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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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Steve Morse, Andy Timmons, Frank Gambale & more appear on new CD

The Emmy Award winning composer/guitarist Brian Tarquin’s accomplishments include establishing himself as a top rate TV composer/recording artist, owner of Jungle Room Studios, owner of BHP Records and can now add philanthropist to the long and ever growing list. The Manhattan native has brought together a group of artists that read like the who’s-who of the guitar world on his latest project, Fretworks, that is wonderfully crafted group of songs inspired by those who lost their lives on 9-11. Written and produced by Brian, Fretworks includes new material from artists such as Steve Morse, Billy Sheehan, Frank Gambale, Andy Timmons, Will Ray, as well as rare and exclusive material from Steve Vai, Santana & Tommy Bolin. Track list and the liner notes were written by Hal Lindes of Dire Straits. A portion of the profits from this release will benefit the Friends of Firefighters 9-11 Foundation.

About Brian: Brian is a 5 time Emmy nominee and two time winner for his work as a composer and guitarist. Brian’s work has been included on chart topping records and compilations including 4 solo albums, Ghost Dance, Last Kiss Goodbye, Soft Touch, and High Life, selling over 130,000 records in his career. In 2006, Tarquin opened his own boutique record label called BHP MUSIC, specializing in instrumental guitar music. BHP MUSC 2007 releases included, Tarquin producing and compiling the acclaimed guitar compilation, Guitar Masters, Vol.1 which featured guitar legends: Jeff Beck, Joe Satriani, Zakk Wylde, Stanley Clarke, Billy Sheehan and many others. The compilation received rave reviews from the editor-in-chief of Guitar Player Magazine and Vintage Guitar Magazine, who both graciously contributed the Liner Notes for the compilation.

For more information, visit briantarquin.com

Track Listing:

1. Blue Wind - Billy Sheehan
2. Spanish Harlem - Frank Gambale
3. Towers - Steve Morse
4. Constantinople - Will Ray
5. 86th Street - Randy Coven
6. Solidarity - Max Middleton
7. Dionysus - Randy Coven
8. Manhattan - Andy Timmons
9. Black Rose - Brian Tarquin
10. Aphrodite - Hal Lindes
11. Jungle Room Boogie - Max Middleton
12. Tears - Rob Balducci
13. Yorkville - Chuck Loeb
14. Westside Highway - James Ryan
15. Triumphant We Stand - Steve Booke
16. Funk Me Tender - Randy Coven/Steve Vai
17. Jam In I - Santana
18. Homeward Strut - Tommy Bolin

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Hendrix's Woodstock Guitar Strap to be Auctioned

A Jimi Hendrix original guitar strap used at the Woodstock Music and Art Festival in 1969 will be put up for sale on December 11, 2008, one of the 500+ items that will be available at auction by Profiles in History. The guitar strap is expected to sell for $25,000-$35,000.
Worldwide bidding for the entire auction begins at 12:00 pm (pst). Bids can be placed either in person, via mail, phone, fax or live on the internet via eBay Live Auctions or LiveAuctioneers.com.
This patterned Ace guitar strap was used by Hendrix at Woodstock as well as the Hollywood Bowl in 1967 and other performances. The strap originally came from David Vega, lead guitarist of the San Francisco funk band, Graham Central Station. Vega had been given the guitar strap from a sound technician who worked at Woodstock. Numerous photographs were taken of Hendrix using this guitar strap, including his milestone performance closing the final day at Woodstock which would become the most talked about rock festival in history and a pivotal moment for an entire generation. The strap is housed in a custom frame with a reissue Woodstock Music and Art Festival poster.

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Slipknot Announce U.S. Headlining Tour, with Coheed and Cambria, Trivium Supporting

Masked metallers Slipknot announced today their first U.S. headline tour in support of their new album All Hope Is Gone. The tour, which kicks off on January 23rd in St. Paul, MN, will hit 33 cities across the country, and include an stop at New York’s Madison Square Garden, a first for the band. Coheed and Cambria and labelmates Trivium round out the bill.

Frontman Corey Taylor had this to say about the upcoming tour, “2009 is the 10 year anniversary of the world’s first taste of this band. To celebrate we are coming back out with a killer tour, a couple great bands and the same ferocity with which we attack life. We want all of our maggots to come and celebrate with us, because if it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have been here for 10 years. Get ready for chaos!”

The dates are as follows:

01/23/09- Xcel Energy Center - St. Paul, MN
01/24/09- Sprint Center - Kansas City, MO
01/25/09- Mid America Center - Council Bluffs, IA
01/27/09- Alliant Energy Center Memorial Coliseum - Madison, WI
01/28/09- Wells Fargo Arena - Des Moines, IA
01/30/09- Allstate Arena - Rosemont, IL
01/31/09- The Palace of Auburn Hills - Auburn Hills, MI
02/02/09- Peoria Civic Center - Peoria, IL
02/03/09- Pepsi Coliseum - Indianapolis, IN
02/05/09- Madison Square Garden - New York, NY
02/06/09- Tsongas Arena - Lowell, MA
02/07/09- Susquehanna Bank Center - Camden, NJ
02/09/09- Greensboro Coliseum Complex - Greensboro, NC
02/10/09- Cricket Arena - Charlotte, NC
02/11/09- Bi-Lo Center - Greenville, SC
02/13/09- 1st Mariner Arena - Baltimore, MD
02/14/09- Rupp Arena - Lexington, KY
02/15/09- Sommet Center - Nashville, TN
02/17/09- Gwinnett Center - Duluth, GA
02/18/09- UCF Arena - Orlando, FL
02/19/09- Pensacola Civic Center - Pensacola, FL
02/21/09- Concrete Street Amphitheater - Corpus Christi, TX
02/22/09- Nokia Theatre - Grand Prairie, TX
02/23/09- BOK Center - Tulsa, OK
02/25/09- Verizon Wireless Theater – Houston, TX
02/26/09- Verizon Wireless Theater - Houston, TX
02/28/09- El Paso County Coliseum - El Paso, TX
03/01/09- Freeman Coliseum - San Antonio, TX
03/03/09- Denver Coliseum - Denver, CO
03/04/09- Tingley Coliseum - Albuquerque, NM
03/05/09- Jobing.com Arena - Glendale, AZ
03/07/09- The Forum - Inglewood, CA
03/08/09- Cox Arena - San Diego, CA
03/10/09- Citizens Business Bank Arena - Ontario, CA
03/11/09- ARCO Arena - Sacramento, CA

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