RTB: Day Three Photos… abbreviated
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WTDP? chose a late start to Sunday’s offerings at the Rock The Bayou festival. Mental and physical fatigue began to rear its ugly head… along with heat stroke… on Saturday, so we thought we’d take it easy and catch a few of the late-afternoon main stage bands. We were treated to shred-master Yngwie Malmsteen, who had former Judas Priest frontman Ripper Owens on vocals. We also saw 90s hair band icons Warrant. We were going to stick around for Alice Cooper, but we didn’t have enough photog cred to merit the special pass it took to enter the pit during Alice’s set. Maybe next time. Until then, enjoy this junior version of Day Three Photos after the jump!
Saturday at the Rock The Bayou festival in Houston, Texas found all things turned up a notch, except for… ironically… the heat! Now, I’m not saying it wasn’t hot. It was. But cloud build up over the city helped keep the sun at bay for most of the afternoon. Day Two of the show was highlighted by a great pop metal set by Chicago’s Enuff Z’Nuff and a rare performance from the first lady of hair metal Lita Ford. The night closed on a high note as well with Red Rocker and tequila entrepreneur Sammy Hagar turning the main stage into a beach party complete with bikini babes and about 100 lucky fans in bleachers behind the drum riser. Check out the pics after the jump!
WTDP? cornered guitar slinger Gilby Clarke as he was wolfing down a turkey sandwich after his trio rocked out the Rock The Bayou faithful in Houston. Gilby has been a busy man lately between TV commitments, touring and producing records. He recently produced four records back-to-back from artists Silent Rage, Crash Kelly, Motorchrist and The Alarm. Now, Gilby is planning his own record… a follow-up to 2007’s self-titled disc on Spitfire Records. WTDP? got the low down on the recording plans, plus a run down of the gear his is using during this most recent spate of tour dates.
WTDP? got a chance to talk with Queensryche guitarist Michael Wilton on the sidelines of the Rock The Bayou music festival prior to their Friday night set, which was a stellar mix of older classics like ‘Another Rainy Night’ from the Empire album and newer tunes like ‘The Hands’ from Operation:Mindcrime 2. Among other things, we asked what the band was up to in between the festival dates they have planned during the summer. A new record perhaps? The band’s last record was all cover tunes, so it has been since 2006’s O:M2 that we’ve had any new, original material from the Seattle-based quintet.
Day One of the Rock The Bayou festival is in the books and it would appear a good time was had by all – including many of the acts, some of which haven’t played Houston in many years. Solid performances from both Ratt and Queensryche anchored a overall great day of 80s and 90s rock. WTDP? hung around the main stage most of the day and snapped quite a few pics of the performers. The photog pit had a two-song limit so it was a bit of a struggle to get good shots, but we did our best. Below the jump is just a sample of what concert-goers got to see on Friday. More to come…
So far, so good at the Rock The Bayou rock festival in Houston, Texas. We got rock, we got heat and we got booze. One thing we didn’t get is Faster Pussycat. The band was due to take the stage earlier, but apparently not everyone showed up! Oops. The absence actually put the show back on schedule due to a late start. Gilby Clarke is on stage right now and just ripped through a solid rendition of Guns and Roses’ ‘It’s So Easy’. We’ll have a photo library going later tonight with highlights from Day One. We will also have a new Rig Repository entry with the Jetboy guitarists… and hopefully a few more surprises. Stay tuned!
The Indyguitarist – Brian Wampler – has unveiled a new stomp designed to recreate the tones of a Vox AC-30 turned up to 11. According to Brian, the Cranked AC overdrive/distortion pedal will get you there. These are being built in a limited number one at a time and come in either purple metallic or blue metallic. The pedal features true bypass, multi-color LED and no battery compartment – requires a 9V DC power source (same as a Boss pedal). The stomp is touted as very pick responsive – play light and it’s clean, dig into the strings and it gets nice and dirty. Current built time after ordering is about three weeks. Check out the YouTube demo after the jump!
On the eve of the Rock The Bayou Labor Day weekend rock festival, the press was invited to come by and pick up credentials and stay for a little impromptu soundcheck with a band of old school rock all-stars. The jam band consisted of Tracii Guns (LA Guns), Marq Torien (Bulletboys), Chip Z’nuff (Enuff Z’nuff) and Chad Stewart (LA Guns). The group ripped through a few tunes to break in the main stage sound system at the show… including a pretty cool Led Zeppelin medley of ‘Rock N Roll’ and ‘How Many More Times?’ Stay tuned for more Rock The Bayou coverage throughout the weekend. Check out some pics from the soundcheck after the jump!
Alex Saraceno, father to guitar slinger Blues Saraceno and a stomp-maker to boot, has a demo video up on Blues’ website showcasing the new Buzzy Boy ‘fizz’ pedal. According to Blues, who walks you through the demo of the pedal, the emphasis on the ‘fizz’ over the fuzz in the stomp was a conscious choice to keep note definition in tact for a high gain effect. The pedal is equipped with a three-way frequency knob along with sustain, timbre and balance knobs. No word on pricing or when the Buzzy Boy will be available. Check out Blues’ site for the demo and more info on the pedal.
The stomp gurus at Carl Martin are set to offer a new alternative to power your pedals in the form of a its new Powerjack wall plug 9V DC adapter. The Carl Martin Powerjack universal power supply for guitar effects employs switch-mode technology, allowing it to be used from 100V-240V. The Powerjack delivers 1670mA of stabilized 9V DC power at any voltage. The new jack will come in Euro, US and UK plug types. Included with each Powerjack is a daisy chain with five 2.1mm jacks – barrel positive, tip negative. The new adapter is expected to hit the market later this fall.
That Steve Vai… what a comedian. In a YouTube video posted today by the man himself, guitar god Steve Vai – and his good friend, Steve Vai – take you through a demo of his new Jemini distortion pedal by Ibanez. The Jemini is a unique, multi-colored stompbox that combines overdrive and distortion in one rigid zinc die-cast case. The pedal has a lot of cool features including recessed knobs so you don’t kick them and handy access to the battery compartment so you don’t have to go fishing for a screwdriver. But, I’ll let the Steves tell you the rest after the jump!
Sean over at Lovepedal has chimed in on the release of his Provalve ‘amp-in-a-box’ stomp – a pedal two years in the making. According to Lovepedal, the Provalve can footswitch between the classic Hiwatt amplifier gain structure to a more modern Marshall JCM800 style on the fly, silently, at any volume. It can also move from a gritty vintage Plexi-inspired tone to a scooped fire breathing rectifier. Lovepedal promises endless possibilities with just a spin of the separated gain structures and tone controls. Sean has made less than 100 of these stomps, so get them while the getting is good. The Provalve is shipping now and carries a price tag of $259.
After 13 years and various side-projects for principles Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt, Boston’s own Extreme is back with a new record – the curiously titled Saudades De Rock – but the same old groove and growl that made them a darling of the 90s music scene. The ‘Take Us Alive’ tour rolled through town this week and the boys played to a healthy mid-week crowd at downtown’s Meridian. The set list was a mix of new tunes – ‘Star’, ‘Comfortably Dumb’ and ‘Take Us Alive’ – and older ones – ‘Decadence Dance’, ‘Rest In Peace’, “Kid Ego” and yes, ‘More Than Words’. Check out the funny story and pics – including a couple of shots of Nuno’s set up – after the jump!
The effects gurus at Boss have updated their website with a new Pedals That Make The Tone update. This time around you can learn how to dial in your favorite Boss stomps to recreate the tones of songs by Bullet For My Valentine, Motley Crue, Yes, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Megadeth. All of the examples have sound clips as well. All pedal settings are done by Boss Product Specialist Paul Hanson. While you’re there, be sure and check back issues of Pedals That Make The Tone as well. You may have to register first to get access.