| | The Player X-press | July 6, 2004 | |
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| | Corey Gutch Turns us On
Seattle band The Turn Ons have been performing coast to coast, with lead guitarist Corey Gutch rocking on his new Les Paul. Members Travis DeVries (vocals, guitar), Corey Gutch (guitar), Sharon Oshima (bass), Will Hallauer (drums, percussion) and Erik Blood (Rhodes, guitar, cello, percussion) are have already tackled several shows in NYC, followed by a show at WFUV radio in Los Angeles. They have even filmed a live performance for Fearless Music television.
Their third project and second full album, East, has just been released on Childstar Records and is already receiving rave reviews. With songs like "Skyscraper" and "New Jesus," The Turn Ons keep the heavy instrumentation and expansive bass lines they're known for, and they finish up with songs like "Sunday Afternoon" which are almost dreamy and melancholy by comparison. It's a perfect blend of everything this group can do. For a complete touring schedule go here.
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Congratulations Adrenlynn!!
| | Totally Strange
Texas rock band Adrenlynn entered their very first original song in the Emily the Strange website contest and took home a new Epiphone Emily the Strange guitar! Members Emily Hammett (keys), Renn Little (vocals, bass), Nick Kammerer (drums), Rebecca Davis (vocals, guitar) and Amanda Campbell (lead guitar) were "thrilled to have been chosen over so many talented entries." The guitar, based on Gibson's classic SG, is painted with swirls of crimson and cream along with Emily's face and the slogan "People are Weird."
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Tony C. checks out a Humingbird
 | | Telling the Truth
Self-proclaimed demonophonics Tony C. and Jason Moscartolo (lead guitarist), of Tony C. and the Truth, played the blues on our collection of custom guitars in the Gibson/Baldwin NYC Showroom last week. It brought back memories to Tony C., who said, "The first Gibson I ever owned was a 1964 Country Western."
With sounds reminiscent of The Strokes and White Stripes, Tony C. and the Truth are known for their eclectic sound of funk and rock, blended with hip-hop and blues. When it cones to guitars, Tony C. says, he has two criteria: "First it has to look cool or I won't pick it up. It has to sound good enough to make me look like I know what I'm doing."
Demonophonic Blues, their new album on Lava Records, hit the street May 25th and is receiving rave reviews from notable publications like Billboard Magazine, which hails them as "the ones who could not only rock a roadhouse, but also win the brawl in the parking lot afterwards." Check out their video, "Demonophonic Blues," here.
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| | Roonies hit the Road
The town of Manchester, TN, comes alive once a year when thousands of twenty-somethings roll into town to participate in the massive, much anticipated, annual music festival, Bonnaroo. Stages lit up with performers such as Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews, Willie Nelson, Primus, Wilco, Ani DiFranco, Maroon 5, Chris Robinson, North Mississippi Allstars, Damien Rice, Gov't Mule and String Cheese Incident. Gibson's interactive tent provided chances for players to check out different guitar models and register to win an Epi Les Paul Special II and a Gibson Melody Maker which were given away. There was also a silent auction with pieces signed by celebrities, which were available for bidding. This year, the festival also included an internet caf and a cinema tent. To view the photo gallery go here.
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Warren playing a
Duane Allman Signature Les Paul
| | Warren Haynes, Standing In and Standing Alone
If you missed Gibson artist Warren Haynes sitting in with the Grateful Dead at Bonnaroo, no problem. That was only the first of 36 dates he has scheduled with the Dead this summer, and he has another 50 shows with his former band, the Allman Brothers. Somehow, Warren has found some spare time to co-produce the latest Allman Brothers album, and he'll also be supporting his new acoustic solo album and touring with his own band, Gov't Mule, whose new album is due out this fall.
By the age of 44, Warren has already covered Duane Allman's licks in the Allman Brothers Band all through the '90s, and has filled in for some of Jerry Garcia's old tunes in The Grateful Dead, as well as adding some of his own. But Warren not only tears it up on guitar, he also rips into songwriting as well. "I have 27 songs either written or co-written with the Allman Brothers," he said in a recent interview with The San Francisco Gate. "I had written with Dickey Betts and Gregg Allman before we ever worked together. So by the time I joined, they looked on me as a fellow songwriter."
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Left to right, Front row: Christopher Vo, Ava Wilson, Nigel Campbell, Megan Baxter, Matt Momchilov, Chanel DaSilva, Hailey Clark, Vera Arias, Sara Sheperd, Joseph Wiggans. Back row: Jenny Li, Kate Monaghan, Blake Williams, Max Chavez, Stan Prokopenko, David Carpenter, Christopher Schmicker, Michael McLean, Hugh Kennedy
| | A Salute to the Presidential Scholars
The Presidential Scholar Program, administered by the U.S. Dept. of Education, held its awards and induction ceremony last week at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, recognizing the nation's top classical high school students. The ceremony, sponsored by Gibson through the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA), was highlighted by performances of Presidential Scholars in classical theater, dance and music, both instrumental and voice. Keynote speakers included Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz and U.S. Secretary of Education, Dr. Rod Paige, who said, "This year's scholars have taken advantage of the opportunities high school has to offer and serve as examples to us all of the opportunities that lie within education and within our schools."
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| | BALDWIN NEWS
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Billy Corgan is Smashing on a Baldwin
Former Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan lent his talent to one of the GRAMMY Signature Schools Gold presentation events, at the Neuqua Valley High School outside of the Chicago area in Napierville, IL. Billy gifted the students in attendance by playing one of his original tunes on the school's Baldwin piano. The presentation events, which are hosted by The Recording Academy and sponsored in part by Gibson, honor the top public high school music programs in the country.
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Watch for Baldwins
Walkin' the line: Look for the 562 D. H. Baldwin vertical, complete with cosmetic aging to look the part, in the upcoming film I Walk the Line which chronicles the life of Johnny Cash.
Something to Jel About: Ben Jelen, opening for the Clay Aiken tour, will be using a 6'3" red Baldwin grand, along with his favorite Gibson L-4 guitar. Clay's tour kicked off in June and Ben is scheduled to join him this summer in August.
Red, White and Baldwin:
Check out the Baldwin in the middle of Times Square in New York. Yep, that was Aretha Franklin playing it on ABC's July 4th Macy's Special, airing on ABC.
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| | GIBSON INTERNATIONAL
Jimmy and Jimena Page
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The Streets of Brazil
What began as a small soup kitchen in Lencois, Bahia, in Brazil quickly grew into The Action for Brazil's Children Trust, which raises awareness and funds to help disadvantaged children and adolescents in Brazil. By 1998, the ABC Trust was helping to provide basic needs, safety and well-being for children as well as education and training opportunities through several community-based projects around Brazil.
On July 7th, the ABC Trust is presenting an educational CD ROM teaching resource. The CD ROM, which is sponsored by Barclays, features tools for Geography Stage 3 and Citizenship, and focuses on the afflictions of children living and working on the streets. With patrons including Brian May, Carlos Miele and Jimmy Page, there will many autographed items up for auction, including a Gibson Les Paul that Jimmy will sign. The Trust was founded by Jimmy's wife Jimena, who will open the reception.
The ABC Trust will also hold a rock star auction July 18 at the Hard Rock in Los Angeles, where Gibson has donated a Gibson and an Epiphone LP Special II for auction. Jimmy Page has also signed items which are up for bid. Celebrity performances will include Howard Leese, guitarist from Heart, and Paul Gilbert, guitarist from Mr. Big.
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In The Alley
Gibson Guitar is hosting the very 1st Annual Tin Pan Alley Festival in London, England on July 11. The Festival, aiming to raise awareness for Britain's housing crisis, will take over London's famous Denmark Street and will be rocked by The Others, The Barbs, Catherine Shepard, Mower, Evalon, Junkbox, and The Occupiers.
Denmark Street was nicknamed Tin Pan Alley back in the 1920s, but has been the hub of London's music industry since the late 1800s. For the festival, Gibson is giving students in the greater London area a chance to win an Epiphone LP Special II. In order to enter, students are required to text in the word "festival" to a given phone number. From there, a random winner will be selected and presented the guitar by a celebrity. A Les Paul Melody Maker Guitar will also be given away.
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Guitar Center vintage experts Drew Berlin and Dave Belzer show off their new purchases.
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Going Once, Going Twice, SOLD!
Eric Clapton's Gibson ES-335 raised a whopping $847,500 for Clapton's Crossroads treatment center at the Christie's "Crossroads Guitar Auction," held on June 25 in New York. Clapton purchased the 1964 Gibson new and used it throughout his career with The Yardbirds, Cream, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and Blind Faith, as well as through his solo career.
The infamous Gibson was purchased by Guitar Center, who plans on trekking it, along with other guitars purchased, including Clapton's famous "Blackie" (the only guitar at the auction to bring a higher price than the 335), around the country for free display to the public. "These guitars are so much a part of rock 'n' roll history that we do not want to see them in the hands of private collectors," commented Larry Thomas, chairman of Guitar Center. "Guitar Center wants to insure that fans will still have a chance to see them up close and in person."
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Page gets another Number One
Two of the first 25 guitars from the Gibson Jimmy Page Signature Les Paul Model series have reportedly sold for over $50,000, more than double its list price. The guitar series, produced by Gibson's Custom, Art & Historic Division, replicates the exact wear and tear, along with the unique neck shape of Page's "Number One," a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard. In addition to Number One, he also has #1 of the new series, so the limited-run guitars are numbered 2-26.
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