BLOOMFIELD, CONNECTICUT, July 12, 2016 — Daisy Rock Girl Guitars (www.daisyrock.com), the pioneering line of guitars developed by the visionary artist Tish Ciravolo in 2000, is set to rock again on a global stage, thanks to a new licensing agreement with KMC Music (www.kmcmusic.com), the industry leading United States distributor of MI and Pro Audio products that is part of the JAM Group of Companies (www.jamindustries.com).
Under the terms of the agreement announced today by KMC Music Vice President of Merchandising Roger Hart, KMC Music will re-introduce a mix of the all-time favorite Daisy Rock guitar models in time for Winter NAMM 2017.
“Our plan is to bring back all of the most popular models that made Daisy Rock a market sensation,” explained Hart. “In the future, we plan to compliment these models with new models that incorporate the latest in design, materials, and finish technologies. The result will be the best line of female-centric guitars ever to be brought to market!”
According to Hart, Daisy Rock founder Tish Ciravolo will be involved with the launch of the new Daisy Rock guitar line and serve as brand ambassador at trade shows, special events, and in marketing programs. “Tish is the heart and soul of the line,” Hart emphasized. “She is going to continue to be the voice of this vitally important brand!”
Amplifying Hart’s point, Ciravolo noted that, “I am so excited to be part of the KMC family! This is the next chapter for my company, Daisy Rock Girl Guitars, and I firmly believe this partnership will take our innovative concept in the musical instrument industry to a higher level. I am really looking forward to the new innovations in the Daisy Rock line geared towards the professional guitarist and bassists. Daisy Rock started and marketed a new standard 16 years ago – to encourage more females to play guitar and, now, the KMC team will take our line to a new level of market success.”
Known for its lighter weight and slimmer neck design, the Daisy Rock line of guitars became a global sensation when it debuted in 2000. Lifetime unit sales now exceed 200,000 guitars, making it the most successful line of its kind ever developed and brought to market.
Daisy Rock remains dedicated to getting guitars into the hands of women of all ages. Daisy Rock guitars are designed to better fit the needs of female guitarists of all ages, skill levels, and personalities. The Daisy Rock/DRG line for more advanced, professional players consists of dozens of high-quality, great-sounding acoustic guitars, electric guitars, acoustic-electric guitars, and bass guitars in a variety of body shapes and finishes. The Debutante by Daisy Rock line is the company’s beginner line, and consists of fun, playful acoustic and electric guitars in shapes that inspire, colors that pop, and best of all, prices that won’t break the budget. Both lines feature lightweight construction that makes the instruments easier to hold and “Slim & Narrow” neck profiles that make the instruments easier for girls to play.
Daisy Rock Girl Guitars has also become the guitar of choice for famous professional artists from across the musical spectrum by debuting first The Bangles Signature Series with Vicki Peterson, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Wanda Jackson and her signature model on display at Graceland, America’s Sweetheart Lisa Loeb, Cherie Currie (The Runaways), American Idol Finalist Olivia Rox and Jackie Tohn, Indie Touring Sensations The Dollyrots and Candy Hearts, UK Breakout Acts Natalie Holman and Zoe Thompson, Warped Tour Darlings Juliett Sims and Vanilla Sugar and the amazing support from Avril Lavigne, Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson, Louise Post (Veruca Salt), Miley Cyrus, Kathy Valentine and Jane Wiedlin (Go-Go’s), Dolly Parton, and Indie Crasher Kate Nash. With over 600 artists however, girls aren’t the only ones having fun with Daisy Rock guitars—The Cure’s Robert Smith, The Psychedelic Furs’ Tim Butler, Chris Stein from Blondie, and Sylvain Sylvain from The New York Dolls play them, too, as do Adam Levy (Norah Jones) and Paul Leary (Butthole Surfers).
About Daisy Rock Girl Guitars
Daisy Rock Girl Guitars is the original girl guitar company dedicated to successfully supplying and marketing professional quality guitars for females of all ages. All Daisy Rock guitars are designed specifically for the female form and feature lightweight bodies, “Slim & Narrow” neck profiles to better fit smaller hands, and are available in inspiring finishes. Daisy Rock Girl Guitars’ ongoing mission is to do whatever it takes to help girls play guitar and enjoy music.
Daisy Rock Girl Guitars is led by its founder, Tish Ciravolo, a highly acclaimed expert on female empowerment and females in music. Tish’s expertise has been immortalized by her induction into the Museum of Making Music, the world’s premier museum showcasing the history of the music products industry, and she is widely regarded as a visionary in the industry. Ciravolo’s deep insight into the subject of girl guitars and female empowerment has made her a sought after and frequent speaker on national and international television, Ted Talks, NACA Nationals, Musicinas Institute, NAMM, Colleges, High Schools, Associations, newspapers, magazines, websites, and radio programs including People, Time, Newsweek, CNN, ABC, NBC, FOX, VH1, MSNBC, the Premier Radio Network, BBC Radio, and the Associated Press. In 2016, Tish was nominated for CEO of the Year by LA Business Journal Women’s Summit. Daisy Rock Girl Guitars is a division of Daisy Rock Dynasty.
Another pedal, another chance to win! Enter Stompboxtober Day 27 for your shot at today’s pedal from Gibson Maestro Pedals!
Maestro Fuzz-Tone FZ-M Fuzz Pedal
Maestro created the world’s first fuzz pedal – the Maestro Fuzz-Tone FZ-1. Introduced in 1962, the Fuzz-Tone became the sound of rock and roll and a must-have accessory for guitarists everywhere after the success of 1965’s (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones, which prominently featured its cutting edge sound. Now Maestro is bringing the fun and sonic fury of those early Fuzz-Tones back with the new Maestro Fuzz-Tone FZ-M. This all-analog pedal boasts a Mode toggle switch that provides two pedals in one functionality for increased sonic versatility with both an FZ-1 inspired fuzz sound and a thicker, more modern fuzz tone. Its 3-knob control layout gives you intuitive control. The Attack knob controls the amount of fuzz. The Tone control lets you adjust the timbre from bright and raspy to warm and wooly and anywhere in between. Use the Level control to set the output volume; it can go way beyond unity gain when desired. The true bypass footswitch triggers the LED lights in the bugles in the Maestro logo when it’s on, so you’ll always know when the effect is active.
Nap Eyes’ Brad Labelle joins reader Galen Brownson and PG staff in sharing about what makes them—and thereby, their tunes—so unique.
Question: What are some personal qualities of yours that set you apart from others in your writing or playing?
Brad Labelle - Nap Eyes
A: I love dance music and have an unrelenting thirst for new and fresh sounds. I don’t feel my guitar playing is particularly groundbreaking, but those influences must seep through somehow. I do believe I’m a fairly expressive player and my short attention span keeps me endlessly improvising.
Nap Eyes’ latest release, The Neon Gate.
Obsession: I can’t stop listening to the recent Jane Remover track “Magic I Want U.” The production is deeply detailed but doesn’t feel cluttered, and her melodic sensibilities are intoxicating. She gives you crunchy guitars paired with breakbeats, West Coast synth lines, a Janet Jackson-esque electro outro, scratching, a fun little guitar solo.... I could go on.
As of late, Two Star & the Dream Police by Mk.gee has been in Brad's regular listening rotation.
Galen Brownson - Reader of the Month
Metallica’s two-guitar format inspired Galen when he was learning guitar.
A: When I was learning how to play, I was listening to a lot of two-guitar bands, like Metallica and Megadeth and Iron Maiden. I tried to find ways to play both guitar parts at once, which is not always possible, but I write two parts for one guitar now.
Metallica’s second album is a fan favorite of their early, pioneering years.
Obsession: My latest obsession is finding ways to combine metal music with electronic music, particularly dubstep. My younger brother once chastised me for ignoring electronic music by saying “metal and dubstep have a lot in common,” and he was absolutely right. I’ve since made it a goal to weave them together.
Galen names Polis by Uppermost, a French electronic music producer, as one of his favorite records.
Ted Drozdowski - Editorial Director
Ted takes a slide solo on his well-traveled and beloved Dollycaster.
A: My interests toggle between history and mystery, so my technique is based in archaic/anarchic blues playing styles and an expansive sonic palette that relies on blending fingerpicking, slide, and an array of pedals to create tones and sheets of sound. I think of it as cosmic roots music, and don’t hear a lot of other people doing what I do the way I do it.
The marquee image for Ted and Coyote Motel’s new movie, The River: A Songwriter’s Stories of the South.
Obsession: For a few years now, much of my creative energy has been invested in a feature film I created with my band Coyote Motel—scripting, recording narration, performing as part of the band, editing, and learning many painfully new and hard lessons about movie-making. And then getting the film to festivals, where we’ve won laurels, and onto a few select screens. Now, I’m working on distribution, in a field where there ain’t no Bandcamp or DistroKid. It ain’t easy, but I’m obsessed with getting The River: A Songwriter’s Stories of the South into the world.
The current state of Ted’s pedalboard. (He’s aware he could do a better job with the wiring.)
Kate Koenig - Managing Editor
Kate’s newest album, which contains some of their rawest and most vulnerable lyrics to date.
A: I wear my heart on my sleeve—to the point where I’ve always struggled to have a verbal filter—so I tend to write very raw, vulnerable lyrics. A taste for cerebral art during my formative years has also informed my approach to coming up with challenging and intricate fingerpicking guitar parts.
When PG’s worldly gear editor Charles recommended Black Flag’s record Damaged, Kate got on that posthaste.
Obsession: I’ve been revisiting, digging into, and expanding my knowledge of classic ’80s and ’90s punk in preparation for my next artist interview for Premier Guitar(some foreshadowing, eh?). I have always been intrigued by punk culture’s outspoken rebelliousness and commitment to anarchic ideals, which strike me as free and authentic.
Kate has a distinct memory of a classmate playing “You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid” on loop in their senior-year studio-art class. (They still wonder why their teacher didn’t intervene.)
This guitar, with its hand-painted label, was built to be hung on display at a record store. While it has a bit more to be desired, its pickups are surprisingly forceful.
Last weekend, our family was visiting local college campuses for my daughter, and I have to tell you all that I am truly entering a strange new chapter of my life. I can vividly remember my wife and I taking birthing classes and feeling my daughter’s little feet kicking from inside the womb. And now, here I am on the precipice of my girl possibly leaving home—wow. It occurred to me while I was pondering life that I’m going to miss her so much! She’s like the female version of me and we have a blast together.
While we were touring campuses, we had to check out the record store scene of each town. In fact, that became the litmus test for how cool each college seemed. We did visit my alma mater, which has a legendary record store that’s been around since the early ’90s. Even though the store has changed locations a few times, it remains an epic source for vinyl, CDs, and all sorts of various ephemera. It’s easy to drop $100 there, and since I can’t say no to my girl, we ended up with some cool treasures. She found some Ty Segall stuff and I copped a rare Wu-Tang record! Love the Wu!
As I was paying for our things, I noticed a few guitars hanging behind the counter. In the true tradition of a good record store, there were an assortment of guitar strings, drumsticks, and picks. I started to remember the early connection of guitars and record stores from way back in the day. Brands like Decca and RCA were hallmarks of the time, as is this month’s guitar.
This Nivico Balladeer is a rare example of a guitar styled specifically for display. Made in 1965, this model was the little brother to the RCA Victor SG-18, which I wrote about a while back. Normally, this model was called an RCA SG-12, commonly featuring the words “Music Messenger” written across the front of the body. My example doesn’t have those words, but it does have a hand-painted “Balladeer” label that is super rare. I think I’ve seen two or three of these in my years of searching.
“I think I’ve seen two or three of these in my years of searching.”
These hand-painted examples were meant for record-store display, and I guess the “Balladeer” term was probably chosen through some album or artist connection. This guitar has “NIVICO” stamped on the vibrato plate, a word that’s a mashup of the first letters of the name “Nippon Victor Company.” Nivico was also a brand name used for electronics equipment sold back then.
The wooden parts of this guitar were made at the legendary Matsumoku factory, and RCA Victor harnessed its wizardry to produce the electronics. Folks, these pickups are just incredible and sound like nothing else I’ve ever heard. They are loud, clear, and powerful. This guitar was intended to be high-end and the company used very good quality parts. The huge chrome pickguard could certainly glare out an audience, although this would be a tough guitar to play live since the bridge isn’t adjustable and the tremolo puts this guitar into tuning nightmares. But wow, do they sound good. Kind of a shame really, but then again, when a guitar fights with you, it can make you into a better player by sheer willpower. Not quite the willpower it takes to see your daughter off to college, but close!
So yes, past and future dads out there: Be sure to steel yourself for the impending departure of your kids. Spoil them with love and records and whatever else you enjoy doing together, and remember to choose colleges based on record stores!
Learn the key elements to jumpstart your fingerpicking journey and improve your overall fingerpicking technique.
Learn the key elements to jumpstart your fingerpicking journey and improve your overall technique. Caitlin covers classical-style technique and uses it in a modern setting to enhance your fingerstyle technique for all styles/genres.