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Tuesday, May 31, 2011
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Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift Live at 2011 CMA Music Festival
Country superstars Keith Urban, Reba and Taylor Swift will be joined at this year’s CMA Music Festival by a diverse line up of country artists performing on a variety of stages throughout the event.
Celebrating its 40th birthday this year, CMA Music Festival takes place Thursday-Sunday, June 9-12 in downtown Nashville.
The Nightly Concerts at LP Field are the highlights of CMA Music Festival.
Thursday, June 9: Jason Aldean (with a special guest performance from Kelly Clarkson), Easton Corbin, Sara Evans, Brad Paisley and Zac Brown Band (with special guest performances from Alan Jackson, Amos Lee, Sonia Leigh and Randy Travis).
Friday, June 10: Dierks Bentley, Lady Antebellum, Reba, Ashton Shepherd, Sugarland, and Keith Urban.
Saturday, June 11: Trace Adkins, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Rascal Flatts, Josh Turner and Chris Young.
Sunday, June 12: The Band Perry, the JaneDear girls, Miranda Lambert, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton and Taylor Swift.
Aside from the Nightly Concerts there will be plenty of music for country fans, much of it free. Free Daily Concerts will be held on the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage in Riverfront Park Thursday through Saturday, June 9-11.
The Lay's Stage at Bridgestone Arena Plaza will also offer free performances on all four days, beginning at 11:00 AM and ending at 5:30 PM and the Durango® Acoustic Corner will present daily acoustic concerts from acts such as Rhonda Vincent and Riders in the Sky at the Nashville Convention Center in Room 209.
Four-day tickets to CMA Music Festival, which include all four Nightly Concerts at LP Field and daily access to the Fan Fair® Exhibit Hall, can be purchased through Ticketmaster at Ticketmaster.com or 1-(800) 745-3000. They can also purchase them through CMAfest.com or 1-(800)-CMA-FEST (262-3378).
Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott Lists His Fantasy Band
As Joe Elliott and the rest of Def Leppard gear up for the release of their first career-spanning live album, Mirrorball, the headlining slot at Britain’s Download festival on June 10, and a major summer tour with openers Heart, he shared with The Independent what his “dream band” would look like.
Drums - John Bonham
“He might have played in a rock band but he had a Motown background and you can hear this in his playing. His technique was stunning. He achieved this huge sound but it looked effortless.”
Bass - Phil Lynott
“As frontman of Thin Lizzy he was really great, but imagine how good his bass playing would be if that was all he had to concentrate on? He should probably contribute to the songwriting, too. He was very poetic.”
Lead guitar - Mick Ronson
“His solo in ‘Life on Mars?’ is one of the best things I've ever heard. He is so understated.”
Rhythm guitar - Pete Townshend
“I'd love to see him and Ronson play together. They both have great right hands: great at picking and strumming. If you listen to the guitar on The Who's ‘Pinball Wizard,’ it doesn't show off, it's just fluent.”
Keys - Morgan Fisher
“He became the keyboardist in Mott the Hoople after some time spent in bands such as The Love Affair. He's an amazing player. I love the sound of the piano blasting through pop and rock music.”
Vocals - Paul Rodgers
“I know I've just been on tour with Paul for a few weeks but he really does have the most incredible voice. It still sounds the same as in his Bad Company days. It's astonishing. He's someone who studied at the school of Otis Redding. I'd listen to him sing the phonebook.”
This Day in Music Spotlight: Tom Morello - Rage’s Royal Renegade
Special thanks to ThisDayinMusic.com.
Like more than a few of his colleagues in the music business, one can never accuse Rage Against the Machine guitarist, Tom Morello, of being an activist poseur. This guy’s the real deal, and he’s been proudly swimming up stream and standing up for his convictions from the very beginning, no small feat for a kid who at one point believed himself to be, in his own words, “the only anarchist in a conservative high school.”
Born on this day in 1964, Morello’s father, Ngethe Njoroge, took part in the Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya before becoming Kenya’s first ambassador to the United Nations. (Morello’s paternal uncle was Kenya’s first elected 
president). His Irish-Italian mother, Mary, was a schoolteacher from Marseilles, IL who received her Masters degree from Loyola University in Chicago. She was well-traveled before her son was born, having spent time teaching English in Germany, Spain, Japan and in Kenya, where she met Tom’s father at a pro-democracy protest in Nairobi in August 1963.
After learning she was pregnant, Mary and Njoroge made their way back to America before their son was born. Njoroge, however, moved back to Kenya and denied paternity of his son shortly after he was born, leaving Mary a single mother the Chicago suburb of Libertyville.
Growing up, Morello proved to be extremely intelligent, creative and expressive kid. He especially loved music, and at 13 joined his first band as the singer in a Led Zeppelin cover band. He soon bought a guitar, and that’s when his zeal for music really exploded. A fan of KISS, Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Alice Cooper and many of the heavier acts of the day, Morello started his own band called Electric Sheep. The other guitarist in the band was his classmate, future Tool axeman Adam Jones.
Morello attended Libertyville High School, and it was here where his left leaning – make that far-left leaning – politics really began to take root and flourish. He went so far as to campaign for a faux anarchist candidate in the school’s mock elections. After graduating with honors, Morello moved to Boston to study political science at Harvard University, where he received his Bachelors of Arts degree in 1986.
After college Morello headed to Los Angeles where he quickly found himself struggling to make ends meet – so much so that one of the jobs he took was as an exotic dancer. “When I graduated from Harvard and moved to Hollywood, I was unemployable,” Morello told ChartAttack.com. “I was literally starving, so I had to work menial labor – I even worked as an exotic dancer. [The Commodores’] ‘Brick House’ was my jam! I did bachelorette parties, and I’d go down to my boxer shorts. Would I go further? All I can say is thank God it was the time before YouTube! You could make decent money doing that job – people do what they have to do.”
In 1987, Morello found work in the office of Democratic Senator Alan Cranston, a position that at first excited him, but then disillusioned him, especially after seeing the amount of time the Senator actually spent doing little more than soliciting contributions from fat cats. “It just made me understand that the whole business was dirty,” Morello said. “He had to compromise his entire being every day.”
All the while, Morello kept his nose to the musical grindstone. After a two-year stint in the Geffen-signed band Lock Up, Morello was eager to form a new band. One night he found himself in an L.A. club and was blown away after hearing the freestyle rapping of Zack de la Rocha, who Morello promptly asked to join his new band. Former Lock Up drummer, Brad Wilk, was enlisted, as was Zack’s childhood friend, bassist Tim Commerford.
They dubbed themselves Rage Against the Machine, and the chemistry was instantaneous and palpable. They were loud, aggressive, extremely talented, and their lyrics were explosive and subversive. They instantly touched a nerve with their growing fan base, and after just a year of playing the club circuit in Southern California, Rage were signed by Epic Records. They quickly released their self-titled debut, which climbed to #45 on the Billboard 200 (#1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart), and just like that, there was a loud new voice on the scene, angrily championing the disenchanted and disenfranchised, while simultaneously exposing the corrupt “machine” for all that it is.
Liam Gallagher” ‘I’ll Always be Oasis”
Liam Gallagher, busy promoting his new band Beady Eye’s debut album, Different Gear, Still Speeding, spoke about the Oasis legacy and his eye for fashion to London’s Evening Standard magazine.
Asked if he feels pressured by Oasis’ legacy, Gallaher said: “No, I'll always be Oasis, it's in my veins. I'm never going to get away from it and I don't want to get away but I'm not doing it any more. You'd go mad if you had to explain yourself every time someone said, 'Are you from Oasis?' It's easier just to say, ‘Yeah, that's me.' I like the same music now that I liked then. I've no reason to escape from it because I'm very proud of it.”
He also revealed where the name of is fashion label came from. “It's an old Jam song. I wouldn't have called it Liam Gallagher. We tried that in the 1990s with a shoe collection but it's just [expletive] stupid.”
Gallagher also feels that while he’s the best advertisement for his clothes line, there is someone who could also promote Pretty Green very well. “There's no one better than me. I wouldn't mind getting a bit of Pretty Green on the Queen, though. She's still got a spring in her step.”
The World According to … Jimi Hendrix
Though Jimi Hendrix was just 27 when he died in September 1970, he managed to secure the near-unanimous public opinion that he’s the best guitarist who ever lived. Last year, Gibson.com readers voted Hendrix No. 1 in our Top 50 Guitarists of All Time poll, and he’s topped similar lists by Rolling Stone and other music publications. Those that saw him play live say that Hendrix was even more magical and arresting in person than he is on his records and in film. In interviews, however, he had a soft-spoken, wry manner that can be difficult to reconcile with his loud stage presence. Hendrix didn’t grant many interviews, but the ones he did reveal him to be obsessed with his craft, frustrated with and stifled by the music industry, and surprisingly self-depreciating and hilarious. Here are some choice quotes from Hendrix.
On rock and roll, as reported in the 1970 book Rock: A World Bold as Love
“Rock is so much fun. That’s what it’s all about — filling up the chest cavities and empty kneecaps and elbows.”
On his various identities, as told to radio interviewer in 1970.
“All I write is just what I feel … I don’t round it off too good. I just keep it almost naked … what I was trying to do was doing three things at a time, which is my nature … I hate to be in one corner. I hate to be put as only a guitar player, or either only as a songwriter, or only as a tap dancer. I like to move around.”
On his musical intentions, as said on The Dick Cavett Show in 1969.
“We’re playing for our sound to go inside the soul of the person and see if they can awaken some kind of thing in their mind. There are so many sleeping people.”
On how he writes a song, as told to Rolling Stone in 1970.
“Most of the time I can’t [write] it on the guitar, you know? Most of the time I’m just lying around daydreaming and hearing all this music. And you can’t, if you go to the guitar and try to play it, it spoils the whole thing, you know? — I just can’t play guitar that well, to get all this music together.”
On Bob Dylan, as told to rock journalist Steve Barker in 1967.
“I saw him one time, but both of us were stoned out of our minds. I remember it vaguely. It was at this place called The Kettle of Fish in the Village. We were both stoned there, and we just hung around laughing — yeah, we just laughed. People have always got to put him down. I really dig him, though. I like that Highway 61 Revisited album and especially ‘Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues.’ He doesn’t inspire me actually, because I could never write the kind of words he does.”
On what he’s aiming for when making a record, as told to rock journalist Steve Barker in 1967.
“We quite naturally want people to like it — that’s the reason for putting the record out. You see, I have no taste. I couldn’t say what’s a good record and what’s a bad one, really. We play records at the flat sometimes and say, ‘This is great,’ and then somebody will say, ‘Oh, yeah, but it’s something else.’ Then they say, ‘That’s terrible,’ and I’d say, ‘That’s great — the tremolos, for instance.’ So I don’t have no feeling about commercial records. I don’t know what a commercial record really is. So what we do is write and try to get it together as best as possible for anybody who’d really dig it. It doesn’t make any difference who.”
On the record industry, as said on The Dick Cavett Show in 1969
“Money is getting to be out of hand now. Musicians, especially young cats, they get a chance to make all this money and they say, ‘Wow, this is fantastic,’ and they lose themselves and they forget about the music itself. They forget about their talents; they forget about the other half of them … The more money you make the more blues you can sing.”
On women and sex, as told to an interviewer in 1967
“If you’re not used to [groupies] it can kill you really. [Sex is] just another way of communication. That’s why a lot of people can’t understand and say, ‘Damn, why you with so many people?’ … It’s a part of you, it’s nature, I just can’t help it, that’s all. Some people just communicate better by not even knowing each other’s name, by just saying, ‘Hey, hi, why don’t you come with me here for a minute?’ We can be the best of friends then. Some even get married after that. It was worse before [I was famous] because I used to be on the block starving. Girls used to really help me. Girls are some of my best friends. Ever since then, that’s why I say to myself, ‘Any girl I meet now I’m going to try to show her my appreciation for what they did for me before.’ [Laughs.]”
On his ideal lifestyle, when asked if he has enough money to live comfortably for the rest of his life, as spoken in a 1970 interview with New Musical Express
“Not the way I’d like to live. I want to get up in the morning and just roll over in my bed into the indoor swimming pool and then swim to the breakfast table, come up for air and get a drink of orange juice. Then just flop over from the chair into the swimming pool and swim into the bathroom and shave and whatever.”
On the transformative power of the electric guitar, as reported in the 1970 book Rock: A World Bold as Love
“I wish they’d had electric guitars in cotton fields back in the good old days. A whole lot of things would've been straightened out. Not just only for the black and the white, but I mean for the cause!”
Glenn Hughes Gets Weekly Radio Show
Glenn Hughes, the Deep Purple, Trapeze and now Black Country Communion singer and bass guitarist will begin a one hour weekly radio show on Planet Rock(planetrock.com) on Sunday June 5th at 6pm GMT.
Every week, Hughes will choose his favorite rock songs and tell stories from his long and glittering career.
"I would like to thank Planet Rock for giving me the opportunity to share with listeners the songs that have shaped my life,” said Hughes in a statement. “Every song is chosen by me, and there will be rock 'n’ roll stories along the away. I am a messenger.”
“Hughes continues Planet Rock’s tradition of bringing rock’s biggest names to the airwaves,” said Planet Rock’s Program Director, Trevor White. “After a career spanning 40 years, he brings a wealth of stories from his life on the road, in the studio, his friendships with the likes of Keith Moon and Bonzo, the highs, the lows, and of course, the excesses. His choice of music will make the show a must listen.”
The series will run on Planet Rock on Sunday evenings at 6 pm – 7 pm beginning June 5.
The news of Glenn’s Planet Rock radio series coincides with the June 13 U.K. release of Black Country Communion’s highly anticipated second album, 2, and their upcoming U.K. tour.
Black Country Communion U.K. tour dates:
Llandudno Cymru Arena (July 23)
High Voltage Festival, London (July 24),
Leeds o2 Academy (July 26),
Newcastle o2 Academy (July 27),
Glasgow o2 Academy (July 29)
Manchester Academy (July 30).
Dave Lombardo Talks Big Four Rivalry and Plans for New Slayer Album
In a new interview with GeeksofDoom.com, Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo addressed the rumors of rivalry between the Big Four, which also includes Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax. He also spoke of progress on a new Slayer album.
Asked about playing as part of the Big Four, Lombardo called it “exciting,” saying: “Every time there’s more in the pipe for us to play on. I, at least, am looking forward to hanging out with the other guys and doing these festivals that are amazing.”
Lombardo also said that he leaves the much talked-about decades of dissension between Big Four band members to the groups’ guitarists.
“I can’t really speak for anybody else, but there was never any rivalry from myself with the bands,” said Lombardo. “I never had issues with any of them. I’m sure maybe with other guitar, er, musicians within the bands, maybe, of course there would have been … Twenty years… God, you can imagine the egos and the arrogance and attitude most musicians carry around with them when they haven’t grown up.”
When pressed about his reference to rivalry between Big Four guitarists, Lombardo said, “I don’t know, I feel like drummers… we get along a lot better than guitar players do with each other… There’s one thing that we all have in common, which all us drummers have, is we like to share what we do. There’s no secret. I think guitar players tend to be a little more secretive and a little more passionate. Well, maybe passionate isn’t the right word, but they’re a little more secretive about their tricks and whatever they do. And 20 years ago, man, I tell ya, it was the same thing.”
Having resumed his spot in Slayer in 2002 following a 10-year-absence, Lombardo said that he’s not going anywhere.
“Although there’s nothing written but there [are] definitely plans [for another Slayer album]. Of course. We have to! Why not? I’m not retiring, and I don’t think Kerry [King]’s retiring either.”
Lombardo said that he draws inspiration from an unlikely musical source:
“Charlie Watts [Rolling Stones drummer] is somebody I look up to and, for someone to be on those drums for as long as he’s been up there, then I’m on my way. I’m right behind him, man. I’m one of those guys. I like longevity, and a true musician never abandons his art.”
Best Guitars For Beginner's (Acoustic and Electric)
When it comes down to picking your first guitar, two things come to mind: Price and quality. You want a good guitar, but you don't want to have to use your college savings to get it. For those of you who worry that a beginning guitar might take a huge chunk out of your wallet, never fear. I've got some really good news for you. I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico. Oh yeah, and I also wrote this article for first time guitarists like you.
There's so many...You feel like you're drowning in a pool of guitars. It's alright if you're not sure which one to get. Many people have a hard time picking out a shirt in the morning. Difficult decisions are a part of life. But as far as guitars go, you've got to make some comparisons between what you want, and what you can afford.
Pretend you had ten thousand dollars. Pretty sweet, right? You're sixteen or seventeen again, about to buy a car. You have your license, but little driving experience. Would you spend eight thousand of that money on a really nice, expensive car?
No of course not. You barely know where the switch for you windshield wipers are. There's a pretty good chance you'll crash, hit a pothole, run over some curbs. And then what? Eight grand out the window. Moral of the story? When you're just starting something, take it slow. Don't get the best of the best just yet. Work up to it. Everyone wants the thousand dollar electric guitar embedded with diamonds. (I'm pretty sure that costs more than a grand, but you get the idea) But if you've never played before, now is the time to be cheap. Get something you can practice on. Get something that you know can handle a few beatings if you drop it or damage it. The last thing you need is a scratched, beat up, three hundred dollar guitar. You'll probably end up buying another one anyways. So for now, be tight with your money.
Secondly, if you're a first time guitarist, I highly suggest you start out with an acoustic guitar. Reason for my theory? Acoustic guitars have wider necks than electric guitars, thus giving your fingers a better range of space to stretch. If you can get your fingers used to an acoustic guitar, then when you switch over to an electric, it'll be a piece of cake. Electric guitars have very thin necks, so you'll probably have an easier time finding strings and moving your hands. Plus acoustics are nice because you don't need an amplifier to play them. Electrics, however, are pretty much useless without their sidekick, the amp. However, there are some who argue that it would be much better to start out with an electric first because it is easy; there's no need to push hard on the strings or deal with the finger pain. Electrics are easy to play, yes. But if you plan on playing acoustic in the future, I recommend you just start with an acoustic. Get the hardest part out of the way first. But still, if you're itching to get an electric, go right ahead and snatch one up. I can only make the suggestions, but everyone's musical strengths and preferences are all different. I've given you both sides of the story, now it's your turn to decide which of the two you'll pick out for yourself.
Ok, so enough of that. To start off, here is a list of acoustic/non-electric guitars that are wonderful candidates for beginners like you. Take time deciding which ones seem to have the best pro's. Compare and contrast, research a little. You're about to take the next big step in your musical horizon.
Yamaha FG700s
The Yamaha FG700S is a perfect beginner's guitar. It's simple, lower in price, and capable of taking a beating. There have been a few complaints about glue overlap where the neck connects to the body, but nothing's perfect. The newer versions of this guitar are a bit pricey, but if you can manage to find an older version of this beauty, you're in for a real treat. Also, a bit of good news for those with a not so great knack for tuning, the Yamaha FG700s has durable diecast tuners, and it makes it a lot easier on beginners. What am I trying to say? Less time tuning, more time playing.
Takamine Jasmine s35
If you're looking for a little more bang for your buck, the Takamine Jasmine s35 should definitely be on your radar screen. There's a lot of great reviews on this guitar and it usually goes for about seventy five bucks and higher. In fact, many people believe this guitar is worth more than its normal price. It's that good. This bad-boy also has some superb sound and quality structure. The only downside? This guitar does need to be tuned a bit more often than usual. So if you're a tuner-hater, you might want to rethink your decision in getting this guitar.
Fender Starcaster Acoustic
The Fender Starcaster acoustic guitar is a wonderful guitar for beginner's. Its light weight makes it perfect for on-the-go, and the wood is, for the most part, soft. The downside to this is it might be a lot easier to damage or scratch this guitar, but carrying cases are always an option. Also, this guitar goes easy on your wallet. Many Starcasters can be picked up at stores and local pawn shops for under a hundred bucks. Not bad, right? Plus, with a name like Fender, you can't go wrong. Fender is the number one American guitar brand and although a lot of their guitars may not stand out from the rest, their quality is something worth considering.
Yamaha C40 Classical Guitar
This guitar differs from the rest for many reasons. For one, this is a classical guitar, meaning that it can play pretty much anything. Whether it be country or blues, Spanish fingerpicking or rock, your possibilities are endless. Also, most classical guitars have nylon strings, which are much softer than steel or metal strings. So if you're worried about pain when you play, or have sensitive hands, you might want to consider getting a classical guitar. This specific brand does tend to be a bit higher in price, but there are some websites that offer good deals on classical guitars
Epiphone DR100 Acoustic
"A diamond in the rough" is just one of the things that reviewers say about this guitar. The Epiphone DR100 is a fantastic acoustic guitar for beginners and has a nice, solid body and clean sound. This guitar normally goes for around a hundred bucks and lower, but others go for more. However, it is pretty easy to find these for cheap online or even on eBay if you can find them. Whatever you do, just consider this guitar as one of you top choices and also make sure to buy a set of extra strings if you get it. (Factory strings tend to cause problems)
Ok so there you have it, five acoustic/non-electric starter guitars for first time players. Now, if you are a true rookie and are starting for the first time, I highly recommend an acoustic to start out, as I stated previously. But if you think you're ready to bump it up to electric, or just want to get your hands on one of these badboys, then below is a list of good quality electric guitars for beginners.
Squier Fat Stratocaster
A perfect beginner's guitar for those who like electric. This beauty has gotten great reviews from all over the web, as well as some great deals online. It may look like any run-of-the-mill guitar, and it is. But the quality is outstanding. Also keep in mind that this guitar brings out a sound most suitable for blues and classical/soft rock, so if you're looking to shred some metal, I wouldn't recommend this brand of guitar. However, if you're looking for something to practice on, this is a reliable piece of equipment. It's durability is phenomenal, as it can definitely take a beating. Worried about dropping it or scratching the paint? No problem. The Squier Fat Stratocaster was built tough, and can handle anything that you throw at it. (Except maybe a brick)
Epiphone Les Paul Special II
A bit more money, but the Les Paul Special II is actually sold at a very decent price for the quality that it delivers. This guitar is more suitable for the metal fans and distortion-lovers. The only trick is finding the right amp for this guitar. Different amps will make the same guitar sound a bit different on each one, so be smart when shopping for amplifiers. Make sure to ask which amp will produce the kind of sound you're looking for. Also, this is a durable and strong guitar for those who might be giving it a future beating. The only real "downside" is that Les Paul's tend to not come with whammy bars, and this is one missing feature that you might want to take into consideration. If you're looking to practice with a whammy, then you would probably be better off picking out a different model of guitar.
Ibanez GRX20Z
Many people might not know this, but Ibanez makes great electric guitars for beginners. The Ibanez GRX20Z is a nice piece of work, with twenty two medium frets, rosewood fingerboard and two simple controls, one for volume and one for tone control. This guitar's not too complicated, but it packs a punch. Also, for you whammy bar lovers, the GRX20Z comes with one handy. This guitar is also put together quite well and its detail may be surprising. As far as reliability goes, this guitar is very durable. It does not get knocked out of tune easily, even in bumpy car rides, and it's capable of maintaining its spotless image even after a few bumps and scrapes. A great electric guitar for beginners, I would definitely recommend this guitar to first timers.
Epiphone SG Special
Last but not least, the SG special is one hell of a catch. This guitar is great not only for beginners but even for the guitar-savvy musician. The SG special comes with the basics, SG body style, one tone control, one volume control, two humbuckers, and a three-way selector. Doesn't come with a whammy bar, but hey, with a guitar like this I'm sure you can live without it. The sound it produces is great if you're into artists like AC/DC, Slayer, etc. This guitar also gets great compliments on its paint job, for it's sleek and glossy, giving it a nice touch. I've seen this guitar online going for about $170, but there's a possibility of finding it cheaper if you know where to look. (Don't forget to check out your local pawn shops!) Just do some research and make some wise decisions. Whatever you do, I'd consider you give this guitar a gander.
So there you have it, four electric guitars that I would recommend for beginners. Whichever one you go with, whether it be acoustic or electric, just go ahead and give it your all when you practice. These guitars should give you some bang for your buck if you get your hands on them and would be great first time instruments to have. Hopefully this helped all you future soon-to-be band members. And even if you don't plan on joining a band and rocking the world, this list should still give you some great options for guitars to play in your downtime. Whether you be in your bedroom strumming some chords, or in your friend's garage making the windows rattle, just remember to practice, practice harder, and always turn it up to eleven.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Bono and The Edge Release <em>Spider-Man</em> Single
U2’s Bono and The Edge have released the lead-off single from the Music from Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark album. They back singer Reeve Carney on “Rise Above 1.”
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is the Broadway musical with songs written by Bono and The Edge and starring Reeve Carney (from rock band Carney) in the lead role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man, while Carney, his band, act as the musical’s orchestra.
The single, “Rise Above 1,” was produced by Alex Da Kid, while June’s forthcoming album Music From Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark was overseen by U2 production mainstay Steve Lillywhite.
The Spider-Man musical got off to a rocky start for Bono and The Edge with constant delays and rewrites, as well as some technical accidents. However, previews are now happening at New York City’s Foxwoods Theatre. The musical officially opens June 14, and Bono today insisted everything is back on track.
He told the Hollywood Reporter, “We’re opening Spider-Man on the 14th. I promise it’s not been cancelled, and we’re very excited about it. It’s almost there, it will be there by opening night.”
Listen to “Rise Above 1” below, a track full of classic U2 moves.
This Day in Music: May 28th
Brought to you by ThisDayinMusic.com.
Born on this day:
1917, Papa John Creech, violinist, Jefferson Airplane
1944, Gladys Knight, singer
1945, John Fogerty, guitar, vocals, Creedence Clearwater Revival
1949, Wendy O. Williams, singer, The Plasmatics
1964, The BBC received over 8,000 postal applications for tickets for The Rolling Stones appearance on Juke Box Jury.
1966, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass went to #1 on the U.S. album chart with What Now My Love, setting a new American record with four albums in the U.S. Top 10. The other three were South of the Border, Going Places and Whipped Cream and Other Delights.
1966, Love appeared at the Whisky a Go Go in West Hollywood, California, supported by The Doors.
1973, Bassist Ronnie Lane left The Faces and went on to form Slim Chance.
1977, Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers played together for the first time when they performed as part of Mike Howlett’s band, Strontium 90, at the Circus Hippodrome, Paris.
1983, Actress and singer Irene Cara started a six-week run at #1 on the U.S. singles chart with “Flashdance... What a Feeling,” taken from the film Flashdance, and a #2 hit in the U.K.
1983, The four-day US Festival ’83 took place in California, featuring The Clash, U2, David Bowie, The Pretenders, 
Van Halen, Stray Cats, Men at Work, Judas Priest, Stevie Nicks, Willie Nelson, INXS, Joe Walsh, Motley Crue and Ozzy Osbourne. Over 750,000 fans attended the festival. For more on this story, see today’s This Day in Music Spotlight.
1995, Hootie and the Blowfish started a four-week run at #1 on the U.S. album charts with Cracked Rear View. The album went on to sell over 15 million copies.
2007, The Police kicked off their 152-show reunion tour at General Motors Place in Vancouver, Canada in front of 22,000 fans.
2009, Depeche Mode singer Dave Gahan had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his bladder. The band, who were currently on a world tour, cancelled several shows because of the 47-year-old’s health problems.
Ultimate Guitar Secrets Exposed
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Full Top 50 Cover Songs List, Readers Poll Revealed
With today’s announcement of the Top 10, Gibson.com’s Top 50 Cover Songs of All Time is complete. Below, you can check out the full list from top to bottom (for more on each entry, click here: #50-41, #40-31, #30-21, #20-11 and #10-1.
Plus, scroll down to see the readers’ Top 25 picks.
Top 50 Covers of All Time
1. “All Along the Watchtower,” The Jimi Hendrix Experience (Bob Dylan)
2. “Twist and Shout,” The Beatles (The Top Notes, The Isley Brothers)
3. “Hurt,” Johnny Cash (Nine Inch Nails)
4. “I Fought the Law,” The Clash (The Crickets, Bobby Fuller Four)
5. “Crossroads,” Cream (Robert Johnson)
6. “Hallelujah,” Jeff Buckley (Leonard Cohen)
7. “Mr. Tambourine Man,” The Byrds (Bob Dylan)
8. “The House of the Rising Sun,” The Animals (Traditional)
9. “You Really Got Me,” Van Halen (The Kinks)
10. “Respect,” Aretha Franklin (Otis Redding)
11. “Jolene,” The White Stripes (Dolly Parton)
12. “Hound Dog,” Elvis Presley (“Big Mama” Thornton)
13. “Little Wing,” Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
14. “The Man Who Sold the World,” Nirvana (David Bowie)
15. “With a Little Help from My Friends,” Joe Cocker (The Beatles)
16. “Ain’t That a Shame,” Cheap Trick (Fats Domino)
17. “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” Guns N’ Roses (Bob Dylan)
18. “Not Fade Away,” The Rolling Stones (Buddy Holly and The Crickets)
19. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” Devo (The Rolling Stones)
20. “Young Man Blues,” The Who (Mose Allison)
21. “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” Creedence Clearwater Revival (Marvin Gaye)
22. “Statesboro Blues,” The Allman Brothers Band (Blind Willie McTell)
23. “Hard to Handle,” Black Crowes (Otis Redding)
24. “Love in Vain,” The Rolling Stones (Robert Johnson)
25. “Where Did You Sleep Last Night,” Nirvana (Traditional, Lead Belly)
26. “Proud Mary,” Ike and Tina Turner (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
27. “Take Me to the River,” Talking Heads (Al Green)
28. “Higher Ground,” Red Hot Chili Peppers (Stevie Wonder)
29. “Blue Suede Shoes,” Elvis Presley (Carl Perkins)
30. “Blinded by the Light,” Manfred Mann’s Earth Band (Bruce Springsteen)
31. “That’s All Right,” Elvis Presley (Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup)
32. “Rockin’ in the Free World,” Pearl Jam (Neil Young)
33. “Oh, Pretty Woman,” Van Halen (Roy Orbison)
34. “American Woman,” Lenny Kravitz (The Guess Who)
35. “Come Together,” Aerosmith (The Beatles)
36. “Gloria,” Patti Smith (Them)
37. “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” Gerry and the Pacemakers (Rogers and Hammerstein from Carousel)
38. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” Otis Redding (The Rolling Stones)
39. “You Shook Me” Led Zeppelin (Muddy Waters)
40. “How High the Moon,” Les Paul Mary Ford (Benny Goodman)
41. “Rusty Cage,” Johnny Cash (Soundgarden)
42. “Blue Bayou,” Linda Ronstadt (Roy Orbison)
43. “Absolutely Sweet Marie,” Jason and the Scorchers (Bob Dylan)
44. “Blueberry Hill,” Fats Domino (Glenn Miller)
45. “Sabbra Cadabra,” Metallica (Black Sabbath)
46. “Sorrow,” David Bowie (The McCoys, The Merseys)
47. “Monkey Man,” The Specials (Toots & the Maytals)
48. “Money (That’s What I Want),” The Beatles (Barrett Strong)
49. “Suzie Q,” Creedence Clearwater Revival (Dale Hawkins)
50. “A Day in the Life,” Jeff Beck (The Beatles)
Gibson.com Readers Poll – Top 25 Covers of All Time
The readers spoke loudly for Manfred Mann’s Earth Band’s cover of “Blinded By the Light,” which just barely edged out Hendrix’s famous take on “All Along the Watchtower” (the overall list’s #1). The readers also gave love to covers by Vanilla Fudge, Deep Purple and H.I.M. The most interesting result: the readers’ choice of Eddie Murphy’s version of “Respect” over Aretha Franklin’s.
1. “Blinded By the Light,” Manfred Mann’s Earth Band (Bruce Springsteen)
2. “All Along the Watchtower,” The Jimi Hendrix Experience (Bob Dylan)
3. “Twist & Shout,” The Beatles (The Top Notes, The Isley Brothers)
4. “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” Creedence Clearwater Revival (Marvin Gaye)
5. “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” Vanilla Fudge (The Supremes)
6. “Hush,” Deep Purple (Billy Joe Royal)
7. “Crossroads,” Cream (Robert Johnson)
8. “With a Little Help From My Friends,” Joe Cocker (The Beatles)
9. “I Fought the Law,” The Clash (Bobby Fuller Four)
10. “Further on Up the Road,” Eric Clapton (Bobby “Blue” Bland)
11. “Jolene,” The White Stripes (Dolly Parton)
12. “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” Guns N’ Roses (Bob Dylan)
13. “Stormy Monday,” Allman Brothers Band (T-Bone Walker)
14. “One Way Out,” Allman Brothers Band (Elmore James)
15. “You Really Got Me,” Van Halen (The Kinks)
16. “Hurt,” Johnny Cash (Nine Inch Nails)
17. “After Midnight,” Eric Clapton (J.J. Cale)
18. “Hallelujah,” Jeff Buckley (Leonard Cohen)
19. “Mr. Tambourine Man,” The Byrds (Bob Dylan)
20. “Little Wing,” Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
21. “Wicked Game,” H.I.M. (Chris Isaak)
22. “Respect,” Eddie Murphy (Otis Redding)
23. “Gloria,” Patti Smith (Them)
24. “Am I Evil?,” Metallica (Diamond Head)
25. “Baker Street,” Foo Fighters (Gerry Rafferty)
Jimmy Bruno: Inside Outside Jazz Guitar
Jimmy Bruno leads you into more advanced improvisational concepts. Learn about the theory and technique behind his flawless playing. Benefit from his clear, enlightening teaching style as he gives lessons on scales in the five regions of the guitar, how to derive melodies, and how to integrate non-scale or outside notes into your playing to create tension and release.Price: $24.95
Iron Maiden Give Away Downloads of Two Classic Songs
Iron Maiden are giving their U.K. fans an early present ahead of the release of their greatest-hits compilation next month: free downloads of classic Maiden hits, “The Wicker Man” and “The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg.” If you’re a U.K. resident, click here to start downloading. If you’re not a U.K. resident, the songs appear to be unavailable.
On June 6, Iron Maiden will issue their From Fear to Eternity collection, which contains favorite songs from 1990 to 2010, all featuring frontman Bruce Dickinson. Songs originally sung by Blaze Bayley, who fronted the band from 1994 to 1999, are replaced on the new album by live versions done by Dickinson.
The full From Fear to Eternity tracklisting:
Disc 1
The Wicker Man
Holy Smoke
El Dorado
Paschendale
Different World
Man on the Edge (Live)
The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg
Blood Brothers
Rainmaker
Sign of the Cross (Live)
Brave New World
Fear of the Dark (Live)
Disc 2
Be Quick or Be Dead
Tailgunner
No More Lies
Coming Home
The Clansman (Live)
For the Greater Good of God
These Colours Don’t Run
Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter
Afraid to Shoot Strangers
Dance of Death
When the Wild Wind Blows
This Day in Music Spotlight: Robbie Williams Better than Elvis?
Special thanks to ThisDayinMusic.com.
On this day in 2005, a young British pop star named Robbie Williams won the top spot in a U.K. national survey to be named best live solo artist of all time. Among those he pipped at the post were Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix and David Bowie.
The Carling poll named the following as their Top 10 Live Solo Artists:
1. Robbie Williams
2. David Bowie
3. Morrissey
4. Elvis Presley
5. Elton John
6. Jimi Hendrix
7. Paul Weller
8. Madonna
9. Michael Jackson
10. Bob Dylan
For those outside of the U.K., wondering if a poll in which Robbie Williams beat Elvis could possibly be accurate, in 2004 he was inducted into the U.K. Music Hall of Fame after being voted as the “Greatest Artist of the 1990s.”
He’s sold over 57 million albums around the globe and is easily the best-selling solo act in the U.K. On top of that, six of Williams’ albums have made the Top 100 biggest selling albums list. He’s also picked up a cool 17 BRIT Awards (the U.K.’s version of a GRAMMY).
Williams started out as a boy band star, only 16 when he joined British boy band Take That, who then ruled the U.K. charts in the ‘90s with 27 Top 40 singles and 11 of them going to #1 (there were six #1 albums as well!). But the cocky Williams was was the band’s bad boy and tried to the push Take That in a less-poppy direction. Naturally, divisions within the band grew, and as a result Williams quit in 1995, preferring do his own thing and conduct a very public friendship with Oasis.
His solo career surprised most onlookers. His debut solo single, a cover of George Michael’s “Freedom,” went to #2. His solo career was buoyed by the fact that he wrote his own material with help from friend Guy Chambers.
A dramatic ballad, “Angels,” from his Life thru a Lens album established Williams as a bona fide pop star. He had critical respect, lingering boy band worship and a newly found more mature pop audience. Put all that together and the album quickly sold some 3 million copies in Europe.
Since then, he’s been the biggest star in England and Europe by several miles (and kilometers). In 2002, Robbie had secured a record-breaking deal with EMI worth in excess of ?80 million. In 2003, he set the attendance record at Knebworth with three shows drawing over 375,000 fans.
In 2009, he announced he was re-uniting for a tour with his old chums in Take That. It was the fastest-selling tour in U.K. history with phone lines and websites crashing from the sheer volume of requests for tickets. And if that wasn’t enough, the reunited Take That’s new album, Progress, sold 235,000 copies the day it was released – making it the fastest-selling album of the century in the U.K.
In 2010, Williams was honored by the BRITs with the prestigious Outstanding Contribution to British Music Award. He’s currently breaking all records on tour with Take That.
America didn’t really “get” Robbie Williams when he toured in 1999. Should Stoke-on- Trent’s most famous export (sorry, Slash) ever find time to try again, it could be a very different story.
Jimmy Buffett Plans Margaritaville Video Game
Jimmy Buffett and THQ are working to bring a Buffett-themed video game to Facebook, iPad, iPhone and iPod this fall. Margaritaville Online will present an interactive experience to fans of Buffett’s music and books and for people who play social Facebook games like FarmVille.
“The Margaritaville laidback state of mind is inherently social, and THQ has captured the spirit of that lifestyle in this game,” said Buffett, according to Billboard.com. “With Margaritaville Online, fans across the globe can party together any time and any place.”
That’s right, Parrotheads will be able to hang out in 3D environments, listen to Buffett’s full catalog, interact with characters from his novels, play mini-games and even start their own bands. It’s quite possible that players also will be able to enjoy virtual cheeseburgers in the virtual paradise.
Buffett’s not the only music star to get involved with social gaming – both Lady Gaga and Dr. Dre have promoted new music via CityVille and Mafia Wars, respectively – although he is the first to engage in such a detailed game.
Mastodon Singer Does Surf-Rock?
Mastodon are one of the heaviest bands on the planet, but singer-guitarist Brent Hinds is going in a different direction on his upcoming solo double-disc release. Brent Hinds Presents Fiend Without a Face/West End Motel is due out on June 7.
Hinds told Rolling Stone that the first disc takes his music in a surf-rock direction, while the second deals in “boozy poetry.” The albums aren’t out yet, but the musician is already talking about doing more.
“We’re just finishing up anotherWest End Motel album, and then when [Mastodon] get back from Europe,” Hinds said, “we’re going back into the studio with Fiend Without a Face, and I’m going to have Brann [Dailor, Mastodon’s drummer] and Jay Weinberg, Max Weinberg's kid, play on the record – have a rotating door of drummer guests. It’ll be a proggy sort of album.”
Of course, Hinds also talked about Mastodon’s upcoming fifth album, which the band have been working on with producer Mike Elizondo. Confirmed song titles for the disc, due later this year, include “Blasteroids” and “All the Heavy Lifting.”
“It sounds pretty different than anything we've ever done,” Hinds said. “It’s un-comparable!”
Next up for Mastodon: a summer European tour and a one-off show with Soundgarden, Queens of the Stone Age and the Meat Puppets in Washington on July 30.
<em>Grease </em>Star is Dead
Jeff Conaway, star of the musical movie Grease, died today (May 27) from pneumonia, according to CNN.
His manager, Phil Brock, said that Conaway, who was 60, suffered from pneumonia and had been in a coma in a hospital in Encino, California.
“He was the consummate performer and entertainer,” said Brock. "We're thankful his struggles are over, but we know he will be missed by legions of fans worldwide.”
Conaway began his performing career on the stage. He was in the Broadway production of Grease for two years, in the lead role of Danny Zuko. He switched to TV, landing a part on Happy Days and then the movie version of Grease (although Travolta played Danny on screen). Conaway also had a long running role in the TV sitcom, Taxi.
Conaway had been treated for his addictions on the TV reality show Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew. Dr. Drew Pinsky tweeted: “I'm saddened to report he has succumbed to his addiction, thus far we have no evidence of an intentional overdose, rather this is the natural history of prescription drug addiction, pneumonia, septic shock, etc.”
<em>Sgt. Pepper’s</em> Cover Artist Not Feeling Beatles’ Love
Despite the acclaim he has received over the years for the cover art of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, British pop artist Peter Blake feels that he has been underappreciated by The Beatles, themselves. Speaking to TimeOut Hong Kong, the “Godfather of British Pop Art” said that he has been under-rewarded for his contribution to one of the greatest albums in rock history.
“I still feel that the whole thing was unfair,” he said. “The cover is just as important as the music— it’s an integral part, and should be rewarded [as such]. The Beatles have never really been aware of that, or they’ve consciously decided to not do it.”
When asked if he ever gets sick of being asked about The Beatles, Blake replied bluntly, “I do, yeah.”
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Korn Frontman Loves Nine Inch Nails, Joy Division
Korn singer Jonathan Davis was recently asked to name some of his favorite things by Spin magazine. It turns out his #1 song of all time is “Love will Tear Us Apart,” by Joy Division.
“It’s so beautiful and so [expletive] sad at the same time,” he said. “As a kid it struck me how many different emotions a single song could evoke, and it changed my view of music forever.”
Davis also named his favorite album: Nine Inch Nails’ The Downward Spiral, which he called “an absolute masterpiece.”
The Korn frontman went on to discuss his favorite movie (Dune, “I’m a big David Lynch fan”), favorite food (Japanese) and favorite celebrity (Back to the Future star Crispin Glover). “Is he a celebrity? He’s an awesome actor,” Davis said.
Classical Guitar Sprezzatura
DVD Guitar InstructionClassical Guitar Sprezzatura is a DVD guitar lesson for guitar players of any style who wish to either learn fingerstyle guitar techniques or to improve their fingerstyle guitar playing.
* But I don?t play classical. Many aspiring players may not realize that lots of the greatest rock, blues, or jazz guitarists started with classical because of it?s incredibly comprehensive technique arsenal. One can learn the technique and play any style of song. This guitar tutorial is a perfect foundation to any guitar style be it jazz, flamenco, classical, blues or for even the rock guitarist who wants to work on rock ballads.
* Dr. Mark Switzer demonstrates the foundational right hand techniques typically found in classical guitar, breaks each down very simply and then provides the student with exercises designed to perfect each technique for use with any style of music.
* What makes this guitar instructional DVD lesson different? Our camera shows the right hand technique of the rest stroke and free stroke from the student's perspective which makes the material far easier to absorb. This guitar tutorial also focuses on teaching the foundational techniques instead of teaching licks or a single song. It therefore teaches how to play the guitar well rather than how to play a single song.
* A solid value. For the price of a DVD, the guitar student obtains multiple guitar lessons that can be paused and rewound as many times as they want to really see the technique accurately.
* But I?m a guitar teacher. This guitar tutorial also serves as a wonderful supplement for a guitar instructor to use with their students to address fingerstyle basics with incredibly efficient and effective technique. Basic exercises are also shown to aid in the development of the techniques.
* What makes Mark qualified? The guitar techniques presented in this DVD are not just the product of Mark's 40 plus years with the classical guitar but rather it is a continuance of a long tradition which he learned from maestro Pepe Romero and from his father Celedonio Romero, who worked with Daniel Fortea, who was a pupil of Francisco Tarrega, the "father of the modern guitar."
* But I don?t know how to read music. This DVD lesson does not require the student to read music. Every technique and exercise given is broken down in great detail.
* Why bother learning a solid technique? I only want to learn a song. Once the guitarist learns an efficient, solid basic technique there are many benefits such as?
· More difficult pieces can be learned more quickly and more easily
· The performer feels less fatigue
· The music can flow unimpeded from thought to fingers
· The audience can also enjoy the performance from a visual aspect
This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.
Price: $29.95
Thursday, May 26, 2011
<em>Gibson.com</em>’s Top 50 Cover Songs of All Time - #30-21
Some of the most famous songs in music history are cover versions – whether it’s The Beatles doing Motown hits, Elvis tackling R&B tunes or just about everyone covering Bob Dylan songs. In honor of the artists who didn’t write the songs, but recorded legendary versions of them, Gibson.com is counting down the Top 50 Cover Songs of All Time.
Gibson.com recently enlisted its editors, writers and you, the readers, to vote for the greatest cover songs ever released. After announcing #50-41 and #40-31, we’re revealing another 10 on the list – with the original artist, or, in some cases, the most famous previous artist in parentheses. Check back each day this week, as we unveil 10 more classic covers – with the Top 10 arriving on Friday.
30. “Blinded by the Light,” Manfred Mann’s Earth Band (Bruce Springsteen)
Manfred Mann had stated out doing the British Invasion blues-based thing with hits like “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” and “The Mighty Quinn” (another excellent cover), but by 1971 were dabbling in more lavish prog rock sounds. New Dylan on the block, Bruce Springsteen, had seen his first tracks rejected by Columbia, who wanted something more radio friendly. He responded with “Blinded by the Light,” which made his debut album, Greetings form Asbury Park, N.J., but was never a hit for the Boss. In Manfred’s smart hands the bluster, pomp and musical majesty more than match Springsteen’s clever wordplay. – Andrew Vaughan
29. “Blue Suede Shoes,” Elvis Presley (Carl Perkins)
Rockabilly legend Carl Perkins was playing a small-town show when a teen ostracized his girlfriend for stepping on his “suedes.” Something registered with Carl. Later, Perkins came up with the classic intro, “Well, it's one for the money... Two for the show... Three to get ready... Now go, man, go!” (‘man’ became cat in the studio) for the rock and roll classic about shoes. Everyone remembers Elvis’ cover of the song, of course, but if a serious car wreck hadn’t de-railed Perkins career while promoting his version of “Shoes,” rock history may have been a little different. Maybe. – Andrew Vaughan
28. “Higher Ground,” Red Hot Chili Peppers (Stevie Wonder)
Red Hot Chili Peppers took this groovy, wah/Clavinet-driven 1973 Stevie Wonder song from the classic album Innervisions and turned it into a hyperkinetic funk/metal track on their 1989 album Mother’s Milk. The album was the Peppers’ first with guitarist John Frusciante. RHCP’s version felt more frantic than the original, and the video reflected this vibe in glorious Technicolor. The band’s hard work was rewarded with an MTV Video Award nomination. – Peter Hodgson
27. “Take Me to the River,” Talking Heads (Al Green)
A band of art-school punks scored their first real radio hit in 1978 by covering Al Green’s soul classic, in which lust and religion coalesced. Tina Weymouth’s grooving bassline and Jerry Harrison’s greasy keyboards brought new, subdued colors to Talking Heads’ twitchy sound. Frontman David Byrne somehow bridged the gap between R&B and punk with a delivery that was equally soulful and nervy – and included growling the song’s bass riff at the end. Somewhere in there, “punk” became new wave. – Bryan Wawzenek
26. “Proud Mary,” Ike and Tina Turner (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
This may be one of the most extreme examples of how an already classic tune, with a perfect performance, can be made into not only a great remake, but a classic live performance! With Tina’s first delivery of the song “nice and easy” and then turning it into a whirlwind rocker that’s “rough,” she and Ike, and let’s not forget the Ikettes, make this one of the all-time, and out-and-out sexy, explosive masterpieces of soul and rock ’n’ roll! – Arlen Roth
25. “Where Did You Sleep Last Night,” Nirvana (Traditional, Lead Belly)
Nirvana included a wealth of covers on their MTV Unplugged performance, but none seem to capture the band’s last gasp like this version of the early 1900s folk tune. Originally titled “In the Pines,” the most famous rendition was by Lead Belly – whom Nirvana credited with inspiring their take. With a foreboding cello looming in the background and Kurt Cobain howling “My girl! My girl! Don’t lie to me!” near the song’s conclusion, “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” might be the most powerful folk cover ever recorded. – Bryan Wawzenek
24. “Love in Vain,” The Rolling Stones (Robert Johnson)
Upon the release of 1961’s King of the Delta Blues Singers, Robert Johnson became a touchstone for up-and-coming London blues artists. While Eric Clapton famously raved up Johnson’s “Cross Road Blues,” the Stones chose to take a more emotive approach with the painstaking fare-thee-well, “Love in Vain.” Countrified on Let It Bleed, the track attained greater resonance on the more bluesy Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out live version. Both Keith Richards’ studio flourishes and Mick Taylor’s live solo are a study in the emotional possibilities of the slide guitar. – Michael Wright
23. “Hard to Handle,” Black Crowes (Otis Redding)
Originally recorded (and co-written) by Otis Redding, “Hard to Handle” was posthumously released in 1968, shortly after the tragic plane crash that killed Redding and most of his band. Although covered by many over the years, including The Grateful Dead, who made it a staple of their live shows from ’69-’71, it was The Black Crowes’ swaggering, Faces-esque version from their 1990 debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, that not only put the Crowes on the map, but made this soul classic a bona fide rock staple. – Sean Patrick Dooley
22. “Statesboro Blues,” The Allman Brothers Band (Blind Willie McTell)
McTell recorded this southern staple in 1928, and its lithe 12-string riffing remains a compelling insight into blues roots. In 1971, The Allman Brothers Band turned it into a stomping boogie, near-unrecognizable from McTell’s version, but it showcased Duane Allman’s peerless slide playing and the support-skills of Dickey Betts. The Allmans’ cover is indulgent, but with good reason. If you want to hear guitars “sing,” go here. – Michael Leonard
21. “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” Creedence Clearwater Revival (Marvin Gaye)
John Fogerty and the boys didn’t hold back when they took an R&B classic (recorded by no less than three Motown artists, although CCR was obviously inspired by Gaye’s version) and totally rocked out with it. Great vocals, long extended and interesting solos and jams help make this a unique piece in the Creedence library, from the incredibly overlooked album, Cosmo’s Factory! Classic upon classic material! – Arlen Roth
Votes for the Top 50 Covers of All Time were included from Michael Wright, Bryan Wawzenek, Andrew Vaughan, Sean Patrick Dooley, Cesar Acevedo, Paul Burch, Arlen Roth, Ted Drozdowski, Russell Hall, Peter Hodgson, Anne Erickson, Michael Leonard, Paolo Bassotti and the Gibson.com Readers Poll.
Eddie Van Halen Talks Smithsonian, Michael Jackson
Earlier this year, a replica of Eddie Van Halen’s “Frankenstein” guitar was donated to The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. The guitar god recently talked to Smithsonian Magazine about how the guitar initially came about.
“The original Frankenstein was a result of me tinkering and experimenting with different elements of electric guitars that I liked,” he said. “I created an instrument that wasn’t offered as an ‘off the rack’ guitar by any manufacturer at 
the time.”
Although Van Halen still has the first Frankenstein guitar, he doesn’t tour with it anymore.
“I retired it from regular use. It took so much abuse from endless touring and recording; I wanted to pay some respect to it and let it survive and not let it get destroyed completely,” he said. “At the same time it became something so well known beyond my wildest dreams that it’s value made it a target for theft and I wanted to protect it. I still play it every now and then. It’s priceless to me.”
While the guitarist didn’t talk about Van Halen’s upcoming tour or album plans, he did discuss his favorite artistic collaboration.
“Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’ is a stand out for me,” he said. “Quincy Jones called me up and asked me to play on it. When I got there it took me 15 minutes to rearrange the song and I played two solos and told them they could pick the one they liked best. Then Michael walked in and said, ‘Wow! I really like that high fast stuff you do.’ It was a lot of fun to do. It’s crazy that something could take such a short amount of time and can grow into something beyond anything you could ever imagine.”
The Gibson Interview: Joe Bonamassa (Part One)
Joe Bonamassa was born to play the guitar. His parents owned and ran a guitar shop in Utica, New York, so he was literally surrounded by the instrument from birth. A fourth-generation musician, Bonamassa took to the guitar early on, receiving his first axe at the tender age of four. By 11, he was cutting his teeth with Danny Gatton and, a year later, he opened for B.B. King. From there, his rise to the top of the guitar world has been a steady one, from his teen prodigy band, Bloodline, to his award-winning solo career and, more recently, his tenure in the supergroup Black Country Communion.
Along the way, Bonamassa has been a constant lover (and abuser) of the Gibson Les Paul. With Gibson USA proudly announcing, this week, the new Gibson USA Joe Bonamassa Les Paul, we sat down with the mild-mannered gunslinger to talk axes.
Tell me about the new Gibson USA Joe Bonamassa Les Paul.
Well, I’m excited, man. It’s a cool guitar. I mean, essentially, a guitar that’s like the Bonamassa Custom Shop one and the Epiphone one like we did last year, but it kinda has the appointments of a Les Paul Studio. It’s not bound, but it’s a Gibson. I think it’s really cool. I’ve been playing it. I’ve had the prototype for about two or three months, maybe more. I think more. And I’ve been playing it, and it’s got an inviting neck. It’s one of those guitars that makes you want to play it.
But I think it will be good for the kids out there who don’t have $4,000 to spend on the Custom Shop one and the ones who didn’t get the thousand Epiphones that were sold extremely quickly, actually. So I think it’s a good opportunity. And I think it’s also a good opportunity to get a guitar into the hands of some kids, which is kind of the whole point anyway.
How much input did you have on this guitar? Was it a true collaboration between you and Gibson USA?
I spoke to my ER rep and all the guys in Nashville at Gibson USA and we came up with a concept. They used a lot of the specs from the Custom Shop one – you know, the neck size and the dish and everything else. And so, a lot of the work was already done, because we’ve had really good luck with the Custom Shop ones. And you know, we’ve done them in sunburst and blue and all the different colors. And [laughs] I think that’s it. And gold, of course. But yeah, it was one of those things where a lot of the work was already done, so they just took the specs off the Custom Shop one and kind of amalgamated it into their factory – which a lot of people don’t know their factories are separate.
So it was a real blast and, you know, when the first prototype came out I was really shocked. They did a really good job. I didn’t really have a whole lot of comments for it.
You’ve always been associated with Les Pauls. What is it about those axes that’s always spoken to you?
You know, everybody has this sound in their head. You know what I mean? The ideal guitar sound that kinda fits in your head. And for me, it’s a really thick, kind of mid-range-y, warm sound. You know, not a lot of top end, but it still has enough drive and saturation to where it’s not too clean, but it’s not too overdriven, but it’s very articulate. You can dial it in on any guitar, but it takes a lot more work. But when you plug a Les Paul even just straight into an amp – you know, Marshall amp or whatever, Fender, whatever – it just does that thing, you know? It’s very, very easy for me to achieve the sound that I hear in my head with a Les Paul. So I’ve been using those kinds of guitars forever.
What was your first Les Paul?
My first Les Paul was a 1980. It was a 1980 that my father traded a mustard-color Fender Stratocaster for back in like, this is 1981-1982. He didn’t like [the Strat], because the Fender didn’t have good enough frets – which it didn’t. Actually, somebody tried to hack them out at one point. And this opportunity came up to get a Les Paul Standard. And it was a sunburst, you know, 1980 Les Paul Standard. And it was really… for me it was a real treat. And again, it was louder and it was thicker, and it had a lot of really good qualities to it. But I was also like six years old, so...
Do you still have it?
No, I don’t. I traded up. I’ve kind of like been collecting guitars for, god, it has to be over 20 years, 22 years maybe. I finally just got my first real ’59 this year and, you know, that’s a real treat. I worked my way up through the Les Pauls of yesterday to get the Holy Grail, so to speak.
You don’t take that on the road, do you?
I do! I absolutely do.
Really?
I insure the hell out of it and I take it on the road. The way I look at it is: what am I going to do with it? Leave it at home? You know? I tour nine months a year and, what I going to do, come home, noodle on it on the couch… you know? Go, “Wow look at this, I’ve got a ’59 Les Paul that never gets used, maybe on a recording here and there.” I’d rather get a nice case for it – which I did – hire an ex-secret service agent as my security guard – which I did [laughs] – and take it on the road.
That’s nice to hear. I get a little depressed when I see vintage guitars in glass cases in restaurants. They’re like little tombs, you know?
Well, yeah. And they’re very functional. You know, my guitar is 52 years old and, honestly, it plays and sounds great. But the important thing to realize – and yes, it is a fantastic Les Paul and when people play it, even when you don’t tell them it’s a ’59. They say, “Wow, this is a really great guitar. I mean, we don’t care if it’s a 1979.” But the truth of the matter is, it’s still just a really good guitar and, if I look at it in those terms, I really have no problem taking it on the road.
Check back tomorrow for the conclusion of The Gibson Interview.
Top 10 Stories of the Week in Music News
It’s been another wacky and exciting week in the world of rock and roll. Keith Richards talked about being a pirate and hinted at an anniversary Rolling Stones gig next year in London. Nick Mason of Pink Floyd said that there could be more reunion-type Floyd moments in the future and Brit guitar stylist Johnny Marr announced a new tour. AC/DC’s Bon Scott had his life story turned into a play, Pete Townshend inked a book deal and producer Mark Ronson nearly died after eating raw liver. Now that’s rock and roll!
1. Life Story of AC/DC’s Bon Scott Becomes a Play
2. Jim Morrison Haunting Old Hangout?
3. Keith Richards on Pirates Cameo: ‘If Johnny Depp Says He Wants Something, I Show Up’
4. Blondie to Release First New Album in 8 Years
5. Johnny Marr Back in Business
6. Pink Floyd Reunion an ‘Outside Possibility’
7. Pete Townshend’s Memoir to be Published by Harper Collins
8. Rolling Stones Planning Anniversary Concert?
9. Black Lips Almost Kill Mark Ronson with Raw Meat
10. Megadeth Drummer: We’re Making a ‘Solid, Heavy’ Album
Ringo Remembers When He was More Famous than The Beatles
As Ringo Starr prepares for another tour with his All Starr band, the Beatles drummer has been reminiscing a little with U.K. newspaper the Daily Mail.
Ringo explained why he still hits the road at 70 years of age. “I still love to play. I go down the front and sing ‘Photograph’ or whatever, then I get to go back to the drums and play with all these other musicians,” he said. “It’s a win-win situation. I get the chance to be both the entertainer and the musician. Everyone’s a star, but I’m the big star. The band gets to play 12 numbers between them and I do 12 numbers.”
Talking about the early days in Liverpool, Starr points out that The Beatles were lucky to have him. “It wasn’t just that I was a big shot; I was a cool drummer,” he said. “Brian Epstein asked if I would play lunchtime at the Cavern with them. That’s how I got started.”
He was, after all, a well-known local drummer when The Beatles were still finding their feet. “I was. Within Liverpool I was a lot more well known than them,” he said. “Rory and The Hurricanes were big shots in the city. We had suits. That was our claim to fame.”
As for his enduring friendship with Paul McCartney, Starr explained the nature of their relationship. “‘We are good friends. We don’t live in each other’s pockets, but if we’re in the same country, we get together,” he said. “He’s singing and playing on my latest album and I played on several of his. We’re just pals. We’re the only two who’ve experienced all this who are still here.”
Staind Confirm New Studio Album Coming Later this Year
Staind have confirmed they will release their much-anticipated new studio album later this year. As reported by NME.com, guitarist Mike Mushok told Michigan-based radio station WGRD that the album, titled Seven, marks something of a return to the harder-edged style of Staind’s early albums.
“It’s a modern-sounding version of a heavy Staind record,” said Mushok. “It’s completely different than the last record [2008’s The Illusion of Progress]. It’s more of a throwback to where we came from. [But] I don’t think there’s any rehashed riffs; I definitely think it’s fresh.”
Mushok went on to say the album, which the band began working on in late 2010, has been difficult to make. “It was a tough one,” he said. “And it wasn’t even the music or writing it; it’s just that there were a lot of things going on, and it made for a long, drawn-out process, it seemed. But I’ll tell you what – looking back, now that it's done, I’m really, really happy with it.”
This Day in Music: May 25th
Brought to you by ThisDayinMusic.com
Born on this day:
1921, Hal David, songwriter
1926, Miles Davis, jazz trumpeter and composer
1958, Paul Weller, The Jam, Style Council,
1975, Lauryn Hill, The Fugees
1965, blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, Sonny Boy Williamson died in his sleep. Van Morrison, Aerosmith, The Who, The Animals, Yardbirds and Moody Blues all covered his songs. According to the Led Zeppelin biography Hammer of the Gods, touring the UK in the 60's, Sonny Boy set his hotel room on fire while trying to cook a rabbit in a coffee percolator.
1969, a benefit concert was held for Fairport Convention at The Roundhouse, London to raise money for the families of the bands drummer Martin Lambleand Richard Thompson's girlfriend who werel killed in an accident. Also on the bill, Family, Pretty Things, Soft Machine and John Peel. For more on this, see This Day in Music Spotlight.
1973, Carole King played a concert in New York's Central Park, which attracted an audience of 100,000.
1985, Dire Straits scored their second U.K. #1 album with Brothers In Arms, it was also #1 in the U.S. and 24 other countries. It went on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide.
1990, Fleetwood Mac played the first of 42 North American dates on their Behind The Mask world tour at the PNE Coliseum in Vancouver, Canada. Squeeze were the opening act.
1995, the earliest known recording of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, from 1961, was sold at Christies in London for ?50,250 ($85,425).
1997, a report showed that Elvis Presley was now the world’s bestselling posthumous entertainer with worldwide sales of over one billion, over 480 active fanclubs and an estimated 250,000 U.K. fans who still buy his records.
2007, sixties pop star Wayne Fontana was remanded in custody after admitting pouring petrol over a bailiff's car and setting fire to it. The judge criticised the former lead singer of the Mindbenders, for arriving at Derby Crown court dressed as the Lady of Justice. He had to hand a sword and scales to guards but still wore a crown, cape and dark glasses, claiming "justice is blind".
2009, a former member of Wilco, died at his home in Illinois at the age of 45. Jay Bennett worked as a sound engineer and played instruments for the band between 1994 and 2001
Paul McCartney: Rolling Stones Jealous of The Beatles
In a new interview, rock legend Paul McCartney has said The Rolling Stones were a bit jealous of The Beatles because of the latter’s singing talent.
“I talked to Keith Richards recently... well, a couple of years ago, and his take on it was, ‘Man, you were lucky, you guys, you had four lead singers,’ whereas the Rolling Stones only had one,” McCartney told the Radio Times (via Spinner.com). “So [for the Beatles] it wasn’t just the frontman and the back-up band. We were an entity. Mick [Jagger] used to call us the four-headed monster. We would show up at places all dressed the same.”
In the same interview, the former Beatle said that timing played a key part in the band’s success.
“A couple of years earlier, we would have been in the Army, and it’s very doubtful that the Beatles would have formed,” he said. “We would have been at Aldershot, or wherever, in various camps, and might not have even met.”
Glastonbury Brings Back Original Acts for 40th Festival
Organizer Michael Eavis is marking his music and arts festival’s 40th birthday by setting up a special stage for the acts that played the very first festival in 1971.
The Daily Express reports that the 200,000 music fans attending in June will be able to visit the Spirit of ’71 stage that will feature Melanie, one time Hawkwind star Nik Turner, Arthur Brown, Linda Lewis and Edgar Broughton.
Melanie, best known for her hit “Brand New Key,” told Uncut magazine, “I’m now in the unique position of being a person who’s just starting out, yet I’ve had 45 years of doing this. It’s very strange.”
Joe Bonamassa: Iron Maiden Inspired Black Country Communion
In an interview to be published tomorrow on Gibson.com, guitar virtuoso Joe Bonamassa said he’s thrilled to be in Black Country Communion because it lets him show off his hard rock chops.
“It allows me to be more unapologetically hard rock, to really explore my roots in British hard rock. Where sometimes I do that in my solo band and it’s a bit out of place, you know, and people start giving you that weird look,” he said. “But with this band, we don’t have to apologize for it; this is just who we are and, you know, it sounds like 1974.”
The rock supergroup includes Bonamassa, Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple), Jason Bonham (Led Zeppelin) and Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater). After releasing their debut album last year, Black Country Communion are set to put out their new album, 2, in June. In the interview, Bonamassa talked about being inspired by Iron Maiden on a particular song on the new album.
“With ‘Hadrian’s Wall,’ I wanted it to be like… that very British title, you know? Almost like a song that Iron Maiden would write. You know, with old wars and stuff,” he said. “And I love Maiden. I think they’re one of the most popular underrated bands in the world. I say that meaning that, not many times is a band like that mentioned in the same sentence as a Zeppelin or Metallica or something like that, but then all of a sudden 60,000 people show up for the gig. [Laughs] So they’re doing something right, you know?”
To read part one of the Bonamassa interview, click here.
The Darkness Planning World Tour, New Album
After a five-year hiatus, The Darkness have reunited and are set to play a few shows next month in Britain. But frontman Justin Hawkins recently explained that the band’s plans extend much further.
“There’ll probably be a The Darkness album in 2012, but somehow we’ll get new music out before then,” he told Q magazine. “A U.K. tour at the end of that year and then the world. Again.”
The reunion features original members Justin and Dan Hawkins (guitar), Frankie Poullain (bass) and Ed Graham (drums).
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Concert Recap: Disturbed, A Perfect Circle and More Play Rock on the Range 2011 (With Photos)
As Disturbed burst into the chorus of the turbulent “Indestructible” at Columbus Crew Stadium on Sunday, vocalist David Draiman paced back and forth on stage, sporting his trademark black jumpsuit, while lead guitarist Dan Donegan gutted out machine-gun sounding riffs balanced out by melodic passages.
The Chicago-based hard rock group was part of a lineup of bands on 2011’s Rock on the Range music festival, which also featured P.O.D., Avenged Sevenfold, Bullet for My Valentine, Black Label Society, Staind, Hinder, Art of Dying, Puddle of Mudd, Korn, A Perfect Circle and more. Tens of thousands crowded the Columbus, Ohio, outdoor stadium on Saturday and Sunday for the festival’s fifth annual appearance – many traveling from as far as Florida, California and even overseas.
For Puddle of Mudd and frontman Wes Scantlin, this was a surprise performance. Stone Sour was originally scheduled to perform, but they had to cancel last-minute due to drummer Ray Mayorga suffering a minor stroke. Mudd took the challenge head-on, delivering a blue-collar brand of modern rock that gave nods to Alice in Chains and Nirvana with grungy, over-driven guitars and Scantlin’s full-throated style of singing. “Control,” “Blurry” and “Drift & Die” brought cheers from the crowd, even as rain hit hard though half of the band’s set.
A Perfect Circle, the festival’s headliner, brought a soft, experimental end to the heavy event, with Billy Howerdel’s swelling, atmospheric guitar textures and Maynard James Keenan’s delicate vocals and overall eccentricity.
“Sorry about the whole rapture thing,” Maynard joked, referring to the supposed “end of the world” that was set for the previous night. The crowd cheered, as he then went into hits “The Outsider” and “Blue” off 2003’s Thirteenth Step.
Rare Queen Footage Featured in New Film
Unseen footage of rock legends Queen will be featured in a new BBC Queen documentary. The two-part documentary, called Queen: Days of Our Lives, sees band members Brian May and Roger Taylor discussing Queen’s history and talking about their 40th anniversary this year.
The first episode will be broadcast on BBC2 on Sunday, May 29 at 10 p.m., with the second episode on Monday, May 30, also at 10 p.m.
A highlight for Queen fans will be the footage of Queen’s first TV appearance, film that was presumed lost before making its way into this production.
8 Golden Nuggets For Buying Your First Guitar
Buying your first guitar is always a very exciting proposition but not without its challenges. When buying a guitar for beginners it is all too easy to get carried away and succumb to temptation when faced with a shop full of beautiful, shiny new guitars. Purchasing that wonderful bright red Fender Stratocaster seems like a good idea at the time (budget? what budget?) but you can soon come to realise that it is totally unsuited to your present needs!
To avoid these beginner pitfalls just follow these 8 simple steps to make buying your first guitar a breeze AND.... help protect your bank balance!
GOLDEN NUGGET 1: Know What Style of Guitar You Want to Buy!
This may sound a bit obvious, but before you even begin to consider buying a guitar, you need to know what guitar is best suited to the style of music you wish to play. There are four standard guitars:
Electric Guitar - probably the most popular and well known type of guitar, used in the majority of current pop and rock bands. Usually made with a solid body. You will need an amplifier to go with this guitar as you cannot hear the sound without one.
Acoustic Guitar - this is the other most recognisable guitar, made with a hollow body and wound steel strings to produce the sound, so no need for an amplifier with this guitar.
Electro Acoustic Guitar - as the name suggests, this guitar is a combination of the acoustic and electric guitar. With a hollow body and a pickup this guitar can be used with or without an amplifier.
Spanish/Classical Guitar - this is the oldest style of acoustic guitar which was first built in its current form in the 19th century in Spain. The strings on these guitars are nylon.
GOLDEN NUGGET 2: Ensure it is Suitable for You
As well as different styles, guitars also come in different sizes. It is possible to purchase half size and three quarter size guitars which are more practical for children. Remember also that learning to play guitar can be a bit painful on the fingers when you first start. Nylon strung guitars and electric guitars can be a little bit kinder to tender fingertips!
GOLDEN NUGGET 3: Set a Budget (and stick to it!)
Buying your first guitar is very exciting and it is all too easy to get carried away! It is best to do some figures before you get to the shops to establish how much you can afford and what you really want to spend.
Keep in mind that there is the possibility you may discover you are not cut out for learning to play the guitar after all. You could end up with a very expensive ornament collecting dust in your lounge!
If you are new to guitar it is a good idea to consider starting with a second hand guitar and then treating yourself to a brand new one once you have accomplished some level of playing ability.
GOLDEN NUGGET 4: Gather Information
Buying a guitar is a big investment so like any other large purchase it is essential that you glean all the information you can before you make your final buying decision.
The best place to start is at your local music store. These shops are generally privately owned by music/guitar enthusiasts. They will be more than happy to spend time with you, showing you all the different guitars and explaining things to you. If you cannot play, they will also demonstrate the guitars for you so you can hear the different sounds each guitar makes. But remember, this is a fact finding mission - today is not the day to buy, no matter how nice they are!
If you are looking for an electric guitar, you can also see all the accessories available and familiarise yourself with what you will need to achieve the sound you are after.
GOLDEN NUGGET 5: Shop Around
Music stores are great for pinpointing what guitar you would like but they are not necessarily the cheapest option for buying your guitar. That being said, they can offer a great aftercare service so it is worth weighing up what that is worth to you in monetary terms.
If you decide to purchase from a store, ask them if they have any sales coming up and wait (yes, wait!) for the sales to grab a bargain. If you cannot wait that long and decide to buy now, make sure you haggle with them on the price. They usually have a healthy mark up on musical instruments giving them plenty of room for manoeuvre.
Once you know the make of the guitar you would like, the obvious choice is the internet. There are a number of excellent secure sites which offer great deals. If it is an electric guitar you are after, a good starting point is a 'bundle' deal, which gives you all the accessories you need to get started as well as the guitar - great for beginners!
GOLDEN NUGGET 6: Buy Second-hand
Okay, so buying a second-hand guitar is not quite as sexy as that gleaming, shiny brand new one you have been drooling over. BUT, it is a great option if you are on a budget or not quite sure if the guitar is going to be for you.
Again, your local music store is a great place to start. They generally have some second-hand guitars that people have traded in and it is possible that you could pick up a well known brand for an excellent price.
The classified ads in your local newspaper are also a good place to track down a bargain and again, you can haggle with the vendor.
Buying second-hand online is slightly more risky. If you go this route, make sure they have a returns policy and some sort of guarantee otherwise you may find you have been sold a pup!
GOLDEN NUGGET 7: Check it is Well Made
Always ensure that the guitar you choose is well made. Check the seams; run your fingers around them to ensure that they are smooth, not rough and that they are not coming apart. Make sure the frets are smooth and even on both sides of the neck. Do not buy a guitar made from plywood or with a plywood top.
GOLDEN NUGGET 8: Try Before You Buy (then try again)
Every guitar is different so it is absolutely imperative that you try out lots of guitars before you make your purchase. They may look beautiful but you need to know how they feel in your hands and what they sound like before you can decide what is best for you. Even if you cannot play the guitar, you will know if it feels comfortable in your hands and you will know if you like the sound it makes. So, try before you buy and then try again!
Of course, buying your guitar is just the first step of your musical journey! Sign up today for your FREE Five Part E-Course on How to Play Guitar for Beginners at http://howtoplayguitargenie.com. This comprehensive FREE course is packed with tonnes of tips and tricks to give you exactly what you need to set you on the road to fulfilling your dreams - TODAY!
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