G: What’s the first music you remember hearing?

Nadinne: That would be Roy Orbison, Bobby Vinton, Elvis, Gene Pitney, Barbra Streisand. All the oldies!

G: You heard music at home, in the car. . . where?”

Candice: On the road. Our Mum used to do a lot of traveling. She had a transport company.

G: Was she a trucker?

Nadinne: No, she wasn’t a truckie! She had to go to meetings, etc. She would bundle us in the car and off we would go, usually on the interstate, with music all the way there and home.

Candice: We knew and sung along to Bobby Vinton songs, Roy Orbison and Elvis by the time we were about 10 years old.

Nadinne: Our Mum loved the early rock n roll stuff from the 60s.

Candice: We grew up on that.

G: Did that change over the years?

Nadinne: It was when Shania Twain came out that we took an interest in modern country. We used to sing all of her songs. Know them all! We started having guitar lessons at around 16 and that’s when we got our first guitars. We aren’t as good as some but we get by. Hmmm, should we admit that?

Candice: We can carry a tune with them and use them for songwriting.

Nadinne: Yeah, and we’ve used them on stage, so good enough to play when performing but we prefer the band play.

G: When did you start performing publicly?

Nadinne: We were in school choirs and started having professional vocal tuition at around the age of 12. Our very first public performance as a duet away from the school environment was at a Boys College!

Candice: Later we were asked to sing at the Pimpinio Country Music Festival.

G: How much later?

Candice: We were 14.

Nadinne: That was a tiny little town. If you blink you’d miss it, but people from miles around used to go to the festival. The response was overwhelmingly supportive and everything has taken off for us from there.

G: How about your instruments?

Candice: We didn’t pick up a guitar until we were about 16. Our passion was, and still is, singing.

Nadinne: We also used to sing quite a lot of duets for the schools we were in throughout the years at assemblies and any special occasions to do with school. We went to a campus where there were three separate schools and we were always asked to perform for the different schools for their special events. We’ve sung at various Country Music Festivals and Clubs.

G: When did you first try songwriting?

Nadinne: We first took an interest in songwriting when we were 16. Our Mum entered us in an International songwriting competition. At around the same time we met a musician named Richard Davidson, who has since become our record producer and very good friend.

Candice: Richard is now owner of RDMS recording studio, and recorded a demo of our very first completed song called ‘Never Look Back’ in June of 2000.

Nadinne: Richard suggested to us that we enter the song in SCALA’s (Songwriters, Composers And Lyricists Association) annual National and International songwriting competition.

Candice: We later forgot all about it, not thinking we would get anywhere. And studying for end-of-year exams made it easy to forget.

Nadinne: After a month or so we received an invite to go to the awards but it was getting close to exam time so declined. Then, a couple weeks later we got a phone call. It was one of the organizers asking if we were going to the awards, we told her no and she said that the numbers for audience were very low and could we please try to find some time and come for a couple of hours? Award night was that same night!! So we talked it over with our Mum and she took us to Adelaide where the awards were held. We didn’t know anyone there all we were thinking of was our study.

Candice: And tired!

Nadinne: But we stayed anyway.

Candice: There were a lot more people than we expected there and we wondered why she wanted us to come. We were just about to leave when they announced that they were going to present the award for the Demo section.

Nadinne: Which is what we entered, so we thought we’d hang around and see who won….. It was us! We won a professional recording of our song. Which we thought turned out disastrous! That was done at a different studio to where we normally record.

G: Can you talk a little about how you view the music industry?

Nadinne: Like most young artists starting out we had to do our time with the competitions and things. I think that’s part and parcel of being an entertainer isn’t it? You’ve got to do the hard yakka and climb over wall after wall and a lot of times falling flat on your face just to see if you’ve got what it takes. Every time a door opened, a door closed. But hey, it’s fun in between and it’s a learning experience. That’s still the case. We performed for the Olympic Games festivities in Adelaide in the year 2000. We went on and entered several other competitions. Our Mum was our biggest supporter and always sat in the front row of these comps. Who out there and just starting out doesn’t have that kind of doting Mum.

Candice: Yeah, so cute!

G: She was right about your success, wasn’t she?

Candice: We won the New Talent Award in Adelaide for 2001 and also won the Australian State Championship for an international vocal competition 2001. Then recorded our first CD at 16.

G: Did you have any formal training?

Nadinne: We’ve really had training for our voices since we started primary school. That continued well after we completed high school and in college. We stopped having training in about 2005 I think. But we are thinking of going back I don’t think you can ever have enough of that! The training keeps you true to yourself vocally. Training is a lot more than singing; it involves exercise and proper diet as well.

G: Would you say you are driven to make music?

Nadinne: Most definitely! Any musician would be able to answer this with a big fat yes. If you’re not driven, then why do it? Music has been a part of us since we can remember, always making up silly songs when we were younger. And when we reached our early teens, we discovered we could take our writing seriously and start to make some great music. We can’t see ourselves not making music in one way or another.

Candice: We have tried to take ‘breaks’ in the past and we’ve always been drawn back to music. It’s in our blood and I don’t think we could ever completely stop doing it. When I think of music, I think of fun and while its fun, we’ll continue to sing and write.

G: What are you searching for in songs that you listen to for pleasure as opposed to songs you want to sing?

Nadinne: Generally, if we hear a song we like, we want to sing it. I love songs that tell a story, whether it makes you laugh or cry.

Candice: I think Nadinne is on the money here… songs that tell a story are more entertaining for me. I like songs that are different and aren’t harping on the same old same old. Australia’s Adam Harvey, Beccy Cole and a favorite American country singer of mine, Brad Paisley, are great for their ’story songs’. As for songs I want to sing, great melody is the key. I like a song that can spark someone’s interest in the first few lines of the first verse.

G: Can you say what touches you most: melody or lyrics? Or does it depend on the song? Or your mood at the moment?

Nadinne: Oh, it’s a combination. There are songs that have beautiful lyrics but the melody and or music leave them feeling cold. Songs have to have an equal balance of both fantastic lyrics and melody, you can’t have one or the other, otherwise you won’t have a great song.

Candice: Nine times out of ten the lyrics touch me most. I love it when I can relate to a song personally. It makes it that much more powerful. Every now and then though, a song comes along that has amazing music and it just blows me away. I love fast picking on guitars and banjos… it almost makes me jealous as I’d love to be able to play like that myself! I think we both agree that sometimes it can depend on our mood at the moment as to what we listen to though.

G: Can you say how music is able to touch people’s souls?

Nadinne: Music has the great ability to be able to alter your mindset. If you’re sad, and listen to a great upbeat song, it instantly brings your mood up. Music can make you angry, can make you happy or sad. Music can bring so much comfort to someone who is hurting. There are many a time when we ourselves have turned to the great healing powers of music.

Candice: I’ve been in situations where I have been feeling a bit out of sorts, then listened to a great song which has altered my whole state of mind and I’ve instantly felt so much better. I believe that music can touch people’s souls, even if it’s just one amazing song that really hits home with one person. It doesn’t have to affect hundreds of people. If we do that for someone, it would be the best feeling in the world!

Contact:
www.soundclick.com/doublevision
doublevisionnc@hotmail.com

Technorati Tags: DoubleVision, country music, pop music, singer songwriter, Australia indie bands

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — iZotope, Inc., a leading innovator in audio signal processing technology, has released iZotope RX(TM) audio restoration plug-ins, featuring the essential tools for cleaning and restoring audio. Available for VST, Audio Unit, MAS, ProTools (RTAS, AudioSuite), and DirectX, the plug-ins are now included with the award-winning standalone version for the same price of $349. Current RX customers will be able to download the update free of charge at www.izotope.com.

Using powerful, newly developed technology created by iZotope, RX removes hiss and buzz, eliminates clicks and crackles, and repairs overload distortion in audio. New intelligent Spectral Repair algorithms can even analyze and fill gaps in audio files to restore previously unusable recordings.

Ideal for any application that demands spotless audio, RX key features include Denoiser, Declipper, Hum Removal, Declicker, Spectral Repair, Advanced Spectrogram and a streamlined interface and workflow.

RX Advanced
The Advanced version of RX has also been updated to include plug-ins. iZotope RX Advanced allows even more precise control over RX algorithms and multi-resolution processing modes.

Compatibility
Standalone and Plug-ins for Pro Tools 7 (RTAS/AudioSuite), VST, MAS, Audio Unit, and DirectX

Platforms:
Windows Vista, XP
Apple OS X 10.4.8 + (Universal Binary)

Pricing and Availability
iZotope RX is distributed worldwide by M-Audio, and is also available direct online from iZotope. The RX plug-ins and standalone application are included together for $349 MSRP ($1199 for RX Advanced). All current RX customers and customers buying RX boxed versions are eligible for a free download of the plug-ins through www.izotope.com.

About iZotope, Inc.
iZotope is a research-driven audio signal processing company based in Boston, Massachusetts. Its hardware products, software products, and audio technology are used by millions of people in over 50 countries, from hobbyist musicians to GRAMMY(R) Award winners. iZotope focuses on developing innovative audio technology for professional and consumer applications. This core technology is presented to customers in its award-winning product line and through its extensive licensing program.

Technorati Tags: iZotope Inc, RX audio restoration plug-ins

Insight’s market analysis study, “Streaming Media, IPTV, and Broadband Transport: Telecommunications Carriers and Entertainment Services 2008-2013,” describes the technology and market forces underpinning the network-derived revenues generated from distributing streamed content across the public Internet, content distribution networks, cellular networks, or telco IP networks.

The study also estimates the revenue from the various types of content-derived revenues, along with associated advertising revenue. The streaming market is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of nearly 29 percent over the next six years, driven by on-demand audio, on-demand video, as well as the accompanying advertising revenue.

“The outlook for streaming media has never been brighter. Questions surrounding consumers’ willingness to pay for content have been dispelled by satellite radio and iTunes,” says Robert Rosenberg, Insight Research president. “The forecasts that we present are conservative and in line with current performance. If, however, per-stream costs drop faster than anticipated, we have quicker acceptance of IPTV, or improvements in 3G delivery take place faster than expected, it could blow the doors off of our forecasts, propelling this industry into explosive growth,” Rosenberg continues.

Insight’s report examines the following market drivers: licensing issues, broadband Internet access, mass-market demand, and enterprise usage. Forecasts include revenues for the US market by network services, including digital rights management (DRM), encoding, and performance measurement; and by content services, including advertising, music on-demand, Internet radio and video on-demand.

An excerpt of this research report, table of contents, and ordering information are online at www.insight-corp.com/reports/IPTV08.asp .

This 140-page report is available immediately for $3,995 (hard copy). Electronic (PDF) reports can be ordered online.

Technorati Tags: Insight Research Corporation, Robert Rosenberg, Streaming music market research study

While this could smack of a marketing gimmick if it were something more consumer oriented like Diet Mountain Dew (wouldn’t that be funny? mis-print it as Mountain Dewd?), it’s so far-fetched a mistake for venerable recording company TASCAM, that it’s truly bizarre something was “let loose” to manufacturing that way, let alone delivered to dealers in the U.S.

Certainly, one could comment on the “relaxing” of quality control of some “made in China” products from Tascam over the past couple of years (I’ve owned everything from an A3340S 4-track in the early 80s, to a more recent FW-1884 which was a nightmare of driver hell with Cakewalk Sonar), this has to be one of the more hilarious “errors” to come down the road in years.

But, hurry! If you want to be the first guy on the block to own a portable “portastud” product, you’d better hurry. Every “stud” is going to want one!

The product page blurb says it all: “Complete 8-track digital recorder with an incomplete product name for collectors. Thanks to a misprint at the factory, you can own one of a few DP-02CFs with the name ‘Portastud’ emblazoned on its casing! It’s an 8-track digital recorder you’ll be especially proud to take anywhere, and a joke that never gets old. Can a digital recorder become a collector’s item? Only if it’s the TASCAM Portastud! Order one of these mislabeled recorders while they last!”

See:
www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Tascam-DP02CF-Digital-Portastudio-Recording-Studio?sku=241813 .

(Disclosure: this site is NOT an affiliate of the above company and the link does not result in any financial or other benefit for this site or author.)

Technorati Tags: Tascam Portastud recorder, Portastudio misprint, Christopher Simmons

Fogle, age 25, has been playing music for over 11 years and recently went solo after playing lead guitar with several rock bands since 1998. The solo venture was kick-started last year with the release of his debut CD “On the Brink,” an 11-track album with all original compositions, some written before Fogle was able to play the guitar.

“I got the idea for a laundry mat tour last spring when I drove past one near my apartment, and there were several people inside who looked like they needed to be entertained,” Fogle remarks. “I’m giving them something to listen to while they wait for their dirty socks to get clean.”

The following stops are included on the tour, but Fogle says he may pick up a few more by the time it’s all over with:

Mon, March 24th: Mr. Tubs - Bardstown, Kentucky; 6 p.m. (Tour ‘08 Kickoff!)
Tue, March 25th: Smitty’s Coin Laundry - Elizabethtown, Kentucky; 4 p.m.
Thu, March 27th: Suds ‘n Duds - Lexington, Kentucky; 3 p.m.
Sat, March 29th: Outer Loop Coin Laundry - Louisville, Kentucky; 2 p.m.
Mon, March 31st: Five-Star Laundromat - Florence, Kentucky; 4 p.m.
Tue, April 1st: Super Laundry (Goodman Ave.) - Cincinnati, Ohio; 4 p.m.
Wed, April 2nd: Mc Laundries - Columbus, Ohio; 4 p.m.
Thu, April 3rd: Dirty Dungarees - Columbus, Ohio; 4 p.m.
Sun, April 6th: Centerville Coin Laundry - Dayton, Ohio; 2 p.m.
Mon, April 7th: Wash-N-Glo - Indianapolis, Indiana; 4 p.m.
Tue, April 8th: Alonso Handy Wash & Video - Terre Haute, Indiana; 6 p.m.
Wed, April 9th: Weekly Wash - Vandalia, Illinois; 1 p.m.
Thu, April 10th: Wash U Inc. - St. Louis, Missouri; 4 p.m.
Fri, April 11th: Boone Cleaners (12th St.) - Murray, Kentucky; 3 p.m.
Tue, April 15th: Clay Street Coin Laundry - Nashville, Tennessee; 4 p.m.
Wed, April 16th: Laundry Basket - Bowling Green, Kentucky; 4 p.m.
Thu, April 17th: Kenny’s Coin Laundry - Bardstown, Kentucky; 7 p.m. (Tour ‘08 Finale!)

For more information on Matthew, and to hear full audio tracks from his CD online, visit www.mfotb.com. You can also type in www.matthewfoglemusic.com.

Details for each tour stop can also be found on the website.

MySpace video can be viewed at:
myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=28704897

Technorati Tags: Acoustic rock musician Matthew Fogle, Spring Cleaning Tour 08, music tour of laundry mats, debut CD On the Brink

“Solow brings a lot to the table. He’s an amazing artist and a highly competent business executive. As soon as we heard his music and met him, we knew we had to be in business with him. We are very excited to partner with him and we’re here to do whatever we can to help make the world aware of his talent and his message and to help him take LAWFAMILIA to the next level,” says Fred Sherman, President of Latin Thug Records. SOLOW13’s highly anticipated debut album, Warrior13, will be the first release from the imprint and will be in-stores on March 25, 2008.

LAWFAMILIA, LLC will be responsible for producing its own creative material, while Latin Thug Records will direct manufacturing, distribution, marketing and other duties. The aim of the LAWFAMILIA, LLC is not only to be a home for talented artists, but also a launch pad for innovative projects and ventures.

THE ALBUM
Warrior13 takes a truly original approach by being totally clean without compromising its edge. The first single, “Whistle While U Work,” features the West Coast legend, B Real from Cypress Hill. The track serves a dual purpose: an anthem for SOLOW13’s domination with an infectious hook and a descriptive insight into his struggle as an artist and an ambitious businessman. Other Cali heavyweights are present on Warrior13, including Latin hip-hop pioneer, Mellow Man Ace on the second single, “Dickies and the Polo.” This joint is destined to bang in the clubs as well as on the streets. Legendary mastering engineer Brian “Big Bass” Gardner (Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop, Linkin Park, Madonna) elevates the album to a whole new level by adding the finishing touches to this classic.

THE HISTORY
The founding of LAWFAMILIA, LLC was not an easy accomplishment by any means. The label is a culmination of the blood, sweat and tears stemming from SOLOW13’s life experiences. Born in Jalisco, Mexico, SOLOW13’s life hit a crossroad when his father, in a drunken rage, shot and killed his mother, wounded his aunt and attempted to shoot him and his siblings. Like something from a movie, the family, led by SOLOW13’s 16-year-old brother, began their journey for a better life in America. The journey took them by foot, by train and by water, and finally hiding under the floorboards of a truck.

The desire for a whole new world of possibilities fed his desire to continue in his struggle. Once in the US, SOLOW13 experienced a rebirth as his natural talents began to show, both academically and as a hustler on the street. His relentless pursuit of the American dream turned friends into enemies, placed him in dangerous situations and left him broke and homeless more than once. SOLOW13 stood out from the crowd early as he developed at an astonishing pace. He excelled academically and made a name for himself on the streets.

Through hustling and showing his clout, SOLOW13 successfully forged solid business partnerships, which led to earning the capital needed to upstart his own label, maintain artistic control and serve as a champion for capitalizing on artistic and business-related ventures. Eventually, SOLOW13 would experience a profound spiritual metamorphosis after extensive study of religious philosophy. This enlightenment allowed him to gain knowledge of self through faith. Now armed with a strong connection to a higher power, SOLOW13 is ready to take his game to the next level using his own blueprint for success. To this day, SOLOW13 continues to study the Bible and Hebrew law.

Stay tuned for more exciting SOLOW13 updates coming soon.

WARRIOR13 IN-STORES MARCH 25!

For more information, be sure to visit www.lawfamilia.com and www.myspace.com/solow13warrior13 .

For more information on Latin Thug Records visit www.latinthugmusic.com .

Technorati Tags: TRUTH LOVES LA WFAMILIA LLC, Mexican hip-hop artist SOLOW13, Latin Thug Records

By now, everyone in music and journalism has read the story of Maxim magazine publishing a “review” of a Black Crowes album they hadn’t actually heard.

While that magazine is highly respected for its glossy covers as well as for photographs that are technically known as babelicious, they have been taking a lot of heat over their speculative (read “made-up”) critique of the “Warpaint” album by the Chris Robinson-led band. Calling it “an educated guess preview,” the Maxim folks have provoked much derisive commentary.

For example, Pete Angelus, manager of The Black Crowes, reportedly said “Maxim’s actions seem to completely lack journalistic integrity and intentionally mislead their readership.”

In a story published by Mi2N, Angelus was quoted as saying, “It speaks directly to the lack of the publication’s credibility. In my opinion, it’s a disgrace to the arts, journalism, critics, the publication itself and the public. What’s next–Maxim’s concert reviews of shows they never attended, book reviews of books never read and film reviews of films never seen?”

Yes. Exactly! Maxim is bravely going where political journalism has already gone: they are just making things up. It’s a refreshing step in what was heretofore the tightly-controlled world of rock writing. And really, how could this not have come to pass in a business where artists don’t play on their own albums and don’t sing in their own concerts.

But I don’t intend for Maxim to stay out in front of the curve. No, here at the Music Industry Newswire, we are blazing new trails by writing reviews of albums that have not yet been recorded.

“Togetherness”
Frank Sinatra & Eminem
While there is some initial coldness and, quite frankly, stiffness, in Sinatra’s delivery, the magic kicks in by track three as he and Double-M kick out the jams on a cover of Merle Haggard’s “The Fighting Side of Me.” This is a stone solid winner from the indefatigable Marshall Mathers and the man known both as the Chairman of the Board and Old Blue Eyes.

Note: Never has the name of this column been more right on the money.

Technorati Tags: Maxim, Black Crowes, Chris Robinson, pop music, Frank Sinatra, Eminem, Mi2N, journalism

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The law firm of Rukin Hyland Doria & Tindall LLP has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the former CFO of Signatures Network Inc. (SNI) in California Superior Court (Case No. CGC-08-472337) charging that SNI wrongfully terminated him after he protested allegedly fraudulent practices at the company that deprived its musical artists of millions of dollars in royalty payments.

One of the largest music merchandising and artist fan club companies in the world, SNI holds or has held contracts with numerous major recording artists, including Madonna, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Lopez, Ozzy Osbourne, Kiss, Coldplay and Justin Timberlake.

The complaint charges that SNI engaged in ongoing fraudulent practices which included fraudulently charging overhead costs to artists and assessing manufactured credits against artists’ royalties. The suit also alleges that SNI’s CFO repeatedly protested the practices to the company’s CEO and COO after learning of them, but the practices continued. The lawsuit charges that SNI later fired the CFO because of his complaints.

Last November, SNI announced that it was being acquired by Live Nation Artists, a unit of live entertainment promoter and venue management company Live Nation, Inc. Live Nation is also named as a defendant in the case.

The suit, Chantel v. Signatures Network, Inc., was filed by attorneys from Rukin Hyland Doria & Tindall LLP (www.rhdtlaw.com).

Further Information
Members of the media can obtain a copy of the complaint by contacting Stephanie Doria at Rukin Hyland Doria & Tindall by e-mail at media@rhdtlaw.com.

All trademarks acknowledged. Mention of any artist does not imply an endorsement or participation in this legal matter.

Technorati Tags: Signatures Network lawsuit, music merchandising, music artist fan club, Rukin Hyland Doria and Tindall LLP

For many of us in the business of making music, there is something indescribably satisfying about walking into the NAMM show, especially the larger of the two annual events, the Winter Show on the West Coast. Equipment is everywhere. Thousands and thousands of square feet of software, amps, guitars, gadgets, digital audio workstations, drums, keyboards, synthesizers, microphones, samplers, compressors, and on and on. Wonderful! Really gets the blood flowing and the pulse racing. Must be like an alcoholic wandering into the world’s largest free wine tasting event.

Apple of my Eye
After redefining music retailing with iTunes, and changing the idea of the private listening room with iPods, Apple has already achieved quite a legacy at the start of the 21st century. But they haven’t stopped there. Apple has quietly been altering the way music is created and recorded. Every Mac owner knows how easy it is to grab some music loops with Garageband, but music industry professionals are now going to have an eye-opening experience with the release of Logic 8, the most amazing “studio” I have yet seen.

Multitrack recording, precise editing, mixing control, automation, easy signal path assignment, excellent surround production tools, and an open architecture approach that welcomes your use of other hardware and software — all in a sleek and mostly intuitive interface. For five hundred dollars. Sorry, Digidesign, but with this one demo, I felt I was watching the death of Pro Tools.

Pigtronix
Makers of the wonderfully-named Disnortion pedal and the Echolution effect, the Pigtronix people were introducing a guitar synthesizer pedal called the Mothership. While not as all-encompassing as the Roland git-synths, it produces some terrific sounds and definitely extends a guitar player’s flexibility while performing live. One of the onlookers suggested chaining a couple of the other Pigtronix pedals to the Mothership and the resulting outer space rumble/churn/wail was like nothing heard before. “That’s nasty. I really like that!” was the comment that drew smiles and nods all around. (www.pigtronix.com)

Famous Names
Sure, there were big names in attendance. But I’m going to concentrate on someone who should be better known: musician Craig Anderton, who in his spare time is the executive editor of EQ magazine. What does he do at a NAMM show? Everything the rest of us journalists do, plus give product demonstrations with the latest digital performance tools, like his live remix of Pink Floyd’s “Interstellar Overdrive” using the PreSonus FireBox as the computer audio interface. Oh, and help introduce a product he created, the Minimoog Tribute Expansion Pack for Rapture and Rapture LE. Yet he still had time to say hello and trade comments about music journalism. Gotta love people like that.

Quips
Perhaps the most fun I had was trading acerbic comments in the Press Room with a writer for “Black Tail,” the porn magazine. When I said I wasn’t familiar with that publication, she said she had examples in her bag. “Do I want to see them?” I asked. “Depends how much you enjoy overly-lit unretouched close-ups of-” “No thanks,” I said. But what a fun lady with whom to exchange bon mots.

Schmoozing With the Alien
For two decades, Joe Satriani has been playing instrumental rock at a high level of musical and sonic inventiveness. His “Surfing With the Alien” album is still treasured by those of us who play instrumental music. So when Vox let the press know there would be a special event involving Mr. Satriani, a large crowd gathered to hear about it.

The official announcement is as follows: “Satriani and VOX are working together on a line of signature effects pedals designed to deliver Satriani’s trademark tone plus a wide range of new sounds for guitarists of all playing styles and ability levels.”

Sounds good, right? But wait, there’s more: “Our collaboration with Joe will raise the bar on guitar effects and the expectation of performance, response and tone quality available to the general public,” says VOX Product Manager Mike Bradley.

Cool. Plus, having Satriani himself appear at the booth was a treat.

One teensy-tiny problem: No pedals. He couldn’t tell us the names of the pedals, or what they will do, or how they’re going to look. “That’s all in ‘legal’ right now,” he said.

So, why are we here again? Oh, right, because it’s Joe Satriani. Who spoke about 5 minutes and then disappeared without playing a note.

Briefs
No, this section isn’t a continuation of the porn imagery from above. Just some quick, random observations from a generally fun show:

* Strumming one of the stunning hand-built Henman-Bevilacqua guitars and losing track of how long the instrument kept vibrating. Those creations are alive! (www.henbev.com)

* Standing right next to someone who then suddenly walked off with one of the displays at the KB Covers booth (www.kbcovers.com).

* Seeing smile after smile at the wild designs of the axes in the Johnson Guitars booth (www.johnsonguitarsusa.com).

* Trying to enter the ESP Guitars room to see what was new and being stopped by a belligerent mongoloid who practically spat out “Dealers only.”

* Chatting with Kevin Von Der Hofen about producing songs and finding out he’s the bass player in Lonestar.

* Checking out my appearance in the surface of the magnificent Minarik guitars. (www.minarikguitars.com)

Technorati Tags: NAMM, Apple, Logic 8, Digidesign, Pro Tools, Pigtronix, Minarik, Craig Anderton, EQ, PreSonus, Joe Satriani, Vox, Henman-Bevilacqua, Lonestar

“The deck’s been stacked and we need to figure out a way to get a new fresh deck in there in the deal and I don’t know how else to do it except throw the bastards out,” said Nelson.

But the award-winning star of stage and screen was quick to clarify that he didn’t see the Democrats as any kind of viable alternative.

“We went through a couple of elections now and we didn’t do anything, we thought we did but come to find out that the voting machines are crooked, everything’s stacked against us, the politicians that we vote for won’t stay and fight and they won’t count the votes.”

Nelson agreed that an elite cherry picked presidents and leaders to do their bidding against the interests of the people.

“They find them and they groom them and they put them in office and tell them exactly what to do and you give the speeches will small words and big letters and let them go,” said Nelson.

The star also re-iterated a warning made during his last appearance on the show, that the Bush administration could potentially stage an event to postpone or cancel the presidential election.

“It could be anything and anything will work because they have everyone scared to death, I just think there are people out there who will do anything to stay in power, anything to keep what they have, they’ve already proven they’ll do anything to keep it,” he said.

Nelson clarified his previous comments about Building 7 after the news media attempted to skew his words and claim he said that no planes hit the WTC on 9/11. Nelson made it clear he was talking about WTC 7, which imploded symmetrically within seven seconds on the late afternoon of 9/11 despite the fact that it was only hit by minimal debris from the falling towers and not a commercial airliner.

“I was talking about the third building that nothing hit and yet it fell as if it was hit the same way, all three buildings fell the same way, but the third building wasn’t hit by anything,” said the country music star.

Nelson’s contention that the twin towers were deliberately imploded received media attention after his first appearance on the radio show two weeks ago.

Link for the audio interview:
prisonplanet.com/audio/180208nelson.mp3

Technorati Tags: Willie Nelson wants to impeach Bush, The Alex Jones Show, crackpot Willie