Former MEGADETH Guitarist's OHMPHREY Confirmed For JAM CRUISE 8

OHMPHREY, the new band featuring Chris Poland (OHM:, MEGADETH) and Robertino Pagliari (OHM:) alongside jam-band masters Jake Cinnger, Joel Cummins, and Kris Myer of UMPHREY'S MCGEE, has been confirmed for Jam Cruise 8, which will set sail January 3-8, 2010 on the beautiful Italian ship: MSC Poesia. The cruise will leave from Ft Lauderdale's Port Everglades and head to Ocho Rios, Jamaica and Georgetown, Cayman Islands. It is described as "a musical journey like no other."

For more information, visit www.jamcruise.com

OHMPHREY's self-titled debut album was released on May 19 through Magna Carta Records.

Check out audio samples at www.myspace.com/ohmphrey

Extensive Miles Davis Box Set To Be Released

From Tom Breihan at http://www.Pitchfork.com

During his tenure at Columbia Records, Miles Davis recorded an awe-inspiring 52 albums. Pretty soon, you'll be able to own all of them in one gigantic box that will probably be heavy enough to kill someone.
On November 10, Columbia/Legacy will release The Complete Columbia Album Collection. The box will include (seriously) 70 CDs and one DVD, and somehow it's that one DVD that makes the whole thing look like overkill. The DVD is Live in Europe '67, which will be on DVD for the first time ever with this set. The set will also include a previously unreleased live recording of Davis's performance at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival.
According to Legacy, the CDs will all come in "Japanese-styled mini LP jackets", which sounds cool. The CDs will include bonus tracks that have been tacked on to Davis reissues over the years. There will also be a 250-page book.
The whole massive brick of a thing will be available exclusively from Amazon, and it'll run you $369.98, which is kind of a bargain. That's about five bucks a disc!

Thanks to Progarchives

SPV Board Of Creditors Give Way To Conclusion Of Contract With Sony Music Entertainment

BraveWords.com has received the following press release:
The interim board of creditors of SPV Schallplatten Produktion und Vertrieb GmbH, Hannover, in insolvency, have assigned insolvency administrator, attorney Mr. Manuel Sack, to go into final negotiations about future co-operation with Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH. On July, 31st 2009, the local court Hannover, Germany, had ruled for administration of insolvency of SPV Schallplatten Produktion und Vertrieb GmbH.
Founded in 1983, the company had developed to one of the biggest independent music distributors worldwide. The insolvency of one of the SPV shareholders, followed by a compensation of millions of Euros in 2007, parallel to a serious narrow market had forced founder and managing director Mr. Manfred Schütz, to file for insolvency at the local court Hannover, end of may 2009.
Together with the credit institutions being involved, the insolvency administrator have managed to sustain the daily business in all areas of operation and is now able to ensure to all business partners a long lasting solution for SPV´s future business.
After a multistage bidding procedure, the insolvency administrator have presented four binding offers to the board of creditors, all coming from well known investors from the music and entertainment business.
Focussing on the concept presented by Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH the creditors believe to establish a forward-looking and substantial structure, that guarantees a safe and effective satisfaction for all creditors involved. The new partner also avouches to keep various headcounts within an ongoing operating company SPV Schallplatten Produktion und Vertrieb GmbH, though in an obviously restructured setup.
All parties involved are looking forward to speed up in finalizing their ongoing negotiations and to announce more details by the end of next week.
RNR COLA

Guitar, Studio Wizard Les Paul Dies At 94

(CNN) -- Les Paul, whose innovations with the electric guitar and studio technology made him one of the most important figures in recorded music, has died, according to a statement from his publicists. Paul was 94.

Paul died in White Plains, New York, from complications of severe pneumonia, according to the statement.
Paul was a guitar and electronics mastermind whose creations -- such as multitrack recording, tape delay and the solid-body guitar that bears his name, the Gibson Les Paul -- helped give rise to modern popular music, including rock 'n' roll. No slouch on the guitar himself, he continued playing at clubs into his 90s despite being hampered by arthritis.
"If you only have two fingers [to work with], you have to think, how will you play that chord?" he told CNN.com in a 2002 phone interview. "So you think of how to replace that chord with several notes, and it gives the illusion of sounding like a chord." Guitarists mourned the loss Thursday.
"Les Paul was truly a 'one of a kind.' We owe many of his inventions that made the rock 'n roll sound of today to him, and he was the founding father of modern music," B.B. King said in a statement. "This is a huge loss to the music community and the world. I am honored to have known him."
Joe Satriani said in a statement: "Les Paul set a standard for musicianship and innovation that remains unsurpassed. He was the original guitar hero and the kindest of souls. Last October I joined him onstage at the Iridium club in [New York], and he was still shredding. He was and still is an inspiration to us all.

"In a statement, Slash said, "Les Paul was a shining example of how full one's life can be; he was so vibrant and full of positive energy."

Lester William Polfuss was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on June 9, 1915. Even as a child he showed an aptitude for tinkering, taking apart electric appliances to see what made them tick.

"I had to build it, make it and perfect it," Paul said in 2002. He was nicknamed the "Wizard of Waukesha."

In the 1930s and '40s, he played with the bandleader Fred Waring and several big band singers, including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and the Andrews Sisters, as well as with his own Les Paul Trio. In the early 1950s, he had a handful of huge hits with his then-wife, Mary Ford, such as "How High the Moon" and "Vaya Con Dios."
His guitar style, heavily influenced by jazzman Django Reinhardt, featured lightning-quick runs and double-time rhythms. In 1948, after being involved in a severe car accident, he asked the doctor to set his arm permanently in a guitar-playing position.
Paul also credited Crosby for teaching him about timing, phrasing and preparation.
Crosby "didn't say it, he did it -- one time only. Unless he blew the lyrics, he did one take."
Paul never stopped tinkering with electronics, and after Crosby gave him an early audiotape recorder, Paul went to work changing it. It eventually led to multitrack recording; on Paul and Ford's hits, he plays many of the guitar parts, and Ford harmonizes with herself. Multitrack recording is now the industry standard.
But Paul likely will be best remembered for the Gibson Les Paul, a variation on the solid-body guitar he built in the early 1940s -- "The Log" -- and offered to the guitar company.
"For 10 years, I was a laugh," he told CNN in an interview. "[But I] kept pounding at them and pounding at them saying hey, here's where it's at. Here's where tomorrow, this is it. You can drown out anybody with it. And you can make all these different sounds that you can't do with a regular guitar."
Gibson, spurred by rival Fender, finally took Paul up on his offer and introduced the model in 1952. It has since become the go-to guitar for such performers as Jimmy Page.
"The world has lost a truly innovative and exceptional human being today. I cannot imagine life without Les Paul," said Henry Juszkiewicz, chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar, in a statement. "He would walk into a room and put a smile on anyone's face. His musical charm was extraordinary and his techniques unmatched anywhere in the world."
Paul is enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Inventors Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is survived by three sons, a daughter, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Until recently he had a standing gig at New York's Iridium Jazz Club, where he would play with a who's who of famed musicians.

He admired the places guitarists and engineers took his inventions, but he said there was nothing to replace good, old-fashioned elbow grease and soul.
"I learned a long time ago that one note can go a long way if it's the right one," he said in 2002, "and it will probably whip the guy with 20 notes."

MASTODON To Play 'Secret' Show For San Diego Radio Station

Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON have agreed to play a "secret show" for a select group of "insiders" (registered members) of the San Diego, California radio station FM 94/9 when the band is in town for the Street Scene festival on Friday, August 28.

To be eligible to win a chance to see the performance, make sure you enter by midnight on Sunday, August 16. The radio station will randomly select and notify 20 winners.

MASTODON will team up with the lifesize version of DETHKLOK, the animated band from Adult Swim's "Metalocalypse", for a co-headlining tour in October/November. Also scheduled to appear are CONVERGE and HIGH ON FIRE. The 34-city trek will kick off October 2 and will scorch the nation coast to coast. General public ticket sales begin Friday, August 7, at 10:00 a.m.

MASTODON will perform live on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" on Thursday, October 29. Tune in 12:35 a.m. and 11:35 p.m. CT on NBC stations.

The band is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Crack The Skye", which sold 41,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 11 on The Billboard 200 chart.

MASTODON fans have responded with manic enthusiasm to the band's new LP, snapping up every available copy of various limited edition artifacts including the deluxe tunnel book CD+DVD package, both color and double-disc 180 gm gatefold vinyl pressings, plus a pair of CD single/T-shirt bundles; all long gone. Act fast and you just might still find a pair of the "Blood Mountain" or "Blade Catcher" design MASTODON Vans shoes, available online and in Vans shops now.

Waves of Inspiration: The Legacy of Moog - Museum Exhibit Features Electronic Music Pioneer's Archives for the First Time

Carlsbad, CA/Asheville, NC – The Museum of Making Music and The Bob Moog Foundation announce Waves of Inspiration: The Legacy of Moog exhibition to run from August 29, 2009 – April 30, 2010 at the Museum’s facilities in Carlsbad, California. The exhibit is the first of its kind, marking the first public display of the artifacts from Bob Moog’s archives.
Bob Moog (1934-2005) was a pioneer in the field of electronic music, inventing the Moog synthesizer in 1964. His invention made synthesis accessible to musicians for the first time and in doing so provided them with new realms of sonic expression. The instrument revolutionized the face of music and was used by such early synthesists as Wendy Carlos, Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman, Stevie Wonder, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Jan Hammer, and more.

“The Moog synthesizer defined the sounds of progressive rock and was regarded as the best sound in synthesizers. ” – Keith Emerson(Emerson, Lake and Palmer)

The Moog synthesizer is widely used today in almost every genre of music and continues to be coveted for its rich, warm analog sound and high level of expressiveness.

“Bob Moog was one of the great visionaries of our time. His ideas far transcend just music, and to this day continue to have impact on everything from rock to rap to quantum physics” – Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins)

Moog's career spanned over 50 years and his work left an indelible impact on music, musicians and music-lovers alike. Bob Moog's unique legacy is one of expanding musical expression through innovation and inspiring musicians to explore the boundaries of sonic reality. Tens of thousands of musicians worldwide were, and continue to be, inspired by Moog's work, and the sonic palette it provides.
Bob Moog was awarded two GRAMMYs for his work: the NARAS Trustee's Award in 1970 and Award for Technical Achievement in 2002. He also won the Polar Music prize in 2001 from the King of Sweden and numerous other prizes that recognized his contributions.
The exhibition, which highlights the inventor's career and the impact that it had on the world of music, will feature rare vintage synthesizers and other related Moog instruments and memorabilia from the Bob Moog Archives and from various private collections. A custom video presentation created by Moog historian and exhibit consultant Brian Kehew will form a central part of the exhibit. The exhibit will explore the numerous musicians, engineers and colleagues who played a vital role in the evolution of the Moog sound and the relationship between and the inventor/toolmaker and the musician, as well as the genesis of a variety of musical interfaces.

The instruments featured in the exhibit will trace the history of Moog’s work. The exhibit begins with vintage theremins and a prototype of the first modular synthesizer which originally belonged to Herb Deutsch, an experimental music composer from Long Island whose 1963 meeting with Dr. Bob Moog would help define the synthesizer as a musical instrument, and set a course for the future of electronic music. Other excellent examples of modular instruments from the late 1960s and early 1970s will be on exhibit, most notably Keith Emerson’s famous “Monster Moog” will be featured for the first time as a part of the museum display.

The exhibition will highlight and explore crucial steps that were taken in the advancement of the Moog synthesizer during the years following the development of the modular system. The display will showcase a sequence of models that led to the emergence of more compact instruments, such as the Minimoog. The main impetus behind this tremendous work was Moog’s vision to create a portable electronic music studio on which musicians could compose and perform.

The opening weekend (August 29 -31) will kick off with a launch of the Moog exhibition featuring an intimate musical performances by Keith Emerson and Erik Norlander and talks by Larry Fast and Brian Kehew.

Tickets for the opening weekend events can be purchased on the Museum's website beginning August 3, 2009. The Museum is planning an array of exciting programming throughout the seven month exhibition with panel discussions featuring people who collaborated with Moog throughout his lifetime, and concerts featuring top synthesists. The ultimate goal of this exhibition and its programs is to highlight Moog's career while celebrating synthesis as a whole.

This exhibition is funded in part by The Norris Foundation.
The Museum of Making Music is a division of the NAMM Foundation.
Founded in 1998 under NAMM’s organizational umbrella and with its sponsorship, the Museum of Making Music explores the multifaceted history of the American music products industry from its beginnings in the 1890s to today. Housed at NAMM Headquarters in Carlsbad, California (north San Diego county), the Museum tells stories of hard work, challenge, inspiration and pioneering innovation, and reveals the profound relationship between the industry, popular music, and global culture. For more information see www.museumofmakingmusic.org.

The Bob Moog Foundation is a non-profit organization founded upon Moog's passing in August 2005. The mission of the foundation is to educate and inspire children and adults through the power and possibilities of electronic music and through the intersection of science, music and innovation. The foundation has three main projects: preserving and protecting Bob Moog's archives, creating a Student Outreach Program that brings electronic music into the schools, and its hallmark project, the creation of a Moogseum in Asheville, NC, for which it was recently awarded a $600,000 lead grant by the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority. The Moogseum is planned to open late 2012.
For more information see www.moogfoundation.org.

EDDIE JOBSON'S 'ULTIMATE ZERO TOUR' Brings Prog-Rock Violin/Keyboard Legend Out of 27-Year Retirement with Virtuoso Supergroup

PROG-ROCK KEYBOARD/VIOLIN LEGEND RETURNS FROM 27-YEAR RETIREMENT TO INTRODUCE VIRTUOSO SUPERGROUP OF WORLD-RENOWNED PLAYERS ON FIRST EVER ‘SOLO’ TOUR
Brief Series of Exclusive East Coast and Midwest Summer Dates Kicks Off Aug. 17 in Washington “The word ‘genius’ is bandied about a bit too freely these days, but in Jobson’s case, the term not only applies, it’s been used to describe him since his northern England childhood.” – EMMY Magazine
Watch the new video for UKZ’s RADIATION here: http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=755603&msgid=382137&act=MPJ9&c=125369&admin=0&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DYFlnG3AKOW8

Progressive-rock keyboard and electric violin legend EDDIE JOBSON (U.K., Roxy Music, Frank Zappa, Jethro Tull) will perform his first ever “solo” concerts in August with one of the most impressive 'player' lineups to ever grace the concert stage.

EDDIE JOBSON’S U-Z PROJECT will be performing a brief series of exclusive East Coast and Midwest summer dates on the “Ultimate Zero Tour”: Washington DC (August 17 - Jammin' Java); New York (August 18 - B.B. Kings); Boston (August 19 - Regent Theatre); Philadelphia (August 20 - North Star); Cleveland (August 21 - Beachland Ballroom); and Chicago (August 22 - Martyrs').

A live concert appearance by iconic musician Eddie Jobson is a rare event. As keyboardist, electric violinist, co-founder, producer, and principal writer of 'UK' [a group he formed with drummer Bill Bruford (Yes, Genesis, King Crimson), singer/bassist John Wetton (King Crimson, Asia), and then-unknown guitar phenom Allan Holdsworth], Jobson's studio and live concert performances were described as "stunning" and "dazzling.' The Boston Globe has called him "a music pioneer," Emmy magazine called him "a genius."

Eddie was previously well known as the teenage 'rock prodigy' with the early Roxy Music, and as Frank Zappa's right-hand-man on both keyboards and electric violin - replacing both Jean Luc Ponty and George Duke at the age of 21. After appearing on some 60 albums with many of the rock/fusion genre's top musicians, Mr. Jobson retired from both studio and live performance for more than 20 years until a recent unannounced appearance in Russia with King Crimson.

Now, Eddie has formed two new projects based on his original 'UK' concept: 'UKZ' - a five-piece contemporary rock band, currently receiving rave reviews for their "Radiation" EP and recent concert tour of Japan; and the newly-announced 'U-Z Project' - an instrumental band of extraordinary virtuosos from around the world, including Michael Jackson's former guitarist Greg Howe; stick player Michael Bernier (Stick Men); and TWO world renowned drummers, German drumming sensation Marco Minnemann (UKZ), and British drum legend Simon Phillips (Peter Gabriel, Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger, Toto).

Critics raved after witnessing UKZ’s “One City World Tour” debut concert in New York last January. Calling it “an auspicious beginning indeed, Daily Variety said “Jobson's crew proved to be well stocked in both the brawn and brain departments.” JazzTimes marveled at how this “chops-heavy” band “delivered the goods” with “blistering licks and well-orchestrated bombast.” Added TimeOut New York: “UKZ fuses technical flamboyance with the postindustrial crunch of Nine Inch Nails and Tool.”

Given Jobson's international reputation as a musicians' musician, and the high caliber of his previous associations and collaborations (a list that includes Frank Zappa, Ian Anderson, Robert Fripp, Phil Collins, John Entwistle, Tony Levin, Bill Bruford, Terry Bozzio, Steve Hackett, Trey Gunn, Jon Anderson, Allan Holdsworth, Adrian Belew, and many others) it is not surprising that the upcoming U.S. tour would include such an impressive lineup of players.

Spotlighting Jobson's trademark Plexiglas electric violins, the 'U-Z Project' will perform rarely played music from 'UK' and other material culled from the best of the genres Jobson has helped create. More at http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=755603&msgid=382137&act=MPJ9&c=125369&admin=0&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ukzband.com and http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=755603&msgid=382137&act=MPJ9&c=125369&admin=0&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eddiejobson.com.