U2 Looks Toward New 'Horizon'

U2's twelfth studio album, "No Line on the Horizon," will arrive March 3 from Interscope. A track list for the set, which was produced by Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois and Steve Lillywhite, has not been announced.

Following sessions in Fez, Dublin and New York, "No Line on the Horizon" was originally expected to be released before the end of 2008, but U2 was not fully satisfied with the material and continued working.

"I met with the guys in U2, and they say to me, 'You know what? This album needs two more songs, and it will be exactly what we have in mind.' I go there and I listen, and I agreed with them," Interscope-Geffen-A&M chairman Jimmy Iovine told Billboard last month. "It's a great record, but it deserves the time. Labels need to work with artists to help them achieve their best work, not to jam records out that are half-baked or three-quarters baked."

"I'm always the one who underestimates how easy it is to simply 'put out the songs now.' If it was just up to me they'd be out already!," Bono told fans in September. "But early next year people will be able to start hearing what we've been doing. We want 2009 to be our year, so we're going to start making an impression very early on."

Among the songs expected to appear on the album are the title track, "Moment of Surrender" and "Unknown Caller." One source who has heard several of the songs in their early forms described them to Billboard as "amazing and a little out there. I hope they don't change anything."

"No Line on the Horizon" is the follow-up to 2004's "How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb." U2 is expected to be back on the road in 2009, marking its first tour as part of a massive recent deal with Live Nation.

news source of www.billboard.com Read more...

Beyonce Back In Control Of Hot 100

Beyonce assumes control again of the Billboard Hot 100 with "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," trading places 2-1 for a second time in recent weeks with T.I.'s "Live Your Life" featuring Rihanna. "Ladies" is also No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for a fifth frame.

Lady GaGa's "Just Dance" featuring Colby O'Donis continues to rise 4-3, flip-flopping with Britney Spears' "Circus." T.I.'s "Whatever You Like" holds at No. 5 on the Hot 100, as Spears' "Womanizer" rebounds 10-6 and Kanye West's "Heartless" blasts 16-7 as the chart's greatest airplay gainer

Katy Perry's "Hot N Cold" drops 7-8, Beyonce's "If I Were a Boy" slides 6-9 and Kanye West's "Love Lockdown" slides 8-10 to round out the top tier. T-Pain's "Can't Believe It" featuring Lil Wayne is the top digital gainer, jumping 23-18 after a 104% increase to 40,000 downloads in the United States, according to NIelsen SoundScan.

The Hot 100's top debut is Jamie Foxx's "Just Like Me" featuring T.I. at No. 75. Foxx's new album, "Intuition," was released this week by J.

Montgomery Gentry's "Roll With Me" begins a second week at No. 1 on Hot Country Songs, as Kings Of Leon's "Sex on Fire" does the same on the Modern Rock tally. Shinedown rises 2-1 to lead Mainstream Rock with "Second Chance."
news source of www.billboard.com Read more...

Aretha Franklin To Sing At Obama Inauguration

Aretha Franklin will sing, the Rev. Rick Warren will pray and more than 11,000 U.S. troops will be watching over inauguration ceremonies in case of an attack during President-elect Barack Obama's swearing-in on Jan. 20.

As many as 4 million visitors are expected to be on hand when Obama takes the noontime oath from Chief Justice John Roberts on the steps of the Capitol.

The program is to feature poet Elizabeth Alexander; the Rev. Joseph Lowery, a veteran civil rights leader; the U.S. Marine and Navy bands; and the San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, said the day would be "an event of historic proportion."

"It is appropriate that the program will include some of the world's most gifted artists from a wide range of backgrounds and genres," she said.

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Itzhak Perlman, pianist Gabriela Montero and clarinetist Anthony McGill will perform a new work composed by John Williams, who also provided music for Obama's election night rally in Chicago's Grant Park. The committee did not release a title for the work by Williams, who is best known for his film scores such as "Star Wars" and "Jaws."

Vice President-elect Joe Biden will take his oath from Justice John Paul Stevens. Others on the schedule were a nod to Obama's election as the country's first black president.

Lowery, who co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with Martin Luther King, Jr., was scheduled to offer the event's benediction.

Franklin, a living legend with 21 Grammies, performed for President Bill Clinton in 1993, but this would be her first Inauguration. During a Labor Day weekend rally in Detroit, Obama sang a bit of Franklin's "Chain of Fools" to her.

Alexander, a 2005 Pulitzer Prize finalist and Yale University professor, centers her poems and essays on race relations and social movements.

news source of www.billboard.com Read more...

High on Fire Prepare New Album

Oakland doom thrashers High on Fire have just signed to Koch Records, and have begun writing their new, as-yet-untitled CD. This release is scheduled for summer 2009.

The trio—Matt Pike (guitar, vocals), Des Kensel (drums) and Jeff Matz (bass)—has released four critically acclaimed albums during its career, starting with its 2000 debut, The Art of Self Defense. Their latest album, Death Is This Communion, was released on Relapse Records in 2007 and was produced by producer Jack Endino (Nirvana, Mudhoney).

Scott Givens, VP of Metal at Koch, comments on the partnership, “High on Fire is one of the most important bands in the metal genre and we are extremely excited to be working with them.”

High on Fire performed on Gigantour 2008, alongside Megadeth and In Flames, and recently wrapped up a tour with Opeth.

For more information, go to highonfire.net.

news source of www.guitarworld.com
Read more...

Eddie Van Halen Launches New EVH Wolfgang Guitar

Eddie Van Halen launches the all-new EVH Wolfgang electric guitar, available worldwide beginning Jan. 2009. The EVH Wolfgang guitar represents Eddie’s 35 years of experimenting with guitars, over two years of intense research and development, and a full year of brutal road testing during the top-grossing Van Halen 2007-2008 tour.

It was during the massive 2007-2008 Van Halen tour that the all-new EVH Wolfgang guitar went through extensive live “road testing” performance trials. The tour kicked off in fall 2007, and Eddie punished early versions of the new Wolfgang each night; playing every updated prototype onstage under the full, unfiltered spotlight of his fans. The results are reflected in the EVH Wolfgang guitar; produced to Eddie’s exact specifications and with features identical to the Wolfgang guitars he records and performs with.

“A guitar is a very personal extension of the person playing it. You have to be emotionally and spiritually connected to your instrument. I could have just stayed at home and built this guitar for myself. I do this because a lot of people ask if they can get what I use. Well, yes you can and what you get is identical to what I use,” commented Eddie. “From the basics of the guitar to painstaking aspects like the binding and everything else—we re-did everything on this guitar.”

“Every aspect and component of this guitar has been examined and upgraded to the highest standards possible: stainless steel frets, double-potted custom-wound pickups, five-piece binding on the matching body and headstock, custom-made signature tuning machines and Floyd Rose bridge, new low-friction pots, and the list keeps going...we left no stone unturned,” said Eddie. “Everything that I’ve built, destroyed, stumbled onto, learned and experienced is in this guitar.”

When Eddie Van Halen made his debut into the rock music scene in 1978, he did so with a homemade guitar (later known as “Frankenstein”). At a time when his monster technique and tone demanded a high-performance, indestructible guitar, he created his own to reach his own seemingly impossible standards. For over 35 years, he has continued to examine and improve every variable within the instrument, all culminating with the new EVH Wolfgang guitar.

In 2007, Eddie Van Halen and Fender collaborated to launch the first EVH brand high-performance products, including the all-new EVH 5150III amplifier, the limited run of Eddie Van Halen Frankenstein replica guitars and an array of high-quality EVH brand accessories.

For more information, exclusive photos, video and news updates, go to evhgear.com.

news source of www.guitarworld.com

Read more...

Steve Vai Launches Alien Guitar Secrets Master Class

On January 16 and 17 in Fullerton, California, Steve Vai will host two group lesson sessions that will cover a broad range of topics over the course of three-plus hours.

Alien Guitar Secrets is an unprecedented, masterclass opportunity offered by Steve Vai to all music students and guitar enthusiasts. After testing the masterclass in various international territories, we are now bringing Alien Guitar Secrets to the United States. This 3+ hour unique package gives the student a once in a lifetime opportunity to hear Steve discuss music theory, guitar techniques, the music business, and most importantly, techniques on how to discover and unlock your personal musical identity. It also includes a question and answer session, and a few attendees will be chosen to jam with Steve in this intimate environment.

Availability is very limited for each masterclass - classes are expected to sell out quickly.

CLASS OUTLINE:
1. When I Was A Little Boy
- Introduction
2. Building the Church
- Short and long term musical goals
3. Essence
- Basic guitar playing concepts and music theory
4. Under it All
- Finding and cultivating your own uniqueness on the instrument
5. Midway Creatures
- Discussion about the music business
6. K’m Pee-Du-Wee
- Bathroom Break
7. Head Cuttin’ Duel
- Jamming with Steve
8. Answers
- Q & A With Steve
9. Here I Am
- Meet & Greet, autographs and photos with Steve

DATE • TIME • LOCATION:

Friday, January 16th, 2009
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Fullerton, CA

Saturday, January 17, 2009
3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Fullerton, CA

In order to ensure a unique experience for Alien Guitar Secrets, the exact location of the event will only be revealed once your ticket is purchased. Please note that these class dates coincide with the NAMM Convention in Anaheim, CA. For those of you who may be attending NAMM, the location of the masterclass is less than five miles away from the Convention Center. There is parking at the venue for the masterclass.

TICKET SALES:
Alien Guitar Secrets is only available through the Vai.com Online Store. Ticket sales begin Wednesday, December 10th at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. Tickets are $325.00 each and shall be limited to 50 per class. Ticket price includes:

• One ticket to Alien Guitar Secrets, which includes the aforementioned 3 hour experience.
• A limited edition “Naked Tracks” 5 CD box set.
The ticket and “Naked Tracks” Box Set will be given to you at check-in upon arrival at the venue. If you purchase the package, you will need to arrive at the venue no later than 30 minutes prior to the beginning of the class.

news source of www.guitarworld.com

Read more...

Pearl Jam's Ten Gets Deluxe Reissue Treatment

Ten, the debut album that sold 12 million copies and introduced the world to Pearl Jam in 1991, will be reissued in four new and expanded editions. Pre-orders of the Super Deluxe Edition begin today, December 10, 2008, through the band’s Ten Club at pearljam.com, with all four editions available at retail on March 24, 2009. The reissue of Ten serves as the launch of a planned two-year catalog re-release campaign leading up to the band’s 20th anniversary in 2011.

Each Ten package will include two versions of the album: the remastered version of the original album plus an accompanying remixed version done by the band’s long-time producer, Brendan O’Brien (Bruce Springsteen, AC/DC, Audioslave).

“The band loved the original mix of Ten, but were also interested in what it would sound like if I were to deconstruct and remix it,” says producer Brendan O’Brien. “The original Ten sound is what millions of people bought, dug and loved, so I was initially hesitant to mess around with that. After years of persistent nudging from the band, I was able to wrap my head around the idea of offering it as a companion piece to the original – giving a fresh take on it, a more direct sound.”

TEN RE-DESIGN

Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament, who served as the art director for the original Ten packaging, reprised his role for the reissues collaborating with designer, Andy Fischer, of Cameron Crowe’s Vinyl Films (Into the Wild soundtrack LP, Vanilla Sky soundtrack LP, Harold and Maude anniversary edition soundtrack LP).

"The goal was to assemble the ultimate fan-piece,” explains Fischer. “Something Pearl Jam lovers could pore over as they experience an indelible record all over again, in an entirely new way."

“The original concept was about really being together as a group and entering into the world of music as a true band...a sort of all-for-one deal,” says Jeff Ament. “There were some elements of the original Ten artwork that didn't turn out the way we had hoped, due to time constraints. With this reissue, we’ve been able to take our time and invest resources into making the design the way we had originally intended.”

REPLICA OF PEARL JAM THREE-SONG DEMO CASSETTE IN SUPER DELUXE EDITION

In the process of digging through his archives for this project, Ament came across an old cassette marked “Momma-Son” – the fabled original Pearl Jam demo tape featuring the first recorded versions of “Alive,” “Once” and “Footsteps.” Ament and guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready had recorded instrumental tracks of these songs to help solicit a singer for their newly formed band. Mutual friend - and then Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer - Jack Irons suggested they send the tape down to San Diego surfer and little-known singer Eddie Vedder.

Completely inspired by what he heard from these musicians that he then only knew by name, Vedder quickly wrote lyrics, put these vocals to the music tracks and shipped the tape back to Seattle. Upon hearing how Vedder had transformed the songs, Ament, Gossard and McCready asked him to come up to Seattle so they could meet and have an official “tryout” together. Shortly thereafter, Pearl Jam was born. (A replica of the “Momma-Son” cassette will be included in the Super Deluxe Edition of Ten.)

Jeff Ament describes the experience of re-visiting that tape with singer Eddie Vedder:

“I think the first time that Ed or I had opened any of those boxes was a few weeks ago. I knew that the original ‘Momma-Son’ cassette was somewhere, but I hadn’t listened to it in 17, 18, 19 years. It was cool to sit down and play it for the first time with Ed and see his reaction. And to find that 90 percent of it stayed exactly the same as what ended up on the record. A lot of elements were identical. There was some energy flying around at that point even from 1,300 miles away from Seattle to San Diego.”

ABOUT TEN

Pearl Jam released Ten on August 27, 1991. The album reached #2 on the Billboard 200 chart, sold over 12 million copies and became one of the cultural touchstones of the 1990s. Songs such as “Alive,” “Black,” “Even Flow” and “Jeremy” became staples of rock radio, and still make frequent appearances on the band’s ever-changing concert setlists. The album was produced by Rick Parasher. Pearl Jam’s 1991 lineup was Jeff Ament (bass), Stone Gossard (guitar), Dave Krusen (drums), Mike McCready (guitar) and Eddie Vedder (vocals).

ORIGINAL TEN TRACKLISTING

Once
Even Flow
Alive
Why Go
Black
Jeremy
Oceans
Porch
Garden
Deep
Release
Master/Slave (hidden track)

THE FOUR EDITIONS OF TEN: ALBUM EXTRAS PER PACKAGE

1) Legacy Edition (2-disc set in mini-LP style slipcase):

• Disc 1: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered (original mix)

• Disc 2: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered and remixed by Brendan O’Brien, plus six bonus tracks: “Brother,” “Just a Girl,” “State of Love and Trust,” “Breath and a Scream,” “2,000 Mile Blues” and “Evil Little Goat”

• Re-designed packaging

2) Deluxe Edition (2-disc set plus DVD specially designed hardbound package):

• Disc 1: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered (original mix)

• Disc 2: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered and remixed by Brendan O’Brien, plus six bonus tracks: “Brother,” “Just a Girl,” “State of Love and Trust,” “Breath and a Scream,” “2,000 Mile Blues” and “Evil Little Goat”

• DVD of Pearl Jam’s previously unreleased 1992 MTV Unplugged performance including never before seen bonus performance of “Oceans” with 5.1 surround sound audio remix

3) Vinyl Collection (2-LP set):

• LP 1: original Ten tracklisting remastered for vinyl

• LP 2: original Ten tracklisting remastered for vinyl and remixed by Brendan O’Brien

4) Super Deluxe Edition (2-disc set plus DVD, 4 LPs and replica cassette in linen-covered, slip-cased clamshell box):

• Disc 1: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered (original mix)

• Disc 2: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered and remixed by Brendan O’Brien, plus six bonus tracks: “Brother,” “Just a Girl,” “State of Love and Trust,” “Breath and a Scream,” “2,000 Mile Blues” and “Evil Little Goat”

• DVD of Pearl Jam’s previously unreleased 1992 MTV Unplugged performance including never before seen bonus performance of “Oceans” with 5.1 surround sound audio remix

• LP 1: original Ten tracklisting remastered for vinyl

• LP 2: original Ten tracklisting remastered for vinyl and remixed by Brendan O’Brien

• LP 3 & 4: Drop in the Park – Live at Magnuson Park in Seattle on September 20, 1992 (audio mixed by Brendan O’Brien)

• Cassette: replica of original “Momma-Son” Pearl Jam demo cassette featuring “Alive,” “Once” and “Footsteps”

• Package also includes an Eddie Vedder-style composition notebook filled with replica personal notes, images and mementos from the collections of Eddie Vedder and Jeff Ament, a vellum envelope with replicated era-specific ephemera from Pearl Jam’s early work and a two-sided print commemorating the Drop in the Park concert.

news source of www.guitarworld.com

Read more...

Joe Satriani Talks About His Lawsuit Against Coldplay

In court papers filed in Los Angeles on December 4, 2008, guitarist Joe Satriani says Coldplay's song "Vida La Vida" used "substantial original portions" of his 2004 instrumental "If I Could Fly," from his album Is There Love in Space?

Satriani, 52, wants a jury trial and is seeking damages and "any and all profits" for the alleged plagiarism.

"I felt like a dagger went right through my heart," Satriani told MusicRadar.com's Joe Bosso on December 6. "It hurt so much. The second I heard it, I knew it was 'If I Could Fly.'"

As it turned out, Satriani wasn't the only one who noticed the similarity between "If I Could Fly" and "Viva La Vida."

"Almost immediately, from the minute their song came out, my email box flooded with people going, 'Have you heard this song by Coldplay? They ripped you off man.' I mean, I couldn't tell you how many emails I received.

"Everybody noticed the similarities between the songs. It's pretty obvious. It's as simple as that -- when you listen to a song and you say, 'Wow, that's a real rip-off.'

What makes the situation especially painful for Satriani is that "If I Could Fly" isn't just any song. It's a composition he'd been laboring over for well over 10 years before he recorded it.

"That's what really hurts about this whole thing. That I spent so long writing the song, thinking about it, loving it, nursing it, and then finally recording it and standing on stages the world over playing it - and then somebody comes along and plays the exact same song and calls it their own."

To read more of this interview with Joe Satriani, click here.

Click here to listen to the two songs and compare for yourself.

news source of www.guitarworld.com

Read more...

New Dimebag Darrell Book in the Works

About a week shy of the fourth anniversary of the death of guitar legend Dimebag Darrell Abbott, his brother Vinnie Paul Abbott told MTV2’s HeadBangersBlog.com about an in-depth, authorized Dimebag biography currently being written by Guitar World's Nick Bowcott.

“They were really good friends, and he covered all of Dime’s interviews for Guitar World for years and years and years,” Paul told the Blog during a 35-minute long podcast interview. “So, out of all the people we could think of, we felt like he was the perfect dude to actually write his biography.”

Bowcott started working on the project four months ago and Paul predicts that he’ll be doing research and conducting interviews for the next year before he starts writing. Until then, Dime’s fans can check out another authorized book, Dimebag: He Came to Rock!, a photo-driven history assembled by Paul and his father, country musician and producer Jerry Abbott, which came out November 18.

“Not only does it have photos from amazing photographers that have shot us over the years, it also has all kinds of personal photos from my collection and my dad’s collections and photos from friends and family members,” Paul said. “That really makes it much more of a down-home, honest feeling book.”

In addition to talking to HeadbangersBlog.com about the history of Dimebag: He Came to Rock! Paul discussed the time Dime met his hero Eddie Van Halen, why Damageplan was misunderstood, what happened to original Hellyeah bassist Jerry Montano and how the Damageplan demos recorded in preparation for the band’s second album will someday be released. Check out the full podcast here.

news source of www.guitarworld.com

Read more...

iPhone Gets Chromatic Tuner Application

Now available for $4.99 in the Apple iTunes App Store, Power Tuner is a chromatic tuner that will allow you to tune virtually any instrument within moments. Whether you play the violin, the guitar, a bass, the trombone or a horn, this tuner will help you to accurately adjust the pitch and tuning of your instrument even in noisy environments.

If you're a vocalist, "Power Tuner" can even accurately track your voice and tell you what note you sing and how well in tune it is.

Using an intuitive interface, the way high end rack-mounted tuners work, with a single glimpse you can see the stem note you play and the level of detuning in 10 cent steps above and below on a large LED-style display that is easy to read even in the dark.

In addition you can turn your phone on the side to get an even bigger display reading.

For more information, visit g3studios.com.

news source of www.guitarworld.com
Read more...

Killswitch Engage Announce New Album Details

Killswitch Engage have announced the recording of their as-yet-untitled fourth album for Roadrunner Records. The album will follow 2006's As Daylight Dies, which is approaching Gold status. 2004's The End of Heartache has achieved Gold certification. Killswitch Engage will appear on cover of Revolver magazine's 2009 Music Preview issue, on stands December 23. Additionally, the forthcoming album was selected as one of Alternative Press' Most Anticipated releases of 2009.

For the first time in their career, the band will work with an outside producer and have chosen Brendan O'Brien (AC/DC, Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam and Stone Temple Pilots, to name a few) to man the boards. KSE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, a noted producer in his own right who has recorded all of the band's previous albums, will be taking a co-producer role on this record alongside O'Brien.

The band will record in both Georgia and their native Western Massachusetts. Roadrunner expects to release the record in Spring 2009.

Killswitch Engage will spend the winter recording the album and will hit the road in the spring for a major pre-release tour. Look for more details on that in the near future.

news source of www.guitarworld.com

Read more...