The Guitar Channel

Video: Steve Morse Interview - NAMM 2012

A cool interview with Steve Morse at the 2012 Winter NAMM show, courtesy of Musicianews.com

Video: Mike Miller at NAMM

The always great Mike Miller jamming at the TC Electronic booth at NAMM this year with bassist Max Bennett.

Allan Holdsworth to perform with Zappa Plays Zappa

NEWS FLASH: Allan Holdsworth will be performing with Zappa Playa Zappa at the following two shows next month in Southern California.

Feb 14, 2012 at 07:00 PM  House of Blues - Anaheim, CA (Tickets)

Feb 19, 2012 at 07:00 PM Canyon Club -  Agoura Hills, CA (Tickets)

Photos and Mini-Review: OHM & Polcat - Live at Alva's 1/20/12

One of the highlights of my recent NAMM trip was seeing the double bill of OHM and Polcat  - which both feature Chris Poland on guitar - at Alva's in San Pedro CA on Friday, January 20th. Though I've seen OHM several times, I was particularly interested in this gig as it was my first time seeing the band with drummer David Eagle, who was really great. The band was ferocious as always; super intense from start to finish. Bassist Robert 'Pag' Pagliari also had a fantastic solo spot, and Poland's playing and killer tones seem to get better every time I see him.

Second on the bill was the first-ever live performace by Polcat, which made it a real treat to see. Their debut album should be released soon (you can pre-order and listen to samples here), and I can tell you the material is way-cool. Led by Poland and sax phenom Frank Catalano, Polcat's music is a funky mix of jazz and rock that reminded me at times of the legendary New York fusion band Lost Tribe. I was very curious to see how Poland would fit in with a band like this, and came away with the impression that his input is the 'secret sauce' that gives the group it's unique vibe, or at least contributes greatly to it. Poland's quirky, often 'outside,' harmonic sense lends a distinctive sound to the band that it wouldn't have with any other guitarist. Polcat also features bassist Sean O'Bryan Smith and drummer Jim Gifford - both monster players. I was seriously digging O'Bryan's flanged tone and Gifford's work on such a minimal kit. Can't wait to hear the album. Follow the link below for my photos from this great night.

Photos: OHM & Polcat - Live at Alva's 1/20/12

 

UPDATE: The Polcat album is currently available through iTunes.

Video: Gary Husband - Dirty and Beautiful Album Story

Gary Husband discusses his new album Dirty and Beautiful Volume 2 coming February 21st from Abstract Logix. Guests include Allan Holdsworth, John McLaughlin, Wayne Krantz, Alex Machacek, Jimmy Herring, Mike Stern, and Robin Trower among others.

Video: Polcat - Live at Alva's 1/20/12

Some cool footage of Polcat at Alva's Showroom on 1/20/12. With Chris Poland on guitar, Frank Catalano on sax, Sean O'Bryan Smith on bass, and Jim Gifford on drums. I was in attendance for this show. What a killer band. Look for my photos soon.

Video: OHM - "Where's My Hat" Live at Alva's 1/20/12

Here's a short video I shot of OHM at Alva's Showroom on 1/20/12. Chris Poland - guitar, Robert Pagliari - bass, David Eagle - drums. Sorry for the focus issues.

Winter NAMM 2012: Final Wrap-Up

Day Three, Saturday, was my final day at NAMM this year. It's also the day I saw what proved to be my favorite gear of the entire show - the Yamaha THR stereo practice amps. Rated at 10watts, the THRs utilize amp-modeling and built-in effects to generate a wide variety of tones that all sound awesome. The two models, the THR5 and THR10, are essentially the same, though the THR10 offers a few more amp models and the ability the save up to 5 user presets. I played through one of the THR10s with a Yamaha SBG, and was blown away by the thick, tube-like tone, and the validity of the built-in effects. Other features include a USB post, and bundled Cubase software for home recording. Plus, they just look cool. Pricing appears to be in the $300-$500 range. I think I need to have one.

Saturday was also loaded with numerous celebrities and monster players. Allan Holdsworth, Joe Satriani,  Steve Morse and many other big-name musicians made appearances, causing foot-traffic jams at nearly every turn. I had a great time watching Dean Brown play at the MI booth, Matt Garrison jamming with Hadrian Feraud, Carl Verheyen and Steve Trovato tearing it up at LSL, and several other on-floor performances. I also met one of my fusion heros, violin legend Jerry Goodman (he looks ornery in the picture I took, but he couldn't have been a nicer guy).

Saturday night I was lucky enough to attend the epic Ernie Ball 50th Anniversary party - an amazing way to cap off a great trip (more on this all-star event later). All-in-all, it was another fantastic NAMM show packed with cool gear and incredible players. Look for my full photo gallery soon.

More pics from NAMM 2012:

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:

Winter NAMM 2012: Day One

I'm getting ready to tackle day two of the 2012 Winter NAMM show, but before I do, here is some of the coolest stuff I saw on day one. Carvin recently announced their new line of Allan Holdsworth HH Series guitars, and these were easily some of the best instruments I saw all day. These things feel rock solid, yet are surprisingly light due to their chambered, semi-hollow bodies. The set-necks are super smooth, making for easy access to the upper frets. The Carvin rep told me that Holdsworth came down to the factory the day the first prototype was complete, and loved it so much he took it home and used it exclusively on his next string of live dates. FYI - The man himself is scheduled to appear at the Carvin booth on Saturday.

I also found the EVH Wolfgang line to be quite impressive. The Wolfgang Custom model I tried out was built like an absolute tank. In contrast to the Holdsworth Carvins, this thing weighed a metric ton, and had a similar feel to a Yamaha SBG IMO. The guitar has a loud sound that projects when you play it unplugged; a good sign. Definitely a rock-solid axe.

The Orange OPC has been around awhile, but I checked one out yesterday for the first time and was really blown away. This cool piece of gear is essentially a computer and amp rolled into one unit. It's loaded with amp modeling and multi-track recording software, a DVD burner, USB and video outputs, the works. It can be used as regular amp if you like, though all of the sounds are produced through the amp emulation settings, courtesy of the built-in AmpliTube 3 application. Easily one of the hippest home studio solutions I've yet seen.

More pics from NAMM 2012 Day One:

 

Photos and Mini-Review: CAB with Alex Machacek - Live at The Baked Potato 1/18/12

I arrived in Southern California yesterday for the NAMM show, and after a looong travel day headed up to the Baked Potato to catch CAB's first set. Their lineup for this gig included band founder Bunny Brunel on bass, Alex Machacek on guitar, Dennis Hamm on keys, Virgil Donati on drums, and special guest Jeff Grossberg on harmonica. Machacek (who was filling in for CAB's regular guitarist Tony MacAlpine) was particularly impressive; his outside lines and whammy inflections added a cool dimension to the band. Another treat was hearing Grossberg sit in on harmonica for a burning take on Brunel's "Ivanhoe." This guy was amazing! I consider CAB to be one of the best of the modern fusion bands, and it was great to finally see them live after admiring them from afar for so long. Follow the link below for my photos of the gig.

Photos: CAB with Alex Machacek - Live at The Baked Potato 1/18/12

Heading to NAMM

I'm leaving for the 2012 Winter NAMM show today. I'll be there for the first three days checking out as much cool gear as possible, and taking in some of the great gigs around town. Updates and pics will be posted here on the site, and also through my Twitter feed and The Guitar Channel Facebook page. Stay tuned!