MUDVAYNE Release New Album In December, First track avalable on streaming

"Beautiful And Strange", a brand new song from MUDVAYNE, is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page. The song will appear on the group's new self-titled album, which is due on December 22 via Epic. The artwork for the CD will be printed entirely in blacklight-reactive ink (see video below), making it only visible under a black light (a source of light whose wavelengths are primarily in the ultraviolet).

"Mudvayne" has been described by drummer Matt McDonough as "the best" CD "the band has recorded since our second album, 'The End Of All Things to Come'." The effort will be released in three different formats — a standard jewel case edition, a deluxe version packaged with a black light and a super deluxe edition that features a larger black light, a special edition blacklight-reactive poster and more.

MUDVAYNE's forthcoming album was produced by Dave Fortman's (SLIPKNOT, EVANESCENCE) right-hand man, Jeremy Parker, and is "a little more retro for MUDVAYNE" from a songwriting point of view, according to singer Chad Gray. "We've been kind of making this natural progression, and I think for this one, we just sort of naturally regressed," he told Noisecreep. "We took the smarter songwriting guys that we've become and mixed it with the not-smart songwriting guys that we were ... I mean, we used to just take 20 parts, cram it together, and call it a song. Over time, playing in a band, you kind of know what to expect. It doesn't really make it easier, but you kind of have this thing in your head that you kind of know where you're going. You can see the light at the end of the tunnel before entering the tunnel. It's faint, and dim, but it's there."

MUDVAYNE's fourth studio album, "The New Game", has sold more than 200,000 copies in the United States since it came out in November 2008, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD shifted 48,000 units in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 15 on The Billboard 200 chart.

thx to blabbermouth

Radiohead are recording new album

Joe Bosso, Fri 9 Oct 2009, 12:11 am BST


Remember when Thom Yorke said Radiohead were done making albums? Turns out that isn't the case at all. In fact, the band's co-guitarist Ed O'Brien says the group is booked to start recording a full-length disc this winter.

"We were misquoted," O'Brien says in an interview with NME, referring to a piece that ran earlier this year in which Thom Yorke said, "None of us want to go into that creative hoo-ha of a long-play record again...It'll kill us."

Although the group did release online tracks such as Harry Patch (In Memory Of) and These Are My Twisted Words, many took Yorke's words at face value.

O'Brien, however, states the case loudly and bluntly: "We will be making an album!" In fact, he says the whole group shares an affection for the tangible feel of physical CDs and vinyl.
Nothing like the real thing

"We love the artwork; that's really important, the physicality," he said. "And we all like vinyl. That's not going to go away. I still like CDs as well. I got the Speech Debelle CD the other day - I nearly downloaded it from iTunes but I thought, 'No. I want the physical thing.'"

O'Brien doesn't go into specifics as to what kind of album Radiohead are going to make make (he says These Are My Twisted Words "could have been the darker side of In Rainbows"), but he laughs at the idea of the group recording in Oxfordshire during the harshest of months.

"Typical Radiohead," he says. "We're going into the studio in winter. It's always miserable! Are we at the whim of the seasons? We are! When you're in a studio in the countryside, the music you make is definitely affected by what season it is."

Eigenharp the instrument of the future

Eigenlabs' Eigenharp is an instrument like no other. It has remarkably sensitive keys that you can press; strip controllers that you can rub; and a breath pipe that you can blow into. To call it unique almost feels like an understatement.

Yesterday, MusicRadar was invited along to The Hospital in London for one of several Eigenharp launch events. As you'll see in the video above, we got the chance to speak to its creator and to quiz someone who's actually learned to play it.

Will you want one? Almost certainly, but whether you'll be able to afford the £3,950 asking price for the flagship Alpha model is another matter entirely. There is, however, an entry-level option in the shape of the Pico. At £349, we'll wager that this will be finding its way into a stocking or two this Christmas.

Marshall launches MA Series amplifiers

PRESS RELEASE: For the best part of 50 years the sight and sound of a Marshall valve amplifier has been the envy and dream of many a guitarist. Legendary artists such as Slash, Jeff Beck and the late great Jimi Hendrix, plus rising stars like Ray Torro (My Chemical Romance) and Alexi Laiho (Children Of Bodom) continue to inspire with their raw talent and mighty valve-powered Marshall backlines. So when it comes to tone, it's clear that professional guitarists love valves.

Now Marshall invites you to experience valve tone for yourself with our most accessible range of valve-driven guitar amplifiers ever – introducing the all-new, all-valve MA Series.
Heart of tone

With a classic ECC83/EL34 pre and power amp combination at its heart, the UK designed and engineered MA range is indeed built on solid pure-valve foundations. The MA Series provides both head and combo versions in either 100 Watt or 50 Watt outputs, all sharing the same trusty feature set.

The dual channel design provides an abundance of tonal possibilities, while the straightforward front panel layout and individual EQ sections means achieving the sounds you want couldn't be simpler.

With single coil pickups the Clean channel delivers clear bright notes, whilst switching to humbuckers and cranking the volume pot leads to natural signal break up, ideal for both cutting Indie-style rhythm and vintage rock riffing respectively.

Hit the Channel selection switch and the uniquely voiced Overdrive channel lets you experience the full potential of Marshall valve power, from glorious bluesy crunch to hard driving rock and all points in-between. Engaging the Overdrive's Boost function provides extra gain for both pounding metal madness and fret-burning solos alike.
The right balance

The difference between your overdrive and 'boosted' sound is governed by the MA's Crunch Balance control. Increasing the Crunch Balance moves your normal overdrive sound closer to that of your 'boosted' tone. Alternatively, backing off the Crunch Balance control decreases the amount of gain

and volume in your unboosted overdrive tone only, allowing the jump from say crunch to metal instantly, via either the front panel or the included 2-way footswitch. Used in this manner, the Crunch Balance has the ability to create a pseudo third channel from the Boost function, further increasing the MA Series' tonal spectrum and versatility.
Finishing touches

Additional tonal fine tuning is provided by a Master section consisting of Presence, Resonance and Reverb, and if pedals, FX boards and stomp boxes are your thing, then a serial FX loop is also included across the range.

The 2x12" MA100C (UK RRP £663) and 1x12" MA50C (UK RRP £548) combos both contain the newly developed AX-75 speaker, custom-voiced to match the tone, feel and response of the whole MA Series perfectly. These speakers can also be found in the new full-sized M412A and M412B 4x12" speaker cabs.

Finally, both the MA100H (UK RRP £599) and MA50H (UK RRP £480) heads feature semi-transparent baffles and illuminated chassis, allowing your valve-powered tone to literally shine. Whether you're finally realising a full Marshall stack dream, searching for a rugged gigging workhorse, looking for your first valve amplifier, or all three, the Marshall MA Series provides the answer.

Now is the time to discover valve tone. "Information taken from official press release"

New Michael Jackson Soundtrack Single “This Is It” Out October 12th

Details about the soundtrack for the Michael Jackson documentary This Is It have been revealed, and the biggest news is that the two-disc collection will feature two versions of a brand new Jackson song titled “This Is It.” The song, which will feature in the film’s closing credits, includes background vocals by Jackson’s brothers. The previously unreleased track will be released as a single on October 12th, two weeks before the This Is It film hits theaters for a two-week limited engagement starting with advance screenings on October 27th.

“This song only defines, once again, what the world already knows — that Michael is one of God’s greatest gifts,” said John McClain, a co-producer of the This Is It film and soundtrack and a co-executor of Michael Jackson’s estate. The soundtrack, like the film, will be released on October 27th. Disc one of the This Is It album will contain the original album masters of the hit songs included in This Is It, sequenced in the order that they appear in the film. The first disc will close out with the two versions of “This Is It.”

Disc two will feature previously unreleased versions of some of Jackson’s most famous songs, plus an unreleased spoken word track of a poem written by Jackson titled “Planet Earth.” The set will also come with a 36-page commemorative booklet stocked with photos of Jackson’s last rehearsal for his planned This Is It concerts. As Rolling Stone previously reported, a brief clip of Jackson rehearsing “Human Nature” was unveiled on the This Is It official YouTube page. The trailer for the film premiered during this year’s MTV Video Music Awards.

(courtesy : Rolling stone)

Joe Satriani: how Jimi Hendrix changed my life

Joe Satriani, Thu 17 Sep 2009, 9:25 pm BST



"The day Jimi Hendrix died, I can still remember it like it was yesterday. It was a beautiful day in suburban Long Island. I was 14 years old, I was on the Carle Place High School football team, and I was standing outside the gym, all suited up and ready to go onto the field for practice. Everything was right in the world.

"Suddenly one of my teammates came up to me - he had just been home for lunch so he saw the news on TV - and he said, 'Hey Joe, you know that guy you like so much, Jimi Hendrix? I heard he just died.'

"I'm pretty sure I was about the only kid in school who knew who Jimi Hendrix even was. Through my older siblings, I was getting turned on to all the great music that was happening at the time, and I really loved Hendrix. So this kid, my teammate, thought I should know.

"The minute he told me, my whole life flashed before my eyes. I don't think this kid expected the impact it would have on me. It was such a blow. I was devastated, shattered, in a fog of emotion. Without so much as taking another step towards the field, I turned around, went back into the gym and I told my coach, 'Jimi Hendrix just died, and I'm quitting the team to become a guitar player.'

"I was anticipating an argument - the coach was a former marine and a pretty tough guy - but he just stared at me. Maybe I looked so crazy or despondent, I don't know, but he simply said, 'Well, all right. Go right ahead.'

"Jimi Hendrix died today and I'm going to devote my life to playing the electric guitar" a then-14-year-old Joe Satriani to his family at the dinner table


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THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON - ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK NEWS

Summit Entertainment, Chop Shop Records and Atlantic Records have announced the release of "THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON - ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK," the musical companion to the highly anticipated second installment in Summit's film franchise. Due in stores and online October 20th, the entire soundtrack features songs that will appear in the movie, highlighted by Death Cab for Cutie's brand new single "Meet Me On the Equinox." "THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON" is slated to open in theatres nationwide on November 20th.

In just one week, "Meet Me On the Equinox" has already exploded onto the modern rock charts, landing at No 26. The song, which is the soundtrack's first announced track, debuted in full on September 13th at MTV.com in conjunction with MTV's Video Music Awards.
The video companion to the song, which was shot in Toronto by director Walter Robot, will premiere soon.

"We wrote 'Meet Me On the Equinox' to reflect the celestial themes and motifs that run throughout the TWILIGHT series, and we wanted to capture that desperate feeling of endings and beginnings that so strongly affect the main characters," said Death Cab for Cutie bassist Nick Harmer. "This song marks the first attempt that Death Cab for Cutie has ever made at contributing new, unreleased material for a film. It just seems a perfect synergy that a band from the Northwest would create a song for a series of novels set in the Northwest. We are not only proud to be a part of the TWILIGHT legacy but also honored to join so many other fantastic artists that have leant their amazing creativity to this soundtrack." more..