Tuesday, Oct 6th, 2020: Eddie Van Halen dies at 65
legendary guitar virtuoso Eddie Van Halen, one of the all-time great players in rock history, died today after a long battle with cancer. He was 65.
It's hard to quantify Eddie Van Halen's massive influence on the electric guitar and hard rock in general, and it's fair to say that the entire guitar world is in mourning.
R.I.P Eddie Van Halen (1955-2020)
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This tribute on Youtube from Rick Beato.
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Update: Jan 15th, 2021: Jerry Garcia Music Arts Releases "Front Street Outtakes", rare studio recording session between Jerry Garcia and Sanjay Mishra.
News out of SAN FRANCISCO, that the Jerry Garcia Music Arts label has just released a new album titled "Front Street Outtakes" featuring studio out-takes from a 1994 recording session Jerry recorded with Indian American guitarist-composer, Sanjay Mishra.
The unreleased recordings represent one of Jerry's last full album recording projects completed at the Grateful Dead's iconic Club Front Studios and originate from unedited material used in the creation of the 1995 album "Blue Incantation."
As with all of Sanjay Mishra's work, the music on the album has a multicultural and eclectic appeal merging Eastern and Western influences, combining his brilliantly Indian-inspired guitar textures with Jerry's masterful musical fluidity.
Jerry Garcia Music Arts will donate 25% of its net revenue from every digital music stream of the album to the Self-Realization Fellowship founded by Paramahansa Yogananda back in the 1920's. Yogananda is known for writing the highly acclaimed "Autobiography of a Yogi" and the Self-Realization Fellowship is a worldwide spiritual organization founded by Paramahansa Yogananda to serve as an instrument for the preservation and worldwide dissemination of his writings and teachings, including Kriya Yoga.
"Front Street Outtakes" was mastered by Grammy Award-winning audio engineer David Glasser and the album will be available on most digital streaming platforms. As you can see on the album cover, Jerry played the Eagle guitar for this recording — the first of several custom instruments built for him by Luthier Doug Irwin in 1971, it's interesting to note that a Sanskrit prayer for happiness is inlayed on the guitar's fingerboard.
Reflecting on the music that he produced with Garcia, Mishra commented, "Unique and mysterious, these mixes consist of the recordings in pure form, with just the guitars and percussion, all unedited, including the tape reel running out on the first track."
The visual elements that accompany the release include a booklet of liner notes featuring rare in-studio photos of the session along with Garcia's music-themed pen-and-ink drawing "Uncorrected Manuscript." This image, in its unedited and pure form, can be interpreted as a visual metaphor for the recordings on "Front Street Outtakes."
said Manasha Garcia, co-producer at Jerry Garcia Music Arts, "It is an honor to support Paramahansa Yogananda's teachings with my late husband's music. There's an interesting circularity to this project, as my grandfather gave me his copy of 'Autobiography of a Yogi' to read when I was a teenager. Later, when I began singing in the Self-Realization Fellowship choir, Jerry would listen to the choral practice tapes and play guitar to help me follow the sheet music for the holiday recitals."
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Update: Jan 14th, 2021: Martin Introduces First Acoustic Guitar That Is Both FSC-Certified And Plastic-Free
On March 15, 2019, artist Robert Goetzl watched the news in awe as a million students, across 125 countries, took part in the School Strike for Climate, an international movement of students who skip Friday classes in protest to demand action from political leaders against climate change. The movement started in 2018, when Greta Thunberg, a then 16-year-old activist from Sweden, staged a lone protest outside the Swedish Parliament holding a sign that read "School strike for climate," inspiring students across the globe to stand together to fight for the future of the planet.
The movement fanned a flame in Goetzl that had been slowly burning for many years and now he wanted to use his talent to become part of the solution, so he immediately dropped what he was doing and painted a watercolor of the earth. His hope was that it would one day adorn the top of a Martin guitar that could be used to bring awareness to the urgent need for climate action.
Upon completing the painting, Goetzl wasted no time, driving to Nazareth to share his idea with Martin Chairman and CEO, Chris Martin. Like Goetzl, the sixth-generation leader of Martin has a deep passion for fighting climate change and preserving the earth for future generations. This shared passion, reignited by the energy and perseverance of this new generation of activists, put into motion the plans to develop what is now being introduced as the Martin 00L Earth guitar—the first acoustic guitar that is 100% FSC® certified AND 100% plastic-free.
said Goetzl., "When I first heard this eloquent young woman, Greta Thunberg, speak so passionately about climate change, I was immediately inspired and thought, why not design a guitar with a visual element as a tool to promote the message 'Save the Earth'. Perhaps this is a way to help raise awareness of resource sustainability and our society's failure to take action against the global crisis that this troubled planet is facing."
With Chris Martin's blessing, Goetzl set about doing what he does best—turning his initial ideas into refined art—and he later presented several variations to the Martin team. The final design featured the earth and stars with a beautiful light burst peaking over the horizon.
While Goetzl was finalizing the artwork, Martin Lead Instrument Designer Tim Teel and former Martin Green Team Leader Chris Thomas began working on building out the model that would ultimately become the master canvas for Goetzl's artwork. Teel and Thomas decided to use the framework from the Martin 17 Series and then went on to collaborate with many colleagues throughout the company to select and source only materials that are 100% FSC certified and free of all man-made plastics. Even the gig bag was specially sourced and made with hemp, a fast-growing and highly sustainable material, another first for the company.
said Teel., "I respect working for a company that takes environmental issues seriously. This project illustrates the importance of our planet and is depicted in this amazing graphic by Robert Goetzl. By using responsibly harvested materials, we will ensure the next generation of musicians and luthiers will have great tonewoods to choose from when designing, building, and playing stringed instruments of the future."
Martin chose to go plastic-free with this model because single-use plastic is destroying entire ecosystems and greatly contributes to global warming. The world urgently needs to reduce single-use plastic, and Martin hopes this guitar will be another vehicle for spreading the message.
said Chris Martin., "There's so much that we can do as individuals to fight climate change in our daily lives. Yet we are continually looking for ways that our company can inspire musicians and their fans to take action. Not just on Earth Day, but every day. Music has always been a powerful tool for bringing people together for change."
In honor of the 00L Earth guitar, Martin will make a charitable donation to the Rainforest Alliance.
The guitar is priced at $2,249.
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Update: Jan 12, 2021: Taylor Guitars Transitions Ownership To Its Employees
EL CAJON, Calif. that Taylor Guitars, a leading global builder of premium acoustic guitars, has just announced its transition to 100% employee ownership through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan.
said Bob Taylor, co-founder and President of Taylor Guitars."We have delighted in giving people the joy of music and hope to do so for generations to come. Becoming 100% ESOP allows us to ensure our independence for the long-term future and continue to realize our vision for the company as an innovative guitar manufacturer."
Kurt Listug, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, added, "While Bob and I are not retiring, we have been preparing for our eventual exit. Master guitar designer Andy Powers is not only the wellspring of our guitar designs for the future, but he also joined our leadership team several years ago, and strengthening our leadership team has been essential to our succession planning."
Listug views the transition in ownership as the next step to ensure a sustainable future for the company, while also providing a valuable financial benefit to people who have contributed to its success. "We believe we've created a special company, where passionate people can engage in problem-solving innovation, collaboration and respect," he said. "Securing our independence through an ESOP allows us to strengthen this culture."
Taylor's new ownership structure supports continuity. Taylor Guitars will serve its customers, suppliers, and broader community with the same passion and innovation it has before. Bob Taylor, Kurt Listug, Andy Powers and other members of Taylor's leadership team remain committed to the company. There will be no changes to management structure, operations policies, or practices.
Taylor Guitars was founded in 1974 by Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug and has grown into the leading global builder of premium acoustic guitars. Taylor now employs over 1,200 people and currently produces hundreds of guitars per day in its state-of-the-art factory complexes in both El Cajon and in Tecate, Baja California, Mexico. The company maintains an active dealer network, with Taylor guitars sold through hundreds of retail locations in North America and with international distribution to 60 countries, including a distribution warehouse and factory service center in the Netherlands.
The ESOP is a type of tax-qualified defined contribution plan through which employees receive a retirement benefit linked to Taylor Guitars' future equity value. Employees at Taylor's production facility in Tecate, Baja California, Mexico, will participate in its US-based ESOP plan, and European Union employees will be participants in a similar incentive plan available under EU regulations.
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Update: Jan 11th, 2021: GIBSON announces the addition of MESA BOOGIE to Gibson Brands
News out of NASHVILLE, TN. that Gibson, has just announced the addition of Mesa/Boogie--one of the most respected and prestigious brands in sound and guitar amplification--to their family of brands. Mesa/Boogie--the original “Boutique” amplifier company--was founded 51 years ago by Randy Smith, who is responsible for creating the ground-breaking circuits that drive some of the most influential sounds of our time. Randy will join Gibson as Master Designer and Pioneer of Mesa/Boogie and beyond. In his new role, Randy will continue his passion for tube technology and his vision for building hand-crafted, high performance amplifiers, that continue to redefine how we experience sound across Mesa/Boogie and Gibson.
Beginning in a converted dog kennel under the redwoods of Northern California, Randy Smith was wrenching amplifiers for all the great San Francisco area bands over 50 years ago when vintage gear was new. Being close to so many great guitar players, from Bloomfield to Santana and The Rolling Stones, Smith learned the virtues and shortcomings of the era’s gear and began a process of innovation that continues today. Mesa/Boogie, the company Smith founded, was the first boutique amplifier builder and revolutionized amplifier performance in ways that impacted rock music worldwide. Simultaneously respecting and improving the vintage classics he grew up with, Smith, through Mesa/Boogie pioneered the invention of High Gain.
says James ‘JC’ Curleigh, President & CEO of Gibson Brands. “At Gibson we are all about leveraging our iconic past and leaning into the innovative future, a quest that started over 100 years ago with our founder Orville Gibson. Today this quest continues with the addition of Mesa Boogie into the Gibson Brands family, along with the visionary leadership of Randy Smith and his Team who, for the past 50 years, have created an iconic and innovative brand that has stood the test of time. This is a perfect partnership based on our collective professional experiences and passion for sound.”
Randy Smith founder of Mesa/Boogie added, “I’m 75 years-old and still at work every day,” “This is my art and many of our crew have worked by my side for 30 to 40 years. As we witnessed JC and Cesar transform Gibson, we saw kindred spirits sharing common values and a fierce dedication to quality. Today, Gibson’s guitars are the best-ever and when they asked if we’d like to become Gibson’s Custom Shop for Amplifiers, we envisioned a perfect collaboration that would expand our outreach while preserving our legacy beyond my time. Gibson realizes the unique value of what we’ve all built together and this next chapter in the Mesa/Boogie story is a continuation of that dream. I am so fortunate for this partnership with the new Gibson after 50 years of doing what I love. It’s been the ride of my life . . . and it ain’t over yet!”
says Adam Jones, guitarist for the multi-platinum and multiple GRAMMY-Award winning band Tool. “This is very exciting, I can’t think of a better company to carry the Mesa Boogie torch, and I can’t wait to see what we can do together. I have been using Mesa Boogie amplifiers and cabinets for a long time. I use them at home, in the studio when I record and on stage when I play live; they go across all of my needs.”
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