ZZ TOP & JEFF BECK TO KICK OFF EXTENSIVE U.S. TOUR THIS WEEK

As final preparations have been completed for this month’s launch of the much-anticipated ZZ Top/Jeff Beck Tour, ZZ Top’s Billy F Gibbons met with Jeff Beck in Los Angeles for a photo session for the cover of the next issue of Guitar World Magazine. On hand to document the guitar slingers' summit was legendary British photographer Ross Halfin, who is seen here nailing down an intimate shot of the two guitar gods immersed in “fretful” conversation. 

(MFH photo)

 

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees and mutual admirers ZZ Top and Jeff Beck who have almost a century’s worth of combined touring experience under their collective belts are less than one week away from embarking on their first ever tour together. The tour is formatted to offer a free-standing set from Jeff Beck, a free-standing set from ZZ Top and a joint performance wherein Beck joins ZZ Top for a rocking finale.

 On the heels of releasing Live At Montreux 2013 DVD/Blu-ray through Eagle Rock Entertainment and The Baddest of ZZ Top CD/2CD retrospective from Warner Bros., “that little ol’ band from Texas” will be cranking out classics such as “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Legs” and “Tush.” The lineup of Billy F Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard has been holding steady for over 44 years - an unprecedented feat in rock. 

 Jeff Beck’s touring band will consist of Grammy nominee and Flash-era vocalist Jimmy Hall (Wet Willie), bassist Rhonda Smith, drummer Jonathan Joseph, and guitarist Nicolas Meier.  

21-year-old Texas guitar prodigy Tyler Bryant has recently been announced as the opening act for the vast majority of the tour dates. Bryant already has experience as an opener for Jeff Beck, and also cut his teeth on bills with Aerosmith, Lynyrd Skynyrd, BB King, Heart, Vince Gill, and many others.

 While ZZ Top and Jeff Beck have never toured together before, this is not the first live collaboration between the two camps. Billy Gibbons joined Beck and his band on stage at the 25^th anniversary celebration of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009 at Madison Square Garden, where they performed the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s “Foxey Lady” and ZZ Top’s hit “Rough Boy” together. The following year Beck joined ZZ Top in Lucca, Italy for an extended rendition of the band’s signature piece “La Grange.”

The excitement is brewing between the musicians. Jeff Beck proclaimed, “Ever since Eliminator I thought it would be great to play with ZZ Top.”

Likewise, Billy Gibbons, who has long viewed the English fret master as a musical role model going back to his days in the Yardbirds, has declared his admiration for the man behind the platinum selling albums Blow By Blow and Wired. “We could never figure out what Beck was doing on his instrument to get those sounds, and it was that mystery that inspired us to push our own sound to the next level.” Gibbons continues, “It is an honor to be sharing the stage with the curator of crunch.”

ZZ Top with Jeff Beck Tour Itinerary: 

August 8-Ogren Park     Missoula, MT

August 9- Chateau Ste. Michelle  Woodinville, WA

August 10-Cuthbert Amphitheatre  Eugene, OR

August 12 -The Mountain Winery Saratoga, CA

August 13-Greek Amphitheatre  Los Angeles, CA

August 15-Ironstone Amphitheatre Murphys, CA

August 16-The Joint Las Vegas, NV

August 17-AVA Amphitheatre  Tucson, AZ

August 19 -Sandia Casino Albuquerque, NM

August 20-Fiddlers Green Amphitheatre Englewood, CO

August 22-Zoo Amphitheatre  Oklahoma City, OK

August 23-Starlight Theater  Kansas City, MO

August 24-Verizon Wireless Amphitheater  Maryland Heights, MO

August 27-DTE Energy Music Theatre  Clarkston, MI

August 28-Ravinia Festival  Highland Park, IL

August 29-Seneca Allegany Casino Salamanca, NY

August 30-Concert Venue @Harrah’s  Atlantic City, NJ

August 31-MGM Grand Theater @ Foxwoods  Mashantucket, CT

September 2-Blue Hills Bank Pavilion  Boston, MA

September 3-Merriweather Post Pavilion Columbia, MD *

September 4-Nikon @ Jones Beach Theater Wantagh, NY

September 6-Verizon Wireless Amphitheater  Alpharetta, GA

September 7-St. Augustine Amphitheater St. Augustine, FL

September 9-Cruzan Amphitheater West Palm Beach, FL

September 10-Midflorida Credit Union Amphitheater Tampa, FL

September 12-Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion The Woodlands, TX

September 13-Winstar Casino Thackerville, OK **

*Tyler Bryant and Gary Clark Jr. open

**ZZ Top and Jeff Beck only

Pop/Rock Review: The Beatles-U.S. Albums Box Set

Release Date: January 21, 2014

Label: Capitol

Website

When the time comes for the 100^th anniversary of The Beatles arrival in America I will be long gone, unless between now and then they invent something that will prolong life indefinitely. If they did it would be kept a secret unless we have another planet to live on besides earth. Beyond all of the hypothetical mumbo jumbo is the simplicity of another era that did not have computers and luxury items were color TVs and Cadillac’s. There was no internet, personal computers, iPads, flat screen TVs or cell phones. We had a TV with 3 channels, that’s right 3, and the movie theaters to step away from reality. I guess you could say that was our reality TV of the day was the movie theaters, both indoor and outdoor. And we had this thing called imagination that we used on a daily basis and brains that had to think and remember things without pointing and clicking to get an answer in seconds…and we had those fabulous long haired young men from Liverpool that won our hearts and ruled the airwaves of local radio stations. All you had to do was turn a knob and you were transported. It was much less complicated back then and easier to live from day to day.

I believe the iconic Fab Four (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison) will be celebrated with as much appreciation and joy as they were this year in another 50 years. We just enjoyed their 50th anniversary of arriving on these shores with a TV special and a recently released U.S. Albums box set and I would expect more of the same in the future. We have never seen the likes of this band and it is likely we never will again. What they did was historical, groundbreaking and flat out commercial genius. There is no way I could possibly be brief when discussing The Beatles, they were the fabric of the society I grew up in. As a 5 year old boy I clearly remember watching them perform on The Ed Sullivan show (in black and white) and being frustrated that I could barely hear them playing because of all the screaming girls. I was too young to be buying 45s and albums by the mop tops so I listened to my brother and sisters records who were 8 and 4 years ahead of me.

I have been writing music reviews for over 15 years now and have had the pleasure and honor of covering many great recordings. It was my turn to join in the celebration of the greatest band that ever recorded rock and pop music. They continue to influence artists all over the world and are right at the top of the heap as the most beloved performers along with Elvis, Frank Sinatra and The Rolling Stones. There certainly are others to add to that “A” list but to this music fan there was not anyone that could possibly compare for the all-around impact on culture, daily life, commercialism and popular music than The Beatles.

The Beatles paid their dues for many years and lived with very little so they could play there music and get their shot at stardom. It all broke loose once they came to the U.S. The 13 disc box set has one additional disc called The Beatles’ Story(an audio documentary), a 64 page booklet and promotional art of the day. Those extras are not part of the package I received for review however I did have digital access to all of the artwork. I was the lucky recipient of the 12 CDs which sold separately and that was just fine and dandy with me. All the CDs come packaged like an import in the cellophane fold over sticky seal top and the thin paper binder along the spine. I like that style of packaging and the fact that the CD cases are cardboard replicas of the original albums is a treat as well. 11 of the original albums are presented in mono and stereo so you get to sit through a replay of each song with a different sound. There are not a lot of bands that I could sit and listen to like that, very few in fact. I never tire of The Beatles and their songs because all of them always sound so good. I think the fact that they crafted such accessible tunes made them universal. For the older fans there are so many memories and emotional attachments to the music that you find yourself absorbing it all again and again just like you did when the album’s first came out. They will always have that magic that holds you spellbound and in an eternal time capsule. It’s a wonderful thing that is treasured by all who understand exactly what I am talking about. The inner sleeves have additional protective cellophane sleeves that fit right inside the paper sleeve so you end up having three different layers of protection for the CDs. Note that the Hey Jude and The Beatles’ Story are in stereo only. A Hard Day’s Night (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), The Beatles’ Story, Yesterday And Today, Hey Jude and the U.S. version of Revolver are presented on CD for the first time. Yesterday And Today features the original legendary “Butcher” album cover of The Beatles posing with raw meat and baby dolls. The option of a layover sticker comes with it to put over the famous cover if you find it unappetizing or repulsive. It’s a nice quality sticker and an extra that one would not expect.

I know many people including myself bought the remastered complete box set in 2009 but keep in mind that this set has many different unique aspects that the larger box set does not. Some examples besides the previously mentioned bonuses are “I Want To Hold Your Hand” track sung in German which translated to “Komm, gib mir deine Hand,” or the instrumental and orchestral versions of tracks. This current set combines some of the previously issued mono and stereo box sets into one set with several different nuances to sweeten the pie for fans and collectors alike.

From where this music fans sits you can never go wrong with The Beatles and there seems to be a lot of creativity and different versions of songs that add to the overall history of the band which in turn gives us all hours and hours of enjoyment for the rest of our lives or as long as we choose to listen. Now that is something you cannot put a price tag on. 

5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: ALL

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-Write A Music Review Founder

March 5, 2014

Review Provided By Write A Music Review

David Bowie Has More New Music In The Vault

 

By Nick DeRiso February 17, 2014 2:08 PM

by Nick DeRiso February 17, 2014 2:08 PM

Read More: David Bowie Has More New Music In The Vault | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/david-bowie-more-new-music/?trackback=tsmclip

by Nick DeRiso February 17, 2014 2:08 PM

Read More: David Bowie Has More New Music In The Vault | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/david-bowie-more-new-music/?trackback=tsmclip

After 10 years away, it’s safe to say that David Bowie had some creativity to spare. He issued a 14-track comeback album in March 2013 — and then added five more songs for an expanded edition later in the fall. And he’s not close to finished.

Tony Visconti, producer for ‘The Next Day,’ says there remain two or three additional songs from those sessions — and they’re not throwaways. In fact, he describes them as “astounding,” adding that they too may see release.

That’s big news for fans who pushed ‘The Next Day’ to gold-selling status in five countries, including the U.K. Bowie hadn’t released any new music since the ‘Heathen’ album in 2003.

“We were very excited with the reaction,” Visconti said, after accepting an honor on Bowie’s behalf at the Music Producers Guild Awards. “No one believed that David Bowie was going to make another album and so the timing was perfect, because everyone kind of gave up on him. There were rumors of bad health and rumors of retirement, and I’m laughing my head off every time I hear them. I’m in the studio with a very healthy man who has no problem writing songs: He wrote easily 30 songs for that album.”


Read More: David Bowie Has More New Music In The Vault | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/david-bowie-more-new-music/?trackback=tsmclip

BANDFUSE: ROCK LEGENDS MUSIC STORE AND FIRST DLC FEATURING JIMI HENDRIX AVAILABLE NOW

Experience Fully Playable Hendrix’s Songs “Fire” and “Love or Confusion,” Plus Hits from Boston, Yes, Incubus, and More

 

Campbell, CA — January 28, 2014 — Realta Entertainment released today its new Music Store for BandFuse: Rock Legends,the music video game designed by musicians for people who want to play music. The BandFuse: Rock Legends Music Store offers users the ability to sort, listen to, and purchase DLC songs and backing tracks for play on Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. 

The BandFuse: Rock Legends Music Store is headlined by Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire” and “Love or Confusion” from the album Are You Experienced (1967), the first two of 15 signature songs coming to the game from the legend’s catalogue. The store also features epic songs from The Offspring, Incubus, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Boston, Yes, Blues Traveler, Filter, and Pantera. An expanded library of backing tracks for players to create and record original music is also part of the DLC catalogue.  Each downloadable song comes with a music video, multi-instrument support and Lick Lab learning modules for $2.99, and each backing track is $1.99.

Only on BandFuse: Rock Legends will aspiring musicians receive the unique opportunity to learn to play like Jimi Hendrix. Gamers can now pick up a real guitar or bass and play ‘Fire’ and ‘Love or Confusion’ with fully animated tablature, five difficulty levels, including the full lead and rhythm transcriptions, and view specially selected Jimi Hendrix video footage while playing.

The new Music Store enables players to broaden their musical experience with a wealth of content packed into each DLC track. Songs are playable on guitar, bass, and vocals in single-player mode or multiplayer mode on five difficulty levels. Just like every song that comes on disc, each DLC song is also paired with a specially picked video to accompany it. BandFuse: Rock Legends’ DLC songs are fully integrated into all gameplay modes, including Lick Lab and Practice Mode.  

The first BandFuse: Rock Legends DLC tracks are:

• Jimi Hendrix           “Fire”
• Jimi Hendrix           “Love or Confusion”
• Blues Traveler        “Run-Around”
• Boston                  “Foreplay/Long Time”     
• Filter                     “Hey Man, Nice Shot”
• Incubus                 “Pardon Me”
• Lynyrd Skynyrd      “Simple Man”       
• The Offspring         “All I Want”
• Pantera                 “Cowboys From Hell”
• Yes                       “Roundabout"
•  

The first BandFuse: Rock Legends backing tracks are:

• Marcus Henderson    “Funky Canon”
• Marcus Henderson    “Jazzy Chill Groove”
• Marcus Henderson    “Backing Beats Pack 1” (Three looping drum tracks)

Reigniting the music genre with the only true multiplayer experience on console, supporting two guitars, a bass, and vocals, BandFuse: Rock Legends’stellar lineup of acclaimed talent, authentic animated tablature, and lag-free audio unleashes a full band experience for players of all skill levels. Players jam using authentic animated tablature and a fully unlocked library of 55 massive genre-jumping songs ranging from rock to metal and punk to funk. 

The platinum cast of musicians includes master guitar instructor Slash, Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society), Mike Ness (Social Distortion), Bootsy Collins (Parliament-Funkadelic), George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob), Zoltán Báthory and Jason Hook (Five Finger Death Punch), and Alexi Laiho (Children of Bodom). Later this year, Jimi Hendrix will be integrated into the game as a rock legend, which will include interviews with present day guitar greats talking about his technique and experimental style paired with archival video footage from his illustrious career.

Only Guitar Center offers the ‘BandFuse: Rock Legends Guitar Bundle’ (MSRP $179.99), the exclusive, specially-priced starter pack for players that includes a Fender Squier Bullet guitar, the BandFuse: Rock Legends video game (Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3), and a BandFuse guitar cable. A list of participating Guitar Center locations can be found HERE.

BandFuse: Rock Legends is rated T for Teen by the ESRB and is out now in North America and Japan on Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation 3 system, and is available in North America and Japan with a European release coming soon. To learn more about BandFuse: Rock Legends, please visit www.bandfuse.com/, ‘Like’ the game on Facebook, follow @BandFuse on Twitter and watch the dev team rock out on Twitch.

Wayne Kramer Set To Release New Album Lexington

Legendary Performer Supports
JailGuitar Doors USA.

Be on the “look out,” for a fantastic new jazz recording by legendary guitarist, Wayne Kramer. 

Every artist that releases an album (or single) would like to believe that what they are releasing is an “event.” In the  instance of LEXINGTONby Wayne Kramer the recording is an event and we’ll explain why. 

“LEXINGTON  could actually be a musical narrative of the second half of my adult life.” -Wayne Kramer- January 2014

Wayne Kramer is songwriter whose reputation writing music for film and television risks supplanting him as one of the world’s stellar guitarists. Wayne was a teenage greaser and leader of the MC5, widely recognized as the prototype for punk rock and heavy metal. In 1969, the MC5 released the incendiary album Kick Out The Jams on Electra Records. After Electra dropped them due to “radical antics,” they released two albums on Atlantic: Back in the USA, produced by Bruce Springsteen’s manager Jon Landau and the masterpiece High Time. Between world tours, Wayne scored Gold and The Living Theatre’s film production of Paradise Now.

Life came crashing down for the revered guitarist when he did time (1976-1978) at Lexington Federal Penitentiary for some bad decisions he made. While there, he was tutored by fellow inmate Charlie Parker’s trumpeter Red Rodney. It was Red who taught Wayne how to read music and the two formed a prison band. 

Upon release, Wayne spent many years wondering: “Why did this happen to me?” During some of those years, Wayne medicated his pain with drugs and alcohol, eventually realizing that these substances got in the way of answering the question that plagued him. Now, with a lengthy chunk of sober years, a solid career scoring music for film and television and an enviable personal life, Wayne has largely if not entirely answered the question: “Why me?” In doing so, he can face some of his demons that he encountered at a low point in his life, namely his incarceration at Lexington. 

Wayne has often stated that: “prison doesn’t change anyone’s life for the better,” yet he acknowledges that he did go to prison at a time when correctional institutions cared more about rehabilitation. Wayne has mentioned that when he played music in prison, he was in the world of music and liberated from the confines of his reality. 

Coming to terms with his past, Wayne has elected to face them head on. In 2009, Wayne co-founded JailGuitar Doors USA with his wife Margaret Saadi Kramer and British troubadour Billy Bragg. The organization provides musical instruments to inmates as a form of rehabilitation. To date, the organization has visited more than 40 prisons and donated more then 400 guitars.  

In addition to spearheading hope through Jail Guitar Doors, Wayne has (as mentioned earlier), recorded his first album in 14 years. The jazz recording is entitled: LEXINGTON. It features such jazz stalwarts as: 

Phil Ranelin- trombone

Dr. Charlie Moore- partner and collaborator

Tigran Hamasyan- piano

Buzzy Moore-tenor sax and oboe

Bob Hurst- upright bass

Eric Gardner-drums

Brock Avery-drums

Doug Lun- bass

Tracks Include:

Chasing A Fire Engine

Arc

13th Hour

Burning Freeze

The Wayne in Spain

Elvin’s Blues

Taking the Cure (V2)

Spectrum Suite

When asked about the album title, Wayne stated: “I had buried my penitentiary experience in my psyche, but after a few years of sobriety I started looking inward into how I became who I am and found that this was a turning point in my life where almost everything that I had experienced intersected — being a musician, politics, crime, ambition, art — and the effects were profound. Once I started digging. Almost at the same time I was hired to score a film for PBS on the very institution I served my sentence in. So this brought everything to the surface and it occurred to me that this could be more than a film score. That this could actually be a musical narrative of the second half of my adult life.”

Review: Jimi Hendrix-Hear My Train A Comin' (Blu ray)

The PBS special airing of Hear My Train A Comin', the story of Jimi Hendrix, is now available on DVD and Blu-ray. For the music fan that needs an introduction to the man’s legacy or the total fanatic, this can be an eye opening excursion inside the life and mind of the legendary performer and musical genius. You will get the scoop through the recollections of close friends, fellow musicians, producers, managers and family members.

For this fan the Blu-ray was an absolute joy to experience. Just when you think you have heard and seen everything there is from a music icon, more information is brought forth and previously unreleased footage for performances are unearthed.

Excerpt From The Hendrix Website: The expanded home video edition of the American Masters documentary Jimi Hendrix - Hear My Train A Comin' unveils previously unseen performance footage and home movies taken by Hendrix and drummer Mitch Mitchell while sourcing an extensive archive of photographs, drawings, family letters and more to provide new insight into the musician's personality and genius. Recently uncovered film footage of Hendrix at the 1968 Miami Pop Festival is among the previously unseen treasures featured in the documentary.

You have your choice of the Blu-ray or the DVD, both are exceptional in quality. Several concerts are included in 5.1 surround sound including the Miami Pop Festival, New York Pop Festival, Love & Peace Festival and Jimi and the Experience performing “Purple Haze” on Top of the Pops in black and white.

Viewers are informed prior to watching the concert footage whether or not it was professionally recorded or filmed. For instance The Love & Peace Festival has a home video quality to it so you are not anticipating something extraordinary. With that in mind however you must know that what is offered here are some real buried treasures of rock history found on this comprehensive set. In fact, if you happen to be a big Hendrix fan or are interested in one of the true innovators of the electric guitar then this is a must have purchase. I know I walked away feeling like I knew the man better than ever after hearing what everyone that knew him personally told their stories.

Altogether this is a worthwhile addition to any music fans collection.

 4/5 STARS

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-Founder MuzikReviews.com

December 7, 2013

©MuzikReviews.com
 

Folk Rock Review: Crosby, Stills & Nash-CSN 24kt Gold

Artist: Crosby, Stills & Nash
Title: CSN (24kt Gold)
Genre: Folk Rock
Label: Audio Fidelity
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In a word CSN is a striking folk rock masterpiece. It displays three of the most perfected voices in rock history and served as a stunning debut. Stephen Stills, Graham Nash and David Crosby together sounded like they could lead you to the gates of heaven...READ MORE...

Alice Cooper-Killer Review

Artist: Alice Cooper
Title: Killer
Genre: Rock
Label: Audio Fidelity
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The king of shock rock Alice Cooper, formerly Vincent Damon Furnier, the son of a minister, is a legend of rock synonymous with music and strong elements of theater...READ MORE...