Coming soon at Baroque & Roll / Nov 06 Charts

Well 2006 has been quite a year, the last couple of months have seen the updates tail off due to a number of reasons, the biggest one of these has been the collapse of my marriage and subsequent issues surround this, if you any of you have been in this situation you will understand, if you have not then I hope you never will.

Anyhow, with 2007 just around the corner things are starting to look more rosy and BAROQUE & ROLL have great new updates lined up.



First of these will be an extensive look into the new Michael Harris album, "Orchestrate", out now on Lion Music. This album represents the pinnacle of neo-classical guitar in 2006 and a taster quote from our coming review should tell you a lot about this release...

A neo-classical delight and the Baroque & Roll.com album of 2006. Stunning compositions, sublime performances and an epic production. If you buy one neo-classical (neo-orchestral) album this year make it Michael Harris’s ‘Orchestrate’.

To tie in with this fantastic release we have an interview with Michael to discuss the album in detail from the composers perspective.

Also to be expected in 2007 are new interviews with James Byrd, Roger Staffelbach, George Bellas, Joe Stump and Chris Impellitteri all of whom are expected to release new albums. These of course will be featured and reviewed in depth here at BAROQUE & ROLL.

=======================================

To end I leave you with the November 2006 Neo-Classical charts courtest of Guitar9.com

#1 DAVID VALDES / Paradise Lost
For an example of head-splittingly magnificent guitar playing from Spain, look no further than David Valdes. Each cut screams with fury and offers a primer of formidable guitar techniques.

#2 BORISLAV MITIC / Fantasy
Fantasy is guitarist Borislav Mitic's 1996 Yugoslavian release which eventually led to his signing with Shrapnel Records. Not as good as the self titled Shrapnel release which is foolishly out of print (as classy as ever Shrapnel!) but a nice introduction to Borislav's work.

#3 MARCO FERRIGNO / Hanging Gardens
Three years after his last release under the "Ferrigno, Leal, Kuprij" banner Marco is back with more neo-classical firepower and this, his debut solo album is a very intricately detailed release with a lot of fretwork but also a lot of melody. One of the most immediate comparisons to Marco's very fluid style of play is similar to that of George Bellas.

#4 ALEX MASI / In The Name Of Beethoven
Lovers of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and the guitar should check out Italian guitarist Alex Masi's In The Name Of Bach. Forget enjoying Bach's pieces only on violin or keyboard, this CD is all guitar. Masi performs the majority of the 15 pieces on Manne Semiacoustica guitars (acoustic), but four of the pieces feature Masi blazing through prestos, toccatas and fugues on Rostrum electric guitars.

#5 KEVIN FERGUSON / Strad To Strat
Kevin Ferguson, a guitarist and composer from Oregon, offers up his debut CD, consisting of fiery classical music composed by violin virtuosi such as Paganini, Wieniawski and Sarasate.

#6 VITALIJ KUPRIJ / Forward & Beyond
This neo-classical work and shredfest features many great well known guitar players such as George Bellas, Michael Romeo, Michael Harris, Jeff Kollman, Javier Leal, Roger Staffelbach Borislav Mitic and Fransesco Fareri.

#7 JOSE DEL RIO / Journey Into The Fourth Dimension
Jose Del Rio's all-star neoclassical/progressive shred project is called Journey Into The Fourth Dimension, an incredibly intense shred release featuring guitarist Jose Del Rio and keyboard virtuoso Vitalij Kuprij (Artension). Fans of over-the-top intense shredding need to check out the 300 bpm version of "Flight of the Bumble-Bee".

#8 HESS / Opus 1
The CD features a new breed of high caliber instrumental guitar compositions combining the neo-classical styles of Yngwie Malmsteen and Jason Becker with the progressive rock styles of Dream Theater and George Bellas, along with the emotion of 19th century Romanticism.[check out our exclusive interview with Tom Hess]

#9 GEORGE BELLAS / Venomous Fingers
Blazing shred, wicked arpeggios and heavy neo-classicism mark the latest release from one of the fastest players around. Check out the Bellas 'butter' tone... mmm.

#10 MICHAEL ROMEO / The Dark Chapter
Romeo is an incredibly accomplished player drawing on a neo-classical style reminiscent of Yngwie Malmsteen while retaining his own identifiable signature that sets him apart from other players in this genre. He has received major coverage in many of the guitar magazines around the world and is best known for his role as lead guitarist in Symphony X.

All these albums can be ordered online at http://www.guitar9.com/topsellersmonthneoclassicalmetal.html

More Roger Staffelbach news

Further to our news on the forthcoming Roger Staffelbach album, Roger checked in with some more details on the upcoming release.

The band will have the name of Roger Staffelbach's Angel of Eden with a multi licensing deal just been signed with Marquee/Avalon Japan.

The Line Up will be as follows:

Roger Staffelbach - Guitars
Carsten Schulz - Vocals (Domain, Evidence One)
Ferdy Doernberg - Keys (Uli Jon Roth)
Mats Olausson - Keys (Yngwie Malmsteen)
Steve di Giorgio - Bass (Testament, Sebastian Bach)
Rami Ali - Drums (Evidence One)

There will be some Guest Appearances, i will let you know details soon.

Michael Harris goes neo-orchestral with "Orchestrate"

“Orchestrate” sees world acclaimed guitarist Michael Harris back with the most ambitious album of his career. With a style best described as "Neo Orchestral Metal” the album is a modern day masterpiece. One listen reveals the unique combination of electric guitar playing a very “classical meets metal” style with an orchestra and metal drumming complete with stunning guitar virtuosity.

On the album Michael comments, “My original vision was to go back to my “Defense Mechanizms” roots, yet to focus on one style, neo classical metal. As the record developed, I realized "Orchestral" was a better term, so I consider the record to be my one & only neo-orchestral record. My previous instrumental records have had some “classical meets metal” compositions, but this record is focused exclusively on that style. I recorded all the backing strings, etc on my keyboard, and rather than playing chords, most of the time I treated it like scoring an orchestra, recording one "voice" at a time. There is still plenty of guitar of course, and drummer Matt Thompson did an outstanding job. My focus compositionally was to create strong themes first and foremost, before the musicianship & full arrangements came into play”.
On the making of the album Michael states, “I recorded all the backing strings, etc on my new Yamaha Motif ES keyboard (because the sounds blew me away) and rather than playing chords, most of the time I treated it like scoring an orchestra, recording one "voice" at a time. Time consuming? Hell yes! So what! There is still plenty of guitar on the record of course, and Matt's drumming just kicked the whole thing in the arse!”



“My focus compositionally was to create strong themes first and foremost, before the musicianship & full arrangements came into play. I didn't intend on writing around any particular "culture" of music stylistically, but when I listen back, I hear many different styles, even some Russian / Slavic themes. I also wanted to create a record that breathes with a lot of dynamics, also with at least one tempo descelerondo, and some free time tempos”.

Michael’s classical inspirations include the classical composers include Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Dukas, and Vivaldi. Michael’s more recent favourites include Krzysztof Penderecki and Allan Pettersson, stating, “I’ve found them to have some captivating ideas texturally, but the classical composers I appreciate the most (above) are the ones who composed with the greatest melodic sense”.

Released November 24th 2006 on Lion Music

Musicians
Michael Harris - Electric, acoustic, synth, nylon string, bass guitars and keyboards.
Matt Thompson – Drums

Track Listing
01. Opus Conceptus
02. String Theory
03. The Mad Composer’s Rage
04. Notes from the Kursk
05. Battle at Storm’s Edge
06. Guiprice
07. Mysterioso
08. Octavian II
09. The Anti Shred
10. Schizo Forte

Credits
Composed, Mixed & Produced by Michael Harris.
Mastered by Gary Long.

Official Websites
www.michaelharrisguitar.com
www.myspace.com/michaelharrisguitar

Roger Staffelbach working on new material

Artension guitarist Roger Staffelbach is currently finishing up his debut solo album. As yet untitled the new album see Roger joined by vocalist Carsten "Lizard" Schulz (Domain) and keyboardist Mats Olausson (ex Malmsteen). Having been privy to 3 tracks from the album I can whole heartedly state that this is stunning progressive metal with a great neo-classical slant. The guitar work is superb amd overall songwriting is stunning and will please any neo-classical fan. Having personally felt that Roger was pushed to the background on the last couple of Artension releases its great to hear him getting the spotlight he deserves... one to keep an eye and ear out for.

As I get more information I will keep you posted.

Web links
www.rogerstaffelbach.com
http://www.myspace.com/rogerstaffelbach

New Space Odyssey album details

Keyboard whiz Richard Andersson (Time Requiem / Majestic) has posted details of the new Space Odyssey record at his official website www.anderssonmusic.com Andersson is superb keyboard player in the Malmsteen mold whilst the band features neo-classical guitarist Magnus Nilsson.

"In beginning of May I decided to start work on third Space Odyssey record and this time with Magnus and me composing the songs. So we did. I’ve had a lot of fun together with Magnus creating the 10 tracks in just one month. We both decided to do it simple and plain and with no progressive elements. This time the songs are very far from what I have done before. Now you can actually separate my two bands Time Requiem and Space Odyssey in many different ways. Since Patrik Johansson (Astral Doors) was busy with his own band at the same time as I wanted the vocals immediately I simply found a new but brilliant singer David Fremberg from the Swedish band Andromeda. He was invited to do the songs and it took two days to put down the vocal tracks. Excellent man! If you are into Tony Martin, David Coverdale kind of a singer you will love this one. He sounds awesome!!!Everything’s moving fast and the release date for Japan is set for 2006 November 21. Rest of world around that time. I’m still working on that".



Space Odyssey 2006:
Richard Andersson – Keyboards, hammond, backing vocals
David Fremberg – Vocals
Jörg Andrews – Drums
Magnus Nilsson – Guitars & Bass

-----------------------------------------------
1. The Bohemian Werewolf (soundclip)
2. Obsession (soundclip)
3. Miracles in Daylight (soundclip)
4. Killing the Myth (soundclip)
5. Dark Wings of Universe (soundclip)
6. The Awakening (soundclip)
7. Tears of the Sun (soundclip)
8. The Northern Silence (soundclip)
9. Bloodspill (soundclip)
10. Jailbreaker (Japan bonus track)

New James Byrd Interview online

Always home to very good reading, James Byrd (Byrd, Atantis Rising, Fifth Angel) has recently conducted an informative new interview with a french website. Below are some choice quotes from the feature, be sure to check out the whole interview here.

On what he has been upto since 2002...
"I haven't released an album under my own name since 2002. A lot of factors contributed to that; first, I had a serious back injury, and was on heavy pain medication while I was recording Anthem. I couldn't even walk for several months. It was really hard to produce the album, and when I was finished, I just felt burned out, and had a long physical recovery to face...."

On his own guitar company Byrd Guitars...
"First and foremost, they're really the ultimate design for the advanced neoclassical rock guitarist. But they're also fantastic for blues, or even country music because the tone is very pure and bell like...."

On the possible direction of forthcoming new material...
" I think Anthem was too keyboard dominated, and dry sounding, so I will try to attain a more organic and guitar dominated sound..."

On touring...
"I have degenerative arthritis in my spine and tendon problems in my left hand that preclude my touring. I had my tendons surgically unsheathed in 1989 because my hand had completely frozen, and thank God it works again..."

Chris Impellitteri offers second wmv clip

Chris Impellitteri has made available another clip of him shredding in his amp room.

To download the clip visit his official site at www.rapture.net/impellitteri and scroll down.

No further news on the Chris's next album release at present.

Yngwie Malmsteen Tour Dates

The Maestro, Yngwie Malmsteen has just confirmed even more dates in Asia/Australia as well as a string of Scandinavian dates in December. For more info visit the official Yngwie website at www.yngwie.org

2006 Asia/Australia Tour
DIRECT TICKETING LINKS:
Thailand Ticketing Link: www.thaiticketmaster.com
Singapore Ticketing Link: www.sistic.com

NOVEMBER 4: BANGKOK, THAILAND - THUNDERDOME
NOVEMBER 6: HONG KONG - HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL TRADE & EXHIBITION CENTER (HITEC)
NOVEMBER 9: SINGAPORE - FORT CANNING PARK (OUT DOOR VENUE)
NOVEMBER 11: TAIWAN - FAMILY THEATER, TAIPEI
NOVEMBER 14: BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – THE ARENA COMPLEX
NOVEMBER 15: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – ENMORE THEATER
NOVEMBER 16: MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – PALACE ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX
NOVEMBER 17: ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – THEBARTON THEATER
NOVEMBER 19: PERTH, AUSTRALIA – METRO CITY

Christmas in Scandinavia 2006
DECEMBER 13 : HEADLINER, "CHRISTMAS IS HEAVY 2006 FESTIVAL", HELSINKI, FINLAND – ICEHALL
DECEMBER 14: TAMPERE, FINLAND – TULLIKAMARINAUKIO 2
DECEMBER 15: HEADLINER, "CHRISTMAS IS HEAVY FESTIVAL 2006", OULU, FINLAND – TEATRIA
DECEMBER 16: HEADLINER, "CHRISTMAS IS HEAVY FESTIVAL 2006", JYVASKYLA, FINLAND – ARENA

DVD re-issues
One to get fans buzzing, the long out of print (and never officially released on DVD outside Japan) live recordings of Trial By Fire: Live In Leningrad and Rising Force 85 will be given official worldwide releases soon - more details to follow.

Archive - Katsu Ohta (Ark Storm) profile

Ark Storm are one of neo-classical metals brightest newcomers of the last couple of years. Led by the Japanese virtuoso guitarist Katsu Ohta the band pedal the type of neo-classical metal heard on the early Rising Force records but with enough originiality to make themselves a valid commodity in their own right.

The band's debut No Boundaries was an innocent slice of neo-classical guitar madness, which if a little unoriginal in places had enough energy and sting in Ohta's guitars that any rough edges were soon forgotten. The album featured the vocals of Hirosaki Imanishi who quit shortly after its release due to hearing problems.

Beginning Of The New Legend saw original Saber Tiger singer Yasou Sasai joins the band and his talent paid dividends with much improved English and a more powerful delivery; this in turn saw the band start to hone their own sound and also new members in the guise of ex Concerto Moon drummer Ichiro Nogai whose powerhouse attack helped beef up the rhythm section along with addition of new bassist .

The bands third album 2005's The Everlasting Wheel saw a more streamlined approach in the song writing department with a slightly slower tempo on many of the tunes. Katsu guitar is perhaps even more impressive due to slightly more complex chordal arrangements and his tone is also the best yet making this an overall explosive album.

Katsu and Ark Storm are now starting to build a reputation outside of Japan, despite only having 1album (Beginning Of The New Legend) available outside Japan, the bands albums are available at Guitar 9. Be sure to check out this exciting new act.

Guitars
Fender Strats - modified with scalloped necks and DiMarzio Virtual Vintage pickups.

Amps
Marshall 1987x 50 watt Head - modified
Marshall JMP50 head - modified

Effects
DOD 250 Overdrive/Preamp (vintage)
DOD YJM308 Overdrive Preamp
Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor
Dunlop Wah

Neo-Classical Chart September 06

Charts courtesy of www.guitar9.com

#1 Marco Ferrigno / Hanging Gardens
Three years after his last release under the "Ferrigno, Leal, Kuprij" banner Marco is back with more neo-classical firepower and this, his debut solo album is a very intricately detailed release with a lot of fretwork but also a lot of melody. One of the most immediate comparisons to Marco's very fluid style of play is similar to that of George Bellas

#2 German Schauss / The Lightspeeder
Mind-blowingly fast sweeps. Complex, classically influenced progressions. Odd, even and fractional meters. Shredded, corpse-chopping, speed picking. A head-splittingly large number of notes! All this and more can be heard on German Schauss' CD The Lightspeeder, a collection of seven neo-classical progressive instrumentals designed to shock, awe and make you soil your drawers.

#3 Jose Del Rio / Journey Into The Fourth Dimension
Jose Del Rio's all-star neoclassical/progressive shred project is called Journey Into The Fourth Dimension, an incredibly intense shred release featuring guitarist Jose Del Rio and keyboard virtuoso Vitalij Kuprij (Artension). Fans of over-the-top intense shredding need to check out the 300 bpm version of "Flight of the Bumble-Bee".

#4 Hess / Opus 1
The CD features a new breed of high caliber instrumental guitar compositions combining the neo-classical styles of Yngwie Malmsteen and Jason Becker with the progressive rock styles of Dream Theater and George Bellas, along with the emotion of 19th century Romanticism.
[check out our exclusive interview with Tom Hess]

#5 Hess / Opus 2
Opus 2 sees Hess pick up where Opus 1 finished with even more skill.
[check out our exclusive interview with Tom Hess]

#6 Theodore Ziras / Trained To Play
Classic sweep arpeggios, searing extended solo sections, memorable themes, and overall extraordinary playing mark this debut CD, and cement his place in the roster of notable neo-classical shredders.

#7 Francesco Fareri / Forbidden Dimension
Forbidden Dimension is the title of Italian shred guitarist Francesco Fareri's second album, and it includes eight all instrumental tracks in the progressive/shred style. Fareri recruited some great players to contribute to the CD, including Kyle Honea (bass), Jon Doman (drums), Bob Katsionis (keyboard solos) and Vitalij Kuprij (piano, keyboards), and also enlisted the help andexperience of Greg Howe in the recording and engineering of the drum tracks. More shred than neo-classical.

#8 Ark Storm / The Everlasting Wheel
Ark Storm are challenging fellow Japanese neo-classical exponents Concerto Moon for the title of Japan's best metal export. Ark Storm are led by guitar ace Katsu Ohta who is probably Japan's answer to Yngwie Malmsteen and comes with an excellent reputation. If you like quality neo-classical metal then Ark Storm serve it up in abundance.

#9 Michael Romeo / The Dark Chapter
Romeo is an incredibly accomplished player drawing on a neo-classical style reminiscent of Yngwie Malmsteen while retaining his own identifiable signature that sets him apart from other players in this genre. He has received major coverage in many of the guitar magazines around the world and is best known for his role as lead guitarist in Symphony X.

#10 Matt Mills Project / Matt Mills Project
The twelve all instrumental tracks feature a smorgasbord of large, swept arpeggiated sequences, diminished patterns and pedaled passages (ala Malmsteen and Moore) - with Mills' guitaristic prowess comes through strikingly on every track.

Album review

MARCO FERRIGNO - HANGING GARDENS
Lion Music
LMC182 / Out Now

Three years after his last release under the "Ferrigno, Leal, Kuprij" banner Marco is back with more neo-classical firepower and this, his debut solo album is a very intricately detailed release with a lot of fretwork but also a lot of melody. One of the most immediate comparisons to Marco's very fluid style of play is similar to that of George Bellas and its not real surprise to discover that Marco has taught under George. That said you the two are quite easily seperable as you find out on the track Bellas guests on.

The album opens with the progressive "Temple Of Time" which sees a nice mix of slower melodic lead lines and faster licks and runs. Musically Marco has a very tight backing band in the guise of bass legend Tony Franklin (Blue Murder / The Firm) and drummer Marco Minnemann. As mentioned we get a guest appearance from George Bellas on the second track “Night In Babylon” and this is another more progressive offering and again a nice mix of fast and slower passages. What really put the progressive slant into this release in the Marco’s use of odd tempos, poly-rhythmic lines and time modulations based on a 16th and 8th note pulse, so there is no real Malmsteen style harmonic minor burners here with the final track “Closer To The Wind” getting the nearest to that territory of neo-classical.

Overall Marco has produced an enjoyable album which has a lot of guitar flash backed up by sound backing tracks and that hold the interest. My only criticism would be that the tracks all seem to be around the same sort of tempo but this minor flaw doesn’t devalue the end product and the album comes recommended.

New online video clips

A couple of great new clips posted online.... check them out!

CHRIS IMPELLITTERI



The official Chris Impellitteri website have just posted a great new video of Chris running through some practise excercises on his new Engl amps. To download the wmv click here

CEM KOKSAL w/ JOE LYNN TURNER



Ex Yngwie/Rainbow vocalist Joe Lynn Turner recently joined Turkish neo-classical guitarist Cem Koksal for a string of live dates playing to crowds of over 10,000 on the Coca Cola Soundwave tour. Footage for a possible DVD release was filmed and Cem has been working on the editing. To view some of the click here (your popup blocker may hide this).

As soon as we get more information on this "possible" DVD we will let you know.

Neo-Classical Chart - August 2006

A little late on posting the monthly top 10 bestselllers on the neo-classical chart at www.guitar9.com this month but here we go...

#1 Matthew Mills / Neo Classical Rock Guitar
The album is for strong and healthy guitar fanatics - NeoClassical Rock Guitar is not recommended for the malnourished, faint-of-heart, or anyone taking the thousands of drugs advertised on prime time television.

#2 Hess / Opus 1
The CD features a new breed of high caliber instrumental guitar compositions combining the neo-classical styles of Yngwie Malmsteen and Jason Becker with the progressive rock styles of Dream Theater and George Bellas, along with the emotion of 19th century Romanticism.
[check out our exclusive interview with Tom Hess]

#3 Michael Romeo / The Dark Chapter
Romeo is an incredibly accomplished player drawing on a neo-classical style reminiscent of Yngwie Malmsteen while retaining his own identifiable signature that sets him apart from other players in this genre. He has received major coverage in many of the guitar magazines around the world and is best known for his role as lead guitarist in Symphony X.

#4 Matt Mills Project / Matt Mills Project
The twelve all instrumental tracks feature a smorgasbord of large, swept arpeggiated sequences, diminished patterns and pedaled passages (ala Malmsteen and Moore) - with Mills' guitaristic prowess comes through strikingly on every track.

#5 Timo Tolkki / Classical Variations & Themes
Classical Variations And Themes is the re-release of Stratovarius guitarist Timo Tolkki's 1994, neo-classically flavored, melodic metal solo outing.

#6 German Schauss / The Lightspeeder
Mind-blowingly fast sweeps. Complex, classically influenced progressions. Odd, even and fractional meters. Shredded, corpse-chopping, speed picking. A head-splittingly large number of notes! All this and more can be heard on German Schauss' CD The Lightspeeder, a collection of seven neo-classical progressive instrumentals designed to shock, awe and make you soil your drawers.

#7 Theodore Ziras / Virtual Virtuosity
Classic sweep arpeggios, searing extended solo sections, memorable themes, and overall extraordinary playing mark this CD, Ziras' second, and cement his place in the roster of notable neo-classical shredders.

#8 Tony MacAlpine / Edge Of Insanity
Edge Of Insanity is the incredible neo-classical fusion album recorded with renowned bassist Billy Sheehan and drummer Steve Smith who combined with MacAlpine for one of the hottest power trios of all time.

#9 George Bellas / Mind Over Matter
Mind Over Matter is George Bellas' second Shrapnel release, and finds the guitarist perfecting his neo-classical approach, while evoking shades of Jason Becker in places.
[check out our exclusive interview with George Bellas]

#10 Bob Katsionis - Imaginery Force
An instrumental virtuoso progressive/neoclassical/metal album with amazing keyboards and guitars, entitled Imaginary Force. The tempos are fast and furious as Katsionis' mega rhythms and blazing guitar work are almost upstaged by his ultra-frightening keyboard solos,

News Update

Neo-Classical News Round Up

My apologies for the lack of updates over the last couple of months. Throw in a hectic schedule at work, moving house and much more and the weeks quickly pass by. In the meantime here's some news....

Chris Impellitteri

Chris has posted the following update on his official website.

The new music for "Good and Evil" is officially written, and it is time to start the recording. I am very excited about this material because I challenged myself to push the envelope and grow artistically. The writing process was definitely time consuming because I wanted these songs to inspire people and excite them. So I knew that this CD had to be better than anything I have done to date. Fortunately, I have all this positive energy and motivation which led to some really amazing riffs and crazy soloing. This music is definitely Metal with lots of fast shredding guitar solos and screaming vocals. The Rhythms are heavy and addictive and the vibe is positive with lots of energy....

As many of you know, I don't like to interact with the media very often, but if this recording turns out well, I will promote this release heavily and tour extensively. But, first thing is first, so I am headed into the studio with my boys and hope to see all of you soon !!
Thanks for all of your support !!!!!!!!

Kindest Regards,
Chris Impellitteri

Chris has also just become a new endorser of Engl amps.

Naturally we will try and get another interview with Chris once the album is out to get a deeper look into it. In the meantime check our older interview with Chris here.

Marco Ferrigno
Hanging Gardens is a great new instrumental opus fron neo-classical guitarist Marco Ferrigno. The album is out now on Lion Music and features George Bellas on one track in addition to bass work from the mighty Tony Franklin. Check it out at http://www.lionmusic.com/ferrigno_gardens.htm

Yngwie Malmsteen
The Maestro contines his assault on the worlds live stages with a string of new dates announced for Asia/Australia. Yngwie is currently working on a new studio album as well.

2006 Asia/Australia Tour
NOVEMBER 4: BANGKOK, THAILAND - THUNDERDOME

NOVEMBER 6: HONG KONG - HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL TRADE & EXHIBITION CENTER (HITEC)

NOVEMBER 9: SINGAPORE - FORT CANNING PARK (OUT DOOR VENUE)

NOVEMBER 11: TAIWAN - FAMILY THEATER, TAIPEI

NOVEMBER 14: BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – THE ARENA COMPLEX

NOVEMBER 15: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – ENMORE THEATER

NOVEMBER 16: MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – PALACE ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX

NOVEMBER 17: ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – THEBARTON THEATER

NOVEMBER 19: PERTH, AUSTRALIA – METRO CITY

Joe Stump
It looks like the new Joe Stump instructional DVD entitled "Neo-Classical Guitar 3" is available on September 20th from www.shredacademy.com, more details as I get them.

Underground Artist - Jonas Hörnqvist (9th July 06)

Jonas Hörnqvist started playing the guitar 1983 at the age of 12, inspired by guitarplayers like Ace Frehley, Michael Schenker, Uli Jon Roth and Gary Moore.

A year after Jonas started playing guitar, Jonas put his first band together and played live at some schools and even some backyard partys. Songs in the setlist included only KISS songs.
Summer of 1985 changed Jonas playing totally when he heard Yngwie J Malmsteen for the first time. Jonas also discovered jazz/rock guitarplayer Al Di Meola that summer. This lead to an almost obsessive guitar practicing period since Jonas wanted to take his guitarplaying to a higher level.

In 1987, Jonas was in the biggest rock band competition ever held in Sweden, playing live in front of 2500 people with his band Calilio. A year later his band signed a record deal which resulted in a single (Lips/I remember you) that sold well over all of Europe.
By the end of 1991, Jonas disolved his band and started to work on more progressive songs, during 1991 Jonas also recorded a 8 song instrumental demo which sold almost 2000 copies world wide.

In 1993 Jonas put together the band he still have today, Treasure Land. In April 1996 Treasure Land signed a world wide record deal with German label Modern Music.
Two cd’s later (”Questions” released 1997 and ”Gateway” released 1998) Treasure Land parted ways with the label.

Treasure Land also participated in two tribute cd’s:Power from the north – Sweden rocks the world 1999 A guitar odyssey – A tribute to Yngwie J Malmsteen 2000
Treasure Land is currently writing songs for a 3rd CD after some years of doing other music stuff.
Jonas have also written 3 books about ”Guitar technique” written for the Swedish market.
There will also be 3 instructional dvd’s.
Jonas is currently teaching 35-40 students a week, both privately and online. At the moment, Jonas have students from USA, Italy, France, Germany, Denmark, Canada and Sweden.

Some impressive press quotes state...

Guitarist Jonas Hornqvist is a class neoclassical guitarist who is without a doubt one of the most talented uprising stars in Progressive metal.(Metal warriors - Australia)

J. Hörnqvist is a high class stringbender mixing flashy technique with Yngwiesque feeling.(Janne Stark. Author of "The Encyclopedia of Swedish Hardrock and Heavy Metal - Sweden)

Jonas Hornqvist is a man on a mission. I listen in utter amazement of his guitar work.(Metallic Symphonies - Greece)

Baroque & Roll hopes to interview Jonas very soon.

Web Links
http://www.jonashornqvist.com
http://www.myspace.com/jonashornqvist
http://www.treasureland.nu/

Underground Artist - Anthony Bracaglia (5th July 2006)

Anthony Bracaglia was born in 1971 in Queens, New York and began to play guitar at age 13 but didn’t take much interest until he heard a young Yngwie Malmsteen in Steeler. The new sound he heard was something that really took a hold of him. At around the same time he discovered Shrapnel Records and found many great players such as Vinnie Moore and Paul Gilbert who were further sources of inspiration. The following years saw Anthony practising to achieve the levels of guitar player of his mentors.

In recent years Bracaglia played with a short lived band ‘Pounding Mound’ and working with Barry Alpert on his ‘Faith In Chaos’ projects. Early 2005 saw Anthony starting to write his own material and recorded some material for his own demo ‘Time Will Tell’ which is hoped to be completed very soon.

Bracaglia’s website is home to some excellent neo-classical instrumentals as well as a mouth watering collection of amps and guitars - one to watch!

Check out Anthony now at his official website and myspace page.

Neo-Classical Charts (month of June 06)

Courtesy of www.guitar9.com

1. Michael Romeo
The Dark Chapter
Romeo is an incredibly accomplished player drawing on a neo-classical style reminiscent of Yngwie Malmsteen while retaining his own identifiable signature that sets him apart from other players in this genre. He has received major coverage in many of the guitar magazines around the world and is best known for his role as lead guitarist in Symphony X.
Baroque & Roll comments - perhaps more prog metal than all out neo-classical but some nice classical themese and arpeggio ideas throughout.

2. Joey Taffola
Out Of The Sun
Guitarist Joey Tafolla teamed with two heavyweights - Tony MacAlpine (keyboards, melodies and production) and Paul Gilbert (guest guitar solos on four tracks) - and the result is a melodic metal feast topped with a barrage of ripping guitar solos and furious keyboard accompaniment. Tafolla's debut is powered by the rhythm section of former Rising Force bassist Wally Voss and innovative drummer Reynold Carlson.

3. Vinnie Moore
Time Odyssey
Time Odyssey was Vinnie Moore's 1988 follow up to "Mind's Eye" and was released on the Squawk label (a division of PolyGram Records), which also released the amazing "Maximum Security" by Tony MacAlpine. This release ontinues the neo-classical metal backdrop of his first album, while keeping shred guitar fans happy with cuts like "Prelude/Into The Future" and "Race With Destiny".

4. Yngwie J Malmsteen
Instrumental Best Album
Imagine taking the best of the Yngwie Malmsteen instrumental tracks from the Pony Canyon years, putting them together on one CD and putting it out for all the instrumental fans out there. What would you call it? How about the Instrumental Best Album?

5. Theodore Ziras
Virtual Virtuosity
Greece's Theodore Ziras' brilliant neo-classical release Virtual Virtuosity. Classic sweep arpeggios, searing extended solo sections, memorable themes, and overall extraordinary playing mark this CD, Ziras' second, and cement his place in the roster of notable neo-classical shredders. Inspired by Bach, Vivaldi and Paganini, as well as a host of modern players such as George Bellas, John Petrucci and Jason Becker, Ziras played all the instruments and did all the recording, mixing, mastering and production himself.

6. Borislav Mitic
Fantasy
Fantasy is guitarist Borislav Mitic's 1996 Yugoslavian release which eventually led to his signing with Shrapnel Records. Featuring original compositions and works by Paganini, Handel and Bach, the CD is a neo-classical shredfest in every sense of the word.
Baroque & Roll comments - A good release but try and hunt down the self-titled release on Shrapnel Records, sadly long out of print

7. Hideaki Nakama
Point Of No Return
Hideaki Nakama, a neo-classical and metal guitarist who gained fame with the hard rock band Hurry Scuary released a mostly instrumental showcase album in 1989 called Point Of No Return. The CD features seven instrumental tracks, along with two vocal numbers sung by bassist Norio Sakai.

8. Hess
Opus 1
Hess, featuring guitarist Tom Hess, guitarist Mike Walsh and drummer Chris Dowgun come screaming out of Illinois with their 12 track debut album Opus 1. The CD features a new breed of high caliber instrumental guitar compositions combining the neo-classical styles of Yngwie Malmsteen and Jason Becker with the progressive rock styles of Dream Theater and George Bellas, along with the emotion of 19th century Romanticism.
Baroque & Roll comments: Be sure to check our Baroque & Roll's interview with Tom Hess here.

9. Matt Mills Project
Matt Mills Project
Loaded with blazing fretfire and a true contender for the NPM (notes per minute) award is the Matt Mills Project self-titled CD. The twelve all instrumental tracks feature a smorgasbord of large, swept arpeggiated sequences, diminished patterns and pedaled passages (ala Malmsteen and Moore) - with Mills' guitaristic prowess comes through strikingly on every track. He also favors a lot of harmonized lines -- a Malmsteen favorite -- and the song "Drive" is a showcase of this aspect of Mill's style. The Guitar Mania site even remarked, "Neo-Classical guitar has a new force - his name is Matthew Mills. Not since Malmsteen or Stump have we heard such a melodic assault of harmonized arpeggios combined with catchy melodies and awesome, jaw dropping technique." A true arpeggiated assault.

10. George Bellas
Venomous Fingers
The third release from one of neo-classical's leading players. Loaded with deft fretwork, progressive frameworks and that Bellas "butter tone". A fantastic slice of fretboard action.
Baroque & Roll comments - read our interview with George here

James Byrd Interview - 2nd July 2006

James Byrd is my all time favourite guitarist simple as that. However, to many he is criminally unknown except for those that may have heard Yngwie Malmsteen mention his name in interviews (Yes a player Malmsteen has praised). To find out about Byrd's career in detail I suggest you read our write up on him here, for those wishing to get straight to the interview then an opening paragraph from that profile should tell you everything you need to know - Byrd has one of the purest tones you will hear and his entire catalogue screams quality and is essential listening. His guitar work showcases what the instrument is capable of in the right hands with his immense note choice, clean speed picking, superb vibrato and original phrasing - Byrd is "a players player" and anyone that takes the time to investigate his music further will be blown away – (a baroque and roll.com guarantee) - simply if you have yet to check out any of Byrd's work then get on over to Guitar9.com via the following links and purchase any of these albums.

http://www.guitar9.com/guitarmusic9/anthem.html

http://www.guitar9.com/guitarmusic9/flyingbeyond.html

http://www.guitar9.com/guitarmusic9/crimesofvirtuosity.html

Now on with the interview.

James many thanks for participating in this interview with Baroque & Roll.
JB: Thank you

If we can start bang up-to date and talk about your recently formed company Byrd ™ Guitars (

http://www.byrdguitars.com). Can you give us some background into why you started your own guitar company, especially given the major endorsement deals you have had in the past?
JB: It really didn’t start out that way. I mean, I wasn’t intent on creating a company. It all started one day with my frustration with my Strat’s ergonomics and in particular, a cut I got on my right hand from a pickguard screw which had gone rusty and presented a miniature razor from the chrome plate lifting. I was actually recording solos for Crimes of Virtuosity when it happened, and I realized there was actually blood smeared on the pickguard. Pretty rock and roll really, but at the times, I was really pissed about it. The studio can be a frustrating place sometimes, so I’m sure that added to it. Later that day I was looking at my Strat and wondering why it was the way it was. I mean I knew the history of Fender very well, so it was rhetorical. All of a had a sudden realization that of all people, I was actually in a very good position to design my own guitar, and to finally have exactly what I’d always wanted.



The Super Avianti ® really is a beautiful guitar to look at, yet is quite unique as well, what led to the body design and headstock design?
JB: I’ve been associated with two instruments in my professional career; the Gibson Flying V ®, and the Fender Stratocaster ®. There were things I liked about both guitars, but I’d settled on the Fender ® as being closest to giving me everything. Two things I didn’t like about the Fender ® though, were the lower body horn, and the headstock. The lower body horn was put there for people who find sitting with the guitar over their right leg, and not playing above the 10th fret to be among their priorities, and although I liked the looks of the headstock, I knew it was actually backwards from an engineering perspective; it’s design raised the string tension on the highest strings dramatically. The only thing I really liked about the Flying V ® were it’s lack of a body horn, and it seemed to have some interesting acoustical properties as well. I didn’t like the humbucking pickups or the controls and fixed bridge, and it was also not well balanced on the strap. Now these were all things I already knew, but really, the guitar’s design just came rushing to me in one drawing; I took the basic ‘V’ shape, and added length to the lower wing while shortening the upper wing to put the center of gravity below the centerline and to make the right arm position better, and I designed the headstock with the four higher strings (D through E) in a left handed configuration to re-balance the string tension and eliminate the need for string trees.
There was really a lot more than that to it, but that was the initial concept. I also decided that while I was at it, I’d try inlaying the pickguard assembly into the face of the guitar to make it smoother, going back to my original cut hand as inspiration. Obviously I also decided to use better designed screws that were truly flush and wouldn’t rust. When I finally had the first guitar in hand, I thought is played and sounded brilliantly. The man who’d helped me build the first guitar is a guy named Lynn Ellsworth, founder of Boogie Body ™ guitars. He was something of a saint to me, and when we assembled the first guitar, he really thought I was onto something and said so. It was then that I sort of fell into the whole thing in a way I hadn’t intended, thinking that my guitar had real potential for everyone of a particular playing bent. All refinements of the design took place between 14 prototypes, each one slightly more evolved than the previous. The headstock was enlarged because it gave a better sound, the contours on the body were refined from one to the next, and experiments with routing ended up creating a large tone chamber. The neck joint went through 4 different versions; the first being like a Strat ® with the metal plate and four screws, then a square neck heel with a contour and four screws, then an extended sculpted 5 bolt neck joint, and finally, a slightly less extended contoured neck heel with four bolts. It was all a lot of time spent evaluating comfort and performance.

Obviously this site is aimed at neo-classical metal fans and being a pioneer of the style why would you recommend the Super Avianti® to anyone looking into potentially buying a new instrument?
JB: If you love a great Strat ® sound, plus additional pickup combinations (it has seven), plus some really fat sounds all it’s own, and more comfort from a performance based design, this might be your holy grail. It has it’s priorities, first and foremost being able to get around on the fret board unimpeded. Playing in the upper neck areas is a joy, and even shifting your hand to play sweep arpeggios at the 14th fret is easy on account of the complete access to the last fret. So if you value the notion of nothing interfering with anywhere you want to go on the neck, this is for you. But if you’re someone who insists on sitting down with the guitar over your right leg to play, you’re going to have an argument right away because that was not the priority in the design. This was never my concern because when I sit down to play, I play in the classical position with the guitar between my legs. The Super Avianti ® is the most comfortable guitar I’ve ever played sitting down, and because of the body’s shape, I can actually take both hands of the instrument, and it just stays there. It’s also designed to stay in tune during radical tremolo abuse without a locking tremolo system. Because of my headstock design, these things truly stay in tune when you use the trem.

The custom scalloped neck work you do is again unique, what led to this design and did you have a similar scallop on your previous Strats/ESP’s?
JB: My endorsement guitars has ordinary scalloping if I requested the companies to scallop the necks, but the guitars I did myself, I scalloped in what I thought was a better way; removing wood exactly where your fingers are placed, as opposed to directly in the middle of the fingerboard.

Tonally what can this guitar do that you were unable to do with other guitars?
JB: Because of the scale length (25.5) and pickups (single coil sized noiseless DiMarzio ® Virtual ® pickups ), the basic tonality is very much like a Strat. But it has more sustain, and a fuller bottom end to the sound because of the body size and shape, and the tone chambering. Because of the 2 additional pickup combinations I added over the standard 5-way set-up, I can turn on the neck pick and bridge pickup together, or all three pickups at once. I also put the tone controls on the neck and the bridge instead of the neck and the middle. As a result, I can get all the Stratty sounds, plus Gibson ® like fatness, and with all 3 pickups on, it gets a hollowish tone very similar to Brian May’s tone on ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. It’s just really versatile, playable, and as I said, it stays in tune like a rock. Before I designed these guitars, all my guitars had Floyd Rose ® locking tremolos on them. Now none of my guitars have them. The sound is much better without the Floyd Rose ®.

Music, you have been quiet since the release of the stunning ‘Byrd – Anthem’ back in 2002, can we expect any new music in the near future?
JB: Yes, but I’m sorry to say that I’m not immersed in anything recording-wise at the moment. I went through a lot of really difficult times between a spinal injury I suffered in 2001, the artistic difficulties of 9-11, and the death of my Father in 2004, just a bunch of negative stuff. So I’ve been taking a break from composing and recording because I just don’t feel like dealing with certain emotions for a while. The short answer is when I feel ready to pour my heart into it, and right now, I don’t.

Going back to ‘Anthem’, that release is in my top 3 all time favorites and still a couple of hundred listens on inspires and speaks to me. Yet it’s quite advanced from your earlier works such as Atlantis Rising or The Apocalypse Chime. How do you view that album now looking back?
JB: Honestly, I can’t even listen to it. Making that album was actually nothing short of hellish. I was on so many narcotics for pain from my back injury, it was just a bad trip. It was physically painful to even sit with the guitar, and it took forever to record because the narcotics really effected my short term memory badly. If I left off on something for more than a day, I’d have to re-learn things, and the pain I was in made it very difficult to spend more than 45 minutes at a time sitting in the studio (I was actually in a wheel chair some of the time, and laid out on in bed the rest of the time for several months). They had me on dilaudid morphine and phentynol, a drug supposedly 10 times more powerful than heroin. I’d glad someone likes the album because I just have this association with physical pain, 9-11 anxiety and frustration with the recording album that almost makes me sick to listen to it today.

Compositionally it’s immense and your guitar work is the icing on the cake to many degrees. Was the material written with guitar in mind foremost and did you approach for that album differ radically from your previous works?
JB: Everything was composed apart from the guitar. I think the pain that holding the guitar created probably made that decision easy to make, but yes, the guitar was intended to be entirely supported as opposed to being the support. I composed everything on the keyboard, and that too added a lot to the frustration of making the album because I’m not a keyboard player; I’d have the lines in my head (what there was of it anyway!), and then have to learn them on the keyboards. I recorded all the orchestration as single lines. If you hear 30 violins and cellos, it was 30 single note recordings of each sample. Plus I was doing some of the engineering by myself. Try keeping track of that when you’re drugged into numb oblivion (don’t). But the good thing is, I’ve learned I’d make a lousy drug addict. I hate the way that stuff made me feel, the way they affected me, and although it took me months to taper off all the medications because of the physical addiction, I’m not someone who’s ever going to end up hooked on narcotics. I’d rather stick pins in my eyes than be on them again.

You have a large back catalogue of material. What album gave you the most headaches from start to finish and does that in anyway detract from your attachment to the album?
JB: Well I think I’ve answered that one haven’t I.

Your growth as a musician is quite clear to anyone that listens to your back catalogue. But how do you feel you have grown as a musician/artist over your career?
JB: I wish I could answer that, I really do. It’s one of the things I’m trying to figure out right now. I’ve “grown” to the point of being sick of even hearing my own music. That’s the truth. I’m so self-critical, I’ve criticized myself right out of wanting to make an album at the moment. You know I’ve changed directions within my direction so many times, and it’s really because my relationship with music is a love-hate affair. Once I’ve gone in a particular direction, I’m just always dissatisfied and feel like there must be something “more”. I know it’s actually a liability commercially because people naturally want the second album they purchase from an artist, to have some bearing on the previous one. And a lot of people do that, in fact most try to do that. Well, I did that one time with Anthem, deliberately picking up on where I’d left off conceptually with Flying Beyond the 9, and it’s hard to be objective on account of the other factors, but now I’m just tired of the whole approach right now. I’m trying to figure out what’s left within what I consider my musical parameters. I don’t really care for progressive Jazz, but honestly, I’m just kind of at the point where I wish there were more than 12 notes to work with, you know? I’ve got so many different approaches to music in me, many of them things I’ve never recorded (like big-band stuff, traditional blues and rockabilly) but making an album requires a certain unification of focus. That’s why I’m taking a break, that and the other reasons I mentioned. Obviously commercial considerations have little to do with what I’ve been about musically or I’d never have bothered to make the albums I make. Sometimes you just have to question everything and stew for a while, and that’s where I am right now.


Over the last few years you have also appeared on a few tribute albums, your working of Uli Jon Roth’s ‘Still So Many Lives Away’ stood out a million miles from any other on the Uli tribute, what do you try to do when doing a cover version?
JB: You really think so? That’s nice of you to say. I didn’t see the point in playing Uli’s solo note for note. If someone really wanted to hear that, well, they can just listen to the original. And Uli played a truly brilliant solo in my opinion. I’ve never seen the point of becoming a human tape recorder on these tribute albums. That’s what most guys do I know, but my feeling is why do it at all if you’re going to do that. I just tried to take the vibe, and work within what I considered it’s wider intent, with my own choice of notes. To maybe play something in the same spirit, but not the same notes.

You recently contributed to a Frank Marino tribute; can you tell the readers how that came about?
JB: I’ve known Frank for ten years now, and before we became friends, I was a huge fan of him growing up. Frank introduced me to the guy who runs his website (http://www.mahoganyrush.com) because I was needing some help with my first website. His name is Willy Parsons, otherwise known as “Wild Willy” (http://www.wildwilly.com/) . He’s actually a stand-up comedian in LA and right now he’s in the finals of “The last comic standing” on NBC (http://www.nbc.com/Last_Comic_Standing) . Willy is really responsible for bringing Frank Marino back into the public eye through his web site. Anyway, over the years of knowing Willy, at some point we started discussing the idea of doing a tribute album for Frank. Willy found a financial backer in LA who put up the production money, and I helped Willy decide who we’d try to get on the album.

Getting back to guitar you have the finest vibrato out there and alter it to suit the mood, how long did it take for you to realise you had a unique vibrato – often seen as the players fingerprint.
JB: It was actually hearing a player who had a brilliant vibrato that made me nearly obsessive about developing my own. This goes back a very long way, probably further than most people know, but it was hearing Paul Kossoff of Free that first spun my head. I was in awe of his vibrato. I had it nailed by the time I was 15, and from there, it was a matter of realizing that there were several other vibratos that could be studied and eventually made into a lexicon. Robin Trower was another one, but his was almost the same as Paul Kossoff’s. Hendrix also had a remarkable vibrato at times, and I loved his slow-hand vibrato on the studio side of ‘Voodoo ‘Chile’. The of course there was Blackmore. And then Micheal Schenker. Let’s just say, that I was a connoisseur of the subject. I eventually came to regard different approaches to vibrato, the same way I regarded modes or even notes; why just use the same one all the time? Of course there were other things which came into the mix like using the tremolo. And there’s also length-wise classical vibrato which I use all the time too. That has a whole different sound to it because you’re not only going above the pitch, but below it as well. And sometimes I actually combine using the vibrato arm, and lengthwise classical hand vibrato at the same time. It's extremely tricky to do, but it has a wholly unique sound to it. That’s what I did on the intro to “Goodbye my Love” (Crimes of Virtuosity) along with the volume swells.

Your use of speed is also more selective than many other players in the neo-classical genre, what do you aim for when it comes to solo time?
JB: It really isn’t a conscious thing, it just evolves as I familiarize myself with the music.

What is your most challenging lead break recorded to date?
JB: That’s really hard to answer because when I first record them, they’re all challenging. The only way to answer that is to think in terms of having to go back and exactly play them note for note. Some of them are more structured than others, so it’s easier to go back and know exactly what I was doing. But some of those structures are physically insane (see TAB examples below, MIDIFILE: http://www.geocities.com/strat110/solo1.mid) .

Going Home solo tab p.1 [click to englarge]


Going Home solo tab p.2 [click to englarge]


Going Home solo tab p.3 [click to englarge]


Going Home solo tab p.4 [click to englarge]

Going Home solo tab p.5 [click to englarge]

I see you also recently launched your own myspace page. What do you think of the myspace phenomena and can you see it going the same way as the original mp3.com?
JB: I think it’s hilarious! I mean really, think about it. What IS it? It’s a lot like a bunch of people congregating in some empty field for no reason. Why am I there? Because everyone else is there. I can’t even remember how I got there! It doesn’t really do anything. It’s just a social cluster-fuck. It’s a bunch of people all standing in the same place, and I don’t think a single one of them could tell you why they’re there other than the fact that everyone else is also there. Maybe it’s like some guy on a sidewalk who decides to stand there and look up and point, you know? Pretty soon there’s a crowd all standing there looking up and pointing at the sky. People are strange and have a herd mentality. As to any comparison to MP3, I don’t know. People are also opportunists, so I’m sure that eventually someone’s going to try to make more money out of it for the shareholders. I guess the bottom line is that it’s a nice place to put pictures and music for now, but like MP3, I wouldn’t ever pay for the privilege if the owners get greedy. I’m just there because it’s there, and it allows me to engage in shameless self-promotion free of bandwidth charge. Does anyone really need a better reason than that? http://www.myspace.com/guitaristjamesbyrd

James Byrd Links

http://www.jamesbyrd.com

http://www.byrdguitars.com

Now check out some of Byrd's work!

2nd July 2006 Underground Artist - Raj Mohan

Feel the need... the need for speed? Well if so you’re in the right place, for speedy guitar stuff anyway. Raj Mohan is a guitar player and instructor from Los Angeles, CA. Right now he's recording his instrumental solo album tentatively titled 'Strat Out Of Hell' as well as teaching lessons and writing stuff for his band Warrden. If you are into today’s new breed of “super shredders” such as Rusty Cooley, Francesco Fareri and others, or if you just like classically influenced guitar playing that is super fast, then you will probably like what you hear!

To find out more about Raj check out his website here

Neo-Classical News 1st July 2006

Back after a hectic June during which time I got married and plenty of good things coming your way including an interview with James Byrd, reviews of the Joe Stump instructional DVD's and much more! In the meantime here is the latest neo-classical news happenings.

Happy Birthday Yngwie

Yngwie turned 43 on June 30th, Baroque & Roll send our congratulations and best wishes for another neo-classical filled year.

George Bellas opens new webstore

Looking for some of the leading instructional tools, software and more? Then be sure to check out the new George Bellas webstore for a variety of goodies. To enter click here


Jose Del Rio - Chilean guitar master to unleash debut release

Jose Del Rio is an exciting guitarist hailing from Chile who is set to release his debut album entitled 'Journey Into The Fourth Dimension' on Lion Music on July 21st. The album includes guest keyboard performances from Vitalij Kuprij [Artension / Ring Of Fire] is features rich orchestration along with frightening speed, including a cover of 'Flight Of The Bumblebee' recorded at 300 bpm! For more info check http://www.lionmusic.com/fourthdimension.htm

Marco Ferrigno ready to release 'Hanging Gardens'
Also on Lion Music is the forthcoming release in August of another neo-classical tinted release, Marco Ferrigno - Hanging Gardens. Readers may be familiar with the Ferrigno name from the Ferrigno, Leal, Kuprij album released on Lion a few years back. More information on this release to follow next month but we can announce that George Bellas guests on the album as well as bass parts being handled by virtuoso Tony Franklin (Blue Murder / Liquid Tension Experiment).

Vitalij Kuprij's Revenge set to Rock Mexico City with Joe Stump's Reign Of Terror
Vitalij's REVENGE will be the main band for the Expo Rock Festival in Mexico City on August 17th, support comes from Joe Stump's Reign Of Terror and Ron Thals Bumblefoot.

Joe Stump begins work on new solo album and instructional DVD

In addition to the Holy Hell disc which Joe has spent the last 2 months recording for, he's also got a new solo record in the pipes, with all of the material composed. Joe is preparing to start work on that after the guitars are finished with Holy Hell.
Another new instructional DVD, Neo-Classical Guitar 3 is also done. This DVD focuses on Baroque style classical pedal point and linear playing. As with the previous DVD, it contains quite a bit of instructional content, performance footage, and yes, plenty of gratuitous shredding. It should be released by the Shred Academy soon, look out for Baroque & Roll's review of Joe's currently available DVD's very soon.

Neo-classical Charts (Month of May 06)

Courtesy of www.guitar9.com

1. Michael Romeo
The Dark Chapter
Romeo is an incredibly accomplished player drawing on a neo-classical style reminiscent of Yngwie Malmsteen while retaining his own identifiable signature that sets him apart from other players in this genre. He has received major coverage in many of the guitar magazines around the world and is best known for his role as lead guitarist in Symphony X.

2. Hess
Opus 2
The music of Opus 2 is rich in musical depth, progressive key changes and rhythms, orchestration, great passions of emotion, and of course, extreme double virtuoso guitar work. You have heard progressive bands, instrumental shred guitar masters, neoclassical virtuosos, cool film music and very dramatically expressive music before, but the only place you are likely to hear all of this in one CD is Opus 2.
Baroque & Roll comment: Be sure to check our Baroque & Roll's interview with Tom Hess now.

3. Hess
Opus 1
Hess, featuring guitarist Tom Hess, guitarist Mike Walsh and drummer Chris Dowgun come screaming out of Illinois with their 12 track debut album Opus 1. The CD features a new breed of high caliber instrumental guitar compositions combining the neo-classical styles of Yngwie Malmsteen and Jason Becker with the progressive rock styles of Dream Theater and George Bellas, along with the emotion of 19th century Romanticism.
Baroque & Roll comment: Be sure to check our Baroque & Roll's interview with Tom Hess now.

4. Theodore Ziras
Virtual Virtuosity
Greece's Theodore Ziras' brilliant neo-classical release Virtual Virtuosity. Classic sweep arpeggios, searing extended solo sections, memorable themes, and overall extraordinary playing mark this CD, Ziras' second, and cement his place in the roster of notable neo-classical shredders. Inspired by Bach, Vivaldi and Paganini, as well as a host of modern players such as George Bellas, John Petrucci and Jason Becker, Ziras played all the instruments and did all the recording, mixing, mastering and production himself.

5. Borislav Mitic
Fantasy
Fantasy is guitarist Borislav Mitic's 1996 Yugoslavian release which eventually led to his signing with Shrapnel Records. Featuring original compositions and works by Paganini, Handel and Bach, the CD is a neo-classical shredfest in every sense of the word.
Baroque & Roll comment: A good release but try and hunt down the self-titled release on Shrapnel Records, sadly long out of print

6. Yngwie J Malmsteen
Instrumental Best Album
Imagine taking the best of the Yngwie Malmsteen instrumental tracks from the Pony Canyon years, putting them together on one CD and putting it out for all the instrumental fans out there. What would you call it? How about the Instrumental Best Album?

7.Hideaki Nakama
Point Of No Return
Hideaki Nakama, a neo-classical and metal guitarist who gained fame with the hard rock band Hurry Scuary released a mostly instrumental showcase album in 1989 called Point Of No Return. The CD features seven instrumental tracks, along with two vocal numbers sung by bassist Norio Sakai.

8. Michael Harris
Sketches From The Thought Chamber
Sketches From The Thought Chamber, the newest creation from guitarist Michael Harris, represents his first solo release of the new millennium and fourth overall. The CD sheds new light on Harris’ compositional skills and versatility with an amazing collection of songs that range from the compositional ingenuity of "Prognosis" to the twisted fusion elements of "Neuro-Tranzmitter" and the subtle beauty of "A Soul’s Torment".
Baroque & Roll comments: Not strictly neo-classical but has touched of the genre throughout.

9. Joe Stump
Guitar Dominance
Guitar Dominance introduces the world to the full-throttle music of Joe Stump, whose guitar playing at times seems to exceed the limits of human capability. In the neo-classical style of Yngwie Malmsteen and Tony MacAlpine, Stump stakes his own turf with Guitar Dominance, breathing new life into the genre, and establishing himself as a guitar force to be reckoned with.
Baroque & Roll comment - be sure to check out our interview with Joe Stump now.

10. Victor Smolski
Majesty & Passion
This CD is a concept album with Bach's music in the focus. Smolski has taken some of Bach's well known contertos and suites and arranged the music for orchestra and metal band. Not too much has been changed from Bach's versions, yet the musical expression is very much different. The guitar sound playing the melodies and themes is so controlled and dry, showcasing how good a guitarist Smolski actually is.

Archive 27/5/2006 - James Byrd profile

James Byrd is perhaps the player out of all featured at Baroque & Roll that should be more renowned than he is. His reputation by those that are familiar with his work is right up at the upper echelon of the genre and he has the honour of being the only guitarist Yngwie has given an uncompensated endorsement to, calling Byrd, "One of the best European sounding guitarists I have heard in years, he definitely has 'the vision' and aims for each note and makes it count". Guitar For The Practising Magazine (now known as Guitar One) listed Byrd in their one-off feature "The 10 best guitarists you have never heard" and he is often quoted by rock guitar legend Frank Marino (Mahogany Rush) as a superb talent.

In addition Byrd has one of the purest tones you will hear and his entire catalogue screams quality and is essential listening. His guitar work showcases what the instrument is capable of in the right hands with his immense note choice, clean speed picking, superb vibrato and original phrasing - Byrd is "a players player" and anyone that takes the time to investigate his music further will be blown away – (a baroque and roll.com guarantee).

I have noted some comments in a couple of places on the web stating that Byrd is nothing more than a Yngwie rip-off. This suggests that either these people have never heard Byrd’s music or they have never heard Yngwie’s music. There are no real comparisons in a compositional sense between Byrd and Malmsteen other than them both being masters of the guitar and many similarities in influences and tastes. Byrd however is the stronger composer and his progression as an artist can clearly be traced over his recording history which dates back to 1983 with the classic debut by Seattle based Melodic Power Metal pioneers Fifth Angel.

In addition Byrd now front his own guitar company Byrd Guitars who produce the truly stunning 'Super Avianti' of which I own one and can recommend it as the number one neo-classical guitar (even above my old beloved Strats).

Biography

Byrd's roots extend back to when he was 9 years old; he had a guitar but was not serious about the instrument until the day Jimi Hendrix died. His first early influences were mostly blues players and within 5 years he was playing like an "old soul" wow-ing much older audiences around the Washington State area. After this Byrd began listening to players like Ritchie Blackmore, Uli Jon Roth (Scorpions era), Al DiMeola, Neal Schon and Michael Schenker amongst others. Byrd uses these players’ styles as a springboard to his own sound and began honing his playing and song writing skills further still.

Aged 18 Byrd went on the road with a heavy metal cover band, performing albums such as UFO's Strangers In The Night and Scorpion's Tokyo Tapes note for note. This band won the "Northwest Battle Of The Bands" and free studio recording time. As the band did not have a single original song, they went in and just played covers live. Byrd decided after a year in this band, he wanted out, but they tried to get him to stay, so the soundman (who also wanted to go) and Byrd took-off in the middle of the night.

In 1980, Byrd put together his first original band with original songs. In late 1981 he moved to L.A. and spent a year there playing with various bands at the usual places (Troubador, Perkins Palace etc.). In late 1982, Byrd had had enough of L.A. and wanted to move back to Seattle to work with two musicians he'd heard before he'd gone to L.A. One was drummer Ken Mary, the other was vocalist Ted Pilot. This was to become Fifth Angel.

The band concentrated solely on writing, rehearsing and producing an album, and then looked for a recording contract. By late 1983, Fifth Angel was in Steve Lawson Productions with Terry Date recording "Fade to Flames", "Fifth Angel", "In the Fallout", and "Wings of Destiny". With this four song demo, about a hundred tapes went out to record companies on a list. Shrapnel Records was on the list, and Byrd felt that if nothing else, they'd sign him. Mike Varney was on the phone after one listen to sign the project. They got a pittance of an advance, but finished the album by cutting five more tracks. The reviews were stellar, and Byrd began getting endorsement offers and interviews. In 1987, Fifth Angel's reputation as an act got them management with 'Concrete Marketing and Management', and a seven-album deal on Epic/CBS who re-released "Fifth Angel" in late 1987/early 1988. The seeds of destruction for Fifth Angel were sown as soon as large sums of money looked likely. Byrd was out of the band he'd created very shortly after the CBS agreement was signed.

In 1988/89, Byrd returned to Shrapnel Records under his own name and recorded James Byrd's Atlantis Rising. A lawsuit between Shrapnel and their distributors left the album in a warehouse for an entire year with no distribution, but still was advertised in major press by Shrapnel. The album did extremely well in Japan and Europe, but by the lawsuit severaly affected sales in the US. Musically the album is an extension of the sound showed on the debut Fifth Angel album, with strong vocal melodies and guitar solos from Byrd that are a near perfect mix of fretboard finesse and melodic content. Metal Hammer in Europe gave the album a 5 star review.

In 1993, Byrd recorded his first instrumental album Octoglomerate. It was this album that brought Yngwie Malmsteen's introduction. Mike Varney played Malmsteen some of the tracks over the phone, and Malmsteen asked for the album. It was sent, and Mike Varney introduced the two guitarists. 1993 also saw an introduction for Byrd to a long-time hero and influence Frank Marino, a close friendship developed between the pair. Frank's comments of praise about Byrd can be found in numerous interviews by Marino.

1995 brought the recording and release of another instrumental album: Son of Man. Yngwie Malmsteen granted his only uncompensated endorsement of another guitarists work for "Son of Man". Several mentions in major guitar magazines by Malmsteen of Byrd as "A great guitarist" created additional press, culminating in inclusion of a feature article in Guitar (GFTPM) Magazine in 1996; "The Ten Best Guitarists You've Never Heard Of". The album was a huge critical success with many publications calling it one of the finest instrumental releases in the history of guitar music. Any self respecting neo-classical fan should track down a copy of this album.

1996 brought the release of The James Byrd Group - The Apocalypse Chime with vocalist Robert Mason [Lynch Mob / Cry Of Love]. This was to be Byrd's fulfilment of his last contract to Shrapnel Records and possessed a strong collection of tracks marred slightly by a weak mix (Byrd states that Shrapnel gave him $1000 to do the album).

In 1997, Byrd returned to the Atlantis Rising name with a new label -JVC Japan, Mascot Europe-and line up. The new album James Byrd's Atlantis Rising - Crimes of Virtuosity was released in 1998 in Japan and Europe. The album gained extremely strong reviews but sadly label promotion was lacking for this superb album. Many high profile magazine articles did follow e.g. Young Guitar, Burn etc.

In 2000 James made Crimes Of Virtuosity available on mp3.com. Repackaged and remastered the album was a big success, featuring the Japanese 'C.O.V.' bonus track 'Shot Down In Flames', and the previously unreleased guitar/orchestra instrumental 'Byrd's Bolero' [whose recording predates Yngwie Malmsteen's Concerto by some 3 years], both were worthy additions from the Byrd vaults. Several tracks from the album scored highly on the mp3 charts, "Metatron 444" was #2 for 9 straight weeks and was still in the Top 20 after 6+ months!

After 3 years of hand building over a dozen prototypes of his signature "Super Avianti" guitar, James started his own 'Byrd Guitars' company in 1999 and began building his guitars for select local clients. Byrd's unique guitar also caught the eye of the NAMM show planning commitee and his guitar was featured as a display in Kentia Hall at the 99 NAMM show

From here Byrd hooked up with European label Lion Music initially for a solo on the Jason Becker Tribute album Warmth In The Wilderness. Byrd's solo is one of the most unique on the entire double cd with his tone and style being instantly recognisable.

May 29th 2001 saw the release of Byrd - Flying Beyond The 9 on Lion Music. The album set new standard for Byrd's career in song writing, production and guitar work. Press reviews were the nothing short of stunning and was Byrd's strongest band based effort to date at that point.

Summer 2002 saw the release of Byrd's strongest release to date - Byrd - Anthem. This album saw the sound of 'Flying Beyond The 9' built upon with a return to the slightly guitar heavier approach of earlier albums. Vocals melodies were again an integral part of the sound and this side of the album shows Byrd's ability to pen timeless memorable melodies and hooks. Symphonic orchestrations were again heavily used and the production of the album is something to savour with Byrd's best guitar work and tone to date.

July 2003 saw Lion Music release Beyond Inspiration - A Tribute To Uli Jon Roth. James contributed the track 'So Many Lives Away'. Many reviews of the album have called this track the highlight, its also the first track to hear the sonic possibilites of Byrd's revamped 'Strange Particle Productions' home studio. The guitar tone is especially strong on this track.

In 2004 Byrd played a guest solo on the Lion Music Jimi Hendrix tribute album The Spirit Live On Vol 2. Byrd contributes a solo to the track Burning Of The Midnight Lamp which showcases his blues guitar ability.

For the past few years James Byrd has been honing his own take on the electric guitar. The company was officially launched in April 2005 which sees the Super Avianti guitar marketed to the public - for more information see the Byrd Guitars website.

Originally released on JVC Victor Japan in 1998, and Mascot Records (Europe) in 1998, Byrd remastered Crimes of Virtuosity with two previously unreleased bonus tracks and all new artwork/inlay for his current label Lion Music which was released in 2005 - another essential purchase.

In 2006, Byrd recorded and produced the track "The World Anthem" for the all-star tribute to Frank Marino of Mahogany Rush fame entitled 'Secondhand Smoke'.

Guitars
Byrd Guitars Super Avianti - Artist Edition

Amps
Marshall 1987 50 watt plexi head.
Marshall 8x10" vintage cabinet.

Effects
Dod 250 Overdrive Preamp
Ibanez TS-9 Tubescreamer
Vox Valvetone
Dunlop Wah