It's almost May 1, which means Wroclaw, Poland's Gitarowy Rekord Guinnessa is almost here. Thanks to founder Leszek Cichoński, I've had the honor of performing on the Market Square stage in front of thousands of guitar-wielding fans with legends and icons such as Steve Vai, Jennifer Batten, Al Di Meola, Greg Koch, and even "Super Yob" Slade's Dave Hill. (Cheryl and I are "hiding" about four bodies behind Steve Vai in this video from last year.) It's a beautiful and overwhelming experience. Check out the video to see that I'm talking about, and if you want more info, go to https://www.facebook.com/GitarowyRekord
Weekend Music Groove: Check out "Running Blind" by Saltwater Jam — a band that awesome producer, engineer, guitarist, and Guardian #JerryStucker is working with.
Look who is channeling "Uni-Vibe" (Uniting Vibration of Music) Movement — the fabulous Jennifer Batten! Yay! Don't forget to join us on May 1 when we all perform online at Poland's Guitar World Record Festival https://www.facebook.com/events/333404514149711/
Join the Planet's Guitar Community "Virtually" in Wroclaw Poland for the World Guitar Record Festival on May 1. Jam with tens of thousands to Jimi Hendrix's version of "Hey Joe." For guitarists on Pacific Time, the performance starts at 7 am (if you're an early riser, rehearsals begin at 5 am and 6 am). For rockers on Eastern time, it's 10 am (with rehearsals at 8 am and 9 am). Let's DO this!!! Spread the joy of guitar!! #LeszekCichoński Gitarowy Rekord Guinnessa CLICK LINK for MORE INFO: http://en.heyjoe.pl/
Editor Boy Gets to Open for X!
Super thrilled to open for X with The Trouble With Monkeys at the Sebastiani Theater - Sonoma Plaza on December 7. An early holiday gift for me—with eons of thanks to Mike Rouse and Melissa Dragich-Cordero for making it happen. I've interviewed John Doe and Billy Zoom many times for Guitar Player Magazine stories—and my wife and I have seen the band perform zillions of times—so this is a massive treat for me. #xlosangeles #losstraitjackets #mikerouse #melissadragichcordero
Batten-Menn-Brosh at the Chapel SF Nov 6
New promo video for the fabulous Batten-Menn-Brosh at The Chapel concert coming up on November 6. Come on out and support transcendent guitar! #jenniferbatten #gretchenmenn #nilibrosh #femaleguitarists #electricguitar
Vinnie Moore SOUL SHIFTER October 9
Many thanks to the terrific and awesome Vinnie Moore for letting us give all of you beautiful Guardians a sneak peek at his upcoming new album, SOUL SHIFTER. This brilliant new release of guitar frenzy and melodic wonder drops on October 9.
Happy 30th, Tech 21!
The Guardians salute 30 years of Tech 21 NYC!
Founder Andrew Barta and VP Dale Krevens have always been supportive and wonderful to me personally (they were the first manufacturer to help me out with GuardiansofGuitar.com), as well as incredibly sharing with the guitar and guitar-media communities. It's kind of a joke between Dale and I that she attends 7,508 live shows a year in the New York area alone (hahaha), but, in fact, that support of musicians from everyone at Tech 21 is what helps drive the company's stellar products. As I say in the video: "Bravo to Three Decades of Awesome!"
Tech 21 Fly Rig PL1 Teaser
Here's a video teaser for my upcoming review of the Tech 21 NYC Paul Landers Signature Fly Rig PL1. I abused that box for close to four months at shows, rehearsals, and studio sessions to see if it was reliable and tough enough to handle the stress of real-world gigging over time. I'm loving that some companies are being gracious enough to give me ample time to really rock their gear, as the editorial-deadline schedules and manufacturer-marketing strategies typically do not allow long-term product evaluations at the major-media guitar publications. Many thanks to the folks at Tech 21 for being so brave and patient.
Univibe Contest Still Open!
Our "univibe" contest with Tech 21 NYC is still going on. Win a Fly Rig 5 V2. All you have to do is take a selfie of yourself making the "uniting vibration" hand sign and post it in the comments. One lucky winner will be chosen at random. Do it!
Guitar Guinness World Record 2019
Editor Boy helped a cast of thousands best the Guinness World Record for Largest Guitar Orchestra at the Thanks Jimi Festival (or Guitar Guinness World Record Fest) in Wroclaw Poland on May 1.
As you can see in the video, festival co-founder Leszek Cichoński and the President of Wroclaw played a trick on the crowd by first holding up a low number, before triumphantly displaying the 7,423 mark that broke the 2018 record. Later, Molenda lead the vast audience in a united-vibration "univibe" sign to celebrate the power of music that brought everyone together on the day.
Solos Gone Wild!
Thanks to all Guardians for heeding the call to show rollingstone.com that guitar solos aren't "finished." I'm still accepting YouTube link submissions for the upcoming article, but here are some cool snippets from some fantastic players who sent in their YouTube solos early on (as well as some bits from our favorite guitarists) ...
