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This collector's edition box set tracing Jimi Hendrix's journey from sideman to star at the VIP Pop Market member price of $34.99!
4 CDs + 1 DVD
Includes more than 45 previously unreleased tracks
Nearly 4 hours of NEW Jimi Hendrix music
Acclaimed documentary, "Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child"
60-pg booklet with never before seen photos and detailed liner notes An essential and historic addition to the Jimi Hendrix catalog, West Coast Seattle Boy tracks Jimi's incredible journey from R&B sideman to international acclaim.
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He told People: "There is nothing greater in life than family, and my accomplishments as a father rank at the top of my successes. Erin and I are blessed with our expectation of the addition of another princess to our family and a new member of the KISS army."
The new arrival is due in August and the family, which includes Colin Michael, four, Sarah Brianna, two, couldn't be happier.
And Paul, who also has a 16-year-old son, Evan Shane, from a previous relationship, isn't worried about the impending sleepless nights, despite his advancing years. The 'Rock and Roll All Nite' singer joked: "I may be 59 but the only rocking chair this rocker is getting ready for is the one for my new baby."
Paul is set for a busy 2011 as KISS are recording their 20th studio album this year.
The group, which is comprised of Paul and bass player Gene Simmons from the band's original line up alongside guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer, are planning to head into the studio in March to start work on the follow-up to 2009's 'Sonic Boom'.
Tommy recently said: "The great news is that we are going in the studio again in the next month or two. We are starting to work on writing some songs, approach it just like we did with 'Sonic Boom' and keep it all in the band in terms of the writing, with no agenda besides writing great rock n' roll songs that we love.
"I'm sure you'll see a spanking new KISS album that's gonna kick some butt soon!"
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Ozzy Osbourne's "other" guitarist, Jakey Lou Williams was for a long time the "also-ran" guitarist who joined bands and then left before they got famous - he did this with Mickey Ratt, who later became RATT, with Rough Cutt, and in Dio - each time not staying long enough to contribute to the band'sdebut release. His turn came around however, joining Ozzy Osbourne after the untimely demise of Randy Rhoads. He played on Bark At The Moon, and then on The Ultimate Sin, both of which are some of Ozzy Osbourne's strongest material. He is often overlooked however, due to the iconic status of Randy Rhoads, and the imposing presence of the man who replaced him, Zakk Wylde. He left Ozzy Osbourne's band in 1987, briefly playing in the band Badlands before fading to a relative obscurity.
Micky Moody
So many high profile guitar heroes have done a stint in Whitesnake, including such famous names as John Sykes, Steve Vai, Warren DeMartini and Vivian Campbell, that Michael Joseph "Micky" Moody is often overlooked and not given his due. Micky Moody, however, was the original guitarist, and played on nine of the band's albums - more than half of the band's catalogue! His tenure in the band was for 6 years, making him one of the longest serving guitarists in the band - On this score he is edged out by Adrian Vandenberg, Reb Beach and Doug Aldrich - however he probably takes solace in the fact that these guys devote a significant amount of their time reprising music that he created.
Craig Goldy
Another alumnus of the LA band Rough Cutt, Craig Goldy stayed in the band long enough to contribute to their early material. He followed a similar path to Jake E Lee by moving from that band to play in Dio, this time after the band had had two extremely succesful albums with guitarist Vivian Campbell. He contributed to the albums Dream Evil, Master of the Moon, and Magica - some of the very favourites for die-hard Dio fans. He was the last guitarist in the band, although was replaced on tours by Doug Aldrich for some dates, due to hand injuries.
Ross The Boss
Ross "The Boss" Friedman invented New York Punk, and then went on to play heavy metal in the loudest band in the world. In 1973 he cofounded The Dictators, the New York rock band that invented punk music. This band, along with the New York Dolls, influenced the punk rock bands that came later in the '70s and caused much public controversy, including The Ramones and The Sex Pistols.
By 1978, after three albums, The Dictators had disbanded and Ross The Boss had become a guitarist for hire. In 1980, backstage at a Black Sabbath concert in England, Ross The Boss met Joey DeMaio and together they founded Manowar, who went on to become one of the biggest bands in heavy metal, and still hold the world record for being the loudest band ever.
As a guitarist, Ross The Boss was a master of "tight but loose", playing with conviction and feel, with one foot in the blues and one foot in shred guitar. At the moment he plays in The Dictators as well as in the Ross The Boss Band.
Tracii Guns
The founder of LA Guns, and of Guns N Roses, Tracii Guns never quite became the household name that many of his contemporaries like Slash, Axl and Nikki Sixx did. This is a shame, because he is one of the best songwriters, performers and musicians of that era. A man who effortlessly and seamless combined blues, rockabilly and country with punk, rock, shred and metal, he's one of only very few guitarists who can claim to be both versatile and uniquely idiosyncratic. Tracii guns still plays in LA Guns today, and now uses a Floyd Rose equipped Telecaster-style electric guitar along with Marshall amplifiers.
Dan Hawkins
The "other" guitarist in The Darkness, Dan Hawkins was often overshadowed by his by his older brother Justin Hawkins, the flamboyant singer/electric guitar player/frontman for the band. It's easy to see why Justin got so much of the limelight - his falsetto singing, stage poses, adventurous outfits and outrageous performances onstage, and his hijinks and misadventures offstage were always bound to get the most attention from critics, journalists and fans alike. But the whole time while Justin was running around, pouting, and drinking enough champagne to drown Andorra, Dan Hawkins was there laying down the riffs and the hooks that made the band famous. With a killer tone delivered by the classic pairing of a Gibson Les Paul and a Marshall stack, he was also a key songwriter for the band, and was involved in the production of the albums. He now plays in the band Stone Gods.
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Bonhams auctioneers will conduct the March 9, 2011 sale, which also includes instruments donated by Jeff Beck, J.J. Cale and Joe Bonamassa.
Featured in the auction are instruments and amps by Fender, Gibson, Marshall, Martin and Music Man, among others. Estimates for the amps and guitars range from $300-30,000, Bonhams said.
Highlights include one of Clapton's main stage guitars from 2005, one of a pair he used during the Cream Reunion Shows in London and New York -- a custom built black Fender "Eric Clapton Signature" Stratocaster estimated at $20-30,000.
Also on offer is a pair of Marshall vintage basket weave speaker cabinets, from around 1970, used during the 1970s when Clapton appeared with Derek And The Dominos. The pair is expected to fetch $8-10,000.
The auction is being held in association with Wallace & Hodgson, who worked on the two previous Clapton/ Crossroads guitar auctions in 1999 and 2004.
Despite harrowing, arctic winds that tore through the city streets, fans came out in droves to see the legendary ‘Satch.’ The guitarist is touring behind his newest album, Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards, and last night’s show demonstrated beyond question that the virtuoso, responsible for instructing players as reknown as Steve Vai and Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, is as on top of his game as ever.
From the second Joe hit the stage, the underground Best Buy Theater was turned into a world of screaming guitars and otherworldly effects. Satriani is a master of not only rapid-fire playing, but riding a seemingly endless tone up and down the fretboard, diving with the whammy bar only to soar back up in ear-bursting squeals. Fans closest to the stage stared open-mouthed, simply in awe as they watched his fingers fly almost faster than the eye could follow. Virtually every song was instrumental, but unlike most of his rock contemporaries, Satriani fills every second of music with such original, exciting moments and emotion that there simply isn’t room for vocals even if he wanted.
The musician had great stage presence, never removing his green-tinted sunglasses as he strode about and bobbed his head back and forth, leaning back into the crunch of his backing band’s rhythm. The band, consisting of a drummer, keyboardist, bassist and rhythm guitarist, was tightly locked in with their frontman, blasting through tight beats and stopping on a dime, giving Satriani more than enough audio elbowroom to run wild all over their foundation, sounding as well as looking otherworldy as his guitar effects and arpeggio-filled tapping created a rich sonic tapestry.
The show went on for an impressive two straight hours, including a half dozen tracks from the new record which were received just as well as the classic material. Watch my video of new, ultra-catchy song Premonition on the left side of the page. While guitar noodling can get old after a while, Satriani never faltered, keeping things interesting by demonstrating his absolute mastery of the instrument. He broke out acoustic guitars, a harmonica, and engaged in a duel with his keyboardist, battling back and forth on riffs until the keyboardist was finally unable to match a particularly epic high note bent into an impossibly long, overdriven squeal. Later, Joe played the same game with the crowd, fans doing their best to imitate the guitar licks with their voices, but if one thing was proven last night, it’s that no one or instrument can truly match what Satriani does best.
Charmingly polite in his short stage banter between songs, Joe finally took the microphone to sing on the bluesy Big Bad Moon, letting loose with a smooth singing voice that really deserves to be heard more often. Fans, who were sitting for most of the show, finally rose to their feet, and crowded right up to the stage, hands outstretched as Satriani effortlessly blazed his way across every inch of fretboard. He then encored with fan favorites Crowd Chant and Summer Song, his lightening guitar magic as impressive as it was in the beginning of the concert.
Joe Satriani might not have radio hits or rabid fanclubs like other hard rock artists, but make no mistake: This is one of rock’s greatest players, and one of rock’s greatest writers as well. Words can’t truly relate the magic of witnessing Mr. Satriani in person, and fortunately he seems set to continue writing and touring for a long time to come, both solo as well as his roles in supergroup Chickenfoot and the vaunted G3 tours. But in the meantime, fans can check out plenty of video on Youtube, buy his latest record, and be sure that next time Joe comes to town, they are in the crowd and ready to surf with the alien.
Blues in the School is a program in which the GCBS teaches the history of America's indigenous music. It covers the origin and the effect that this music and its creators have had on all popular music since.
The program has brought several artists in for concerts and interactive teaching. Every learning facility in Grand County has been visited multiple times.
All of this has been accomplished without any school funds. The program has continued with grants from The Grand Foundation, the Grand County commissioners, The Lion's Club, The Winter Park-Fraser Valley Chamber of Commerce and private donations from the GCBS and its members.
Maria Chavez has been director of this program from its inception. Dan Treanor, long-time blues educator, Civil War expert and blues artist has been the face of Blues in the School for the GCBS.
The program also created the popular and award-winning "Check out the Music." This program has placed more than 40 instruments in the local libraries for card-holders to check out, including guitars, keyboards, amps and DVDs.
Awarded the 2007 "Library Partner of the Year" for the state of Colorado, this program is more than 6 years old and going as strong as ever.
Besides "Check out the Music" and going into the schools teaching music, the program also created Blue Star Connection, a program that gets music into the lives of children enduring cancer treatment along with other challenging situations. This program is now nationwide with over 80 kids in 26 states, as well as outfitting nine Children's Hospitals with various instruments.
So far Blue Star has been to Dallas, Denver, Pittsburg, Kansas City, Nashville, Cincinatti, Oakland and Oklahoma City.
The week-long event will include the final touches on 20 cigar box guitars that will be sold to highest bidders. That will enable the grant to be replenished and used for the program.
The week will end with Mike Zito and Samantha Fish at Smokin' Moe's on Dec. 15. Mike recorded a live CD at Moe's during last year's festival and he is releasing it on this night. He plans to donate $5 of every CD sold to Blues in the School.
The GCBS is a 501c3 non profit and depends on the support of the entire county to continue its work with the local youth. You can find out about them at www.grandblues.org/ and at www.bluestarconnection.org/.
One rainy Seattle afternoon, Jeff and I chatted about technique, gear, and all things guitar for a BOSS Tone Radio podcast. To listen to the complete conversation and clips of his music, visit www.BossUS.com/podcasts.
