Woody Guthrie will receive the Pioneer Award at the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s 43rd Annual Induction and Awards Dinner on June 14. The Pioneer Award was established in 2012 to honor the career of a historic creator of a major body of musical work that has been a major influence on generations of songwriters. Other Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees include Gordon Lightfoot, Bob Seger, Don Schlitz, Harvey Schmidt & Tom Jones and Jim Steinman.
Learn more at songwritershalloffame.org/.
Nordstrand Pickups has recreated the original 2-band Music Man preamp. The new 2B-MM preamp has the same interactive bass and treble controls as the original design. The preamp has vintage correct component for component spec, through hole PCB design, and high grade teflon wire. Each preamp is hand built and wired in our Redlands shop and is prewired and ready for easy installation.
For more, visit nordstrandpickups.com.
Several pieces of gear belonging to singer/songwriter Shelby Lynne were recently reported stolen after it went missing during shipment. Following a recent gig, the gear was shipped to Lynne’s cartage company, but it never arrived.
Among the missing gear are several guitars, including a ’67 Gibson B-25 in a blue Calton fiberglass case, a ’68 Gibson B-25 in a black fiberboard case wrapped with tape, a ’95 Gibson AJ in a dark-brown hard case, and a ’68 Martin baritone ukulele in a hard case.
Anyone with information about the gear is asked to contact Lynne’s camp at stolenitems@shelbylynne.com. A reward is offered to anyone with information leading to the recovery of the guitars.
Chris Isaak will be featured in a new PBS special showcase in which he pays tribute to the glory days of producer Sam Phillips and his Sun Studio, along with the music created by his heroes (Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and others). Isaak recaptures the spirit of the songs with his own band, while revealing the heart and soul of his own deeply rooted musical identity. “Chris Isaak Beyond the Sun Live” is part of special programming premiering on PBS stations beginning June 2.
Taped in February before an audience at the same soundstage that hosts “Austin City Limits,” the three-act program begins with some of Isaak’s hits, moves on to his tribute to Sun Records, then wraps with a combination of both.
Isaak’s “Beyond the Sun Live” tour will continue through the end of 2012. To learn more, visit chrisisaak.com.
Fender has added four new models to its Pawn Shop series – the Offset Special, Jaguarillo, Mustang Special, and the Reverse Jaguar Bass.
The Jaguarillo hot-rods traditional design with a HSS pickup configuration where all three – two standard Stratocaster single-coils and an Atomic humbucking bridge pickup – are angled for enhanced bass and treble response.
The Reverse Jaguar Bass has a “reverse” body and headstock, new pickguard shape, two Reverse Jaguar humbucking pickups, and a control layout with a three-way pickup toggle switch and controls for Volume and Tone.
The Offset Special has a semi-hollow double-cut body with an f hole and sleek offset waist, a pair of JZHB humbucking pickups with three-way toggle, and an Adjusto-Matic bridge with vintage-style floating vibrato tailpiece.
The Mustang Special returns with a new three-tone sunburst finish to complement its rosewood fretboard, three-way selector for each humbucking pickup (enabling 15 tonal options), mint-green pickguard, ’70s-style hardtail Strat bridge, vintage-style tuners and strap buttons, and deluxe gig bag.
For more, visit fender.com.
Zac Brown Band’s Southern Ground Music & Food Festival will happen October 20-21 at Blackbaud Stadium, on Daniel Island in Charleston, SC. The band will perform both nights and curate every facet of the concert experience from the food to the lineup to the craft vendors.
Additional concessions will be available from “Cookie,” Zac Brown Band’s tractor trailer-sized mobile kitchen, which will offer a la carte items prepared with Brown’s famous recipes as well as selections from local Charleston restaurants, providing the best gourmet Southern fare.
For more, visit southerngroundfestival.com.
Paul Rishell is passing on the lessons he learned from elders like Son House and Howlin’ Wolf and sharing his deep knowledge of pre-war country blues styles with a new generation as a Visiting Artist at Berklee College of Music. Berklee’s American Roots Music Program launched the Robert Davoli – Eileen McDonagh Country Blues Visiting Artist Program in 2011.
Strange Euphoria is a career-spanning, multi-label boxed set retrospective chronicling Heart. Personally curated by Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson, the carefully-considered anthology will be available everywhere Tuesday, June 5.
For more, visit heart-music.com