Monthly Archives: November 2011

Duane Eddy Discusses New Album

Posted: November 16, 2011

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Duane Eddy is one of the few guitarists who can claim to have invented a new sound and style.

When he came on the scene in 1958, Eddy developed a technique using a low-note guitar riff that has launched several hits, such as Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run,” the Beatles’ “Day Tripper” and the Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction.”

Eddy eventually became the most successful instrumentalist in rock history, charting 15 top 40 singles from 1958 through 1963 and selling more than 100 million records worldwide.

In an exclusive interview with The Guitar Show with Andy Ellis, Eddy talked about his latest album, Road Trip. Released in June of 2011, Road Trip was recorded in Sheffield, England and produced by former Pulp guitarist Richard Hawley.

No doubt, the 11 tracks feature the classic twang Eddy made famous 50 years ago.

Listen to the interview with the Gretsch signature artist here.

Tags: Duane Eddy, G6120DE Duane Eddy Signature Hollow Body guitar model, Road Trip
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Nick 13′s Debut Album Out Now

Posted: November 16, 2011

Nick 13, founder of the band Tiger Army, released his self-titled debut album for Sugar Hill Records this summer.

The offering is billed as pure Americana/country that fans would recognize in Tiger Army songs like “Outlaw Heart.” But in a recent interview with Alternative Press, Nick 13 said there is also a different feel on his solo effort.

“The first person to give me the idea of a primary songwriter making a solo record was Paul Fenech of the Meteors,” he said. ”I always thought there was something cool about that: You write all the songs for the band, and there’s a certain sound people expect. But while Tiger Army has always tested those kinds of boundaries, there are certain things that relate to heaviness and aggression that aren’t part of my solo project, at all. I wouldn’t want a Tiger Army fan to pick up this record and expect what [he or she is] accustomed to.”

Co-produced by Greg Leisz (Wilco, Lucinda Williams) and James Intveld and mixed by Jim Scott (Tom Petty, The Rolling Stones, Wilco), it features contributions from players like Nashville legend Lloyd Green, Josh Grange (Dwight Yoakam, k.d. lang, Dixie Chicks), Mitch Marine (Dwight Yoakam), Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek) and Eddie Perez (Dwight Yoakam, The Mavericks).

Nick 13 has spent much of the year touring in support of the album, such as this performance from last summer:

Tags: New Release Tuesday, Nick 13, Tiger Army
Posted In: Artists Blogs | 1 Comment

My Morning Jacket Star On ‘The Vampire Diaries’

Posted: November 14, 2011

Louisville rockers My Morning Jacket found themselves in potentially hostile territory last Thursday night in their starring turn on CW’s The Vampire Diaries.

According to leadman Jim James, the band was treated well by the undead.

“All of the vampires and werewolves we met on the set of The Vampire Diaries were nice regular folks just like most of us – good upstanding citizens, but forced to live with this secret tragic double-life dilemma,” James told Rolling Stone. ”They treated us most fairly and with dignity and respect as they sucked our bodily fluids dry and smothered us in sexy kisses. God bless them. God bless them all.”

With MMJ playing a party that turned out to be a wake, the episode featured three songs off 2011′s Circuital, “Holdin’ On To Black Metal”, “First Light”, and “You Wanna Freak Out”.

At the end of this promo video, James brandishes his bright red Gretsch guitar, as well:

Tags: Circuital, gretsch, My Morning Jacket, Vampire Diaries
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Bruno Mars Wins Two MTV EMAs

Posted: November 11, 2011

Bruno Mars took home some hardware at the 2011 MTV EMAs Sunday night in Belfast, as the Hawaiian musician won Best New Artist and Best MTV Push Artist.

In the Best New Artist category, Mars was up against Jessie J, Far East Movement, LMFAO and Wiz Khalifa.

As for best MTV Push Artist, he was joined by Alexis Jordan, Big Time Rush, Far East Movement, Jessie J, Katy B, LMFAO, Neon Trees, Theophilus London and Wiz Khalifa.

Mars even offered a performance of his hit song “Marry You,” rocking a Gretsch G6128T-1962 Duo Jet throughout.

Get More: Bruno Mars, Marry You (Live), Music, More Music Videos

For more information about Mars, go to his official website.

Tags: 2011 MTV EMAs, Bruno Mars, Gretsch Duo Jet, Marry You
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Sugarland Teams With Matt Nathanson At CMA Awards

Posted: November 10, 2011

Awards shows are the perfect venues for big acts to join each other on stage, and at Wednesday night’s CMA awards, Sugarland and Matt Nathanson did just that.

The country stars played a song they co-wrote titled “Run.”

The track was off Nathanson’s summer 2011 release, Modern Love, which debuted at No. 17 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Here’s video of the performance, with Sugarland’s Kristian Bush playing a bright red Gretsch guitar: