Month: July 2010

The Lava Soar uses dual 22 AWG 99.99-percent pure OFC solid-copper conductors in a unique configuration, dual layers of tailored shielding, and a rugged outer braid. It comes with highly conductive Lava Silver Wire plugs standard as part of a complete matched plugs-to-cable design.

Durability over flexibility was chosen in the solid-core design and as a result the cable is slightly stiffer than an average stranded cable, but the Lava Soar still retains a nice lay and feel. Our goal with this cable is to provide same results at nearly half the price of other high end cables in this category.

With low capacitance of 29 pF/ft in the sweet spot zone, it provides outstanding detailed frequency response so you can hear your guitar the way it was meant to be heard. Your tone will reach new heights with the Lava Soar.

For more.lavacable.com.

Paul Gilbert unleashes his third instrumental masterpiece on Shrapnel Records, August 3. <em>Fuzz Universe</em> is my third guitar instrumental album," explains Gilbert. "Being a fan of pop music and rock bands, I am a reluctant convert into the art of instrumental rock music. But after touring with Joe Satriani’s G3, I witnessed firsthand the power of the electric guitar to take center stage and rock the audience. Playing my guitar-driven songs live was a blast! This discovery led to a huge increase in my touring as a solo artist. In the last couple of years, I’ve played nearly 150 shows all over the world, with my guitar leading the way."

<em>Fuzz Universe</em> title is inspired by Gilbert being so immersed in the world of guitar it made him realize that he lives in a <em>Fuzz Universe</em>. "Every generation of guitar players has their own terminology for the rock guitar sound: Distortion, Overdrive, Gain, Crunch, Saturation, Drive etc. For me, the word is ‘fuzz.’"

Gilbert’s talent of arranging/composing lends to the new music’s fresh melodies for songs that shows his true diversity.

"As always, my influences are diverse and not what you might expect from a "heavy metal" artist. While I was writing the songs for <em>Fuzz Universe</em>, I was immersing myself in Bulgarian Female Choir music, Baroque lute and violin pieces, Johnny Cash songs about trains, cows, mules, and mining coal, the Bee Gees, and Ronnie James Dio. I mix all this into my head, and out came endless new ideas for my guitar to chew on.

"After several months of being locked in my writing room, I gathered my touring band together and headed to the studio. Jeff Bowders played drums. Craig Martini played bass. Emi Gilbert (my wife) played keyboards. And I bent the guitar strings until I couldn’t play anymore.

"As usual, there are no dramatic stories here. No heroin overdoses, motorcycle accidents, celebrity divorces, or band-member boxing matches. The emotion, drama, and power are all in the music. That is the universe that I want to live in."

Gilbert started his career with Shrapnel Records as a teenager in the late ’80s, and is one of the most active guitarists from the original shred-guitar scene. His resume includes a number one song with Mister Big and cult status as founding member of the legendary and highly successful underground progressive metal band Racer X.

For more, visit paulgilbert.com.

The term "Super-Group" describes a band rising out of two of the most creative bands of the past 30 years: YOSO is formed out of TOTO’s brilliant lead vocalist Bobby Kimball and the creative force of former YES members, Tony Kaye and Billy Sherwood, thus equalling the magic of YES with the voice of TOTO. However, YOSO is much more than a combination of two classic rock groups. The band’s debut album "Elements" will debut July 2nd in Europe and July 23rd in the USA on Frontiers Records. This long awaited release comes with a bonus live CD where the band plays some old and new classics. This musical blend presents a fascinating combination of the sound of YES ("90125"/"Big Generator" era) and TOTO, with a very interesting and original sound that truly encompasses the styles.

Even with the band’s two diverse heritages, YOSO intends to become its own identifiable entity in a very short time. YOSO’s mission is to make the next decade one where their music will stand the test of time holding up alongside their classic rock roots.

"YOSO was started when I suggested to Bobby Kimball we should write some new music and form a band," recalls Sherwood. "We had been working together on various tribute projects that I was producing and one thing lead to another. Before too long we had 5 songs in the can and were well on our way to making a record. That is when we started thinking seriously about taking it to the next level. Once there was a few songs underway the concept grew into the band we now have, " YOSO ".

YOSO line-up was later rounded out with two amazingly gifted musicians: Johnny Bruhns as the guitarist and background vocalist and Scott Conner on drums, percussion and background vocals.

For more, visit myspace.com/yosohq, www.frontiers.it .