Adrian Belew departs Nine Inch Nails, goes into FLUX

Before ever appearing live with Nine Inch Nails, Adrian Belew has exited the projected touring version of the band. His original Facebook post is updated at The Guardian:

Hey folks … I greatly respect Trent (Reznor) and the music he makes. No one is at fault. [But] we both agreed it just was not working …

Jump over to take a look at that complete article right here.

This leaves the ever adventurous guitarist free to work on his long gestating project FLUX. As he tells Something Else! in a lengthy interview:

It’s an idea that’s been in my mind for several decades, but could never be technologically done — until recently. Unlike a record or anything before it, this is never finished. I can continue to add more parts to it, even as people already have it and start listening to it.

Read much more and listen to a sampling of Belew works at Something Else!

Right here.

 

Vivan Campbell undergoing cancer treatment

Def Leppard’s Vivian Campbell is being treated for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the white blood cells. The former Dio and Whitesnake guitarist remarked in a statement, via Rolling Stone:

I feel fortunate that my cancer sent me an alarm call in the form of “the cough that wouldn’t quit.”

Read more at RS.

Right here.

 

Unreleased music from Criss Oliva

What is being called the “last unused music” written by Criss Oliva is surfacing on Raise the Curtain, a new release by the late guitarist’s brother Jon. As Something Else! tells it, the album features:

… previously unreleased music from Criss Oliva  … and you can certainly hear his presence in the guitar parts.

Read more and listen to a sample at Something Else!

Right here.

 

Custom Beatles Vox fetches over 400 grand

A one-of-a-kind Vox guitar once played by The Beatles has sold for $408,000 at auction. The custom instrument was used by George Harrison and John Lennon during the Magical Mystery Tour sessions. According to Julien’s Auctions, via Reuters:

Harrison played the instrument, distinguished by two symmetrical flared shoulders on the upper body, while practicing “I Am The Walrus,” and Lennon used it in a video session for the song “Hello, Goodbye.”

Read more and take a look at the Vox at Reuters.

Right here.

 

Wear Tony Iommi accessories

No, Tony Iommi isn’t coming out with a line of ascots, rather the Black Sabbath legend is donating guitar strings to the charity Wear Your Music who create jewelry from the items. Check out the company’s intro to Iommi:

Having sliced off the ends of three fingers in a factory accident when first starting out Tony switched to very light gauge strings. These make his bracelet especially unique.

An Iommi bobble will run you $200, by the way.

Check out Wear Your Music’s full inventory at their official site.

Right here.

 

At Dawn They Sleep: RIP Jeff Hanneman

This one has many of us speechless: Slayer guitarist and thrash metal legend Jeff Hanneman is dead at 49. From the band’s Facebook page:

Slayer is devastated to inform that their bandmate and brother, Jeff Hanneman, passed away at about 11AM this morning near his Southern California home. Hanneman was in an area hospital when he suffered liver failure.

Read more and check out a classic Hanneman photo over at Stereogum

Right here.

 

Scott Henderson on Weather Report, recording guitars at 5:00 a.m. and grooving

Fusion master Scott Henderson recently spoke with Jude Gold at Guitar Player, the two discussing Henderson’s tenure with Joe Zawinul, his 18-watt Suhr Badger amp, and his advice to GIT students:

I remind them that they have to constantly work on three things: their time, their phrasing, and their tone. Anyone can tell if you don’t have one of those things together. I try to get my students to understand that it’s not how much you know— it’s how you present what you do know.

Read it all at Guitar Player.

Right here.

 

Joe Satriani’s 200 stomp boxes

Joe Satriani is back with his 14th studio album, Unstoppable Momentum. The new collection is typically (and consciously) strong on melody while also indulging Satch’s boundary pushing tendencies. He described the record and the gear used to make it in a new Premier Guitar interview, noting a particular pre-session ritual:

Before recording a new album, I sometimes go out and spend way too much money on pedals. It gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling—I’ve got every possible pedal for any direction, just in case the producer suggests something that I hadn’t thought of. I’ll bring 200 pedals to the sessions and only use four.

Read all of Adam Perlmutter’s excellent piece at PG.

Right here.

 

Tom Scholz sues Barry Goudreau

A different sort of story out of Boston: Tom Scholz, mastermind of Boston the rock group, is suing former band mate Barry Goudreau for trademark infringement. From to Boston.com:

According to the lawsuit, Goudreau was a member of Boston for just three years of the band’s 37-year history (and upon leaving the band) signed an agreement giving him 20 percent of royalties from all of the songs on the first two albums but giving him “no interest, right nor title to the name ‘Boston.’ But Goudreau has repeatedly violated that deal.

Scholz also recently attempted to sue a former band manager.

Read more at Boston.com.

Right here.

 

The latest from Steve Howe

Ultimate Classic Rock is running a new interview with Steve Howe. The guitarist touches on many topics including Yes’ return to playing complete albums:

We haven’t done that since 1973 when we used to go out and play the ‘Close To The Edge’ album and then we played ‘Tales From Topographic Oceans’ and that was a huge set. It was a marvelous experience.

And also the effect of his not being able to read music:

Well, it doesn’t bring on any barriers for me, because I don’t know what it is. I don’t like to look at a piece of paper while I’m playing.  I’m actually pleased that I didn’t learn how to write music, in most aspects.

Read much more at UCR.

Right here.