GuitarVibe.com

Steve Vai at National Guitar Workshop

Guitar god Steve Vai, who seems to regularly make the cover of Guitar World a couple of times a year, will be appearing later this summer at the National Guitar Workshop (NGW) in Purchase, NY to lead a couple of workshops on prog rock guitar, bass and drums July 19-24.  This is a rare opportunity to learn from one of the innovators of modern rock.  NGW has truly outdone themselves pulling in top notch artists this year.

You can also check out Vai's classic album "Flex-Able" now hitting it's 25th anniversary.    

The National Guitar Workshop summer program starts June 27 in McLean Virginia with additional sessions in Los Angeles California, Chicago Illinois, Austin Texas and at the main campus in Purchase New York, where Steve Vai will be appearing July 19-24 along with James Hogan and other instructors.

• Steve Vai: Official Site, Tour, Wikipedia, MySpace, Flex-Able
• NGW: Main site, Community, Faculty, Guest Artists, Curriculum
• GuitarVibe: Rock Guitar Camp, Interview w/Angus Clark, James Hogan

Tickmaster Subpoenaed in Scalping Probe

Ticketmaster and its online reselling company TicketsNow have been subpoenaed by the US Department of Justice as well as the Canadian Competition Bureau.  The probe is part of a larger concern in a proposed merger between Ticketmaster which handles artist management and ticket sales and Live Nation, the largest concert promoter in the US. 

Wall Street Journal reporter Ethan Smith broke a story in March showing how Ticketmaster works with artists, such as Neal Diamond, to set aside front row tickets to be sold at scalper prices with the extra profits split between Ticketmaster and the artist.   According to the article:

Ticketmaster facilitates the secondary ticket market and profits from it. According to several managers of top artists and Ticketmaster executives, the company routinely offers to list hundreds of the best tickets per concert on one of its two resale Web sites -- and divides the extra revenue, which can amount to more than $2 million on a major tour, with artists and promoters.

Tickets for a March 27 Britney Spears concert at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh were priced earlier this week at $39.50 to $125 apiece on Ticketmaster.com. But some of those same classes of seats were being offered at the same time through the "TicketExchange Marketplace" for as much as $1,188.60. The link to the Marketplace page was marked, "Browse premium seats plus tickets posted by fans."

Critics have long accused Ticketmaster of monopolistic practices and high fees, a situation that will only worsen if it merges with Live Nation.  Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff claims "the business model is broken."  But the question remains: how does a merger fix it?

• WSJ: Tickets Set Aside, Marked Up, Can He Save Rock & Roll? 
• Tribune: Lawers, Promoters Slam Merger, Merger Will Cost You
• Globe & Mail: Ticketmaster Subpoenaed Over Reselling
• NY Times: Springsteen: This Merger Isn't Born to Run
• PCMag: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Defend Merger

Beatles Rock Band - Too Little too Late?

While the folks over at MTV have recently announced the launch date of their newest Rock Band edition featuring The Beatles, some folks are already griping that this may be too little too late. Rumors about the game surfaced last October and it looks like the game won't be available until September 9, 2009.  While that's a long time from now, it's still in advance of the holiday buying season.  

Personally, I'm not sure that The Beatles music will really be a good fit for this type of interactive medium.  The Beatles were a huge impact on modern pop rock music, but I'm not sure how much appeal the beatles have to the traditional 12-25 year old gaming set.  Even Seargent Peppers is long past the "20 years ago today" date. 

Still there are enough longtime Beatle fans that may want to pick it up to introduce the music to their, ah, grandkids.  Lets see what the setlist includes.  Personally, I'd be happy to with songs like: Revolution, Paperback Writer, Back in the USSR and anything from Abbey Road.

But if rhythm video games like Guitar Hero and Rockband are going to stay relevent they're going to need to get a bit more hip to music.  Packages featuring Aerosmith, AC/DC and Metallica are a good start, but where's the Who at King Dome, Kiss at the Colliseum?  Where is the U2 of our generation? 

• Rolling Stone: Beatles Version of Rock Band: Unprecedented Gameplay
• MTV.com: Which Beatles Songs Do You Want to Play?

• CNet: Is the Beatles Rock Band Game Too Late?

FretBase Community for Guitar Players

FretBase is a new site that is rapidly becoming a nice resource for guitar players.  The idea is to make it a destination with information about guitars, guitar players and songs.  Many people are contributing information to the site and there's also an excellent blog by the founders Brian and Dave that includes many reviews and news articles.

Here's a few that I found interesting:

• Joe Satriani sues Coldplay
• Review of Vox amPlug AC30 headphone amp
• Gibson Darkfire video walkthrough
• Led Zep videos on YouTube

This could become a great resource and is worth checking out and contributing to.  All they need now is a cool logo! 

• FretBase: Blog, Guitars, Guitar Players, Songs

A Gem of a Site for Ibanez

For fans of Ibanez / JEM guitars, JemSite is nice little site with everything you need to know about these unique guitars favored by Steve Vai and others.  As Steve Vai noted in an interview from Guitar Player magazine quoted in the article "Origins of the JEM"

"The JEM guitars - I don't know what I did without them all these years [laughs]. The guitars that I use are exactly like the ones right off the shelf. That was the concept behind doing the deal with Ibanez. I wanted a guitar that was suited to me, that had all my little ideas and idiosyncrasies, such as having 24-frets and having it dug out so the Floyd Rose is recessed into the body. I wanted to be able to pull up on the bar, and not have it go out of tune when you rest your wrist on the tremolo. I wanted to have the volume pots in a certain place and be able to reach high up with the cutaway." (GP - 5/88)

There are articles, forums and a well-written community blog.  Even if you're not a hardcore Ibanez player, there are articles that will be of general interest.  Here are a few items I found interesting:

• Origins of the JEM
• In search of the perfect guitar
• Where do I find a teacher
• I also love my wife

If you're interested in Ibanez/JEM guitars, be sure to check it out.

• Jemsite: Articles, Forums, Specs, FAQ, Community blog,

Times Says Guitar Games Lead to Hard Stuff

 

The London Times released the results of a study last month indicating that kids who play music video games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band may take up the hard stuff --namely real musical instruments.

"We have long known that young people are encouraged to take an interest in music if it is presented to them in a compelling way," said Andrew Missingham, the music industry expert who wrote the report. "This research for the first time shows conclusively that young people are being inspired to make their own music by games that first piqued their interest."

The results aren't any surprise to anyone who has observed kids playing these games.  I've seen my nephew go from Guitar Hero to Rock Band and now he's playing a full-size Strat.  While he was always interested rock music, it wasn't until he started playing the games that he developed an interest in playing music.  While these games are no substitute for real musical instruments, they do help develop basic hand-eye coordination and rhythm --both in kids and in adults. 

So go ahead, break out the Rock Band game with the kids.  Not only is it fun, but it might just develop their interest in playing music.  Lets see where this leads to in a few years.  We might just see a classic rock revival.

• Times Online: Guitar Hero Leads Children to Pick Up Real Instruments

• Amazon: Guitar Hero World Tour, Rock Band 2

Free Dr Pepper for Guns n' Roses Fans Sunday

 

After 17 years of missed deadlines and more than 13 million dollars, Axl Rose is finally releasing the new Guns N' Roses CD "Chinese Democracy" Sunday November 23.   And to help celebrate this occasion, Dr Pepper has promised everyone in the US a free soda.  Everyone except Slash and Buckethead, that is.  And also Brian May, since his solos were re-recorded.  And also anyone who doesn't log in to the DrPepper.com site on Sunday to get the coupon.  

Way back in March when Dr Pepper announced they would give a free soda to everyone if the CD shipped in 2008 it probably seemed pretty unlikely.  After all, Chinese Democracy production and re-recording could have gone on another 17 years.  (The New York Times has a great timeline diagram.)  But maybe this was just the incentive Axl needed in order to get things finished.  The album will be available exclusively at Best Buy for $11.99, which is a pretty good deal.

The New York Times calls "Chinese Democracy" a "the Titanic of rock albums" saying it's "a shipwreck, capsized by pretensions and top-heavy production."  Not exactly a ringing endorsement.  The few tracks I've heard are pretty decent and the title track is better than anything fromVelvet Revolver.  Heck, they didn't give any free sodas!   What do you think?  Worth the wait?  Or worthless?  Let me know in the comments...

• Reviews: Times Online,  Rolling Stone, EW, NY Times
• Guns N Roses: Official Site, MySpace, WikiPedia

Hey, Bo Diddley, RIP

Bo Diddley, the only guitar player to have have a beat named after him, passed away at the ripe old age of 79.  Bo Diddley pionneered the driving hambone rhythm that defined classic rock and roll in songs such as "Mona," "Hey Bo Diddley" and "Who Do You Love?"   The Bo Diddley beat, as it became known, was an influence on rock artists as diverse as Buddy Holly, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Grateful Dead, U2, Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, and The Clash, with whom Diddley toured in 1979.  And lets face it, even if you can't play 3 chords, you can play the Bo Diddley beat and still sound good.

Diddley was famous for his self-referential songs, humorous lyrics and his trademark Gretsch box-shaped guitars.  He recorded more than 30 albums of material from 1958 to 2002 and continued touring through May of 2007 when he suffered a stroke.  He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and later into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and the Blues Hall of Fame.  Diddley was recognized by Rolling Stone magazine as #20 in the list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. 

Diddley was recognized along with Chuck Berry and Little Richard as a key innovator in developing early rock and roll, though he was sometimes embittered by his lack of financial success.  He won a lawsuit against his manager in 1994 for $400,000 in back payments and later sued Nike for unauthorized use of his likeness in a their "You Don't Know Diddley" campaign that ran from 1989-1991.  I don't know whether Diddley made any money from Nike, but he deserved better than he got.

So tell me, who do you love?  Bo Diddley.

• Bo Diddley: The Originator, Wikipedia 
• Obituary: Irish Times, Bloomberg, NPR, NY Times, Reuters
• Rolling Stone: The Industrectable Beat of Bo Diddley

Sound Opinions Podcast

I've recently discovered the best radio show on rock music: Chicago Public Radio's Sound Opinions.  In fact, it's the only talk radio show devoted to rock and roll.  The show ran for seven years on Chicago's WXRT and is now in it's fifth year on public radio.  The show is broadcast weekly with hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot, Chicago area rock writers and self-confessed music geeks. 

Each week they cover topics ranging from music industry news, recent album reviews, live interviews and in-studio gigs.  Guests have included the likes of Arcade Fire, the New Pornographers, Wilco, Andy Summers, Spoon, Buddy Guy, Radiohead and more.   It's engaging, fun, expansive and absolutely rocks!  Not only do you get to hear about what's new in the music scene, you get to hear the music itself.  I've discovered countless new bands by listening to the show including the Redwalls, Tecuba Cafe, The Decembrists and more.  This show is now a mainstay of my morning commute.  I don't even remember the last time I put on local radio. 

If you can't find the show in your local radio wasteland, don't worry you can get the Podcast from their site and from iTunes.   

• Sound Opionions: Main Site, Station List, Archive

Radiohead: Name Your Price

Radiohead's latest album "In Rainbows" is available online for... whatever price you want to pay.  That's right, you can download the album and decide yourself whether it's worth £1 or £100.  For Radiohead fans, my guess is that many will plunk down the typical cost of a CD.  For newcomers, maybe much less.  Poll surveys indicate that the average sale price is just under £4, or around $8 USD, though some sources say the actual results are much less and possibly less than the band would make from a standard CD publishing deal.  Still, first day sales were over 1.2 million units. 

It's an interesting experiment, but it's not about altruism; Radiohead is not abandoning the rights to their music or becoming a charity.  But still, it's nice to see a major band cut out the middleman and thumb their nose at the traditional music labels. 

Note that you can also order a deluxe box-set version ($80) which will be available in December and it's likely a regular CD version will be available in 2008.

• Radiohead: DeadAirSpace, Store
• Guardian: Radiohead's Rainbow Could Signal Danger for Record Giants

Led Zeppelin & The King of Sweden

You wouldn't normally think of classic rockers Led Zeppelin hanging out with royalty, but the band recently won Sweden's famous Polar Music prize, the equivalent of the Nobel prize for music.  The award is made by the Royal Swedish Academy of Music and represents the first time that a rock band has won.  Other winners have included russian composer Valery Gergiev, BB King, Keith Jarrett, Robert Moog, Bob Dylan, Dizzy Gillespie and Paul McCartney.   

My buddy Hans was on hand in Stockholm to see the ceremony and snap some photos.  Robert Plant received the award on behalf of the band from the king of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf.  Plant recalled how the band had recorded their last studio album, In Through the Out Door, at Polar Studios in Stockholm in 1979.  Here's a picture of Hans's son Thomas with Robert Plant and Hans with Jimmy Page.  I'm so jealous.

 

• Polar Music: Home, Photos
• BBC News: Award for 'pioneers' Led Zeppelin
• Stockholm City: Kungen Prisade Led Zeppelin (Swedish)
• Amazon: In Through the Out Door, Led Zep DVD, The Song Remains the Same
• Led Zeppelin: Official Site, News

VH1 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

VH1 will be showing the 21st annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame awards show Tuesday March 21 at 9:00 pm / 8:00 pm central.  This year's Hall of Fame inductees include:

• Blondie
• Black Sabath
• The Sex Pistols
• Miles Davis
• Lynyrd Skynyrd

Live performances include Blondie, Herbie Hancock, Metallica, Robbie Robertson & Elvis Costello who seems to show up at every awards show these days.  (Not that I'm complaining, I'm a big fan.)

This was a vindication not only for the Sex Pistols, but also for Lynyrd Skynrd and Black Sabath who have been ignored for years by the middle-of-the-road hall of fame voters.

Unfortunately, after years of slamming the Hall of Fame, the Sex Pistols refused to pay the $2000 per plate fees to attend the awards dinner.  John Lydon posted a scathing critique of the Hall of Fame on the web site The Filth and the Fury.   

While I can understand their reason for not attending, it is still a huge loss for Pistols fans to see them live.  I hope that they will pick up the mantle once more for a a few shows commemorating 30 years of primal rock and roll, but based on an interview on Pistols guitar player Steve Jone's Indie 103 radio show Jonesy's Jukebox, things don't look good. 

• VH1: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2006
• VH1: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame photos
• Village Voice: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
• NewsDay: Sex Pistols Don't Show
• Filth & the Fury: Message to Hall of Fame
• Jonesy's Jukebox: Transcript w/ John Lydon