Zebra Music

The 1976 mega-hit single “Hotel California” is named on virtually every reputable list of “greatest guitar solos” that has ever been published. The whole truth is, though, that the entire Hotel California album is rife with scorching guitar work from both newcomer Joe Walsh and Eagles lead guitarist Don Felder – and Felder played all of his solos on one outstanding instrument: a 1959 Les Paul Standard.

Hired by the Eagles in 1974 to help the band make the transition from country-rock to a heavier, rock-based sound, Felder brought it on in spades, and the tone he selected to do the job is unmistakably Les Paul – fat, creamy and singing. In order to bring that sound, feel and look to a select group of players and collectors today, Gibson Custom has introduced the Don Felder “Hotel California” 1959 Les Paul, an instrument created in the image of Felder’s original 1959 ‘Burst in strictly limited quantities. Produced as a three-tiered Limited Edition, with 50 guitars hand-aged by Gibson Custom and personally signed by Don Felder, 100 hand-aged, and a further 150 given Gibson’s VOS treatment, each includes a numbered Certificate of Authenticity to record its status for posterity.

Hand-aged examples meticulously reproduce the look of Felder’s own ’59 Les Paul, while VOS versions present the gently aged look and feel of a vintage instrument. All are made with period-correct specs and components, including a pair of Gibson’s most accurate reproduction PAF pickups, and finished in a uniquely tinted and faded “Felder Burst” finish, formulated exclusively for this guitar. As rare and desirable as all ‘Bursts are, this limited run recreates one of the greatest, and a big slice of tone history.

Like any great Les Paul Standard, the Don Felder “Hotel California” 1959 Les Paul starts with great wood. Gibson Custom selects figured maple for the two-piece top to replicate the look of Felder’s own iconic ‘Burst, and joins each set to a select, lightweight, solid one-piece mahogany back. Way beyond merely recreating the look of the original instrument, however, this maple/mahogany pairing perpetuates a tonewood match made in heaven: a best-of-both-worlds palette that gives you the perfect blend of maple’s clarity, snap and bite, and mahogany’s warmth, depth and richness.

A one-piece mahogany neck is glued in with the preferred long neck tenon for superior resonance and sustain, and carved to match the neck on Felder’s own ’59 Les Paul Standard. Taking all this tonal goodness to your amp of choice are a pair of BurstBucker pickups, Gibson’s most accurate PAF recreations to date. It’s all anchored with the rock-solid pairing of a Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece, and topped with a set of vintage Kluson-style green-button tuners. And with a guitar that sounds and feels this good, you want it to look perfect, too.

To get the Don Felder “Hotel California” 1959 Les Paul just right, Gibson Custom has painstakingly formulated a unique “Felder Burst” finish, which accurately matches the mellowed, sand-hued fade of Felder’s own ’59 ‘Burst. Reproduced in nitrocellulose in a hand-executed process that involves several steps, the results are then treated to either meticulous hand-aging by Gibson Custom (150 guitars, 50 of which also will be signed by Don Felder), or Gibson Custom’s acclaimed VOS process (150 guitars).

All told, it’s a guitar worthy of its namesakes: one of the greatest guitar albums of all time, and player who laid down the leads that helped to make it so. All guitars come with a black, plush-lined Gibson Custom hardshell case, a Certificate of Authenticity, and full owner’s manual and adjustment literature. Each also is covered by Gibson’s Limited Lifetime Warranty and 24/7/365 Customer Service.

VOS – Felder Burst – $10,351msrp
Aged – Felder Burst – $14,115 msrp
Aged/Signed – Felder Burst – $17,645 msrp

Rock Hall of Famer Bruce Springsteen strummed his guitar last week alongside a New Jersey couple as the lovebirds posed for engagement photos on a beachfront bench. Ed Dwyer and Jennifer Smith of Brick were walking with their photographer on the Manasquan, N.J., inlet when they spotted the Boss enjoying the last day of summer.

Dwyer, 32, was toting a guitar – which soon wound up in Springsteen’s hands.”I figured if five people are hanging out and one of them is Bruce, he should have the guitar,” Dwyer told the Asbury Park Press. “So I passed it to him.”

As Springsteen played and chatted with the couple, photographer Kella MacPhee snapped away. A clearly delighted Smith was captured smiling between her boyfriend and the Boss. Springsteen, barefoot and sporting sunglasses, “was real laid back and chill,” Dwyer said. The Sept. 20 session was over in minutes, a permanent memento of a glorious day for Dwyer and his 26-year-old fiancee.

The couple’s wedding date is set for Oct. 23, where the pair expects the DJ to liven up the reception with some Springsteen – on CD.

Here is a funny video from Zac Wylde. Check it out, I thought it was pretty funny!

Ever since the early 1980′s, Yngwie has been pushing the limits of guitar, and influencing countless other players in the process. And he continues to rock to this day. He has a new forthcoming album, Relentless, which is the highly anticipated follow-up to 2008′s critically acclaimed Perpetual Flame (Yngwie’s first album for Rising Force Records). The album is the second to feature ex-Judas Priest and Iced Earth singer Tim “Ripper” Owens, and has over 60 minutes of incredibly complex, kick ass arrangements.

I am sure this album will be worth checking out as Yngwie is still a great guitar player. I know that I will be picking up this CD!

“This title truly is the right one for this album, explains Yngwie. “I mean, after all these years, some kind of force is driving me to create something that totally surpasses everything I’ve done before. I tried to capture the raw energy of a live performance, yet push myself to the most demanding level of playing and composing to harness that elusive magic that can’t just be switched on. All the way out, caution to the wind, but disciplined performances was what I went for. Maybe I did it too, check it out!”

Confirmed song titles for Relentless include “Relentless,” “Look At You Now,” “Shot Across the Bow,” “Adagio B Minor Variation,” “Caged Animal,” “Critical Mass,” “Into Valhalla,” “Enemy Within,” and “Caprici Di Inferno.”

Bursting onto the scene with such classic releases as 1984′s ‘Rising Force,’ 1985′s ‘Marching Out,’ and 1986′s ‘Trilogy,’ Yngwie instantly made a name for himself, by recreating the spirit of celebrated composer/musician Niccolò Paganini, but within the realm of heavy metal guitar.

Soon, countless other guitarists were copying Yngwie’s style…but there is simply only one Yngwie. Yngwie’s career continued to thrive throughout the world, including such additional triumphs as his totally classical work for orchestra and solo electric guitar, ‘Concerto Suite,’ which proved once and for all that his classical credentials were genuine. 
Yngwie continues to receive accolades worldwide, such as recently being selected as one Time Magazine’s “Top Ten Greatest Electric Guitar Players” (amongst the stellar company of Les Paul, Jimmy Page, and Jimi Hendrix).

A respected musician among both his peers and his fans, Yngwie continues to play and compose at a level of mastery that many career musicians only dream of. Relentless is a must-have, which will appeal to all Yngwie fans and rock music fans alike. Prepare yourself for a Relentless classical metal attack!

For more information, visti www.yngwiemalmsteen.com. 

Joe is back with a new album and tour. Checkout the details:

Satriani’s 14th studio album, Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards, produced and recorded by Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Metallica) and Satriani, has recently been completed and is set for release on October 5, 2010 through Epic Records. Joe is joined once again by veteran Satriani bandmate Jeff Campitelli on drums, and newcomers, keyboardist Mike Keneally (Frank Zappa, Steve Vai) and bassist Allen Whitman (Mermen) also adding to the sound. Satriani’s classic sound is accompanied by a surprisingly rich texture of new material as well. This 11-track album’s first single “Light Years Away” is destined to be a hit, with several other high energy offerings, like “Wormhole Wizards” and “Premonition.” Satriani’s World Tour promoting Black Swans . . . will begin in this fall, kicking off on October 16 in Dublin, Ireland with the North American dates starting on December 1 in Atlanta, hitting cities such as Chicago, New York, Boston and more (a second January ‘11 leg TBA).

As a special bonus, U.S. residents can pre-order the upcoming album Black Swans and Wormhole Wizardsexclusively through Joe Satriani’s website, and receive an autographed copy of the CD, a download of the new single “Light Years Away”, and a special code allowing access to tickets for Joe Satriani’s North American tour dates before they go on sale to the public (not all North American tour dates apply to this promotion).

In 2009, Satriani joined with former Van Halen front man Sammy Hagar, former bassist Michael Anthony, and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ drummer Chad Smith, to form the stand-out rock collaboration, Chickenfoot. After a highly successful U.S. tour, their self-titled debut album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America with over 500,000 in album shipments.

Over the last two decades, Satriani has traveled the world, playing to sold-out crowds as both a headliner and as founder of the all-star “G3” guitar extravaganza. As one of the world’s most renowned instrumental artists, Satriani recorded Live in Paris: I Just Wanna Rock! in 2008 at The Grand Rex Theater in Paris, France. The live two-disc CD and DVD was released in February 2010 through Epic Records and contained such memorable songs as, “Surfing With The Alien”, “Flying in a Blue Dream”, along with recent hits like “Super Colossal” and “I Just Wanna Rock.” Of his many solo albums, two have gone platinum and four others went gold, with 15 Grammy nominations between them.

Special Black Swans Pre-Orders Available thru WWW.SATRIANI.COM.

JOE SATRIANI – Tour Itinerary (First Leg)
December 1 Center Stage Atlanta, GA
December 2 Pompano Beach Amphitheatre Pompano Beach, FL
December 3 House of Blues Lake Buena Vista, FL
December 4 Ruth Eckerd Hall Clearwater, FL
December 6 The Palace Theatre Greensburg, PA
December 7 Aronoff Center for the Arts Cincinnati, OH
December 8 Massey Hall Toronto, Ontario
December 9 House of Blues Boston, MA
December 10 Tower Theatre Upper Darby, PA
December 12 Metropolis Montreal, Quebec
December 13 Nokia Theatre New York, NY
December 14 Nokia Theatre New York, NY
December 15 The Music Center @ Strathmore North Bethesda, MD
December 16 Fillmore Detroit Detroit, MI
December 17 House of Blues Cleveland, OH
December 19 Chicago Theatre Chicago, IL
December 20 Uptown Theater Kansas City, MO
December 21 Historic Paramount Theatre Denver, CO
More Dates TBA

It’s not uncommon for a musician to record more work than they release. In Vai’s case, the guitarist has a digital ocean of snippets in various degrees of completion. Some are leftovers from assorted sessions, projects that were never completed, soundcheck jams, or songs that were specific to a particular venture. “There are enough lonely, unreleased notes in my world to fill an infinity shelf,” says Vai.

I am personally looking forward to hearing some of these new tracks. Vai has always been one of my favorite guitar players and I am sure these new tunes will be great!

In between composing new scores for his upcoming performance with the North Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, Vai has transformed these snippets into full, lush songs and these rarities are being released as a series of single digital downloads called VaiTunes. What really cool about this is that each release comes with a PDF booklet containing detailed notes about the creation of the song, the story behind the recording, and gear involved. The latest release from the series, “The Moon and I” evolved from a soundcheck jam in Athens, Greece in the spring of 2000. This should a great help to understand what Steve is doing to get the guitar tones and effects in these tunes!

The PDF liner notes allow the listener to follow Vai as he birthed the chord changes in Greece and subsequently watered and fertilized the song ten years later half way around the world in his Encino studio. Equally fascinating is the story of the guitar used to finish “The Moon and I.” Under unique circumstances, Vai recently purchased an original Desert Yellow Ibanez JEM 777DY guitar, a guitar he designed in 1987, from a local pawnshop and named the guitar “Moon.”

Vai plans to offer one track every month or so, each one representing a unique moment in his personal musical history. The releases can be purchased via iTunes and other digital music providers worldwide through www.vai.com/vaitunes.

Lynch Mob is getting ready to start on a summer tour in support of their current release “Smoke and Mirrors” on Frontiers Records. The band line-up for this tour consists of George Lynch, Oni Logan, Michael Devin and, Brian Tichy.

I can tell you if this tour comes to a city near you then you should check it out! The combo of George on guitar and Oni on vocals will amaze you (I have seen them in the past). They totally rock and this will be a great show you don’t want to miss!

After seventeen long years singer Oni Logan and guitar wizard George Lynch found their way back together and again show their amazing abilities in some killer new Hard Rock songs.” I would say this new record “Smoke and Mirrors”, is the record we should have put out as a follow up to “Wicked Sensation”…better late than never I guess…”, says Lynch presenting the new record.

Here is a little history in-case you don’t know anything about the Lynch Mob.

Lynch Mob was formed by George Lynch, one of the few genuine guitar heroes of substance to emerge from the Los Angeles scene, after DOKKEN split up in 1989. The band’s first album” Wicked Sensation” went on to sell over 500,000 units in the US and featured the talents of singer Oni Logan, Anthony Esposito on bass and another former DOKKEN member Mick Brown on drums.

After a tour in support of Queensryche, Logan opted out, with Robert Mason taking his place on the follow up self titled release. However Lynch and Brown eventually returned to Dokken releasing 2 studio albums until he left again in late 1997 putting together a several new incarnations of Lynch Mob and exploring new sounds with different projects.

For more, go to georgelynch.com.

Buddy Guy will perform at the 2010 Blues Music Awards, May 6 in Memphis, Bonnie Raitt will present Guy with the Blues Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Bonnie will also be inducted to the Blues Hall of Fame on May 6th.

More than 25 nominees scheduled to perform at the event including Tommy Castro, Rick Estrin, Louisiana Red, Duke Robillard, Super Chikan, and Joe Louis Walker.

The Blues Foundation is Memphis-based organization dedicated to preserving blues-music history, celebrating recording and performance excellence, supporting blues education and ensuring the future of this uniquely American art form.

Founded in 1980, the Foundation has 3,500 members and 185 affiliated blues societies representing another 50,000 fans and professionals around the world.

Its HART Fund provides the blues community with medical assistance while its Sound Healthcare program offers musicians health insurance access. The Blues Foundation’s Blues in the Schools programs and Generation Blues scholarships expose new generations to blues music. For more info visit blues.org.