Gibson/Baldwin Moves and Grooves

The Thorns debut album in the works

The Thorns, an earthy new super group made up of singer/songwriters Matthew Sweet, Shawn Mullins and Pete Droge, completed tracking in December on their upcoming self-titled debut album, produced by Brendan O'Brien and slated for release in May on Aware Records. Many Gibsons, both historic and new, were used for the sessions including a '61 Les Paul Goldtop, '61 Reissue SG with Bigsby tremolo, a new white Firebird and an ES-335 12-string, plus a Hummingbird and J-200 acoustic from Gibson Montana. Watch for a feature with the band in a future edition of The Gibson/Baldwin Player.

Gibson guitars galore on USA's 'Nashville Star'

It's "American Idol" meets "Big Brother!" The USA Network's newest reality show, "Nashville Star" premiered Saturday, March 8, and features 12 amateur artists vying to be the next country music superstar through a process of viewer elimination. The contestants will compete live from the BellSouth Acuff Theatre, which is next door to the Grand Old Opry. Gibson has over 30 instruments and amps throughout the three-story band house the "wannabes" are living in during the competition, and a camera will capture their daily activities. The house is located near Nashville's famed Music Row, a major music center where the record labels, publishers, recording studios, performing rights organizations, artist management firms and entertainment lawyers are located. The grand prize winner receives a recording contract with Sony Music Nashville, with country superstar Clint Black as producer of the album. The show is hosted by "Access Hollywood" co-host Nancy O'Dell and celebrity judges include Texas singer/songwriter Bruce Robison, veteran music journalist Robert K. Oermann and Sony Music A&R exec Tracy Gershon, with other celebrity judges appearing on a rotating basic.

Mason plays signature Valley Arts guitar on Willie Nelson sessions

Brent Mason, one of Nashville's busiest session aces, has been playing the prototype for his new Valley Arts signature guitar exclusively on sessions for "red-headed stranger" Willie Nelson's future album. The specifications for Mason's guitar are still being fine-tuned, including pickup selection and placement. The Gibson/Baldwin Player will have a complete description of the guitar soon. Mason will represent Gibson nationally on CD and jingle credits, as well as give Session Master classes at Gibson's Valley Arts facility in Nashville. For more information on Mason's credits, go to www.brentmason.com.

Legendary Skynyrd guitarist undergoes open heart bypass

Gibson signature artist Gary Rossington, founding member of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, underwent quintuple bypass surgery the last week in February. Vicious Cycle, the band's first studio album in four years, has been pushed back from its original May 6 release date and will now come out in late June. The band's tour dates through May 25 will also be rescheduled for later in the year. Rossington, 51, is expected to make a full recovery within 2-3 months, according to his cardiologist. The blockages were discovered during a routine physical. The members of Lynyrd Skynyrd issued a joint statement: "Gary is doing fine after his surgery, and we want him to take the time to properly recover so he can return to his first love, which is the band he started 30 years ago. For all the fans who've bought tickets to the upcoming shows and who've been waiting for the new album, hang in there - we'll be back soon."

Funnyman Cledus T. Judd is a new Gibson man

Cledus T. Judd, the "Weird Al Yankovic of Country Music," has officially come on board as a Gibson artist. Judd has parodied songs by artists including Toby Keith, Shania Twain, Tim McGraw, the Charlie Daniels Band and Alan Jackson, among others. His most recent album, Cledus Envy, includes his takes on Faith Hill's "Breathe" (Judd's version is "Breath"), Travis Tritt's "It's a Great Day to be Alive" ("It's a Great Day to be a Guy"), and Billy Gilman's "One Voice" ("My Voice"). Judd will play Gibsons on his new videos, which begin filming this month to coincide with his new album slated for an April release on Sony Nashville.

Andy Abad has new web site

Gibson artist Andy Abad has a new fan-developed Web site, www.andyabad.com. It includes news about Abad, photos, an appearance schedule, biography and other titillating tidbits. Abad's regular gig is playing with Latin superstar Marc Anthony's pop and salsa bands, but his distinctive guitar work can be heard on sessions for artists Bonnie Raitt and Ricky Martin, among others. Abad got his start playing with Grammy Award-winning jazz band Shadowfax while studying music at the University of Southern California.

Tak Matsumoto releases first U.S. album

Gibson Japan signature artist Tak Matsumoto released his first American solo album, Hana, February 25 on Steve Vai's Favored Nations label. Matsumoto is the producer, guitarist and chief songwriter for Japanese supergroup B'z and is recognized as one of the most talented guitarists in Asia. The band has sold a staggering 80 million albums in Japan alone, making them the highest-selling act in their homeland's history. Tak, a six-string virtuoso, has his own signature Les Paul. For more information, go to www.favorednations.com.

Japan loves Gibson

Gibson's Japanese distributor, Yamano, is putting out a "members only" Fan Club magazine for members of the Gibson Official Fan Club in Japan. It features interviews with top Japanese artists, Gibson history and news, new model spotlights and other articles of interest. To see the related Web site (in Japanese and English) go to www.gibson.jp.

Les Paul Standard in Abercrombie & Fitch ad campaign

William Tell, guitarist for alt-rock band Something Corporate, sports a blue Les Paul Standard Sparkle in a new promotional campaign poster for hip "California-esque" clothing retailer Hollister, a division of Abercrombie & Fitch. Consumers can register to win a weekend stay at a California beach house for 10 friends, topped off by a private concert with Something Corporate. Look for the posters at a store near you - registration for the sweepstakes began Feb. 14 and ends on March 25, 2003. Hollister is expanding and will have over 600 national stores by the end of the year.

Milan Miller and his Valley Arts guitar

In the February issue of Guitar Player magazine, hot Nashville axeman Milan Miller of the band Jubal Foster is featured in the "Chops" column playing a Valley Arts guitar equipped with a B-bender. Check out the tablature for one of Miller's prime riffs on page 94 of the publication. Valley Arts is the newest division of Gibson Guitar Corp.

USA guitars now strung with 10s

All Gibson USA models are being strung with .010-.046 Brite Wires sets. The strings have a more substantial feel and are preferred by most players.