The Guitar Channel

Winter NAMM 2012: Day Two

Things seriously picked up on day two of the 2012 Winter NAMM show. More attendees, more celebs, more everything it seemed. Tons of great players made appeances, including Guthrie Govan, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, and others. On the gear front, I saw lots of interesting stuff, but was particularly taken with the boutique stomp box company Jam Pedals. Based out of Athens Greece, all of their pedals are analog, hand made and hand painted, with some of the most unique designs I've ever seen - no two pedals look exactly alike. And they sound great too; from the demos I heard, the Delay Llama really stood out, as did the Rattler distortion box. Very cool stuff.

New for 2012, the Ibanez AM73B was my favorite guitar of the day. It plays like a dream, and the flat red and tobacco finishes both look great. Plus, this thing is a steal at only $523 retail. Looks like a really cool choice for a not-quite-straight-ahead jazz guitar.

After a long day at the show, I headed to Alva's in San Pedro to see OHM and Polcat. Both sets were fantastic; look for a separate post with pics later. On to day three!

More pics from NAMM 2012 Day Two:

The Aristocrats - Updated 2012 Tour Dates

Here is an updated list of 2012 tour dates for The Aristocrats (Guthrie Govan - guitar, Bryan Beller - bass, Marco Minnemann - drums). See the band's official website for more info.

01/21/12     San Pedro, CA USA   Alva's Showroom    
01/22/12     San Pedro, CA USA   Alvas Showroom
01/24/12    Hollywood, CA  Musician's Institute (for students and faculty only)
01/27/12    San Francisco, CA  Biscuits & Blues
01/28/12    Seattle, WA    The Rendezvous
01/29/12    Seattle, WA    The Rendezvous
02/25/12    San Jose, Costa Rica  Pepper
03/02/12    San Diego, CA    Brick By Brick
03/04/12    Hollywood, CA    The Roxy  (WesFest 7)
03/07/12     London, UK     The Peel    
03/08/12     Bilston UK    The Robin 2    
03/09/12     Manchester UK    Night and Day
03/10/12     Newcastle UK    The Cluny
03/11/12     Edinburgh UK    The Voodoo Rooms
03/13/12     Zoetermeer NL    Boerderij 
03/17/12     Madrid, Spain   Sam Ramdall
03/19/12    Barcelona, Spain   Sala Bikini
03/20/12    Bilbao, Spain   Sala BBK
03/22/12    Istanbul, Turkey  Old City / Indigo Pub
03/23/12    Tel-Aviv, Israel  Reading 3

 

Favorite Releases of 2011

While pondering my favorite music releases of 2011, I was struck by two things; the abundance of originality and depth in the "my cup of tea" genre, and Geez Louise were there a lot of live albums this year. There were also some great DVDs, which is why I'm referring to this as a favorite "releases" list instead of an "album" list as I have in the past. So here they are - my favorite releases of 2011 in no particular order:

 

Abstract Logix Live! - The New Universe Music Festival 2010 (CD / DVD) [CD Review]

Amazing live CD and DVD releases chronicling the 2010 New Universe Music Festival. Includes great performances by John McLaughlin, Wayne Krantz, Alex Machacek, Jimmy Herring, and others. I was honored to help contribute to the DVD by conducting the backstage interviews which appear on disc 2.

Brett Garsed - Dark Matter [Review]

Fantastic writing and playing. Shows a stronger prog influence than Garsed’s earlier work. Bassist Ric Fierabracci make a big impact here as well.

Chris Taylor - Nocturnal [Review / Interview]

Taylor’s remarkable debut seamlessly blends modern jazz and electronica influences in one of the year’s most original and engaging releases. The all-star line up includes Ric Fierabracci, Steve Tavaglione, Dave Weckl, and other heavyweights.

Oz Noy - Twisted Blues Volume 1

Noy’s latest showcases his quirky originality and tones in a context that’s more bluesy than his previous work. Love the writing on this one.

The Aristocrats [Guthrie Govan Interview]

Killer heavy fusion album with Guthrie Govan on guitar, Bryan Beller on bass, and Marco Minnemann on drums. A great platform for Govan’s overall talents.

Derek Sherinian - Oceana

Awesome prog-fusion disc that may be Sherinian’s best solo release yet. Has a throwback 70s Jeff Beck vibe at times. Guests include Steve Lukather, Tony MacAlpine, and Joe Bonamassa.

Allen Hinds - Monkeys and Slides

Great writing and lines from one of the west coast’s coolest fusion guitarists. Includes two burning live tracks. Features Jimmy Johnson, Jeff Babko, and Dennis Hamm among others.

Bryan Beller - Wednesday Night Live

Killer live disc featuring a single set recorded at the Baked Potato, plus two additional tracks from other performances. Includes great contributions from Mike Keneally.

Other favorites from 2011:

Gerald Gradwohl Group - ABQ Live and Raw
Jeff Richman & Chatterbox - The Line Up [Interview]
Bryan Baker, Bob van Luijt & Sebastiaan Cornelissen - 011 Amsterdam
John Escreet - The Age We Live In
Johnny Hiland - All Fired Up
CAB - Live on Sunset
Human Element
Gannin Arnold - Five World Class Drummers DVD
Rudder - Live at Rockwell Music Hall NYC DVD (Not one note of guitar on this, but the band and DVD are super cool.)

See Also:

Favorite Albums of 2010
Favorite Albums of 2009
Favorite Albums of 2008
Favorite Albums of 2007
Favorite Albums of 2006

Videos: Guthrie Govan Interview for Zagreb Guitar Show

Two-part Guthrie Govan interview for the Zagreb Guitar Show.

Video: Guthrie Govan Rig Rundown for Premier Guitar

Premier Guitar Rig Rundown with Guthrie Govan, recorded prior to The Aristocrats' Oct 9th gig at Martyrs' in Chicago.

See Also:
The Guitar Channel Interview: Guthrie Govan

My Interview with Guthrie Govan

I had the pleasure of interviewing Guthrie Govan at Martyrs' in Chicago on October 9th, prior to what would be the Aristocrats' final show of their recent US tour. Guthrie was more than gracious as we discussed numerous topics including The Aristocrats band and album, his writing, and more. See link below.

Guthrie Govan: The Guitar Channel Interview

Photos: The Aristocrats at Martyrs' 10/9/11 by Alex Kluft

Alex Kluft has posted a gallery of pics from the 10/9/11 Aristocrats show at Martyrs' in Chicago (Guthrie Govan - guitar, Bryan Beller - bass, Marco Minnemann - drums). Check it out via the link below.

 

Alex Kluft Photography | The Aristocrats at Martyrs'

The Aristocrats 2012 Tour Dates

The Aristocrats (Guthrie Govan - guitar, Bryan Beller - bass, Marco Minnemann - drums) have announced the following tour dates for 2012. Watch this space for updates.

 

 

01/21/12     San Pedro, CA USA   Alva's Showroom    
01/22/12     San Pedro, CA USA   Alvas Showroom    
03/07/12     London, UK     The Peel    
03/08/12     Bilston UK    The Robin 2    
03/09/12     Manchester UK    Night and Day
03/10/12     Newcastle UK    The Cluny
03/11/12     Edinburgh UK    The Voodoo Rooms
03/13/12     Zoetermeer NL    Boerderij

Video: The Aristocrats - More Montreal Footage

The Aristocrats from Loudguitars.com on Vimeo.

 

Courtesy of LoudGuitars.com - 28 minutes of great footage of The Aristocrats live in Montreal.

Photos: The Aristocrats - Live at Martyrs', Chicago IL 10/9/11

Caught the Aristocrats show at Martyrs' in Chicago last night. This was easily one of the most enjoyable gigs I've seen in some time. This amazing trio - Guthrie Govan on guitar, Bryan Beller on Bass, and Marco Minnemann on drums - was on fire on every tune. I was particularly impressed with the way the songs from their debut album really came alive onstage. Guthrie and Bryan were simply jaw-dropping, as was Marco who delivered the most entertaining drum solo I've yet witnessed. I also had the pleasure of interviewing Guthrie prior to the show (great guy!) - look for it on these pages soon. See the link below for my pics of this fantastic show.

Photos: The Aristocrats - Live at Martyrs' Chicago IL 10/9/11

Video: The Aristocrats - Live in Montreal

A conglomeration of footage from the recent Aristocrats show at Club Soda in Montreal. Guthrie Govan - guitar, Bryan Beller - bass, Marco Minnemann - drums.

Current Listening (and Viewing)

Here is some of the great new music I've been digging lately.

 

The Aristocrats

Incredible rock fusion disc with Guthrie Govan on guitar, Bryan Beller on bass, and Marco Minnemann on drums. Killer writing, tones and playing.

Oz Noy - Twisted Blues Volume 1

Noy's bluesiest album to date has an amazing lineup that includes Vinnie Colaiuta, Eric Johnson, and other heavyweights. Noy's playing and tones are amazing. Releasing November 19th.

Derek Sherinian - Oceana

Arguably Sherinian's best solo album yet. Has a similar vibe to his 1999 debut, with strong shades of Jeff Beck's early fusion work. As always, the prog keyboard maestro brings along an impressive cast. Includes Steve Lukather, Tony MacAlpine, Joe Bonamassa, Steve Stevens, and others.

Jeff Richman & Chatterbox - The Line Up

Richman returns with Chatterbox for more jammy west coast jazz. Has a looser vibe than his solo releases.

Jarle H. Olsen - Quadrasonic

Super intricate prog metal with insane chops. Includes Alex Argento on keys.

Abstract Logix Live - The New Universe Music Festival 2010 DVD

I may be a bit biased here since I conducted the interviews for this 2-DVD set, but this is a killer collection of live jazz rock fusion. A great documentation of Abstract Logix's groundbreaking 2010 festival. Includes John McLaughlin (with Zakir Hussain), Wayne Krantz, Alex Machacek, Jimmy Herring, Human Element, Ranjit Barot, and others.