Al Joseph

 Al Joseph - Out In the Open - 2013 - JTC Records

JTC Records proudly presents the debut album from the incredible Al Joseph. 9 heavy rock tracks full of drive, emotion, charisma, riffs to die for and licks that will get stuck in your head for weeks on end. This is the way to launch your record career... © 2013 JamTrackCentral Ltd https://jamtrackcentral.com/store/series/out-in-the-open-album-backings/

A very good blend of classic rock/blues, metal, and progressive compositions with a classical and modern touch. Great melodic lines throughout. Al is influenced by artists like John Petrucci and Marco Sfogli. Al has said that, "Out In The Open" is a theme built on the unknowns of life. I believe we've been given all we need to face the pirates, whirlwinds, emptiness, and rejections of life. A lot of time and heart went into this project from everyone involved. I had always dreamed the emerging of my career in so many different ways, but I'm so thankful it was through JTC. I hope OITO is an inspiration to all of you who show your support! Thank you...AJ. - Buy this album and support good modern rock. Read more @ http://network.online.berklee.edu/public_profile/Albert_Joseph and https://www.facebook.com/aljosephguitar
[All tracks @ 160 Kbps: File size = 62.4 Mb]

TRACKS

1. Return
2. Desperate Times
3. Sun Devils
4. Exile
5. The Missing You
6. Out in the Open
7. The Tribal Decks
8. Desperate Measures
9. The Father Land

All tracks composed by Al Joseph

BAND

Al Joseph (guitars), Juan Luqui (guitars)
Manny Tiegnon, Mauricio Morales (bass)
Abidan Perry (percussion)

ABOUT AL JOSEPH

Al Joseph has proven to be one of the worlds most exciting new virtuosos to hit the scene to date. Now a proud Alumni of Berklee College Of Music, Al presses on to an already promising career as both a guitar player and songwriter. Expect to see more exciting things over the coming years. You can expect to hear quite a bit of Joe Satriani's lyrical texture, John Petrucci's technical power, Vinnie Moore's stinging licks, and Andy Timmons' sense of feel and dynamic presence in Al's playing . As far as songwriting goes Al has a never-ending list of band influences in his arsenal. From Creed, Rage Against The Machine, P.O.D, to Pillar, Pantera, Sevendust, and many more. If you can dig on any or all of these artists get ready to add another new player to your list. "Out In The Open" is Al's debut solo instrumental record which was released through JTC Records in October 2013. It's a story of emotion, new beginnings, unknowns, and all the new challenges Al has faced throughout his life. Let's not forget about an hour of world class shredding as well. If you enjoy the workings of guitar legends Joe Satriani and Andy Timmons, look no further. This record has it all wrapped up in a nice basket for you with a kick of fusion as well. Out In the Open is a wild ride for sure! Check out Al's music on Jamtrackcentral.com, iTunes, Spotify, and ReverbNation. Here's what JTC Records has to say about it: There is no question of Al's ability on the guitar. Still a young player he brings some great classic ideas and makes them extremely accessible, whilst surrounding them with well produced tracks. Expect to see a lot more from Al over the coming years....he has an exciting career ahead of him. Jonny Carpenter, Jam Track Central Records © 2014 Al Joseph Official Guitar Page http://www.aljosephofficial.com/#!al-joseph-bio-page/c9nv

Jeff Beck

Jeff Beck - You Had It Coming - 2001 - Epic

Sure, they've got lightning moves and thundering power, but guitar gods live by the same laws that govern lesser mortals: Only the most adaptable shall prevail. So now that old masters like Clapton and Santana are enjoying pop-propelled career rebirths, it's fair to ask, what about Jeff Beck? You Had It Coming, Beck's second solo album in two years, makes this the busiest stretch for the one-time Yardbird since his memorable mid-1970s run of Blow by Blow and Wired. Working in the comfortable techno-funk rock vein he's been tinkering with for the last few years, Beck is as agile and muscular a craftsman as he's ever been — firing off ragged buckshot-blast chords on the rotgut-blues classic "Rollin' and Tumblin'" (aided by Imogen Heap's soulful vocal) and unwinding long, curvaceous notes that give the surprising raga-flavored "Nadia" exceptional charm. Beck remains enthralled, in a slightly anachronistic sort of way, by the multiple voices he can squeeze from the throat of his Stratocaster, delivering screams, wails and growls as he traverses this record. What's missing is the modern edge that would give Beck's fiery playing a better context. Too often, the techno-funk rhythm driving the action here sounds stiffly electronic, like a Chemical Brothers castoff from the Nineties. It's not that it's bad, it's just that Beck deserves so much more. © DAVID THIGPEN | January 23, 2001 © 2014 Rolling Stone http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/you-had-it-coming-20010123

Jeff Beck returns two years after the ten-years-in-the-making Who Else?, and You Had It Coming isn't surprising just for its rapidity, but for its music. From the moment the electronicized, post-rave beats of "Earthquake" kick off the record, it's clear that Beck isn't content to stay in place -- he's trying to adapt to the modern world. To a certain extent, this isn't an entirely new phenomenon, since each of his records is clearly, inextricably of its time, from the crunching metal of Truth through the breezy jazz fusion of Blow By Blow to the modernized album rock of Guitar Shop. This is just another side of that, as Beck works with electronic music, both noisy and new age introspective. It's a bit clever, actually, since Beck's playing has always been otherworldly, dipping, bending, and sounding like anything other than a normal guitar. The problem is, when he's surrounded by lockstep, processed beats and gurgling synths, his guitar doesn't leap to the forefront and capture attention the way it does on his best recordings. Still, there's something to be said for the effort, because even if it doesn't sound like a Beck record, it isn't a bad record, and it's certainly a helluva lot more successful than Clapton's similar forays into these waters. Besides, knowing that he knocked this out so quickly makes it a little endearing. © Stephen Thomas Erlewine © 2014 AllMusic, a division of All Media Network, LLC. | All Rights Reserved

Guitar legend and musical chameleon Jeff Beck met the 21st century head on with a new sound to match the new millennium: part techno grunge, part industrial electronica, but without ever sacrificing the patented lyricism of his distinctive guitar style. The album is only 36 minutes long, but packs a lot into its all-too brief length. Most of it is instrumental, ranging from the aptly titled opening salvo "Earthquake" (having lived through a few during my childhood in Northern California, I can vouch for the song's unsettling sense of power) to the lush ambient chillout of the album closer, "Suspension". In between is the aggressive Harley-Davidson hip-hop of "Roy's Toy"; some gorgeous East Indian motifs (in "Nadia"); and lots of raw, effects-heavy soloing (I'm thinking in particular of the rocket-fueled instrumental "Loose Cannon", a personal favorite). And before you accuse Beck of completely abandoning his musical roots, lend an ear to the more traditional blues of "Rollin' and Tumblin'". The song dates back to the days of Hambone Willie Newbern, and has since been covered by (I'm sure among many others) Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, and The Grateful Dead. But here it's updated with enough testosterone to fuel a small sports car, and graced by the appropriately soulful vocals of Imogen Heap (recorded in a single take, I'm told). Fans of the guitarist's older blues and fusion recordings might not be ready to appreciate his latest change in direction. But the album (and his self-titled 2003 follow-up) should appeal to the same forward-thinking listeners who applauded the V-drum improvisations of the more recent KING CRIMSON. Personally speaking, here's one old dog ready to roll over for music like this any day. - from ****/5 "Who says an old dog can't be taught new tricks?" Review by & © Neu!mann © Prog Archives, All rights reserved http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=15053

“You Had It Coming” is the eighth studio album by legendary guitarist Jeff Beck. The album reached No. 17 and 110 on the Billboard Top Internet Albums and Billboard 200 charts respectively, as well as No. 96 and 123 on the German and French albums chart. "Dirty Mind", went on to win the award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance at the 2002 Grammys; this being Jeff’s third such award, after the albums Flash (1985) and Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop (1989). Singer Imogen Heap is featured on "Dirty Mind" and "Rollin' and Tumblin'", and would later tour with Jeff in 2004. Mostly an instrumental album, and a wonderful example of why Jeff Beck is so highly regarded in the rock world. [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 74.2 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Earthquake - Jennifer Batten 3:17
2 Roy's Toy - Aiden Love, Andy Wright, Jeff Beck 3:35
3 Dirty Mind - Aiden Love, Andy Wright, Jeff Beck 3:50
4 Rollin' And Tumblin - M. Morganfield (Muddy Waters) 3:10
5 Nadia - Nitin Sawhney 3:51
6 Loose Cannon - Andy Wright, Jeff Beck, Jennifer Batten 5:17
7 Rosebud - Andy Wright, Jeff Beck, Randy Hope-Taylor 3:44
8 Left Hook - Andy Wright, Jeff Beck, Steve Alexander 4:20
9 Blackbird - Jeff Beck 1:27
10 Suspension - Andy Wright, Jeff Beck 3:21

MUSICIANS

Jeff Beck - Guitar
Jennifer Batten - Guitar
Randy Hope-Taylor - Bass
Steve Alexander - Drums
Aiden Love - Programming
Imogen Heap - Vocals on Tracks 3, 4

JEFF BECK BIO

While he was as innovative as Jimmy Page, as tasteful as Eric Clapton, and nearly as visionary as Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck never achieved the same commercial success as any of his contemporaries, primarily because of the haphazard way he approached his career. After Rod Stewart left the Jeff Beck Group in 1971, Beck never worked with a charismatic lead singer who could have helped sell his music to a wide audience. Furthermore, he was simply too idiosyncratic, moving from heavy metal to jazz fusion within a blink of an eye. As his career progressed, he became more fascinated by automobiles than guitars, releasing only one album during the course of the '90s. All the while, Beck retained the respect of fellow guitarists, who found his reclusiveness all the more alluring. Beck began his musical career following a short stint at London's Wimbledon Art College. He earned a reputation by supporting Lord Sutch, which helped him land the job as the Yardbirds' lead guitarist following the departure of Eric Clapton. Beck stayed with the Yardbirds for nearly two years, leaving in late in 1966 with the pretense that he was retiring from music. He returned several months later with "Love Is Blue," a single he played poorly because he detested the song. Later in 1967, he formed the Jeff Beck Group with vocalist Rod Stewart, bassist Ron Wood, and drummer Aynsley Dunbar, who was quickly replaced by Mickey Waller; keyboardist Nicky Hopkins joined in early 1968. With their crushingly loud reworkings of blues songs and vocal and guitar interplay, the Jeff Beck Group established the template for heavy metal. Neither of the band's records, Truth (1968) or Beck-Ola (a 1969 album that was recorded with new drummer Tony Newman), was particularly successful, and the band tended to fight regularly, especially on their frequent tours of the U.S. In 1970, Stewart and Wood left to join the Faces, and Beck broke up the group. Beck had intended to form a power trio with Vanilla Fudge members Carmine Appice (drums) and Tim Bogert (bass), but those plans were derailed when he suffered a serious car crash in 1970. By the time he recuperated in 1971, Bogart and Appice were playing in Cactus, so the guitarist formed a new version of the Jeff Beck Group. Featuring keyboardist Max Middleton, drummer Cozy Powell, bassist Clive Chaman, and vocalist Bobby Tench, the new band recorded Rough and Ready (1971) and Jeff Beck Group (1972). Neither album attracted much attention. Cactus dissolved in late 1972, and Beck, Bogert, and Appice formed a power trio the following year. The group's lone studio album -- a live record was released in Japan but never in the U.K. or U.S. -- was widely panned due to its plodding arrangements and weak vocals, and the group disbanded the following year. For about 18 months, Beck remained quiet, re-emerging in 1975 with Blow by Blow. Produced by George Martin, Blow by Blow was an all-instrumental jazz fusion album that received strong reviews. Beck collaborated with Jan Hammer, a former keyboardist for Mahavishnu Orchestra, for 1976's Wired, and supported the album with a co-headlining tour with Hammer's band. The tour was documented on the 1977 album Jeff Beck with the Jan Hammer Group -- Live. After the Hammer tour, Beck retired to his estate outside of London and remained quiet for three years. He returned in 1980 with There and Back, which featured contributions from Hammer. Following the tour for There and Back, Beck retired again, returning five years later with the slick, Nile Rodgers-produced Flash. A pop/rock album recorded with a variety of vocalists, Flash featured Beck's only hit single, the Stewart-sung "People Get Ready," and also boasted "Escape," which won the Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental. During 1987, he played lead guitar on Mick Jagger's second solo album, Primitive Cool. There was another long wait between Flash and 1989's Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop with Terry Bozzio and Tony Hymas. Though the album sold only moderately well, Guitar Shop received uniformly strong reviews and won the Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental. Beck supported the album with a tour, this time co-headlining with guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. Again, Beck entered semi-retirement upon the completion of the tour. In 1992, Beck played lead guitar on Roger Waters' comeback album, Amused to Death. A year later, he released Crazy Legs, a tribute to Gene Vincent and his lead guitarist, Cliff Gallup, which was recorded with Big Town Playboys. Beck remained quiet after the album's release prior to resurfacing in 1999 with Who Else! You Had It Coming followed in 2001 and his 14th release, Jeff, was issued on Epic two years later. An excellent live set, Performing This Week: Live at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, was released in 2008 by Eagle Records. Emotion & Commotion, Beck's first new studio album in seven years, appeared in the spring of 2010. © Stephen Thomas Erlewine © 2010 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/jeff-beck-p3650/biography

Henry McCullough

Henry McCullough - Poor Man's Moon - 2008 - Silverwolf

Our old friend Henry McCullough is at it again with his 2008 album Poor Man's Moon, just released in the U.S. The subtle electric guitar master — best known for being the infamous lead on Paul McCartney & Wing's "My Love" — has released a spectacular 11-song electric blues-based rock album that features perfect playing, subtle intricate songwriting and McCullough's truly inspired guitar playing. The album opens with "Burial Ground," a slow dirge-like song with a double great bass from Nicky Scott, McCullough's snappy vocals and super sad slide and Enda Walsh's perfect piano. As Henry told me about this opener: "I have had people sit in me own house and know of people who sit in their own house and listen to Burial Ground and even before the end of it they were in tears." "Big Old River" follows with some chunky electric guitar and rockabilly-like snare; this one is so fun that it almost sounds like Henry McCullough is laughing at times during the vocal. "I've Got A Secret" has some great tickling piano, with McCullough channeling his inner Keith Richards on the vocals with the full complement of Peter McKinney's drums and Roe Butcher's bass. The slower "Walk With Me" features a great lived-in lyric (I so appreciate guys writing from their experience and age), plus a beautiful Percy Robinson steel. The best of the lot as far as middle-rolling solid electric blues is "Belfast Train" with its biting layback feel featuring the players as best they sound throughout the entire CD. With Aidey McIlduff on drums, James Delaney on piano, Roe Butcher on bass and lyrics from McCullough — "I got a suitcase full of nothing except memories and regrets" — how can you really go wrong? Enjoy some great acoustic picking from McCullough in "All Gone Crazy," a sprite-y swirling almost-instrumental tune. It's the perfect length with a spot-on track placement, followed by the great blues rumbling "Time To Put The Snakes To Bed," which sees a great use of slide guitar on acoustic and Henry's players flipping along nicely behind him. The title track (which appears as track 12 here) is commercially snappy, knocking up against John Fogerty territory even. A great overall album, what I can really appreciate about Poor Man's Moon is that McCullough plays as much lead himself as he sits back and lets his fantastic players. ~ Ralph Greco, Jr. © Copyright 1997, 2014 Vintage Rock http://www.vintagerock.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1323:henry-mccullough-poor-mans-moon-cd-review&catid=8:new-studio-releases&Itemid=38

Henry McCullough is the legendary guitarist who played in the Grease Band with Joe Cocker at Woodstock and picked the stellar solo on "My Love" during his tenure with Paul McCartney's Wings. Henry returned to Ireland after leaving Wings and now plays all over Europe with his band. He is also a songwriter, and wrote the song "Failed Christian" which has been recorded by Nick Lowe among others. Poor Man's Moon shows the gentler side of Henry's music, with an easy rolling JJ Cale feel. There are Celtic and country tinges to the music, but the prevailing atmosphere is soulful and bluesy. On "Fix Me Up Jesus", Henry softens his arguments with the Church on the earlier classic and stinging "Failed Christian". "Sometimes I wonder what I've become, It's not what I thought when I was young, Tear it all down and start again, You say the word and I'll say Amen". There ia a lived in feel to this music that comes with a lifetime of experience. The songs are beautifully crafted little gems that repay repeated listening and improve every time you hear them. I have had this album in my truck for weeks and it just gets better. Henry's guitar is mostly tastefully restrained within the song structures, but when he lets his Gibson 335 off the leash, he still has some devastating chops. But Henry doesn't show off, he's an old master, a Rembrandt glowing deep shades of gold and silver, a treasure to discover. – from ***** “Celtic guitar god & true master musician” By & © Michael C. Stephens on November 12, 2012 © 1996-2014, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates http://www.amazon.com/Poor-Mans-Moon-Henry-Mccullough/dp/B007FQUHOG

During the fade - out of Pink Floyd's Money, a voice nonchalantly states, "I don't know; I was really drunk at the time". These words were spoken by the late, great Irish musician, Henry McCullough, one-time member of Paul McCartney's Wings, and session guitarist to artists that include Joe Cocker, Jimi Hendrix, Marianne Faithful, Leon Russell and many, many more. “Poor Man's Moon” is a relatively obscure but beautifully constructed album of rock, and blues rock with a nice Celtic touch. Check out Henry’s great “Get In The Hole” album. [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 93.5 Mb]

TRACKS

1 Burial Ground 4:42
2 Big Old River 2:36
3 I've Got a Secret 4:22
4 Too Late to Worry 2:18
5 Poor Man's Moon 5:27
6 Walk With Me 3:55
7 Belfast Train 5:25
8 Skin & Bone 3:06
9 Fix Me Up Jesus 4:32
10 All Gone Crazy 1:37
11 Time To Put the Snakes To Bed 3:01
12 Poor Man's Moon (Reprise) 1:53

All tracks composed by Henry McCullough except Track 6

MUSICIANS

Henry McCullough - Guitars, Vocals
Declan Murphy, Paddy Goodwin - Electric Guitar
Percy Robinson - Dobro, Pedal Steel Guitar, Dobro
Nicky Scott - Double Bass, Bass (electric)
Roe Butcher - Bass
James Delaney, Enda Walsh - Keyboards
Aidey McIlduff - Drums
Peter McKinney - Drums, Sequencing

BIO (WIKI)

Henry Campbell Liken McCullough (born 21 July 1943, Portstewart) is a Northern Irish guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, who has played guitar in such bands as Sweeney's Men, Spooky Tooth, Paul McCartney & Wings, andThe Grease Band. He turned up in many different places as sideman or a performer in his own right. In 2008, he recorded Poor Man's Moon, featuring the single, "Too Late to Worry." McCullough first came to prominence in the early 1960s as the teenage lead guitarist with The Skyrockets showband from Enniskillen. In 1964, with three other members of The Skyrockets, he left and formed a new showband fronted by South African born vocalist Gene Chetty, which they named Gene and The Gents. In 1967 McCullough moved to Belfast where he joined Chris Stewart (bass), Ernie Graham (vocals) and Dave Lutton (drums) to form the psychedelic band The People. Later that year the band moved to London and were signed by Chas Chandler's management team, who changed the group’s name to Éire Apparent. Under Chandler's guidance, despite only having one single released, they toured with groups such as Pink Floyd, Soft Machine, The Move and The Jimi Hendrix Experience, as well as Eric Burdon and the Animals. Things went well until, in Vancouver, Canada in mid February 1968, while the band was touring with The Animals, McCullough was busted for possession of marijuana and sent back to The United Kingdom (officially because of 'visa problems'), and Mick Cox flew out to take his place in the band. Back in Ireland McCullough joined what was primarily a folk group called Sweeney's Men, by May 1968. Under his influence, however, they soon began to mix folk and rock, and are often regarded as the innovators of the folk/rock genre. After a year in Ireland, McCullough returned to London to work with Joe Cocker as a member of his backing group, the Grease Band. With Cocker he toured the U.S. and performed at the Woodstock Festival. McCullough played on The Grease Band's eponymous album after splitting with Cocker, and during his time with the band he also appeared as lead guitarist on the original 1970 recording of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar and on the progressive Spooky Tooth album The Last Puff. In 1971 Paul McCartney asked McCullough to join his new band, Wings, alongside Denny Laine and Denny Seiwell. His guitar solo on "My Love" has been described as one of rock music’s greatest solos. Musical differences with McCartney, however, saw McCullough move on the eve of the Band on the Run sessions. He spent two years in the band, playing lead guitar on "Hi, Hi, Hi", "Live and Let Die" as well as "My Love". McCullough's spoken words "I don't know; I was really drunk at the time" can be heard on the Pink Floyd album The Dark Side of the Moon, at the end of the song "Money". He was recalling a fight he had the night before with his wife. McCullough landed from his Wings experience into another two year gig alongside his friend Chris Stewart, keyboard player Mick "Wynder K. Frog" Weaver and drummer Stu Perry into the ironically very Joe Cocker sounding Frankie Miller Band. Miller's "Ain't Got No Money" featuring McCullough's guitar work inspired Bob Seger to write and record "The Fire Down Below". (cited Frankie Miller Band, "The Rock", Chrysalis Records 1975), Bob Seger (countless interviews, Capitol Records Publicity Department 1977-1979) In 1975, McCullough released Mind Your Own Business, his only album on George Harrison's Dark Horse label. McCullough then did some session work, and played concerts with Roy Harper, Frankie Miller, Eric Burdon, Marianne Faithfull, Ronnie Lane and Donovan. In 1977 he temporarily joined Dr. Feelgood, following the departure of Wilko Johnson. Recovering from an injury to his hand while visiting his family in 1980, McCullough decided to stay in Ireland. He began to sit in with some old friends, The Fleadh Cowboys, at their Sunday afternoon residency in The Lower Deck in Dublin, and soon decided to move back to Portstewart and put a new band together. He was joined by Percy Robinson on pedal steel guitar, Roe Butcher on bass and Liam Bradley on drums. In 1998 McCullough went to Poland, where he rehearsed with a band of Polish musicians for an upcoming tour. After the tour, they went into a recording studio and recorded a 'live' album which was released as Blue Sunset. This was followed by a further Polish tour. On returning home, McCullough recorded and released "Failed Christian", a song that has since been covered by Nick Lowe on his album, Dig My Mood. McCullough continued to record and perform and released solo material, including Belfast To Boston (2001) and Unfinished Business (2003). The latter contained his 1998 single, "Failed Christian". McCullough performed at concerts in Northern Ireland and Scotland, playing with a backing band (featuring Stephen Quinn on drums and Sean McCarron on saxophone). McCullough contributed guitar on and organized the band for the Alaskan musician, The Rev Neil Down's, 2003 release, When A Wrong Turns Right. The Henry McCullough Band - FBI Live was released in 2007 on Mundell music, from a recording at The Famous Bein Inn in 2006.In 2007, Over the Rhine covered "Failed Christian" on their album, Live from Nowhere, Vol. II. In late 2007, McCullough teamed up with Dave Sharp (ex Alarm) and together they enlisted Zoot Money on keyboards; Gary Fletcher on bass guitar; and Colin Allen on drums. In January 2008 The Hard Travelers performed their debut gig at The Cellars, Portsmouth. In 2008 McCullough recorded Poor Man's Moon at Amberville Studios and it was released in Ireland only on 5 September 2008. It featured new McCullough compositions, and a number of songs co-written with poet Eamon Carr (of Horslips) including the single, "Too Late to Worry". Among the musicians featured on the album were James Delaney on keyboards; Roe Butcher on electric bass guitar; Nicky Scott on double bass and electric bass guitar; Enda Walsh on keyboards; Adie McIlduff on drums; Percy Robinson on dobro and pedal steel guitar and Peter McKinney on drums/sequencing. In 2007/8 Henry teamed up with USA/Ireland Singer Songwriter and friend Jeff Greene of Acashic/Aurora Records to Record Greene's "Dark Nite of the Soul" album and other musical collaborations at Wind-Mill Lane Studios Dublin Metropolis Studios London and The Sound Kitchen Nashville. McCullough attended Paul McCartney's concert at the O2 in Dublin on 20 December 2009. McCartney publicly acknowledged McCullough's contribution to Wings. On 13 March 2010, McCullough played the Fifestock Festival at the Inn at Lathones, Scotland. This festival was the last one undertaken at that venue, and McCullough's band headlined the event. Henry McCullough was active in the European music scene. He played regular live gigs with artists such as Ed Deane, James Delaney, Noel Bridgeman, and John Quearney, among others. In 2011 Henry collaborated with songwriter Paul Doherty and The Vals on the track 'Look to the One'. The song was a success, gaining much airplay worldwide. Henry contributed backing vocals and his signature guitar sound. Henry suffered a heart attack in November 2012 leaving him in a critical condition. His death was mistakenly reported on Ronan Collins's RTÉ Radio 1 show on 7 November. The BBC was forced to apologise after prematurely reporting his death. In an interview with website Something Else Denny Seiwell a former Wings drummer who played with McCullough in the Paul McCartney-led group, says it's doubtful McCullough will make a complete recovery.

Lou Reed

Lou Reed - NYC Man The Collection (2 CD) - 2003 - BMG

To one man, everything Lou Reed has ever released is absolutely perfect. And if his interviews are any indication, that one man is Reed himself. His vaunted intellectualism has always afforded him a final, unbreachable line of defense when one of his albums is subjected to criticism-- I mean, who are we to detract from Lou Reed's epic vision? We, the insipid, the shortsighted, could never truly grasp the depth of artistry that goes into even the most seemingly hackneyed tracks from Ecstasy (particularly that of "Like a Possum"), to say nothing of the deep harmonic layering in Metal Machine Music. "If you had a small mind, you'd miss it." You said it, Lou. "I've been rewriting the same song for a long time. Except my bullshit is worth other people's diamonds. And diamonds are a girl's best friend." See, only Lou Reed can criticize Lou Reed; fortunately, he has only the kindest things to say about himself. He's been maligned for not understanding what he does best, and inadvertently playing directly into his weaknesses as a result, but I'm more inclined to think that he just doesn't care what other people believe his perceived strengths to be. It almost makes me wonder why he bothered at all to hand-select and remaster the 31 tunes included on NYC Man, especially when such effort has been made to include material from even (to my "small mind") the worst of his later work. Here, studio versions of numerous mega-classics are replaced with live renditions, often denying listeners even that small pleasure of listening to these tracks with some small degree of studio clarity rather than stripped-down, emotionally dead reprises. About the only unpleasantry he's spared us is sixteen minutes (and one second) of grating feedback-- er, I mean, deeply embedded classical melodies-- to represent Metal Machine Music. Still, like any of the greatest Roman emperors and European monarchs knew, the wrath of the mob is something to be avoided, and so the King of NYC condescends to include basically all the songs that will send still send him to the front of the line when rock's judgment day arrives-- most of which appear as live versions. "Sweet Jane"'s gloriously faded core progression is one of the single most ripped-off blasts in rock and roll; the harrowing epic "Street Hassle" still sets a standard in orchestral rock augmentation that few bands can even dream of approaching. The transcendent helplessness of "Caroline Says", the sultry decadence of "Walk on the Wild Side", the sweet fuck-all of "White Light/White Heat"-- all the songs that have been included on every other Lou Reed compilation are here, too. In some sense, the decision to include live takes of many of these songs would be preferable to offering yet another studio copy of "Heroin", if only Reed's lackluster, "I'd rather be anywhere else" live performances didn't so consistently wither in comparison.To give the man some deserved credit, though, it's hard to produce a "bad" version of a song as genuinely perfect as "I'll Be Your Mirror"; it may be diminished here, but fundamentally, it remains one of the brightest jewels in rock's crown. And so it is for all of Reed's most brilliant moments. The bad news is, there's more here than just his most memorable work. Now, to state that many of Lou's later albums are awful is certainly subjective on some level, but I sincerely doubt there's a person alive (well, aside from Lou) who'd be pleased with any collection that attempted to sum up his career by including any songs at all-- even just one, as this compilation does-- from rock-bottom tragedies like Mistrial, Ecstasy, and The Raven. Unfortunately, after the necessary inclusions, that's about all he can do. So, rather than excise "Rock Minuet", the studio-alternate of "Who Am I", or any of the other relatively uninspired works of his later albums, and focus instead on his equally incredible, but more commonly overlooked 80s work-- or shit, just limited this thing to one disc-- he wildly over-reaches. All possible opportunities for cohesion have been denied here at the expense of the implicit notion that all Reed's work is created equal. It ain't. But you know what? Lou really was a genius (maybe still is). Even if his decisions make much of NYC Man a baffling ordeal, as albums go, the canonical rock and roll might contained in some of his greatest triumphs, even in second-rate form, save this album from the guillotine. Such is the scope of his songwriting skill. This is Lou's career, all of it-- from The Velvets to The Raven-- as it could only make sense to him, 3\xBD decades crammed into less than 3\xBD hours. Take away any sort of chronology and then attempt to find representation from every release he ever crapped out, and all that's left is a strung-out, confusing mess that could have turned out a hell of a lot better than it did. A hell of a lot like Lou, actually. © Eric Carr; June 5, 2003 © 2014 Pitchfork Media Inc. All rights reserved http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/6734-nyc-man-the-collection/

Lou Reed has been the subject of so many idiosyncratic, bewildering compilations that the release of yet another idiosyncratic, bewildering compilation can either inspire amusement or frustration. In the case of 2003's double-disc, 31-track NYC Man: The Collection, it's nearly apoplectic frustration because this is yet another thoroughly botched attempt at a thorough overview that doesn't even function as a representative sampler or introduction -- something that is desperately needed in a discography as lengthy and uneven as his. Perhaps part of the problem is indeed that his discography is inconsistent, and thereby any collection that attempts to take it all in will be uneven, but this is especially wobbly, particularly because it tries to cover everything from the Velvet Underground to 2003's The Raven, all with no chronological sense, flipping from decade to decade without sense for either historical or musical logic. Then, there's the song selection itself: It opens up with an unreleased alternate take of "Who Am I" from The Raven, then often substitutes studio cuts with live performances, including a healthy selection from Live in Italy and Perfect Night: Live in London (only one cut from Rock 'n' Roll Animal, strangely enough). It does contain many big songs -- "Walk on the Wild Side," "Satellite of Love," "Dirty Blvd.," "Coney Island Baby," "Perfect Day," "Street Hassle," "Vicious," plus a host of Velvet Underground songs, both in VU and solo versions -- but the songs that surround these tunes are all over the map. Sometimes they're excellent album track selections, but more of the time, they're not as good as songs that have been left behind, which include such cuts as "I Love You Suzanne," "Sad Song," "I Can't Stand It," "New Sensations," "No Money Down," "Romeo Had Juliette," "Egg Cream," "Doin' the Things That We Want To," "Legendary Hearts," and "What's Good," among others. Perhaps these aren't Reed's best -- and, yes, his "best" will always be a subjective matter -- but they are popular, representative songs that would have fit a solo career overview better than much of what is here. Without them, and with the songs that are here, NYC Man is a muddled mess, containing some of Reed's best, but not enough to justify this as the "ultimate" Lou Reed collection. Yet another bungled Lou collection, then. © Stephen Thomas Erlewine © 2014 AllMusic, a division of All Media Network, LLC. | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/nyc-man-the-collection-mr0003030707

Whoever made the selection for this 2-disc set deserves a medal. Reed’s much maligned albums like Sally Can’t Dance, Rock ‘n Roll Heart and Growing Up In Public are well represented by heir best tracks such as Kill Your Songs (albeit a live version), Temporary Thing and The Last Shot. I am pleased that for once someone ignored the critics and just got a lot of the good songs together. The tracks are not arranged chronologically but that just makes the listening experience all the more interesting. Highlights on Disc One are Street Hassle, I’ll Be Your Mirror and Ecstacy. On Disc Two, the music leads up to a climax with The Bells right in the middle and my other favourites here include the live Heroin, the beautiful and moving Satellite Of Love, Dirty Boulevard, Rock Minuet and of course, the poetic Pale Blue Eyes. It’s great hearing these masterpieces out of the context of their original albums, it certainly makes them stand out more as individual songs. I strongly recommend this album to those who would like to investigate Reed’s wok as well as to the long-time fans. - ***** WISE SELECTION by & © Pieter Uys © 1996-2014, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates http://www.amazon.co.uk/NYC-Man-The-Ultimate-Collection/dp/B00008Y4IU

As Lou Reed proclaimed in the title song of his 1976 classic Coney Island Baby, "different people have peculiar tastes," and it sums him up -- in the course of his career, Lou Reed has been lots of different people, and they've all had peculiar tastes. NYC Man, thirty-one tracks selected by the man himself, shows the many strange faces of Lou Reed: the decadent Chelsea-boy punk poet of the Velvet Underground ("I'm Waiting for the Man," "Heroin"), the Seventies glam-rock ho ("Walk on the Wild Side"), the reluctantly wise gutter sage ("Street Hassle," "The Blue Mask") and the guy who took a ton of drugs ("Berlin"). "Ecstasy," from 2000, proves that Reed's creative powers remain fierce -- even if his recent rock opera about Edgar Allan Poe is a lot to forgive. © ROB SHEFFIELD (Posted: Jun 6, 2003) © 2009 Rolling Stone http://web.archive.org/web/20090217130648/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/loureed/albums/album/292115/review/5945559/nyc_man_the_collection

NYC Man is a 2-CD anthology of the late legendary Lou Reed's work. Lou covers everything from the Velvet Underground to 2003's The Raven.This collection is not going to please all Lou Reed's fans as inevitably many fan favourites are omitted. However in the main the 2 CD set contains many excellent album track selections. All the songs in this collection were selected, sequenced and remastered by Lou Reed himself, and it's worth taking note of that. Please see album notes and read http://www.discogs.com/Lou-Reed-NYC-Man-The-Ultimate-Collection-1967-2003/release/1422065 for further details. HR by A.O.O.F.C Listen to Lou Reed's "Coney Island Baby" and The Velvet Underground's "White Light / White Heat" album and read more about the great man @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Reed [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: 2 x rar files: CD 1 Pt 1 = 193 Mb, & CD 2 Pt2 = 175 Mb]

CD 1

1 Who Am I? (Tripitina's Song) 5:33
2 Sweet Jane 3:01 *
3 Rock 'N' Roll 4:40 *
4 I'm Waiting For The Man 4:36 *
5 White Light/White Heat 5:00 *
6 Street Hassle 11:00
7 Berlin 3:23
8 Caroline Says II 4:12
9 The Kids 7:49
10 Walk On The Wild Side 4:11
11 Kill Your Sons 4:08
12 Vicious 2:57
13 The Blue Mask 5:02
14 I'll Be Your Mirror 2:46 <>
15 Magic And Loss - The Summation 6:35
16 Ecstasy 4:30

CD 2

1 I Wanna Be Black 6:29
2 Temporary Thing 5:14
3 Shooting Star 3:12
4 Legendary Hearts 3:05
5 Heroin 8:22 *
6 Coney Island Baby 6:36
7 The Last Shot 3:20
8 The Bells 9:20
9 Perfect Day 3:43
10 Sally Can't Dance 2:55
11 Satellite Of Love 3:37
12 NYC Man 4:55
13 Dirty Blvd. 3:30
14 Rock Minuet 6:56
15 Pale Blue Eyes 5:38 *

N.B: * Lou Reed with The Velvet Underground, & <> Lou Reed with The Velvet Underground (w/ Nico)

All tracks composed by Lou Reed except "Magic And Loss - The Summation" composed by Lou Reed & Mike Rathke, & "The Bells" composed by Lou Reed & Marty Fogel

George Terry

George Terry - Guitar Dr - 2005 - Terrytunes, Inc.

Blues Rock and Ballads from Eric Clapton's first band guitar pal George Terry. Starting off as a studio musician in the late 1960's, George Terry started a band with Eric Clapton after recording the 461 Ocean Blvd. album in 1973. Eric recorded four of George's songs, "Mainline Florida", "Lay Down Sally", "Don't Blame Me", and "Let Me Stay" which was not released by Eric and is on George's Guitar Drive CD. The Bellamy Brothers had a hit with George's song "What'll I Do". They did a video with George and were nominated as Country Duo of the Year at the CMA and the ACM Awards. Here are some of the better known artists George Terry has done recordings with: Buddy Miles, Mike Bloomfield , Aretha Franklin , Joe Cocker , Freddie King , The Bellamy Brothers , ABBA, Dionne Warwick , The Bee Gees, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and Stephen Stills. George has recorded 15 albums with Eric Clapton including “461 Ocean Boulevard “,”EC Was Here”, and “Slowhand”. Guitar Drive is a CD with a variety of songs by George Terry including "Let Me Stay" that was done with the original Eric Clapton Band in the 1970's. Jamie Oldaker/Drums, Dick Simms/B3, Carl Radle/Bass, Eric Clapton played and also sang the end chorus of the song, with George Terry on the lead vocal and electric guitars. This is the first CD George has recorded as a solo artist. A rare find for the INDIE market! © http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/gterry

George Terry was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1950. A guitarist, he began his career as session musician in the late 1960s. George was a studio musician at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida when he was first introduced to Eric Clapton in 1970. Prior to signing on with Eric for the 461 Ocean Boulevard sessions in 1974, he worked extensively with Simon & Garfunkel, Sonny & Cher, Neil Diamond and on Bill Wyman’s solo efforts. In a 1976 interview, George said he was working in a studio next to Eric’s and Eric invited him to jam “when he got bored with his stuff.” This evolved in Terry’s participation on the 461 Ocean Boulevard Sessions and becoming a member of the band. During those sessions, Eric recorded four of George’s songs: “Mainline Florida,” “Lay Down Sally,” “Don’t Blame Me,” and “Let Me Stay.” The latter was not used on the album. During some of Eric’s 1970s tours, George handled the bulk of the soloing and sang back-up vocals. His association with Eric ended in 1978 when he returned to Florida and session work. © 2014 WHERE'S ERIC! THE ERIC CLAPTON FAN CLUB MAGAZINE http://www.whereseric.com/the-vault/biographies-band-members-and-collaborators/terry-george

Great underrated album from the great Philadelphia born guitarist, George Terry. George may not be a household name, but in his earlier days he played with Joe Bonamassa and later on with many of the greats in rock music and other genres. George has said that, “After all is said and done, it’s the songwriters I would most wish to perform with… and at the top of the list is Paul McCartney”. Listen to Freddie King’s “Burglar” album featuring George Terry [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 114 Mb]


TRACKS

1. That Ain't You 3:57
2. It's Only Make Believe 3:45
3. She's My Harley Davidson 3:54
4. Let Me Stay 4:12
5. Don't Ask Me 6:06
6. Off To See The Moon 4:15
7. Long Way Down 3:40
8. Only Love Can Save Me Tonight 4:16
9. All Possible Dreams 4:04
10. It's Alright 3:30
11. Wild Life 3:30
12. You Blame It All 3:41
13. Get It Right 2:21

All tracks composed by George Terry

MUSICIANS

George Terry - Guitars, Lead Vocals
Eric Clapton - Guitar, Vocals on "Let Me Stay" (End Chorus)
Carl Radle - Bass
Dick Simms - B3 Organ
Jamie Oldaker - Drums

SHORT BIO (WIKI)

George E. Terry (born in 1950) is an American blues rock and rock and roll guitarist best known for his live and studio work with Eric Clapton during the 1970s. He is also known for his studio work with a number of other artists, including ABBA, the Bee Gees, Joe Cocker, Andy Gibb, Freddie King, Diana Ross, Stephen Stills, and Kenny Rogers. Much of this work came through Terry's association with Bee Gees member Barry Gibb, who was in high demand as a producer in the 1980s. Prior to joining Clapton's band, Terry was already a well-established South Florida guitarist and session musician, and had played with several notable bands including "GAME" who released two albums in 1970 and 1971. Terry was the group's featured lead guitarist and bassist, and wrote several songs on both albums.Clapton recorded three of Terry's songs: Mainline Florida, Lay Down Sally, and Don't Blame Me. Terry was a member of Clapton's studio and touring band until it was dissolved in 1979. Terry's song What'll I Do with the Bellamy Brothers received heavy radio airplay. Terry released a solo album in 2004, entitled Guitar Drive.

Gregg Bissonette

Gregg Bissonette - Submarine - 2000 - Favored Nations

Gregg Bissonette is a journeyman rock and jazz drummer with a resumé that includes work done with Carlos Santana, David Lee Roth, Maynard Ferguson, and more. A diverse and hardworking talent, he telescopes those incredibly different styles and interests into this eclectic solo album. This is Bissonette working with ten world-renowned guitarists. Among the guests are Joe Satriani, Robben Ford, Steve Vai, and more. The tracks vary from jazz fusion to modern rock. Bissonette also contributes lead vocals, trumpet, and percussion outside the kit drums. © Tom Schulte © 2014 AllMusic, a division of All Media Network, LLC. | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/submarine-mw0000060061

I waited for this album to be released with great anticipation. I am a drummer of 30 years, and can say with confidence I know my way around a drumset. Having said that, Gregg Bissonette, never fails to blow me away with the way he handles music and the drums. His approach is always creative and musical. This album has tracks ranging from hi-energy rock, to funk, to traditional jazz, to fusion, to latin. What doesnt it have -- I guess a big name behind it. It is unfortunate when I see some of the music that is being sold to the public, which has little musical significance except that the singers are young boys or sexy young girls (if that is significant). This disk flys in the face of the pop genre and gets down to some pretty serious stuff, there is no fluff here. The sheer range of styles combined with the talent of both Gregg and his brother Matt along with the incredible array of guitarists, leaves me feeling a little disapointed that this album will likely get little air time if any on the radio. I personally enjoyed the vocal tracks and would suggest that Gregg is a great singer. The first track of the album is amazing, the groove will blow you away, just sits there in a funk feel and makes it impossible not to tap your feet. Later on, on the disk you will hear music that will take you back to the 60s British invasion. Bottom line, if you want a CD that is filled with great musicianship, originality and covers a broad spectrum of music styles then you should check it out. I highly recommend this disk to anyone. Cheers - ***** A Drummer's Point of View By & © Karl on February 22, 2001 © 1996-2014, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates http://www.amazon.com/Submarine-Gregg-Bissonette/dp/B00004SG5T#cm_cr_dpwidget

Nowadays, it's not unusual to see fusion cats sharing hangs with chops-heavy rockers. Or, if you prefer the other angle, chops-heavy rockers dipping into the fusion waters. Drummer Gregg Bissonette's Submarine (Favored Nations FN2010-2; 54:42) is studded with shred hotshots (Steve Stevens, Frank Gambale, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai) and non-shred notables (Robben Ford), all of whom get hard-blowing guest spots. This disc works as a fusion album mainly because it's not a fusion album-it's a rock album, even though it rocks in ways that put you in a 1989 state of mind. Tunes like the Kings X-ish "Submarine" and the power poppish "The Son Man" would still be on rock radio if that Nirvana thing had never happened a few years back. Robben Ford takes some liberties with the blues scale on "Cloudy Day," while Steve Vai whips up his trademark note-souffle on the propulsive "Noah's Ark." Joe Satriani, on the other hand, turns in the date's most affectingly tasty performance, on the reflective, waltz-time "Lum Lum," playing off Bissonette's vaguely Elvin Jones-ish rhythms. - By & © Tony Green © 1999–2014 JazzTimes, Inc. All rights reserved. http://jazztimes.com/articles/11603-submarine-gregg-bissonette-s

Great album done with taste and finesse from one of the best and most experienced drummers in the business. Gregg Bissonette has played with a very wide range of artists on stage and in the studio, including Ray Charles, and Carlos Santana. He can also be heard on a number of rock instrumental and progressive rock albums, including Temporal by Shadrane, Deep Forest by Deep Forest, Bass Invader by Martin Motnik, Inner Galactic Fusion Experience by Richie Kotzen, Shadow King by Steve Fister, Revolution Road by Rocket Scientists, In The Eye Of Time by Vox Tempus, Bug Alley, Instrumentality by Marco Cardona, and a number of albums by Steve Vai. “Submarine” is an eclectic mix of genres from fusion to latin to beatlesque melodic rock and features some spectacular jamming and soloing by some of the world's greatest musicians including Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Frank Gambale, Robben Ford, Mike Landau, Richie Kotzen, and David Garfield. Gregg demonstrates his renowned and superb percussion technique, and check out the great melodic bass lines by his brother, Matt Bissonette. Listen to Gregg’s s/t album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 133.2 Mb]

TRACKS

1.Marbles - (featuring Frank Gambale)
2.Submarine - (featuring Doug Bossi)
3.No Ey Parqueo - (featuring Gary Hoey/David Garfield)
4.Lum Lum - (featuring Joe Satriani)
5.Train to Willoughby - (featuring Steve Stevens)
6.Noah's Ark - (featuring Steve Vai)
7.Cloudy Day - (featuring Robben Ford)
8.Son Man, The - (featuring Tim Pierce)
9.Sasquatch - (featuring Mike Landau)
10.12 to 3 - (featuring Matt Bissonette)
11.So Many Notes, So Little Time - (featuring Richie Kotzen)

All tracks composed by Matt Bissonette

MUSICIANS

Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Frank Gambale, Doug Bossi, Gary Hoey, Steve Stevens, Robben Ford, Tim Pierce, Mike Landau, Richie Kotzen (guitar)
Matt Bissonette (acoustic, fretted & fretless electric basses, piano, (trombone, background vocals)
David Garfield (piano, organ)
Gregg Bissonette (drums, percussion, trumpet, vocals)
Kathy Bissonette (background vocals)

BIO

Gregg Bissonette has become known as one of the most versatile drummers in the business, his broad experience ranging from big band, blues, and rock, to Latin, fusion, and much more. Gregg’s warm, easy-going down-to-earth manner is refreshing from one of the top drummers in the world. Gregg’s incredible sense of humor comes across clearly whether he’s recording or teaching at a drum clinic. His perfect balance between professionalism, strong work ethic, and congeniality make him a wonderful colleague and session artist, and a much-respected name in the music industry. The Detroit native comes from a family of talented musicians. Gregg’s dad Bud was a drummer and his mother Phyllis played piano and vibes. Gregg started playing on his dad’s drum kit from about the age of 5! His brother Matt is a bassist and producer, and their sister Kathy also lives and works in concert promotion in LA. Gregg’s dad was his first teacher, and at age 10, Gregg started taking private rudimental snare drum lessons with Bob Yarborough, a local teacher in Warren, Michigan. By age 11, Bob had started Gregg on reading drum set music. At the same time, Gregg also started taking private trumpet lessons from Jim Ruffner. Proficient in both instruments, Gregg would trade off between drums and trumpet with the Warren Michigan Wildwood Elementary School Band. At 14, Gregg and his brother Matt started a band called Today’s People, inspired by their junior high stage band/jazz band performances while at school under the direction of their teacher, expert drummer Jerry Hasspatcher. That same year, Gregg began taking drum set lessons from popular Detroit drummer Myron MacDonald. At 15 years old, Gregg won a scholarship to attend the Interlochen School of Music summer band program in Michigan. By this time, both Gregg and Matt were performing professionally in and around Detroit with their dad’s band The Buddy Blair Band, a name their dad chose because he thought Bissonette was just too hard to remember! (Bud’s band when he was young was called Buddy Bissonette and His Bouncing Bulgarian Bean Band!) Soon after, under the direction of Bill Baker, Gregg became the drummer of the Warren Mott High School Jazz band. With Bill’s recommendation, Gregg got to play with many professional groups in the area, including The Brookside Jazz Band, The Austin/Moro Band, and a progressive big band called Concertjazz. The following year, Gregg and Matt started Grand Circus Park, named after a park in downtown Detroit. This band featured their high school friends — Brian Biggs on guitar, Doug Burns on lead vocals, Sante Bologna on keyboards, Rick Kastruba on trumpet, Burt Snover on trombone, and Eric Kott on saxophone. Grand Circus Park started as a band that primarily played tunes by one of their favorite bands, Chicago (formerly Chicago Transit Authority). The band even had the same exact instrumentation! They originally named their group Chicago 2…but changed the name after realizing more creativity was needed. After high school, Gregg left Detroit for North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas). He became the drummer for the famed NTSU One O’Clock Big Band. Under the direction of Leon Breeden, Gregg recorded two albums with the One O’Clock Band, Lab 80 and Lab 81. He joined one of his favorite R&B bands in Dallas called The Buster Brown Band. He also was a member of the Dallas-based band Network with his brother Matt on bass and vocals and Paul Ventimiglia on keyboards and vocals. In 1982, following his graduation from NTSU, Gregg made the move to Los Angeles. In his new home of LA, he made friends with three of his favorite drummers: Myron Grombacher from the Pat Benatar band, the late Mark Craney from Gino Vannelli’s band, and Doane Perry from Jethro Tull. They started a fun drummers club called The Woodland Hills Drum Club with friends Jay Rubin, Barry Schnider, Dean Zimmer, Tony Pia, and many others. Gregg’s trumpet hero was always Maynard Ferguson and his dream was to play drums for Maynard’s band someday. This dream became a reality in 1982, when Gregg became the drummer for Maynard Ferguson’s Big Band. An added bonus for him was that the band already included his brother Matt on bass! The band toured the world and recorded a live CD called Live in San Francisco. After the Maynard gig, Gregg joined The Brandon Fields Band and recorded The Other Side of the Story. The members on that CD included Brandon Fields, saxes, Walt Fowler, trumpet and keys, David Garfield, keyboards, John Pattitucci, bass, and Gregg on drums. Later that year, Gregg went on tour with Tania Maria’s Latin/jazz group with Luis Conte on percussion and John Pena on bass. Gregg’s next gig was also with his brother Matt, playing with one of their heroes, Gino Vannelli. After their audition, the band became Gregg and Matt on drums and bass, Gino Vannelli on vocals, Joe Vannelli and Karen Childs on keyboards, and Mike Miller on guitar. Gregg’s big break came in the summer of 1985, when David Lee Roth left Van Halen and started his own band. Gregg landed the gig playing drums, with Steve Vai on guitar, Billy Sheehan on bass, and Brett Tuggle on keys. The band recorded the albums Eat ‘Em & Smile and Skyscraper, both of which went multi-platinum. Gregg’s brother Matt joined the band for the Skyscraper tour and the next studio album, A Little Ain’t Enough. The videos for “Yankee Rose,” “Goin’ Crazy,” “Just like Paradise,” “Stand Up,” and “That’s Life” got plenty of airtime on MTV. n 1989, Gregg had the great experience and honor to perform with The Buddy Rich Big Band on the Buddy Rich Memorial Scholarship Concert video. This video also featured Vinnie Colaiuta, Steve Gadd, and Louie Bellson. In 1992, Gregg and Matt recorded with Joe Satriani on his CD The Extremist, produced by one of Gregg’s favorite engineers/producers, Andy Johns, who also engineered lots of Led Zeppelin tunes. When Andy asked Gregg what he would like his drums to sound like, Gregg replied, “How about like ANY of the stuff you did with John Bonham?!” Andy quickly smiled and answered, “We can do that!” Gregg and Matt toured with Joe Satriani right after the release of “The Extremist,” and also did a live CD of that tour called “Time Machine.” Matt went on to record three other CDs with Joe Satriani and still tours with Joe when he can. Gregg and Matt started their own band called The Mustard Seeds in 1993 with guitarists Doug Bossi and George Bernhardt. All four of the members wrote the songs together and sang lead vocals and harmonies. Gregg remembers this band as being a very creative and rewarding time musically. “There is something very special about being in your own band with your brother,” he says. In 1995, Gregg did a European tour with the band Toto after Simon Phillips (Toto’s drummer since Jeff Porcaro’s unexpected death) asked Gregg to fill in for him for four months due to an injury. The tour led to lots of playing time with Steve Lukather, and a couple years later he worked with Steve on the album Luke, which included a tour of Europe and Japan. Gregg also played on the 2003 Lukather Christmas album SantaMental, featuring Steve, Gregg, Jeff Babko on keyboards, and John Pierce on bass. Gregg played trumpet as well, along with Walt Fowler on trumpet and Jeff Babko on trombone. Gregg celebrated another milestone in 1998 — the birth of his wonderful son Noah. Later that year, he also had the chance to work with one of his longtime heroes, Don Henley, on Don’s album Inside Job. Don’s producer was Stan Lynch, the drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and one of Gregg’s best friends. n 2000, Gregg had the honor of playing with Carlos Santana on the multi-Grammy winning CD Supernatural. This session came about because the producer originally called one of Gregg’s favorite drummers, Vinnie Colaiuta, to do the session, but Vinnie was unavailable and recommended Gregg. In 2001 Gregg celebrated the birth of his second child, his wonderful daughter Mary. In the same year, Gregg and Matt toured with Jeff Lynne and ELO on their Zoom Tour Live. Gregg and Matt had both been big fans of ELO and Jeff Lynne, who played with the Traveling Willberries, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Tom Petty, and more. Gregg has recorded and released two solo albums, Gregg Bissonette on Shrapnel Records (which includes a cover of one of Gregg’s favorite songs, “No Matter What” by Badfinger, with Gregg on vocals), and Submarine on Favored Nations Records. All songs were written and produced by Matt Bissonette, featured on bass, vocals, trombone and cello. Gregg sings leads on both CDs, besides playing drums, trumpet, and percussion. Gregg Bissonette features guest guitarists Steve Vai, Ty Tabor, Andy Summers, Paul Gilbert, Doug Bossi, George Bernhardt, Steve Lukather, Scott Henderson, Michael Thompson, and Mike Miller. Submarine features Joe Satriani, Frank Gambale, Steve Stevens, Tim Pierce, Steve Vai, Gary Hoey, Doug Bossi, Ritchie Kotzen, and the great piano player David Garfield. From Maynard Ferguson, to multi-platinum albums, to world tours and a Grammy, Gregg has seen his musical dreams come true one by one. And in 2003, another dream became a reality when he and Matt were asked to tour with Ringo Starr to promote Ringo’s album Ringo Rama. Ringo has been Gregg’s drumming hero since his dad took him to see the Beatles live in 1966! In addition to playing drums while Ringo fronted the band on the songs “Yellow Submarine,” “With A Little Help From My Friends,” “Photograph,” “It Don’t Come Easy,” and Ringo’s tribute to George Harrison, “Never Without You,” Gregg and Ringo also played double drums on Beatles hits like “I Wanna Be Your Man” and “Boys.” Besides a great live concert in New York, they also played on the TV shows The Tonite Show with Jay Leno, Conan O’Brian, Good Morning America, Regis and Kelly, and Last Call with Carson Daly. Gregg also did a music video with Ringo for “Never Without You.” Some of you might know Gregg as his alter ego, Skippy Skuffleton! Gregg has played with England’s loudest rock band, Spinal Tap, since he first toured with them in 2001. He also played with Tap at Live Earth 2007, and the Glastonbury Festival and Wembley Stadium in 2009. You can hear him on drums on the Back from the Dead album, released 2009. Gregg got to tour again with Ringo, this time as an All Starr in Ringo’s All Starr band, for their 2008 and 2010 tours. Band members of the 2008 All-Starr tour were Colin Hay (from Men At Work), Billy Squier, Hamish Stuart (Average White Band), Edgar Winter, and Gary Wright. For the 2010 Tour, the band included Wally Palmar (The Romantics), Rick Derringer (The McCoys), Edgar Winter, Gary Wright, and Richard Page (Mister Mister). In July of the 2010 tour, Gregg was part of a birthday celebration when Paul McCartney surprised Ringo for Ringo’s 70th birthday in Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Gregg got to play the Beatles song “Birthday” with both Ringo and Paul, and a star-studded musical cast! Gregg’s definitive instructional DVD, Musical Drumming in Different Styles, was released by Hudson Music in 2005. It was shot at the Allaire studio in upstate NY, where Norah Jones and David Bowie had just recorded albums. Musical Drumming features eight band tracks from Gregg’s solo albums, in styles ranging from jazz, to funk, to latin, to swing. With all his drumming accomplishments and accolades, to Gregg his children are his greatest attributes. A strong and committed family man, he loves spending time with his son and daughter. As a single dad, Gregg values his time with them and is an inspiration to other single dads trying to balance the challenges of a hectic musician’s life with raising kids. Today, Gregg continues to record with and for many other artists, films, and TV shows. Gregg’s favorite advice to drummers? “Be a musical drummer!” he says. “Concentrate on keeping the tempo and the groove for the whole song, and play dynamically. Learn to play big band, Latin, funk, Afro-Cuban, hip-hop, R&B, play with brushes, in small groups, large groups, small or large venues, all ages and all kinds of styles and approaches. Remember, it’s not about playing drum solos, it’s about making a joyful noise…hopefully making a living out of it someday!” Gregg exclusively uses Mapex Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, DW Drum Pedals, Remo Drum Heads, Vic Firth Drum Sticks, Samson Audio, Shure Mics, the Gregg Bissonette Signature Stick Bag by Kaces, XL Specialty road cases, Beato Drum Bags, LT Lug Locks, and LP Percussion products. © 2011 Gregg Bissonette. All Rights Reserved. http://greggbissonette.com/bio/

Nick Johnston

Nick Johnston - Public Display Of Infection - 2011 - Nick Johnston

Nick Johnston is a Canadian musician known primarily for his instrumental rock guitar style. He started playing guitar when he was 13 and learned and played songs by Metallica and Nirvana while jamming with a band in his basement. He later took a great interest in Shrapnel artists like Yngwie Malmsteen, Paul Gilbert, Jason Becker and more which inspired him to practice immensely hard. At 16, he played a school concert for over 700 people, which gave him the confidence needed to become a great guitarist. Nick then took lessons with guitar teacher Adrian Raso, who helped Nick immensely to become the great and unique guitarist he is today. Around this time Nick was aware of guitarists like Greg Howe and Brett Garsed and he practiced for up to eight hours daily to try and achieve the standard of these guys. ‘Public Display Of Infection’ received great critical acclaim and his second album ‘In A Locked Room On The Moon’ features features legendary guitar players Paul Gilbert and Guthrie Govan, and strengthened Nick's already strong credibility and reputation as a great virtuosic guitarist and songwriter. “Public Display Of Infection” is HR by this blog. Buy Nick’s ‘‘In A Locked Room On The Moon” album and support real music. Has anybody any info on an album called "False Step" released by Nick early in his career [Tracks @ 216-234 Kbps: File size = 73.7 Mb]

TRACKS

1. The Uncomfortable Relationship Of Gawker And Gawkee 4:31
2. Black Eye 5:19
3. Public Display Of Infection 4:23
4. Bulletproof 3:25
5. Wander 4:49
6. Night Of The Living Dance 2:32
7. Devil's Dancing Shoes 3:48
8. Blue Blood 4:16
9. Moon Waltz 4:06
10. Drive It Like It's Stolen 5:22

All tracks composed by Nick Johnston

MUSICIANS

Nick Johnston - Guitar
Zack Ordway - Guest guitar solo on 'Wander'
Travis Orbin - Drums
Matt King - Bass

Patrick Vega

Patrick Vega - 8 Bullets - 2009 - FFF Music

Guitar shredders are ten a penny really, most of them having a unique signature/sound, hell some don’t even bother to try and hide their influences, but that’s a whole other story. I, as you, could spend the next five minutes naming umpteen awesome guitarists, which I/you will try and draw comparison to/against, which is the down fall of guitar shredders. For them to standout in a crowd, they have to have that joie de vivre that le facteur X otherwise they become dull, uninspiring, their albums are listened to once and then gather dust. The secret is to keep it short and succinct adding a few wow factors along the route, maintaining good melody and memorable tones. This is something that Patrick Vega has achieved, making it a most likeable album. 8 Bullets is not a pretentious album by any stretch of the imagination, it holds your attention throughout. What we have here is a guitarist who can ply his trade and entertain at the same time. This is not a prog rock album per se, but what we have here is a good mix in style and presentation, which if I am to be honest, in the way the tracks have been approached, I honestly don’t believe adding a vocalist to the mix would make them any better. The right balance for me has been struck, featuring short passages, good melody, good pedal technique and some fantastic leads. The production and mix of the album is very impressive indeed, guitar, bass and drums levels having perfect balance. It was commented in the review of his first album, “The synthetic drums here aren’t that bad but when you know they’re there you can’t get away from it and they do sound clunky at times. The feel that would be added by the use of a good drummer is missing and, as all the best bands know, a band is only as good as its drummer”. Mr. Vega has addressed this comment and what a difference it has made. The approach of the tracks presented here are modern, powerful and confident. Vega has no intention of slouching and to be quite honest there aren’t any filler’ on the album, which I tip my hat to. Bullets the opening track defines the tone for the rest of the album, having a slight Joe Satriani feel to it, without being plagiarist. As an opening track Vega has chosen well, allowing his guitar techniques to come to the front without being over facing, being fully supported by some rather excellent drum work. Words Of Power sees Vega building lead breaks over some very powerful chord work but never becoming over imposing. The increase in metre part way through was kind of interesting, not necessarily required, not really adding anything. Can’t Make Up My Mind has a really nice bass line, featuring a beautiful melody, with the guitar work somewhat slower than say Words Of Power. I really do like the feel of this track, the tone, metre and feeling; you can just imagine Vega's face on some of the lead breaks. Hear My Train’ A Comin’ uses an opening effect to emulate a train running the rails, featuring a somewhat harder guitar sound and firm drum beats, you can almost imagine the thousands of tons barrelling down the tracks trying to reach its destination. This is a track that has been very cleverly built. Alice’s Nitemare is another powerhouse track displaying Vega's dexterity and technique as does the opening track Bullets. It features a very strong rhythm propped by some fantastic lead and pedal effects. Oceans In Between Us is where Vega has really developed his melodic passages to perfection, using them to great effect, creating some really driving crescendo work, oozing absolute quality. The solos are just note perfect for my taste. Wow. Washed Away opens with some rain effects that pave the way for some sad emotional guitar lead work featuring some very interesting underlying guitar passages that direct the whole piece. This is a multi-layered track with some stunning pedal effects contributing to another storming track. Novocaine displays some great pedal work, sounding vaguely like Satriani including an awesome sounding bass line holding the piece together. I love the way the track builds, the power and magnitude of each note. No Surrender is built around a really funky bouncy bass and guitar passage, which hits all the right passionate tones throughout, a more than fitting closing track. All the instrumentation is really allowed develop and grow with maturity. I am not going to perform the usual reference points here as I honestly believe that this would do a disservice to Patrick Vega as an artist and what he has created here. I will add this though, if you like talented, passionate and classy guitarists that aren’t pretentious, believing that structure and melody is as important as the lead breaks, then this is your man and an album for you. Patrick Vega has produced something special here, with its rather eclectic but approachable rhythms, rather tasty lead work and unusual tunings, which all in all has created a stunning album. This time round Vegas has utilised all his strengths maximizing them to great effect, never once outstaying his welcome, sticking to what had to be done without be distracted or self indulgent. This is a highly recommended album for guitar album lovers, which I can assure, you won’t be disappointed. Patrick Vega is going to be a name to be reckoned with if he gets the correct exposure and continues to produce work of this quality. Conclusion: 8 out of 10 © JOHN O'BOYLE © 1995 - 2014 : Dutch Progressive Rock Page http://www.dprp.net/reviews/201032.php

When I checked YouTube a while ago, I saw a guitarist performing a wonderful guitar piece with lots of expression. He immediately attracted my attention. The man involved was the Austrian-born American guitarist Patrick Vega and the song was No Surrender. I gave him my compliments for his guitar playing and he spontaneously offered to send me his album. After a week or so, I received a huge envelope in my mailbox. I only expected the new album, but on opening the package, I was happily surprised that beside his new album 8 Bullets he had also sent his previous album Freefall, Faith, Firestorm, together with some guitar picks and information cards including his business card. In short: his complete promotion package! The least I could do in return is writing a review and giving this guy some credits. Concerning guitar playing, there are roughly two ways of playing for me. The first is using all the technical skills just to impress people; the second is using one’s instincts and playing with expression, with feeling. Well, I do like both ways and on this album Patrick Vega impressed me with a fantastic guitar technique, as you can experience from the likes of Steve Vai or John Petrucci, combined with the sensibility and the touch of musicians like Jose DeCastro or even Stevie Ray Vaughan. On this instrumental album, Patrick Vega plays the guitar and the bass. On his previous album he used a drum machine, but now he had the chance to work with two very talented drummers. Real drummers always sound more natural, I think. So the drum parts on this album are done by Oren Halmut and Glen Sobel. The latter toured with Tony MacAlpine and Jennifer Batten and more well-known musicians. In his songs, Patrick Vega transcribed his influences into metal riffs that still have a bluesy feeling, especially in the opening song Bullets, or perhaps the groove in Alice’s Nitemare. Both songs are perfectly played creating a fine atmosphere. The metal groove with the distorted guitars in Hear My Train A Comin’ makes me play this music with a big smile on my face. I love this song. Can’t Make Up My Mind is a more relaxed piece that reminds me a bit of Gary Hoey. I think he comes closest to the music of Patrick Vega. The clear and ambient sounds in the opening of Washed Away lead to one of the finest guitar parts of the album: very relaxed and performed with great feeling. The structure of Novocaine also has been perfectly built up with an outstanding technique. The album ends with a remix of the song I watched on YouTube originally recorded for Patrick’s debut album. I still think this is one of the best and catchy melodies I’ve heard recently. When you see him play this piece on YouTube, it all seems so easy… Patrick Vega’s 8 Bullets is a great album. His music is both technical and emotional blending metal, hard rock and blues into a very tasty stew. I’m sure that people, who love true and honest guitar playing with the aforementioned elements, will discover this album and love it immediately, just like I did. **** © Pedro Bekkers (edited by Peter Willemsen)© All Rights Reserved Background Magazine 2013 http://www.backgroundmagazine.nl/CDreviews/Vega8Bullets.html

"Structured rock songs, heavy riffs, melodic lines and a lot of taste and skilled production." - (Guitar 9 Records, SEPT'09)

IF YOU DIG ROCK GUITARS BUT DON'T WANT TO BE GUNNED DOWN WITH 1,000,000 NOTES, THIS IS FOR YOU! - http://www.cdunsigned.com/artist/patrick-vega.html

Austrian-born American guitarist Patrick Vega is not only heavily influenced by artists like Gambale, Hendrix, Page Satriani, Vai, Malmsteen, & Eddie Van Halen but also the classic blues players of yesteryear like BB King, Albert King,and Robert Johnson. Read an interview with Patrick @ http://www.silbermedia.com/qrd/archives/42PatrickVega.html and http://www.guitar9.com/interview156.html Patrick is totally against the “illegal” downloading of his music, but this blog is trying to promote musicians like him! Check out CDBaby for more of his work and check out his "Essay in Light" album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 78.8 Mb]

TRACKS

1 Bullets [3:04]
2 Words Of Power [3:33]
3 Can't Make Up My Mind [3:52]
4 Hear My Train A Comin' [3:07]
5 Alice's Nitemare [4:02]
6 Oceans In Between Us [4:16]
7 Washed Away [4:47]
8 Novocaine [3:54]
9 No Surrender (Remix) [4:17]

All tracks composed by Patrick Vega

MUSICIANS

Patrick Vega - Guitars, Bass
Glen Sobel - Drums on Tracks 1,3,5,6
Oren Halmut - Drums on Tracks 2,4,5,8,9

BIO

Rock guitarist Patrick Vega was born in Austria/Europe. Already as a little kid he wanted nothing more than to become a professional rock guitar player. Being amazed by music as diverse as: Prince, Scorpions, Santana, Dire Straits, a Chris Rea Album Cover featuring a beat up red strat on a piano and various Jazz music his older brother listened to (Miles Davis, Brecker Brothers, Chet Baker, etc). Patrick's first record ever owned was 'Blackout' by The Scorpions (a christmas gift from his brother). Finally at the age of 14 (after being "harassed with classical music education") Vega was "allowed" to learn how to play the guitar. His dad bought him the long promised electric guitar as a birthday gift, showed him his first chords and so Patrick started to play like a maniac. Where classical instruments (recorder and clarinet) were tossed around the room and Vega NEVER practiced, the guitar immediately was Patrick's most prized posession and instantly became the biggest love of his life. Even during highschool, Vega used to practice up to the famous 8 hours a day and beyond (during the day instead of homework and whatever normal kids did and at night he sneaked into the kitchen of his parents house to not wake anyone while practicing away). He took some private lessons, but mostly participated at music seminars and workshops in his native Austria where he could perform live with other people. Patrick discovered players such as Joe Satriani, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen and Frank Gambale who were big influences back then and motivation for unlimited dedication and practice of technique (especially Vega's use of economy picking) and the use of phrasing, melody and effects. Right away the young guitarist wrote original music and self-released a few 3-song demos over the years before getting into the writing and production of full blown albums. His ultimate goal as a young Ninja guitar freak: "Move to LA and play the guitar". Simple enough:) After graduating from school, Patrick was awarded private and public scholarships for advanced music education (due to participations at music workshops, seminars, concerts and festivals). In 2000, Vega enrolled in GIT (Guitar Institute of Technology) in Hollywood, CA. Taking advantage of 24/7 practice and playing possibilities (24hr facility), he practiced and played and learned more than ever. The scholar surroundings of GIT though turned out to be a turn off in a certain way: The "Overanalyzing and name calling everything" attitude didn't quite sit right 100% with Patrick since at the time he really started to get into feel based players like Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen, Jake E Lee, Slash and Classic Blues guitar players (BB King, Albert King, Robert Johnson), etc. Right after music school, Patrick started doing auditions in the LA area and subsequently performed at major national tours including the Vans Warped Tour (playing alongside The Used, SUM41, AFI, Rancid and Pennywise), recorded at major recording studios such as Henson (former A&M), Elementree/KoRn, Paramount, Matrix studios and gained massive live and studio/recording experience. Press features include major US & EU publications such as Guitar Player Magazine, Guitar9 Records' 'The Undiscovered', All Access Magazine, Mean Street Magazine, etc © 2009 AirPlay Direct. All rights reserved http://www.airplaydirect.com/music/patrickvega/

Lyden Moon

Lyden Moon - In The Groove - 2002 - M.A.C.E

Lyden Moon decided long ago that the "vocalist" in his band would be his guitar. Possessing killer shred technique and a strong melodic sense, Moon has separated himself from most guitarists anywhere. Steve Vai once hand-picked Lyden Moon to jam with him at Chicago's House of Blues. Lyden Moon and his band have also opened up for a who's-who of big-time rock guitar legends including Gary Hoey, Michael Angelo Batio, Pat Travers, Marc Bonilla, Tracii Gunns, Frank Gamble, Dave Urich and Joe Stump to name a handful. Batio, who was named the number one guitar shredder of All-Time by Guitar One magazine, had this to say about Lyden Moon: “I have been working with Lyden Moon since recording and mixing his first CD. I have also performed numerous shows with him throughout the years. Lyden is an amazing guitarist, songwriter and arranger. When in the studio recording, he was/is always prepared and professional. Lyden has also built up a great following by constantly performing live and promoting. His CDs have sold well all over the world. Lyden Moon has earned his place as one of the great guitarists of our time.” - Michael Angelo Batio. © http://www.reverbnation.com/lydenmoon

Guitar great Lyden Moon has released his third CD on M.A.C.E. Records. "In the Groove" is an intense collection of wonderfully crafted instrumental guitar songs. Great melodies and as the title says "grooves" are in abundance on this disc. What makes Lyden stand out from so many of his peers is his ability to write a great melody and play it with conviction and a GREAT guitar tone. His tone is one of his trademarks. Laced between the melodies are full "shred", "balls to the walls", lightning fast passages that will make any guitar music lover grin. Lyden has "one upped" his other 2 CDs in every way. The performance and song writing are first rate, the production is major league and the packaging is great. Michael Angelo Batio does his usual guest appearance on Lyden's CD. Lyden and Michael trade riffs in a spectacular display of guitar artistry. This CD rocks from beginning to end and is a great addition to anyone's instrumental guitar CD collection. © Copyright 2008 M.A.C.E. Music, Inc. All rights reserved. http://archive.today/9sRxC#selection-1574.0-1583.58

Lyden Moon (Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, USA ) is a melodic instrumental guitar-based rock band with all 3 members possessing killer chops. The great guitarist Michael Angelo Batio said, "Lyden Moon has earned his place as one of the great guitarists of our time." Club.kingsnake.com on May 13,'06 said that, “Lyden Moon is a phenomenal guitarist. Plain and simple. ... Transitioning between songs with bluesy, jazzy, classical and rock feels, he has always put on one helluva show. Moon makes it all seem effortless. ... really should be bigger than he is. This is someone to see if you are a guitar freak.”. This is a guitar based album with a lot of phenomenal shredding. This album is not breaking any new ground but it certainly gives the band's fans what they want. If you want to hear some superbly crafted killer guitar work, you may enjoy this album. Lyden Moon’s first four releases sold out quickly, and this great hard working band has been known to sell 3,000 CDs show by show, person to person without a major distribution deal. Lyden plays constantly in the Chicago and upper Midwest areas of the US and his band have tirelessly played many Benefit shows, most notably Thoughts For Food in Wisconsin and has raised a lot of money for local food banks. Read more about Lyden Moon @ http://journaltimes.com/lifestyles/leisure/sounding-board-lyden-moon-finds-a-drummer/article_d47ddece-181d-5355-9f23-f21de01c16f7.html Try and buy the band’s great “Fire It Up” album and promote lesser known but very talented artists [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 105 Mb]

TRACKS

1. Shred or Be Shred Dead (1:56)
2. 09/11/99 (4:41)
3. We're Goin Ridin (4:03)
4. Ode to Joe (5:24)
5. Ear Candy (6:29)
6. Drive Hard (4:20)
7. Huntington Love Jam (6:06)
8. Moon Gal (6:51)
9. Ba-Da-Bump Bump (3:36)
10. Rhythm Talk (3:57)

All tracks composed by Lyden Moon

MUSICIANS

Lyden Moon - Guitar
Michael Angelo Batio - Guitar on Track 7
Joel Thierfelder - Bass
Mark "Fillet" Altergott - Drums

Steve Fister

Steve Fister - Deeper Than The Blues - 2008 - Pepper Cake

Over the past 12 years of his solo career, Los Angeles based guitarist Steve Fister has forged a musical path consisting of a singular vision which ranks this incredibly talented player as one of the best in the business. From the largely instrumental albums, 1997's 'Shadow King' and 1999's 'Age Of Great Dreams', to his recent forays into hard edged blues rock, simply stated Fister just may be the finest guitarist you've probably never heard. Coming up in the L.A. scene in the late 80's, serving as Lita Ford's touring axeman of choice, then continuing through stints with Pat Travers and Steppenwolf, he's certainly paid his dues. Which pay off once again on his latest offering of blues infused rock, 'Deeper Than The Blues', the studio follow up to the critically acclaimed 2007 live document 'Live Bullets'. Recorded over a 16 month period in Los Angeles, Masbree, The Netherlands and Brazil, it's an album which showcases not only his prodigious abilities as a guitarist, but one that shows that he continues to grow as a songwriter, serving up memorable songs containing some of the hottest playing to be found in rock today. Largely eschewing the guest appearances which have characterized his previous releases, this is Fister's baby, and he certainly shows that he can do it alone and achieve the same stellar results. However, having said that, there is a notable guest spot courtesy of blues guitarist Walter Trout, who supplies the outro solo on a funky blues workout of the Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want". Other than Trout though, with the exception of backing vocals contributed by current Legs Diamond singer Johnny Levesque, the players may not be big names, but they sure get the job done. Starting off with the hard driving, groove that is "You Gotta Live", one is immediately impressed by the full sound of the production. Rich and full, spacious enough to allow the instruments room to breathe, it has a retro yet modern sheen. Hard rocking, with a bluesy influence, featuring strong vocals and a percolating rhythm, it's a fine beginning. Things turn a bit moody with "I Just Wanna Scream". Featuring gritty, incisive slide guitar recalling some of Joe Walsh's work in the same vein, it's a classy continuance. "Coulda Woulda Shoulda" showcases Fister's tasty rhythm guitar chops and deep blues tone. And when the time is right, he unleashes a fiery, impressive blues solo that uncovers his deep roots studying the playing of legends Albert, Freddie and B.B. King, but also contemporaries such as Eric Johnson and Joe Satriani. "Found Out The Hard Way" is reminiscent of the solo work of the late, great Tommy Bolin - slow burning, building in intensity, it's yet another track highlighting Fister's increasing prowess as a vocalist.With each new album he seems to continue where he left off in this regard ,and it's becoming an instrument of its own right alongside his guitar work. The slow blues of the title track alternates from the almost jazzy passages of the verses to a rousing chorus. The volume swells are a nice touch, lending to the atmosphere, and special note must be given to the playing of bassist Berend Courbois and drummer Hans in't Zandt. The time spent touring by the three have brought out an instinctive interplay that only develops from plenty of time playing together. Other highlights include the funky instrumental, "Funky Shonuff", a grinding cover version of The Beatles' "Come Together", and the album's closer, "Last Of Me", yet another slide guitar workout. As the last down and dirty notes fade off, there's no doubt this is one classy blues rock contribution. Make no mistake, this is a rock album, but one on which Fister has successfully interpreted the blues in his own vision, in the process blurring the lines between what is considered "rock" and what's considered "blues". But with results this good, why bother arguing over what it is or isn't, just go out, buy it and enjoy the fantastic sounds. 10/10 - Review by & © Nightwatcher Sunday, June 1, 2008 © http://nightwatchershouseofrock.blogspot.ie/2008/06/guitarist-steve-fister-goes-deeper-than.html

Steve Fister from Buffalo, New York has toured with the Pat Travers Band, Steppenwolf and Lita Ford Band, and in the early 80's he joined Iron Butterfly as their lead guitarist. He has recorded several albums under his own name or as the Steve Fister Band. The guy is a sensational guitarist but sadly remains an unknown musician to many people. Steve has been described as "a brilliant guitarist… he not only has soul in his fingers, he has heart in his songs" (Music Connection), and "a talented, versatile guitarist with a love and respect for the instrument's place in several genres" (All Music Guide). “Deeper Than The Blues” is mainly a rock based album and the guitar work from Steve is masterful. Robert Silverstein in 21st Century Guitar said that “Guitar ace Steve Fister joins the ranks of today’s rising guitar superstars, and offers undeniable proof of his stature as a masterful solo artist”. Nightwatcher’s House of Rock said that “Steve Fister blends the guitar wizardry of Jeff Beck with a bluesy 70's hard rock vibe, punctuated with the melodic sense of The Beatles”. Bernard Baur in an article in Music Connection said that “Steve Fister has forged a solo style uniquely his own. Playing a form of blues rock fusion, Fister doesn’t just blend genres, he creates new ones”. Steve said in an interview that "My earliest memory of music that moved me was Boogie Woogie piano, and then a bit later the Beatles and the British invasion stuff, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, that led me to Albert King, BB King and Freddy King. That led me to Charlie Christian, then on to fusion jazz. The style where I found my voice on the guitar was always blues based. I have a ton of influences, but I can't shake the emotion and feeling I get from the blues”. A great album with top class musicianship and compositional skills. Steve Fister is an incredibly underrated artist, and “Deeper Than The Blues” is an album you will listen to time and time again. Not one dud track, and HR by A.O.O.F.C. Buy Steve’s “Dodgin Bullets” album and support real music. [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 103 Mb]

TRACKS

1. You Gotta Live 3:50
2. I Just Wanna Scream 5:14
3. Coulda Woulda Shoulda 3:56
4. Found Out The Hard Way 4:51
5. Can't Always Get What You Want 4:52
6. Deeper Than The Blues 5:01
7. Rise Above 3:59
8. Funky Shonuff 3:46
9. Come Together 5:06
10. Last Of Me 4:28

All tracks composed by Steve Fister except Track 5 composed by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards, and Track 9 composed by John Lennon & Paul McCartney

MUSICIANS

Steve Fister - Electric Guitar, 12 String Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Slide Guitar, Vocals, Background Vocals
Walter Trout - Guitar Solo on Track 5
Philip Bynoe - Bass, Fretless Bass
Barend Courbois, Fernando Raio - Bass
Sandro Feliciano, Hans in't Zandt - Drums
John Levesqe, Brent Hoffort - Background Vocals

BIO

Steve has been described as "a brilliant guitarist… he not only has soul in his fingers, he has heart in his songs" (Music Connection) and "a talented, versatile guitarist with a love and respect for the instrument's place in several genres" (All Music Guide). Steve has played in Lita Ford's band in the eighties both live worldwide and on her hit studio albums but although this was eighties hard rock, he never lost his passion for American rooted blues music. Guitarist Steve Fister's fourth solo album (first in Europe) includes musical guests Gregg Bissonette (Carlos Santana, Ray Charles), Tony Franklin (The Firm) Stu Hamm (Joe Satriani), Tommy Aldridge (Ozzy Osbourne), Jimmy Haslip (Yellowjackets), Eddie Tuduri (Dwight Yoakam, Marianne Faithfull), and Carmine Appice (Jeff Beck, Cactus). On Steve's albums, the guitarist/composer gets back to making music the way he hears it. "Melody and song content is priority one, but at all times I try to keep the drama and excitement levels high." Rhythm plays a large role in these ensemble like albums, but never sacrifices melody or raw emotion. "It is very important to retain a live but refined dynamic feel in the studio. Rather than over producing the guitar parts, I try to keep an open honesty, letting the feel of the song dictate my approach." Steve is a seasoned musician whose performing and recording credits include stints with Michael DesBarres and Lita Ford (where he enjoyed a high worldwide profile, as well as serving as band leader and musical director); extended touring with Stu Hamm, winner of "Guitar Player" magazines' best bassist poll; a North American Tour and CD with guitar legend Pat Travers; and World Tours with John Kay& Steppenwolf. The song "Rocket Town" off the new CD was recently featured on the E! networks Charlie Sheen Celebrity Profile - look for it to come around again soon. Also, "Steam Shuffle" (from "Shadow King") was featured on the E! True Hollywood Story - Andy Kaufman. Steve did all of the guitar work on the animated series of "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" for the Fox network, as well as the Tri Star motion picture "Volunteers," starring Tom Hanks and John Candy. The songs, "Slow Slide Down" and "Memphis" were used on VH1's Flix series. They were featured in the making of the new Brad Pitt film, "Meet Joe Black". The disc is getting lots of airplay as well as the CD of the week, on the The Belgium radio show , "Planete Indi". The songs "Hyper Boogie", "Big Guitars and Fast Cars", "Steam Shuffle" and"The Slam" have all been featured as NASCAR theme songs on TNN and ESPN networks. © http://www.stevefister.com/about.htm