville "New Folk" contest while taking home top honors in the Best of Boston’s Singer/Songwriter showcase. Meanwhile, Jigsaw and his debut album, Circle of Friends, have impressed fans and critics alike. "Combining well-crafted originals with well-considered covers, Circle demonstrates McVey’s writing, arranging and performance talents," writes Matthew S. Robinson from the Boston Globe. "A native of New Jersey, it is no surprise that McVey is often compared to the Philly Soul sound of artists such as Daryl Hall."

For as much as McVey enjoys the writing process, Unpredictable offered an entirely new challenge. "I’ve been working as a producer/engineer for the last dozen years, and I wanted to try and do this for my own songs," says McVey, who’s worked on hundreds of albums during his time with Coupe Studios. Producing Unpredictable, though, was a unique experience that McVey won’t soon forget. "I had the luxury of doing this CD completely on my own time, with no one to please, no one to answer to and no expectations on it at all. It was a work of complete art and passion."

For more, visit johnmcvey.com.

The Scorpions kicked off the North American leg of the "Get Your Sting and Blackout" farewell tour June 18 in Holmdel, NJ.

Throughout their 40-plus-year career the band has brought the enthusiasm, passion and in-your-face energy and Friday night was no different. They performed new songs off their latest album <em>Sting in the Tail</em> including "Raised on Rock" and title track and new single, "Sting in the Tail," which has just impacted radio this week. In addition, the band reached into their vast catalog of hits with "Wind of Change," "Send Me An Angel," and capped off the unforgettable night with the classic rock anthem "Rock You Like A Hurricane." Full set list is below.

<em>Sting in the Tail</em> brought the band a #1 hit at classic rock radio with the anthemic first single "Raised on Rock" and landed the highest Billboard Top 200 chart debut in over 20 years at #23. Adding to their already impressive reputation for their powerful and full-energy live arena performances and having sold over 100 million records worldwide, KLAUS MEINE (vocals), MATTHIAS JABS (lead guitar), RUDOLF SCHENKER (guitar), JAMES KOTTAK (drums) and PAWEL MACIWODA (bass) were recently honored at the World Music Awards and Hollywood’s "Rock Walk" for their positive impact and contribution to rock music across the globe.

The "Get Your Sting and Blackout" farewell tour continues onto major cities across the U.S. including Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Atlanta, Miami, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Denver and many more as the SCORPIONS celebrate their career accomplishments as the ambassadors of rock. Special guests on the tour will include Vince Neil, Cinderella, Great White, Dokken, Ratt and Tesla. Learn more at the-scorpions.com.

Lynyrd Skynyrd was honored this week by the U.S. Congress by Florida Congressman Connie Mack, and Alabama Congressman Spencer Bachus along with recognizing the achievements of the band during a reception at the U.S. Capitol.

The congressional honor for the group, who are performing in Birmingham tonight, came during a visit to Washington including stops at both the Capitol and the White House.

"The Lynyrd Skynyrd band is a true voice of the South and a legend in the music world. ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ is one of the best advertisements for my state and we now even proudly display the words on our license plates. We deeply appreciate the fact that the band does a lot to entertain our troops and support military families. They bring enjoyment to their many fans and it’s a pleasure to welcome them to our nation’s capital," said Bachus, who is dean of the Alabama House delegation.

After a hosted tour of the Capitol by Bachus’ staff, Representatives Bachus and Mack presented a Congressional Record tribute to the band members, including Johnny Van Zant, Gary Rossington, and Rickey Medlocke, recognizing the band’s career and successes.