The Guitar Channel

New OHMphrey interview at Jambands.com

Jambands.com has a great interview up with Jake Cinninger (guitar), Joel Cummins (keyboards), and Chris Poland (guitar) from OHMphrey. The interview took place during last month's Jam Cruise. Topics of discussion include the band's plans for a new recording.

Jambands.com: Full Speed Ahead for OHMPHREY

Chris Poland: Eminence Speaker demo NAMM 2010

This is Chris Poland (OHM) test driving the new Eminence FDM speakers at the 2010 NAMM show. I was in the room when this video was shot (that brief flash of an orange shirt at the 4:19 mark is me). This video is about a month old but I just found it.

The Baked Potato 40th Anniversary Jazz Festival

The Baked Potato is presenting their own Jazz Festival this coming May to celebrate the legendary North Hollywood venue's 40th anniversary. The festival will take place on May 22nd and May 23rd at the John Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood (just south of the Baked Potato on Cahuenga Blvd.). The lineup of players set to perform over the two days is an absolute dream-team of jazz and fusion; all the regulars that have made the Spud such a special place over the years will be there. See below for the full schedule. Tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased through the Baked Potato's website.

The Baked Potato 40th Anniversary Jazz Festival Lineup

Saturday May 22, 2010

THE BAKED POTATO ALL STARS
JEFF RICHMAN..NEIL STUBENHAUS..TOME BRECKTLEIN..JEFF BABKO

O.H.M.
CHRIS POLAND..ROBBIE PAGLIARI..KOFI BAKER

SCOT HENDERSON TRIO
JOHN HUMPHREY..ALAN HERTZ

VOLTO
DANNY CARRY..KIRK COVINGTON..JOHN ZEIGLER..LANCE MORRISON

Intermission

MICHAEL LANDAU GROUP

HOLDSWOTH..PASQUA..HASLIP..NOVAK
ALLAN HOLDSWORTH..ALAN PASQUA..JIMMY HASLIP..GARY NOVAK

Steve Lukather and Special Friends

   
Sunday May 23, 2010

JOHN DEVERSA BIG BAND

MITCH FORMAN & THE BAKED POTATO ALL STARS

THE BAKED POTATO'S ORIGINAL JAZZ MASTER
DON RANDI & QUEST

LEE RITENOUR AND FRIENDS

Intermission

YELLOWJACKETS
JIMMY HASLIP..RUSSELL FURRANTE..BOB MINSTER..WILL KENNEDY

THE JAZZ MINISTRY
ABRAHAM LABORIAL SR..ABRAHAM LABORIAL JR...MICHAEL LANDAU..GREG MATHIESON

LARRY CARLTON
TRAVIS CARLTON..GENE COYE

Photo Galleries: Alex Machacek and OHM - Live at Alva's Showroom

Click the links below for my photos from the Alex Machacek and OHM gigs at Alva's Showroom during NAMM week.

Alex Machacek, Ric Fierabracci, Tom Brechtlein, Phil Turcio: Live at Alva's Showroom - 1/16/10

OHM and Kofi Baker's Tribute to Cream w/ Mike Keneally: Live at Alva's Showroom - 1/17/10

OHM Video: "Where's My Hat" Alva's Showroom 1/17/10

Here is another attendee's video of the OHM show at Alva's. Great quality.

More Chris Poland Videos: Live at Alva's - 1/17/10

Here is some footage I shot of OHM and Kofi Baker's Tribute to Cream w/ Mike Keneally live at Alva's Showroom on 1/17/10. The audio is pretty saturated in these clips - I really need to invest in a better camera. The video with Keneally is a bit out of sync as well.

Chris Poland at Alva's - Clip #1

Chris Poland at Alva's - Clip #2

Chris Poland and Mike Keneally at Alva's

NAMM Video: Chris Poland and Pag at Eminence

I'll be posting a NAMM final-day wrap up at some point today. In the meantime, here's a video I shot of Chris Poland and Pag (OHM) jamming at the Eminence booth on Saturday 1/16. The video cuts off at the end because my camera battery died (I had battery issues the entire trip).

NAMM 2010: Day 3

Saturday is always the NAMM show's busiest day, and I have many highlights to report. Early in the day I was able to see Chris Poland and 'Pag' from OHM jamming at the Eminence booth. It's always a treat to see players of this caliber in these small-scale NAMM floor settings. Chris was burning as usual. After Eminence, I hit some other booths and saw lots of big names on the floor - I saw Gene Simmons heading to an appearance with a throng of people following him, Slash made a couple of appearances, I saw Flea walk through, saw George Lynch chatting with Uli Roth, saw Andy Timmons, Paul Gilbert, and Tony MacAlpine signing at the Ibanez booth, and on and on. 

One of the highlights of the day for me was meeting Steve Lukather. As you may recall, back in November I posted a video of Luke jamming with Joe Bonamassa that Luke himself commented on. He essentially agreed with an earlier comment that he was overplaying on the song, and that the clip kinda sucked. Out of respect for Luke, I considered taking the post down at that point, but a good discussion was ensuing in the comments so I left it up. When I met Luke yesterday, I sheepishly revealed that the Guitar Channel was my site, and that I was the one who posted that video. Obviously I didn't need to do that, but I wanted to tell him I was sorry if I pissed him off. He absolutely could not have been cooler about the whole thing. He said hey, sometimes you're gonna have a bad night, but the next night you might play great. He said the difference nowadays is with YouTube, everything you play gets posted and viewed by millions of people. His "no-worries" attitude was very genuine, and super cool. What a great cat.

Another highlight of the day was seeing Tony Levin's Stick Men band play in the LOUD Technologies demo room. Their stuff is very rhythmic, and highly progressive. Levin is an absolute maniac on the Chapman Stick. 

After the show I headed to San Pedro to see Alex Machacek (guitar), Ric Fierabracci (bass), Tom Brechtlein (drums), and Phil Turcio (keys) at Alva's Showroom. Marco Minnemann was originally slated to play drums, but due to unforseen circumstances, Brechtlein was enlisted to fill in. At the show I met up with Souvik Dutta from Abstract Logix, and guitarist Amit Heri who has been traveling with Souvik during NAMM. What a great hang. Got to talk with Alex before the show and between sets. He's always been one of my favorite players, and is a great guy to boot. His new album with Marco Minnemann sounds like it's going to be killer. I believe he said the title will be "26 Tales;" it was originally part of Minnemann's Normalizer project,   but it will be released on it's own through Abstract Logix. Can't wait to hear it. I'd like to give this show it's own write-up, but I'll say this - These guys were some of the best pro's I've seen. Alex told me before the show that he was a bit nervous about the gig, since the setlist had to be changed at the last minute due to Minnemann's absence, and he was not as familiar with the material as he'd like to be. Nevertheless, everybody killed on this gig. They worked off of charts, and it was so cool to see these guys execute on such a professional level. There were a couple of tunes that Brechtlin hadn't even played before, but you would have had no idea. Fantastic playing by everyone involved. Below you'll find one of the videos I shot from this great gig.

I probably won't spend much time at the show today, being that it's the last day which is traditionally light on content. Tonight, however, is going to be huge. I'll be heading back to Alva's to see OHM, and Kofi Baker's Cream tribute featuring Mike Keneally on guitar. I'm sure this will be an awesome show that will pack Alva's to the gills. Stay tuned...

By the way... between the slow internet connection in my hotel, and the God-awful ATT&T coverage at the convention center, my ability to post updates, videos, etc, has been severely hampered. I've got a ton of pics, and some great videos, but most of it won't be uploaded until I get home.

Alex Machacek - "Actual Proof" solo live at Alva's 1/16/10

OHM Live at The Baked Potato - 12/9/09

Great footage from OHM's 12/9/09 gig at The Baked Potato.

via Truth In Shredding

Favorite albums of 2009

With another year drawing to a close, the time has come once again to reflect back on all the great music that was released over the past 12 months. Here are my favorite albums of 2009, in no particular order.

 

Wayne Krantz - Krantz Carlock Lefebvre (Review)

An amazing guitar album. Incredible compositions and group improv.

 

Odd Meters - Uncommon Denominator (Review)

Addicting funky jazz from 8-string guitarist Jon Morrow and drummer/vibraphonist Shane Parreco.

 

Holdsworth Pasqua Haslip Wackerman - Blues for Tony

Live 2-disc set culled from the quartet's 2007 European tour. Holdsworth is searing throughout.

OHMphrey - OHMphrey

Cool jam project featuring members of OHM and Umphrey's McGee. Great guitar work from Chris Poland and Jake Cinninger.

 

Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats - Meet The Meatbats

Excellent throwback fusion. Features Jeff Kollman on guitar.

 

Steve Morse Band - Out Standing In Their Field

Finally a new SMB album! Great stuff.

 

Gerald Gradwohl Trio - Sally Beth Roe (Review)

Raw guitar-driven fusion at it's finest.

Other favorites from 2009:

Ed DeGenaro - Less Is Seldom More (Review)
Robby Ameen - Days In The Life
Jon Reshard - Jon Reshard
Oz Noy - Schizophrenic (Review)
Mike Stern - Big Neighborhood
Akira Jimbo - Jimbomba
Adam Nitti - Liminal
Liquid Tension Experiment - Live 2008 Box Set

OHM - Live at Alva's 11/7/09

"Peanut Buddah" from OHM's 11/7/09 show at Alva's in San Pedro, CA.

Upcoming OHM Live Dates

OHM (Chris Poland - guitar, Robby Pagliari - bass, Kofi Baker - drums) are currently working on their next record, and have announced the following upcoming live dates:

11/07/2009 (8:00 PM)

Alva’s Showroom
1417 W. Eighth Street
San Pedro, California 90732

Phone: 1-800-403-3447 (for reservations and info)
Website: www.alvas.com

11/17/2009 (9:30 PM & 11:30 pm)

The Baked Potato
3787 Cahuenga Blvd West
Studio City, California 91604

Phone:  818-980-1615 (for reservations and info)
Website:  www.thebakedpotato.com

11/21/2009 (2:00 PM)
 
Cascio Interstate Music (Chris Poland Guitar Clinic/ Performance)
13819 West National Ave
New Berlin, Wisconsin 53151

Phone:  1-800-462-2263
Website:  www.interstatemusic.com

12/03/2009 (4:00 PM) – NOT OPEN TO PUBLIC

Musician’s Institute Hollywood (also performing - Thomas Leeb)
6752 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, California 90028

Phone:  1-800-255-7529
Website:  www.mi.edu

12/04/2009 (8:00 PM)

Tone Merchants (also performing - Mike Keneally with Kofi Baker’s Cream Tribute)
1521 W. Collins Ave
Orange, California 92867
 
Contact:  rob@tonemerchants.com or 1-866-795-6808 (for reservations and info)
Website:  www.tonemerchants.com

12/05/2009 (6:00 PM)

Brick By Brick (also performing - Mike Keneally with Kofi Baker’s Cream Tribute)

1130 Buenos Avenue
San Diego, California 92110

Phone:  619-275-LIVE (for reservations and info)
Website:  www.brickbybrick.com

12/09/2009 (9:30 PM & 11:30 PM)

The Baked Potato
3787 Cahuenga Blvd West
Studio City, California 91604

Phone:  818-980-1615
Website:  www.thebakedpotato.com

12/15/2009 (10:00 PM)

The Anarchy Library
13250 Woodruff Ave
Downey, California 90242

Phone:  562-803-9134
Website:  www.myspace.com/theanarchylibrary

1/2010 – TBA (Chris Poland and Robby Pagliari)

NAMM – Anaheim Convention Center
Eminence Speakers Booth Performance

Website:  www.eminence.com

--------------

Also, OHMPhrey (OHM's side project with members of Umphrey's McGee) will be playing the JamCruise in Jan 2010.

1/4/10 – OHMPHREY show (1:30 am – 3:30 am)(www.myspace.com/ohmphrey)

JamCruise 2010
Aboard the MSC Poesia
Pool Deck – 13 Bow

Website:  www.jamcruise.com

Jake Cinninger Interview at Guitar International

Check out Matt Warnock's great interview with Umphrey's McGee guitarist Jake Cinninger at Guitar International. The main topic of discussion - OHMPhrey; Cinninger's recent side project that combines the mighty forces of Umphrey's McGee and OHM.

Jake Cinninger: OHMphrey, Umphrey’s and Beyond

Chris Poland radio interview

OHM guitarist Chris Poland appeared on the Black Night Meditations radio show on WSCA 106.1 FM in Portsmouth, NH earlier the week. The interview can now be heard online at the following location:

Black Night Meditations: Chris Poland Interview

Umphrey's McGee offers free prog-rock sampler

Umphrey's McGee is one of my favorite bands from the jam-band scene. The reason I dig these guys, is they often venture into prog and fusion territory; they don't dwell on modal-jams as some bands in the genre tend to do. I saw Umphrey's live in Chicago a couple of years ago and was blown away. Their new album Mantis is getting a lot of attention in the prog-rock community. As a token of their appreciation, the band has released a free prog "sampler" showcasing some of their more "proggy" moments onstage. Here's the info, straight from the horses mouth:

"In the two months since the release of Mantis, we've been overwhelmed with the attention and appreciation from the progressive rock community.  We admire the rich tradition that the community has, and the respect they have for many of the same artists that have had a lasting influence on us as well.  We've been privileged to share the stage with such heroes as Adrian Belew, Mike Keneally and Stanley Jordan in recent years

Our latest album "Mantis" has been touted as our most progressive
studio album, and we are very proud of how it turned out.  We were
glad to take the time and flesh out our compositional approach on
Mantis, and wound up with an album that stretched our songwriting and
playing to levels we hadn't been able to produce in the studio before.

While we enjoyed the experience of taking our time in the studio, much
of the Umphrey's McGee experience happens on-stage where we live 120+
nights a year.  The challenge of reproducing some of our demanding
compositions live while leaving room for both loose and structured
improvisation brings out the best in us, and we encourage you to come
and experience it with us.

We wanted to let you know that Jake, Kris and Joel have embarked on a
new project, OHMphrey (http://myspace.com/ohmphrey), with OHM's Chris
Poland and Robertino Pagliari.  This project is rooted in progressive
improvisation, and will release an album and support it with a few
west coast shows. Furthermore, another improvisational fusion side
project of ours, Kick the McGee, is thrilled to be teaming up with
Morglbl from France for a show in Chicago @ Martyrs' on 5/20.

As a token of our appreciation, we're offering a free digital sampler
of the "proggier" side of Umphrey's McGee to the progressive rock
community, though it's really a little bit of everything to help
provide context of the grander scheme of who we are as a band.  In
this sampler, you'll find a heavy-dose of prog-metal in Wizard Burial
Ground, while a slice of the improvisation and instrumental dexterity
that UM is well known for resides inside Higgins. An electric
re-working of Safety In Numbers' acoustic End of the Road is a band
favorite, and to give you a taste of some our our playing with special
guests you'll hear Adrian Belew lending his guitar to King Crimson's
Red and Mike Keneally stopping by for some extended on-stage antics
and guitar pyrotechnics on Ringo.  We’ve also included a bonus video
of “Out of Order” from our PBS Soundstage performance.

Umphrey's McGee - Prog Sampler track list
1) Rocker part II (10.28.08)
2) Wizard Burial Ground (12.30.08)
3) Higgins (12.29.07)
4) End of the Road (2.17.08)
5) Search 4 (2.12.08)
6) Red (3.17.07 with Adrian Belew)
7) The Fussy Dutchman (12.30.04)
8) Ringo (2.12.08 with Mike Keneally)

To download, visit: http://tinyurl.com/umsampler
This will deposit the FREE download in your basket from our download
site UMLive.net (run by Livedownloads.com).  Registration at
UMLive.net is free and required to complete the process. We'll keep
this posted for the next 2 weeks, until April 17th, so grab it while
it's hot.

To those who've checked out our albums and/or shows, and to those who
are helping spread the word (and we encourage you to spread this
around), we appreciate your support.  Thanks for your continued
interest in Umphrey's McGee, we hope to see you all on the road some
time soon!"

OHMPhrey reveals cover art, tracklisting, and samples

OHMPhrey now has a MySpace page with samples from their upcoming self-titled album (releasing May 19th). This cool-sounding project features OHM members Chris Poland (guitar) and Robertino "Pag" Pagliari (bass), joining forces with Umphrey's McGee members Jake Cinninger (guitar), Joel Cummins (keys), and Kris Myers (drums). The samples sound awesome!

OHMPhrey (Magna Carta)

Tracklisting:

1. Someone Said You Were Dead
2. The Girl From Chi Town
3. Denny's By The Jail
4. Ice Cream
5. Lake Shore Drive
6. Not Afraid Of The Dark
7. Shrooms 'n Cheese
8. What's The Word, Thunderbird

OHM video: Joog In Da Boot at Tone Merchants

Speaking of OHM, here's a great video that just went up from a Tone Merchants gig this past February. This is "Joog In Da Boot."

OHM and OHMPhrey live dates

Chris Poland's fusion trio OHM is currently preparing material for a new album, and have scheduled the following live dates:

April 9 - The Baked Potato (Studio City, CA)
May 9 - Alva's Showroom (San Pedro, CA)

OHMPhrey news!
Also, the album Chris and Pag from OHM recorded with Umphrey's McGee members Jake Cinninger (guitar), Joel Cummins (keys), and Kris Myers (drums) this past January will be released on May 19th through Magna Carta Records. The band is called OHMPHrey, and the following gigs have been booked to showcase the project:

May 14 - The Roxy (West Hollywood, CA) 
May 15 - SoHo (Santa Barbara, CA)
May 16 - Winston's (San Diego, CA)

Chris Poland audio interview with Gagliarchives

Gagliararchives has just posted an mp3 of the interview they conducted with OHM's Chris Poland on 1/31/09.

Gagliararchives: Chris Poland interview - 1/31/09

And the winner is...

Jerry Erickson! Jerry has won a signed copy of OHM's Circus of Sound album. Thank you to all who entered the contest. I hope to do more giveaways in the future.

Congratulations Jerry!