Creative Edge Music

14. Ibanez 6-String Bass 13. Ibanez MTM20WH - Mick Thompson Signature Model 12. Martin & Co. Acoustic Guitar 11. Dean Electric Guitar 10. Dean ML Style Electric Guitar 9. Jackson Flying V - Phil Demmel Signature Model 8. Taylor 12-String Acoustic 7. PRS Electric Guitar 24 Frets 6. DW Kit 5. DW Signature Snare 4. DW Signature Snare 3. DW Signature Snare 2. Gibson SG Reissue 1. Gibson Les Paul Standard - Ocean

The first picture I took as I approached the Anaheim Convention Center this year This time last year, I wrote about how incredible it was to visit Winter NAMM 2013 for the first time .  Learning more about the industry, having the first glance at new products, and speaking with key musicians and dealers was productive indeed.  This year at Winter NAMM 2014, the feeling is exactly the same: what a great opportunity to learn about the industry and its gear from the very folks who pursue music for a living. As a press agent and a musician, the most abundant feeling I had throughout the event was one of togetherness.  There was this amazing sense of connection with the other people present.  Time was flying by, the halls were noisy, and tons of stuff was going on at any given moment, but beneath all that there was a genuine sense of being together.  It seemed everyone had a smile on their face, an invitation to give out to an after party, or an offer of bus...

What an epic whirlwind. This was my first experience at NAMM and I was not disappointed. With thousands of industry people, hundreds of booths (including showrooms way larger than my house), and everyone’s favorite musicians, the event overflowed with passion for music. I wish I could splurge it all on this post for you, but I would need to write a short novel to make that happen. Instead I decided to focus on two things that stood out to me and were not included in all the major press and buzz: the company Graph Tech and Shure’s SE846 headphones. Graph Tech This company is truly unique. They create parts (nuts, saddles, bridges, etc.) for guitars, mandolins, and ukuleles with proprietary engineered materials made to improve performance issues found with other materials. One of their materials really caught my eye: a man-made ivory branded “ TUSQ .” From a technical stance, the man-made ivory is a great upgrade from traditional bone or ivory because Graph Tech can control both t...

John Zemla's "Hawkville" John Zemla recently wrote an absolutely killer rap song for the Seattle Seahawks.  This was early in the season before they got into the Super Bowl, too.  Now that the Seahawks are getting ready to play in this year's Super Bowl, I had to ask John about the music.  Our interview is posted below. When did you first come up with the idea for Hawkville?  I came up with the idea to record "Hawkville" because I am a big fan of the Seahawks and there hasn't been an anthem for the 12th Man at the time. I just got back into writing after a long hiatus and thought this would be a good start and fun project. Who engineered the song? Ramundo Andrews is the producer and engineer of the song, he has his own production company and goes by the name Mythikal. He also collaborated in the writing of the hook and chorus. How long did it take to write and put together? It took me about 2-3 months to write the song as I was doing res...

Album of the Year Sara Bareilles, The Blessed Unrest Daft Punk, Random Access Memories Kendrick Lamar, good kid, m.A.A.d city Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, The Heist Taylor Swift, Red Record of the Year Daft Punk feat. Pharrell, “Get Lucky” Imagine Dragons, “Radioactive” Lorde, “Royals” Bruno Mars, “Locked Out of Heaven” Robin Thicke feat. T.I. and Pharrell, “Blurred Lines”

A special night hanging out with  Intronaut,  Meshuggah, Mastodon, Michael Manring, Billy Gould, Doug from Darkglass and the 3 Leaf Audio Team But wait!  Where did Michael Manring come from?  Read on. If you are familiar with the NAMM show, then you know how much music is played before, during, and after the event. This might be expected at a musi c trade show, but just to clear up any doubts anybody might have, it's a non-stop music fest! From large organized performances to individual players working the floor testing new gear, NAMM is a living, breathing work of musical art. There is nothing passive about the experience whatsoever, since even press folks and other administrative staff pick up instruments and participate in the community that is NAMM. This is one of the most functional parts about the show, too, because I can ask someone all the technical questions about a new product and then just pick it up and try it myself. There is little ro...