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MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY GUIDE: ISSUE 29, MARCH 2013

JOE SATRIANI

In this month’s Volume, we talk to the legendary Joe SAtriani about his upcoming g u i ta r c l i n i c a n d c a s t an eye over the Fender Roadshow, plus the usual lowdown on the latest gear and technology news.

A ClassOf His Own

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MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY EDITED BY TRAVIS JOHNSON

JOE SATRIANI A Class of His OwnOne of the most famous and accomplished guitarists on the planet, Joe Satriani is bringing his Master Class Clinic tour to Australia for the first time in April. Joe took some time out from his preparations to let the Volume crew know what he is going to deliver to audiences during this unique tour.

FENDER AUSTRALIA ROADSHOW featuring Greg Koch

The Fender Road Show is a week-long tour of most of the country’s capital cities. The Road Show’s fi nal performance was held downstairs in Perth’s State Theatre building on Thursday, March 7. Each night of the tour Fenderophile Greg Koch and his band have been informing, advertising and face-melting prospective Fender buyers with some very entertaining demonstrations of what Fender guitars and amps can do. A native of Milwaukee (or ‘the good land’ as Alice Cooper calls it) The Fender Road Show’s ringmaster and lead guitarist, Greg Koch, takes the audience of musicians, music store owners, Fender reps and lovers of lead-breaks through a musical schooling that is over two hours long.

Throughout the show his self-professed ‘Sasquatchian’ hands shred their way through about 40 of Fender’s fi nest guitars from their new 2013 range. Koch fi rst started working with the Road Show in ‘94 after Fender representatives visited one of the Hal Leonard Guitar Clinics that he was teaching in Nashville, and he hasn’t looked back.

Three other very talented musicians back Koch. James Ryan, the band’s second guitarist, handles much of the technical information about the products being demonstrated. Amongst many other projects, Ryan has worked on Vanessa Amorosi’s albums and played with the house band on TV show The X-Factor - though don’t let that put you off. Ryan’s guitar playing is as precise as a professional hitman, and is an excellent juxtaposition to the raw animal playing of Koch.

The insanely talented, axe shredding energy Ryan and Koch evoke ties together well with the band’s rhythm section, made up of drummer Haydyn Meggit and bassist Marcel Xammouni. Although the night is all about guitars, Meggit lays down some very intricate drum-solos and funky beats which add to the pristinely tight band. Xammouni on bass shows with a scary level of funkiness just what Fender’s new bass range can do as well as seamlessly demonstrating the sonic power of the new Bassman range of Fender Bass amps.

This year’s instalment of the Road Show opened with a video screen montage of vintage Fender guitars that had the guitar nerds in the audience both salivating and reminiscing, depending on whether or not they had actually been born at the time many of these guitars were released. Judging by the greying ponytails or lack of hair altogether, most of the guitar afi cionados were very familiar with the classic guitars presented, and were already captivated. The audience was then taken on a sonic trip down memory lane led by Koch’s ‘60s and ‘70s inspired lead guitar demonstrations and the tight backing of the Road Show’s band. Several impressive guitar jams written by Koch were played using the updated 2013 versions of many of these classic vintage axes, such as ‘60s Telecasters and the iconic ‘70s Stratocasters. The members of the band then engaged in an informal and hilarious discussion as they explained the subtle changes and almost disturbing attention to detail that Fender had put into the rereleased versions of the guitars for 2013.

Although laden with facts and hardcore guitar terminology, the discussion of the guitars and amps fl owed well and the minutia of the details were not lost on those members of the audience who were not already familiar with Fender products or guitar lingo in general. The stage presence of Koch at this point was a mixture of stand-up comedian and old school guitar god. The group’s ability to explain with humour in depth factors such as tone and style of the upcoming range

Greg KochGreg Koch

Fender Pawn Shop Stratocaster DeluxeFender Pawn Shop Stratocaster Deluxe

Fender Super Bassman 300W HeadFender Super Bassman 300W Head

Joe SatrianiJoe Satriani

This will be your fi rst clinic tour in Australia. What can ticket holders expect to see and hear at these events?

People attending the clinics will get to see and hear me performing up close and personal. I will play a variety of material from my catalogue and go into detail about the methods and techniques I use to compose and perform.

We’ve spoken in the past about the importance of developing strong rhythm and timing skills, why do you think it takes many guitarists so long to fi gure out that there needs to be strong fundamentals under the ‘fl ash’?

Let’s face it, practicing can be very boring! We all start out with strengths and weaknesses that need to be addressed though, and that’s where the practicing helps. However, there must be a balance between practicing music and really playing it. It’s the playing that’s the most important, so, the practicing must serve that end.

You are always working on expanding your musical vocabulary, what specifi cally have you been devoting your practice time to recently?

Musically speaking, I’m always looking to shake off bad habits and adopt good ones. This always requires paying close attention to how you move your hands around the guitar. Additionally, my daily routine often revolves around discovering new ways to be expressive on the guitar.

How are the new Marshall JVM amps working out for you?

My new JVM410JS heads are so wonderful to play through! Punchy, articulate, and anywhere from clean to high gain settings spread across four channels with three modes per channel. They are amazing amps!

Do you play through exactly the same rig in Chickenfoot as in your solo shows?

I use the same set of half-stacks but the pedals on the fl oor are always tailored for each tour’s set list so there is some variation there.

Versatility and adaptability are key attributes for the successful musician. Despite the fact that both are great players, what are some of the challenges you typically face when interchanging Chad Smith and Kenny Aronoff for various Chickenfoot concerts?

Every drummer has their own way of grooving. They use different parts of their kits to be time keepers and different parts to be expressive. Some guys lay down the kick hard and heavy like a click all the time, no matter what, others like to use their hi-hat to lead the band. You just have to listen closely and celebrate each drummer’s uniqueness.

You have always wanted to play as a part of a vocal band and that goal has been fulfi lled in Chickenfoot. As a musician who now has responsibilities towards a vocal rock band as well as a predominantly instrumental solo career, how do you go about sorting which new ideas suit which act?

I like to bring a variety of songs to each project we do together, but ultimately there is no master plan with Chickenfoot, just friends rocking out, having fun and letting the ‘tape roll’. Writing for my solo records requires more focus because I play all the melodies, and make all the arrangement decisions, etc...like apples and oranges when you get down to it!

What do you hope that guitarists who attend the clinics in Australia will take away from the event to build upon?

I want to make a connection with my fellow guitarists, and offer them all I’ve learned over the many years of being a professional musician. I will play my guitar, tell a few stories and take questions from the audience. They will walk out of the clinics with concrete musical ideas and technical methods for playing, writing and performing.

Joe Satriani’s Master Class Clinic tour hits Perth on Wednesday April 17th. Limited tickets are available from www.thumpmusic.com.au.

_CHRIS GIBBS

of Custom Shop, Signature and Pawn Shop guitars for 2013 as well as the use of footswitches and the interface of several new Fender amps made the show almost not feel like advertising. And even though it did aim to get the audience interested in buying Fender gear, the entertainment offered made us wish that all advertising expos could be this much fun.

After a creative rendition of tunes by Pink Floyd and Rage Against The Machine, the band wound up the evening with an intricate array of original guitar driven tunes and jams which left the audience needing a cold shower after the geargasms many of them had just experienced. Those of us who could still stand reattached our melted faces and were invited to go up to the stage and handle many of the guitars used throughout the Road Show. This was a nice touch, as the best way to really know if a guitar is right for you is to pick the thing up and play it.

Koch and the members of the band stuck around for a short while after the show to answer questions and discuss guitars. As the house lights raised and the audience continued to interact with both the guitars and each other an interesting community vibe developed. Information and anecdotes about favourite guitars were shared, and it seemed everybody left the show with thoughts of the axe that they just had to buy, and the Wayne’s World-like image of playing their new toy whilst thinking ‘It shall be mine… Oh yes. It shall be mine. Schhawing!’

_NATHAN CHRISTIANSEN

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MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY EDITED BY TRAVIS JOHNSON

NEWS ROUND UPThis week we take a quick tour ‘round the traps to see what’s pinging on our muso radar.

BIRTHDAY BONANZAMega Music’s epic birthday sale continues until March 23, with absolutely everything in store reduced to one degree or another. There’s never been a better time to pick up that bit of kit you’ve been dreaming of, or just stock up on sticks and strings for the next few months. Head in to either their Myaree or Wangara store, or jump over to megamusiconline.com.au

PSYCHIC SOUNDSThe happy mutants at Neurowear are developing Zen Tunes, an iPhone app that analyses the user’s brainwaves while listening to music and constructs a unique playlist attuned to the user’s emotional state. No more clicking through tracks to find the right one for the moment - the machine knows. Head to neurowear.com for more.

POP FLYTop notch headphone handlers Audiofl y have decided to put their brand esteem to good use, partnering up with Dave Stevens of Melbourne’s Pure Pop Records store for the Buy a Brick campaign, which aims to raise money to build a soundproof courtyard at the store to mitigate a neighbour’s noise complaints. For every 10 pairs of Audiofl y phones that get bought, they’ll throw a Pure Pop Brick, aka $50, at the project. Headphones are available from Headphonic, 78 Records, Urban Records, Elroy Clothing and audiofl y.com

AudioflyAudiofly

YOU’RE THE VOICEShipping soon to retailers from TC-Helicon is the new VoiceLive Play GTX packaged with a Sennheiser e 835 fx microphone. Enabling complete guitar and vocal processing right our of the box with no amp required, complete with TC Electronic guitar effects and Amptones. Designed to work with acoustic and electric axes, this unit allows the user to experiment with a range of different tones and effects without having to shell out for expensive amps and pedals. The package retails for around $699 - go to tc-helicon.com for details.

VoiceLive Play GTXVoiceLive Play GTX

MARSHALLING YOUR FORCESMarshall’s new JVM series is setting a new benchmark in amplifi cation. The 4 Channel 100 Watt head coupled a 2x12” combo features dual master volumes, two effects loops. channel memory, MIDI compatibility, and a programmable footswitch. Head to elfa.com.au to check out the full range and specs.

Marshall JVMMarshall JVM AVENGE ME!The Schechter Synyster Gates Custom, built for the Avenged Sevenfold guitarist, is a thing of rare beauty. Built around Schecter’s Avenger frame, it comes in three colour schemes and boasts mahogany construction, an ebony fretboard, and inlayed Avenged Sevenfold logo with the legend SYN. Techwise, Seymour Duncan custom pickups are the beating heart of a beast designed for heavy work. Retailing at around $1700, it comes to us courtesy of D’Addario Australia. Head to daddario.com.au for more details.

Sennheiser e 835 fx microphoneSennheiser e 835 fx microphone

Schechter Synyster Gates CustomSchechter Synyster Gates Custom

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