Hi all - upon hearing the news of John Hughes death, I wanted to share a new song with you that speaks to the 80's in all of us. Though it is still in progress, it just felt right to put it out in the world today. It is called 80's Days. Please check it out and I hope you enjoy it.
Exclusive interview with Jim - part 3
June 2009
Favourites
Jim: OK, before we get into the favorite stuff, here is a disclaimer. There are no favorites: there is too much great music out there, and I really don't have favorites. Just stuff that I love. These will be off the top of my head.
K&M: Favourite guitar riff?
Jim: AC/DC - Back in Black (link)
K&M: Favourite guitar solo?
Jim: Anything played by Neil Schon (Journey) prior to 1990. “Faithfully” maybe? (link 3:20 onwards)
K&M: Favourite guitarist?
Jim: Neil Shon, Mike Campbell, The Edge
K&M: Another favourite and we’ll stop. Favourite line (verse) from a song?
Jim: “Never trust a big butt and a smile, that girl is Poison” - Bell Biv DeVoe, Poison (link)
You know what - I was talking to my brother the other day, and there is something I have a favorite of. I think my favorite movie of all time is... dramatic pause...: Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Personal
K&M: Do you speak any foreign language or have you learned any foreign words on your travels? What language would you like to learn, if any?
Jim: I can barely speak English. No, I would love to speak Italian. My grandmother was Italian and I always wanted to learn it.
K&M: Twitter, Facebook, MySpace… Do you have any affinity for or see any benefit in any of the social networking sites?
Jim: I am pretty much done with all of them. I check Facebook every now and then because I have reconnected with some old friend through there, but I think the whole thing has gotten out of control. Either no one is doing their jobs, or everyone is unemployed. How else do people have time for these constant updates of meaning less thoughts and activities. Why do I care that someone is going to workout right now? Is this really necessary?
K&M: We loved “Marley and Me” - the book and the subsequent movie. Considering that you have a dog (we assume that “Sammy” from your CD sleeve is the dog-ter you mention) – have you seen or do you plan to see it?
Jim: My wife rented it, but I was working in the studio. I saw a few minutes and am sure I would like it. She cried.
K&M: As a movie buff, who do you think should play Frank Sinatra in the upcoming Martin Scorsese biopic? Can anyone do justice to the Ol’ Blue Eyes and his singing?
Jim: Wow. That could be cool. Harry Connick, Jr. could definitely do it from a musical standpoint, but I’m not sure he has the acting chops. I’m sure Leo wants in, and hey - he’s a damn good actor. It would be cool to go with a no name. guy. Someone like a young Ray Liotta would be great.
Exclusive interview with Jim - part 2
June 2009
Music in general
K&M: What do you feel makes you a good musician?
Jim: My haircut. Answering that about myself feels a bit odd, but there are many things that make people good musicians:
- Ability to listen: to the big picture and to other musicians while you are playing as well.
- Timing: not just playing in time, but knowing when to play or not to play something.
- Confidence.
- Being a student of music: knowing the history of where things came from so you can draw from many places.
Those are a few.
K&M: Stemming from the previous question, what kind of qualities should a person possess in order to be a successful musician?
Jim: Successful musician?? There’s an oxymoron if I’ve ever heard one. I guess that all depends on ones definition of success. To some, selling a million records is success. To others, simply having someone enjoy your music in a bar or a living room is success. I think that is up to each person to decide what their definition is first. After that, it’s all about desire and persistence.
K&M: If you could to put together a concert with any 5 artists/bands, who would be on the bill?
Jim: U2 - Michael Jackson - Tom Petty - Prince - AC/DC
K&M: Speaking of concerts, so far in 2009, have you seen any concerts? If so, which artists/bands?
Jim: Not sure - I can’t think of any. God, has this year been flying.
K&M: Are there any new bands or artists that have peaked your interest lately and if so which ones?
Jim: Phoenix is my favorite band of the last 10 years. They just put out a new record. I just love them.
K&M: You covered Jessie Girl, You Can’t Get What You Want, Boys of Summer… Were all these your choices and which song would you like to cover in the future?
Jim: Yeah, they were my choice. There are so many I would love to cover. I like “Dirty Laundry” by Henley. I just feel like my voice works in the register that he sings in. And what a great message! Also “My Prerogative” by Bobby Brown, Damn, that shit is funky!
K&M: You have played in many venues all over the world (and that’s an understatement) – from arenas to intimate clubs. Any venues that stand out - for whatever reason?
Jim: Giants Stadium with Michelle Branch in 2002. We were on a bill that Bon Jovi headlined. For a kid growing up in Jersey in the 80’s, to play Giants Stadium with Bon Jovi was pretty amazing. The Tokyo Dome with Avril last year was pretty cool too. Big place.
K&M: What is the biggest screw up you personally have done on stage? Come on, fess up.
Jim: Well, the worst thing was with Cher. I’m not gonna pass the buck (her fault) but the whole band got off from her while we were playing “Walking in Memphis” at a show in Australia in 2005. She drifted in time from us at the beginning of the song - and NEVER got back on. It was 4 minutes of pure agony. Pretty rough.
K&M: Over time, have you become more optimistic or more jaded by the music business?
Jim: I never really thought the music business was so pure in the first place. I am sure that I lost my innocence about it, but that goes for almost everything in life.
K&M: Do you know where the Starmaker show is? Or… is it one reality show too many on TV at the moment, hence the delay?
Jim: It is now scheduled for a 4th quarter release. Some time in the fall, I guess. We’ll see??
K&M: The Goo Goo Dolls have confirmed two summer shows during the month of July in Indiana and Illinois. At this stage are you planning to perform with them at these upcoming concerts?
Jim: I will be there.
The Little Monster is the latest release from Matchless Amplifiers, a boutique company known for hand building road-worthy, Class A amps for discerning musicians, and the same visionaries behind designs like the HC-30 and the Clubman. With the announcement of the Little Monster and the Baby - a cleaner, less rock-oriented version set to be released in the coming months - Matchless clearly has its sights set on the small combo market. While previous designs from the company featured higher wattages and larger body frames, these new, smaller models are poised to carry Matchless into the low-wattage/super portable game. Both amps will be situated on the low-end of the company's price scale, but have the potential to be the coolest products in the Matchless line. With a retail price set around $1799 - one to two thousand less than their other models - the Little Monster is sure to introduce a new, quieter group of players to the world of boutique design.
The Little Monster is aptly named, packing a huge punch in a diminutive frame. But before we get to how the amp sounds, we should talk about how it looks. This combo looks like something from a fifties recording studio crossed with the radio from a 22nd century spaceship. The moon-shaped grill in the middle of the monster's face has a distinct look that will surely end up being its trademark. From a design standpoint, its ability to appear both modern and retro is aesthetically impressive. The fact that it almost looks like a piece of furniture when sitting in the living room will not be lost on any home-owning gearhead. If you have the foresight to choose the right color, your significant other might not even nag you if the Little Monster is occasionally found outside of your gear room.
Likewise, the control panel keeps things simple and smooth, with Volume, Treble, Bass and Master Volume controls. It also has High and Low input jacks, with the Low only really useful when used to daisy chain to another amp.
Monster Tone
The first thing you notice when you plug the Little Monster in is the sound's hugeness. Obviously this amp won't be competing with a high-powered Marshall stack any time soon, but considering the wattage, it produces an incredibly powerful sound - it's apparent from the get-go that the Little Monster was conceived as a rock amp.
When coupled with a Les Paul, this little guy sounds like a truck bearing down on you at breakneck speed – power chords and crunchy rhythms reveal this amp’s true rock pedigree. Most impressive is that it does this with just nine watts, producing a wide, full sound with surprisingly rich tone. The Little Monster has a robust sound that starts as an open-back, Voxish overdrive, and produces a tighter, closed back, Marshall-like response as it is pushed harder.
With a Tele or a Strat, you would expect to lose some of the bass, but surprisingly, that doesn’t happen here – by simply boosting the Treble and turning down the Bass, you can achieve a cleaner, chimey tone. Of course, because you are only working with nine watts, you won’t hear a drastic difference from knob adjustments – if you want more bass, you may want to run a Gibson through it. But if you’re a versatile player and know how to use the volume knob on your guitar, odds are you will be able to find the sound you’re after.
One of the amp's best features is the Master Volume circuit. The Little Monster can produce a serious rock crunch at very low volumes with the Volume knob cranked and the Master turned way down. You'll obviously lose some of the spread at a low volume, but this can be extremely useful when recording in home studios. Once the Master Volume is turned up past ten o'clock, the amp starts some tasty break-up, but always at a manageable volume.
Keep in mind that because of the low wattage, you will not have as much headroom as Matchless’ more powerful models – but that’s a small price to pay for rock n’ roll infamy. This amp is a great choice for small clubs or any performing situation where stage volume is an issue. By mic’ing the cab, you can still get a big rock sound without prompting the lead singer to scream at you to turn it all down.
On the tech side, the Little Monster is powered by one EL84 tube, driven by two 12AX7s, and features a 5AR4 bottle for rectifier chores. The 1x12 version comes with a Celestion G12H-30 speaker; a dual 8” version is also available, which includes one Jensen C8R and one P8R, giving you a mix of ceramic and Alnico tones. Whatever configuration you decide to go with, the combo produces massive sound from an overhead compartment-worthy 16”x18”x10” frame, and its hand-built, point-to-point construction feels incredibly solid.
As with all Matchless amps, it features an impedance selector, allowing the use of 4, 8 or 16 ohm cabs, as well as the ever-popular backlit Matchless logo. Additionally, the back panel packs in a Line Out, Speaker Out and power chord socket. The Little Monster follows its bigger siblings' leads by relying on military spec parts, meaning even a mortar couldn’t take this thing down. The only potential drawback here is the 40-pound curb weight – a tradeoff for all the features this amp delivers.
The Final Mojo
All in all, the Little Monster is a great buy for anyone loving big, saturated tones, but not the ear drum-rattling sound pressure levels. This is a powerhouse rock amp in a small, portable package – versatile enough for most rock and pop applications, and full of that famous Matchless mojo. But buyer beware – this monster bites!
Paul Stanley: more 'One Live Kiss' DVD details revealed
Posted by: Bastian Blackrain on 21/09/'08 15:17
Source: Blabbermouth.net
Category: DVD&Video
Views: 35
Printable Version
Kiss guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley will release his new DVD, "One Live Kiss", on October 21 via New Door/Universal. The cover artwork for the disc can be viewed below. The Dvd was filmed on November 6, 2006 at the House of Blues in Chicago, Illinois.
The track listing is as follows:
01. Prologue
02. Live To Win
03. Hide Your Heart
04. A Million To One
05. Got To Choose
06. Move On
07. Bulletproof
08. Tonight You Belong To Me
09. Lick It Up
10. Wouldn't You Like To Know Me?
11. Magic Touch
12. I Still Love You
13. Strutter
14. Everytime I See You Around
15. Do You Love Me?
16. I Want You
17. Love Gun
18. Lift
19. Detroit Rock City
20. Goodbye
Paul Stanley's backing band is the house band from the CBS-Tv show "Rock Star", Paul Mirkovich (keyboards), Jim McGorman (guitar), Rafael Moreira (lead guitar), Nate Morton (drums) and Sasha Krivstov (bass). They appeared on the first ? and so far only ? two seasons of the show: "Rock Star: Inxs" and "Rock Star: Supernova".
"Live To Dream!" is an insider's glimpse into the creative process of Paul Stanley and his concert film titled "One Live Kiss", which was directed by filmmaker Louis Antonelli. The cameras shadow Antonelli as he works behind the scenes to capture Stanley's solo performance in Chicago. Stanley's back-up band for the tour is the house band featured on CBS-Tv's "Rock Star".
"Live To Dream!" features interviews with Paul Stanley, Louis Antonelli, Kiss manager Doc McGhee, band members Jimmy McGorman, Rafael Moreira and Nate Morton, as well as a dozen fans from the Chicago show.
