Tingly's News Thread

[Tingly]

WHAT WILL THEY THINK OF NEXT? A SHIRT THAT IS A GUITAR!



Your eyes don't deceive you. That is a shirt that takes you out of imaginary air guitar or "slappin' da baaass" land and into a comfortable t-shirt with a functioning guitar built into it. It includes a mini amp with tone knob that clips to your belt. It doesn't play pre-canned music mind you. For better or worse, the sounds emitted during your jam sessions will be yours. This is accomplished with a magnetic pick and your fingers. All major chords can be played.

To see it in action go here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6JjY...layer_embedded

-examiner.com

[Tingly]

SOMEBODY IS GETTING A 'GOLD' GUITAR



A mystery English celebrity living in Monaco has commissioned the ultimate in heavy metal - a classic electric guitar plated in 24-carat gold.

The Fender Stratocaster was sent to a precious metal specialist firm in Glastonbury, Somerset, for plating costing a "four-figure" sum.

Expert Graham Baker, 50, had the job of stripping the aluminium guitar down and layering it with gold plate.

He said: "This guy wants to hang it up on his wall and look at it."

'Unique look'

Bridgwater guitar-maker Kim Webber, 53, had the job of taking the instrument apart and putting it back together after the gold was applied.

He said: "This guitar has generated, without doubt, more interest than anything I have created so far."

But the instrument, although looking spectacular, has one weakness.

Mr Webber added: "It's not the best sounding ever."

Deputy editor of Guitarist magazine Owen Bailey said: "This is definitely the first time we've come across a fully gold-plated guitar.

"It's certainly a unique look, but we're not sure we'd trust ourselves to gig it."

-BBC

[Tingly]

NEW MUSIC GAME: "DJ HERO"

by Ron Harris

I was never much one for "Guitar Hero." Playing "Smoke on the Water" 50 times while holding a pint-sized plastic guitar just never really got the blood flowing. I've been waiting for something better, and now it's here.

Activision's new "DJ Hero" has solved my music video game plight. It's got better music, better action and is frankly just a lot less goofy feeling than "Guitar Hero."

"DJ Hero" ($120; Xbox360, PS3, Wii; Rated "T" for teen) consists of the game disc and a wireless turntable and mixer controller. The mixer can be attached to either side of the turntable, so lefties and righties can scratch and fade as they choose.

The turntable has a nicely weighted platter that spins freely both clockwise and counterclockwise when you nudge it. A row of three colored buttons sits on the platter, in similar fashion to the buttons on the "frets" of "Guitar Hero" controllers.

On the screen, one side of a vinyl LP spins toward you with three brightly colored tracks (green, red and blue) to coincide with the physical buttons on the platter. When a hit point appears along the grooves on the screen, you'll need to tap the corresponding button. Easy right? You're a turntable God, just like DJ Qbert from the Invisibl Skratch Piklz. Right?

Hold on to your hoodie, there's a bit more to it than that.

There are also long paths of arrows that appear on the screen, indicating you'll need to hold down the correct button and move the platter back and forth to "scratch" the track. Let up off the scratching too soon and you'll lose the groove, the music will grow a little more silent, and the club crowd on screen becomes less active.

I began my "DJ Hero" career with a little bit of training courtesy of legendary old-school turntablist Grandmaster Flash, who narrates the action throughout. After getting the basics down, I hit the nightclub circuit as the "DJ Kid Itch" character, dressed in a fur-lined jacket with three spray paint cans tucked in the hood for added B-Boy street cred.

Along the way through the different club venues and set lists, I would notice a track that I really wanted to hear. But I had to perform well enough to get to it. For instance, in the "On The Wheels Of Steel" set list, I wanted to tackle Fedde Le Grande's ultimate body mover, "Put Your Hands Up For Detroit." But I had to muddle through some lackluster Gwen Stefani and Gorrilaz tracks to get to it. This is akin to killing forest rodents in "World of Warcraft" to build up enough power for a decent group raid.

Thanks to a solid performance on an early level, I acquired some "stars" which unlocked new set lists, club venues and DJ gear, such as new headphones and decks (turntables). That kept my diminutive DJ character looking and performing sharp as he tackled some of the 90-plus songs that come with the game.

The "DJ Hero" controller feels solid and has a decently demanding learning curve. The crossfader was tough to master. Sure, slamming it all the way to the left or right was easy, but quickly getting back to the middle when I needed to was tough. There is also a "euphoria" button that glowed red when I'd done well in a featured segment of a song. At that point, I hit the red button and the crossfader was set to auto, so I could pump one hand in the air and really get the crowd going. Never mind that the club was my living room and the crowd was my dog.

A second DJ controller can be added for head-to-head action, or you can connect a "Guitar Hero" axe and do a blend of turntable and guitar gaming.

"DJ Hero" is an excellent game. Best music title yet for my taste.

Four out of four stars.

-AP

[Tingly]

MTV NAMES NOMINEES FOR EUROPEAN AWARDS

LONDON, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- After a fierce international battle, Finnish
rock band Deep Insight, Russian pop artist Dima Bilan, Polish singer Doda,
Italian pop rockers Lost and Turkish rap rock band MaNga were revealed as the MTV Europe Music Awards' most popular Regional Winners -- as voted by MTV fans from across Europe. All five acts are now nominated in the EMA Best European Act category, the news was announced today by MTV Networks International (MTVNI), owned by Viacom Inc (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

The MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) will air live on MTV from the 02 World, Berlin at 9pm CET on Thursday 5 November and are sponsored by Sony Ericsson, MTV Games / Harmonix's The Beatles(TM): Rock Band(TM) and Dell.

MTV Networks International announced 22 MTV Europe Music Awards Regional Winners on 12 October. Deep Insight, Dima Bilan, Doda, Lost and MaNga were awarded Best Finnish Act, Best Russian Act, Best Polish Act, Best Italian Act and Best Turkish Act respectively. These acts, who challenged all of the EMA Regional Winners in a fierce promotional battle, are the five with the most viewer votes. The Best European Act nominee with the most overall votes will be presented with the Best European Act gong live at the glittering MTV Europe Music Awards.

The 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards will be hosted by Katy Perry and will feature performances by the Foo Fighters, Green Day, Jay-Z, Leona Lewis, Shakira and Tokio Hotel. U2 will be performing a short set to 10,000 fans at Berlin's historic Brandenburg Gate which will be beamed into the prestigious Awards. Joss Stone will be hosting EMA digital show 2009 EMA: Red Carpet Show and Pete Wentz will be hosting EMA digital show 2009 EMA: All Access. Presenters include pop/rock phenomena Jonas Brothers alongside Asia Argento,Backstreet Boys, Bar Refaeli, Batista, Boris Becker, Brody Jenner, Jean Reno, Juliette Lewis and Miranda Cosgrove. More EMA artists will be announced shortly.

Leading 2009 EMA nominees include Lady GaGa and Kings of Leon, with 5
nominations apiece. They are closely followed by Beyonce who has been
nominated in 4 categories.

The MTV Europe Music Awards is one of the world's most prestigious live music events. The Awards will be broadcast to 532 million MTV homes around the world. In 2008, the EMAs generated more than 4 million unique visitors to www.mtvema.com and over 100 million online votes.

Antonio Campo Dall'Orto is EVP, Music Brands, MTV Networks International and Executive Producer for the MTV Europe Music Awards. Co-executive Producer & SVP, Talent & Music, MTV Networks International is Bruce Gillmer. Executive Producer is Richard Godfrey. Co-executive Producer is Jane Fraser. Chloe Mason is Producer and Hamish Hamilton is Director. Raffaele Sangiovanni is Executive in charge of Production.

[Tingly]

"GLEE" SOUNDTRACK HAS GREAT SONGS

If you love Fox’s hit “Glee,” you already love the songs on this soundtrack (and you probably already downloaded the tunes individually). But if you haven’t tuned in yet, this album will likely just make you want put on some Queen and Journey records.

The songs on “Glee” are great because, well, the songs are great. The best covers here - “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Somebody to Love,” “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” - are among the best pop songs ever written. Having them performed by a cheeky chorus of misfit (and uber-talented) kids doesn’t change that.

But it also doesn’t add much, the big exception being the swing version of “Dancing With Myself.” Without the show’s visuals, the weaker material is boring. The ballads are bland and the hip-hop is vanilla - or even more vanilla than the original in the case of “Bust A Move.” Download: “Don’t Stop Believin’,” because any version of the song rules.

-Boston Herald

[Tingly]

CARRIE UNDERWOOD LOOKING FOR "SOMETHING MORE"

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Pop-country has made superstars out of acts like Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift and more, but the term is not particularly endearing in Nashville, even to the artists who have come to define it.

"I hate saying pop-country — I hate using that," Carrie Underwood says during a recent interview while talking about some of her favorite artists.

Underwood, who has sold more than 10 million albums since her 2005 debut with hits that have appealed to both the MTV and CMT set, prefers to describe such music as "contemporary." But she acknowledges the sonic shift between some of her childhood idols and today's country stars.

"I loved Alan Jackson and Brooks & Dunn, those were the people that really first made me love country music. Then there were people like Bryan White who were like coming on the scene," the 26-year-old Oklahoma native explains. "And he was like one of the people that was like 'OK, they don't have to all sound like this.' People can sound all kind of ways. And he was young and hot."

"I've had people tell me, 'I never listened to country music until I saw you on "American Idol," and now I've been to a Rascal Flatts concerts, and I went and saw so and so,'" she adds. "And it's wonderful that we all kind of have our place in country music and we all pull listeners in for different reasons, and because of that we can hear everything."

Her third album, "Play On," out this week, stretches her country boundaries even further. Not only did the she re-team with "American Idol" judge and pop hitmatker Kara DioGuardi, who worked with her on her multiplatinum sophomore album, "Carnival Ride," she also worked with producers known for producing smashes for the likes of Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson and Katy Perry (Max Martin) and Eminem (Mike Elizondo).

"I love all kinds of music and I think it's all kinds of fun when you take a slightly different element and you bring it to you and incorporate that into your music," she says.

There are high expectations for "Play On." Underwood, whose debut CD "Some Hearts" sold about 6 million copies and whose second album sold nearly 3 million, is expected to debut at the top with this record.

But not everyone was happy about her choice of collaborators on "Play On."

"I think everybody kind of freaked out at first. And it was something that we did take into consideration, that people would be like, 'What's going on here?'" she recalls.

"Everybody kind of flipped out over Mike Elizondo, who I really like," she says of the producer and songwriter, who co-wrote the CD's first single, "Cowboy Cassanova," a country and pop hit. "They're like, 'He's a rap producer.' And it's like, well, yes, he has done that, but he's also worked with Nelly Furtado and Pink and Fiona Apple. I'm just another name he's adding to his resume of all different kinds of music."

"Play On" is still very much country — there's banjo, peddle steel and mandolin — but Underwood has added different musical textures, which points to her maturation as an artist.

"I'm not trying to move anywhere away from country music," she declares while sitting in a production studio, dressed comfortably in jeans, a T-shirt and sandals. "I love what I do. And let's say 'Cowboy Casanova' crosses over, it's going to cross over as it is — fiddles, steel and all. Growing up I never liked it when people would have a country song and then change it for a different format."

And while Underwood had great pop success, she's still firmly a country queen. She nabbed the Academy of Country Music's entertainer of the year this spring, and has four nominations for Nov. 11's Country Music Association awards, for which she will also serve as host for the second straight year.

But Underwood is adept and bridging the gaps between country and pop, and does so again on "Play On." During one stint on Los Angeles, Underwood and songwriter Luke Laird, a friend who wrote several songs on "Carnival Ride," teamed up with DioGuardi and Marti Frederiksen to produce two of the album's most interesting tracks, "Undo It" and "Mama's Song."

The two songs couldn't be more different. "Undo It," with its revved up banjo intro and na-na-na chorus, is a great spurned love song.

"I like to be sassy. I'm a smart aleck and it's just fun to have a little sass," says Underwood.

"Mama's Song" is a straight-up love tune about helping a mother gain trust for a good man who wants to marry her daughter. The presence of her boyfriend, Ottawa Senators center Mike Fisher, can be felt on the song, the most personal of the seven Underwood wrote for the album.

"I think a lot of girls around her age are thinking about getting married," said Laird. "I think that was probably easier for her to write — not that she's thinking about getting married. I wouldn't know."

For the record, she's not getting married. But she feels comfortable enough in the relationship that it's starting to show through in her work — and add depth to it as well.

"This has been kind of my first attempt at love songs," Underwood says. "And I think there's a reason for that. I think it's because I'm a private person anyway, and I'm not so great with emotions. I consider myself more boyish in that way, so I'm pretty closed off. But you know when you're happy in your life, you can just kind of tell."

-AP

[Tingly]

ARE FILESHARES ACTUALLY HEROES?!

All to often filesharers are painted as evil pirates who steal from artists and the music industry. However, a recent study has found that those downloading illegally, spend more money purchasing music legally than those who don't download at all.

Research group Demos surveyed over a thousand British people between the ages of 16 and 50 and found that one in ten people admitted to filesharing. However, those that download music illegally spent an average of £77 (around $126) on music each year. Those who say they don't use p2p sites spend an average of £44 (around $72).

The BBC reports that, of the 16-24 year-olds surveyed, 75 percent of them were willing to pay for their tracks if the price was right. The group agreed that a price of 45p (roughly 75c) would be ideal.

Do you think this is an accurate representation of those who use peer to peer services like the Pirate Bay? Indeed, an awful lot of people download their music illegally but if these results are to be believed, then these folk also purchase a significant amount of music each year. Many of you have said in the past that you'll download a track and if you like it, pay for it out of respect for the artist. Then again, a lot of you seem to think record labels make too much money off of the artists they sign and refuse to contribute to that kind of business model.

-Tom's Guide

[Tingly]

UK GOVERNMENT FILE SHARING LEGISLATION DOOMED TO FAILURE

The UK government's plan to push through legislation to allow the internet connections of persistent illegal downloaders to be severed "will not help" the music industry, according to a think tank.

New research by Demos found that people who illegally download music spend more on legitimate music than those who don't.

Researcher Peter Bradwell said that the figures suggested that the Government's plan, spearheaded by Business Secretary Lord Mandelson, would not help the situation.

The research found that people in the UK who illegally download music spent an average of £77 a year on music compared to £44 for those who don't. Bradwell said that this suggested that cutting off such users' connections would harm the music industry.

"The latest approach from the Government will not help prop up an ailing music industry," he told the Independent. "Politicians and music companies need to recognise that the nature of music consumption has changed, and consumers are demanding lower prices and easier access."

However, 61 per cent of those surveyed for the research said they would be put off illegally downloading if they received letters threatening to cut off their connections – as proposed by the government.

Mandelson is aiming to push through legislation that would see the powers to cut connections introduced if illegal downloading isn't reduced in the UK by 70 per cent by April 2011.

The Featured Artists Coalition, which includes members of Radiohead, Blur and Keane, are pushing for a three strikes policy – but propose reducing internet speed rather than severing connections.

-NMAE

[Tingly]

DMX SLAMS RECORD COMPANY PRACTICES

Former Def Jam artist DMX recently spoke on his issues with the record industry and why most artists are forced to give up a large portion of their publishing rights and profits.

While not mentioning any label in particular, X vented about the music industry's cut-throat practices.

"The highest paid artist gets like 26 cents off a dollar," X revealed in an interview. "And they sell your **** for $20. I can't use my own music without getting your permission? I wrote it, paid a ****** for the beat, I paid your for loaning me the money, I paid you back your money, now we splitting because you owed me the money but you own my ****. I don't owe you a mother******* thing, why is you holding on to my ****? And that's standard, get the **** outta here man. S*ck my ******* ****."

X previously said Jay-Z's run as Def Jam president around 2005 forced him to leave the label.

"I ***** with him and had respect for him -- until he became the president of Def Jam and I ain't gonna say too much more about it, but you know what it is. There's a difference between doing wrong and being wrong. There's a difference between doing wrong and 'being' wrong, at one point you were 'being' wrong. ******* can't do it like we could, ******* couldn't do it like we could. ******* weren't able to -- we're artists. Jay is a talented mother******. Don't misunderstand me. He is talented but he has no heart behind it. There's no soul behind it. It's motivated by money...But I still maintain the respect, because our birthday is in the same month and you know, we have history. But I lost it when he became president of Def Jam, that's why I left Def Jam...When you became the president, you hit me 'yo dog, the inmates is running the building!!!' You know what that mean, your mans is in charge...That's what it is, we good,' 'cause we had history. And then you go do that. You come down, listen to my **** -- we ready. Then you go on vacation. ******** take a picture of you with chancletas on. That's what you leave the hood for, son? That's why you walk out on your man for, son? Flip-flops? Serious? You serious? Real talk son, I respected you. I'm in my feelings about that. I'm hurt. I ain't ever talk about that."

Aside from the music industry, X recently spoke about his upcoming Alabama Pride martial arts match-up against fighter Eric Martinez.

"We got a phone call asking if I wanted to participate in it," X said about how the opportunity presented itself. "I'm just gonna walk in as it is man, you know what I mean? It wouldn't be fair if I trained. I think it's three two-minute rounds...[My opponent] is shorter than me and I think he weighs a little more than me. I'm 175, six feet. I got a little build on me, you know what I'm saying? I've seen him, yeah I've seen him. He's a nice guy -- when I agreed to it, I didn't know it was gonna be him...I'm going to pick one of my own songs [to walk out with.] 'What's My Name.' I'm in the studio everyday banging joints out -- I got the pens and the paper. [New album] hopefully first quarter." (106.7 The Fan)

Reports landed online around September which had X headlined for the forthcoming fight.

Thunder Promotions recently announced that Alabama Pride: Butterbean vs. Tank Abbott is set to take place on December 12 at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex in Birmingham, Alabama. Headlining the event is a heavyweight match-up between Butterbean and Tank Abbott. Thunder Promotions also announced is a celebrity fight between co-headliners rapper DMX and musician Eric Martinez. (MMA Waves)

-sohh.com

[Tingly]

NEW ORLEANS VOODOO FEST A BIG SUCCESS!

NEW ORLEANS – It's first and foremost a music festival, but the Voodoo Experience is so much more.

Each fall, the festival transforms City Park into a colorful canvas filled with bright, circus-like props and bizarre artistic creations.

Fans say that well-rounded attack on the senses sets Voodoo apart.

A native of the New Orleans area, Christy Taylor can’t imagine such a spectacle in her current city, Austin, Texas.

"Even though Austin is a place where everyone does music, everyone's a musician, nothing but live music -- you would never see anything like this at all. So, it's amazing," she said. "I'm glad they have it here. You couldn't have this anywhere else."

Voodoo is saturated with New Orleans flavor -- from surprise second lines, to routine performances by local acts. From Big Sam's Funky Nation to Jane’s Addiction or DJ Soulsister to Widespread Panic, the event blends the city’s signature sounds with some of the biggest names in music.

It’s a formula Voodoo founder Steve Rehage continually builds upon.

"KISS is blowing up half the stage on one side, Preservation Hall is over here jamming traditional jazz, so, it's an interesting mix," Rehage said.

The festival has seen steady growth over the years, but Rehage said he’s faced plenty of challenges along the way.

"We started the event in 1999, didn't have a clue in what we were doing, just got our butts whipped all over the place the first year and made every mistake known to man, came back the next year and sold out with Eminem," he said.

And despite a one year slump after Hurricane Katrina, the momentum continues.

Last year, organizers sold 143,000 tickets.

Voodoo has become a three day celebration -- attracting fans from points across the map.

"I've never missed a Voodoo my whole life,” said Anna Ogden, a New Orleans native who now lives in the Rocky Mountain region. “I flew from Colorado just to make it here this year. It's an awesome, awesome festival."

Saturday, Voodoo doubled as an enormous costume party, as thousands of fans swayed to the music in their Halloween get-ups.

The event’s contract with City Park expires this year, but Voodoo officials expect to hammer out a new 10 year deal sometime next month. They believe the festival will keep growing.
The marketing strategies are simple: viral promotion, a little traditional advertising, but mostly, word of mouth.

The word is out.

"60 percent of our audience is from out of town, and it's really the way we market it, is an international music festival for music lovers," Rehage said.

-wwltv.com

[Tingly]

VIDEO GUITARS?!



At Visionary Instruments in Oakland, Calif., guitar designer Ben Lewry is putting a new, technological spin on a classic instrument.

Each handmade instrument is custom built and designed to hold electronics that run a video screen mounted on the body underneath the strings.

Videos are loaded into the instrument's 2GB hard drive or run off of an attached USB device.

Lewry built his first video guitar in 2006. The design has come a long way since then, going through numerous incarnations.

The model pictured here contains a Toshiba laptop which Lewry ordered new, disassembled, and fit inside a custom guitar body. He quickly came to realize that putting an entire laptop inside a guitar made it uncomfortably heavy, and modified the design.

content.zdnet.com

[Tingly]

VAI ON VH1 SHOW NOV. 7, 11:00 P.M. FOR U.S. FANS

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Triple GRAMMY® Award winning guitarist Steve Vai will be the featured guest on VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show" on Saturday, November 7 at 11PM. For fans outside the U.S., it will be available online shortly after it airs.

Vai will be speaking about his new concert film WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE:
LIVE IN MINNEAPOLIS (WTWTA), which just debuted at #4 on Billboard®
Magazine'sTop Music DVD Chart. The film, released by Vai's record company
Favored Nations Entertainment, hit retail September 29 (a companion live audio CD came out that day as well). The Blu-ray edition will be in-stores November 10, and an online preview is available at: www.vai.com/wildthings.

Later this month, Vai will have the honor of performing the National Anthem at
the New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden in New York City on
Sunday,November 29. Of the experience, he says, "Being a native New Yorker, it's a thrill for me to play the 'Star Spangled Banner' at the Knicks game at Madison Square Garden. I may even use red, white and blue strings!" Vai will also host an in-store event at Borders (2 Penn Plaza, New York, NY) after the game.

2010 will mark Vai's 30-year touring anniversary. He first stepped into the
spotlight in 1980 as a guitarist in Frank Zappa's band. His indelible
contribution to music came during his solo career, which includes combined
sales of nearly six million albums over the last three decades-and more
musical mojo than most could even dream of.

WTWTA was filmed and recorded at the historic State Theatre in Minneapolis, MN before a sold-out crowd during Vai's acclaimed 2007 String Theories WorldTour. Vai chose the State Theatre for its lush acoustics and equally inspiring interior--his unparalleled guitar wizardry amazes throughout the film, as do the talents of the stellar band, an ace group of players Vai put
together and called String Theories.

Also in November, Vai will head to Canada for two Alien Guitar Secrets Master
Classes. Alien Guitar Secrets is an unprecedented, master class opportunity
offered by Steve Vai to all music students and guitar enthusiasts. This 3+
hour unique package gives student a once in a lifetime opportunity to hear Vai
discuss music theory, guitar techniques, the music business, and most
importantly, techniques on how to discover and unlock your personal musical
identity. It also includes a question and answer session, and a few attendees
will be chosen to jam with Vai in this intimate environment.

Steve Vai will be teaching a Master Class in Calgary on Nov. 22 at the
Engineered Air Theater and another in Toronto on Nov. 24 at the Rock Star
Music School. Tickets are $250 and the class is limited to 100 students. To
purchase tickets, please visit http://www.vai.com/News/tourdates.html.

Looking ahead, expect more, always amazing and even wilder things from this
virtuoso artist.

[Tingly]

DEREK TRUCKS STILL TRUCKIN'

By Rick Koster, The Day, New London, Conn.

Nov. 5--He's married to a gorgeous Boston woman who happens to be one of the finest blues/soul musicians around. He keeps Bertrand Russell works nearby. At the age of 15, he played on a recording session with Junior Wells.

He's also the lead guitarist for the Allman Brothers Band, toured in Eric Clapton's group and, as one of the finest slide players in the world, leads his own spectacular Derek Trucks Band -- which comes to the Garde Arts Center tonight.

The new DTB album, "Already Free," is literally homegrown and reflects Derek Trucks' hardwired belief that music is about family, spirit, and expression. That he and his wife, Susan Tedeschi, have built a recording studio on their Florida property gave the Trucks Band the means to finally record without tour or money pressures.

"It's a revelation to record at home," Trucks says, speaking in Dixie-buttered tones from a hotel room during a short Allmans junket. "You're with your wife and kids and friends, the studio's right next to a swamp, and you walk outside and and know at once you're in the Deep South. Home."

"Already Free" is pretty amazing, ranging from rural blues and New Orleans-style slow funk to gospelesque rock and a churned-earth arrangment of Dylan's "Down in the Flood." It's all beautifully natural, and the music at once conveys a warm feel you'd associate with the Allmans' "Idlewild South" or the Neville Brothers' "Brothers Keeper."

Trucks says, "This was the first time I'd been in one place for more than three weeks in 15 or 20 years. I learned for the first time to decompress, and that time moves differently. Plus, the guys in the band are family. We had the luxury to enjoy the process and each other and just let the music develop. Originally, it was going to be a straight blues album but it veered off. It was so fun and easy, we just wrote and recorded and whatever happened, happened."

In conversation, the eloquent, soft-spoken musician only seems to reinforce reports that he's regarded by all who meet and/or jam with him as one of the kindest humans presently breathing.

His enthusiasm for life and his job are infectious. He speaks fondly of "Back Where I Started," a stunning original on the new record that features Tedeschi. He says that, finally, he and his wife are going to record an album together and have tentatively blocked time next year for the project.

"We're both on the road so much, and when I was recording this album, Susan was on the West Coast doing her last record," Truck says. He laughs, "We finally decided, hey, if we do a record together, and do it at home, we can alleviate a lot of problems."

Trucks outfitted the new studio with a lot of vintage gear from renowned older studios -- including equipment with direct connections to Frank Sinatra, Willie Nelson, the Kinks and many more.

"One of the things I've picked up as the young guy in the Allmans, or playing with Eric, is the overall sense of respect and history these guys have about the music," Trucks says. "Now we have a tympani Elvin Jones played on 'A Love Supreme.' Wow. Stuff like that makes for good juju."

[Tingly]

MusicianCorps MEMBERS PUT TALENT TO WORK!

In the history of meltdowns by 4-year-old boys suffering a sugar jones, Josh Muilenburg was poised to break world records in time dedicated, force deployed and decibel levels achieved.

"I want a cupcake," the boy howled at his mother and aunt, who soothed him as he lay in a bed at UCSF Children's Hospital. Long tubes from a dialysis machine snaked underneath the boy's shirt and needled into his torso.

Ten minutes passed and Josh's demand, issued every 1o seconds, had not changed.

A nurse looked across the unit. "We may need a distraction," she said.

Meagan Hughes, who had a guitar in her lap, took the invitation.

Hughes was at the hospital as part of a new, nonprofit national service program called MusicianCorps that dispatches musicians into cities the way the Peace Corps sends workers to foreign soil.

Hughes is among the first 21 fellows selected to put their talent for civic engagement to work in San Francisco and three other cities. Some help revive old music programs at local schools. Others teach at community outreach centers. Or, as Hughes does, they work in hospitals.

Hughes, 25, spends 40 hours a week at UCSF and Laguna Honda visiting patients, ranging from the terminally ill to the mentally unstable. She pushes a cart loaded with instruments that include an acoustic guitar, keyboards and a drum machine.

She sat at Josh's bedside and sang songs about big cupcakes, cupcakes with pink frosting, and cupcakes that rolled off tables. She sang in the heartfelt voice used to comfort people who are in pain.

At each pause, Josh responded to Hughes this way: "I. Want. A. Cupcake!"

He screamed, kicked and clawed at the tubes, and Hughes looked at the adults in the room and let out an apologetic laugh.

"I'm starting to run out of cupcake songs."
How it started

MusicianCorps is the creation of Kiff Gallagher, 40, who was playing guitar in his West Portal apartment one night two years ago wondering if his musical career was done. He'd just released a second album, yet the big stardom moment had eluded him.

"I had no real exit strategy," Gallagher said. "I started to feel like uploading my own photos to MySpace and hoping I might get signed started to suck the soul out of why I started doing music in the first place."

Gallagher assisted the legislative team that developed AmeriCorps for the Clinton administration. At night, he played around Washington, D.C., in an acid-jazz hip-hop band. He'd invited colleagues to come out to socialize, and the bonds left an impression. Music brings people together.

There are plenty of public service-minded musicians, he figured, who - if able to make a decent living at it - could create "something very powerful."

Gallagher cobbled together funding from federal partnerships, grants, businesses, the band Pearl Jam and other sources. In exchange for a one-year commitment, MusicianCorps fellows receive health care benefits and a monthly stipend of $2,300.

What the Bay Area really needed, said Program Director Vanessa Morrison, was help in the schools. After years of funding cuts to music programs, most were getting by, if at all, with part-time music teachers and volunteers.
Jams at school

At Horace Mann Middle School in the Mission, MusicianCorps fellow Alex Pinto, 24, is pulling a program together. On a good day, if he's not competing with a kickball tournament, he can get 30 students during the lunchtime jam session.

Pinto was working on a master's in jazz and living in Los Angeles when he learned about MusicianCorps. The gig looked like a good transition for a musician coming out of school, a way to bolster his teaching chops, play music all day long and still make enough to get by.

"I'm finding that I'm not only learning from my colleagues," Pinto said, "but I'm learning most from the community I serve."

Jao Carvahlo, 13, started playing guitar with Pinto at lunchtime in September. Even though he'd never picked up a guitar before Pinto arrived, Carvahlo learned scales and power chords within weeks.

"I always wanted to play, but never got the chance," Carvahlo said. "Now I do."
The storm calms

Across town, at UCSF, Hughes was 40 minutes into cupcake songs.

A nurse passed by and mentioned that if Josh's heart rate stayed up and his blood pressure dropped, it could cause problems for the dialysis.

Out of the boy's earshot, the nurse suggested to Josh's aunt that a small dessert could be secured.

The aunt rubbed her sister's back and whispered into her ear, but Mom shook her head: Gone too far to give in now.

Hughes continued to sing a song that repeated the chorus, "Josh wants a cupcake," a lyric that seemed to validate his needs.

He liked this idea. He began to tire.

Josh unsuccessfully fought the urge to sleep, yet he managed to utter one last time, "Cup ... cake."

A moment later, the eyes flashed open and Josh asked for a drum from Hughes' cart. All he wanted to do was bang on that drum and make music, which he did, with the enthusiasm he'd once shown for sugar.

-sfgate

[Tingly]

TUCSON HOSTING GUITAR FESTIVAL

By Cathalena E. Burch
Arizona Daily Star

The University of Arizona guitar program has teamed up with the Tucson Guitar Society to host the first-ever International Tucson Guitar Festival.
The weeklong event kicks off Sunday with the 2009 Beeston Guitar Competition and features performances with internationally renowned guitarists, including Grammy-winning Brazilian brothers Sérgio and Odair Assad.

The festival is the biggest collaboration to date between the university and the Guitar Society, and one that could signal the genesis of a united guitar community.

"We're taking small steps right now," said Ian Stuart, president of the Guitar Society's board of directors. "If it works, we'll do it bigger next year."
"We're doing some really nice collaborations that I'm really excited about," said Tom Patterson, who heads the UA School of Music's guitar program, which put Tucson on the map as a guitar town. "Our vision is one guitar community here."

After Sunday's annual Beeston Guitar Competition, look forward to Spanish guitarist Rafael Aguirre Miñarro, who will perform the first concert on Wednesday. In between, the artists will host master classes.
An international guitar festival is a natural fit for Tucson, given its place in the guitar world. The city's reputation is almost unmatched, driven largely by the successes in the UA's guitar program.

"We have, over the years, produced really solid players," Patterson explained. "They're playing in international competitions; they're going off teaching. After a while, the tradition is the tradition. I guess I'm pretty good at what I do, but at a certain point people think there's something magic in the water down here, and everyone goes to where the success is."

The region's ties to Latin America also play into the success.

"The guitar is clearly the most symbolic instrument of Spanish, Latin American music, and a lot of people identify with it," said Patterson, who joined the UA program in 1980, four years after it was founded in 1976. "As a result, our events typically sell out here. It's an exciting place for someone to come and hone their art form, . . . with a lot of excited, enthusiastic fans. This doesn't happen in other places, where you get sold-out audiences all the time."

Stuart said Tucson's guitar reputation extends to its luthier community. The city boasts craftsmen such as Jeremy Cooper and Brian Dunn, whose instruments are sold worldwide, commanding thousands of dollars.
"Guitarists know about (Tucson) even if they haven't played here," Stuart said.

"The dream," he added, "is to hold one big festival."
And that will require cooperation with the Guitar Society, the UA and local concert presenters, he said.

"To pull this off, we're going to need to pull together a collaborative venture with the UA, luthiers, Rhythm & Roots, Arizona Early Music Society," he said ticking off a few of the presenters known to bring in guitarists.
"With the Guitar Society being so strong and with us being so strong, it's a logical one for us to work together," Patterson added. "The marriage . . . is coming together pretty well."