Monday, December 27, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Rockin Christmas Music
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Clapton New Solo Album
Fender Releases New Blacktop Series Guitars
Gibson Releases John Lennon J-160E Limited Editions
Dave Kilminster Pink Floyd
Kilminster—who previously worked with prog-rock pioneers such as Keith Emerson, Carl Palmer, and John Wetton—learned of the gig when Waters’ other tour guitarists, Snowy White and Andy Fairweather-Low, were tasked with finding someone capable of handling the majority of Gilmour’s Dark Side chores. A friend of White’s recommended Kilminster, and an audition quickly ensued. But it didn’t go quite as planned.
“I took two guitars to the audition,” says Kilminster, “a ’76 Fender Telecaster with 21 frets, and a Yamaha Pacifica Mike Stern model with 22 frets—which I knew I’d need for the ‘Money’ solo that goes up to the high E. However, halfway through ‘Money,’ I realized I was using the Telecaster, and that I couldn’t play the solo on it. I thought ‘Oh God, this is really bad,’ and I had to stop and swap guitars. And, not being a Pink Floyd fan, I didn’t realize I was supposed to sing the track, too. So, they reminded me, and I had to play the guitar part and sing—which I’d never done before. This is all going on right in front of Roger. On 'Wish You Were Here,’ everything was fine during the introductory solo and chords, but then we came to the bottleneck bit, and I realized I’d left my bottleneck in my jacket. I had to stop the band again and go get it. It was, without a doubt, the worst audition I had ever done. I drove home thinking, ‘You really messed that up, you idiot.’”
Despite the glitches, Waters was impressed, and offered him the gig.
“Dave is an absolute natural for the job he does in my band,” enthuses Waters. “Because of the extraordinary level of his technical ability, he can reproduce the ‘other’ Dave’s parts—including all the well-known solos—with fluency and accuracy, while also bringing his own special flair to them. He is, in many respects, like a virtuoso concert violinist. The notes are written in stone in terms of pitch and time, but the interpretation is all his own. It was always my intention to treat Dark Side as a classical piece, remaining faithful to the original, so Dave’s special skills are an absolute godsend.”
During tour rehearsals, Kilminster discovered his favorite guitars—including his ‘76 Telecaster—weren’t cutting it, necessitating a last-second swap.
“My Telecasters didn’t sound fat enough to stand out in an 11-piece band,” says Kilminster. “I discussed the problem with Paul Cornford, who makes amps for me and Richie Kotzen. He suggested I try a couple of Fender Richie Kotzen Signature Telecasters—which I modified with Seymour Duncan STHR-1 Hot Rails pickups in the bridge position and Lindy Fralin pickups in the neck position. The combination was much more musical to my ears, and gave me the great big, fat, warm sound I needed. Also, instead of a tone control, the Kotzen Telecasters have a series-parallel switch that enables you to get a nice clean, sweet sound, which is useful for many classic Gilmour moments. And while the Kotzen guitars have big, chunky necks and a significant camber—instead of the flatter necks and huge frets I prefer—they had the sound I needed, and that was enough to make me get over the other issues.”
Kilminster—who just released his debut solo CD, Scarlet [Amazon U.K.]—also chose a more Spartan effects approach than Gilmour.
“I had seen the pedalboard Bob Bradshaw built for David, and it looked like you could control a space shuttle with it,” he says. “I thought that was way too complex, and I decided to go with the basics. The MXR EVH 90 Phaser was sonically similar to the sound at the beginning of ‘Breathe,’ so I got one of those. I chose the Boss RT-20 Rotary Ensemble because it faithfully reproduced the wobbly Doppler effect on stuff like ‘Any Colour You Like.’ I also use the Boss BD-2 Blues Driver, because it doesn’t mess too much with the true tone of the guitar. Then, Cornford built a custom footswitch for me so I can switch from the Vintage channels to the high-gain Modern channels on my Hellcat amps, and that’s the sound I use on the big solos on ‘Comfortably Numb,’ ‘Money,’ ‘Time,’ and ‘Have a Cigar.’”
During previous tours with the likes of Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer, Kilminster was used to jamming to his heart’s content. In contrast, the Waters tour was a serious exercise in self-discipline.
“Things are definitely more regimented with Roger,” he says. “Take ‘Have a Cigar,’ for example. It’s challenging, because we’re playing to a click track, and everything is synchronized to visuals, as well as to a sound effect from the original album that plays at the end. That means I have to finish the solo at exactly the same point every night. Getting used to things like that was initially difficult, but I began realizing this isn’t a typical rock gig—it’s almost the same as a Broadway show. And the fact is, no one is paying to hear my version of these tunes. The way I channel my personality into the show is to sometimes hit the notes harder and with more attitude, which can give them more immediacy.”
Unexpectedly, Kilminster ran into Gilmour himself during rehearsals for the Waters tour. Despite the 2005 Live 8 show that saw Waters and Gilmour reunite as Pink Floyd, relations remain frosty between them—a situation that benefits Kilminster for obvious reasons.
“Last year, Roger was rehearsing at Bray Studios in England with us and Nick Mason, and David was next door rehearsing with his band that includes [Pink Floyd keyboardist] Rick Wright,” says Kilminster. “One day, David walks into the canteen, and comes up to me and says, ‘Hi, I’m Dave.’ I say, ‘Me too. I’m your stunt double.’ He replies, ‘That’s cool. It’s not too difficult, is it?’ He seemed like a nice guy, but I’m probably one of the very few people who is happy he and Roger don’t like each other!”
Dave’s Side of the Moon
Here’s a song-by-song breakdown of the gear Kilminster used on Roger Waters’ 2007 tour. Note: All parts not listed are the Fender Richie Kotzen Telecasters played straight into the Cornford Hellcat’s Vintage channel.
- “In the Flesh?” Boss BD-2 on the intro and outro. Boss CE-5 on verses.
- “Mother” Takamine 12-string.
- “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” Boss CE-5 and DD-6.
- “Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part One)” Boss CE-5 and DD-6 on intro and outro. MXR Micro Amp on solo and harmony parts.
- “Have a Cigar” MXR EVH 90 (Heavy setting). Hellcat Modern channel for outro solo.
- “Wish You Were Here” Takamine 6-string with Dunlop glass bottleneck for middle and outro solos.
- “Southampton Dock” Boss CE-5 and DD-6.
- “The Fletcher Memorial Home” Boss BD-2 for harmony solo.
- “Perfect Sense (Part I)” Boss CE-5 and DD-6.
- “Perfect Sense (Part II)” Boss BD-2.
- “Leaving Beirut” Plays Roger Waters’ Fender Precision bass.
- “Sheep” Boss CE-5 and DD-6 for middle section. Boss BD-2 and T-Rex Replica for solo.
- “Speak to Me/Breathe” MXR Phase 90 (Light setting).
- “Time/Breath Reprise” Hellcat Modern channel and T-Rex Replica on solo. MXR EVH 90 (Light setting) for “Breathe Reprise.”
- “The Great Gig in the Sky” Boss CE-5 and DD-6.
- “Money” Hellcat Modern channel for solo.
- “Us and Them” Boss RT-20 (Slow setting).
- “Any Colour You Like” Boss RT-20 (Fast setting). Boss BD-2 and RT-20 on solo.
- “Brain Damage” Boss RT-20 (Slow setting).
- “Eclipse” Boss RT-20 (Slow setting).
- “The Happiest Days of Our Lives” Boss BD-2.
- “Another Brick in the Wall (Part. II)” Boss BD-2 on solo.
- “Vera/Bring the Boys Back Home” Boss BD-2.
- “Comfortably Numb” T-Rex Replica on intro, Boss CE-5 and DD-6 on choruses. T-Rex Replica and Boss CE-5 and BD-2 on first solo. Boss CE-5, T-Rex Replica, and Hellcat
Modern channel on outro solo.
Killer’s Kit
Guitars Fender Richie Kotzen Signature Series Telecasters (2), Takamine 12-string, 2006 Limited Edition Takamine 6-string.
Amps Cornford Hellcat heads (3), Cornford Richie Kotzen 4x12 cabs (3).
Effects MXR Micro Amp, MXR EVH 90, Boss BD-2 Blues Driver, Boss CE-5 Chorus, Boss DD-6 Digital Delay, Boss RT-20 Rotary Ensemble, Boss RV-5 Digital Reverb, T-Rex Replica Digital Delay.
Strings D’Addario EXL110 (.010-.046) and EXL115 (.011-.049) for electrics, D’Addario EJ16 Phosphor Bronze (.012-.053) for acoustic, D’Addario EJ38 Phosphor Bronze (.010-.047) for 12-string.
Picks Jim Dunlop Gator Grip 2mm.
Taylor Guitars GS Mini Now Shipping in Limited Quantities
Googling "Free MP3s" May Not Be So Free
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Vintage Vault: Duane Eddy’s 1960 Howard Doubleneck guitar
THIS FUTURISTIC JETSONS rocket ship of a guitar looks like it’s ready to blast into orbit at any time. It was made in 1960 for instrumental hit-maker Duane Eddy by a Phoenix amplifier guru named Tom “Howard” McCormick. McCormick is known for his unique amplifiers, but little is known about his guitars.
Duane Eddy was and still is the “King of Twang,” and he is most remembered for his Gretsch and Guild signature model guitars. In the late ’50s, however, he used to switch back and forth on stage between his Gretsch 6120 and his Danelectro 6- string bass. McCormick reckoned Duane needed a doubleneck that would do the same thing. Duane recalls that this instrument sounded and looked great, but he rarely used it due to its prohibitive weight.
McCormick made unorthodox amps, and this guitar is in keeping with that tradition. The necks are made of fiberglass with rosewood fretboards, and the backwards- Explorer headstocks predated Robin guitars by two decades. The pickups are super high fidelity, and the dense guitar sustains forever. Other features, such as the inside-out Strat jack mounted on the side, the six oven knobs and five switches, and the hand-milled vibrato are great reminders of an era where the future was so bright, you had to wear shades. Where are the jet packs they promised us?
Little may be known of Tom “Howard” McCormick, but this author hereby declares this guitar as the coolest guitar ever made. May the Twang be with you.
Special thanks to Duane and Deed Eddy and Teisco Del Rey.
Fallen Hero: Stevie Ray Vaughan
AUGUST 27, 2010 MARKS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s death. Here are some words of wisdom from the man himself, as excerpted fromGP interviews by Dan Forte (October 1984), and Matt Resnicoff and Joe Gore (February 1990).
ON HIS INFLUENCES
“I got a lot of the fast things I do from Lonnie Mack—just the ideas and the phrasing, like on “Scuttle Buttin’.” That’s dedicated to him. I got a lot of turnarounds from Freddie King.
ON HIS “BACKWARDS” WHAMMY BAR
“I noticed that when Otis Rush used a vibrato bar, he had it mounted on the top [by the bass strings], and he played upside-down. Hendrix had the guitar upside-down, as well, except he strung it regular. It seemed to me that the people who did that the best had it on top, so I moved mine. Sometimes, it does get in the way. I’ve had it tear my sleeve halfway off. It’s pretty tight, with four springs tightened all the way up.”
ON CHANNELING ALBERT KING FOR DAVID BOWIE’S LET’S DANCE ALBUM
“I wanted to see how many places Albert King’s stuff would fit. It always does. I love that man. When that album came out, Albert heard it, and said, ‘Yeah [sneering], I heard you doin’ all my sh*t on there. I’m gonna go up there and do some of yours’ [laughs].”
ON HIS STRINGS
I use a .013, a .015 or .016—depending on what shape my fingers are in—a .019 plain, and then .028, .038, .060 or .056. If I go down to a .018 on the G string, it feels like a rubber band to me. Sometimes, I literally pull the strings off. I can deaden a set of strings completely after one set, because I play them hard.”
ON RHYTHM && GROOVE
“This may be just the twisted way I see things, but it seems that rhythms used to come from things like trains, walking down the street, riding horses, and little simple engines. In this day and age, it’s more jets and conveyor belts, and there ain’t no rhythm there. People aren’t hearing it. The rhythm needs to breathe. Sometimes, the best way to get some punch out of something is to slow down right before you hit it. Kind of like a slingshot. Pow!”
ON PLAYING SOLOS
“I’m just trying to find the most tone I can get. Sometimes, I can find it, and sometimes I want to choke my amp. But then there are the nights when it doesn’t seem that I have anything to do with it. That’s the one you always play for. There have been nights when I start playing chord solos, and I don’t know any of the chords [laughs]. There have been nights when I completely lost it, and by the time it struck me, I wouldn’t even know what song I was playing anymore. Sometimes, it’s effortless, and sometimes it’s a struggle, but the chill bumps are worth it when you get ’em.”
ON HIMSELF
“I don’t consider myself a guitar hero. I just have fun playing guitar.”
The Don Felder 'Hotel California' 1959 Les Paul From Gibson Custom
The 1976 mega-hit single "Hotel California" is named on virtually every reputable list of "greatest guitar solos" that has ever been published. The whole truth is, though, that the entire Hotel California album is rife with scorching guitar work from both newcomer Joe Walsh and Eagles lead guitarist Don Felder – and Felder played all of his solos on one outstanding instrument: a 1959 Les Paul Standard. Hired by the Eagles in 1974 to help the band make the transition from country-rock to a heavier, rock-based sound, Felder brought it on in spades, and the tone he selected to do the job is unmistakably Les Paul – fat, creamy and singing. In order to bring that sound, feel and look to a select group of players and collectors today, Gibson Custom has introduced the Don Felder "Hotel California" 1959 Les Paul, an instrument created in the image of Felder's original 1959 'Burst in strictly limited quantities. Produced as a three-tiered Limited Edition, with 50 guitars hand-aged by Gibson Custom and personally signed by Don Felder, 100 hand-aged, and a further 150 given Gibson's VOS treatment, each includes a numbered Certificate of Authenticity to record its status for posterity.

Hand-aged examples meticulously reproduce the look of Felder's own '59 Les Paul, while VOS versions present the gently aged look and feel of a vintage instrument. All are made with period-correct specs and components, including a pair of Gibson's most accurate reproduction PAF pickups, and finished in a uniquely tinted and faded "Felder Burst" finish, formulated exclusively for this guitar. As rare and desirable as all 'Bursts are, this limited run recreates one of the greatest, and a big slice of tone history.
Like any great Les Paul Standard, the Don Felder "Hotel California" 1959 Les Paul starts with great wood. Gibson Custom selects figured maple for the two-piece top to replicate the look of Felder's own iconic 'Burst, and joins each set to a select, lightweight, solid one-piece mahogany back. Way beyond merely recreating the look of the original instrument, however, this maple/mahogany pairing perpetuates a tonewood match made in heaven: a best-of-both-worlds palette that gives you the perfect blend of maple's clarity, snap and bite, and mahogany's warmth, depth and richness.
VOS - Felder Burst - $10,351msrp
Aged - Felder Burst - $14,115 msrp
Aged/Signed - Felder Burst - $17,645 msrp
For more information, please visit www.gibson.com.
Pavement Wants You to Play Guitar With Them on Jimmy Fallon
Pavement, the legendary indie rock band that reunited earlier this year after an 11-year hiatus, is slated to perform on “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” on September 23 -- and they’re looking for an extra guitarist: you.
The band is offering fans the chance to audition to “be in Pavement … just for one day.”
Via the band’s Matador Records label:
Ever wanted to go to a TV taping? One where Pavement is playing? Stick around to try and meet the band? Go backstage? Watch soundcheck? Eat their food? Talk fantasy sports with Malkmus? Ever wanted to, you know, get your lazy ass off the couch and JOIN PAVEMENT? Then do it, goofball. Imagine the Twitter potential!
The label is asking aspiring guitarists to submit videos of themselves covering an “approved Pavement song.” Contestants must upload their jangly fretwork on the show’s website by September 8. Fans of the band and the show will then vote, though it’s not clear if the vote will determine who ultimately gets to play with Pave.
Hey, come to think of it, Conan O’Brien plays guitar. I know he’s more of a "Free Bird"-wheeling classic rock guy, but how cool would it be if Coco returned to his old home on “Late Night” as a member of Pavement?
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
OVATION HITS THE ROAD WITH ‘ROUNDBACK REVOLUTION’!
Ovation’s ‘Roundback Revolution’ gives roundback loyalists and acoustic fans alike the chance to get to know the brand up close and personal. Reps from our factory will be on hand to present the history of the roundback along with the Ovation innovations that literally changed the shape of music. Perform in our “Acoustic Showcase” and get the chance to win $5000 in gear for you and your band mates. Not only that, but we’ll film your performance and feature it on ovationguitars.com, and send you home with a cool boutique T-shirt and set of Fender strings. How does a custom Ovation sound? Any way you want it to! Just for showing up, you will be entered into a drawing to win a custom Ovation from our New Hartford, CT workshop ($5000 value). While you’re at it, bring your acoustic for a string change, courtesy of Fender Strings. The evening will be capped off by sales specials (or as we like to say Roundback Rollbacks), product demos, giveaways and more. In addition, we’ll be showing off one- of-a-kind guitars from our factory vault…all available for sale. Ovation’s Roundback Revolution will be at the following locations for September:
Wednesday
9/8/2010
Victor Litz Music
www.victorlitz.com
306 E. Diamond Ave
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20877Thursday
9/9/2010
The Guitar Factory
http://www.myspace.com/theguitarfactory
1062 Union Road
West Seneca, NY 14244-3449
(716) 677-0908Monday
9/13/2010
Lost Art Vintage
www.lostartvintage.com
Barrington Coffee House
131 Clements Bridge Road
Barrington, NJ 06031Wednesday
9/15/2010
Firehouse Guitars
www.firehouseguitars.com
3125 28th Street SW
Grandville, Michigan 49418-1199
(616) 532-3473 Thursday
9/16/2010
Sweetwater Sound
www.sweetwater.com
5501 US Highway 30 West
Fort Wayne, IN 46818
(260) 432-8176Friday
9/17/2010
Sight && Sound Music
www.sightandsoundmusic.com
900 West McGalliard Road Suite A
Muncie, IN 47303
(765) 289-8526 (Event Location)Monday
9/20/2010
Music Center, Inc #5365
www.musiccenterinc.com
7700 Greenbay Road
Kenosha, Wisconsin 53142
(262)697-9393 Ext 243Tuesday
9/21/2010
Warpdrive/Cream City Music #12598
www.creamcitymusic.com
12505 W. Bluemound Road
Brookfield, Wisconsin 53005
(262)860-1800Thursday
9/23/2010
Uncle Ike's
www.uncleikes.com
2300 John F. Kennedy RD
Dubuque, Iowa 52002
563-556-6052Friday
9/24/2010
Uptempo Music
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Des-Moines-IA/Uptempo-Music/110492918681
2714 Beaverdale Ave.
Des Moines, Iowa 50310
515-277-0145Monday
9/27/2010
Supersonic Music
www.supersonicmusic.com
117 SE 6th
Topeka, Kansas 66603-3505
785-235-3786 Tuesday
9/28/2010
SM Hanson Music
www.smhansonmusic.com
335 South Clark
Salina, Kansas 67401
785-825-6273Thursday
9/30/2010
Railroad Bazaar # 7816 C
www.railroadbazaar.com
4321 University Dr. Suite A
Huntsville, Alabama 35816
(256) 721-2353For more information, visit www.ovationguitars.com.
Vox Launches Hand-Wired Series
Slash Rocks with "Slash FM"
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Nashville Amp Expo
Guitar Player was the exclusive media sponsor the Nashville Amp Expo, which took place August 21st and 22nd 2010 at the Hyatt Place Hotel. Here's a quick peek at a few of the products on display.
In the Peavey room, there was plenty to take in—from older Peavey Custom Shop amps and Budda combo units to the newest member of the family—a Trace Elliot acoustic amplifier, part of a range of revamped acoustic amps hitting stores now. The TA-100, TA-200, and TA-300 models each have two channels, an effects section, six-band graphic EQ and Master control. The TA-400 boasts three channels, two effects sections, an eight-band EQ and Master control. The TA-200 at the show was equipped with four, 5-inch custom Celestion speakers and sat atop is sharp Trace Elliot gig bag, which is included.
Egnater brought its new compact Tweaker all-tube amp as well as its popular Rebel range to the Nashville Amp Expo. The Tweaker, which began shipping in the Spring, is a 15-watt dynamo running a pair of 6V6 power tubes and a trio of 12AX7 pre-amp tubes. The amp is a gig-hound’s dream combining affordability, light weight and a series of switches that can toggle the amp between vintage and modern voicing, hot and clean gain structure, tight and bright voicing, AC, US and UK tone controls and more. Egnater has received earlier feedback from players asking for more power and a foot-switchable gain control. This has lead to whispers that the company will be adding to the Tweaker family with a rumored two new models in the works and planned for formal unveiling at the Winter NAMM show next January.
Fuchs Audio Technology showcased both its amp and pedal lines. The latest to join the amp line is the Mantis—a two-channel high gain beast that comes as either a 50-watt or 100-watt head. Channel One on the Mantis gives you an American-flavored, blues with attitude vibe, while Channel Two offers a scooped mid-range, heavy metal voicing. Both channels have Gain and Master Volume controls along with a three-band EQ. On the pedal front, Fuchs continues to roll out its Plush Pedals Replay delay range with three units currently available - the Replay True High Voltage Tube Delay, The REP-3 Tube Voiced Delay and the Replay Jr. A fourth unit is expected to join the family prior to year-end.
Queensryche Signs to Roadrunner
Experience Hendrix Tour Returns This Fall
Monday, August 30, 2010
Jimi Hendrix & George Fullerton Inducted Into Fender Hall Of Fame
Stevie Ray Vaughan is Gone but His Music Lingers On
Flood Gibson USA Guitar Presented to Slash
Gibson Guitar was also an official sponsor of the Sunset Music Festival supporting the rock legend Slash on Thursday, August 26, 2010 during an official citywide proclamation in West Hollywood that declared it officially “Slash Day.” Slash was honored at a special tribute at the House of Blues on Sunset Boulevard for his extraordinary contribution to the rock-and-roll legacy which is the Sunset Strip. Gibson GuitarTown has been installed along the Sunset Strip with a prominent centerpiece of the exhibit being a ten-foot tall Gibson guitar sculpture uniquely themed “Slash.”
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Jimmie Vaughan brings the blues and the ballads on latest CD
Musical inspiration for Jimmie Vaughan knows no parameters. He finds it in late bluesman Little Milton as well as sibling pop duo Donny & Marie Osmond.
Those names surfaced when Dallas-born Vaughan began selecting songs for his new CD, Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites, a jubilant, jukebox-flavored retooling of blues classics, instrumentals and originals. Little Milton provided the creative crux for the project, but Donny & Marie came to mind when Vaughan decided to record "I'm Leaving It Up to You" with Austin blues belter Lou Ann Barton.
"As a kid, I had Little Milton Sings Big Blues," says the 59-year-old longtime Austin resident by phone. "He just recorded a bunch of songs that were popular blues tunes at the time, some old, some current, a lot of classic things. I remember that album because maybe only one was actually his song. So it was just a record for people to enjoy. So I just tried that." "I'm Leaving It Up to You," which had already been covered several times, was an immediate choice.
"I like that song ... I like the original. It has been No. 1 three times that I know of, maybe four. Everybody has done that song, so why don't Lou Ann and I do it? We could do the bluesiest version of that. She said, 'We can't do that. They'll call us the Donny & Marie' of the blues." This is what Jimmie Vaughan's been diligently doing for more than 40 years. He revitalizes the blues. Vaughan won't dilute the blues for commercial gain. He's most adept at taking a pure art form and giving it a retro-cool spin. In his hands, it just sounds modern.
The Fabulous Thunderbirds, which he founded with Kim Wilson in the mid 1970s, certainly brought blues to the masses without ever watering down its sonic impact. Vaughan recorded eight albums with the Fab T-Birds, the now-classic early discs such as 1979's Girls Go Wild and 1981's Butt Rockin' as well as 1986's million-selling Tuff Enuff, which features the Top 10 hit title track.
"A little bit after Kim and I started the band, we were having a good time playing around Austin in clubs," he says. "We became the house band for Clifford Antone's place. We loved that music, and that's what we're going to do. I'm going to be a blues guitar player, and Kim was a blues harmonica player. We were always on the road, always flying somewhere, trying to make a gig and another gig. It became crazy, and I drank too much, burning the candle at both ends, and it caught up with me. After a few years of that I had to get off the bus."
Vaughan's post-Thunderbirds work includes 1990's Family Style, the Grammy-winning duet effort with his late brother, the respected, beloved blues singer-guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. The subject of Stevie Ray is still painful for Vaughan. Next month marks the 20th anniversary of Stevie Ray's death from a helicopter crash. For Vaughan, the memory of his brother remains foremost on his mind.
"It's just a horrible tragedy that doesn't seem real to me still," he says. "I'll never get over it. I had to come around and realize that I'm here, and I have a life and I had a life before he got killed, and there's nothing I could do about it. So I decided to be happy." Happiness for Vaughan now centers on his family life. He's married with twin 6-year-old daughters. He also has two grown children. "I try my best to be around a lot more," he says. "If you want to be happy, you need a balance."
There's another source of constant elation – his guitar. For the kid who grew up in Oak Cliff, the six-string became a passion when he was 13. He was recovering at home from a broken collarbone, a football injury, when his father got him a guitar "to get me out of trouble."
"I was always the kind of kid that drew a lot of pictures, off in dreamland ... and I liked cars. I didn't want to do what people wanted me to do. When I found the guitar, it just felt natural. Within a couple of days, I could play a little bit. It was so much fun that I didn't want to stop," he says. "That's the way it still is. I play every single day. I still try to learn stuff, still finding music that I didn't know about. It was also a way out for me. If I play this guitar and I really get good on it, I can make records. I could have a way out."
Jimmie Vaughan loves retro clothes and vintage cars. He gladly tells us why.
The threads: "There was a time in the late '70s, early '80s when I actually decided I needed to look like I sounded. I like pleated pants. It's very '50s-influenced. I decided to dress that way because it's what I liked and it was different from what anybody else was doing at the time. It made it fun. When you're onstage and you look down and you like your shoes, you play better than if you didn't like your shoes."
The cars: "I've gotten into the hot-rodding and the custom cars, from the '50s and early '60s. I do body work, change the grille, lots of upgrading involved. Over the last 25 years, I've done several cars. We take five, six years to do a car. You find one and drag it home and start tearing it apart. We basically restore it. You go to swap meets and find original pieces. It's fun, and it's the same as the music, take the old and make it new."
Eric Clapton's 'Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010' Coming To Blu-Ray And DVD
Often credited as being one of the all-time greatest guitarists and known amongst his peers as one of the all-time greatest collaborators, the ultimate Clapton collaboration took place earlier this year at the Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010 on June 26 at Chicago’s Toyota Park. For one day only, Clapton gathered the past, present and future of guitar music onto one stage for an all-day musical event in front of a crowd of over 27,000. The third Crossroads Guitar Festival was a sold out, 11-hour event with all profits benefiting The Crossroads Centre in Antigua, a treatment and education facility founded by Clapton for chemically dependent persons.
Rhino Entertainment captured every note from that blistering summer day in Chicago and will release over four hours in High Definition on Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010. Fans around the world will have a chance to experience many of the festival’s greatest moments including performances by Clapton, ZZ Top, Steve Winwood, B.B. King, Jeff Beck, Vince Gill, Sheryl Crow, Buddy Guy, John Mayer, Bill Murray and many others as well as behind-the-scenes footage and candid interviews with the performers. Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010 will be available November 9 at retail outlets, including www.rhino.com, for a suggested list price of $34.98 (2-Disc Blu-Ray) and $29.98 (2-Disc DVD). This marks the first ever release of a Crossroads Guitar Festival on Blu-Ray.
“The Crossroads Festival is the realization of a dream for me, to gather a group of amazingly talented musicians to perform on one stage,” said Clapton. “The Crossroads performers are all musicians I admire and respect.”
Peter Gabriel To Kick Off Guitar Center Sessions

The show will be taped live at the Guitar Center store in Hollywood, California, and will be hosted by radio personality Jason Bentley.
"With Guitar Center Sessions we feel that we've created an opportunity that will inspire and help musicians," said Guitar Center Director of Music and Entertainment Marketing Dustin Hinz.
"For the show it was key that we create an intimate environment where musicians could truly learn from Peter Gabriel - how he works and what inspires him," he said in a press release. "The audience, along with the setting and the amazing music mind of host Jason Bentley, makes this a unique television experience geared towards helping musicians become better at their craft."
Fans can preview Gabriel's performance on the show with a free video of "Here Comes the Flood," which is being offered as a download exclusively through Guitar Center's website.
Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society Interview
“GUITAR: The Instrument that Rocked the World” To Launch In Orlando In June 2011
The National GUITAR Museum today announced that its touring exhibition, entitled “GUITAR: The Instrument That Rocked The World,” will launch on June 11, 2011 at the Orlando Science Center in Orlando, Florida.
The 5,000 square foot Touring Exhibition will explore the history and evolution of the guitar—from lutes and lyres to modern high-tech instruments—and show how the instrument became the cultural symbol it is today. The exhibition will feature engaging, entertaining, and educational displays specific to the guitar, including historical artifacts, models, posters, video screens, interactives, and kiosks. Educational displays will feature everything from how vibrating strings create sound on to the electromagnetic properties of an electric guitar—and even address environmental concerns about how the wood used to make guitars has disappeared through the destruction of rain forests.
“The guitar is the most enduring icon in American history,” says HP Newquist, the executive director and founder of The National GUITAR Museum. It has been around longer than baseball, basketball, soft drinks, and sports cars. It’s hard to find anyone who hasn’t been affected by the guitar, whether as players or just fans of all types of music. And while this may be apocryphal,” Newquist adds, “it’s a widely held belief that the two most recognizable man-made shapes on the planet are those of the Coca-Cola bottle and the electric guitar.”
The Touring Exhibition will run in Orlando from June through September 2011. Additional venues are currently being scheduled.
About The National GUITAR Museum
The National GUITAR Museum, LLC (NGM) is the first museum in the United States dedicated to the history, evolution, and cultural impact of the guitar. Its Touring Exhibition, “GUITAR: The Instrument That Rocked The World” will travel to 15 cities over the next five years before becoming the basis of The National GUITAR Museum in its permanent home.
The NGM’s board is comprised of individuals drawn from the music, technology, event, and museum communities. Current advisors include guitar greats Steve Vai, Johnny Winter, Steve Howe, Liona Boyd, and Ritchie Blackmore. The Executive Director of the Museum is HP Newquist.
National partners who will be promoting and supporting the Museum and the Touring Exhibition include Channel One, Guitar Center, Guitar Player Magazine, and TrueFire Media.
Gibson To Reproduce Classic Randy Rhoads Les Paul Guitar
Gibson Guitar Giveaway Contest
Viewers will simply go to the www.myboldtv.com website, sign up and automatically become eligible to win. This exemplifies Bold Acquisition Group's commitment to create and launch innovative embedded branding and cross-marketing initiatives to promote the website and attain additional sponsorships and advertisers.
Creative Director for www.myboldtv.com Dan Bruder stated, "For the second time in as many months, 'Who the Hell is Dan Bruder,' has exclusively debuted new episodes of the rock comedy web television series to the 15 million viewers of www.relix.com. The strategy of premiering new episodes on relix and directing traffic back to www.myboldtv.com is proving to be successful with consistent, significant increases in traffic to our site. We value our working relationship with relix and look forward to exploring continued ways to work with them and other well-established links to massive amounts of traffic."
NASA Launches Wake Up Contest
'Big Boy Toys' (Aaron Tippin)
'Blue Sky' (Big Head Todd)
'Bright Side Of The Road' (Van Morrison)
'Countdown' (Rush)
'Drops Of Jupiter' (Train)
'Enter Sandman' (Metallica)
'Fly Away' (Lenny Kravitz)
'Fly Me To The Moon' (Frank Sinatra)
'Free Fallin' (Tom Petty)
'Get Ready' (The Temptations)
'Good Day Sunshine' (The Beatles)
'Here Comes The Sun' (The Beatles)
'Higher Ground' (Stevie Wonder)
'Homeward Bound' (Simon & Garfunkel)
'I Got You (I Feel Good)' (James Brown)
'Imagine' (John Lennon)
'Kryptonite' (3 Doors Down)
'Learn To Fly' (Foo Fighters)
'Learning To Fly' (Tom Petty)
'Magic Carpet Ride' (Steppenwolf)
'Moon River' (Audrey Hepburn)
'Mr. Blue Sky' (Electric Light Orchestra)
'On The Road Again' (Willie Nelson)
'Over The Rainbow' (Israel Kamakawiwo'ole)
'Rendezvous' (Bruce Springsteen)
'Rocket Man' (Elton John)
'Roll With It' (Steve Winwood)
'She Blinded Me With Science' (Thomas Dolby)
'Should I Stay Or Should I Go?' (The Clash)
'So Far Away' (Dire Straits)
'Star Trek Theme Song' (Alexander Courage)
'Start Me Up' (Rolling Stones)
'The Distance' (Cake)
'Theme From The Star Wars Trilogy' (John Williams)
'These Are The Days' (10,000 Maniacs)
'Time For Me To Fly' (REO Speedwagon)
'What A Wonderful World' (Louis Armstrong)
'Where I Come From ' (Alan Jackson)
'Window On The World' (Jimmy Buffett)
Friday, August 27, 2010
Daisy Rock Girl Guitars Donating Instruments
Vintage Guitar Mag Needs Your Guitar Photos
Taylor Guitars Road Show
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Win An Ovation Guitar
Here is your chance to win an Ovation guitar!
Brought to you from http://www.zebramusic.com, your web site for rock guitar lessons.
Calling all guitar players! Want to share your favorite riff or how to play your hero guitar solo? Have a tuning tip? Record a video and upload your lesson to Ovation’s video contest. Qualified entrants are eligible to win one of twelve Ovation guitars during the 12-week contest. Weekly entries will be judged on accuracy, video/audio quality and ease of use. At the conclusion of the contest, the entrant with the most votes/views will win a custom-made Adamas guitar from Ovation’s world renowned New Hartford, CT workshop.
Submit your lesson anytime before October 12, 2010 at approximately 11:59 p.m. EST for your chance to win! For further information on contest rules and eligibility, visit Ovation Guitars Video Lesson Contest, CLICK HERE. About Ovation Guitars: Ovation guitars are recognized around the world not only for their distinctive round backs, but also for pioneering the first acoustic/electric guitar in 1966. Through the years, Ovation has continued build guitars with an emphasis on innovation and quality and offers a range of guitars and electronics suited for amateurs to pros. In 2008, Ovation introduced the first guitar featuring a built in mp3 recorder and player -- making it possible for players of any level to capture musical ideas as they strike. The revered “electric player’s acoustic” can be seen on the stages around the world in the hands of artists including Melissa Etheridge, Nikki Sixx, Yngwie Malmsteen, DJ Ashba, Mick Thomson, Lacuna Coil, Hawthorne Heights among many more. Visit Ovation online at www.ovationguitars.com.
Touring Guitar Exhibition
This would be pretty neat to check out!
Brought to you from http://www.zebramusic.com, your web site for rock guitar lessons.
The National GUITAR Museum today announced that its touring exhibition, entitled “GUITAR: The Instrument That Rocked The World,” will launch on June 11, 2011 at the Orlando Science Center in Orlando, Florida.
Joe Satriani New Album and Tour
Joe is still one of my favorite guitar players.
Brought to you from http://www.zebramusic.com, your web site for rock guitar lessons.
In 2002, legendary guitarist Joe Satriani performed the National Anthem for the Opening Day of Major League Baseball’s Oakland A’s. Now, that historic season opener is being recreated, complete with Satriani’s stirring Anthem rendition, for the brand new Sony Pictures movieMoneyball starring Brad Pitt, based on the 2003 novel Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael M. Lewis.Satriani will perform the National Anthem as he did on Opening Day back in 2002, keeping director Bennett Miller’s pursuit of authentic recreation. Filming for Joe’s Anthem scene took place on August 3 in the Oakland Coliseum, site of the A’s home stadium. Moneyball is the story of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane’s successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget, employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players using a modernized, analytical approach and assembling a competitive baseball team, despite Oakland's disadvantaged revenue situation.Satriani’s 14th studio album, Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards, produced and recorded by Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Metallica) and Satriani, has recently been completed and is set for release on October 5, 2010 through Epic Records. Joe is joined once again by veteran Satriani bandmate Jeff Campitelli on drums, and newcomers, keyboardist Mike Keneally (Frank Zappa, Steve Vai) and bassist Allen Whitman (Mermen) also adding to the sound. Satriani’s classic sound is accompanied by a surprisingly rich texture of new material as well. This 11-track album’s first single "Light Years Away" is destined to be a hit, with several other high energy offerings, like “Wormhole Wizards” and “Premonition.” Satriani’s World Tour promoting Black Swans . . . will begin in this fall, kicking off on October 16 in Dublin, Ireland with the North American dates starting on December 1 in Atlanta, hitting cities such as Chicago, New York, Boston and more (a second January ‘11 leg TBA).As a special bonus, U.S. residents can pre-order the upcoming album Black Swans and Wormhole Wizardsexclusively through Joe Satriani's website, and receive an autographed copy of the CD, a download of the new single "Light Years Away", and a special code allowing access to tickets for Joe Satriani's North American tour dates before they go on sale to the public (not all North American tour dates apply to this promotion). The ticket pre-sale is powered by Ticketmaster.com. You can visit www.sonymusicdigital.com/joe-satriani for more details on how to pre-order.In 2009, Satriani joined with former Van Halen front man Sammy Hagar, former bassist Michael Anthony, and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ drummer Chad Smith, to form the stand-out rock collaboration, Chickenfoot. After a highly successful U.S. tour, their self-titled debut album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America with over 500,000 in album shipments.Over the last two decades, Satriani has traveled the world, playing to sold-out crowds as both a headliner and as founder of the all-star “G3” guitar extravaganza. As one of the world’s most renowned instrumental artists, Satriani recorded Live in Paris: I Just Wanna Rock! in 2008 at The Grand Rex Theater in Paris, France. The live two-disc CD and DVD was released in February 2010 through Epic Records and contained such memorable songs as, “Surfing With The Alien”, “Flying in a Blue Dream”, along with recent hits like “Super Colossal” and “I Just Wanna Rock.” Of his many solo albums, two have gone platinum and four others went gold, with 15 Grammy nominations between them. Special Black Swans Pre-Orders Available thru WWW.SATRIANI.COM.Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards Tracklisting
1) PREMONITION 7) THE GOLDEN ROOM2) DREAM SONG 8) TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY3) PYRRHIC VICTORIA 9) WORMHOLE WIZARDS4) LIGHT YEARS AWAY 10) WIND IN THE TREES5) SOLITUDE 11) GOD IS CRYING6) LITTLEWORTH LANE JOE SATRIANI – Tour Itinerary (First Leg)
December 1 Center Stage Atlanta, GADecember 2 Pompano Beach Amphitheatre Pompano Beach, FLDecember 3 House of Blues Lake Buena Vista, FLDecember 4 Ruth Eckerd Hall Clearwater, FLDecember 6 The Palace Theatre Greensburg, PADecember 7 Aronoff Center for the Arts Cincinnati, OHDecember 8 Massey Hall Toronto, OntarioDecember 9 House of Blues Boston, MADecember 10 Tower Theatre Upper Darby, PADecember 12 Metropolis Montreal, QuebecDecember 13 Nokia Theatre New York, NYDecember 14 Nokia Theatre New York, NYDecember 15 The Music Center @ Strathmore North Bethesda, MDDecember 16 Fillmore Detroit Detroit, MIDecember 17 House of Blues Cleveland, OHDecember 19 Chicago Theatre Chicago, ILDecember 20 Uptown Theater Kansas City, MODecember 21 Historic Paramount Theatre Denver, CO
More Dates TBA