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.

news source of www.guitarworld.com

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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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Weezer Raids Vaults, Records Xmas Carols

On the heels of the release of the second volume of Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo's home recordings, the group is now taking a look back into its own vaults.

Cuomo tells Billboard he has "no idea" when the tentatively titled "Odds and Ends" will be released, but describes it as "just another fun project to do. They're great songs, but for some reason they didn't make the final cut for [a] record. They span a vast period of time from the very beginning of our career in the early '90s right up to the present day."

Meanwhile, Cuomo says Weezer may tour next spring with Oasis, and is hoping to enlist Spike Jonze to direct a video for the song "The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived" from its recent "The Red Album."

And while the next Weezer studio album appears to be a ways off, the group recently recorded six Christmas carols that will be downloadable for the iPhone game "Tap Tap Revenge," including "Oh Holy Night." Says Cuomo, "They're the classics."

In addition, Cuomo recently wrote a song with sibling pop duo Aly & AJ, although it's unclear when it may see the light of day. "It was such a blast to remember how teenagers approach songwriting," he says of the experience. "Their minds just work so fast and they have no fear and no ego."

Cuomo's "Alone II: The Home Recordings" was released earlier this week by DGC/Interscope. The first installment came out in December 2007.

For an extensive Q&A with Rivers Cuomo, visit Billboard.com on Monday.

news source of www.billboard.com

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T.I. Fends Off Beyonce, Remains Atop Hot 100

T.I. starts a fifth non-consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week with "Live Your Life" featuring Rihanna, but Beyonce is nipping at his heels with two different songs. Her "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" rockets 28-2 after selling 204,000 digital downloads, while "If I Were a Boy" holds at No. 3.

On Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, "Single Ladies" begins a second week at No. 1. As reported yesterday, Beyonce scored her third-straight No. 1 debut on The Billboard 200 with "I Am ... Sasha Fierce," which sold 482,000 copies.

T.I.'s other former No. 1, "Whatever You Like," slips 2-4. Katy Perry's "Hot N Cold" is down 4-5, Kanye West's "Love Lockdown" rebounds 9-6 and Lady GaGa's "Just Dance" featuring Colby O'Donis powers 16-7 on a 60% digital uptick to 113,000.

Pink's "So What" drops 5-8, as Ne-Yo's "Miss Independent" improves 11-9 and Akon's "Right Now (Na Na Na)" falls 8-10 to round out the top tier.

The Fray's "You Found Me" is the week's top debut at No. 28 after selling 62,000 downloads. The track premiered last week during a promo clip for the hit ABC show "Lost"; it's from the Denver band's self-titled sophomore album for Epic, due Feb. 3.

On Hot Country Songs, Zac Brown Band's "Chicken Fried" rises 2-1 to give the band the first No. 1 hit of its career. Recently signed to Atlantic, the group debuted at No. 17 on The Billboard 200 yesterday with its album "The Foundation."AC/DC's "Rock'N'Roll Train" enjoys a second week atop Mainstream Rock with "The Day That Never Comes," while the Offspring's "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" is No. 1 on Modern Rock for a tenth.

news source of www.billboard.com

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Ashlee Simpson Takes Care of Her Babies

Nov. 25) -- Ashlee Simpson had two babies to worry about last Thursday - the son she was delivering, and her husband Pete Wentz. The Fall Out Boy bassist told Ryan Seacrest that his wife is a saint for showing concern for his case of nerves while she was in labor with Bronx Mowgli.

"Right before she went into labor, I was like, 'Oh my God, I think I'm having a heart attack!' My heart started beating really fast." Wentz said, "You see your wife in all this pain, and you really don't know what's happening. [But Ashlee] took care of me and made sure I was OK and then we went into labor."

"She's a amazing girl. She was like, 'I will make sure you're OK.' I didn't even stop to think, 'Well, you just had an epidural and you're about to have a baby!'"

Simpson and Wentz married amid a swirl of pregnancy rumors in May. They had announced their engagement just a month earlier, fanning the flames of the baby rumor mill as bloggers and tabloids presumed the quick nuptials were a sure-fire sign of a pregnancy. Their first child, Bronx Mowgli, was born on November 20.
2008 AOL LLC. All Rights Reserved.

news source of www.popeater.com

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Brit Says K-Fed Teaches Kids Bad Words

Nov. 25) - In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Britney Spears talks about going on dates, her children and what her life is like now, USA Today reports. See Highlights Below.

Her Bedtime: "I feel like an old person now. I do! I go to bed at, like, 9:30 every night, and I don't go out or anything."

On a Recent Date, Where She Was Chaperoned: "He looked like an older version of Harry Potter, but skinnier. … So I had to get dessert first. And the other date I had, the guy was really, really tall and a lot older. … We're trying to ask him questions, like, 'OK, you're into martial arts, so what kind of martial arts are you into?' And he was like, 'Oh, all kinds.' … But you know how silly we are, so we were just cracking up."

Her Children: "Every time they come to visit me, I think about how they're such special people."

A Dig at Their Father: Sean Preston and Jayden James "are starting to learn words like 'stupid,' and Preston says the f-word now sometimes. He doesn't get it from us. He must get it from his daddy. I say it, but not around my kids."
2008 AOL LLC. All Rights Reserved.

news source of www.popeater.com

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U2, Coldplay, Killers Help Launch (RED)WIRE

Some of the biggest names in music are contributing exclusive songs to RED(WIRE), a new digital music magazine launching on World AIDS Day (Dec. 1).

U2, Coldplay, the Killers, the Dixie Chicks, John Legend, R.E.M. and Bob Dylan are on board for the initiative, which is an outgrowth of the Bono-reared activist organization (RED). All proceeds from subscriptions will benefit HIV-infected people in Africa; MSN.com will host a kick-off party on Dec. 1.

For $5, users will receive a new issue of RED(WIRE) every Wednesday, featuring an exclusive song from a major artist, a song from an artist (RED) aims to showcase, a multimedia piece that could encompass video or photography and a look at how proceeds are directly benefiting Africans in need. The materials will be downloaded to a custom player and automatically loaded into iTunes.

Users can send two free issues to friends, and will be rewarded if they join RED(WIRE). "Artists are already saying, 'I want to give you a track for those people who brought friends in,'" (RED)WIRE founder Don MacKinnon tells Billboard.com. "That's the biggest idea: using social networking to actually change the world in a unique way."

U2's track was recorded just last Wednesday, while the Killers, Elton John and the Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant teamed up for the Christmas song "Joseph, Better You Than Me," which MacKinnon describes as "like a power ballad." This is the third year in a row the Killers have penned a holiday song and donated proceeds to (RED).

Meanwhile, John Legend's take on Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" finds him eschewing piano for a stripped-down arrangement with guitar, bass and backing vocalists, according to MacKinnon. Also coming is the first new Dixie Chicks song since the group's Grammy sweep in 2007, "Lucky One," and Elvis Costello and the Police jamming on "Watching the Detectives" and "Walking From the Moon," taped during Costello's new Sundance Channel show "Spectacle." Additional (RED)WIRE offerings will be announced in the coming weeks. MacKinnon is particularly enthused about the creative directions open to (RED)WIRE, especially with such high-profile artist participation. "I had a meeting with Jay-Z, and he wants to talk about artists to be featured in that spotlight slot," he says. "Big artists may curate an issue. The whole goal was to create a creative platform. When somebody says, 'I do all this photography and I want to put it in as an extra,' That's when I go, this is going to be really cool."

news source of www.billboard.com

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Nickelback Plots 2009 Tour

Nickelback will begin a North American tour Feb. 25 in Nashville in support of its just-released Roadrunner album "Dark Horse." Tickets go on sale Dec. 5 via LiveNation.com, but Nickelback fan club members get first crack on Friday (Nov. 28).

Seether and Saving Abel will support on the jaunt, which runs through April 23 in Columbia, S.C.

"Dark Horse" is expected to debut tomorrow in the upper reaches of The Billboard 200. First single "Gotta Be Somebody" has sold 570,000 downloads in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Asked recently by Billboard why NIckelback opted to wait to tour until next year, frontman Chad Kroeger said, "We've been bitten too many times by going out too early. I'm always adamant about making sure there's at least a true rock song from the band that's gone to radio, just to give a more diverse selection of music for people to listen to.

"We've been consulting with some people; I'm interested to see someone else's take on what this band could look like live, and we've had some real interesting stuff come back," he continued. "I think we're gonna try some stuff that, believe it or not, no one has ever done live before."

Here are Nickelback's tour dates: Feb. 25: Nashville (Sommet Center)
Feb. 27: Lexington, Ky. (Rupp Arena)
Feb. 28: Detroit (Joe Louis Arena)
Mar. 2: Toronto (Air Canada Centre)
Mar. 3: Hamilton, Ont. (Copps Coliseum)
Mar. 5: Worcester, Mass. (DCU Center)
Mar. 6: East Rutherford, N.J. (IZOD Center)
Mar. 8: Uncasville, Conn. (Mohegan Sun Arena)
Mar. 9: Philadelphia (Wachovia Center)
Mar. 11: Columbus, Ohio (Nationwide Arena)
Mar. 12: Rosemont, Ill. (Allstate Arena)
Mar. 14: Milwaukee (Bradley Center)
Mar. 15: Moline, Ill. (I Wireless Center)
Mar. 17: Omaha, Neb. (Qwest Center)
Mar. 18: Des Moines, Iowa (Wells Fargo Arena)
Apr. 1: Edmonton, Alberta (Rexall Centre)
Apr. 2: Calgary (Pengrowth Saddledome)
Apr. 4: Saskatoon,(Credit Union Centre)
Apr. 5: Winnipeg (MTS Centre)
Apr. 7: Minneapolis (Target Center)
Apr. 8: Kansas City. Mo. (Sprint Center)
Apr. 10: Tulsa, Okla. (BOK Center)
Apr. 13: Bossier City, La. (CenturyTel Center)
Apr. 14: San Antonio (AT&T Center)
Apr. 16: Houston (Toyota Center)
Apr. 17: New Orleans (New Orleans Arena)
Apr. 19: Little Rock, Ark. (Alltel Arena)
Apr. 22: Jacksonville, Fla. (Veterans Memorial Arena)
Apr. 23: Columbia, S.C. (Colonial Life Arena)

news source of www.billboard.com

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No Doubt, Fall Out Boy Set For Bamboozle

After its weekend announcement that it was heading back on tour, No Doubt has revealed its first show of 2009.

The group will headline the second day of the Live Nation-promoted Bamboozle festival on May 3 at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, N.J. Fall Out Boy will headline the opening day.

Two-day and VIP passes are available from the festival's Web site, with single-day tickets going on sale Friday (Nov. 28). As previously reported, No Doubt has been in the studio on and off this year to work on the follow-up to 2001's "Rock Steady." Frontwoman Gwen Stefani gave birth to her second son in August.

news source of www.billboard.com

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