Ultimate Hendrix Ever wonder what Mr. Hendrix did on October 25, 1966, or any other day of his legendary career? Ultimate Hendrix is one way to find out—that day was the first documented London performance for the newly formed Jimi Hendrix Experience. The book presents a chronological outline of Hendrix’ career from his army discharge to his death in 1970. Entries for performances and recording sessions contain details about where Hendrix was, which songs were played or worked on and who was in attendance. Author John McDermott compiled this new journal-esque record with help from producer Eddie Kramer and long-time Hendrix friend/bassist Billy Cox.
By combining unreleased interviews with bandmates and studio staff, general dialogue from raw tapes and information from rarely seen photos, Ultimate Hendrix peels back the curtain on a legendary guitarist who created a lot of jaw-dropping material over a short period of time. —CK
List $34.95
backbeatbooks.com
Mixing the Hits of Country Anyone who dives into Dave Martin’s Mixing the Hits of Country quickly learns that a better grasp of the process—its possibilities, limitations and tricks—will change your approach to the mixing board and even the way you play. The 348-page book comes with two discs featuring stand-alone tracks for sound-alike versions of 10 recent country hits by artists like Martina McBride, Brooks and Dunn, George Strait and Rascal Flatts, as well as professional mixes of the same tracks. Essentially, you load the tracks into your preferred DAW and Martin takes you through the process of mixing them using today’s contemporary techniques.
Martin packs a wealth of knowledge about mixing guitars into this contemporary primer that covers every instrument. Regardless of whether or not you dig today’s country music, the songs cover a wide range of stringed instrument sounds and their specific mixing strategies. The prerequisite acoustic, lead, bass, steel and fiddle tracks are there for you to learn with, as well as dobro, mando, banjo, baritone, bouzouki, talk box guitar and more. Actually moving the pots and pans yourself to manage the soundscapes for chart-topping songs involving dozens of tracks is a crash-course in professional mixing that is as addictive as it is educational. —JC
List $59.99
halleonard.com
Videos
Muddy Waters—Live at ChicagoFestOf all the Muddy Waters eras you’d love to go back in time to experience—like early ‘40s Muddy in Coahoma County, MS, or mid-‘50s Chicago Muddy—you probably wouldn’t set the flux capacitor to 1981 ChicagoFest Muddy. The blues master was in the twilight of his career, playing the ChicagoFest outdoor music festival with a practically brand-new backing band put together by long-time friend Mojo Buford. That this performance was even recorded is surprising, so it’s unfair to knock it for its quality or for Waters’ performance compared to those of his prime. With that being said, this performance can still provide quite a schoolin’ for any blues player willing to pause for a moment and appreciate such a crossroads of time and place.
There’s a lot to take in. There’s Waters’ sheer embodiment of the blues in songs like “Mannish Boy” and “I’m a King Bee,” with his authoritative vocal command and his restrained thumbpick licks between repeated verse lines. His aggressive pinky slide technique is still raw and emotive in “Call Me Muddy Waters” and “She’s Nineteen Years Old.” Johnny Winters hangs around for several songs and takes some solos on his Les Paul. Mighty Joe Young and Big Twist also make an appearance, turning “Five Long Years” into an improvisational tribute to Waters, much to his delight. The video closes with “Got My Mojo Working,” where Buford channels Little Walter and whips the crowd into a frenzy. Placed in the proper perspective, this performance from the end of Waters’ career is a nice little gem. —JC
List $13.98
Shoutfactory.com
Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention–In the 1960s A clean cut, young man dressed in his Sunday best is whisked to center stage on The Steve Allen Show where two bicycles are waiting for him. He proceeds to make music with them, blowing into handlebars and running a bow across spokes—and just like that, the 22-year old artist is introduced to the US.
This clip is among the 134 minutes of footage in the newly released DVD, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention—In the 1960s, which documents Zappa’s oddball musical journey. Zappa was an avant-garde composer and drew from a mixed bag of influences that ranged from Howlin’ Wolf to Igor Stravinsky. His ability to challenge people to rethink the possibilities of music was entertaining and impressive.
In addition to archival television appearances, the DVD contains studio footage, previously unreleased interviews and new interviews with band members and music journalists, offering a well-rounded perspective on the band’s evolution and an insightful glimpse into what made Zappa tick. —CK
List $19.95
mvdb2b.com
D'Addario Guitar Strings - XL Nickel Electric Guitar Strings - 10-46 Regular Light, 5-Pack
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Fender Squier 3/4-Size Kids Mini Strat Electric Guitar - Surf Green Bundle
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LAVA ME AIR Portable Carbon Fiber Electric-Acoustic Guitar, Travel Guitar for Beginners
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Name: Edward Sarkis Balian
Hometown: Detroit, Michigan
Guitars: The Van Gogh Brothers, Vinnie and Theo
The Van Gogh Strat, aka “Vinnie,” built with a Canadian alder body and featuring a replica of the painter’s famous work.
Okay, I plead guilty to having owned over 150 electric guitars in the past 60 years. So, for kicks, with my experience by way of Fender, Gibson, Ricky, Gretsch, PRS, Guild, Teisco, and others, I decided to attempt to make my own axes from scratch. I found that this endeavor was synergistic—much like envisioning, composing, performing, and recording a song. With my long-time San Diego techie, Val Fabela, doing the assembly, I started carefully designing, engineering, and procuring all of the components.
Our winning guitar builder, Edward Sarkis Balian.
The Vincent van Gogh Stratocaster, aka “Vinnie,” was the initial project. Starting with a Canadian alder body, an artist in Italy (who wishes to remain anonymous) applied the Starry Night painting to the front, sides, and back. The heavily flamed, roasted maple neck has the typical 21 frets with a 25.5" scale, and sports yellow pearl-dot inlays. After careful consideration of my playing styles, I went with a configuration using Fender ’57/’62 Stratocaster pickups. I used an upgraded, noiseless, 5-position Switchcraft assembly for the switching circuit. Fender locking tuners, a custom-fitted bone nut, and a Kluson K2PTG 2-point whammy system and brass bridge complete the low-action setup. Overall gold hardware completes the look. Vinnie’s fighting weight is 7.1 pounds.
This is what stars look like from further in space, at least as far as this special build is concerned.
I was so happy with this Strat that I decided it needed a brother, so I started on a Tele. Logically, I named the Tele “Theo,” after Vincent van Gogh’s younger brother. Again, with a Starry Night body painted by the same artist, I coupled a Canadian alder body with a lightly roasted, flamed-maple Stratocaster neck. (Hey, if it was good enough for Jimi to experiment with a Strat neck on a Tele body, why not try it?) And, as expected, my techie Val did a brilliantjob of joining the neck to the body.
The Van Gogh Tele, aka “Theo,” built to similar specs as the Strat and also featuring a lightly roasted, flamed-maple Strat neck.
For pickups, I went with Fender’s vintage-correct ’64 Tele set. As for a harness, the super-quality Hoagland Custom 4-position switching is unique, in that it gives a 15 percent boost and a very killer tone in position 4! Fender locking tuners, a custom-cut bone nut, and a Gotoh GTC201 brass bridge completes its setup. Gold hardware complements the overall look. Strangely enough (or perhaps hereditary?), the Tele matches his Strat brother’s weight exactly, at 7.1 pounds.
It's not in a museum, the the Theo guitar is certainly a work of art.
But how do they sound? Magnificent!Throw in my trusty Keeley compressor, Fulltone OCD, and Fender or Mesa/Boogie tube amps, and the van Gogh boys both easily equal or surpass my White Penguin, White Falcon, PRS Custom 22, Lucille 345 stereo, 335, SG TV, Les Paul Standard, Esquire, or Joan Jett.
I’m hoping the real van Gogh brothers would have been proud of these two magical, musical namesakes.
For over five decades, audiences worldwide have marveled at Baxter’s inimitable and instantly recognizable guitar playing and generational songcraft. His output spans classic records as a founding member of Steely Dan and member of the Doobie Brothers in addition to hundreds of recordings with the likes of Donna Summer, Cher, Joni Mitchell, Rod Stewart, Dolly Parton, and many more. During 2022, he initially unveiled Speed of Heat, showcasing yet another side of his creative identity and introducing himself as a solo artist.
On the Storytellers Edition, his fascinating commentary pulls the curtain back on both the process and the message of the music. This version traces the journey to Speed of Heat and its core inspirations as shared directly by Baxter in the form of detailed anecdotes, candid stories, and insightful commentary on every track.
The 12-songalbum, co-produced by Baxter and CJ Vanston, is a riveting and rewarding musical experience that features a host of brilliantly crafted originals co-written by the guitarist and Vanston, as well as inspired versions of some of the great classics. Along the way, Baxter is joined by guest vocalists and songwriters Michael McDonald, Clint Black, Jonny Lang and Rick Livingstone. Baxter notably handled lead vocals on his rendition of Steely Dan’s “My Old School.” Other standouts include "Bad Move" co-written by Baxter, Clint Black, and CJ Vanston, and “My Place In The Sun”, sung by Michael McDonald and co-authored by McDonald, Baxter and Vanston.
As one of the most recorded guitarists of his generation, Baxter’s creative and versatile playing has been heard on some of the most iconic songs in music history, including “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton and “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer.
The stunningly diverse collection of material on Speed of Heat presents a 360-degree view of the uniquely gifted musician.
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