Lynyrd Skynyrd Set to Tour with Kid Rock

Lynyrd Skynyrd Set to Tour with Kid Rock, New Album for Release Late 09 

The southern blues-rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd will be joining Kid Rock for a second year of their ‘Rock & Rebels’ Tour in June 09. The groups will be kicking off in West Palm Beach, Florida on June 26, to follow with shows in 19 other U.S. cities.

In addition to their upcoming tour, Lynyrd Skynyrd has recently signed a recording contract with Loud & Proud/Roadrunner Records to release a new album by the end of this year. The album has not yet been scheduled, but it is estimated to be out by late 2009.

Skynyrd’s last studio album ‘Vicious Cycle’ was released on May 2003; a record that no longer included the musicianship of Leon Wilkenson, who died of lung and liver disease in a Florida hotel in 2001.

Once again, the band will be recording a new album remembering fallen fellow musician, Billly Powell. Powell was a founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, songwriter and keyboardist to the band since 1972. He passed away this last January 28^th, of a heart attack – making him the 7^th member in Lynyrd Skynyrd’s history to pass on.

Nevertheless, Lynyrd Skynyrd has always went on to continue the show, determined to fulfill the wishes of their departed band-mates.

The band will be performing, along Kid Rock for 20 dates starting June 26:

Date	Location	Venue
June 26	West Palm Beach, FL	Cruzan Amphitheatre
June 27	Tampa, FL	Ford Amphitheatre
June 28	Atlanta, GA	Lakewood Amphitheatre
June 30	Houston, TX	Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
July 1	Dallas, TX	Superpages.com Center
July 7	Buffalo, NY	Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
July 8	Holmdel, NJ	PNC Bank Arts Center
July 10	Cuyahoga Falls, OH	Blossom Music Center
July 11	Indianapolis, IN	Verizon Music Center
July 12	Tinley Park, IL	First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
July 14	Pittsburg, PA	Post Gazette Pavilion
July 21	Maryland Heights, MO	Verizon Music Center
July 22	Cincinnati, OH	Riverbend Music Center
July 24	Raleigh, NC	Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek
July 25	Virginia Beach, VA	Verizon Virginia Beach Amphitheatre
July 26	Charlotte, NC	Verizon Amphitheatre Charlotte
July 29	Boston, MA	Comcast Center
July 20	Hershey, PA	Hersheypark Stadium & Star Pavilion
August 1	Washington, DC	Nissan Pavilion
August 2	New York, New York	Nikon at Jones Beach Theater

Guitar trivia

 

 v     The first successfully produced electric guitar was a hollow Rickenbacker. Charlie Christian is claimed to be the very first electric guitarist of that, an all, time.

 

 

 v     Guitar string maker and guitar-product innovator Ernie Ball, didn’t play the conventional guitar but its unusual variation, the steel. Ball was a steal worker who found more excitement in the steel and science of the instrument than in playing it himself.

 

 

 v     Lester Polkfus (a.k. a. Les Paul) is the pioneer of the development of the solid-body guitar. He designed in 1941 one of the first, a prototype named the ‘the Log’ due to its heavy, rustic dimensions.

 

 

 v     Broadcaster was the original name of the Telecaster, but since the Broadcaster name was already being used for a drum-kit, Fender was required to modify his model label.

 

 

 v     The smallest guitar measures 10 micrometers long.

 

 

Jimi Hendrix Story

Jimi Hendrix was born on November 27, 1942. Upon Hendrix’s debut in music, not only was the new genre of psychedelic guitar born but the music world was forever marked with Hendrix’s unusual, yet overly effective playing techniques.

Music Style

Jimi was known for offering the wildest shows, sometimes playing his guitar with his teeth, or behind his back. Even though he owned several left-handed guitars, Hendrix played regular, right-handed guitars that were re-strung from the regular AEDGBE to a more leftie-friendly EBGDEA.

Jimi Hendrix is claimed to have popularized the use of the wah-wah pedal upon being introduced to it by Frank Zappa in the  early mid 60’s. Later in his career the wah-wah sound became a part of Jimi’s guitar signature. The trademark Hendrix sound was boosted by overdriven amps of high-gain and high-treble, as well as classic high bends that almost jumped out of his songs. Hendrix also changed minds about the reputation of feedback, using this generally unwanted effect to add that wild dreaminess so prominent in his performances.

Jimi’s guitar abilities mainly consisted of untamed electric bluesy riffs and a left-handed faculty that captured the planet’s attention. Hendrix’s talent didn’t remain unnoticed for very long.  He was respected and praised by many guitarists shortly after his debut in music, with influences of blues and rock greats like B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Albert King and even Elvis Presley. It wasn’t long until Jimi (and his skill) fit right in to the top class of musicians that were then presided by Eric Clapton, B.B. King and Jeff Beck.

Early Days

Hendrix’s beginnings date back to the early 60’s, where he began playing with army friend Billy Cox in Fort Campbell, KT where stationed. He tried his luck out in the South by participating in various bands: from his first ‘The Velvetones”, to ‘Rocking Kings’ and the ‘King Casuals’. Jimi struggled to subsist but acquired the blues roots and experience that framed his inherent guitar skills.

Confident to climb up the music ladder, Hendrix moved to New York in 1964. Shortly he was part of the Isley Brothers, later becoming Little Richard’s band supporting guitarist.

Admired by many, Hendrix motivated special regard from fellow musician Chas Chandler of ‘The Animals’. Chandler convinced Jimi to move to  London to build on his guitar-playing career. They signed a contract together, along with Michael Jeffery that represented them as Jimi’s managers. 

The Peak Years

Soon after, The Jimi Hendrix Experience was founded with bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell. The band released their first record ‘Are you Experienced’, a blues-filled, slightly melodic album with classic Hendrix songs like “The Wind Cries Mary” and “Purple Haze”. The band’s second release was equally as popular yet more melodic in nature, offering more structure in his songs, like in the masterpiece ‘Little Wing’.
The Experience’s 3^rd album, ‘Electric Ladyland’ went beyond any of his previous works as a result of gaining total artistic control from Chas Chandler. Wilder and less restricted than his other albums, ‘Electric Ladyland’ broke many guitar rules while achieving admirable musical results.

During The Experience’s hiatus, Jimi formed ‘Gypsy Sun & Rainbows’ with old friend and bassist Bily Cox, and drummer Buddy Miles, later re-naming the group to ‘Band of Gipsies’.

Despite playing a few concerts, and even releasing a Live album It wasn’t too long after that, that the Jimi Hendrix Experience was reformed with Billy Cox and Mitch Mitchell in a mix n’ match line-up between Hendrix’s two main groups.

During the time, Jimi was facing a number of lawsuits concerning recording contracts that were signed early in his carreer. This caused him to travel back and forth between London and U.S.A;, travels that allowed him to collaborate with artists like Steve Winwood and Bob Dylan while in the US, as well as to participate in the biggest music festival of the 60’s: Woodstock.

Close to the end of his life, Jimi played the two classic concerts Live at Monterrey and Live at the Isle of Wright, both under the exclusive recommendation of Paul McCartney. These live recordings, released after Jimi’s death in 1970, are probably the most legendary performances of the guitarist ever captured on tape.

Our Goodbyes

Jimi’s last show was on September 6^th, 1970, the same day that Billy Cox quit The Jimi Hendrix Experience. He died on September 18^th, of 1970 in London. Jimi’s gravesite is located at the Greenwood Memorial Park near Seattle, Washington where he rests accompanied by the carving of a 1965 Fender Stratocaster; his favorite type of guitar.

Hendrix’s presence in music was a short lived 10 or so years, halted by his death on September 1970 due to a presumed overdose. In the short time that he was with us, he not only managed to reinvent music and the possibilities that it offers but to open the eyes, ears and minds of many.

With his music Jimi has taught the world to be wild and free spirited; to try, explore, and discover new things, to overcome the limits that cause our restrain in an, almost, prophetic approach.

 

Rest in Peace Jimi. Rest assured you’ll transcend for as long as music lives.

Black Sabbath’s Bestselling Album ‘Paranoid’ for re-Release in April

 

Black Sabbath has been deemed to be one of the heaviest, darkest bands of all time.  With more than 12 albums and a black metal dedicated line-up, the band set the bar for many metal groups that came, thereafter. Originally known as Polka Tulk and later as Earth, Black Sabbath is said to have been inspired not only by blues and metal, but also by the dark, gothic elements of 70’s horror movies.

The album Paranoid, set for re-release on April 8^th, was Black Sabbath’s second album – follow-up to their 1^st self-titled record – and second association with producer Rodger Bain. The record was released under their original line-up, Tony Iommi on guitar, Gezzer Butler on bass guitar, Bill Ward on drums and Ozzy Osbourne on vocals.

Upon release in September of 1970 in the UK, and later in the US on January of 1971, the band’s second album was everything that the fans and music critics wanted to hear. By 1995, ‘Paranoid’ had sold more than 4 million copies, acquiring a quadruple Platinum status and granting, since its release, monumental recognition to the group.

The album’s popularity was encompassed, perhaps, not only due to good music but also to the themes addressed in their tunes; a clear a representation and perception of a world in chaos prognosticated by the Vietnam War and the Cold War developing at the time. Aside from wartime references in many of their tracks, topics of mental disease and drug abuse are also exposed in many of Sabbaths songs ie.Planet Caravan, Hand of Doom, Fairies Wear Boots.

The band’s focus on the issues brought on by war was so that the album’s original title used to be ‘War Pigs’, alike the name of the album’s first track.  In an attempt to reach a broader audience and refrain from directly offending any Vietnam War advocates, the title was changed to ‘Paranoid’, also a track in the album.

The story goes the song ‘Paranoid’ was an unplanned, improvised song Black Sabbath put together as a filler for the scarcely packed release. Much to the band’s surprise, the song had become so popular that it reached #4 on the UK charts.

The bestselling album’s re-release set for April 8^th of this year will not only include the original 1970 version of the record on the 1^st disc, but also a quadraphonic mix on the 2nd disc, and original studio recordings of each track on the 3^rd one.

 

The track listing is set as follows:

Disc 1 – Original Version

1. War Pigs

2. Paranoid

3. Planet Caravan

4. Iron Man

5. Electric Funeral

6. Hand of Doom

7. Rat Salad

8. Fairies Wear Boots

Disc 2 – Quadrophonic Mix

1. War Pigs

2. Paranoid

3. Planet Caravan

4. Iron Man

5. Electric Funeral

6. Hand of Doom

7. Rat Salad

8. Fairies Wear Boots

Disc 3 – Unreleased Recordings

1. War Pigs – instrumental

2. Paranoid – alternative lyrics

3. Planet Caravan – alt. lyrics

4. Iron Man – instrumental

5. Electric Funeral – instrumental

6. Hand of Doom – instrumental

7. Rat Salad – instrumental

8. Fairies Wear Boots – inst.

 

Along with the new unreleased material, the album will also include rare photos and artwork of the band, as well as copies of the recording notes that gave place to it.

Black Sabbath toured with Ozzy Osbourne in a reunion world trek from 1997 to 2005. Osbourne was fired from the band in 1979 and later replaced by Ronnie James Dio who took over vocals until the mid 80’s.

Presumed to have changed their name to ‘Heaven & Hell’ upon reuniting with Ronnie James Dio in 2007, the band is still expected to tour under the Black Sabbath name and original line-up in a near future.

 

Happy Birthday Rory Gallagher

 

Rory Gallagher was born on March 2^nd, 1948 in Ballyshannon, Ireland. The blues rock musician sold over 30 millions records in his lifetime, and was one of the first Irish men to be recognized in the music world. His classic Sunburst Stratocaster guitar sang the blues, as it emulated a heavy metal sound that scraped the limits of the blues-rock music genres; stretching it and elevating it into the signature Gallagher sound.

 Rory Gallagher passed away on June 14^th of 1995 after a series of complications that arose following a liver transplant earlier that year.

He would be 61 today.

 In memory of Gallagher and as thank you for his legacy, the Rory Gallagher Tribute Festival is beginning today in Dublin, Ireland at RadioCity. Performers include the Dave McHugh Band, Slumming Angers, and Sham~Rock.