Buddy Holly, Beatles, Hendrix at Philip Weiss, March 1

Memorabilia from some of the greatest acts in rock 'n' roll history (the Beatles, Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix and more) will be sold Sunday, March 1st, by Philip Weiss Auctions in Oceanside, New York.

(Oceanside, N.Y.) –Memorabilia from some of the greatest acts in rock ‘n’ roll history – the Beatles, Buddy Holly, the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix and others – will be sold at an auction slated for Sunday, Mar. 1, by Philip Weiss Auctions. The Buddy Holly items are timely, as the 50th anniversary of the singer's death in a tragic plane crash in 1959 (known as “the day the music died”) is February 9th.

A 1957 Buddy Holly & the Crickets record album, titled Chirpin’ Crickets and signed by all four members of the group (including Holly), is expected to bring $20,000-$30,000. The album (Brunswick Records, BL54038) includes the hits That’ll Be the Day, Oh Boy, Not Fade Away and Maybe Baby. An error on the jacket (“Bullock,” Texas should read Lubbock, Texas) only adds to the album’s desirability.

A pair of Buddy Holly business cards should each fetch $1,000-$2,000. The first, from around 1954, says “Buddy and Bob, Western and Bop, Buddy Holley (sic), Larry Welborn, Bob Montgomery.” The other, from around 1956, lists Holly as a member of “The Rhythm Playboys” (with Montgomery and Don Guess). Both cards had been given by Maria Elena Santiago – Holly's wife – to the consignor.

Beatles fans will be salivating over the only known proof cover of the infamous “butcher” cover of the Yesterday and Today album, signed by all four members of the group (est. $30,000-$50,000). The 'butcher' album is a coveted rarity among Beatles collectors anyway, but a proof cover, signed by all the Beatles, must be considered a Holy Grail item of the genre. The final hammer price is anyone's guess.

Another 'butcher' cover of the Yesterday and Today album – unsigned but unopened and still in the original shrink wrap – will also come up for bid. Other Beatles-related items include another album signed by all four members of the group; a copy of John Lennon's book In His Own Write, signed by the slain Beatle; and limited-edition signed Beatles books. Additional items were being added at press time.

Another lot sure to attract intense bidder interest is an iconic 1968 poster for guitar legend Jimi Hendrix, in near mint condition (est. $10,000-$15,000). The Bill Graham Fillmore/Winterland Concert poster, for show dates Feb. 1-4, 1968, advertises appearances by Jimi Hendrix, John Mayall & the Blues Breakers and Albert King. Included are original unused tickets for all four nights and a concert postcard.

A poster promoting show dates for The Grateful Dead (est. $1,000-$2,000) will also be sold. The poster reads, “Doug Smith and Stan Fox Proudly Present Three Evenings With the Grateful Dead, Sept. 26-28, 1972, Stanley Theater, Jersey City, New Jersey.” Ticket outlets are listed in boxes and the words “Sold Out” have been handwritten in red marker. The 20” x 27” poster is in overall excellent condition.

An original oil on canvas painting by Stanley Mouse (born 1940), the American artist best known for his psychedelic art designs for 1960s rock concert posters, will cross the block (est. $2,000-$4,000). The framed painting, measuring 12' x 16” (18” x 22” framed), is titled Piano Lady and signed “S. Mouse” lower right, with the artist's trademark 'mouse' mark. The work is in overall mint condition.

Items not related to rock 'n' roll will also be sold. These include a single-owner collection of Black Americana, featuring thousands of postcards, trade cards, stereo views and sheet music; an important LOOK Magazine photo archive; Kennedy family photos by Richard Avedon; a handwritten letter from Albert Einstein to his wife; and Igor Stravinsky's musical notations from The Rites of Spring.

The day before (Friday, Feb. 28, beginning at 10 a.m.), two huge single-owner lifetime train collections will be featured. Top lots will include a large quantity of post-war Lionel pieces (most in the original boxes); a Blue Comet set; Lionel “State Cars”; a nice assortment of train sets (some of them never opened); many accessories; and more. The March 1 rock 'n' roll auction will also start at 10 a.m.

Two weeks later (on Saturday, March 14, also with a 10 a.m. start time), Philip Weiss Auctions has planned a “Special Super Hero Weekend.” The firm is pleased to offer The Dane Nash Collection of Superman and other superhero collectibles. Also sold will be toys; puzzles; books; dolls; figurines; a large comic character watch collection; comic books; comic art; some fabulous animation art; and more.

The Dane Nash items – particularly those relating to Superman – are certain to command center stage. Highlights include a costume worn by Kirk Alyn from the 1940s Superman movie serials; two George Reeves Superman costumes (one for black and white filming, one for the color episodes) from the popular 1950s television series; and Reeves' Clark Kent shirt, tie and cuff link set from the program.

Christopher Reeve will be represented, with a costume and other props from the Superman 1-3 feature films. And, from the first Superman movie: Marlon Brando's black judge's costume. Also to be sold will be Dean Cain's Superman costume and Teri Hatcher's Lois Lane costume from the hit TV series Lois & Clark; a costume from Helen Slater's Supergirl movie; and other Superman-related items.

All the Superman costumes were originally purchased from Jim Hambrick, the noted Superman expert and historian. Also to be offered will be costumes and props from the Batman movies and television show, to include the original “Robin” costume worn by actor Burt Ward in the 1966 TV show Batman; evil clown costumes; and “The Penguin” rocket and head piece from the film Batman Returns.

Philip Weiss Auctions is always accepting quality consignments for future sales. To consign an item, estate or collection, you may call them directly, at (516) 594-0731, or you can e-mail them at phil@prwauctions.com. To learn more about the company and its calendar of upcoming auctions, to include the Feb.-March sales, and to view color lot images, you may log on to www.prwauctions.com.

http://www.prwauctions.com/

Yngwie Explains The Fury

A recording was leaked on the internet a couple of years ago of guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen screaming at a passenger during a flight to Tokyo after said passenger had dumped a pitcher of water on him. (You can listen to it here.)

Among the many quotable threats from that recording is the now infamous "You've unleashed the fucking fury." Until now, nobody has really asked him about the incident, possibly out of fear of unleashing the fucking fury once again.

CHARTattack: You said that you don't really buy records or listen to anything new. How are you able to keep in tune with what's going on in music today?
Yngwie Malmsteen: Even if I was into what's going on, I wouldn't try to modify my sound to whatever is in. That's just something that I've never done.

I came out in the '80s, but before the '80s I did my sound — what you guys call neo-classical, I guess. So I've always done it my way, and sometimes you get less appreciated for that and sometimes you get more appreciated because people will say, "This cat really means what he's doing and he sticks to his guns and he doesn't give a shit about the fashion."

I've always felt that I have a very honest vision of what I produce and create and get behind. This is my legacy, this is what I do and hopefully people will like it and some people may not like it, but I have to do what I feel is within myself.

You're a very versatile guitar player, though. Wouldn't you want to showcase your musical depth?
I have, you know. I've played some jazz, some flamenco, some country. But even though that's fun every now and again, that's not what I do or what I want to do.

I really like and really enjoy the style that I do. I have no intentions to say, "Hey, look. I can do this, too." I play many other instruments, too. I play the drums, bass and keyboard, but I like what I do, so I'm going to stick with that.

I know you did some singing on the new record, but you've always had someone else do the singing on your albums. Have you ever considered handling the vocal duties?
When I was in Sweden and I was a kid, I was the singer because we could never find a singer. I like it, but I enjoy writing songs and having them sung in the operatic way. My voice is bluesier. The stuff I write has that more operatic feel, and I'll leave that up to someone like Ripper [Tim Owens] to really do well.

Having said that, there's always a possibility to do different things. I might do a record differently. You know, I never say never. Especially now with our own label, there's no limit. We can do whatever we want, whenever we want.

There was an incident at an airport a while back. You know, the whole "You've unleashed the fury" incident. I don't think I've ever heard you talk about it before. Do you want to explain the incident?
There are so many things about that that are so bizarre. First of all, the incident itself happened in 1987.

Really?
Yeah, 1987. Me and the band, [former Rainbow vocalist] Joel Lynn Turner and [drummer] Anders Johansson, we were in a first class flight in Tokyo.

This was back in the day when I was drinking, but I don't do any of that shit anymore. We were all getting shit-faced and getting very rude and Jens [Johansson], our keyboard player, would go to the bathroom and get female napkins and slap Bloody Mary mix on them and throw them into people's food and we would start laughing and doing shots of Cognac... just being really nasty.

It was a 16-hour flight and we fell asleep, and all of a sudden me and Joe wake up and this lady takes a pitcher of ice water and pours it on my head and says "Cool off, boys," and I freak out.

But the really crazy thing is someone is fucking recording this in 1987, and then in 2003 or 2004, they put it on the internet. So when I heard that, I was kind of mad. I was like, "What is this? I don't know what to say. What is this crazy world we live in?" So that's what happened.

Well, it's cool that you have a sense of humour about it now. After all, you did title one of your records Unleash The Fury.
If you don't have a sense of humour, you have no business doing what I'm doing. I take everything with a fucking grain of salt. I mean, I'm a serious artist. I'm a serious musician. But I also have humour involved in it. I mean, the things that you got to go through doing this shit, you have to. It is what it is.

http://www.chartattack.com/

YNGWIE MALMSTEEN Awarded $820K In Damages From Former Accountant - Feb. 2, 2009

According to the New York Post, legendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen has been awarded $820,000 in damages after he was allegedly defrauded by his former accountant and manager.

The guitarist was forced to sell off most of his prized instruments at below-market prices after getting ripped off to the tune of more than $5 million, court papers claim.

Former manager James Lewis faces a pending motion for $2.4 million in damages and interest.

In his Manhattan federal court suit, Malmsteen said the alleged embezzlement was enabled by accountant Michael Mitnick, whom rapper Lil' Kim blamed for her tax troubles during her 2005 perjury trial.

Yngwie claimed that Mitnick conned him into a 1994 deal in which his income was funneled into a bank account controlled by Lewis and Mitnick.

In June 2008, Malmsteen was photographed (see below) by TMZ.com in front of a New York courthouse where he attended a hearing in connection with the above-mentioned case.

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/archive.aspx

YNGWIE MALMSTEEN To Team Up With DEEP PURPLE For Japanese

Legendary Swedish guitarist YNGWIE MALMSTEEN will team up with DEEP PURPLE for the following Japanese dates:

April 08 - Tokyo, JPN @ International Forum
April 09 - Zepp, JPN @ Nagoya
April 10 - Hiroshima, JPN @ Koseinenkin Kaikan
April 12 - Kanazawa, JPN @ Kanko Kaikan
April 13 - Osaka, JPN @ Koseinenkin Kaikan
April 15 - Tokyo, JPN @ International Forum

Yngwie Malmsteen was inducted into Hollywood's RockWalk on October 13, 2008 in front of the Guitar Center at 7425 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California.

Hollywood's RockWalk is the only sidewalk gallery dedicated to honoring those artists who have made a significant impact and lasting contribution to the growth and evolution of rock 'n' roll, blues and R&B. Yngwie Malmsteen's handprints will reside alongside the handprints, signatures, and faces of other equally accomplished musicians and innovators such as Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Bonnie Raitt, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Brian Wilson, Stevie Wonder, John Lee Hooker and EARTH WIND & FIRE, among numerous others.

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/archive.aspx

YNGWIE MALMSTEEN: New Audio Interview Available - Jan. 23, 2009

The Reverend Donnie Black of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada's campus and community station 101.9 FM CFUV recently conducted an interview with legendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen. The 26-minute piece features two songs from Yngwie's latest "Perpetual Flame" CD — "Death Dealer" and "Red Devil" — as well as Malmsteen's version of AEROSMITH's "Dream On" with Ronnie James Dio on vocals.

You can download the program in three parts at www.rocknrollbreakfast.com.

Video footage of Yngwie Malmsteen shredding the axe at the Marshall booth at the 2009 winter NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show, which was held January 15-18, 2009 in Anaheim, California, can be viewed below.

"Perpetual Flame", the new album from Malmsteen, sold around 2,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Released on October 14, 2008, the CD is the first-ever Yngwie effort to be issued via Rising Force Records (distributed via Koch) and it marks the debut of Malmsteen's new singer, ex-JUDAS PRIEST/ICED EARTH frontman Tim "Ripper" Owens.

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/archive.aspx

STEVE VAI, NICKO MCBRAIN To Perform At LONDON GUITAR SHOW - Feb. 3, 2009

The organizers of the London Guitar Show (which part of the London International Music Show 09) have announced that Steve Vai will be bringing his Alien Guitar Secrets master class to this year's event, which will be held June 11-14, 2009 at ExCel in London, England. This will be Steve Vai's only U.K. master class. There will also be a special concert with Nicko McBrain (IRON MAIDEN), Phil Hilborne and guests, with Steve Vai joining Phil and Nicko on stage for a couple of tracks of "jamming therapy."

Tickets are now on sale at this location.

STEVE VAI Introduces Second Generation Of CARVIN LEGACY Amps At NAMM; Video Available - Jan. 19, 2009

Video footage of legendary guitarist Steve Vai introducing the second generation of Carvin Legacy amps — a special amps series created especially for Vai and according to his specs — at the 2009 winter NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show (which was held January 15-18, 2009 in Anaheim, California) can be viewed below.

The Carvin Steve Vai Legacy II series comprises four pieces: a combo amplifier, a guitar head amp, and two 4x12 cabinets.

According to Softpedia, the Carvin Steve Vai Legacy II brings the legendary Carvin handcrafted details, with vintage and refined looks. The MKII Legacy amps have gotten a third channel, for a boosted clean tone that will dramatically expand you tonal expressions' palette, while letting you roam free from smooth and cheesy clean timbres down to a rocking grit and up to the high-gain searing lead sounds.

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/archive.aspx

The obligatory Grammy blog

It’s that wonderful time of year when those in the entertainment industry pat each other (and themselves) on the back with lavish awards ceremonies and parties. Yes, it’s time for the award shows, and the 2009 Grammy Awards are next up. The ceremony airs on CBS this Sunday at 8 p.m.

As you’ve probably picked up on my sarcasm, let me explain. The Grammys (and the Oscars and the rest of them) have never done anything for me. Namely, watching celebrities and entertainment business insiders (and yes, some very talented artists, too) congratulate themselves with expensive shows and goody bags and statuettes and the lot, isn’t really a good way to honor artists for their work, in my opinion. And especially given the state of the economy right now, these shows seem all the more useless.

But the Grammys are big news in the music world, and I’m forced to admit that they do get it right on occasion. The “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack, which won Album of the Year and four other awards in 2002, immediately comes to mind as a prime example of the best truly being recognized as the best by the Grammys.

So here’s my obligatory Grammy Award blog. The most obvious thing to do would be to offer my picks for the winners. (For those who care, I’m going with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’s "Please Read the Letter" and "Raising Sand" for Record and Album of the Year, respectively.)

But the really exciting part of all this is the performers who share the stage. This year’s ceremony will feature performances from Coldplay, Paul McCartney with Dave Grohl of The Foo Fighters, the aforementioned Plant and Krauss, Katy Perry, The Jonas Brothers, Kanye West and Radiohead, to name just a few. U2 is even playing, and they’re not up for a single award.

Those are some huge names, all in one place in one night. I’m definitely excited to see McCartney and Grohl, two of my favorites from completely different eras, perform something — anything — together.

I’m also looking forward to Coldplay, but for a completely different reason. Last year, guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani accused the band of plagiarizing his instrumental "If I Could Fly," using the main melody as the chorus for "Viva La Vida." The two tracks are remarkably similar (listen to a comparison on YouTube here).

Satriani has apparently decided to pursue the matter in court, and his lawyer is planning to serve the lawsuit to the band immediately after their Grammy performance. Drama is always great at these awards shows, isn’t it? Read an article about the suit here.

There is one other prediction I’d like to make, in the Best New Artist category. The Jonas Brothers probably have this one in the bag already, but I’m going to have to go with Lady Antebellum.

These three young musicians have been taking the country world by storm with their male-female vocal harmonies and tight instrumental arrangements. The group’s members also composed the majority of their self-titled debut themselves. You can check out a story the Gazette ran last August on the trio here.

By Brian McElhiney

Metallica: 'Who Would Think A Band Like Us Would Be Accepted Like That'

As a music journalist you get the chance to interview all kinds of interesting musicians. It’s without question, one of the perks of the jobs. That said I wasn’t prepared for what my friend at Warner Bros Records proposed a few weeks back. He asked me if I would be interested in interviewing Kirk Hammett. I thought about it for a millisecond; if that. Being a 34 year old guy who grew up on a steady diet of Metallica records, it was a chance to talk shop with one of my guitar heroes.

Many wrote Metallica off in the early 2000’s when they released the universally maligned St. Anger but 2008’s Death Magnetic was a complete return to form. The lead-off single, "The Day That Never Comes" had all of the familiar traits that made the band legends in the first place. The epic arrangement, James Hetfield’s unmistakable snarl, the shifting tempos, and Hammet’s speed-metal injected solos silenced the naysayers in one swift move. Death Magnetic is the sound of a band coming full circle. The collection ranks up there with the rest of the group’s most coveted releases.

I spoke with Hammett last weekend before he hit the stage at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA. Since this was done for Ultimate-Guitar, I chose to focus the conversation on his career playing. We talked about his early influences, his musical position in the band, and which newer bands he’s been listening to lately. So with much honor, I present the Ultimate-Guitar interview with Metallica’s Kirk Hammett.

UG: First off, congrats on being voted into the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame! Metallica and Black Sabbath have to be the heaviest bands to ever get in there.

Kirk Hammett: (laughter) Thanks man! Yeah, we just got the official word from them so we’re still wrapping our heads around the idea. Who would have ever thought a band like us would be accepted like that? It’s an honor either way.

Due to the nature of the site that this interview will be going to, I wanted to ask you more about guitar than anything else.

That sounds good to me. I love talking guitar.

Thinking back, which guitarists had the most impact on you when you first started playing? I know you have mentioned your love for UFO.

Yeah man, I really loved those UFO records! Michael Schenker had a big impression on me when I first started playing guitar. I was also struck by Jimi Hendrix at a young age. If I remember it correctly, I caught a documentary about Jimi when I was a kid and I was hooked. Something about his style just moved me. He’s a guy I still listen to all the time. Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top was huge. Oh man, I still remember when Van Halen’s debut album hit stores. That was life changing!

We all know Eddie Van Halen as this guitar god or whatever but I guess for some of our younger readers they might not really be aware how radical his playing was for the time.

When you first heard Eddie’s performances you knew things had changed. There was nothing like it dude. All of a sudden you knew you had to step your game up. A few other guitarists that I worshipped back then were Robin Trower and Pat Travers. Your readers should check them out if they haven’t already. These guys are the ones that helped shape the way I play.

Were you one of those players who would sit in their room and run through scales for hours on end or did learn more from playing along to records?

Without question, I would say the latter. I would throw an album on and learn the solo little by little till I nailed it.

This was obviously before the internet and tablatures being so readily available so it must have been a great way to train your ears.

I think it was. I would figure out what key the song was in and then just solo over the whole damn thing (laughter)! It made me comfortable enough to play along with the tempos and everything else. But I definitely would break the solo parts down and learn them. That was the way I really got started.

You played in Exodus before you joined Metallica. Was there a big stylistic/technique shift for you when you first entered the picture? Metallica were still playing more in the Motörhead school of things and not as technical as you guys went on to be but I wondered if there was some level of adjustment on your part.

Oh yeah, for sure. I realized I had to step up my rhythm playing right away. Even then Metallica was trying to get tighter and play more accurately. James was already a monster rhythm player at that point. I had to work hard to keep up with him in that sense. It was the summer of 1983 that I recall James just getting so fucking good at the rhythm stuff. I got better around 1984 and started going in a modal direction. But yeah, James always had a real knack for the rhythmic kind of stuff.

Anyone who has seen A Year And A Half In The Life of Metallica and Classic Albums: The Black Album knows how hard producer Bob Rock worked you when you were tracking your solos. I’ve always wondered what it was like working with Flemming Rasmussen.

It was night and day man. Flemming was more concerned with tuning and pitch. He was a perfectionist about that. Precision was also something he would focus on more than any other producer I’ve had a chance to record with yet. We would play parts over and over until it got to a point he was happy with in terms of the precision.

How about your solos?

What I would do on those albums was double track my solos note for fucking note! It was really difficult at times. All I wanted to get back then was a fuller sound so that is the way we went about reaching that. It’s not till I started doing the self-titled album with Bob that I stopped doing that. Bob was more into a greasier, looser guitar tone and playing style. It was perfect for me because at the time I was listening to a lot of blues. I learned a lot from those sessions.

Since the band broke in the mid 80’s, how much time do you find yourself playing on your own time when you’re not on tour or in the studio?

I’m not sure if a lot of people know but I took guitar lessons from Joe Satriani in the early 80’s. That was really helpful. But most of the stuff I’ve picked up over the years has been by learning from listening to other players. In the 90’s I did take lessons again. That time it was with a great jazz player from the Bay Area named Scott Foster. This guy is insanely good! He would sit there and transcribe John Coltrane which is crazy.

I’m sure between your family and all of the band commitments it has to be hard to find time to set aside for lessons.

That’s so true. If I could just find some time down the line I would love to take classical lessons but that won’t be for awhile the way things are going. With little kids running around the house it seems like I won’t be getting the chance any time soon.

Do your kids take lessons?

No, way too young for now but I will try and get them into it down the line. My newest was just born over the summer. My other son is still too young but we’ll see what happens.

I know our time here is short so I wanted to get this one of the way. Are they’re any younger players and/or bands that have caught your attention? A lot of people must assume since you guys are so big that you probably don’t check out newer groups.

Right. But yeah, I do actually look for stuff to listen to all the time. Let me think here…

It doesn’t have to necessarily have to be metal or anything.

In terms of newer, younger bands I love Trivium. They have great playing going on. Lamb of God are really good too. We’re on tour with them and they kick ass. Robb Flynn from Machine Head is great. I love the way he plays guitar and writes too. We’ve toured with them too so that was fun. A friend of mine recently played me a band from the Bay Area I hadn’t heard of before that I love at the moment. Damn, I can’t think of their name!

Let’s see here…

Perish or something like that?

Oh! You mean All Shall Perish?

All Shall Perish…yes! They blew me away dude! They have so much technique going on and it’s so well done. These groups have so much ability these days. It’s exciting to hear.

Finally, since this is for Ultimate-Guitar and many of our readers come here to check out guitar tablatures I wanted to see if you have ever looked at one of Metallica’s and spotted glaring mistakes.

I’ve checked a few out in the past but not too many so I don’t really remember how accurate they really were. You never know with those things. It depends on who the person transcribing them is. But no, I really haven’t looked at too many Metallica ones.

I guess you don’t really need to. (laughter)

(Laughter) Yes, exactly. I think it’s great that a site like Ultimate-Guitar exists though. But yeah, I know the songs at this point (laughter). I just wish I had the tabs for other bands so available when I was a kid. That would have definitely been helpful at times.

Thanks for talking with us today! I know you don’t really do too much online press so it means a lot to our community.

Hey man, it was my pleasure! Thanks for taking time out to chat guitars with me.

Interview by Carlos Ramirez
Ultimate-Guitar.Com © 2009

Slash started boozing at 12

Hellraising rocker Slash started his downward spiral into alcoholism when he was just 12 years old, after discovering a secret stash of his father's extra-strength booze.

The British-born former Guns N' Roses star can pinpoint the moment he began his long love affair with alcohol, at a party his father threw, that he and childhood pal-turned-bandmate Steven Adler sneaked into.

Slash - real name Saul Hudson - tells Blender magazine, "I was 12 or 13 - my dad and a bunch of his friends had a party and made this insane punch. Steven and myself got into the punch. And I learned that the cure to a hangover was to keep drinking. That's probably what kickstarted the years and years of binge drinking. It turned into a 24/7 party from that day on."

WENN.com

The Vinh – one-handed guitarist

VietNamNet Bridge – The guitarist with only one hand has been moving listeners not because of his disability but his talent. No one would believe the sound from his guitar comes from the instrument of a disabled guitarist.

Having returned from a charity tour of France and Germany, Nguyen The Vinh is now participating in the concert tour of singer Anh Tuyet and ATB band.

Three years ago, The Vinh appeared on the stage for the first time in a Trinh Cong Son music show at Hoi Ngo night club in HCM City. At that time, he came to music as an amateur and music was a friend which helped him avoid loneliness. These days, music is a source of great happiness for the disabled guitarist.

“I only do what I can do. My soul is the soul of an artist. You will surely realise it, because thanks to it, I can come to music and play guitar. I know that I have a certain restriction of skills,” The Vinh said.

“I couldn’t be a real artist. But when I express my feelings in music, I can tell others about my experience so I’m an artist for myself,” he added.

When he was 8 years old, The Vinh fell off a cow he was tending. His right arm broke and gangrene set in. The arm had to be amputated.

He saw a guitar for the first time when he was 12. Three years later, he could play with his left hand.

“Whenever I liked, I played guitar. Sometimes I played guitar the whole day and night. But sometimes I didn’t touch my guitar for a month,” The Vinh said.

He practiced playing guitar everyday when he was invited to perform on stage. He studied musical theory himself. The Vinh plans to write a curriculum (with video clips) for one-handed guitarists like him. Besides guitar, he can also play the harmonica very well.

Growing up in the southern province of Binh Thuan, The Vinh went to HCM City to study advertisement painting as an occupation. But he entered the Economic University. He holds a mathematics, physics and chemistry class for high-school students in Binh Thuan.

Zappa family loses court battle in Germany

By Wolfgang Spahr

DUSSELDORF, Germany (Billboard) - Gail Zappa, widow of U.S. rock legend Frank Zappa, has failed in her bid to stop a German music festival from using her husband's name and image.

Zappa and her family trust had launched a lawsuit against the German Frank Zappa fan club over its annual Zappanale festival, demanding the removal of a bronze sculpture of Zappa at the festival site in Bad Doberan and damages of $325,000 if the festival continues to use the Zappanale name.

But the higher court in Dusseldorf ruled January 21 that festival organizers may continue to use Zappa's name and his image on the festival logo and related merchandise such as T-shirts and baseball caps. It ruled that Gail Zappa's rights were not violated and that she could not prove she uses the Zappa brand in Germany herself. The court found that she has had knowledge of the festival since it began in 1990. Frank Zappa died in 1993.

Several thousand Zappa fans had demanded the withdrawal of the lawsuit, which was launched in April 2008.

Thomas Dippel, festival speaker and head of the German Zappa fan club, welcomed the ruling.

"We have always been certain that we have the older rights," he said. "We have also patented the name of the festival with the German patent office. Gail Zappa only applied for the patent of her own rights in 2002."

The Zappanale festival, which features various bands performing composer/guitarist Zappa's music, had 6,800 visitors in 2008. The 2009 edition is scheduled for August 12-16.

Reuters/Billboard