David Sylvian cancels tour dates

David Sylvian’s European tour dates have been canceled. From his official site:

It is with great sadness that we announce that David Sylvian will be unable to undertake the scheduled tour in March and April 2012.

David has sustained a lower back injury that is causing him significant pain and affecting his mobility to such a degree that, at this time, he will be unable to perform. We are hoping that with medical care his condition will improve siginificantly, and that we’ll be able to reschedule the tour at a later date.

We’re doing all that we can to bring this unanticipated setback to a positive conclusion.

Keep an eye on Sylvian’s site for more information.

Right here.

 

George Harrison solo unearthed

Who knows what gems exist in the master tapes of your favorite albums. Open Culture is hosting a video of legendary Beatles producer George Martin at the mixing board with his son Giles and George Harrison’s son Dhani.What are they doing? Oh, just digging through the tracks of Abbey Road. From OC:

Together, they play with the mix of “Here Comes the Sun,” and then the wondrous little moment of discovery happens. They stumble upon the long lost guitar solo that never made the final cut.

The iconic final version of the song is just fine minus the solo, but this is a great glimpse into Harrison’s and The Beatles’ creative process.

Look and listen right here.

Thanks to Mason Fann for the tip.

 

Jeff Young teams with Lux Drummerette

Jeff Young is collaborating with extreme metal drummer Lux Drummerette. The ex-Megadeth guitarist tells Blabbermouth the unnamed collaboration will be a fluid one:

I’m over the band concept. It’s a dinosaur… put a fork in it. We’re approaching this as a duo incoporating loops, DJs, soundscapes and assorted players per song/show/tour as needed.

Yeah, he really said, “put a fork in it.”

Read more and see a clip of Lux playing Slayer’s “Postmortem” at Blabbermouth.

Right here.

 

AD: Ted Nugent for Paul Reed Smith

Theodore Anthony Nugent

The Nuge at his wooliest in Damn Yankees mode. Ted Nugent was one of the earliest big name PRS endorser, his popularity surging with the Yankees’ success. Full page ad scanned from Guitar World, August 1991.

 

AD: Seymour Duncan Live Wire Humbucker

"All the gain - none of the pain."

From Guitar for the Practicing Musician, January 1990, the Seymour Duncan Heavy Metal Live Wire Humbucker. This is the companion to the Custom Custom ad which appeared two pages later in the same issue.

 

RIP Mark Reale

It came out just over a week ago that Riot guitarist Mark Reale had been hospitalized due to symptoms of Crohn’s disease. Now the 57-year-old has died. From Metal Underground:

He had battled the disease for most of his life, and was bravely attempting to practice to perform with the band at their scheduled shows, before his condition worsened.

Read more, including a statement from the band right here.

Though Riot was never a household name, there is widespread reaction in guitar circles to Reale’s passing. From Marty Friedman’s Facebook feed:

Rock City, Narita and Fire Down Under are 3 of my favorite albums of all time. I wore all 3 of them out and have loads of great memories attached to all those great songs. Thank you for the music. Friends please take care of yourselves.

According to the Houston Chronicle, Reale died in San Antonio after having been in a coma. Read that account right here.

 

K.K. Downing’s new gig

What did you thing K.K. Downing had in mind after departing Judas Priest in 2011? Possibly a new supergroup featuring ex-members of Trapeze? Well, guess again. The legendary metal guitarist is pursuing another passion: real estate. Let’s let Noisecreep handle this:

Downing already runs his own golf course, and he’s reportedly looking to add a 63-room hotel, spa, restaurant and indoor swimming pool.

I wonder if he’d consider naming the resort, “Island of Domination?”

Read more at NC right here.

 

AD: Pignose 3060

"... takes over where the 'little pig' leaves off."

Yep, it was to become legendary, alright. The Pignose 3060 does look mammoth compared to the infamous  7-100, but still only has one 10″ speaker. It’s “downright funky,” don’t you know.

Scanned from Guitar Player June, 1978.

 

AD: Acoustyx Phase Five

"You can be assured of at least 750 hours of battery life with this 6- 'C' cell unit"

Here’s an ad for yet another refugee on the junk heap of ’70s outboard guitar gear, the Acoustyx Phase Five. It’s a little hard to tell exactly what the “exciting electronic accessory” did aside from making a 6-string sound like a 12-string, as touted. The ad also cites the Acoustyx IS-1 synthesizer (introductory offer $199.50). It’s difficult to find much of anything about either on the web.

Scanned from Guitar Player, June 1978.

 

Rippin’ Mike Stern solo

 

Hot shit from Mike Stern early in his career. I suppose one could muster up some energy with Billy Cobham cooking behind you.