Newsroom

Blink-182 announce new UK date and tour supports

2012-01-24T00:36:00.000-08:00

Blink-182 have revealed a new additional date to their previously announced UK tour.The band have added an extra date to the tour on July 7, at Bournemouth's BIC. Support will come from All American Rejects and The BlackoutTickets for this date are on sale Friday January 27 at 9am from www.gigsandtours.com or by calling 0844 811 0051.The full list of Blink-182 UK tour dates is as follows:JUNE7 Birmingham NIA (Support: All American Rejects and Four Year Strong)8 London The O2 (Support: All American Rejects and Four Year Strong9 London The O2 (Support All American Rejects and Twin Atlantic)12 Dublin, The O2 (Support: All American Rejects and Four Year Strong)13 Belfast Odyssey Arena (Support: All American Rejects and Four Year Strong)15 Manchester Arena (Support: All American Rejects and Twin Atlantic)16 Birmingham LG Arena (Support: All American Rejects and Twin Atlantic)17 Sheffield Motorpoint Arena (Support: All American Rejects and Twin Atlantic)19 Newcastle Metro Radio Arena (Support: All American Rejects and Twin Atlantic)20 Glasgow (Support: All American Rejects and Twin Atlantic)JULY7 Bournemouth BIC (Support: All American Rejects and The Blackout)10 Cardiff Motorpoint Arena (Support: All American Rejects and The Blackout)11 Nottingham Capital FM Arena (Support: All American Rejects and The Blackout)12 Liverpool Echo Arena (Support: All American Rejects and The Blackout)

BC Rich 25th Anniversary Kerry King V-Tribe

2012-01-24T00:28:00.000-08:00

25th Anniversary Kerry King V-Tribe
Specs
CONSTRUCTION: Neck Through
BODY WOOD: Maple
TOP STYLE: Beveled
HEADSTOCK STYLE: Beast
HEADSTOCK COLOR: Black w/ Red Tribal Graphic
TUNERS: Grover ® Mini Rotomatic
NECK WOOD: Canadian hard maple
NECK RADIUS: 12″
BACK OF NECK: Painted
FRETBOARD: Ebony
INLAY: Kerry King Custom
FRETS: 24 jumbo
SCALE: 24 5/8
BRIDGE TYPE: USA Kerry King Signature Kahler Tremolo
PICKUPS: 1 EMG ® 85 Neck / 81 Bridge Humbuckers W/ PA2 Preamp
CONTROLS: 1 volume, 1 tone, 1 three way toggle, 1 mini toggle to activate the PA2 preamp
HARDWARE: Black
FINISH: Onyx w/ tribal graphic

Dream Theater's John Petrucci Interviewed By Pollstar

2012-01-23T11:18:00.000-08:00

Cover of John Petrucci

Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci was interviewed by Pollstar recently, and discussed a variety of subjects, from the band's first-ever Grammy nomination (for "On the Backs of Angels," from A Dramatic Turn of Events) to their overseas popularity and more.

Says Petrucci about the Grammy nomination, "We’ve been doing this for 26 years or so...If you continue doing something that you know is right in your heart and what you want to do as a musician and an artist, and you don’t compromise that – that’s the best thing. You get the respect and the loyalty of listeners and fans around the world because it’s kind of a back-and-forth-type of relationship, and that’s probably the most important thing to us, the thing we value the most. At the same time, to get recognized in this capacity with the Grammys and Recording Academy is also another nice kind of validation, just another way of saying that what we’re doing is special and meaningful and important and relevant on a different level."

Regarding the band's upcoming tour, he says, "I certainly hope that people enjoy the new songs and, based on the reactions that we got here in the U.S. and Canada and Mexico, I have a positive feeling about it. I’m looking forward to the tour. Europe is always great because it’s so diverse. The different areas we go to, the people react different, and you know you’re kind of really quickly experiencing all these different cultures while playing in those different environments. It’s pretty amazing."

Øscillatör – Experiment XIII

2012-01-20T09:23:00.000-08:00

Probably entirely thanks to The Faceless, the death metal tree of life has sprung out a new sub-genre branch of sci-fi influenced death-metal. Now, this obviously isn’t an official genre name (although the band whose record is about to go under the microscope dubs themselves ‘science-metal’), it does sum up what a lot of acts are doing – super technical playing, fused with guttural and vocoder vocals, the occasionally creepy clean guitar atmospheric part. As well as songs about aliens and galactic stuff, of course.
The purely studio project of Brett Ruch (guitars, bass) and John Galloway (vocals/production), both under the age of 20, the self-styled ‘technical science metal’ two-piece Øscillatör are fresh out of Tampa, Florida. Their debut EP “Experiment XIII”, which is available here totally free, shows off how advanced home production jobs have become in the last few years, with the entire release being recorded/produced/engineered by Ruch and Galloway – and the eight song extended-play actually sounds damn good for a home job.
Musicianship wise, Ruch is an impressive force on the guitar, as he fires off crushing riffs and dazzling lead licks, and the young axeman’s awesome talents are nicely summed up a minute and a half into first track proper “Planetary Devastation”. The fury of “Aborted Pt. I”, which features a bizarre Hispanic interlude, is nicely countered by the hypnotic calmness of following track “ Aborted Pt. II” – of course though the restrained, clean guitar parts don’t last forever, and the EP’s two best tracks, “Elixir” and “Odium” crash through the serenity with raging drums, tremolo-picked guitars and well placed breakdowns. Galloway’s vocals are beastly, and interesting he also now sings in fellow tech-death band Rings of Saturn – a group that isn’t light-years (space pun intended) away from Øscillatör. It might be this reviewer’s ears, but the vocoder vocals really don’t work – not just on “Experiment XIII”, but basically any metal release ever; it really does just sound like a robot singing out of key. However the usage of atmosphere is vital for the release, with the creepy sections and glitching electronics tying a lot of the songs together – and the outro of the title track, which closes the release, is so spazzed out that this reviewer thought his ipod was having an electronic seizure.
While it’s not the most original thing you’ll hear in your life, and it does have a tendency to fly by in parts without many hooks to grab the listeners ears, fans of The Contortionist, Aegaeon and Fallujah should probably get onto this release ASAP. So, if “Experiment XIII” sounds like it’s vaguely up your alley, the band have put up the entire EP online for FREE – so check out a young new band, and download Øscillatör’s debut release and wrap your ears around some fresh progressive death metal goodness.

Label: Self-released (download it here)
Website: www.facebook.com/OscillatorMetal

Poor Man’s Blues: 10 Songs for Hard Times

2012-01-16T22:12:00.000-08:00

Cover of Clarence Carter

Tough times have been the fuel for some of the finest numbers in the Great American Songbook. Some have been written to soothe, others to provoke, and still more to simply connect. With the Great Recession stubbornly refusing to end as 2012 jolts along, it’s a good time to revisit some of the best down-and-out numbers ever written in their definitive versions. Here are 10 enduring classics about surviving lean years:
“Patches,” Clarence Carter
This 1970 hit for Southern soul-blues legend Clarence Carter may be the essential song about growing up a poor African-American boy in the post-War rural South. The tune wasn’t written by Carter, yet he sells it as autobiography and the opening line “I was born in raised in Alabama” is accurate for the singer-guitarist. Spanning a father’s death, doing hard chores before walking to school, and wearing clothes “so raggedy folks used to call me Patches,” Carter hits all the right buttons in this tear-jerker. The reward was a Grammy for Best R&B Song in 1971 for writers Barry Mann and Larry Kobler.

“Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out,” Derek and the Dominos
This tune by Jimmy Cobb first became a hit for queen of the blues Bessie Smith in 1929. It’s been recorded by a who’s who that runs from Count Basie to Lead Belly to Nina Simone to Liza Minnelli to Lucille’s daddy B.B. King. But the definitive modern version belongs to Eric Clapton, who first recorded the number for 1970’s Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. His nuanced performance on guitar and vocals captures the pain, regret and sense of betrayal brimming within the narrator, a good-time Charlie from the roaring ’20s brought to his knees by the Great Depression. Clapton revisited the song more quietly on 1992’s Unplugged.

“Coal Miner’s Daughter,” Loretta Lynn
This purely autobiographical number reached the top of the country charts and became Loretta Lynn’s signature tune in 1969. Eleven years later it provided a springboard for a film about her life that, while spare in details, cemented her status as an American music legend. The song spins the yarn of Lynn’s rural Kentucky raising with poignance and love, and features one of her finest vocal performances.

“Busted,” Ray Charles
This song was written by the great country music tunesmith Harlan Howard and introduced by Johnny Cash in 1962, but a year later Ray Charles put the tune on the pop charts in what’s become the definitive version. The truth is, Charles’ rendition leavens the desperation in Howard’s original lyrics about a family going broke hard in coal country. But the beauty and gentle swing of Charles’ performance on his album Ingredients in a Recipe for Soul make his lyric omissions invisible.

“Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler),” Marvin Gaye
It’s no exaggeration to declare that Gaye had one of the most beautiful and evocative voices in American music, and this tune, from his socially conscious 1971 masterpiece What’s Going On, was a #1 R&B smash and captured pop’s Top 10. Prompted by his brother’s letters from Vietnam and the turmoil poverty and racism were triggering in America’s streets, Gaye was compelled to speak out, and did so with brilliance, sensitivity and anger.

“Aqualung,” Jethro Tull
“Snots running down his nose/Greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes,” Ian Anderson’s character Aqualung is no charmer. But softer lyrics about “an old man wandering lonely” make this song far more complex than most listeners consider, weaving in the threads of poverty, mental illness and disenfranchisement that are among the greater issues surrounding homelessness. Of course, with Gibson Les Paul Custom legend Martin Barre bringing it all home with his slashing chords and rippling guitar solos, this title track from Tull’s 1971 masterpiece was destined to become the rock classic that it is.

“Kill the Poor,” Dead Kennedys
DK’s leader Jello Biafra was a brilliant satirist from the band’s inception, and their third single in 1980 is perhaps even more ripe for the times today, as politicians seem to turn their interests away from health, education and other fundamental social interests with ties to empathy. Biafra’s solution for poverty in this biting number involves the neutron bomb, which was making headlines in the beginning of the Reagan years.

“Waitin’ on a Train,” Jimmie Rodgers
The father of country music was two years into his short and brilliant career when he cut this sad hobo’s tale. The song’s lyrics foreshadow the plight of the wandering legions that would be created by the one-two economic gut punch of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, starting just a year later. If you’re interested in the nexus of blues and country music, and the bedrock of the musical movement that’s today dubbed “Americana,” Rodgers’ legacy is ground zero.

“No Woman, No Cry,” Bob Marley
The hardcore poverty of Kingston, Jamaica’s Trenchtown is hard to even conceive of for most people, but Gibson Les Paul Special player Marley’s compelling 1974 song twined the rays of hope and despair in the hard lives of its residents into what’s arguably reggae’s greatest ballad.

“Why I Sing the Blues,” B.B. King
King’s tale of love gone bad is fairly straight forward, but the meat of his message is in the crying, wailing, whinnying lines he coaxes out of Lucille on this 1969, pre-“Thrill is Gone” single. Hearing the sound of King on his guitar during his golden era brings to mind the title of a song from his contemporary, Gibson Flying V legend Albert King: “That’s What the Blues is All About.”

Machine Head's Dave McClain Talks Songwriting, Leftover Tracks And More

2012-01-16T22:08:00.000-08:00

Image via Wikipedia

Machine Head drummer Dave McClain was recently interviewed by MetalKaoz.com. It's a longish conversation that covers the intra-band difficulties Machine Head went through while touring in support of their last album, The Blackening, as well as the writing and recording process for their most recent release, Unto the Locust, and more.

McClain recalls "one time in particular in Paris during the Slipknot tour; Robb[Flynn] and Adam [Duce] had some pretty serious problems and after we got off stage that night, Robb was ready to call it a day and just end everything right there. But he and Adam did some therapy together and kind of worked things out."

Regarding Machine Head's writing process, the drummer says "some songs come together really fast and it seems like they write themselves. And then you have other songs where something does not feel right and we have to try to find the missing piece. In the end, it is just a feeling that tells you that song is ready. Still, Robb is a guy who constantly has new ideas and always thinks how to make a song better. To really understand what I am saying, I will tell you that he was changing vocal melodies while the album was being mastered and mixed. Thank god that you cannot change something that is already done because probably he would be changing stuff to make things better after the album had been released...[laughs]."

He also reveals that there was material recorded and left off Unto the Locust: "We have actually two songs that didn’t make it in the album, even though musically they were done. But Robb was not happy with the lyrics and some of the vocal melodies. Maybe these songs will be released at some time in the future and I really hope they will. There is one that I wrote the music for and has Robb on the piano and some of the orchestra stuff that was on the album...I wrote the music some days after my mom had passed away, so it has a special meaning for me."

Fender Kurt Cobain Mustang

2012-01-16T21:57:00.000-08:00

Hold on to your hats Fender have announced yet more new products for NAMM 2012, Musicradar.com have the scoop that they are about to release a Kurt Cobain Mustang. Hang on, I hear you say, didn’t they just announce a Kurt Cobain signature guitar? Yes they did the Fender Kurt Cobain Signature Jaguar
“When Kurt Cobain hit the stage, it was very often with a Mustang guitar – an enigmatic anti-hero figure with an esoteric anti-hero instrument. It’s with great pride then that Fender introduces the Kurt Cobain Mustang, which evokes the man, the band, the sound and the times, and gives an authentically crafted nod to one of the most unlikely guitars to ever find itself at the centre of a musical maelstrom.
“Cobain liked Mustangs a lot. For one, he preferred offbeat guitars that didn’t cost zillions of dollars, and the Mustang certainly fit those two criteria. Also, being somewhat physically diminutive himself, he liked to perform live with slightly more diminutive guitars, like Fender Mustang and Jaguar guitars, which better fit his hands and his reach.”
Finish options include Fiesta Red, Sonic Blue and Dark Lake Placid Blue with stripe. Available in right and left-handed models. No idea what the price will be in your part of the world but Music Radar say that The Kurt Cobain Mustang has a UK RRP of £1,006.80. I suggest keeping an eye on Fender.com.
Check out Musicradar.com for more info and background on this guitar.

Ten Album Covers That Make Us Gag

2012-01-15T22:11:00.000-08:00

In honour of gods of gore Cannibal Corpse headlining our spectacularly heavy Destroyers Of The Faith tour – also featuring Triptykon, Enslaved and Job For A Cowboy – we’ve hunted out some of the albums covers that have made us go all queasy inside. WARNING: Contains blood, boobs and bell ends.

In just a matter of weeks, US death metal kings Cannibal Corpse will be laying waste to the UK on our Destroyers Of The Faith tour, bringing with them Tom G Warrior’s mighty Triptykon, progressive black metallers Enslaved and death metallers Job For A Cowboy! Grab your Destroyers Of The Faith tickets here!
To celebrate the arrival of one of the greatest extreme metal acts of them all (and, y’know, seeing as it’s Friday 13th), we’ve trundled through blood, boobs and bell ends aplenty to find ten album covers that make us want to throw our guts up and run screaming to the hills. Read on…if you dare. Mwa ha ha ha etc.
(WARNING: THIS IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART. THIS IS PROPER GNARLY AND CONTAINS EXPLICIT ART AND IMAGES. YOU HAVE NOW OFFICIALLY BEEN WARNED. OK ENOUGH CAPITALS)
——————

Cannibal Corpse – Butchered At Birth
Let’s be honest; no one does album covers like Destroyers headliners Cannibal Corpse, and even by their standards, 1991’s ‘Butchered At Birth’ is an absolute doozy. Featuring dozens of strung up corpses and two rather grim looking fellows delivering a dead baby from a hacked-up woman (we told you it wouldn’t be pleasant), unsurprisingly, this caused a bit of a stir on release. Gross.

Carcass – Reek of Putrefaction
What’s worst than a gory illustration depicting plenty of dead bodies? Real, actual dead bodies, of course! Cheers Carcass. If there’s one thing we can’t get enough of, it’s photos of dead bodies. Oh God….

Cattle Decapitation – Humanure
Because nothing says deathgrind like a cow shitting out its minging, bloodied, human-filled innards. Also, for a cow that’s presumably just eaten a couple of people and then dropped a mother of a pat like that, it’s looking suspiciously nonchalant. What’s up with that?! Stupid cow.
CLICK HERE TO BUY YOUR DESTROYERS OF THE FAITH TICKETS

Whitesnake – Lovehunter
We’re not sure what makes us feel more uneasy about this one from Whitesnake: the fact that there’s a big, fuck-off snake shagging a naked woman, or that David Coverdale ever, ever thought this would be a good idea. It’s not gory, but it’s not right.

Cannibal Corpse – Tomb Of The Mutilated
Yep. Them again. So to just quickly sum this one up: a couple engaging in a bit of fun have somehow ended up gutted and slashed up, while still seemingly caught “in the moment”. We reckon that bloke definitely got more than he bargained for. Kinky.
——–
Okay. We’re going to take a break here and give you a heads up that the next one contains girls and what we assume is meant to be faeces. Technically speaking, it’s not explicit, but it’s genuinely gross, and it took us a while to decide if we could really justify including it, even in a list like this.
Seriously, it’s really gross.
So now you know.
—-

Torsofuck – Erotic Diarrhoea Fantasy
We told you. Sorry.
CLICK HERE TO BUY YOUR DESTROYERS OF THE FAITH TICKETS

Regurgitate – Carnivorous Erection
Yeah…we just…….w……..we don’t even know what to say. It’s a hungry cock. This is getting ridiculous.

Iron Monkey – Our Problem
Iron Monkey are fucking bad ass, and to be fair, this pullout from their ‘Our Problem’ album doesn’t make us gag so much as laugh our tits off. It’s the detail that’s the winner with this one: from the demon plane thingy holding up a cock which has a man hanging from it who is injecting a big gorilla dude with his penis, into a penis, surrounded by – yeah, you get the picture.

Goblin Cock – Bagged And Boarded
Despite the name, at first glance we didn’t really see anything in this one to put us off our dinner. Until we noticed the huge green and purple pierced dong hanging out of the bottom of that guy’s kilt. Brilliant. Just what the world needs. Big floppy goblin dicks. Nice.

We don’t even know who this guy is but this just isn’t on. Sorry.

Marduk Enter Studio to Record New Album, Out Summer 2012

2012-01-14T01:39:00.000-08:00

Swedish black metal tyrants MARDUK have entered the studio to record the follow-up album to 2009′s Wormwood. This currently untitled new album is scheduled to be released in early summer 2012 – be sure to check out some studio impressions here on the band’s Facebook.
More news about this upcoming MARDUK release will be announced soon, so stay tuned.

Your Pain is Endearing Ready Sophomore EP

2012-01-12T04:09:00.000-08:00

Boston deathcore band Your Pain is Endearing will be releasing their sophomore EP in early 2012 entitled The Turning of Tides cover art by Hal Rotter at Rotting Graphics. Recorded, mixed and mastered at Heavy Sound Studios in Boston, MA.

Tracklisting

1. Survivor
2. Your Body is My Canvas
3. Lessons In Misanthropy
4. Visions
5. The Turning of Tides
A music video was shot for “Your Body is My Canvas” and released December 2011:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFunyHJN01k

Two New Beneath the Massacre Songs Streaming

2012-01-12T04:01:00.000-08:00

Cover of Beneath the Massacre

Montreal’s monsters of tech-death mayhem, Beneath the Massacre, have announced their newest album, entitled, Incongruous, will be released in the US on February 14th, in the UK on February 20th, in mainland Europe on February 24th and in Canada on February 28th. “Incongruous” was produced and mixed by Chris Donaldson (Cryptopsy) and mastered by Alan Douches (Hatebreed, Shadows Fall, Converge).
Today, two new Beneath the Massacre tracks have debuted – listen below:

Visit website

New Impending Doom Album Out March 13, 2012

2012-01-09T22:33:00.000-08:00

MPENDING DOOM will release their brand new full length album entitled “Baptized in Filth” on March 13, 2012. Produced by Andreas Magnusson (The Black Dahlia Murder) and Machine this is the bands fourth full length and most ferocious effort to date.

“We’re proud to say that after many months of working on the new record it’s finally done. This is by far our favorite material to date and we can’t wait to share it with everyone and hit the road!! March 13th 2012 the world will be Baptized In Filth!“

Queen – Days Of Our Lives Dvd & Blu-Ray Release

2012-01-09T22:21:00.000-08:00

Press Release

Set against a backdrop of brilliant music and stunning live performances from every corner of the globe, Queen: Days of Our Lives – available in both Blu-Ray and standard DVD formats, brings Queen’s 40th Anniversary year to a close in suitably regal style.

Days Of Our Lives began as a two-part documentary produced by long-term Queen collaborators and life long fans Rhys Thomas (the comedian who famously broke the Mastermind all-time record points score with a specialist subject of Queen) and Simon Lupton, and directed by the renowned director Matt Casey. After 10 years of making Queen DVDs, Lupton and Thomas were asked by the band to produce the definitive 40th Anniversary documentary and after almost a year of painstaking research and editing, this was the result.
Split over two episodes, Part One covering 1970-80, Part Two 1980 – present day, the documentary is a genuine rollercoaster of rock and roll history.
In this film, for the first time, it is the band that tells their story. Featuring brand new interviews with Brian May and Roger Taylor and unseen archive footage – including their recently unearthed first ever TV performance – it is a compelling story told with intelligence, wit, plenty of humor and painful honesty.
Rhys Thomas comments, “We set out to make the definitive Queen documentary. It’s a funny, honest, inspiring and ultimately tragic account of ‘a certain band called Queen’, as told by the band themselves. We tell the story of four students who met in West London, slogged hard and conquered the world, ultimately changing rock music forever.”
“As well as the new sequences, there are 7 new videos. Excerpts were featured in the main documentary, but we have completed them, and here on DVD and Blu- Ray they appear in full.”
The Blu-Ray format allows for additional bonus material and therefore differs in content to the Standard DVD release. Please check credits for each release.

Incantation Bassist Joe Lombard Commits Suicide

2012-01-08T05:09:00.000-08:00

Joey ”Fingers” Lombard, bassist for Pennsylvania-based death metal act Incantation, has committed suicide. He passed on January 3. Sources have made no indication how or why Lombard took his own life, but do confirm a funeral is to take place on Sunday.Incantation has issued no official statement yet regarding this sad news.

Primitive Heritage Signs With Prosthetic Records, New LP In March 2012

2012-01-06T04:44:00.000-08:00

Image via Wikipedia

New York psychedelic doom band Primitive Weapons has signed with Prosthetic Records. The band completed work on the debut release, yet untitled, which was recorded at Wild Arctic Studios with producer Dean Baltolunis (American Nightmare/Goes Cube/The Hold Steady). The LP is tentatively scheduled for a March 2012 release.
In a message about the signing, the band posted “Hey Guys, We signed to Prosthetic Records. Expect a new release in March! We are really stoked and look forward to playing to playing out more and playing SXSW again!”
For a sample of the music, head over to the band’s Facebook Page to hear the songs “Politics And Oblivion,” “Cosmic Horror” and “Black Sheep and Prodigal Sons.”

Antton Lant Quits M-Pire Of Evil, U.S. Tour Proceeds As Planned

2012-01-06T04:25:00.000-08:00

Image via Wikipedia

U.K. thrash band M-Pire of Evil, featuring Ex-Venom members Tony “Demolition Man” Dolan, Antton Lant and Jeff “Mantas” Dunn, announced the departure of drummer Antton Lant, the brother of Venom’s mainman Conrad “Cronos” Lant.
In a statement posted on the band’s Facebook Page, Antton states:
“2012.
A new year and a time to get my priorities right and everything in order.
Too much stuff.
As from today I will NO LONGER be playing drums in m-pire of evil.
My family life and DEF-CON-ONE are more important to me.
And something’s got to give.”
All the best Antton!”
The remaining members added: “Anyhow we will tour the US and we will keep you updated on what happens at the Mpire camp!”
The band will provide support for the upcoming U.S. Tour with Onslaught. For more information on the tour, check out this location.

Fender® Custom Shop Introduces 2012 Limited Collection

2012-01-04T23:08:00.000-08:00

Fender’s acclaimed Custom Shop is known worldwide for producing the highest-quality, most rare collection of fine instruments. The 2012 limited collection is no exception, and sees the arrival of 10 new exotic models, nine guitars and one bass.

1951 New Old Stock (NOS) Nocaster

The Custom Shop honors the famous Nocaster® with the release of the 1951 New Old Stock (NOS) Nocaster and the 1951 Relic® Nocaster. Both models feature a hand-selected ash body with a Nocaster Blonde finish, and include all-new Twisted Tele® pickups designed by Fender’s skillful Master Builders, giving the model’s historical significance and modern performance. For added authentic feel, the 1951 Relic Nocaster features special aging treatment, evoking the magic of an aged, Fender classic.
Other features include a one-piece maple neck with early-’50s U shape, maple fingerboard with 9.5” radius and 6105 frets, three-way pickup switch with custom modern Tele wiring, nickel hardware, case and certificate of authenticity.
2012 Closet Classic Stratocaster Pro

The 2012 Closet Classic Stratocaster Pro is a beautiful instrument with a hand-selected swamp ash body and a distinctive Closet Classic lacquer finish that imparts the look of a long-lost, but newly rediscovered instrument. Features include an access heel for easy access to upper frets, a quartersawn maple neck with early-’60s C shape, round-laminated 22-fret maple or rosewood fingerboard with 9.5” radius and 6105 frets, Abby Red Hot pickups hand-wound by the legendary Abigail Ybarra, five-way pickup switching, vintage-style hardware, case and certificate of authenticity. Available in Black, Dakota Red, and Faded Two-Tone Sunburst.
The 1956 Heavy Relic Stratocaster® emits genuine worn out Fender Strat® vibe, and is built for tone, playability, and classic looks. Available in Faded Two-Color Sunburst, Desert Sand, and Black, the 1956 Heavy Relic Stratocaster features a hand-selected ash body, one-piece maple neck with a 10/56 large V shape, maple fingerboard with 9.5” radius and 6105 frets, custom shop Fat ‘50s Strat pickups, five-way pickup switch with custom modern Strat wiring, two tone controls and a master volume knob, nickel hardware, case and certificate of authenticity.
The Custom Shop pays homage to the remarkably eventful and exciting 1960s with the 1960 Relic Stratocaster. Features include a hand-selected premium alder body, maple neck with large C shape and matching headstock, rosewood fingerboard with 9.5” radius and 6105 frets, 1960 Stratocaster pickups with five-way switching, three-ply mint green pickguard, vintage hardware, case and certificate of authenticity. Available in Olympic White, Dakota red and Sonic Blue.
Debuted in the early ’60s, the Custom Telecaster® instantly became a classic with its double-bound body and striking appearance. Honoring this model is the 1961 Relic Custom Telecaster, featuring a double-bound, hand-selected lightweight ash body, maple neck with an early-’60s C shape, rosewood fingerboard with 9.5” radius and 6105 frets, all-new Twisted Tele pickups with three-way switching, nickel hardware, case and certificate of authenticity. Available in Black and Faded, Three-Tone Sunburst.
A remarkable guitar with a newly rediscovered feel, the 2012 Closet Classic Telecaster Pro sports a body fashioned from swamp ash with Closet Classic lacquer finish. Other features include an access heel, quartersawn maple neck with a mid-’50s (10/’56) V shape, 22-fret maple or rosewood fingerboard with 9.5” radius and medium jumbo frets, new Twisted Tele pickups with three-way switching and modern wiring, vintage hardware, and a Greasebucket™ tone circuit. Available in Black, Dakota Red, and Nocaster blonde.
The 2012 Custom Deluxe Stratocaster and 2012 Custom Deluxe Telecaster are exactly that – deluxe models with refined, custom features and the most exotic selection of wood for the highest-quality sound. Both feature a hand-selected lightweight ash body with access heel and AAA quilted maple veneer top, satin-finished AA flame maple neck with C shape and a 22-fret maple or rosewood fingerboard with 9.5” radius and medium jumbo frets, chrome hardware with pearl button tuners, and a case and certificate for authenticity. The 2012 Custom Deluxe Stratocaster features “Abby’s” pickups, hand-wound by the legendary Abigail Ybarra, five-way pickup switch, modern Strat wiring with and a Greasebucket tone circuit. The 2012 Custom Deluxe Telecaster features Twisted Tele pickups, custom Tele wiring, and a Greasebucket tone circuit. Both models are available in Faded Honey Burst, Candy Red, and Faded Cherry Sunburst.

Thursday Play Last Ever US Show in Philadelphia (VIDEO)

2012-01-02T23:31:00.000-08:00

Geoff Rickly

Influential screamo outfit Thursday played its last ever U.S. show at the Theater of Living Arts in Philadelphia, Pa. this past Friday, Dec.30.
The New Jersey-based quintet announced their breakup in November of 2011 and have been out on their farewell tour ever since.
“We haven’t had any falling out and are all still close,” the band said in an offiical statement back in November. “I’m sure that we will continue to create, in some capacity, together. We’ve talked about turning Thursday into something else: a non-profit, a band that only records sporadically, a collection of other projects … Underneath it all, the personal circumstances involved make it impossible to continue Thursday in the spirit that has made it special. So, we stop. For now, at least.”
Check out fan-filmed video footage of Thursday’s signature hit, ‘Understanding in a Car Crash,’ shot at the Philadelphia show below.
Follow this link:
Thursday Play Last Ever US Show in Philadelphia (VIDEO)

Machine Head Guitarist to Wed Bleeding Through Keyboardist

2012-01-02T23:30:00.000-08:00

Forget newspaper announcements. Phil Demmel, guitarist of Machine Head, just announced his engagement to Bleeding Through keyboardist Marta Peterson via Facebook.
The musicians met while on tour in early 2010.
“I met the girl of my dreams in Australia the last time we were down there,” Demmel said during a 2011 interview with Hardrock Haven. “One of the greatest things that has ever happened to me was on that run. I have very special memories of Australia and knowing that I was in love for the first time when I was in Brisbane.”
Marta Peterson was included in the 2010 edition of Revolver’s ‘Hottest Chicks in Metal‘ calendar.

Will 2012 produce a guitarist that is better than Jimmi Hendrix? .... Highly Unlikely!

2012-01-01T09:21:00.000-08:00

Legendary musician Jimi Hendrix was named the greatest guitar player in history on last Wednesday by Rolling Stone magazine in a list compiled by a panel of music experts and top guitar players.
"Jimi Hendrix exploded our idea of what rock music could be: He manipulated the guitar, the whammy bar, the studio and the stage," said Grammy-winning guitarist Tom Morello in the magazine, citing Hendrix's "Purple Haze" and "The Star-Spangled Banner" as key tracks.
Hendrix is joined by the likes of Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page and Pete Townshend among the top 10, in a list laden with rock 'n' roll icons spanning decades.
The panel of experts recruited to vote for their favorite guitar players included musicians such as Lenny Kravitz, Eddie Van Halen (who was voted No. 8), Brian May and Dan Auerbach from The Black Keys, along with a selection of Rolling Stone's senior writers and editors.
The experts also weighed in on their favorites, with Pearl Jam's Mike McCready calling Eddie Van Halen "a master of riffs" and Joe Perry praising Jimmy Page's "vision of how to transcend the stereotypes of what the guitar can do."
The full list will be featured in a special issue with four special covers of Van Halen, Clapton, Hendrix and Page, and will be on newsstands and online at www.rollingstone.com on Friday. Rolling Stone's top 10 greatest guitarists follow:
1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Eric Clapton
3. Jimmy Page
4. Keith Richards
5. Jeff Beck
6. B.B. King
7. Chuck Berry
8. Eddie Van Halen
9. Duane Allman
10. Pete Townshend

Site Announcement

2011-12-28T11:08:00.000-08:00

Due to the fesitivities, blogging will resume on the 2nd of January 2012. Thank you for your support and have a fabulous new year from us here at BatamNoozies.
Cheers!!

Jani Lane’s Ex-Wife: Video Vixen Bobbie Brown Recalls Life With the Late Rocker

2011-12-22T10:26:00.000-08:00

“He was very hard on himself and in constant competition with his former self and with other people,” Bobbie Brown says of her ex-husband, the late Jani Lane.
Brown is an actress and model and probably best known as the video vixen in Warrant‘s ‘Cherry Pie’ video. She met Lane on that very video shoot and eventually married. The union lasted three years before divorcing in 1993. The couple had one daughter together named Taylar Jayne Lane. Brown recently sat down with the website Legendary Rock Interviews to discuss her new upcoming reality show ‘Ex Wives Rock.’
During the interview, Brown addressed questions about Lane, the founder and songwriter for ’80s hit-makers Warrant. Lane was found dead in a Woodland Hills, Calif. hotel room on Aug. 11. His death was blamed on acute alcohol poisoning. There were some bizarre circumstances surrounding the death, including a note found in Lane’s pocket which read “I am Jani Lane.” A bottle of pills was also found near his body, but toxicology reports don’t list any drugs other than alcohol in his system. Brown mentions other eerie facts about the death during her interview as well.
“There were reports that someone had brought him food but there was no food in his system for the last two days. His wife tells me that he died with a smile on his face and the coroner tells me that it looked like he had to have been screaming at the top of his lungs,” says Brown.

Hellecasters reforming to play first show in 11 years

2011-12-22T10:22:00.000-08:00

Following an 11-year hiatus, legendary guitar trio Hellecasters – featuring the outrageous talents of Jerry Donahue, John Jorgenson and Will Ray – has reformed, and will play its comeback show as headliners of the celebrated Deke’s Guitar Geek Festival at the Anaheim Plaza Hotel Ballroom in California on Saturday January 21st 2012.

The group, known for their intricate melodies and dazzling fretboard skills, are returning to the fray after overwhelming public demand, and will round off the celebrated festival with a bang.
Jerry Donahue will be using his own Fret-King Black Label JD guitar to play the show. The JD guitar is the first of the Fret-King Black Label range, which sees its worldwide unveiling at NAMM 2012.
Be sure to drop by at Hall E 1212 to see and meet Jerry and Fret-King designer Trev Wilkinson, and check out the whole Fret-King Black Label range while you’re there.

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