As part of our ongoing Eden in the Schools sponsorship of Belmont University's School of Music, Eden wil sponsor a seminar by Deeper Blues. The seminar is open to all music students and will be divided into two parts: The History of Blues and its Relevance Today, and Building a Successful Music Career.

"We've hosted Lane [Baldwin, Eden's Special Projects Coordinator and a 15-year endorser] before and his presentations are always excellent," said Roy Vogt, Bass Professor at Belmont and another long-term endorser. " This time we get Deeper Blues, too, and I know my students will love them. They're also going to get some great insight into the life of a professional musician."

For Lane, the event is doubly fun. "I've known Roy for over twenty years," he said, "and I have a lot of respect for him as a player and an educator. And, like him, we believe it's important to support music education as much as possible. That's why Deeper Blues is so excited to be part of Eden's Music in the Schools program."

The seminar will take place on September 18th. Keep an eye on Lane's blog for updates and further info. Read the press release.

Photos by Brian K. Denton.

Talk about burning the candle at both ends! Long-term endorser Rev Jones does everything but throw the candle into a bonfire. For starters, his band Steelheart has been tearing up the country all summer long. They recently returned to the Rocklahoma festival, where they were the crowd favorite. This year, "we were originally not on the bill," Rev said, "but they got so many emails requesting that we play there again, so they added us back on the line up." In fact, so many Steelheart fans attended that the band spent three hours after their show signing authographs! Even better, the entire show was filmed by Dana Altmon. Some of the footage will be used for a video of the song "L.O.L.", from the upcoming release Good 2 B Alive, while other portions will become available on Steelheart TV in the future.

Next up for the Oklahoma madman will be a fall tour of US and Canada with Rock legends, Mountain, as they open shows for Joe Satriani. For Rev, it's a dream come true. "I'm very excited to play with Leslie [West] and Corky [Laing]," Rev said. "I've always dug their songs and Felix [Pappalardi] was such a tasty bass player; it will be great to see what I can add to the band."

And to top it all off, Rev has been doing shows and recording with his new Rev Jones Band. Some of the new tracks are for "upcoming tribute albums"; the rest are slated for release on an upcoming EPCD. To learn more about Rev and his many activites, check out the web sites below:

Web site | Buy Rev's DVD | RevSpace

We recently caught up with busy session and recording artist Ace Livingston, and got a double ear-full of news. Ace is featured on the new CD and DVD releases of Youthful Praise, a top-selling Gospel choir. Both releases are available on Itunes and in major stores. His debut Jazz CD, The Ace Livingston Project, is also out and rapidly gathering sales. It should do even better once Ace nails down "a major distribution deal" he's negotiating.

As always, Ace is spending a lot of time in the New York studios, tracking numerous independent artist projects and jingles. He also has a full schedule of clinics, mostly in the Northeast. And if that's not enough, he recently got married! Yes, there's now a Mrs. Ace, and we hear nothing but wonderful things. The best thing we hear is that she's not going to make Ace get a "real job"! Says Ace of his new bride, "She's incredibly supportive and understanding. I really am the luckiest man alive!"

For more on Ace and his many activities, check out his web ite and MySpace page.

The rain in Spain may indeed fall on the plain. But in Bulgaria, it drenched the band, along with tens of thousands of fans.

We recently traded a few emails with endorser Uriah Duffy. He's been out on yet another World Tour with Whitesnake. David Coverdale (the Supreme Viscount of Rock Vocals) and company have been taking no prisoners on this one, as usual, and the tour has been extremely successful. In addition, the new CD, Good To Be Bad, has been topping charts everywhere, including taking Japan's #1 slot the week of its release.

Currently Uriah and the boys are on a co-bill leg with Def Leppard, blazing through Europe, playing to tens of thousands of fans every stop. There's some serious talk about adding more dates in more places, but we're sworn to secrecy until the band makes its own announcement.

This month will end with a concert in Madrid on Uriah's birthday. "You know that one's going to be a lot of fun," he wrote. We laughingly suggested he turn up a little extra for that concert. [Uriah uses a pair of WT800s to power a pair of D610XLTs, with a spare amp and cab.] His response: "Man, my amps already overpower the sound guy in arenas... at 10:00!! You gotta love that!"

For more info on the tour, check out Uriah's new blog. For more on the man himeslf, check out his web site.

To help get the NAMM summer show in Nashville, TN, (June 20-22) off on the right foot, Eden and sister US Music Corp. division Randall Amplifiers will present a Pre-Show Kick Off event on Thursday, June 19th. The event will be held at the Rutledge, one of Nashville's premier live music veunes.

Doors open at 5 for two hours of schmooze time, and a chance to check out new gear from both divisions. Music begins at 7, with appearances by:

Manic Bloom (featuring endorser Andy Neale)
Doug Johns (with drummer Chris Ceja)
Justin Conn Band (featuring Sean O'Bryan Smith)
Roy Vogt and Sean O'Bryan Smith in a double solo set
Deeper Blues (featuring endorser and SPC Lane Baldwin)

"It's always great to hang with my fellow endorsers," says Baldwin, who will co-host the show with Sean O'Bryan Smith, "but to be on the same bill is even better! Plus, I get to show off a bunch of cool gear and meet new people. This is going to one serious throw-down!"

Guitarists will have just as much fun, as Randall endorsers Justin Conn and Gary Jones (Deeper Blues) will be showing their MTS rigs. Admission to the event is FREE, so come early to make sure you get in the door! For more information, visit our Events page.

Eden's first endorser, Al (The Burner) Turner touched bass with us this week to let us know what's going on in his world. This week, he's rehearsing with Kem (Motown) for a series of high profile appearnaces over the weekend. Next week, he'll be performing with Earl Klugh in the Washington, DC, area. Al will also be in Japan with Earl for the last part of the month. Whew! And that's just the live work.

Turner is also on Klugh's new CD, Spice of Life, and co-wrote Snap for the project. And when he's not busy working for Jazz and R&B legends, he's busy with his own solo career. Al recently signed with Megawave Records to release "Movin'". "This has been a very good move for me," Al said. "Megawave has strong distribution and is showing a lot of support for the CD.

Working with Ken Freeman, who has produced albums for Bob James and Fourplay, Al reworked two songs from "It's Good to Have Friends", removing the vocals and replacing them with solo bass, remixing and remastering the entire project and re-releasing Al's first CD with a new sound and new packaging. "Ken did an outstanding job," Al said. "He really made the whole thing come alive."

For tour dates and further info, see Al's web site. To purchase Al's new CD, Movin', visit itunes, Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Borders.

The South Goes Goes to China

New Endorser Dennis Edwards has been very busy lately with his band, Lady Antebellum. In addition to a string of recent TV appearances, the band just recorded a song especially for the Bejing Olympics. The song, and the videotape shot during recording will be used for various marketing projects, including a look back on great Olympic moments. "It was an exciting experience for all of us," Dennis said in a recent telephone converstaion. "I mean, this song is going to be heard by millions upon millions of people all over the world. You have to love that!"

Also in recent news for the band, they just performed for the CMA Musicfest, playing to 50,000 fans.They are now preparing for a full summer tour schedule. Deatils are still being ironed out, but you can get all the latest news at the Lady Antebellum web site.

Rich Krainak keeps the low end thumpin' for fellow bassist and Eden endorser Sean O'Bryan Smith.

We just caught up with endorser Johnny Castle, bassist for Roots icons, The Nighthawks. Seems Johnny and the crew have been busy over the past few months. For starers, The Nighthawks have finished recording a new CD at Cue Recorders, Falls Church, VA. Johnny says they don't have a title yet, but they do have 13 songs to choose from, including four penned by Johnny. If all goes well, the CD will release by the end of Summer. In additon, Johnny's band The Thrillbillys are working on a new CD of their own music. No release target yet, but Johnny promises to keep us tightly in the loop.

The 'Hawks have a busy Spring and Summer planned with festivals, outdoor concerts, Wine festivals, and more on the schedule. Johnny tells us they also have 3 dates at the end of June playing with the legendary Hubert Sumlin, a long-time friend of the band. They also performed at numerous Memorial Day weekend events, most notably for Rolling Thunder, one of the largest motorcycle gatherings in the US. The highlight of the week was a special performance for wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Sunday, June 1st. "It was really a blast to do," said Johnny in a telephone interview. "The troops loved it, the barbecue was excellent, and we really enjoyed showing our appreciation for their sacrifice. We're already talking to them about doing it again next year."

For more on Johnny, check out his web page. You can also check out The Nighthawks for tour dates and more info.

Multitasking Maniac

It's a well-known "secret" that bass players are excellent multi-taskers and Eden user Rich Krainak is no different. Rich is a musician's musician, and brings his groove, experience, and skills in tow wherever he goes. Fans are already aware of Rich as utility man and backing bassist for fellow Eden endorsee Sean O'Bryan Smith. During the course of a show on any given night, Rich can be seen on fretted and fretless basses as well as keyboards and percussion.

His decades of experience on the groove prompted Krainak to co-found the independent jazz label Groove Therapy Records. With his duties as Executive Partner, Rich is now actively involved in spreading his bass skills to producing more and more. He was deeply involved with Sean O'Bryan Smith's debut CD Tapestry and is already in pre-production for a number of other projects and CDs. Rich is also planning on rolling his Eden rig on tour with Sean as well as in the studio. "It's a blast playing with Sean," Rich says. "You get those two Eden rigs pumping out the low end and it's like Bass Nirvana! It's one of my favorite gigs."

Learn more about Rich on his MySpace page.

Brother Uriah Duffy caught up with us recently via email to let us in on all that's been going on for him. For starters, Whitesnake is back out on tour worldwide. Although the tour has just begun, the band has already played to more than 100,000 fans. In addition, the new album, Good to be Bad - which ROCKS, by the way -- is selling like probverbial hot cakes. Here in the US, it's being hailed as one of the strongest come-back albums ever. This is interesting, as the band has never lost its strong popularity in the rest of the world. No matter where they go, they draw huge crowds and put on an amazing show.

When U-Dawg isn't slamming with Whitesnake, he's pounding out the Hip-Hop with Lyrics Born. Recently the band performed on Jimmy Kimmel, as they are rapidly gaining populatiry across the US, thanks to their powerful new CD, Everywhere Once. (You can see the video here.)

And as if that isn't enough, Uriah's also running his own trio for dates when he's not otherwise occupied. It appears that Uriah doesn't have a blank page on his calendar until 2009! Check out all the Whitesnake news on Uriah's new blog. Find Uriah's tour dates here.

Tapestry, the freshman CD from endorser Sean O'Bryan Smith, is rapidly gaining worldwide recognition. Released on Groove Therapy Records, the CD brings Sean into the limelight (or is that spotlight?) after years as a sideman to major label artists. Reviewers and listeners alike are rallying around Tapestry as more traditional and Internet radio stations add it to Heavy Rotation lists. In addition to strong US sales, the CD has broken in The Netherlands, Canada, UK, Indonesia, Russia and more.

"The response has been amazing," Sean said in a recent interview. "Every review is better than the last one, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate them all."

For example, in their current issue [June, '08], Bass Player Magazine called it "...soulful, melodic, and unpretentious...", while Bass icon Mark Egan raved about "...great groove, melodic phrasing, and flow on fretted and fretless... Sean is slammin'!"

Tapestry is available at CDbaby, iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster, Amazon, and MyMusicStream. For more information on Sean O'Bryan Smith, visit his MySpace page.

Circus Act in Bass Player

When Craig Harris of Cirque du Soleil read through the May '08 issue of Bass Player Magazine, he had no idea he'd be reading about himself. And yet, Craig is featured in the Introduce Yourself section.

"I was speechless," Craig said, laughing. "I submitted my information months ago, and thought that was the end of it. I had no warning at all that I'd be in there."

The article was perfectly timed with Craig's arrival in Tokyo, as Cirque du Soleil prepares for the opening of its show at Disney Tokyo. "This is the first permanent international placement for Cirque du Soleil," Craig said. "And so far, it's been a very exciting time. We're all looking forward to our time here, and getting to know the country and the people."

For more information on Craig, check out his MySpace page.

Canadian bassist Shaun Huberts has been one busy bee lately. We caught up with him via email recently and got to hear tons about Tegan and Sarah, the twin singer/songwriters he's been working with for several years. After spending a day preparing for, then appearing on Jay Leno, the band left immediately after the taping for a sold-out show at the Glass House in Pomona, CA. Next day, the band was off to Lost Wages (that's Las Vegas to civilians) for another sold-out show with Death Cab for Cutie. One more day and it was a primo main-stage slot at the Coachella festival.

If you haven't checked out Tegan and Sara, you should. Now. Better hurry, too... this is one band that doesn't stay in any one place for very long. You can also watch a pair of videos (one from Leno, the other from Coachella) on our Video page.

Ever wonder what would happen if you took modern hard edged rock and married it to Christian music? Well that's exactly what Eden endorser Merlin Shippy has done in his Christian Rock band Staynlis. "When we formed this band 2 years ago we set out to change the stereoypes of what Christian music is supposed to sound like", says Merlin. "And based on the comments we're getting from listeners and fans, especially on MySpace, we're starting to see those stereotypes being broken."

We caught up with Merlin recently, as the band gears up for another year of spreading the Word and the music. "Things are starting to really pick up for us this year. We're getting some great opportunities to tour and also open to for several popular, main stream Christian acts, such as Decyfer Down, Kutless, and Disciple to name a few."

Remnants prepare for Fifth Release

Endorser Jay Turner checked in recently to inform us that his band, The Remnants are closing in on the June release date for their 5th CD, American Grit, on the band's own Slow Summer Records label. Currently being mastered at Rodney Mills Masterhouse in Atlanta, GA, the disc features their most political and personal songs to date.

With songs penned by guitarist and lead singer Tom Boynton, "American Grit" showcases the brand of roots rock that the band has been known for throughout the Mid Atlantic and Eastern seaboard. Recorded and mixed by Steve Wright at Wrightway Studios in downtown Baltimore, MD, the CD also features guest musicians Bill Starks on keyboards, Nadine Rae on backup vocals and Nashville session musician Russ Pahl on pedal steel.

"Every project is a challenge, because you want to get the band's true personality on the CD," Jay said. "This time around, I think we really got the job done, and I can't wait for our fans to here it."

Eden endorser, bassist and session musician Sean O'Bryan Smith has already had a career that many musicians long for. Throughout his twenty-plus years of playing, Sean has had the opportunity to perform for thousands of people and share the stage or studio with a number of artists including Billy Ray Cyrus, Anna Wilson, Sara Evans, Rodney Atkins, Steve Azar, Rebecca St. James and Justin Conn, just to name a few. For the next phase of Sean's musical journey, he's taken on the role as recording artist with the release of his first solo CD for Groove Therapy Records, "Tapestry."

"Tapestry" is a return to Sean's roots in jazz, blues, and soul, and features him on fretted and fretless basses as well as guitar and keyboards. The CD transcends many musical genres and also reunites Sean with a collection of his favorite fellow sidemen including Jeff "Skunk" Baxter ( Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers ), Jerry Marotta ( Peter Gabriel, Sarah McLachlan ), Rich Eckhardt ( Toby Keith ), and Ken Rarick ( Madonna, Cher ) as well as some of the Nashville areas greatest unknown players. The initial responses to "Tapestry" cover the gamut of top radio personalities to legendary musicians and prove why Sean has become one of the most in demand bassists in the industry. Fellow Eden endorser and Jazz legend Mark Egan says the CD has "great groove, melodic phrasing, and flow on fretted and fretless."

"Tapestry" is available for download on My Music Stream and will be available for order April 22nd from CD Baby, iTunes, and Rhapsody. Sean will also be performing at the CD release party for "Tapestry" at The Rutledge in Nashville, TN on April 18th. For advance copies and more information on Sean's news ,performances, clinics, articles, and more check out Sean's MySpace page. You can meet the man behind the bass at Eden's clinic at L&M Music on Saturday, April 5th. For more info, visit our Events page.

Ever wondered how to win the heart of a special lady? Think outside the (chocolate) box.

"No need for flowers, chocolates or diamond rings. Just give me a gig at the Filmore [San Francisco] on Valentine's Day and I'm a very happy girl!"

So says Eden endorser Angeline Saris. This slamming bassist holds down the bottom for Flametal, a unique blend of flamenco and metal that's as hot as a habanero pepper, and also The Skeletons, a scaled-down acoustic version of the same band.

This year, Angeline got her Perfect Gift for Valentine's Day - opening a show for the legendary Robin Trower at the Filmore. The Skeletons performed to a sold-out house that seriously dug the grinding flamenco rhythms. Asked about it in a telephone interview, she enthused, "It was great! Are you kidding? We got to play one of the most historic concert halls in the world, and opened for a legend. It doesn't get any better than this."

Website

We caught up with endorser Shaun Smith recently, only to learn that he's got a brand new gig. Seems that his former "boss" decided to take a year off, and Shaun looked over the horizon to the next opportunity. He's now holding down the low end with Arista recording artist Jason Michael Carroll. "Jason's an awesome singer," Smith said, and a great performer. I couldn't be happier!"

The band is in full swing, performing in concert and on TV (most recently on Good Morning America) as often as possible. And, as you can see, Shaun's a pretty happy boy. We're not sure if it's the gig or the rig, but we should all have so much fun!

Deeper Blues, led by Eden endorser Lane Baldwin, will sponsor and produce Danville Foodstock '08, a benefit for the Danville Area Food Pantry on Saturday, March 1, 2008. The event will be held from noon to 5PM at the Bremer Center on the Danville Area Community College campus. The concert is free to all, but a donation of food or money is strongly suggested. All proceeds will go directly to the food pantry. "We're very grateful to our sponsors," said Baldwin, Executive producer of the event. "Because of their contributions, every penny and every pea we collect will go directly to the food pantry. No one is taking a dime for their work."

Baldwin and his band will headline the five hour event, which also includes local Jazz luminaries Doc Ashton and the Root Canals, the New Kingdom Christian Church Choir and the R&B band Phaze II. Sponsoring businesses include DACC, KISS Country and KOOL Oldies radio stations, US Music Corporation, Speedy's Quick Print, MB Music & Sound, Days Inn, and dozens of local businesses.

Fundraising activities will include numerous gift basket raffles, food and beverage sales, and various gift items available for purchase. Auctions will include an all-expenses-paid private party with food for up to fifty guests and a private performance by Deeper Blues. For those unable to attend, a PayPal Donation Link is included on every page of the Danville Foodstock website.

The producers of the event hope to raise as much as $52,000, allowing them to provide $1,000 of extra food per week to Danville's neediest. "We've wanted to do something for our community ever since we formed this band," said Baldwin. "We also wanted to commemorate the release of our new CD with something special. And we can't think of anyone who needs help more than those who can't afford food for their families."

The event grew from Deeper Blues' commitment to building a strong, supportive community. "A strong sense of community is integral to the origins of the Blues," said Baldwin. "The Blues brought people together and gave them a way to deal with their pain so they could all survive in the face of despair. We want to revive that sense of community, to remind our listeners that there's a reason for the music. Today, this is our reason: to show those in desperate need that the community cares."

For more information, or to make a donation, visit Danville Foodstock.

New York City bassist and Eden endorser John Montagna has released a new solo CD, entitled "Senza." The 5-song EP was recorded entirely at John's home studio
in Brooklyn, with John handling all of the instruments and vocals himself. Stylistically, John's music incorporates elements of jazz, folk, R&B, and his beloved British rock; but it's John's thick, melodic bass playing that serves as the common thread between these diverse musical elements.

"I wanted my bass to be the focus of the music on Senza" John explains, "which meant that my sound had to be just right: plenty of bottom to support and push the groove along, but enough snap, crackle and pop in the higher frequencies to catch your ears. All of the bass parts were recorded direct through my Nemesis/Eden head, and in some cases the DI sound was combined with a miced Nemesis 2x10 cab. This is how I've been hearing my music in my head for so long, and it's a pleasure to realize my vision so beautifully with the help of Eden Electronics."

"Senza" is available at CD Baby, iTunes, and at John's live shows (where he performs solo, with just a 4-string bass). John also keeps a very entertaining blog on his website, detailing his exploits as a working musician in today's world. Whether he's grooving behind a local NYC artist, doing a solo show, or touring the world with legendary rockers such as Alan Parsons and Todd Rundgren, there's always a story to tell! Visit his website to keep up with everything he's up to.

After searching for more than a decade to find the right partners, Eden endorser Lane Baldwin, founded his dream band in the summer of 2006. Now, a year and a half later, Deeper Blues has released its first CD, Dig the Hole, on its own label, Blue Empire. Produced by Lane and guitarist Gary Jones, with Rick Plester (FTM Records) coproducing, mixing and mastering, and Polo Jones (Raven Records) handling executive production duties, the CD features 13 tracks of pain, joy, loss, renewal and redemption that the band guarantees will make listeners "blue to the bone"™.

"Deeper stories, deeper emotion. That's Deeper Blues," said Baldwin, bassist and vocalist for the band. "Our goal is to return to the reason for the Blues, to give ourselves and our listeners the chance to release the pain, to be renewed."

Of course, Lane used his WT1205 and D610XLT for the recording. "We just set it up the same I way to do live," he said, "everything flat and turned up loud! We took the DI and blended that with the miced cabinet. No EQ and no compression in the mixdown. Just pure Eden tone!"

After almost three decades backing other artists, Baldwin is looking forward to touring his own band. "I've been waiting my whole career to do this CD," he said. "This is my dream come true."

Buy the CD | Download the CD | More on Deeper Blues