While it’s nothing new to find 12-, 13- and 14-year-old guitarists on YouTube who make us adults feel like, well, lame-o guitar players, we thought you’d appreciate this newly posted (May 20) video of 14-year-old “Tina” playing a convincing cover of Eddie Van Halen’s “Eruption” solo.
In terms of extra info, all we know is that Tina was taught by Renaud Louis-Servais, who also filmed the video. She’s playing a Vigier Excalibur Custom guitar.
Enjoy! And start practicing!
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EHX has created a convenient, secure way to mount any of their innovative Next Step Effects pedals to a pedalboard.
The new Pedalboard Cradle is custom-designed of a lightweight, durable polymer.
Measuring 8.875 x 4.375 x 0.625 inches, it adheres to a pedalboard with hook and loop fastener and the pedal rocks freely and securely within the cradle. When the musician is ready to pack up their pedalboard, a security strap locks down the Next Step Effect for transport.
The Electro-Harmonix line of Next Step Effects consists of the Crying Tone Wah, Expression Pedal, Pan Pedal, Talking Pedal and Volume Pedal. More information on these products can be found at ehx.com.
The Pedalboard Cradle carries a US List Price of $16.96.
Keyboardist Ray Manzarek, a founding member of the Doors, died Monday (May 20) in Rosenheim, Germany, where he was being treated for bile duct cancer. He was 74.
Manzarek is best known for his work with the Doors, who formed in 1965 when Manzarek had a chance encounter in Venice Beach, California, with poet Jim Morrison, whom he had met earlier when they were students at UCLA.
The Doors went on to become one of the most controversial American rock acts of the 1960s, selling more than 100 million albums worldwide and receiving 19 Gold, 14 Platinum and five multi-Platinum albums in the US alone. “L.A.Woman,” “Break On Through (to the Other Side),” “The End,” “Hello, I Love You” and “Light My Fire” were just some of the band’s iconic and ground-breaking songs.
After Morrison’s death in 1971, Manzarek went on to become a best-selling author and a Grammy-nominated recording artist in his own right. His memoir, Light My Fire: My Life with The Doors, was published in 1998. In 2002, he revitalized his touring career with Doors’ guitarist and long-time collaborator, Robby Krieger.
“I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today,” Krieger said on the band’s Facebook page. “I’m just glad to have been able to have played Doors songs with him for the last decade. Ray was a huge part of my life and I will always miss him.”
“When I first met [futureusgalleryRay], he was the ‘big man on campus’ at the UCLA film school,” Krieger told Guitar World (Read the full interview here). “In fact, our first gig as a band was to provide music for one of his student films. Afterwards Ray got up in front of an auditorium full of people and gave a speech. I remember it well, because he had them in the palm of his hand. He was down-right mesmerizing. He was a major character, but Jim kind of kept him in his place. Jim was so out there that Ray’s personality was overwhelmed — which, oddly enough, created a good balance.”
Manzarek was born Raymond Daniel Manczarek Jr. on February 12, 1939, in Chicago. He took private piano lessons as a child but chose basketball over music at an early age. When he was 16, his coach insisted either he play guard or stop playing basketball, so Manzarek quit the team.
In the early ’60s, he studied in the Department of Cinematography at UCLA, where he met Morrison, a film student. Forty days after finishing film school, Manzarek and Morrison met by chance on Venice Beach. Morrison said he had written some songs, and Manzarek said he wanted to hear them, so Morrison sang a rough version of “Moonlight Drive,” which the band would eventually record. Manzarek liked the songs and co-founded the Doors with Morrison on the spot.
Manzarek met drummer John Densmore and Krieger at a Transcendental Meditation lecture. Densmore says, “There wouldn’t be any Doors without [futureusgallerythe] Maharishi.”
Manzarek is survived by his wife, Dorothy; brothers Rick and James Manczarek, son Pablo Manzarek, Pablo’s wife Sharmin and their three children Noah, Apollo and Camille. Funeral arrangements are pending. The family asks that their privacy be respected at this difficult time. In lieu of flowers, please make a memoriam donation in Ray Manzarek’s name at standup2cancer.org.
The Door’s Robby Krieger discusses “L.A. Woman” and working with Ray Manzarek
“I’ve always considered this the quintessential Doors song. It’s just magical to me, and the way it came about was fantastic. We just started playing and Jim started coming up with those words, and it just poured forth. Jim was sitting in the bathroom, which we were using as an ISO booth, singing. I don’t know how he came up with that whole concept on the spot like that, but he did. You would think that would have been a poem that he had written before, as many of our songs were, but it’s not. That was just written on the spot.
“It’s very natural and sums up a lot of our best qualities. All the interplay with Ray just happened. We really understood each other at that point. We could anticipate where one another were headed and just play.”
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A rare Vox guitar played by John Lennon and George Harrison sold for $408,000 Saturday, May 18, in New York City.
The guitar, which was auctioned by Julien’s Auctions at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square, brought in considerably more than its pre-sale estimate of $200,000 to $300,000.
The striking custom guitar has a special place in Beatles history. It was built by Mike Bennett with electronics by Dickey Denney of Vox in 1966 and presented to the group the following year while they were at work on Magical Mystery Tour. Harrison played the guitar while practicing “I Am the Walrus” during the Magical Mystery Tour sessions, and Lennon used it while recording a video session for the song “Hello, Goodbye” from the same period.
Lennon later gifted the guitar to Beatles pal “Magic Alex” Mardas, whom the Beatles had hired to design their Apple Studio in Savile Row. A plaque on the back of the guitar reads “To Magic Alex / Alexi thank you for been a friend / 2-5-1967 John.” Mardas says the date is a reference to his 25th birthday, which preceded the date on which he received the guitar.
The guitar is notable for its unique scroll design. It features a mahogany hollow body with a single f-hole, a 24-fret rosewood fretboard with rectangular inlays, and electronics that include six pushbuttons for treble, bass, top boost, mid-boost, fuzz and repeat. The headstock is labeled “Vox Custom.” Though the guitar was not originally designed as part of the Vox Kensington line, it has since become known as such.
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Not that anyone can blame him, but Jeff Beck really seems to enjoy recording and performing with female musicians.
It was recently announced that Beck, 68, will be featured on a track on LeAnn Rimes’ upcoming album, Spitfire, which will be released June 4.
The song, a cover of Buddy and Julie Miller’s “Gasoline and Matches,” also will feature Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas on vocals. Other guests on the album include Alison Krauss and Dan Tyminski.
Since I’m a Beck completist — someone who buys every available recording featuring Beck’s guitar work (It’s a disease) — I guess I’ll be downloading a LeAnn Rimes song on June 4, something I honestly didn’t see coming.
However, this collaboration shouldn’t come as a complete surprise. In recent years, Beck has appeared on albums by Cyndi Lauper, Joss Stone and Beth Hart (pictured above), to name just a few. And, of course, he’s recorded and/or performed with Imelda May, Olivia Safe, Tal Wilkenfeld, Rhonda Smith, Jennifer Batten, etc.
Here are a few examples of Beck’s recent work with the ladies:
… with Tal Wilkenfeld …
… with Joss Stone …
… with Rhonda Smith …
… with Jennifer Batten …
… with Beth Hart …
… with Imelda May …
… with Joss Stone again …
… with Imelda May again …
… with Cyndi Lauper …
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At 1 p.m. EST today (May 17), Deep Purple premiered the music video for “Vincent Price,” a track off their new album, Now What?!, which was released April 30 in North America via Ear Music. The “Vincent Price” clip, which you can watch below, represents the band’s first music video in more than 20 years.
The song will be released on June 7 as a download, CD single and 7-inch transparent vinyl. Here’s what you’ll get with each configuration:
7-inch single: “Vincent Price” / “First Sign Of Madness” (2013 non-album track)
CD single/digital download: “Vincent Price” / “First Sign Of Madness” (2013 non-album track) / “The Well Dressed Guitar” (from Rapture Of The Deep limited-edition CD) / “Wrong Man” (Live) (from Rapture Of The Deep limited-edition CD) / The “Vincent Price” video.
Steve Morse’s guitar solo on “Vincent Price” begins at around the 2:50 mark. The band is rounded out by Roger Glover on bass, Ian Paice on drums, Ian Gillan on vocals and Don Airey on keyboards.
Ah, yes. Vincent Price!
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Dunlop Manufacturing, in partnership with Guitar Center, has announced the new MXR Prime Distortion pedal.
It is available exclusively at Guitar Center stores, Guitar Center online and Musicians Friend online. This new pedal will be available for purchase on May 22.
The new MXR Prime Distortion conjures vintage hard clipping that’s raw, powerful and highly responsive to the guitar player’s attack. With its classic Output, Tone and Distortion control setup, this pedal’s huge, articulate sound is easy to dial in. The Prime Distortion packs a huge punch when you dig in, but it also cleans up when you pull back.
This 100 percent analog distortion uses low-noise op amps, so you don’t get any extra noise when the gain levels soar.
Features:
• Responsive to attack
• Output, Tone and Distortion controls
• Low noise op amps
• 100 percent analog
• Street price: $49.99.
For more about Dunlop’s MXR pedals, head to jimdunlop.com/products/electronics/mxr.
Here are two new videos that demo the MXR Prime Distortion pedal:
TAL
Jackson Guitar w/ EMG active humbuckers + M69 Prime Distortion + LAVA Vintage Coil cables + Marshall Super Lead (100w) and 4-12 slant cabinet. Recorded with Heil PR30 and Royer 101 microphones. Performance: Tal Morris. Executive Producer: Jimmy Dunlop.
JAMES
Fender Telecaster + M69 Prime Distortion + LAVA Vintage Tweed cables + Carr “Impala” amplifier (6L6, 40w); Recorded with Heil PR30 and Royer 101 microphones. Performance: James Deprato. Executive Producer: Jimmy Dunlop.
Today, GuitarAficionado.com presents the premiere of “The Moon Is Shining (Somewhere Over the Sea),” a new track by Ritchie Blackmore’s band, Blackmore’s Night.
The song is from the band’s new album, Dancer and the Moon, which will be released June 11 by Frontiers Records.
Good news for Blackmore fans: Dancer and the Moon, the band’s eighth studio album, features several instrumentals, including “Galliard” and “Carry On… Jon,” which Blackmore wrote as a tribute to the late Jon Lord of Deep Purple.
Dancer and the Moon will be released June 11 in North America and June 14 in Europe in regular CD configuration and deluxe edition in digipak, including a bonus DVD featuring a 40-minute “making of” documentary and acoustic versions of “The Spinner’s Tale”, “Somewhere Over The Sea/Moon Was Shining,” “The Ashgrove” and “Queen For A Day”.
For more information about Blackmore’s Night and Dancer and the Moon, visit blackmoresnight.com.
Dancer and the Moon Track Listing:
01. I Think It’s Going To Rain Today
02. Troika
03. The Last Leaf
04. Lady In Black
05. Minstrels In The Hall
06. The Temple Of The King
07. Dancer And The Moon
08. Galliard
09. The Ashgrove
10. Somewhere Over The Sea (The Moon Is Shining)
11. The Moon Is Shining (Somewhere Over The Sea)
12. The Spinner’s Tale
13. Carry On… Jon
The Doors are once again poised to break on through with a first-of-its-kind iPad app, The Doors, available exclusively on the App Store.
Released by Warner Music Group’s Rhino Entertainment, the app brings the band’s story to life with an unprecedented immersive experience that delves deeply into every aspect of the Doors’ career with interactive content, unpublished band images and artwork, rare videos, music and more.
The Doors was conceived and produced by Elektra Records founder and Warner Music legend Jac Holzman, who signed the Doors to the label in 1966, and Robin Hurley; along with the participation of drummer John Densmore, guitarist Robby Krieger and keyboardist Ray Manzarek, and the estate of Jim Morrison.
“The genesis of this project began with a desire to digitize the boxed set, to use new technology to improve upon a much-loved fan experience. It made total sense to choose the Doors. They have always been ‘ahead of the curve’ artists and their story is one of the great sagas in rock,” Holzman says. “Together with the band, we tell a compelling tale using materials from the Doors’ own archives and the Warner Music vault plus the hundreds of other sources we chased down — a wealth of treasures including previously unseen photos, fresh interviews, and behind the scenes insights and reflections.”
An intimate portrait of the band enjoying a drink at the Hard Rock Café — taken by legendary photographer Henry Diltz during a shoot for the Morrison Hotel album — greets visitors on the home page and guides them on a journey through the living history of one of rock’s most fascinating and incendiary groups.
The Doors app is divided into several sections, with the The Story button leading to the true centerpiece, proving endlessly intriguing for both veteran fans and new initiates with hundreds of photos, videos, and interviews. All six albums recorded by the original Doors foursome, as well as the two albums recorded later by the Doors as a trio, are spotlighted here through essays from counterculture icons including Patti Smith and Hunter S. Thompson, Doors historians such as David Fricke, Greil Marcus, and archivist David Dutkowski.
Among the other centerpieces of The Story section is a graphic novelization of the notorious Miami Incident, where Morrison was falsely accused of exposing himself during a 1969 concert. The infamous episode comes to life here through drawings by award-winning comic book artist Dean Haspiel, words by Adam Holzman (son of Jac), and rare audio of Morrison recorded during the show.
The app features more than 500 images including band photos, album art, singles, international releases and memorabilia (posters, ticket stubs, advertisements, press releases, contracts, and related correspondence).
The Doors app costs $4.99 and is available at the App Store or at this location.
Following the success of his 2011/2012 world tour celebrating the 35th anniversary of Frampton Comes Alive!, Peter Frampton is back on the road with Frampton’s Guitar Circus, which kicks off May 28.
Frampton will perform dates with Robert Cray, including Nashville, New York City and Austin. In July, Steve Lukather and Kenny Wayne Shepherd will open the show, performing in cities including San Antonio and Minneapolis. In August, Frampton will travel through Atlanta; Washington, DC; Los Angeles and more with Sonny Landreth opening the show, followed by B.B. King.
The tour will feature Frampton performing with friends, celebrated guitarists and other special guests, including Steve Cropper, Dean DeLeo (Stone Temple Pilots), Don Felder (formerly of the Eagles), Shepherd, Vince Gill, David Hidalgo (Los Lobos), Davy Knowles, Robert McGuinn, Richard Thompson, Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Vinnie Moore (UFO) and Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick).
Each night on the tour, Frampton’s set will be recorded and subsequently sold as a download. Check out the complete schedule below.
VIP ticket packages, including preferred seating and exclusive merchandise, will be available. For details, visit frampton.com.
Perter Frampton Tour Dates
*with Robert Cray
† with Sonny Landreth
‡ with Kenny Wayne Shepherd
§ with Steve Lukather
** with BB King
May 28 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium*
May 31 Hollywood, FL Seminole Hard Rock*
June 1 St. Augustine, FL St. Augustine Amphitheatre*
June 2 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall*
June 5 Grand Prairie, TX Verizon Theatre*
June 7 Austin, TX ACL Live at the Moody Theater*
June 8 Midland, TX Wagner Noel PAC*
June 9 Houston, TX Arena Theater*
June 11 St. Charles, MO Family Arena*
June 13 Windsor, ON The Colosseum at Caesars*
June 14 Rama, ON Casino Rama*
June 15 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE*
June 17 Grand Rapids, MI Meijer Gardens Amphitheater*
June 19 Indianapolis, IN The Lawn at White River State*
June 20 Columbus, OH The LC Pavilion*
June 22 Cleveland, OH Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica*
June 23 Huntington, NY The Paramount*
June 24 Lancaster, PA American Music Theater*
June 27 New York, NY Beacon Theater*
June 28 Rochester, NY Rochester Jazz Festival*
June 30 Webster, MA Indian Ranch†
July 10 Glen Allen, VA Innsbrook Pavilion‡
July 13 Durant, OK Choctaw Events Center§
July 14 San Antonio, TX Majestic Theater‡
July 16 Corpus Christi, TX American Bank Theater§
July 19 Quapaw, OK Downstream Casino§
July 20 Dubuque, IA Diamond Jo Casino§
July 21 Minneapolis, MN State Theater‡
July 23 Beaver Creek, CO Vilar Performing Arts Center
July 26 Airway Heights, WA Northern Quest Casino‡
July 27 Manson, WA Mill Bay Casino
July 28 Marysville, WA Tulalip Resort Casino‡
August 5 Bethlehem, PA Musikfest
August 7 Simsbury, CT PAC – Simsbury Meadows†
August 8 Baltimore, MD Pier Six Pavilion†**
August 10 Atlantic City, NJ Trump Taj Mahal†**
August 11 Vienna, VA Filene Center**
August 13 Alpharetta, GA Verizon Wireless Amphitheater†**
August 14 Cincinnati, OH PNC Pavilion at Riverbend†**
August 16 Aurora, IL RiverEdge Park†**
August 17 Council Bluffs, IA Harrah’s Hotel & Casino†**
August 18 Kansas City, MO Kauffman Center†**
August 20 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheater†**
August 21 Albuquerque, NM Route 66 Casino†**
August 23 Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas Hotel & Casino**
August 24 Los Angeles, CA The Greek Theatre†**
August 25 San Diego, CA Civic Theatre†**
August 28 Saratoga, CA Mountain Winery**
August 30 Lincoln, CA Thunder Valley Casino Resort**
August 31 Paso Robles, CA Vina Robles Amphitheater†**