The Guitar Channel

Paul Gilbert interview with Guitar Jam Daily

In other Paul Gilbert news, Guitar Jam Daily has posted part 1 of an interview with Paul for their Jamcast series. Topics of discussion include Paul's early influences. Check it out!

Artist Interview: Paul Gilbert on The Jamcast - Session I 

New Paul Gilbert instructional DVD on the way

CDJapan has a listing for a Paul Gilbert Silence Followed by a Deafening Roar instructional DVD, with what appears to be a bonus DVD entitled Shred Annex. It's a region 2 DVD (Japan, Europe, Middle East, and South Africa only) with a release date of 6/25/08. Gilbert's previous instructional DVD for Get Out of My Yard eventually had a US release, so I imagine this one will also.

Paul Gilbert/Silence Followed By A Deafening Roar Guitar Instructional DVD And Shred Annex DVD

Greg Howe posts new track on MySpace

Greg Howe has posted a song from his upcoming album Sound Proof on his MySpace page. It's a cool instrumental cover of the funk classic "Tell Me Something Good." The highly anticipated Sound Proof will be released on June 24th. 

MySpace: Greg Howe

Paul Gilbert clinic tour of Italy

Following his UK tour with Joe Satriani, Paul Gilbert will embark on a 12 date clinic tour of Italy. Here are the dates and locations, along with contact info for the venues:

May 26th - Firenze - Modern Music Institute - info: info@mircodimitrio.it
May 27th - Ellera di Corciano (PG) - STIX DRUM CENTER AND MUSIC SCHOOL-PERUGIA. - info:  mmiperugia@gmail.com
May 28th - Mareno di Piave (TV) - Inverness Pub - info:  balliananicola@hotmail.com info@williamdotto.com
May 29th - Albignasego (PD) - Sweet Basil - info: info@sweetbasil.it
May 31st - Bedizzole (BS) - 3X  - info:misolidio.snc@libero.it
June 1st - Parma - Modern Music Institute - info: mmi.parma@gmail.com
June 2nd - Sansepolcro (AR) - Tedamis - info: info@tedamis.it
June 3rd - La Spezia - Centro Culturale Dialma Ruggiero - info:  gianluca.cagnoli@libero.it
June 4th - Montegranaro (AP) - Modern Music Institute - info:  mmimontegranaro@libero.it
June 5th - Roccaforzata (TA) - Go West Saloon - info: ciccionigro@libero.it
June 6th - S. Maria a Vico (CE) - Associazione Fa Re Musica - info:  info@ciromanna.com
June 8th - Milano - Guitar Day - info: guitarday@hotmail.it

Phil Keaggy on The Jamcast - Session 5

Guitar Jam Daily has posted part 5 of their Jamcast interview with Phil Keaggy. Phil talks about other musicians he'd like to work with, his advice for new artists, and much more.

Artist Interview: Phil Keaggy on The Jamcast - Session 5

Early OHM video - "Machine Gun"

This little gem just popped up on YouTube. This is Chris Poland's band OHM playing the Hendrix classic "Machine Gun" at one of their early shows in the Tone Merchants Tone Mecca room. OHM has a new album in the works. I'll post more details when they become available.

Hadrien Feraud breaks finger, will miss part of McLaughlin tour

NEWS FLASH: Bassist Hadrien Feraud has broken a finger on his right hand. As a result, he will not be playing with John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension when their tour starts tomorrow in Monaco. I've read that Dominique DiPiazza will fill in on bass, until Feraud can rejoin the tour in late May.

Great John McLaughlin interview at Jazz.com

Jazz.com has a wonderful interview up with John McLaughlin. Conducted by Walter Kolosky (author of Power, Passion and Beauty: The Story of the Legendary Mahavishnu Orchestra), many topics are covered including McLaughlin's new CD Floating Point (look for my review soon), and it's "Making Of" DVD Meeting of the Minds.

Jazz.com: In Conversation with John McLaughlin

Review: Chris Buck - Progasaurus

LA-based session musician Chris Buck has brought together some of the biggest names in prog-fusion for his new album Progasaurus (Early Boy Records). A largely vocal album (there is one instrumental), Progasaurus has elements that will appeal to both old-school and new-school progressive rock fans. One look at the album's personnel should give you a clue about what you are in for - Derek Sherinian (Planet X, Billy Idol) plays keyboards, the drumming duties are split between Virgil Donati (Planet X, Devil's Slingshot, CAB) and Brian Tichy (Derek Sherinian, Billy Idol), and Brett Garsed (Uncle Moe's Space Ranch, Dirty Martini, Planet X) plays guitar on every track except "Kanines," which features Allan Holdsworth. Buck wrote the majority of the tracks (there is one cover), handles all bass and vocals, and plays some rhythm guitar. 

One would assume a strong Planet X-vibe would be present on Progasaurus, given the musicians Buck has enlisted here. There's certainly some truth to that, but Buck's writing and vocals is the X-factor (so to speak) that keeps the album from being a Planet X clone. As a vocalist, Buck has a definite Brad Delp-meets-Steve Walsh quality. This, coupled with his writing style, adds a certain classic rock/'70s prog flavor to the proceedings. Buck is also a great bass player, but surprisingly he only takes two solos on the album. Songwriting is obviously Buck's main focus on this project, but after hearing his great slap-solo on the album's second track "Imprint," I was hoping his bass work would be more prominently-featured than it ultimately is. That said, this is a prog-rock album after all, and as such there are some pretty complex parts in these songs for every instrument, including the bass. 

Stylistically, Progasaurus features lots of heavy doubled riffs, odd time signatures,  and crazy solos. In other words, this material is right up Derek Sherinian's alley. His contributions have a huge impact here. The solos he takes on the final two tracks, "Progasaurus," and "Inside/Outside," are particularly impressive. Donati and Tichy turn in great performances as well, especially on the odd time stuff.

Also, this album is further proof that Brett Garsed is one of the top guitarists on the rock/fusion scene today. One of Garsed's great strengths is his chameleon-like ability to fit in perfectly in any musical situation. For example - compare and contrast his subtle slide work on the ballad "La Mere En Douler," with his complex lines on "Imprint," or his bluesy inflections on the straight-up rocker "The Gator." Who else but Garsed could wear all these hats so convincingly? To me, his range as a player is at least as impressive as his signature hybrid-picking technique. Garsed stands out on numerous other songs as well, including "Inside/Outside," the instrumental title track, and the Jimi Hendrix cover "Up From The Skies."

Another player on Progasaurus that is sure to generate some interest is, of course, Allan Holdsworth. "Kanines" is the only track the legendary guitarist appears on, but any output from this icon is a welcome treat, and he does not disappoint here. Holdsworth takes two great solos on this tune - first, in the very interesting main solo section over alternating segments of 7/4 and 5/4, and again at the end over the song's primary 4/4 groove. As always, his tone is gorgeous, his phrases are strong, and his fast runs are baffling.

Buck definitely knows what he's doing when it come to writing this type of material. While any prog fan would enjoy these songs, regardless of who was playing on them, the fact that Progasaurus features such an impressive group of musicians really sweetens the pot.

Chris Buck - Progasaurus (Early Boy Records)

Tracklisting:
1. One Squared
2. Imprint
3. La Mere En Douler
4. Kanines
5. Ende Von Tagen
6. Up From The Skies
7. The Gator
8. Progasaurus
9. Inside/Outside

Rich

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Virgil Donati video with Alex Machacek

Here is some official video of the Virgil Donati Band at the Baked Potato last Saturday with Alex Machacek on guitar. This video mainly focuses on Donati's drumming, but there's some great Machacek stuff in here as well. Mitch Forman is on keys, and Rufus Philpot is on bass. Here are Donati's comments on the gig from his website:

It was a great feeling to be back on stage with my band after such a long time. This music takes exceptionally talented players to pull off, and I extend gratitude to my collegues who joined me on stage last night. The video highlights include parts of Thinking Stone, and Iceland. When I find some more time, I will upload further highlights, (sometime between now and the next gig). Here is a set list of the music we played:

Set 1
Desert Girl
Mind Over
The Thinking Of Stones
Iceland
Actual Proof
Donna Lee
Kymera

Set 2
The User
Nothing Personal
Kingdom Of Dreams
Alien Hip Hop
Proto Cosmos

Allan Holdsworth - Carvin DVD clip

Allan Holdsworth talks about his Carvin HF2 Fatboy guitar. This clip is taken from the free Carvin DVD available at http://www.carvin.com/dvd.

Greg Howe announces GH Workshops

Kudos to Laurie at Truth In Shredding for spotting this one: This summer, Greg Howe will launch a new instructional site called GH Workshops. The site is not live yet, but the URL will be http://www.ghworkshops.com/. Check out the trailer above for more info.

William Stravato to play with Guthrie Govan in Italy

Attention Italian guitar fans! William Stravato has a gig on May 19th at Alpheus in Rome, that will include special guest Guthrie Govan.

New George Lynch instructional videos produced by Prashant Aswani

Prashant Aswani has produced two new George Lynch instructional videos for Hal Leonard; Wicked Riffs and Scary Licks. No info on release dates yet, but I'll post them when they become available. Look for Aswani's new album Time sometime this summer.

John Petrucci clinic dates

Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci has posted the following clinic dates on his site:

May 13th Make N Music - 3:00pm
1455 west Hubbard street
Chicago, IL 60622
312-455-1970

May 18th Parkway Music - 3:00pm
1602 ROUTE 9
Clifton Park, NY 12065
518-383-0300

June 1st Express Music - 3:00pm
Express Music Inc.
8900 Seminole Blvd.
Seminole, FL 33772
727-392-5922

via Truth In Shredding

Mike Stern European spring tour dates

Here are the dates for Mike Stern's spring tour of Europe. Stern's band will include Dave Weckl on drums, Tom Kennedy on bass, and Bob Franceschini on sax.

April 27, 2008
Philharmonic Hall (Green Jazz Fest)
Zielona Gora, Poland

April 28, 2008
Treibhaus
Innsbruck, Austria

April 29, 2008
Stadtcasino - Festsaal
Basel, Switzerland

April 30, 2008
Colos Saal
Aschaffenburg, Germany

May 1, 2008
Quasimodo Club
Berlin, Germany

May 3, 2008
Jazz Sous Les Pommiers
Coutances, France

May 4, 2008
Vicenza Jazz Festival
Vicenza, Italy

May 5, 2008
Altes Pfandhaus
Koln, Germany

May 6, 2008
Palladium
Malmoe, Sweden

May 7, 2008
Nefertiti
Goteborg, Sweden

May 8, 2008
TBA
Trondheim, Norway

May 9, 2008
Fasching Jazzklubb
Stockholm, Sweden

May 10, 2008
Fasching Jazzklubb
Stockholm, Sweden

May 12, 2008
Lucerna Music Bar
Prague, Czech Republic

May 13, 2008
Fabric
Ostravia, Czech Republic

May 14, 2008
House of Blues
Plzen, Czech Republic

May 16, 2008
New Morning
Paris, France

May 17, 2008
Jazz Club Minden
Minden, Germany

May 18, 2008
Free Blues Club
Szczecin, Poland

May 20, 2008
Babylon
Istanbul, Turkey

May 21, 2008
Babylon
Istanbul, Turkey

May 22, 2008
Gluck-Hauf-Halle
Dillenburg, Germany

May 23, 2008
Den Haag Jazz Fest
Den Haag, Holland

May 24, 2008
Bergen Jazz Fest
Bergen, Norway

via lucasives.com