The Guitar Channel

Steve Lukather interview at GuitarEuroShop

GuitarEuroShop has an interview up with Steve Lukather. (Well spotted Laurie!)

Amazing Michael Landau footage from 4/20/07 show

This is a compilation of great footage from Michael Landau's 4/20/07 show at the Spirit of 66 in Verviers Belgium. Great stuff.

Bassist Tony Grey to release new album on Abstract Logix Records

Bassist Tony Grey will release his new album Chasing Shadows on Abstract Logix's recording label. Joining Grey on this release are guitarists Tim Miller, Lionel Louke, and John Shannon. A Berklee College of Music grad, Grey played on John McLaughlin's Industrial Zen album (2006), and is the the bassist for Japanese keyboardist Hiromi. Chasing Shadows is scheduled for an April 2008 release.

Great article on the Return to Forever reunion tour

The Los Angeles Times' Calenderlive.com site has a great article up regarding the upcoming Return to Forever reunion tour. The piece, written by Don Heckman, has details from one of the band's tour rehearsals and photo sessions. More details on the tour will be announced on March 3rd. For the uninitiated - Return to Forever  (featuring Chick Corea - keys, Stanley Clarke - bass, Lenny White - drums, and Al DiMeola - guitar) was one of the most influential jazz-rock bands of the 1970s. This lineup, which has not played together in some 25 years, will be touring the US and Europe this year.

Return to Forever joins the here and now

Steve Lukather - "Ever Changing Times" music video

Here's the official music video for Steve Lukather's new single "Ever Changing Times."

Japanese tour dates for Jeff Kollman's new band

Saw this on Truth in Shredding: Cosmosquad guitarist Jeff Kollman's new instrumental band,  THE BOMBASTIC MEATBATS, with Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS) on drums, Ed Roth on keyboards, and bassist Kevin Chown, will be playing the Baked Potato on Saturday, March 1st (showtimes: 9pm and 11pm).

In addition, the MEATBATS will be heading to
Japan for a club tour in late April; dates listed below. The
group`s upcoming 11-song debut CD is finished and mastered.  Recorded  live in the studio.

** APR 21(Mon) Sendai / enn
Door Open 19:00 / Show Time 19:30
022-212-2678  http://www3.ocn.ne.jp/~enn/

** APR 22(Tue) Tokyo / STB139
Door Open 18:30 / Show Time 19:30
03-5474-1395  http://stb139.co.jp/

** APR 24(Thu) Nagoya / Bottom Line
Door Open 18:30 / Show Time 19:30
052-741-1620  http://www.bottomline.co.jp/

** APR 25(Fri) Osaka / BIGCAT
Door Open 18:30 / Show Time 19:30
06-6258-5008  http://www.arm-live.com/bigcat/

** APR 26(Sat) Okayama / CRAZYMAMA KINGDOM
Door Open 18:00 / Show Time 19:00
YUMEBANCHI 086-231-3531 http://www.yumebanchi.jp/

** APR 27(Sun) Fukuoka / Gate's 7
Door Open 17:00 / Show Time 18:00
092-283-0577  http://www.gates7.com/

Scott Henderson Spring European tour dates

Scott Henderson will be touring Europe this spring with John Humphrey on bass, and Alan Hertz on drums. Confirmed dates and locations are below.

5/6/08     Stazione Birra     Roma, IT
5/7/08     Blue Note     Milano, IT
5/8/08     Blue Note     Milano, IT
5/9/08     Treibhaus     Innsbruck, AT
5/10/08     Moods     Zürich, CH
5/11/08     MeM Live     Vicenza, IT
5/13/08     A 38     Budapest, HU
5/14/08     The Note     Timisoara, RO
5/15/08     Reigen     Wien, AT
5/16/08     Tante Ju     Dresden, DE
5/17/08     Quasimodo     Berlin, DE
5/19/08     Kulturfabrik     Esch Sur Alzette, LUX
5/20/08     Musiktheater Rex     Lorsch, DE
5/21/08     Melkweg     Amsterdam, NL
5/22/08     Nattjazz Festival     Bergen, NOR
5/23/08     De Oosterpoort     Groningen, NL
5/24/08     De Boerderij     Den Haag, NL

Garsed & Helmerich's "Under The Lash of Gravity" now available for download!

Great news! Brett Garsed and T.J. Helmerich's long out-of-print album Under The Lash of Gravity is now available for download through Amazon.com. You can download individual tracks for .99 cents each, or the whole album for $8.99. The tracks are encoded as 256kbps MP3's.

Garsed & Helmerich - Under The Lash of Gravity

Review: Allan Holdsworth - Live at The Baked Potato 1/18/08

Guitar legend Allan Holdsworth is in a class by himself. Not just as a guitarist, but as a composer and improviser as well. His unique brand of instrumental jazz-fusion is highlighted by his one-of-a-kind chord voicings, his otherworldly legato technique, and an improvising vocabulary that is wholly his own. Though he's never attained as much mainstream attention as, say, John McLaughlin, many "in the know" musicians consider Holdsworth to be, pound-for-pound, the best guitar player in the world today.

I had seen Holdsworth live a couple of times in the past, but seeing his gig at the small Baked Potato jazz club in Studio City California on 1/18/08 provided a completely new experience for me. Joined by long-time band mates Jimmy Johnson on bass, and Chad Wackerman on drums, Holdsworth seemed more relaxed and jovial than the previous times I've seen him play. Perhaps this was due to the small size of the room, or the fact it was the second show of the night. Whatever the reason, the notoriously self-deprecating Holdsworth was in great spirits for this performance.

For this gig, Holdsworth used his main Bill DeLap headless guitar through some Hughes & Kettner amps. He had two KORG volume pedals on the floor, but he did most of his effects switching by hand, as his main effects board was sitting near the club's mixing console right next to him about waist high. The Baked Potato is so small, you could hear the click clear across the room when Holdsworth would reach over and push the switch on one of his pedals.

All three musicians played magnificently throughout the entire set, but the fun these guys were having struck me almost as much as the music did. For example - at one point in the show, after Johnson took an emotional solo with his head swaying back and forth, Holdsworth playfully mocked him by putting on his best "over the top" guitar solo face. He then made the crowd crack up by starting his solo with a blues bend (!). It's the most basic guitar solo move in the world, but Holdsworth never does it, which is why it was so funny.

The set featured several "oldies but goodies" including "Fred" from the Tony Williams New Lifetime Believe It album (one of Holdsworth's best recordings for the '70s). I've always loved the contrast of slow-moving chords over a quick groove in this song. Not surprisingly, Holdsworth 's solo on this tune was unreal.

Another memorable song was the Metal Fatigue classic "Devil Take The Hindmost." In the middle of the guitar solo, Johnson dropped out completely and Holdsworth unleashed an atonal "sheets of sound" barrage, with Wackerman wailing away underneath. After maybe 45 seconds of this onslaught, Johnson and Wackerman relaunched the solo section's G minor groove, and Holdsworth fell right back in step with them. It was a great moment that induced a triumphant cheer from the crowd. Johnson and Wackerman really stood out on this tune, as well as their showcase piece "Water On The Brain."

After their "final" song, Holdsworth and Wackerman stood by the bar, and Johnson returned to his seat (which happened to be right behind me). After a couple of minutes, they took the stage once more for the real final song - "Red Alert" (another staple from the Believe It album). This is a perfect encore tune for this group. It's a fun, heavy riff that most Holdsworth fans are familiar with, and it gives the guitar icon a chance to really blow. This is not a song Holdsworth was playing live until the recent Tony Williams tribute shows with keyboardist Alan Pasqua (Pasqua also played on the Believe It album). Those shows must have rekindled Holdsworth's interest in the tune, as Holdsworth's band closes with "Red Alert" quite often now. The song works well for the trio format too; I loved the way Johnson emulated the keyboard parts from the original recording.

I've concluded a small, intimate club such as The Baked Potato is the ideal venue to see a Holdsworth show. Seeing his incredible solos up close and personal was really something. Holdsworth will be touring the east coast and Europe this spring with Wackerman and Johnson. Check them out if you can.

Rich

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Steve Lukather interview at All Out Guitar

All Out Guitar has a great interview up with Steve Lukather.

All Out Guitar interview: Steve Lukather

Brett Garsed posts new live tracks on MySpace

One of the best shows I attended when I was in the L.A. area for the NAMM show was Brett Garsed & Dirty Martini (Ric Fierabracci - bass, Joel Taylor - drums) at Alva's on January 19th. I know this show was recorded, and I've been hoping some live tracks from this great gig would eventually emerge. Lo and behold, Garsed has posted a live version of his song "Undoing" from the Alva's show on his MySpace page. Also, Garsed posted a second live track, simply called "SlideSoloDirtyMartiniTrio," which is actually from the band's awesome cover of John Scofield's "Sticks And Stones" from the same Alva's show. FYI - the photo Garsed has in the MySpace music player for these tracks was taken by yours truly.

Jeff Kollman - "5 for Eddie" video

Thanks to Laurie from Truth In Shredding for spotting this one. It's Jeff Kollman at the Baked Potato with Virgil Donati on drums and J.K. Kleutgens on bass, and "Hanz" on keys playing "5 for Eddie."

Eric Johnson concert to be broadcast on HDNet

HDNet will be showing an Eric Johnson performance from The Grove in Anaheim, CA as part of it's HDNet Concert Series. Eric Johnson - Live at the Grove premieres Sunday, February 24th at 9:30 PM ET.

Ed DeGenaro posts new song on MySpace

Ed DeGenaro has posted a demo for new song called "Monkey Bowls Utility" on his MySpace page. This song features Dave Weckl on drums, and Ric Fierabracci on bass.

via Truth In Shredding

Prashant Aswani - NAMM show video

Prashant Aswani has uploaded several MySpace videos from his 2008 NAMM show performances at the ESP booth. In this clip, Aswani is playing one the new Xtone series ESPs. This track is called "Entangled."

Allan Holdsworth tour dates

Here is a list of upcoming Allan Holdsworth European and US tour dates. This is the latest info I've been able to gather, but more dates may be added. All of these shows will feature Chad Wackerman on drums. Jimmy Johnson will play bass for the European dates, while Ernest Tibbs will play bass for the US shows. Check Holdsworth's site for an updated list of shows.

European Dates

4/5/08   
Objekt5
Halle, Germany

4/7/08 
Treibhaus
Innsbruck, Austria

4/12/08
Das Haus
Ludwigshafen, Germany

4/14/08 
Fabrik
Hamburg, Germany

4/15/08   
P60
Amstelveen, Holland

US Dates

5/1/08 through 5/4/08
Iridium Jazz Club
New York, NY

5/7/08
Birchmere
Alexandria, VA

5/9/08
Rex Theatre
Pittsburgh, PA

5/12/08
Music Hall Center
Detroit, MI

5/16/08
Tralf
Buffalo, NY

John McLaughlin interview this Friday on BBC Radio 3

This Friday (Feb 8th), BBC Radio 3 will air an interview with John McLaughlin on the Jazz On 3 show. The interview will then be available to listen to through the BBC Radio 3 website for 7 days.

via John McLaughlin News

Steve Lukather interview at MelodicRock.com

MelodicRock.com has an great interview up with Steve Lukather. Luke discusses his new album Ever Changing Times, Toto, and much more.

MelodicRock interview: Steve Lukather

Review: The Jazz Ministry - Live at The Baked Potato 1/17/08

My review of the 1/17/08 Jazz Ministry show at The Baked Potato (featuring Michael Landau on guitar) has been posted at Modern Guitars Magazine.

Concert Review: The Jazz Ministry at The Baked Potato - 1/7/08  (first show)

UPDATE 2/18/08: I've republished my review below.

One of my favorite parts of attending the NAMM show this year was getting to see some amazing live shows around the Los Angeles area. When I learned The Jazz Ministry would be have a gig at The Baked Potato on January 17th, I knew no matter what else was going on that night, I would need to catch one of their sets. The Jazz Ministry is keyboardist/producer/music industry veteran Greg Mathieson's band, with Abe Laboriel Sr. on bass, the bassist's son Abe Laboriel Jr. on drums, and Michael Landau on guitar. This band has played The Baked Potato many times, and even used the venue to record the excellent live album Another Night At The Baked Potato in 2005. I saw the band's first set, and to say I was blown away would be an understatement, and a cliche. Seeing Landau at the Baked Potato is something I've always wanted to do, but I had no idea what I was in for. Without question, this was the tightest, most "in the moment" band I have ever seen.

Before I talk about the show itself, you need to know something about the Baked Potato if you've never been - it's tiny. How tiny? Postage stamp tiny. The place was jam-packed for The Jazz Ministry, and there were probably 100-120 people there tops, many of whom had to stand by the bar. Plus, with the playbills and posters plastered everywhere, and the blue Christmas lights strung near the ceiling, you get the feeling you're sitting in someone's basement. But this is all part of it's charm; the fact that you are seeing such top level players in a little place like this makes it all seem more special somehow. I saw 3 shows at the Potato during NAMM week, and each time it felt like I had snuck into a secret club where you get to see amazing jazz players up close and personal.

To give you a better idea of my experience at this gig, you'll need to know how close I was to the action. In The Baked Potato, the mixing board sits on the left side of the stage, facing the band. This is the side of the stage Landau was on (he would often make small tweaks to the mix while the band was playing). I was sitting directly behind the board in the aisle seat. Landau was so close to me, I could have reached out and touched him. I could even hear his pickup switch click when he would hit it during a solo. He was also turned to the right most of the time, so I could see everything he was doing. Before the show, he placed his jacket on the floor right at my feet; I think I stepped on it once or twice (sorry Mike!) By the way, I took a few pictures before the band started, but the club said no pictures while they were playing. Had I not been sitting in such a high-profile seat I would have snuck in a few live shots without the flash, but I wanted to be cool about it.

For this gig, Landau had his '63 Gibson SG and a custom sunburst Fender Strat with a black Suhr humbucker in the bridge. He went with the strat for most of the set, but both guitars sounded awesome. Not much was used in the way of effects; his pedal board included 2 Roger Mayer boxes (a Voodoo-1 and a Voodoo-Vibe), a Maxton pedal (distortion I believe), an Arion Chorus pedal, a Real McCoy Wah Wah, a BOSS volume pedal, and a BOSS tuner. He also had a Lexicon MPX-1 Processor sitting atop his Suhr ML-100 amp head.

It was almost funny to see how little room the players had to move around when they started the set. The Baked Potato stage would be less than spacious for any band, but it was really cramped for these guys. Most of the right side of the stage was taken up by Mathieson's massive B3 (which had a Kurzwiel sitting on top). With Landau on the left, Laboriel Sr. had to stand right in front of his son's drum kit.

The band played what are by now Jazz Ministry "standards." These are keyboard-driven jazz tunes written by Mathieson that give the band a chance to really groove and stretch out. They opened with the mid-tempo tune "The Sauce," and immediately the band was locked in. Landau peeled off a great solo that had everyone howling. By the end of that first tune I was downright giddy. Here I am, a mid-western guitar-geek, enjoying a Sam Adams in the legendary Baked Potato while I watch Michael Landau play not 4 feet from me. Yeah. Things could be worse.

One of the amazing things about this band is their ability to improvise as a group. Case in point; in the song "Goyo," the band went into a shuffle rhythm for Landau's solo, as opposed to the standard, driving groove they usually do. In another instance, Mathieson got quite jazzy leading up to Landau's solo. As a response to this, Landau started his solo with some out-of-character straight-ahead lines, much to the delight of Laboriel Sr. That kind of thing happened all night. Each player had the ability to take any other player's idea and roll with it. Note; I overheard the Baked Potato owner tell someone this band never rehearses. They know the material inside and out, they know each other, they know the room; they can show up and groove at the drop of a hat.

The songs were no less than 12 minutes each, and Landau had incredible, dynamic solos in all of them. Plucked double-stops, insane pentatonics, cool jazz lines - his versatility was on display in each tune. Even though Landau was right in my face the whole time, the other players made huge impressions on me also. Laboriel Jr. was like the Tasmanian devil back there behind his kit. He seemed unconscious at times, playing insane fills and solos with his eyes closed. At one point, I saw him do a cymbal fill with his bare finger to get a lighter effect.

I enjoyed Mathieson's playing as well. He's a true pro who knows how to groove. And I've never seen a player more emotionally attached to their playing, and their band's playing, then bassist Abe Laboriel Sr. At least two of his incredible solos ended with him jumping up and down on the stage as he slapped the tar out of his bass. He was emotional, intense, and very fun to watch. As an aside, I thought it was neat that Mathieson introduced both father and son as "Abe Laboriel." He never used the word "junior" when referring to his drummer.

One thing I need to mention - At one point, in between songs, Laboriel Sr. said a tearful prayer. He prayed that we could all take the love we were feeling as a result of the music, and spread it to others throughout our troubled world. It lasted a couple of minutes, and it's emotion and sincerity was aided by the small size of the room. It really felt like he was leading us in prayer, not just standing up there talking. At the end of the prayer, Laboriel had a personal moment with each of his band mates to tell them he loved them. That's the kind of night it was; it was more that just a great gig, it felt like a special gathering.

After the final song, the uptempo "QT Pie" (co-written by Laboriel Sr.) I reached over the board, shook Landau's hand and thanked him for a great set. The musicianship, emotion, and professionalism The Jazz Ministry displayed that night was of a higher caliber than any other band I have ever seen. They don't play together very often, but if you get a chance to see them, you simply need to do so.

Rich

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New sample from upcoming OHM album posted on MySpace

Guitarist Chris Poland's fusion band OHM has posted another sample from their upcoming Circus of Sound album on MySpace. The new track features Joel Taylor on drums, and is listed as "new CD sample 2008" on their MySpace music player.