Displaying items by tag: rock music

JOHN IVAN, GuitarSlinger

© 2024 John Ivan Belousov / Bestia Records (number n/a), 9 tracks = 59'05"

Hope you remember the days of triumph of the mighty US label Shrapnel Records — not only the first American metal label but, far more importantly, a kind of springboard for quite a number of guitar talents all over the US and the world. With a string of albums of such great players as Tony MacAlpine and Paul Gilbert (as a member of Racer X), that label and its boss Mike Varney, a good guitar player himself, wrote the modern rock formula of what an instrumental album of the 80s and 90s should be.

Sadly, such kinds of albums of little-known or even unknown guitar virtuosos are nowadays extremely rare, but a debut solo CD by Ukrainian musician and producer John Ivan Belousov has all the generic traits of those Shrapnel Records of old. Raised on a heavy diet of Yngwie Malmsteen and, eh, aforementioned US shredders, John was once a candidate for one of the last “true” line-ups of the legendary Russian thrash metal institution Master, although his own band Bestia, based in the city of Nikolaev in Ukraine, played a pure US power/speed metal and drew many comparisons with Racer X (again!) even back in the 90s.

In the modern guitar world, few names resonate as profoundly as Grammy-winning producer, engineer, virtuoso guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist Larry Mitchell. Renowned for his spellbinding techniques, soulful compositions, and eponymous signature sound, Mitchell has carved out a niche that defies genre boundaries, seamlessly blending rock, jazz, blues, and world music influences.

During his star-studded journey, Larry recorded and toured with icons such as Tracy Chapman, Ric Ocasek, Billy Squier, Miguel Bosé, and Nile Rodgers. He collaborates with Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, George Lynch, and Doug Doppler, among many others, produced award-winning records for a variety of artists, and released several solo albums since emerging on the scene in the late 1980s.

For Chicago heavyweights SOiL, 2024 became an exciting and busy year of touring. They started in March by headlining in The Back To The 2000’s Tour along with their counterparts from Texas, nu-metal pioneers The Union Underground, playing exclusive material from their most popular albums that were released in the early 2000’s.

In August, SOiL takes off to Europe for a two-week European tour, The tour kicks off at the legendary Wacken Open Air Festival on August 2 and concludes on August 16 in Sulingen, Germany at the ReLoad Festival. In November 2024, the band returns to the UK for another headlining round for the first time since 2019.

With the February 20, 2024 release of their fourth original hit single "Defenseless," alternative metal and modern hard rock powerhouse NOAPOLOGY have entered the undeviating pathway to make a worldwide breakthrough with over 900,000 subscribers and staggering 200 million views on YouTube, and their eagerly anticipated upcoming full-length debut, finalizing their transition from a cover project, formerly known as Sershen&Zaritskaya.

"Defenseless" stands as the newest testament to NOAPOLOGY's unwavering dedication to crafting genuine, heartfelt music. It is a contemplation of Ukrainian rockers in their artistic development, following their previous highly successful originals, “Deadhearted” of 2023, and a debut single “Ashes,” which was produced in two versions - acoustic and a power-charged arrangement.

For decades, US and British artists dominated the rock scene with just a few exceptions, until  globalization, the internet, and social media overturned the entire music industry on the brink of the millennia. 

For heavy music styles in particular, the artists’ origin is no longer a factor for popularity and acceptance in the United States. It opened an incredible opportunity for Oceans on Orion, a modern metal powerhouse from the vibrant cultural landscape of Israel that has already made its mark on the rock scene in the UK and Israel since 2019, and they are regulars at Israel’s major metal show PsychoWard Fest. 

Seattle nineties grunge and metal scene is not complete without multi-platinum rock power house Candlebox that marks the 30th Anniversary of their self-titled debut album with a release of a new, live, acoustic album, entitled Live at the Neptune on June 23 via Pavement Entertainment, and a “The Long Goodbye Tour 2023”, which kicks off June 10^th thru September 23 to celebrate band’s three decade career, eight studio and three live album discography, and extensive live performing and touring. 

An all-female rock band PLUSH is continuing their mission to bring rock back to the forefront of the music industry with a release of a brand new single, entitled “Left Behind.”

This new fire charged hit can be reckoned as a rock anthem. “Left Behind” demonstrates the band’s heavier side led by Moriah Formica’s fierce and powerful belting with aggressive range of vocal lines such as “We’re the cast-outs of society, one big, twisted family,” fueled with ferocious riffs, down tuned guitars, over the top vocals, and blasting beats and fills of impeccable metal drumming.

Interview by Yuliya Suleymanova. Seattle, WA – Sun Valley ID.

I have been planning an interview with Carole McClellan, an American designer noted for using leather and repurposed fur for quite a while. I was trying to remember how long we’ve known each other. I believe it has been 15 years. Time flies! I have experienced the luxury of having Carole design several unique pieces.

Carole has been an incredible mentor for me. I would always seek advice from Carole on either producing a fashion show, consulting on the teaching material for my fashion marketing and branding courses, working with local fashion designers, or asking her to share fashion industry knowledge and expertise on the fashion discussion panel at the Fashion Group International, Seattle Chapter.

Rock band PLUSH premieres its brand new single and video for “Better Off Alone,” a track from their self-titled debut album. This song follows the previous single “Hate,” which hit number 24 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart and camped out there for a total of 17 weeks straight. “Better Off Alone” is charged with energy and is a song of empowerment. It’s the kind of rock that resonates with listeners of all ages and has an unforgettable chorus.

Interview by Vsevolod Baronin
Taken on 06/27/2019. Originally published in Russian by Soyuz Records Publication. 

Guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani is not one of those characters of the world rock scene who make bold statements and put on the eccentric shows — he just works hard, endowing humanity with not only excellent instrumental albums, but also entertaining fun concerts as part of the guitar super project G3, and sometimes G4... But the musician's next marketing ploy cannot be called trivial — demo recordings of the truly legendary 80s pop-rock trio Squares has finally become available to a wide audience in the form of the album Squares — Best Of The Early 80's Demos, where the future star played in 1979–1981... Hearing something yet unheard of, there was no way to shirk the opportunity to talk to Joe.