The Guitar Channel

Winter NAMM 2011: Day 3 / Jazz Ministry at The Baked Potato

Saturday was NAMM's busiest day, at least in terms of foot traffic. Saw lots of celebrities in attendance. I did manage to wade through the crowds though to see some cool stuff. Right off the bat I checked out Carl Verheyen's masterclass in one of the H.O.T. Zone rooms upstairs. The main topic of discussion was bending, in all it's various forms. I dig seeing these kinds of events presented at the NAMM show. Most NAMM attendees would probably never have a chance to see a Carl Verheyen clinic in their home town.  Verheyen was great - lots of cool playing and insight. I also enjoyed watching Chris Poland jam at the Music Garage booth (both with and without his OHM bandmate Pag). Killer playing as always.

 

 

My favorite gear of the day would have to be the T-Rex stomp boxes - particularly the Mudhoney II Dual Distortion pedal, and the Room-Mate Tube Reverb. Their Tonebug series is really cool also. They're built like tanks; very simple, and they sound great. I especially like the Chorus / Flanger Tonebug.

Late Saturday night, I saw Michael Landau play at the Baked Potato for the second night in a row - this time with Jazz Ministry, an incredible group of pros featuring Greg Mathieson on keys, Abe Laboriel Sr. on bass, Abe Laboriel Jr. on drums, and Landau on guitar. This particular group had not played together in a year and half (they had Vinnie Colaiuta on drums for the Baked Potato Jazz Fest gig in May). I previously saw this lineup at the Spud in 2008, and was blown away. Saturday night, they did it to me again. These guys never rehearse, but you would never know it. This was top-shelf west coast jazz at it's finest. Landau was so on point, and in tune with the band, and Abe Jr. was a joy to watch on drums. After the set, I chatted with Landau for a few minutes. He told me his next album will be all instrumental, and will hopfully come out in March. I'm stoked already - I really dig Landau's writing, especially his instrumental ballads. They were cracking down on picture-taking in the club, so I only managed a few blurry pics.

 

More pics from NAMM 2011 Day Three:

Winter NAMM 2011: Day 2 / Mike Landau at The Baked Potato

Day two of the 2011 Winter NAMM Show was a long one. The show floor was much busier than opening day, and I expect today to be even busier still. Played lots of great guitars yesterday, and chatted with some great players including Alex Machacek, Gannin Arnold, and Ed DeGenaro. Here are my big takeaways from day two:

The Carvin booth was abuzz when Frank Gambale arrived to demo his new FG1 signature model guitar. Gambale played a short set with bassist Brian Bromberg. I believe this was the first time the two had ever played together, and they were both burning. Definitely a treat to see. The Gambale signature model sounds great. Super smooth, yet punchy. Cool finish too.

 

Lots of cool stuff at the Gibson booth, including the new Eric Clapton "Beano" model Les Paul. It's modeled after the Les Paul Clapton used on the Bluesbreakers album in 1966, and the thing plays like a dream. Gibson also had a Les Paul on display with a Beano comic finish. I also checked out a cool Epiphone Wilshire (took me back to the old Racer X days), and the Buckethead model white Les Paul.

 

A big highlight of the day for me was seeing one of my favorite rock bands of all time at the Ampeg booth - King's X. Their set got off to a late start due to a problem with Ty Tabor's amp, but once they got going the band killed. They played through some of the new Ampeg stuff which sounded great. The whole band was super tight, and Tabor's tone was incredible as always. So glad I got to see these guys.

 

After a long day at NAMM (and some rest), I headed up to The Baked Potato to see Michael Landau's late set. I've seen Landau live a few times before, but I've never seen him play with such intensity. He was on fire all night, and his tones were gorgeous. His band for this gig included Gary Novak on drums, Andy Hess on bass, and Deron Johnson on keys. All these guys were fantastic, and Johnson's contributions added a cool new element to the band's sound. Highlights included the opener "Ghouls and Goblins," my new favorite Landau ballad "Pittsfield Minor," and a searing version of "Worried Life Blues." Karen Landau (aka Hazey Jane) also joined the group for a cool, laid-back version of "Woodstock." There's a certain "home field advantage" factor when Landau plays the Spud which is palpable when you're in that room watching him play. As an audience member, it's clear that he feels at home there, and is inspired by the surroundings and the crowd. This was a special gig that I will not soon forget.

More pics from NAMM 2011 Day Two:

Buckethead fall tour

I love Buckethead. No, he doesn't play what most would consider "fusion", but to me it is a fusion of sorts. It's a fusion of metal, funk, shred, ambient electronica, experimental what-not, and God knows what else. Bucket will be emerging from his chicken coop for a US tour this fall. Go see him. Here are a couple of links with the dates:

Bucketheadland
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