GI BLOG

Posted by Michael Mueller on January 30, 2009 at 2:43 PM

Harmonix and MTV Games announced the addition of seven new tracks to the Rock Band Music Store catalog of downloadable content, including a 3-pack from Irish hard rock band Thin Lizzy as well as songs from Nikko, Pat Benatar, and The Pretenders.

The Thin Lizzy 3-pack features live recordings of "The Boys are Back in Town," "Jailbreak," and "Cowboy Song." The 3-pack will become the first Thin Lizzy tracks to join the Rock Band music library, and are taken from Still Dangerous: Live At The Tower Theater Philadelphia 1977. This newly discovered live album, featuring the quintessential Lizzy lineup—Phil Lynott, lead vocals/bass; Scott Gorham, guitar; Brian Robertson, guitar; Brian Downey, drums—showcases the band at the height of its prodigious powers and will be released on VH1 Classic Records on March 3, 2009.

Rock sensation Pat Benatar makes her Rock Band debut with the popular single "Hit Me With Your Best Shot." This week's lineup also includes "Precious" from The Pretenders, as well as "Break My Heart" and "Don't Tell Me" from Nikko as featured in the movie Spectacular! The Pretenders' songs "Brass in Pocket" and "Blue Christmas" were added as downloadable content last year.

Release Date: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 (Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360)

                        Thursday, February 05, 2009 (PlayStation®Store)

Tracks:                  

Pat Benatar        “Hit Me with Your Best Shot”

The Pretenders  “Precious”

Thin Lizzy           “The Boys are Back in Town (live)”

Thin Lizzy           “Cowboy Song (live)”

Thin Lizzy           “Jailbreak (live)”

Nikko                 “Break My Heart”

Nikko                 “Don’t Tell Me”

(All tracks are original master recordings)

Posted by Michael Mueller on January 29, 2009 at 9:27 AM

American rock sensation Journey will help kick off Super Bowl XLIII as part of the pregame festivities adjacent to Raymond James Stadium during the Super Bowl XLIII celebration in Tampa Bay on Sunday, February 1 at 5:30 p.m. EST. John Legend will also appear.

Journey-Neal Schon (guitar), Jonathan Cain (keyboards), Ross Valory (bass), Deen Castronovo (drums) and Arnel Pineda (vocals) - earned platinum honors in 2008 for Revelation, marking their 11th platinum album certification to date. 

Posted by Michael Mueller on January 29, 2009 at 8:55 AM

U2, Kid Rock, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, and Rihanna are the latest performers announced for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards. They join previously announced performers Kenny Chesney, Coldplay, Jennifer Hudson, Jonas Brothers, Paul McCartney (with special guest drummer Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters), Katy Perry, Radiohead, Justin Timberlake, Carrie Underwood, and Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, T.I., and Kanye West in a special performance of their hit single "Swagga Like Us." Presenters include actor Simon Baker (CBS' "The Mentalist"), actor/musician Jack Black, Duffy, Josh Groban, Charlie Haden, actor Samuel L. Jackson and Gwyneth Paltrow. The music industry's premier event will take place live on Sunday, Feb. 8, at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast on CBS from 8-11:30 p.m. EST. Additional performers, presenters and special segments will be announced soon.

Posted by Michael Mueller on January 29, 2009 at 8:42 AM

Line 6 is proud to announce the release of Pocket POD Pack. Pocket POD Pack delivers the ultimate Pocket POD experience at an incredible price by including Pocket POD, the #1 portable multi-effect unit on the market, with a complete set of essential extras.

Pocket POD puts legendary POD tone in the palm of guitarists' hands with 32 fully adjustable classic and modern amp models, 16 cabinet models and 16 essential effects. It features many of the same immortal POD tones that have appeared on countless multi-platinum albums, including presets that were professionally dialed in by such artists as Maroon 5, P.O.D., 311, Hoobastank and others.

Jam-packed with essential extras, Pocket POD Pack includes Pocket POD, a 1/4-inch guitar cable for connecting a guitar to Pocket POD, a 1/8-inch auxiliary cable for connecting an MP3 player to Pocket POD, earbuds for silent practice, a DC-2 power adapter, a USB cable, and a CD-ROM that’s loaded with jam tracks and Pocket POD tone-editing software.

“Pocket POD Pack includes everything you need to get legendary POD tone at an incredible price,” says Michael Murphy, Line 6 Product Manager. “With its portability, tone and comprehensive set of extras, Pocket POD provides crucial convenience at home, in the studio, or anywhere else you play guitar.”

Pocket POD Pack MSRP: $209.99

For more info, visit www.line6.com.

Posted by Michael Mueller on January 28, 2009 at 5:00 PM

Ray LaMontagne announced his first North American tour dates of 2009 today, starting April 2 at the Wellmont in Montclair, NJ,  and ending April 30 in Miami. The tour is LaMontagne's second in support of his latest album Gossip In The Grain which achieved the Maine singer-songwriter's highest chart number debuting at #3 on Billboard charts its week of release. The album was a huge digital sensation being the top-selling album on iTunes that first week.

Fans will also be given the opportunity to buy front row seats and support charity through Tickets-for-Charity.  A portion of each package purchased through their website will automatically benefit The National Children's Cancer Society, while purchasers will be able to donate further proceeds to a wide variety of other charities.

Low Anthem will open April 2-15, with Jessica Lea Mayfield opening the shows April 17-30.

April 2      Montclair, NJ        Wellmont Theatre

April 3      Pittsburgh, PA        Palace Theater

April 4      Philadelphia, PA    Tower Theater

April 6      Albany, NY              The Egg

April 7      Northampton, MA         Calvin Theatre

April 8      New Haven, CT           Schubert Theater

April 11    Portland, ME            Merrill Auditorium

April 12    Burlington, VT          Flynn Center For The Performing Arts

April 14    Montreal, QUE           Metropolis

April 15    Toronto, ONT            Massey Hall

April 17    Cleveland, OH           State Theatre

April 18    Cincinnati, OH          Taft Theatre

April 19    Ann Arbor, MI           Michigan Theatre

April 21    Milwaukee, WI           Riverside Theater

April 22    St. Louis, MO           Pageant Theater

April 24    Asheville, NC           Thomas Wolfe Auditorium

April 25    Louisville, KY          Brown Theater

April 27    Birmingham, AL          Alabama Theatre

April 28    Jacksonville, FL        Florida Theatre

April 29    Tampa, FL               Tampa Theatre

April 30    Miami, FL               Fillmore @ Jackie Gleason

Posted by Michael Mueller on January 28, 2009 at 10:49 AM

After a stellar 2008 that found the band's most recent release, Watershed, atop many critical best of" lists, Swedish metal gods Opeth will return to the US for a third tour run. The tour –their third in support of Watershed, which earned the band the best reviews of its career— will kick off on May 1 and will be sponsored by Decibel Magazine. Enslaved have been confirmed as the supporting act.

The tour dates are as follows:

May 1—Starland Ballroom, Sayerville, NJ

May 2— House of Blues, Boston, MA

May 3—Medley, Montreal, QUE 

May 4—Sound Academy, Toronto ON

May 5—Mr. Smalls, Pittsburgh, PA

May 6—House of Blues, Chicago, IL 

May 8—Sokol Auditorium, Omaha, NE

May 9—Fox Theater, Boulder, CO

May 11—Knitting Factory, Boise, ID 

May 12—Roseland Theater, Portland, OR

May 13—Senator Theater, Chico, CA 

May 14—Regency Center at Grand Ballroom, San Francisco, CA 

May 15—The Glasshouse, Pomona, CA

May 16—Avalon, Los Angeles, CA 

May 17—Rialto Theater, Tucson, AZ    

May 19—Scout Bar, San Antonio, TX 

May 20—Diamond Ballroom, Oklahoma City, OK

May 21—New Daisy Theater, Memphis, TN 

May 22—Bijou Theater, Knoxville, TN

May 23—Newport Music Hall, Columbus, OH 

May 24—Clutch Cargo's, Detroit, MI 

May 26—Grand Ballroom at Manhattan Center, New York, NY

May 27—9:30 Club, Washington, DC 

Posted by Michael Mueller on January 27, 2009 at 3:04 PM

Metallica have released the track listing to the upcoming Guitar Hero: Metallica video game, which hits streets March 29. The Metallica version contains cool features like different classic venues such as the L.A. Forum, Tushino Airfield, and The Hammersmith Odeon; the ability to play as Metallica or in single instrument mode; and even the Expert+ setting with double bass drum kick pedals.

In addition to the Metallica tunes listed below, the game will feature songs from other hard rock and metal artists.

Metallica Tracks

1. All Nightmare Long
2. Battery
3. Creeping Death
4. Disposable Heroes
5. Dyers Eve
6. Enter Sandman
7. Fade To Black
8. Fight Fire With Fire
9. For Whom The Bell Tolls
10. Frantic
11. Fuel
12. Hit The Lights
13. King Nothing
14. Master of Puppets
15. Mercyful Fate (Medley)
16. No Leaf Clover
17. Nothing Else Matters
18. One
19. Orion
20. Sad But True
21. Seek And Destroy
22. The Memory Remains
23. The Shortest Straw
24. The Thing That Should Not Be
25. The Unforgiven
26. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
27. Wherever I May Roam
28. Whiplash

Other Artists

1. Alice In Chains - No Excuses
2. Bob Seger - Turn The Page
3. Corrosion of Conformity - Albatross
4. Diamond Head - Am I Evil?
5. Foo Fighters - Stacked Actors
6. Judas Priest - Hell Bent For Leather
7. Kyuss - Demon Cleaner
8. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Tuesdays Gone
9. Machine Head - Beautiful Mourning
10. Mastodon - Blood And Thunder
11. Mercyful Fate - Evil
12. Michael Schenker Group - Armed and Ready
13. Motorhead - Ace of Spades
14. Queen - Stone Cold Crazy
15. Samhain - Mother of Mercy
16. Slayer - War Ensemble
17. Social Distortion - Mommy's Little Monster
18. Suicidal Tendencies - War Inside My Head
19. System of a Down - Toxicity
20. The Sword - Black River
21. Thin Lizzy - The Boys Are Back in Town