Month: March 2011

Saga Musical Instruments, USA distributor of Burns electric guitars and basses, is proud to announce the new Dream Guitar Limited Edition and Sonic Limited Edition guitars. The Dream nas gold-colored hardware including Burns’ proprietary locking machine heads. The body is Alderd with a figured maple top and the neck is figured maple with pearloid binding. The guitar’s multi-ply pickguards are black over white laminated plastic. It uses three Burns Rez-O-Matik Noiseless pickups and the Burns Rez-O-Tube vibrato. The Sonic Limited Edition guitar has a maple neck with Burns’ Gear-o-Matik truss rod and rosewood fingerboard. The alder body is contoured, and along with the two high-output Burns Tri-Sonic pickups controlled by one Volume and one Tone pot, and a three-way selector. It uses a Burns Rez-O-Tube bridge. Learn more at sagamusic.com.

Dunlop is now shipping its newly designed Tortex TIII picks.

Marking the 30th anniversary of Tortex picks, the Tortex TIII combines the tone and feel of Tortex material with the speed and precision-enhancing Jazz III tip. The Tortex TIII picks are available in standard Tortex gauges;.50mm, .60mm, .73mm, .88mm, 1.0mm, and 1.14mm. Learn more at jimdunlop.com.

Peter Frampton will embark on a world tour in June, celebrating his multi-platinum-selling live album <em>Frampton Comes Alive!</em>, performing the album in its entirety across the U.S., Canada, Europe, South America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. A schedule of confirmed dates will be available shortly.

The three-hour show will feature a complete performance of <em>Frampton Comes Alive!</em> along with highlights from Frampton’s catalog, including his Grammy Award-winning instrumental album, <em>Fingerprints</em>.

Frampton remains one of the most celebrated artists and guitarists in rock history. At 16, he was lead singer and guitarist for British teen band the Herd. At 18, he co-founded one of the first super groups, seminal rock act Humble Pie. His fifth solo album, <em>Frampton Comes Alive!</em> is one of the top-selling live records of all time. Learn more at PeterFrampton.com.

Neil Young will embark on a solo tour that will kick off April 15 in North Carolina, and conclude May 7 in Chicago. The tour, which will include stops with a pair of nights at Boston’s Wang Center and two shows at Avery Fisher Hall in NYC’s Lincoln Center, will cover songs from his current acclaimed album, <em>Le Noise</em> as well as classic tracks in both electric and acoustic settings. Young recently won a Grammy for "Best Rock Song" for "Angry World," from <em>Le Noise</em>, which was also nominated for "Best Rock Album."

The eight-song <em>Le Noise</em>, among Young’s most critically-embraced albums, is a collaboration between the musician, songwriter, and multiple Grammy Award-winning producer Daniel Lanois, known for his work with U2, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, The Neville Brothers and many others. <em>Le Noise</em> was released in September.

The 2011 Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase will be held October 22-23 at the Bearsville Theate in Woodstock, New York. The event is an alternative guitar show, featuring fine, contemporary, handmade acoustic guitars and stringed musical instruments, exhibited by their makers.

Entering its third year as a public event, the Woodstock Invitational has attained a reputation as a "small and prestigious" national guitar festival with an international reach. Promoting the art of lutherie, The Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase is a low-key, laid-back event for the community of acoustic stringed-instrument builders, players, collectors and aficionados. Fine, handmade acoustic instruments such as these are not usually available in music stores or other retail environments. This is a rare opportunity for the public to see, hear, play, buy or commission custom-made instruments – the finest examples of the luthiers’ art – gathered together in one place. Meet the builders, discuss custom instruments, and hear some fine music. Classical and flamenco and steel-string guitars – flattops, archtops, manouche, resonators, hybrids – plus mandolins, lutes, ouds, ukuleles, banjos, violins and bows will be on display in the Bearsville Theater. Vendors Annex right next door to the Bearsville Theater in Todd Rundgren’s old Utopia Soundstage, including fine wood dealers, parts and tool suppliers, string and accessories manufacturers, decorative inlay and custom finish artists, publications and instructional materials, and our Sponsors, plus a Special Exhibit of rare and significant historic, vintage and contemporary instruments loaned by major collectors.

There will be live music, including luthier mini-concerts, demonstrations and special appearances throughout both days, by some of the region’s finest musicians, in the Bearsville Theater Lounge, included in the price of admission. There is also a series of instructional clinics and workshops for players, plus seminars and colloquia for builders, by separate admission. There are associated concerts of acoustic music featuring internationally known artists. Performers at previous Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcases include Frank Vignola &amp; Vinny Raniolo, Larry Campbell &amp; Teresa Williams, Vicki Genfan, Vic Juris, John Sebastian, Happy Traum, Ara Dinkjian Trio, Julian Lage, Bill Keith &amp; Mark Patton, Kinloch Nelson, Paul Asbell, Frederick Hand, and more.

Learn more at woodstockinvitational.com.

After The Allman Brothers play The Beacon Theater each weekend in March, some of the band’s side projects, collaborators, and associates, along with surprise guests, will jam with the performers each night at The Iridium.

The Iridium will also play host to Duane Allman’s "Layla" Les Paul, a ’57 goldtop model was his primary instrument on the first two Allman Brothers albums, concerts, and perhaps most significantly, Derek &amp; the Dominoes’ <em>Layla</em> album. Surprise guests will play the guitar at the midnight shows, and fans will be able to snap photos for a $20 donation, with proceeds split between The Big House (home of the Allman Brothers Band Museum in Macon, GA) and The Les Paul Foundation.

The schedule for the after-hours performances is:
Allman Brothers Midnight Aftershow Schedule:
March 11: Devon Allman’s Honeytribe
March 12: The Yonrico Scott Band (featuring Allman Brothers bassist Oteil Burbridge and his brother Kofi)
March 18: The Funk Summit featuring Leo Nocentelli (The Meters), Bernie Worrell (P-Funk), Fred Wesley (James Brown, P-Funk)
March 19: Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band (featuring Allman Brothers drummer Jaimoe)
March 25: Col. Bruce Hampton and Pharaoh Gummitt (featuring Duane Trucks)
March 26: Hubert Sumlin Band

For more, visit theiridium.com

Guitarist Steve Wariner has launched a series of short instructional video clips on his website, showing how he plays songs from his new CD, <em>Guitar Laboratory</em>, demonstrating licks and showing guitarists how to capture its sounds.

"I had a great time making this record and experimenting with different guitars, tones, amps and styles," said Wariner. "I thought it would be fun to share some of what I did with other musicians out there."

Released on February 8, <em>Guitar Laboratory</em> has earned stellar reviews, including this from the Dallas Morning News: "Steve Wariner is the warmest of guitarists. No matter what six-string he’s playing or what musical genre he’s attempting, the Indiana-born picker coaxes his fingers into producing a clear, soothing and warm guitar tone."

Wariner is featured in the April issue of <em>Vintage Guitar</em>. For more, go to stevewariner.com.