Extreme & Richie Kotzen to tour Australia
Wow! Two of my favourite guitarists are touring Australia together in April 2013: Extreme and Richie Kotzen. This is going to be the Aussie guitar event of the year (well, on equal footing with Joe Satriani’s Australian clinic tour). They’ll be playing Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide.
Here’s the press release:
Lennard Promotions are thrilled to present 90′s rock giants Extreme along with very special guest guitar virtuoso Richie Kotzen live in Australia in 2013.
Extreme won a legion of fans during the 80′s and 90′s selling over 10 million records including their global smash hit More Than Words. Known for their heavy hitting musical ability and featuring the blazing guitar work of Nuno Bettencourt, Extreme exercised restraint rather than indulgence producing amazing music that not only showcased the band’s proficiency but also their collective mastery of hook laden rock. Richie Kotzen is a renowned guitar prodigy in his own right texturing both his own acclaimed releases and those from a string of notable acts including Poison and Mr Big with stunning guitar lines and breathtaking musical dexterity. Teaming up for what is sure to be a highlight on the 2013 touring calendar Extreme and very special guest Richie Kotzen will thrill Australian music lovers and galvanise guitar tragics alike.
It all started when four Boston-bred kids joined forces in the late 80s to form Extreme. With an original new sound and ground-breaking records, the foursome was immediately recognised as innovators in the world of rock & roll. The band has described their music as “Funky Metal” in the early days, but it would evolve much more in the mid-90s by blending classic rock influences with post-grunge and alternative rock. The band’s popularity was fuelled by guitar virtuoso Nuno Bettencourt’s signature style, Gary Cherone’s resonant vocals and socially conscious lyrics, Pat Badger’s rock solid bass, and the hard hitting Kevin Figueiredo on drums.
The band’s self-titled debut was released in 1989 to some acclaim, thought it was their 1990 album Pornograffitti that captured worldwide attention. Peaking at number 10 on the Billboard 200, Pornograffitti was certified multi-platinum and featured Bettencourt’s blistering guitar work which brought widespread admiration from rock guitar enthusiasts and continual exposure in leading guitar playing publications. It was however the acoustic ballad More Than Words, that captured imaginations and reached #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in the United States landing Extreme their first #1 hit song.
Since the worldwide smash that was Pornograffitti Extreme have released three further albums including Saudades de Rock in 2008 and endured various periods of hiatus with members exploring side projects including Gary Cherone’s stint as vocalist in Van Halen before reforming permanently in 2007. Showcasing material from their most recent album and classics from all their previous discs, the members of Extreme are always thrilled to be heading out on the road. “As much as we enjoy recording, for me, I’ve always loved playing live for the fans,” Cherone says. “We can’t wait to get out there and play this music live.”
Fender-wielding Los Angeles-based guitar hero Richie Kotzen is frequently touted in the international guitar press as one of the world’s best guitarists, with a 50-album discography to back it up. Born in 1970 in Reading. Pa., Kotzen Kotzen moved to San Francisco at age 18, recording his first album at age 19 for metal mainstay label Shrapnel Records. Guitar World magazine readers proclaimed him one of the top three best new guitarists of 1989.
Kotzen’s big break came in 1991 when, at age 21, he joined multi-platinum glam rockers Poison, with whom he recorded 1993’s Native Tongue. The platinum album spawned two top-twenty singles written by Kotzen, “Stand” and “Until You Suffer Some (Fire & Ice).” Post-Poison, Kotzen recorded albums on Geffen, Shrapnel and JVC until 1999, when legendary jazz bassist Stanley Clarke and drummer Lenny White invited him to form Vertu, which recorded an eponymous album that year and toured Europe extensively. Later in 1999, Kotzen joined hugely popular rock band Mr Big, recording Get Over It (1999) and Actual Size (2001) and penning his first number-one single in Japan, “Shine.”
Kotzen is one of the few artists to have two signature model Fender guitars in Japan; a Telecaster and a Stratocaster bearing his name have each been top sellers in Japan since they were introduced in 1995. Richie Kotzen’s latest release is titled ’24 Hours’
Lennard Promotions Proudly Present:
Extreme
With Special Guest Richie Kotzen
Australian Tour 2013
11TH APRIL EATON HILLS HOTEL, BRISBANE
www.eatonshillhotel.oztix.com.au /Phone 07 3325 6777
www.oztix.com.au / Phone 1300 762 545
12TH APRIL PANTHERS, NEWCASTLE
www.moshtix.com.au / Phone 1300 438 849
13TH APRIL ENMORE THEATRE, SYDNEY
www.ticketek.com.au / Phone 132849
16TH APRIL METRO CITY, PERTH
www.oztix.com.au / Phone 1300 762 545
19TH APRIL PALACE THEATRE, MELBOURNE
www.ticketmaster.com.au / Phone 136 100
20TH APRIL THEBARTON THEATRE,. ADELAIDE
www.venuetix.com.au / Phone 08 8225 8888
NEWS: Nuno Bettencourt to play guitar for Rhianna
Whoa. I didn’t see this one coming!!! Just got this email from the Extreme forum.
Hey all… Nuno here. I wanted to share some news with you… A friend and Music Director, Tony Bruno, reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in playing guitar with Rihanna. Rihanna is a regular in the Bettencourt-house playlist… And as much as I dig her as an artist… my first thought was that there isn’t a whole lot of guitar in her music and therefore probably not the greatest fit for what I do. But before I had a chance to verbalize that thought… Tony said, “before you say anything let me play you the direction she wants to go live.” And when I heard it… I said wow, this rocks… it’s heavy and funky… and it hit me that this is MY shit… this is my style… how I love to play… I got very excited at the possibility of playing some of her great songs with a heavier treatment. When I asked Tony Bruno why?… he told me that Rihanna loves bands like Paramore and Linkin Park and loves to push it up a notch or two live in the rock department. Hmmm… let me think? Touring and sharing the stage with a cool and talented artist like Rihanna… and being able to bring what I do passionately to the table as a musician and performer…? IM IN! And having finished the first round of rehearsals… it did not disappoint. Even better than what I expected because she also has the most incredible band, and I get the privilege to add to their wall of sound. It’s gonna be fun. Come see and hear it for yourself!
Nuno
And BTW… No… this is NOT the end of Extreme. We have a live DVD and CD coming out in early 2010 and we will be writing new material throughout the year. We had a great run across the globe on Saudades do Rock….and we’ll be back.
Um… Nuno, I love ya, I’ll support whatever you do, but I’m gonna need a minute to digest this, orrite?
NEWS: Extreme, RATT to tour together
Awesome news here, once again making me rue the fact that I live in Australia and miss out on a lot of this stuff.
New York, NY – Celebrated rock pioneers RATT and EXTREME have teamed up to bring you this summer’s most rockin’ tour lineup. The tour, which will feature sets from both bands with Ratt closing kicks off on July 12 in Amarillo, TX and runs through August 7th in Hampton Beach, NH. It will cross the U.S. and cover 16 markets, with more to be announced soon. In celebration of the 25th anniversary of their landmark debut Out Of The Cellar, RATT will be playing the album in its entirety.
Both bands are excited about the double bill. “Warren DeMartini and Nuno Bettencourt on same stage, same night?? ‘Nuff said, we’ll see you there!” says RATT’s Bobby Blotzer. EXTREME’s Nuno Bettencourt concurs, “One hot summer night. Two bands fully loaded with musicianship. Mix in one part memorable songwriting. Add nine ounces of passionate performers. Throw in three well respected guitarists. Add a touch of West Coast raunch and a hint of East Coast funk. And you get yourself a recipe for one night of unforgettable rock and roll.”
Ratt is currently in the studio recording its first new record in over 10 years with famed producer Elvis Baskette (credits). The band announced its new partnership with Loud & Proud/Roadrunner Records earlier this year. The album is planned for release this fall.
EXTREME recently released their first new album in thirteen years Saudades de Rock (pronounced “sow-dodge”) which is a groundbreaking record that reaffirms the beloved, Boston-bred foursome’s stature as innovators in the world of rock & roll.
Over the past two years, RATT has toured the world in support of their releases Tell The World – The Very Best Of Ratt and their first ever DVD, Videos from the Cellar- The Atlantic Years. During this time, the current lineup of Stephen Pearcy, Warren DeMartini, Bobby Blotzer, Robbie Crane and Carlos Cavazo played shows in Australia, Colombia and Peru for the first time in their careers. Their mega-hit “Round and Round” was prominently featured in the Oscar nominated 2008 film The Wrestler, and the band will be headlining ROCKLAHOMA this July.
One of the most popular rock acts of the past 20 years, RATT’s brand of guitar-driven melodic rock helped shape the LA metal scene. The band boasts a deep catalog of hits including smashes like “Round and Round,” “Lay It Down,” “You’re In Love,” “Lack of Communication” and “Wanted Man” which are beloved by fans the world over. The band has gone on to sell millions of albums worldwide. With 1984’s mega-platinum debut Out of the Cellar celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the band is looking forward to starting a new chapter with new music to complement the impressive legacy they have established over two-plus decades.
To date, the Grammy-nominated EXTREME have released five albums, plus a greatest hits set—selling over 10 million records worldwide. They also achieved a #1 hit single, “More Than Words”—from their 1990 multi-platinum album Extreme II: Pornograffitti—on the Billboard Hot 100, which they followed with the Top Five “Hole Hearted.” Although these two acoustic hits brought the band great mainstream success, the band’s trademark sound has always been more a mix of hard rock funk—fueled by guitar virtuoso Nuno Bettencourt’s signature style, Gary Cherone’s resonant vocals and socially conscious lyrics, Pat Badger’s rock solid bass, and the hard hitting Kevin Figueiredo on drums. Extreme has recently been introduced to an entire new generation of fans with the inclusion of their song “Play With Me” in the popular video game Guitar Hero as well as “More Than Words” featured in hit movies Forgetting Sarah Marshall and The Love Guru.
Tour dates are as follows (***= Extreme only)
7/12/2009 Amarillo, TX Midnight Rodeo
7/13/2009 San Antonio,TX Scout Bar
7/14/2009 Odessa, TX Dos Amigos
7/16/2009 Tempe, AZ Marquee Theater on sale 6/6
7/17/2009 Los Angeles,CA Wiltern Theater
7/18/2009 Las Vegas, NV Hard Rock
7/19/2009 Anaheim, CA House of Blues
7/22/2009 Denver, CO Ogdon Theater on sale 6/6
7/23/2009 Kansas City Crossroads
7/24/2009 Chicago HOB on sale 6/6
7/26/2009 Cheswick, PA Ches-a-rena on sale 6/5
7/28/2009 New York, NY Nokia Theater
7/30/2009 Westbury, NY Westbury Theater on sale 6/12
8/2/2009 Allentown, PA Crock Rock Festival
8/5/2009 Springfield, VA Jaxx***
8/6/2009 Sayerville, NJ Starland Ballroom on sale 6/12
8/7/2009 HamptonBch,NH Hampton Bch Casino on sale 6/12
8/08/2009 Boston, MA House of Blues***
NEWS: Ernie And The Automatics CD for preorder
I’ve just been cranking some online samples of Low Expectations, the new album by Ernie And The Automatics, due early February on Open E records, the same label who released Extreme’s brilliant Saudades De Rock last year. The samples sound very cool, with some great guitar playing and a very solid rhythm section.
CLICK HERE to preorder the CD direct from the band’s website.
NEWS: Extreme plans Australian tour
“Well, well, well… Now that we are home. Back in the U.S. of A. I noticed… with a little help from a birdie outside my window… Two things. 1. We have a new president. And 2. That I didn’t let our beloved fans in America know how much they rocked! I apologize. To be honest, the idea of doing live shows and blogging after the run was completely alien to me… as in EXTREME’s early days we never had that option. And it was only suggested to me by our trusty manager at the end of our U.K. leg, while we were in London, that I should start letting the fans know what we were feeling. So therefore it was quite a bit of time after the U.S. run so I kinda missed out. But I really wanna share with you my thoughts on the U.S. leg.
“You guys here on our home turf had the biggest and most important effect on this band. Why? Well, this was indeed the first time in 13 years that we were together and out on the road playing… For our old fans? New fans? Will anyone show up? Will they still give a shit about us? We had no idea. No matter how confident we were about our new CD, or how cocky we were about our live potential as performers and musicians, deep down we were… OK, I’ll say it… a bit scared. I mean, this our home. This is where it all started for us. So… it was gonna be up to you to let us know and give us… the no-bullshit barometer — first-impression stamp of approval or disapproval.
“And I have to say… from the first show in upstate New York to the last one in Los Anegeles, without a doubt some of the best shows on the 2008 tour… but you were the ones that whipped this band into shape… You were the first to give us the inspiration and confidence and power that made us believe that, yes… we were in fact BACK! The first to wow us with your energy and passion for rock and roll that we had been missing for so many years.
“It’s not easy coming back after so long… But you gave us a hell of a welcome back party in every city… and more importantly an incredible boost of confidence. We couldn’t have gone into the U.K. and Europe and Asia without the love that you showed for us here at home. Being the first audiences to connect with, you basically had the responsibility to get us to believe in ourselves once again. And we are deeply indebted to you. Our fans.
“Hopefully we can reconnect with you in the New Year to thank you in person. And once again… we haven’t forgotten about you in Australia, South America, Canada, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and everywhere else that we will try to reach.”
Excuse me while I skip around the room for a bit while doing the happydance. Hehe.
CLICK HERE to buy Extreme’s latest CD, Saudades De Rock, from Amazon.com
My favourite stuff of 2008
I’m back from my little Christmas exile, and I’m in a reflective mood, so here, for the heck of it, is my list of stuff I liked this year, in the world of guitar. 2008 was a pretty cool year for me. I wrote about a squillion articles for Mixdown and Australian Guitar, recorded a few tunes, wrote a huge batch of songs for my new band (watch out for us in 2009), interviewed Joe Satriani, John McLaughlin, Zakk Wylde, Steve Lukather, Page Hamilton, Max Cavalera, Bryan Beller, George Lynch and more, and started this here blog (with encouragement from the ever clever Mrs I Heart Guitar, who is an avowed blog-reading fiend).
2008 was also a pretty bitchen year for the world of guitar. We had releases by Steve Vai, Mike Keneally, Joe Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen, the reunited Extreme, Guns N’ Roses, and even a freaking Van Halen tour (which never made it down to Australia or anywhere else outside North America for that matter… hopefully that will be rectified in 2009, but I shan’t be holding my breath for that one). There were also some very cool gadgets released during the year. So here’s my list of cool stuff in 2008. Click on any of the links to buy the stuff if you like.
General stuff
Meeting Paul Gilbert in person after many years of email communication and two interviews – he was just as cool as I could have hoped.
Hearing from Mike Keneally that he’d checked out my blog. In an email he said “Your website is EXTREMELY readable! Lots of cool articles.” I think I still smile in my sleep about that one.
Attending an album preview party for Trivium, and almost accidentally making a baby with the back of Corey Beaulieu’s head thanks to an uncomfortably posed photo.
Buying a crapload of new pedals while the Australian dollar was at 98 US cents. I went on an MXR spree and bought a Dyna Comp, Custom Audio Electronics Boost/OD, EVH Phase 90, Carbon Copy Analog Delay, and Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Octave Fuzz. Now the dollar sucks again, so I’ll have to hold off on buying a Dunlop Buddy Guy wah and an eBow until it recovers. Dammit.
Music
After going their separate ways to join Van Halen (Gary Cherone), farm alpacas (Pat Badger, and with a name like that how could he not be an animal lover?) and release stunningly awesome albums under various band names like Population One, Mourning Widows and Dramagods (Nuno Bettencourt), these guys finally got back together for one of the best rock albums of 2008 and one of the best moments of their eclectic career. I freaken love Nuno’s guitar tone here, all natural and gusty, and the live feel helps smack this one over the line as my favourite new release of the year.
Paul Gilbert & Freddie Nelson – United States
Mike Keneally – Wine And Pickles
This album is a collection of alternate or extended takes, unused tracks and various bits and pieces, yet it feels like a cohesive statement which can sit just as comfortably within the Keneally canon as anything else he’s done. The best reasons to buy this album are ‘Feelin’ Strangely,’ an alternate version of ‘Backwards Deb’ with different lyrics and hugely differing mix to the version on ‘Dancing,’ and the amazing ‘Inhale’ with Lyle Workman.
MXR M169 Carbon Copy Analog Delay
Bogner Alchemist series
So what were your highlights of 2008? Any gigs that totally did it for ya? Any new gear that you would hock your right leg to own? Favourite albums? Meet any of your heroes?
NEWS: New Nuno Washburn guitar, Randall amp
Nuno Bettencourt’s signature Randall amplifier will be officially unveiled at Winter NAMM in January 2009, but Nuno fans won’t have to wait until then to snag a unique piece of signature gear.
As posted at the Extreme band forums, Funky Munky Music is awaiting delivery of a very limited run Washburn N3, based on Nuno’s third ever Washburn prototype, which had a maple fretboard and two Bill Lawrence L500 pickups. The standard Nuno model, the N4, has a Seymour Duncan 59 in the neck in addition to a bridge L500.
There was a Korean-produced model called the N3 for a while, but the new limited edition N3s are made in the USA. They have 22 frets, unlike Nuno’s original which had 24, and feature an original Floyd Rose bridge, a birdseye maple neck and fretboard, the original 1 5/8” nut width, and the original N4 neck profile. Interestingly, at the Extreme forum, Funky Munky says Nuno asked Washburn to revert the neck profile of the N4 to the original shape within the last month or so, and change the nut width to 1 5/8” instead of the current 1 11/16” nut width.
As for that Randall amp, in an official press release Nuno says “There is a reason that I have never endorsed any amplifier company exclusively. Because I have always had to jump back and forth from amp to amp. One for rhythm, Another for solos. A different amp on every recording and tour, constantly searching, unsatisfied. Always good, but not great. Never finding that perfect tone. There was always something missing. Basically, I gave in and truly believed that Marshall would be the staple to fall back on… The Constant.”
As a bonus, it looks like no other amp and cabinet before it… the look takes the past into the future.”
I found the image of the amp at the What’s That Dude Play? blog.
For more about the very interesting saga of Bill Lawrence pickups, check out the Bill Lawrence Review website.
Click here to buy Extreme’s new album, Saudades de Rock
REVIEW: Extreme – Saudades de Rock
Thirteen years have passed since Extreme’s last album, the raw and underrated ‘Waiting For The Punchline.’ Since then, singer Gary Cherone fronted Van Halen (he put in a valiant effort, but it was just not to be); drummer Paul Geary, who split halfway through the ‘Punchline’ sessions, managed Godsmack; bass player Pat Badger raised alpacas; and Nuno released a whole bunch of albums, mostly under various band names but still all amounting to “Nuno + backing band.” Now the band feels the time is right to return, and although Geary is assisting with band management matters, the drum stool is now occupied by Kevin Figueiredo from Nuno’s last band, Dramagods.
Saudades de Rock (the name loosely translates as ‘nostalgic homesickness for rock’) has a lot in common with ‘Punchline’ – raw production, ambient drum sounds, a minimum of overdubs – but it sounds tighter, sharper, and altogether more powerful than that album’s dark, muffled tone. The album opens with Star, draped in Queen-inspired harmonies over a rhythm section slightly reminiscent of the big Van Halen shuffles like ‘Hot For Teacher.’ Lyrically, the song is similar to ‘Hip Today’ from ‘Punchline,’ but while that song offered an ominous warning to the here today, gone tomorrow grunge bands of the day, ‘Star’ expands the scope to the world of instant stardom through reality TV and paparazzi frenzy.
‘Comfortably Dumb’ has a killer groove and tight vocal harmonies, while the lyrics flow on from Frank Zappa’s famous comment that the most plentiful element in the universe is stupidity. The protagonist of the song has become jaded and desensitised due to multimedia oversaturation. A parallel can again be drawn to a ‘Punchline’ track, ‘Cynical,’ but in that song the subject was left negative and pessimistic by the state of the world, in ‘Comfortably Dumb’ they’ve shut down completely.
‘Take Us Alive’ has a rockabilly-influenced, country edge complete with some twangy guitar noodling. ‘King of the Ladies’ is reminiscent of Nuno’s solo work, and is one of several moments on the album where Nuno lets his Octave pedal do the talking, to great effect. ‘Last Hour on Earth’ picks up where Van Halen’s ‘A Year To The Day’ left off, in both structure and feel, and ‘Flower Man’ picks up the pace with more clever harmony colouring. ‘Ghost’ has drawn many comparisons to Coldplay, and if radio was to find this song it would be a certain hit. And while the album concludes with ‘Peace (Saudade),’ it feels more like a low-key encore because it’s the second last track, ‘Sunrise,’ that really feels like the closer to the album proper.
Some fans are calling Saudades de Rock the best album of Extreme’s career. Others aren’t quite won over by the continued use of the live-sounding recording techniques of the ‘Punchline’ album, hoping instead for a return to the more produced sounds of ‘Pornograffiti’ and ‘III Sides to Every Story.’ Personally I freaking love this album and, after living with it for about a month, I still find myself drawn to it several times a week, when usually I’ve moved on from an album by that time. It’s for that reason that I’m naming Saudades de Rock my favourite album of the year so far.
Open E Records
LINKS:
Extreme website
Extreme Myspace
Open E Records
Saudades de Rock at Amazon.com
NEWS: ADA returns!
Those of us with a fondness for the, let’s just say, larger-haired corners of the rock guitar world will be excited to know that the long missing-in-action company ADA (Analog/Digital Associates) is on the way back after about a decade or so of inactivity.
ADA’s famous midi-controllable tube preamp, the MP-1, was used on a lot of recordings around the late 80s/early 90s, especially paired with the power section of a Marshall JCM800 or JCM 900 head. Notable MP-1 users included Steve Vai, Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt, White Lion’s Vito Bratta, and Paul Gilbert. On the bass side, Primus’s Les Claypool used a modified MP-1, while Victor Wooten and Steve Bailey used the dedicated bass version, the MB-1. To this day, Gilbert uses a modified ADA flanger tweaked to create a whammy-like divebomb effect, and other notable flanger users include Pat Travers and Testament’s Alex Skolnick.
We’re in the storming and forming phase and usually send out a canned response, but your questions are intriguing and deserve an answer.
David Tarnowski, head engineer and inventor of all things A/DA, continues to be majority owner of A/DA and chief engineer of the new A/DA. He still owns all rights to the A/DA electronic designs and trademark. A group of us have convinced him that the time is right to come out of retirement and resurrect the A/DA legacy. We’re starting with stomp boxes, most notably the Flanger and Final Phase, which will be re-released in late 2008/2009. We’ll continue soon thereafter with other legacy effects such as Battman and the Seamoon line, as well as the Rocket Amp series. We’re currently working with suppliers to source original parts so that these releases can be as “original” as possible – we’ve gone over the designs and have decided that the original designs were best. We’re in the early stages, but are confident that we’ll have a full line of products to present at NAMM 2009.
Of particular interest to the ADAForum board would be our introduction of the all new MP3. Still on the drawing board, the digital potential is enormous and we’re still hashing out potential functionality prior to full design. As you well know, the fight starts trying to decide what goes into a future MPx and doesn’t stop until the prototype has been demo’d and agreed upon by all. As of now, there is no release date for the MP3.
We appreciate your interest and would ask that you help pass the word that the original A/DA is back!!
Cheers – the A/DA staff”
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