Next up at the Les Paul 100th Birthday celebration was Little Kids Rock, a student band from a music education program sponsored by the Les Paul Foundation. During the changeover, video interviews with Sammy Hagar, BB King and other artists were screened, attesting to Paul’s incredibly wide-ranging influence.
“I want a sound that has never been heard before,” Les Paul famously remarked, and during his life he really delivered–as a creative guitarist who came up with fresh licks, chord sequences and fretting techniques that blew away his peers, and as the pioneering developer of the solid-body electric guitar and many recording innovations, including multi-tracking, tape delay, phasing and reverb.
After an incredible run through the 1970s on A&M Records, Peter Frampton reemerged in 1986 on a new label, with a new album and single that found him back on the Billboard charts and radios across the world.
For most guitarists, the the pinnacle of guitar techniques lie within the realm of classical guitar and classical guitarist, Yorgos Nousis, resides comfortably in that realm where technique melds with rhythmic precision and melodic nuance.
Gifted blues rock guitar virtuoso, singer, songwriter Shannon Curfman first garnered acclaim and recognition with the 1999 release of her debut, signature album, “Loud Guitars, Big Suspicians”. In the years since then, Shannon has released several stellar albums on her own independent record label, Purdy Records. She has recorded, performed, and and toured with such esteemed artists including Buddy Guy, John Mellencamp, The Indigo Girls, Jeff Beck, Keb Mo, ZZ Top, Carlos Santana, John Fogarty, Joe Bonammassa, and her mentor and peer, Jonny Lang.
On the second leg of Billy Idol’s North American Tour for his latest CD release – Kings & Queens of the Underground, Billy and his band blazed into Morristown New Jersey, on Friday 6/5 giving a passionate performance dripping with sweaty sexual energy.
Not many guitar players can flawlessly cross as many musical boundaries as Steve Stevens has done in his career. His prolific and innovative playing has changed the face of music, and together with Billy Idol, they helped revolutionizing a new genre of music.
With attendance hitting 10,000 at GearFest 2015, there was a long line of folks trying to get in to see Jeff “Skunk” Baxter present his seminar on music and to hear the Doobie brother play.
Walking about the grounds at the Sweetwater event called GearFest 2015 you hear music rolling out of the tents where exhibitors have hundreds of guitars staged for playing.
Today’s the BIG day at Sweetwater where GearFest 2015 crowds are expected to swamp the place, all checking out the music gear of nearly 400 vendors, meet some of their favorite recording artists, learn about audio techniques from world experts and just to be part of the largest private music gear show on the planet – that said, let me assure you that Sweetwater opens the event to the public.
