Rolling Stones – Some Girls, Live In Texas 1978
I’ve been in a particularly Stonesy mood lately. If you are too, join me in diggin’ this!
EAGLE ROCK ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS – THE ROLLING STONES CAUGHT LIVE AT THE TOP OF THEIR GAME SOME GIRLS LIVE IN TEXAS 1978
LIVE CONCERT OUT ON DVD AND BLU-RAY OUT NOW!
Continuing their partnership with the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band in the world, Eagle Rock Entertainment have announced the DVD and Blu-Ray release of The Rolling Stones Some Girls Live in Texas 1978. Available for the first time ever on November 21, Some Girls Live in Texas 1978 features Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood and Bill Wyman live in concert during the 1978 US tour which followed the release of their groundbreaking album Some Girls.
Some Girls Live in Texas 1978 comes hot on the heels of the huge success of 2010’s Stones in Exile and Ladies & Gentlemen and marks the next stage in the Eagle Vision / Rolling Stones enterprise. Some Girls Live in Texas 1978 will be available on four different formats: DVD, Blu-Ray, plus special edition DVD + CD and Blu-Ray + CD digipack presentations including a reproduction tour program. Bonus features on all formats will include a new interview with Mick Jagger.
COOL GEAR ALERT: MXR Custom Badass Modified Overdrive
YES! One of my favourite pedals this year – earning itself an instant place in my live rig as the heart of my lead sound – is the MXR Custom Badass ’78 Distortion. You can see my review here. Well that little red monster now has a slightly tamer but no less rockworthy brother in the form of the Modified Overdrive. Check it out!
PRESS RELEASE
Last year, we unveiled the MXR Custom Badass line of classic circuits fine-tuned to deliver a wider tonal spectrum, more versatility and increased dynamic range. The ’78 Distortion debuted as the first Custom Badass offering and was an instant hit. Guitar World Magazine said it was “as wild and raunchy as music was back in hard rock’s glory days,” offering “the versatility and low-noise performance that today’s players demand.”
This year, the Custom Badass team brings you the MXR Custom Badass line is the Modified Overdrive—a classic overdrive circuit with modern modifications for improved performance and versatility.
REVIEW: DigiTech iPB-10
Check out the latest programmable pedalboard from Digitech. Nice display, huh? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a multi effects unit with a display that big. Wait a minute, is that… nah, it couldn’t be… wait, it is! Well I’ll be! The iPB-10 actually holds an iPad, clutching the groundbreaking Apple tablet device to its metallic bosom like, well, like I did when I got my iPad a few weeks ago. DigiTech knows that multi effect units – even their own – have always suffered from cramped screens, but a full-colour, oversized display would be prohibitively expensive to add to such a device. With the iPB-10, DigiTech lets Apple take care of that aspect so they can focus on what they do best: making kickass effects and amp simulations.
My interview with Del Marquis from Scissor Sisters
Hey! I just interviewed Del Marquis – guitarist from Scissor Sisters – for Beat magazine. You can check it out here. There are some really cool insights into what it takes to play for a band like Scissor Sisters – including the enviable indulgence of getting to use a different guitar for every song live. Jealous! We also talked about his forthcoming solo album recorded with members of Prince’s original New Power Generation, which will no doubt be super funky and awesome. So go show Beat some love!
NEWS: Springsteen, Robin Gibb, Slayer
Hey! Here are my latest news items for Gibson.com. Got a really cool feature article coming up this week too that you’re really gonna dig.
Springsteen Takes E Street Band Back on the Road
Bee Gee Robin Gibb Undergoing Cancer Treatment
AMT Electronics SS-11A, SS11B & SS-10 preamps
This triumvirate of AMT Electronics preamps share a lot of common features, providing slight but essential differences for the discerning player. ie: obsessive tone geeks like you and I.
SS-11A & SS-11B PREAMPS
First let’s check out the SS-11A and SS-11B preamps. These fully valve-based 4-stage overdrive pedals each feature twin 12AX7 preamp tubes with three separate channels – Clean, Overdrive and Lead, the latter two appearing under a shared ‘Drive’ category. You can select between Clean and Drive with the chunky footswitch on the left, and toggle between Crunch and Lead with the right switch. There’s no bypass, but this unit is not designed to be used like an on/off distortion pedal. Each pedal has an effects loop which is always engaged. The pedals are designed to be used as a true preamp – that is, either feeding an amp’s power amp via a preamp input/effects loop return jack, or feeding an actual rackmounted power amp. There’s also a switch to select between amp and mixer outputs, so you can crank these babies through your desk either live or in the studio. The mixer output features a transistor-based guitar cabinet impulse response emulator to provide a natural-feeling response. I tested the pedals both ways – through a Marshall DSL50 and various AVID Mboxes – and the results were great either way. Recordists will appreciate the ‘plug in and simply sound great’ nature of the emulated out, while live players will dig the ability to completely revoice their amp by effectively excising their existing preamp and replacing it with one of these bad boys.
Musicosphere reviews Line 6 James Tyler Variax & POD HD Pro
Hey! Head over to Musicosphere to read Sem’s review of the Line 6 James Tyler Variax and POD HD Pro. There are a bunch of sound clips too which really show off what this setup can do.
COOL GEAR ALERT: Roger Mayer Voodoo TC line
The legendary Roger Mayer is gearing up to release a new line of pedals called the Voodoo TC line. Designed to meet a demand for smaller pedals (and with a very cool atomic-era design style that I just love), Roger’s added a very handy feature: the Drive control be controlled by foot. Over at the Roger Mayer Effectpedals Facebook page, you can have your say on which of the existing pedals should be relaesed in this new Voodoo TC enclosure.
Check out Roger’s site here and Australian distributors Guitar Toyz here.
Taylor Guitars Player’s Bundle
Now this is cool. I’m about to start compiling a post about holiday gift ideas, but I’m going to start early with this awesome Taylor Guitars Player’s Bundle. Check it out: Player’s Bundle All the guitar essentials in one specially priced package ($24 savings). Includes an ultra-portable travel guitar stand, brown suede/web guitar strap, polish cloth, digital tuner, and a pack of medium Taylor picks (10). Includes gift bag and tissue paper. $99.00 (retail value: $123.00 – that’s a saving of $24!).
By the way, if you haven’t checked it out yet, go have a look at my custom Taylor Solidbody, which I should be getting my mitts on soon. I’ll be sure to shoot plenty of video of the guitar when it arrives so you too can experience its mighty glory!
J21: Beyond The Holographic Veil
A press release just landed in my inbox from J21, a musician of impeccable taste in collaborators. Just look who he’s surrounded himself with on his album Beyond The Holographic Veil: Don Preston, Scott Thunes, Ed Mann and Robert Martin from Frank Zappa’s ensembles, Mike Garson and Reeves Gabrels of David Bowie’s band, Marco Minnemann, Geoff Tyson… and the music itself is very cool – proggy stuff that I just know my mate Steve Turner would dig. Order the album here.
PRESS RELEASE
J21: ‘BEYOND THE HOLOGRAPHIC VEIL’
“UNLIKE NORMAL PHOTOGRAPHS, EVERY PORTION OF A PIECE OF HOLOGRAPHIC FILM CONTAINS ALL OF THE INFORMATION OF THE WHOLE. IF A HOLOGRAPHIC PLATE IS BROKEN INTO FRAGMENTS, EACH PIECE CAN STILL BE USED TO RE-CONSTRUCT THE ENTIRE IMAGE. JUST LIKE IN A HOLOGRAM, WE CAN SEARCH FOR THE ANSWERS OF THE QUESTIONS THAT THE WHOLE UNIVERSE PRESENTS US IN EACH ONE OF OUR ATOMS. WE ARE THE CENTRE AND THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE AT THE SAME TIME”
Floating World Records are inordinately proud to present Beyond The Holographic Veil, a dazzling and diverse new album from the fertile imagination of Spanish-born guitarist J21. A thoughtful and inventive, beautifully-packaged set that also features guest performances by the likes of ex original Mother of Invention, keyboard ace Don Preston, David Bowie alumni Mike Garson (the guy who provided the incredible, atonal and innovative piano solo on Aladdin Sane) and guitarist Reeves Gabrels, as well as the likes of Scott Thunes (formerly of Frank Zappa’s 1980s bands, as well as lining up with Wayne Kramer of The MC5), Beyond The Holographic Veil is an incredibly absorbing listen that creates a kind of alternate universe of the imagination.
Hi! I'm Peter Hodgson. I write for Gibson.com, Australian Guitar, Australian Musician, Mixdown Magazine (including my instructional column, 'Unleash Your Inner Rock God,' which has been running since 2007), Blunt, Beat (including their weekly hard rock/metal column Crunch) and The Brag. And I'm Assistant Social Coordinator with Seymour Duncan.
I've been playing guitar since I was 8 years old, and I've been writing for magazines since I was 18. I've also worked as a guitar teacher (up to 50 students a week), a setup tech, a newspaper editor, and I've also dabbled in radio a little bit. I live in Melbourne, Australia, and my hobbies include drinking way too much coffee, and eating way too much Mexican food.
You can check out my guitar playing at Bandcamp or on YouTube, and feel free to email me at iheartguitarblog@gmail.com