The Guitar Channel

Favorite Albums of 2012

2012 was a tremendous year for progressive guitar music. Here are my favorite releases of the year, in no particular order.

 

Michael Landau - Organic Instrumentals

Landau's first instrumental album since 1990's Tales From The Bulge is one of my favorite guitar records in many years, let alone this one. Awesome tones, dynamic playing, deep writing. A must-have for serious guitar geeks.

Wayne Krantz - Howie 61

Krantz took a bold new step with this album, and the results are rich and engrossing. A fantastic production filled with heady writing, and an amazing lineup of musicians.

Jimmy Herring - Subject To Change Without Notice

Awesome follow-up to 2008's Lifeboat. Highly textured with killer playing and grooves.

Alex Machacek, Raphael Preuschl, Herbert Pirker - FAT

Adventurous and dynamic with a great variety of guitar tones. Further proof that Machacek is among the most forward-thinking modern jazz composers of his generation.

Kurt Rosenwinkel - Star of Jupiter

Can't get enough of this one. Uber-deep jazz record, filled with great writing and improvisation.

Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats - Live Meat And Potatoes

Funky, energetic live release with killer guitar work from Jeff Kollman. Nobody grooves like the Meatbats.

OHMPhrey - Posthaste

Stellar recording from the OHM-meets-Umphrey's McGee supergroup. Loaded with great riffs and playing. Everybody shines here, but the twin guitar attack of Chris Poland and Jake Cinninger is particularly awesome.

Scott Henderson, Jeff Berlin, Dennis Chambers - HBC

What a band. Killer disc packed with guitar-driven trio versions of fusion classics. Henderson is amazing as always.

Karizma - Perfect Harmony

A 3-disc smorgasbord from keyboardist/composer David Garfield's classic west coast jazz band. Features a who's-who of the genre's luminaries, including Michael Landau.

The Aristocrats - Boing, We'll Do It Live!

Amazing live CD/DVD release with insane playing and band interplay. Guthrie Govan's guitar work is both musical and mind-blowing.

Other favorites from 2012:

Prashant Aswani - Visions
Chris Poland, Frank Catalano, Sean O'Bryan Smith, Jim Gifford - Polcat
Tribal Tech - X
Tohpati Bertiga - Riot
John McLaughlin & the 4th Dimension - Now Here This
Paul Gilbert - Vibrato
Gary Husband - Dirty & Beautiful, Vol. 2
OHM - Tsunami Jams
Ed DeGenaro - Holiday In Madras
Flying Colors
Chad Wackerman - Dreams, Nightmares and Improvisations
Chris Buck - 3 Crows
Jason Sadites - Broken
Renegade Creation - Bullet
Led Zeppelin - Celebration Day
Van Halen - A Different Kind of Truth (Ed note: \m/)

See Also:

Favorite Albums of 2011
Favorite Albums of 2010
Favorite Albums of 2009
Favorite Albums of 2008
Favorite Albums of 2007
Favorite Albums of 2006

“BOING, We’ll Do It Live! The Aristocrats At Alvas Showroom” Release Date Set For DECEMBER 10!

PRESS RELEASE

ROCK/FUSION POWER TRIO THE ARISTOCRATS

TO RELEASE FIRST LIVE CD/DVD

BOING, WE’LL DO IT LIVE! ON DECEMBER 10

Guitarist Guthrie Govan, bassist Bryan Beller, and drummer Marco Minnemann are captured live at Alvas Showroom in San Pedro, CA

 

LOS ANGELES, CA (November 8, 2012) – The rock/fusion power trio The Aristocrats – featuring Guthrie Govan on guitar, Bryan Beller on bass, and Marco Minnemann on drums – will release BOING, We’ll Do It Live! The Aristocrats At Alvas Showroom on December 10, 2012. The release will be in two formats: A standard-edition, 14-track, 2CD album, and a Deluxe EditionDVD + 2CD package featuring two additional bonus tracks, bonus audio from soundcheck, additional candid show footage, and bonus interviews with each band member. The 6-camera video was shot in high definition, and the 5.1 surround audio mix was done by Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree. A 2-channel stereo mix is also available.

 

Formed practically by demand after a single raucously received set at the Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim, CA in January of 2011, the trio tracked their debut album The Aristocrats [BOING!] just four months later, and released it that September to universal acclaim. But the core energy of the band from the start was their preternatural live chemistry, which became even more explosive during a year’s worth of worldwide touring.

 

“We’re all definitely proud of the studio album,” says bassist Beller, “but we were just getting to know each other when we cut it. Now that we’ve traveled the world together, we really get each other musically and personally. Honestly, we spend a lot of time making each other laugh to the point of tears. I think that really comes through live, the sense that we’re friends walking a high wire together musically, but also that, sometimes, we just choose to be extremely silly. Somehow it all works.”

 

BOING, We’ll Do It Live! was captured over two nights in June of 2012 at Alvas Showroom in San Pedro,CA, and features the entire Aristocrats repertoire, plus select material from the trio’s individual back catalogs, and a brand new, previously unreleased song, “Dance Of The Aristocrats.”

 

TRACK LISTING

 

DISC ONE

1. Bad Asteroid

2. Greasy Wheel

3. Boing!…I’m In The Back

4. Flatlands

5. I Want A Parrot

6. Blues Fuckers/Drum Solo

7. Waves

 

DISC TWO

1. Get It Like That

2. Furtive Jack

3. Train Trax

4. Cave Dweller

5. Mr. Kempinski

6. See You Next Tuesday *

7. Dance Of The Aristocrats

8. A Very Metal Introduction

9. Sweaty Knockers

10. Erotic Cakes *

* on Deluxe Edition only

 

DVD FEATURES

 

* Complete show, including bonus tracks & additional between song footage

* 5.1 surround mix by Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree (and 2-channel stereo mix)

* Bonus audio from soundcheck

* Interviews with each band member

Video: The Aristocrats - Live in Frankfurt 10/26/12 Full Show

The Aristocrats' entire 10/26/12 show from Frankfurt Germany. Guthrie Govan - guitar, Bryan Beller - bass, Marco Minnemann - drums.

The Aristocrats Fall 2012 European Tour Dates

The Aristocrats (Guthrie Govan - guitar, Bryan Beller - bass, Marco Minnemann - drums) will be playing the following dates in Europe this fall. See the band's official tour page for more info.

10/9 – Uppsala, Sweden – Uppsala Guitar Festival
10/13 – Assemini – Cagliari (Sardinia), Italy – Golf Club Ercole Cellino
10/14 – Cassibile – Siracusa (Sicily), Italy – Anfiteatro Hotel Fontane Bianche
10/15 – Jesolo (VE), Italy – Scuola di Musica JAM c/o aula magna istituto “I. Calvino”
10/17 – Prato, Italy – Keller Platz
10/19 – Caserta, Italy – Black Cat Club
10/20 – Rome, Italy – Guitar Art Nights Festival (venue TBA)
10/21 – Molvena (VI), Italy – Revolution Studios
10/23 – Nice, France – Forum Nice Nord
10/24 – Legnano (MI), Italy – Land Of Live
10/26 – Frankfurt, Germany – Frankfurt Jazz Festival (Sendesaal des hessischen Rundfunks)
10/27 – Zagreb, Croatia – Zagreb Guitar Show (VIP Club)
10/28 – Zoetermeer, Netherlands – De Boerderij
10/29 – Verviers, Belgium – Spirit Of 66
10/31 – Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg – Kulturfabrik
11/3 – Unna, Germany – Kuhlschiff
11/5 – Hamburg, Germany – Logo
11/7 – Berlin, Germany – Crystal Club
11/9 & 11/10 – Athens, Greece – Athina Live

The band has also scheduled the following So Cal dates for early 2013:

1/26/13 – Alva's - San Pedro, CA
1/27/13 – Alva's - San Pedro, CA
1/29/13 – Brick by Brick - San Diego, CA
1/31/13 – SLO Brewing Company - San Luis Obispo, CA
2/1/13 – Biscuits & Blues - San Francisco, CA

 

Videos: The Aristocrats - Live at The Robin 2

Nice series of videos of The Aristocrats, live at The Robin 2 on 3/8/12. Guthrie Govan - guitar, Bryan Beller - bass, Marco Minnemann - drums.

The Aristocrats US Tour Dates plus DVD Shoot

The Aristocrats (Guthrie Govan - guitar, Bryan Beller - bass, Marco Minnemann - drums) have announced the following US tour dates for 2012. The Alva's shows in June will be filmed for a live DVD (!). See The Aristocrats' tour page for more ticketing info.

Fri. 5/18  Nashville, TN - The Rutledge
Sat. 5/19  Louisville, KY - ZaZoo's
Mon. 5/21  Indianapolis, IN - Birdy's
Tues. 5/22  Cleveland, OH - The Tavern (Beachland Ballroom)
Wed. 5/23  Columbus, OH - Rumba Café
Thurs. 5/24  Charleston, WV - The Sound Factory
Fri. 5/25  Charlotte, NC - The Double Door Inn
Sat. 6/2  San Pedro, CA - Alva's Showroom (DVD Shoot)
Sun. 6/3  San Pedro, CA - Alva's Showroom (DVD Shoot)

 

Videos: Mike Keneally sitting in with The Aristocrats

Two clips of Mike Keneally sitting in with the Aristocrats at WesFest 7 last night.

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