Nextcat, Inc. announces the launch of Nextcat.com, the world’s first entertainment industry-focused social networking web site. The site is freely accessible to the public in beta release.

The Nextcat.com website caters to working entertainment professionals as an extension of the way their industry already functions—making it a natural application for a social networking site. Jeff Pucci, co-founder and CEO of Nextcat, Inc., said, “Connecting talent with services when bolstered by peer-approved referrals makes all the difference.”

To date, the alternatives for entertainment professionals to network with colleagues or to seek and offer work has consisted primarily of using the telephone or posting on (classified ad mega-site) Craigslist. While acknowledging that MySpace has become a useful tool for one-way promotion and broadcasting information to a large fan base, Nextcat observed that entertainment professionals do not typically utilize MySpace for networking with industry colleagues or to find work.

For more information, visit their web site at www.nextcat.com.

Posted in Education, Industry, News

Attendees will walk out with a fully functional, Egnater-modified JTM45 Marshall head from Mojo Musical Supply.

On Saturday, October 14, 2006, Egnater is offering a One Day Amp Build Seminar. The classes are held at Egnater World Headquarters in beautiful Berkley, Michigan located just North of Detroit (Rock City).

When you sign up for the class, you are also purchasing an amplifier kit. These high quality kits are supplied by Mojo Music and use the JTM45 head model. Egnater then modifies the stock kit into a “hotrodded” version for you to build.

The modifications take the stock 4-input, 2-channel amp and turn it into a JCM800 master volume model on steroids. You get more gain, smoother tone and more punch than a stock JCM800.

Each participant has his/her own work station for the day. Instuctors will walk you through the process of building your amp kit, one step at a time. Failure isn’t an option, as you will be guided by professionals each step of the way. You are guaranteed to walk out at the end of the day with a great sounding amp head that you built with your own hands.

No electronic knowledge is necessary, though it doesn’t hurt to have some. You should also be somewhat proficient at using basic hand tools (screwdrivers, nutdrivers, pliers etc).

Email begnater@aol.com for an information package on the seminar.

Amp Loung/Egnater
3833 West 12 Mile Road
Berkley, MI 48072
248-541-9100

For more information, visit their web site at www.egnater.com.

Posted in Amplification, Education, Events, Guitar, News

After listening to hundreds of entries posted on SonicBids.com, the staff of Guitar Player has selected the ten finalists who will battle for the title of “Guitar Hero” at the magazine’s Guitar Hero 2006 competition to be held September 23, at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. At the conclusion of the event, one player will be crowned as the 2006 Guitar Player Guitar Hero.

This is the second annual Guitar Hero event. The premiere Guitar Hero competition was held last year at Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on June 10, 2005. The winner of the Guitar Hero ‘05 title was New York’s Dominic Frasca. First Runner-Up was Rodney VerBrugge of Northern California, and Second Runner-Up was Germany’s Marcus Deml.

“After just two years, Guitar Player’s Guitar Hero competition is already one of the industry’s biggest community-building events for guitarists,” says GP Editor in Chief Michael Molenda. “The concert brings together guitar legends, incredibly talented ‘unknown’ guitarists, and scores of players who aspire to be the next Guitar Player Guitar Hero. It’s a fabulous celebration of the guitar, and one of the most exciting and fun-filled things the Guitar Player staff does all year!”

The ten finalists for Guitar Player’s Guitar Hero ‘06 Competition are: David Powers (Brewster, New York), Sergei Roudzinski (Russia), Patrick Woods (Winona Lake, Indiana), Joe Cefalu (Boise, Idaho), Ed DeGenaro (Seattle, Washington), Trey Alexander (Lancaster, Pennsylvania), Josh Karickhoff (New York, New York), Anton Tsygankov (St. Peters, Missouri), Ron LoCurto (Kenmore, New York), and Nathan Hahn (Waxahachie, Texas).

The winner of the event will receive a mammoth gear package, including gear provided by the sponsors of the event.

The complete panel of celebrity judges who will pick the winner of Guitar Hero ‘06 are guitar legend Joe Satriani, session great and Toto axeman Steve Lukather, former Poison and Mr. Big guitarist Ritchie Kotzen, Rockstar:SuperNova house band guitarslinger Rafael Moreira, the fabulous Shredmistress Rynata, and Steve Read of Musician’s Friend.

Guitar Player’s 2006 Guitar Hero competition is proud to be sponsored by Epiphone, First Act, Hughes & Kettner, Mesa Boogie, Musician’s Friend, and Sonicbids.com.

Advance tickets for this incredible celebration of guitar are available through the box office at the Great American Music Hall. Or, you can click here and order them online.

For more information, visit their web site at www.guitarplayer.com.

Posted in Events, Guitar, News

Top-tier bassists Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten, Billy Sheehan, and many others will appear at Bass Player LIVE!, Bass Player magazine’s two-day conference and concert, which will be held October 28 and 29, 2006 at midtown Manhattan’s Millennium Broadway Hotel.

Bass Player LIVE! is designed to be a live version of Bass Player, the world’s most widely read bass magazine. This stellar event brings together players, bass builders and manufacturers, and instructors for two days of clinics, live performances, onstage interviews, and gear exhibits.

Headlining Saturday night’s Bass Player LIVE! concert at the China Club is Bx3, the super trio of Billy Sheehan, Jeff Berlin, and Stuart Hamm. Also at the concert, Victor Wooten and Marcus Miller will present the 2006 Bass Player Lifetime Achievement Awards to Stanley Clarke. Clarke will join a pantheon of recent recipients, including jazz legend Ron Carter, Cream bassist Jack Bruce, session superstars Anthony Jackson and Will Lee, and Atlantic session veteran Jerry Jemmott.

“We’re thrilled to have so many top-name players joining Bass Player and our co-sponsors in presenting this event,” says Bill Leigh, Editor in Chief of Bass Player. “For years we’ve been putting on bass events to promote the craft of bass playing while providing a live forum for the bass community to come together, learn from one another, and honor each other’s accomplishments. With this year’s heavy lineup, we’re looking forward to our best event ever.”

In addition to Wooten, Miller, Sheehan, Berlin, Hamm, and Clarke, the all-star roster of clinicians includes former Weather Report bassist and super sideman Victor Bailey, Late Show bassist Will Lee, fretless session whiz Steve Bailey, Latin jazz sideman Ruben Rodriguez, jazz artist Chris Minh Doky, Late Night bassist Mike Merritt, former Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson, Mike Keneally bassist Bryan Beller, Broadway mainstay John Miller, Bon Jovi bassist Hugh McDonald, Steven Curtis Chapman sideman and solo artist/educator Adam Nitti, Bakithi Kumalo of Paul Simon’s Graceland album, Gospel great Andrew Gouche, and many others.

Bass Player Live! provides a fantastic opportunity for musicians interested in improving their skills and knowledge to get hands-on experience with the most up-to-date equipment as well as vintage gear, while listening to the advice and techniques of top professional musicians.

Exhibitors and co-sponsors include Aguilar, Alleva-Coppolo Basses, D’Addario, David Gage String Instruments, DR Music, Dunlop, Epifani Custom Sound, Euphonic Audio, Genz Benz Enclosures, Groove Shoppe, Hartke, M Basses, Mark Bass, Mesa Engineering, MTD, Peavey, Pedulla, Pensa Guitars, Roland, Rudy’s Music, Sage Guitars, Sadowsky Guitars, Sam Ash, Samson Technologies, Simmons Guitars, Spector Basses, Tech 21, Trace Elliott, and Warrior Instruments.

The latest information about artists, sponsors, and sponsors is at www.bassplayerlive.com, where you can also get Bass Player LIVE! advance tickets. Hotel reservations are available by calling the Millennium Broadway Hotel at (212) 768-4400 or visiting www.milleniumhotels.com.

For more information, visit their web site at www.bassplayer.com.

Posted in Bass, Events, Industry, News

American DJ introduces the new LS-60/A Portable Lighting System. This all-in-one lighting package now includes the company’s popular 4-channel T16F foot controller, which comes with two floor switches. Using these convenient switches, performers can control chase programs and blackout with their feet, while keeping their hands free for mixing tracks or playing guitar riffs.

Like previous ADJ portable lighting systems, the LS-60/A brings together everything mobile entertainers need to put on a great music-chasing light show — all in one convenient, lightweight, affordable package. Included in the LS-60/A system are four Par-38 high-polish par cans, four 150-watt light bulbs, one LTS-6 tripod stand, a 4-pack of color gels (green, blue, red and yellow) and – the newest addition – the 4-channel T16F foot controller.

“This is the first American DJ stand system of its type to include our T16F foot controller,” said Scott Davies, general manager of the American DJ Group of Companies.

The T16F features two foot switches, one for controlling chase program selection and the other for controlling blackout. The controller comes with 16 built-in chase programs – 8 normal and 8 with fade time – making it easy to put your best foot forward and conjure up a variety of exciting light show patterns. For added versatility, the lights can be set to chase via sound activation or 3 selectable speeds.

The four lights featured in the LS-60/A system are American DJ’s professional high-polish aluminum Par-38 cans, powered by LL-Par 38 150-watt bulbs (also included). Great-looking and durable, the Par-38s can be converted instantly to colored lights with the easy-to-use green, blue, red and yellow gels that come with the system.

Hanging brackets allow the par cans to be easily mounted on the American DJ LTS-6 lighting stand, which is also part of the system. A black tripod stand, the LTS-6 features a T-bar with 8 hanging point bolts for positioning the lights’ brackets. Weighing just 11 lbs. and extending up to 9 ft., the stand collapses quickly for easy transport.

The entire LS-60/A system weighs a total of just 30 lbs., making it ideal for mobile DJs, musicians and small stage productions. “This is a very portable system that gives traveling performers and shows an easy way to carry their lighting rig with them,” said Davies. “It comes with everything you need to put on a great chasing light show.” The all-in-one system even includes the necessary cable for connecting the controller to the lights.

Consumers who purchase the LS-60/A system will also enjoy the advantage of saving money over buying the components individually. The suggested retail price of the LS-60A system — including four Par-38A cans, four 150-watt bulbs, T16F chase controller, LTS-6 stand and color gels – is just $299.95.

For more information, visit their web site at http://www.americandj.com/.

Posted in DJ, News, Technology

The Museum of Making Music presents ‘World Beat Rhythms.’ This interactive concert is a unique celebration of rhythm, energy and the joy of ensemble music. The clinic will be lead by acclaimed drummers, authors, and educators Ed Roscetti and Maria Martinez.

The afternoon will begin with Roscetti and Martinez demonstrating a myriad of traditional and hybrid percussive styles using a drum set and a variety of traditional hand drums. Attendees will then have the opportunity to play along and gain an understanding of technique, time, feel, phrasing, song form, improvisation and what it is like to lead an ensemble.

World Beat Rhythms (WBR) offers a selection of drum workshops, clinics, interactive concerts, book/CD packages and DVD/videos (Hal Leonard). Founded in 2001 by Maria Martinez and Ed Roscetti, WBR strives to provide a challenging yet supportive venue for professionals, educators and students of all ages to come together and explore communication through the language of the drum. This concert environment will surely be the perfect place to learn and enjoy the excitement and energy of percussion.

Come and experience this toe-tapping and hand thumping afternoon of rhythm and beat. Tickets are $10; $8 for Museum members. For tickets or for more information call 760-438-5996, ext. 212.

For more information, visit their web site at www.museumofmakingmusic.org.

Posted in Events, News

Broadjam Inc., a leading online music firm, is hosting its second annual 6-Pack Songwriting Competition to put songwriters’ skills to the test – six in fact. Contestants can submit songs to any of the six challenges, which range from an original birthday tune to an emotional ballad. The competition launched in mid-June and is accepting submissions until October.

Over $50,000 in prizes will be awarded to 38 contestants in all, with prizes going to the top three places for each challenge as well as the top 20 overall winners. The first place grand prize includes a $14,000 recording and live performance package. With a live PA system and studio technology among the prizes, any musician would love to win.

“This year’s prize bundle is truly outstanding,” said Broadjam CEO Roy Elkins. “The generosity of our sponsors allows us to offer a competition worthy of the talent on our site.”

Participants earn points based on their overall placement in each challenge, determined by peer review. The standings for each challenge, as well as the top 20 overall, are then posted on the 6-Pack Leaderboard. Updated once every hour, the Leaderboard makes it possible for contestants to track not only their progress but their competition. Last year’s 6-Pack winner, Liz Miller, says, “It’s amazing what you can do when you push yourself hard. Now I know that I am not limited by form or genre. When a challenge presents itself, I say, ‘Bring it on!’”

Sponsors that have contributed toward the over $50,000 in prizes include IK Multimedia, Genelec, Sony, Digidesign, Electro-Voice, E Labs Multimedia, Mackie, Spectrasonics, ILIO, Hercules, Kaysound, MasterWriter, PowerFX, DigitalMusician.net, DigiTech, Ableton, and PG Music.

For more information, visit their web site at www.broadjam.com.

Posted in Industry, Music, News

Do you have a band instrument just sitting in your closet collecting dust? Have you ever wanted to learn how to play an instrument but couldn’t find a beginning band? If so, the North Coast New Horizons Band would like to invite you to an informational orientation meeting on Wednesday, August 16 at 7:00 PM at the Museum of Making Music, 5790 Armada Drive in Carlsbad.

The New Horizons Band, formed in January 2002, is welcoming new members, typically older adults with little or no musical background. The meeting is a question and answer session for enrollment in the beginning, intermediate or advanced band for adults who want to learn woodwinds, brass or percussion.

The national New Horizons Band program was developed by professor Roy Ernst of the Eastman School of Music in 1991. The program offers adults, primarily people who are over 50, the chance to learn how to play a concert band instrument and perform with other beginning musicians. The program has introduced thousands of older adults, retirees, and seniors to the joys and benefits of music making.

For more information about the local North Coast New Horizons Band, please contact Allison Hargis at 858-793-0223.

For more information, visit their web site at www.museumofmakingmusic.org.

Posted in Education, Music, News

The City of Nashville and Gibson Guitar announced today the creation of a Music City Walk of Fame on Nashville’s Music Mile, which will feature permanent sidewalk medallions with each honoree’s name.

The inductions will be open to all artists, musicians, songwriters, producers and music industry executives who have played a significant role in preserving the musical heritage that is Nashville and have contributed to the world through song or other industry collaboration.

The Music City Walk of Fame is an official project of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau Foundation (Music City, Inc) with the support of Gibson Guitar, the City of Nashville and Metro Parks.

For more information, visit their web site at www.gibson.com.

Posted in Guitar, Music, News

Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell and vocal coach Renee Grant-Williams announced today the formation of Music City Community Chorus (MC3), a non-profit, broad-based volunteer performing chorus in Nashville. As the group’s conductor, Grant-Williams’ goal for the chorus is to give both professional and non-professional singers in Nashville a chance to participate in a community musical experience, building a bridge between the various genres of music that flourish within Nashville’s music community.

“I envision MC3 as the people’s chorus of Nashville,” says Grant-Williams. “There are so many talented people in this city that we don’t ever see and hear perform. This organization will provide them that opportunity.”

Mayor Bill Purcell feels, “Now, with the formation of the Music City Community Chorus we have additional opportunities for the local music community and citizens of Nashville to come together.”

The chorus will be open to anyone 18 years of age or older. Auditions will be structured to recruit not only those who are skilled at reading music, but those who are willing and able to acquire music skills. Grant-Williams is already holding auditions, which began August 2.

“I’m so excited about the news of the chorus, because Nashville is sorely lacking and needs to have a community chorus opportunity,” says singer/musician John Cowan. “The fact that the chorus will be in the hands of Renee Grant-Williams tells me it will be guided by a consummate professional who has the resources to guarantee excellence.”

It is Grant-Williams’ plan to have two performances per year. The Winter performance will follow rehearsals that take place September through December and the Spring performance will follow rehearsals that take place late January through May. Auditions will be held again in January.

The repertoire will be primarily, but not limited to, classical choral works in the tradition of the great composers. Whenever possible and appropriate, solo assignments will be extended to members of Nashville’s non-classical community. As dictated by programming and budget, all performances will be accompanied by the appropriate professional caliber instrumentalists.

Music City Community Chorus will include a scholarship program of four $850 voice scholarships for section leaders representing 10 private lessons to study with one of Grant-Williams’ associate teachers.

Grant-Williams established a similar program when she lived in San Francisco, where she was hired by the Community Music Center to form a city-wide broad-based community chorus. Very quickly, the San Francisco Community Chorus became a highly respected, highly disciplined performing choral ensemble of 200 dedicated enthusiasts that presented polished, sold-out performances.

MC3 will rehearse at Glencliff High School at 160 Antioch Pike. To arrange an audition, call 887-5599.

For more information, visit their web site at www.MusicCityCommunityChorus.org.

Posted in Amplification, Events, News