Hypnotic Brass Ensemble

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble from Chicago performing on the streets of New York in their usual spot in the Times Square subway station on the sidewalk of 7th Avenue. The brass band of brothers are the sons of Phil Cohran, former trumpet player in the Sun Ra Arkestra. The audio is "Mercury" from Hypnotic Brass Ensemble's CD entitled New York City Live.

Depeche Mode: Sounds of the Universe + Tour

Depeche Mode are releasing their 12th studio album [Sounds of the Universe] on April 20, two weeks after the record's first single ["Wrong"]. The album was recorded in Santa Barbara and New York with Ben Hillier.

Sounds of the Universe track listing:

1. In Chains
2. Hole To Feed
3. Wrong
4. Fragile Tension
5. Little Soul
6. In Sympathy
7. Peace
8. Come Back
9. Spacewalker
10. Perfect
11. Miles Away / The Truth Is
12. Jezebel
13. Corrupt

Dave Gahan and Martin Gore in the studio making "Wrong" right with Korg MS-20 and EMS VCS3 in view:



Tour of the Universe 2009 - European leg tour dates:

Sunday, May 10th, 2009 Tel Aviv, Israel Ramat Gan Stadiumon
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009 Athens, Greece Terra Vibe Park
Thursday, May 14th, 2009 Istanbul, Turkey Santral
Saturday, May 16th, 2009 Bucharest, Romania Parc Izvor
Monday, May 18th, 2009 Sofia, Bulgaria Vasil Levski Stadium - Tuborg Greenfest
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009 Belgrade, Serbia Usce Park - Tuborg Greenfest
Thursday, May 21st, 2009 Zagreb, Croatia Arena - Tuborg Greenfest
Saturday, May 23rd, 2009 Warsaw, Poland Gwardia Stadium
Monday, May 25th, 2009 Riga, Latvia Skonto Stadium
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009 Vilnius, Lithuania Zalgirio Stadionas
Saturday, May 30th, 2009 London, UKO2 Arena
Sunday, May 31st, 2009 Landgraaf, Holland Pinkpop Festival
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009 Hamburg, Germany HSH Nordbank Aren
Thursday, June 4th, 2009 Dusseldorf, Germany LTU Arena
Friday, June 5th, 2009 Dusseldorf, Germany LTU Arena
Sunday, June 7th, 2009 Leipzig, Germany Zentralstadion
Monday, June 8th, 2009 Leipzig, Germany Zentralstadion
Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 Berlin, Germany Olympiastadion
Friday, June 12th, 2009 Frankfurt, Germany Commerzbank Arena
Saturday, June 13th, 2009 Munich, Germany Olympiastadion
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009 Rome, Italy Stadio Olimpico
Thursday, June 18th, 2009 Milan, Italy Stadio San Siro
Saturday, June 20th, 2009 Werchter, Belgium TW Classic Festival
Monday, June 22nd, 2009 Bratislava, Slovakia Inter Stadium
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 Budapest, Hungary Puskas Ferenc Stadium
Thursday, June 25th, 2009 Prague, Czech Republic Slavia Stadium
Saturday, June 27th, 2009 Paris, France Stade de France
Sunday, June 28th, 2009 Nancy, France Zenith Amphitheatre
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009 Copenhagen, Denmark Parken Stadium
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009 Bergen, Norway Bergenhus Festning
Friday, July 3rd, 2009 Arvika, Sweden Arvika Festival
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 Valladolid, Spain Jose Zorilla Stadium
Thursday, July 9th, 2009 Bilbao, Spain Bilbao BBK Live Festival
Saturday, July 11th, 2009 Porto, Portugal Super Bock Super Rock Festival
Sunday, July 12th, 2009 Sevilla, Spain Olimpic Stadium

Coachella 2009 Lineup

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2009 lineup so far:

FRIDAY APRIL 17

Paul McCartney
Morrissey
Franz Ferdinand
Leonard Cohen
Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band
Beirut
The Black Keys
Girl Talk
Silversun Pickups
The Ting Tings
The Crystal Method
Ghostland Observatory
Crystal Castles
The Airborne Toxic Event
We Are Scientists
N.A.S.A.
Patton & Rahzel
M. Ward
The Presets
The Hold Steady
A Place to Bury Strangers
Felix da Housecat
Buraka Som Sistema
Ryan Bingham
Bajofondo
Peanut Butter Wolf
Noah & the Whale
White Lies
The Bug
Alberta Cross
Los Campesinos!
Craze & Klever
Molotov
Switch
Gui Boratto
Steve Aoki
The Aggrolites
People Under the Stairs
The Courteeners
Cage the Elephant
Dear and the Headlights

SATURDAY, APRIL 18

The Killers
Amy Winehouse
Thievery Corporation
TV on the Radio
Band of Horses
Fleet Foxes
MSTRKRFT
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Atmosphere
Mastodon
TRAV$DJ-AM
Henry Rollins
Crookers
Turbonegro
Hercules and Love Affair
Superchunk
Glasvegas
Dr. Dog
Drive-By Truckers
Booker T & the DBT’s
Amanda Palmer
The Bloody Beetroots
Surkin, Para One (Live)
Calexico
Liars
Bob Mould Band
Zane Lowe
Electric Touch
Blitzen Trapper
James Morrison
Drop the Lime
Glass Candy
Thenewno2
Gang Gang Dance
Billy Talent
Ida Maria
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti
Zizek
Cloud Cult
Tinariwen

SUNDAY, APRIL 19

The Cure
My Bloody Valentine
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Throbbing Gristle
Lupe Fiasco
Paul Weller
Antony & the Johnsons
X
Roni Size
Public Enemy
Jenny Lewis
Groove Armada
Paolo Nutini
Christopher Lawrence
Lykke Li
The Kills
Okkervil River
M.A.N.D.Y.
Clipse
Sebastien Tellier
Fucked Up
Perry Farrell
The Horrors
Late of the Pier
K’naan
Junior Boys
Brian Jonestown Massacre
Supermayer
No Age
Vivian Girls
Shepard Fairey
Themselves
Gaslight Anthem
The Knux
Mexican Institute of Sound
The Night Marchers
Marshall Barnes

Tickets go on sale today [Jan. 30] at 9am. New pay by layaway option.

EMS Synthi Avs

EMS Synthi Avs French tutorial video by deb76 showing how to create sounds by modulating oscillators 1 and 2 with OSC 3 as an LFO and using the envelope to shape the sound. The Synthi Avs is a Windows VST instrument and insert effect, allowing you to run audio through the virtual synthi.

C'est cool!

Ableton Live Live Tips + Tricks

On the hunt for tips and tricks using Ableton Live in a live show vs. the studio...

There are some great videos like the one above by the Covert Operators at covops.org. They've got more videos on dummy clips, arpeggiators, dry/wet clips and more.

Wire to the Ear and DJ Bravetti have some cool tricks also. Then there's the Ableton Tips and Tricks page and the Tips & Tricks section on the Ableton forums, including the Little List of Tips and Tricks.

How are you using Live onstage? Any other good resources out there for using Live... live?

Charlie Cooper RIP

Charles Wesley Cooper III

April 12, 1977 - January 22, 2009

Charlie Cooper of the electronic music duo Telefon Tel Aviv died in Chicago on January 22 at the age of 31.

Ilan Rubin + The New Regime: Coup

Exciting times lay ahead for Ilan Rubin, the newest member of Nine Inch Nails. Rubin is taking over the drum throne vacated by the one of the world's hardest working and playing drummers, Josh Freese.

Ilan Rubin kicked off his career at age 9, drumming in San Diego punk-pop band F.O.N. with his older brothers. He made it to the Guinness Book of Records in 1999 as the youngest musician ever to play at Woodstock. He's taken drum lessons from Travis Barker, filled in for NOFX and played for three years in Lostprophets, reaching #1 on the UK charts. All this by the age of 19.

Two months ago, Rubin released his first solo album as The New Regime, entitled Coup, where he wrote and recorded every note of bass, drums, guitar, piano and vocals.

"I wanted people to listen to it and make up their minds based on the music—not who it was by, or what band I'm in."

Check out the songs on The New Regime's myspace, iTunes and all the other major online music stores. You can download The New Regime's cover of the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" for free at ShockHound and see him in action behind the drums with NIN starting in three weeks in New Zealand and Australia, followed by a tour of the US in April and a summer festival run through Europe.

Aphex Twin Traffic Festival Turin

Traffic Festival in Turin on June 30, 2005.

The first live concert collaboration by Aphex Twin, Chris Cunningham and Flat-e. Aphex-masked dancers, shadow ravers and analog gear video projections.

Beastie Boys Sample Source Collection

Casio Hardcore has compiled the Definitive Beastie Boys Sample Source Collection. If you ever wanted to know where that obscure sample came from on a Beastie Boys song, now you know where to look. Break out your SP1200...

Here's an example:


LICENSED TO ILL

Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks [Rhymin & Stealing]
Black Sabbath - Sweet Leaf [Rhymin & Stealing]
The Clash - I Fought The Law [Rhymin & Stealing]
The B-Boys - 2, 3, Break [The New Style]
Trouble Funk - Drop The Bomb [The New Style]
Led Zeppelin - The Ocean [She's Crafty]
Cerrone - Rocket In The Pocket [Posse In Effect]
Joeski Love - Pee Wee's Dance [Posse In Effect]
Led Zeppelin - Good Times, Bad Times [No Sleep Til Brooklyn]
Uncle Louie - I Like Funky Music [Paul Revere]
Kurtis Blow - Christmas Rappin' [Hold It Now]
Kool & The Gang - Funky Stuff [Hold It Now]
Bob James - Take Me To The Mardi Gras [Hold It Now]
The Jimmy Castor Bunch - The Return Of Leroy Pt. 1 [Hold It Now]
Wild Sugar - Bring It Here [Brass Monkey]
AC-DC - Flick of the Switch [Slow & Low]
Barry White - I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little Bit More, Babe [Time To Get Ill]
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Down On The Corner [Time To Get Ill]
Jay Livingston - Mr Ed [Time To Get Ill]
Led Zepplin - Custard Pie [Time To Get Ill]
Schoolly D - Gucci Time [Time To Get Ill]
Stevie Wonder - Boogie on Reggae Woman [Time To Get Ill]
Victor Mizzy - Green Acres [Time To Get Ill]

The list is five times as long for Paul's Boutique, the album which is about to be released in a 20-year anniversary remastered edition.

I'd like to see lists like these for more artists. I know there are different sample lists on various band websites, including paulsboutique.info, but is there a central "sample source" website that compiles these lists for all bands? Might make a good forum with each artist or album having its own topic.

NIN Tour PA Equipment List

The January issue of Live Sound International magazine features Trent Reznor on the cover and an article about the PA rig supporting last year's Nine Inch Nails “Lights in the Sky” tour.

FOH engineer Pete Keppler and monitor engineer Mike Prowda used two Digidesign D-Show Profile consoles to mix 73 inputs for the live PA + monitors along with a separate full HD system to archive a multi-track recording of each concert for Reznor. The new K1 line in development by L-Acoustics sounded great, and the team used many plug-ins, including Digidesign’s Smack!, SansAmp, Echo Farm and Reel Tape Suite, Sony’s Oxford Reverb, and TubeTech’s CL1 B compressor.

You can read the article and view the photo gallery online at ProSoundWeb.


Nine Inch Nails “Lights In The Sky” Tour PA Equipment List

Loudspeakers

32 – L-Acoustics K1
16 – L-Acoustics K1-SB
16 – L-Acoustics SB28
18 – L-Acoustics KUDO
18 – L-Acoustics DV-DOSC
2 – Firehouse F-15 Wedges
3 – L-Acoustics DV-SUB
2 – Genelec 1031
2 – L-Acoustics 108P

Power/Processing

12 – L-Acoustics LA-RAK with 36 LA8 Amplified Controllers
2 – Crown ITech 6000 Amplifiers
2 – Crown D-75a Amplifiers
2 – L-Acoustics LA48a Amplifiers
2 – Dolby Lake Processors
1 – XTA DP224 Processors
10 – Aphex Dominator II

Consoles

2 – Digidesign Profile Mixing Surfaces
2 – Digidesign FOH Racks
4 – Digidesign Stage Racks

Wireless IEM, Microphones & Accessories

9 – Channels of Sennheiser G2 In-Ear Monitors
1 – Sennheiser Antenna Combiner
2 – Sennheiser A5000-CP Antenna
1 – Professional Wireless GX8 Antenna Combiner
1 – Professional Wireless Helical Antenna
1 – PSA1031T Thurlby Thandar palm pilot scanner
2 – Sennheiser E902
5 – Sennheiser E904
2 – Sennheiser E905
3 – Sennheiser E906
1 – Sennheiser 602
3 – Shure KSM137
5 – Shure KSM32
2 – Shure Beta52
5 – Shure Beta56
12 – Shure Beta58
1 – Shure Beta91
5 – Shure Beta98
4 – Shure SM57
2 – Shure SM58Switch
2 – Shure SM91
1 – Shure SM98
2 – AudioTechnica AT4041
1 – Royer SF24
12 – Countryman Type 85 DI
4 – Radial J-DI

The videos in this post of the Victoria, BC, NIN show on 12/5/08 were uploaded to vimeo by Senada Bojku. She was the first to upload footage of this show from Trent Reznor's enormous 405GB gift of video files capturing three of the last shows of the tour. The sync drifts a bit in these clips, but the sound is awesome.

For info on NIN's LED light show and those super cool triple layered interactive LED video screens, check out the new article at IEEE Spectrum Online. See also the previous Califaudio articles on NIN's lighting/video gear, their collaboration with Moment Factory and their use of MainStage.

Essential Visual Music: Rare Classics

Awesome screening last night: Essential Visual Music: Rare Classics. Experimental film work from German film pioneers to light show psychedelia to early animation classics. The program was put on by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, The Hammer Museum and Center for Visual Music at the Billy Wilder Theatre.

The works included one of the first ever oscilloscope films by Mary Ellen Bute, color organ experiments by Oskar Fischinger and a demonstration of the Mobilcolor projector by Charles Dockum.

Filmmakers Michael Scroggins, Peter Mays and David Lebrun did a Q&A hosted by Cindy Keefer, Director of CVM, in which they discussed their pioneering psychedelic concert light shows starting in 1968.

Program excerpts:

R-1, ein Formspiel (Single panel version), Oskar Fischinger, c. 1926-1933, Germany, b/w, tinted and color, 3 min, Originally 35mm, screened on 35mm Cinemascope print. Accompanied by soundtrack on CD. A selection of Fischinger's abstract film experiments used in his 1920's multiple projector performances in Germany. Both the 16mm single panel and 35mm 3-panel versions include some Gasparcolor tests made by Fischinger in 1933 with the new 3 strip color process he helped to invent. Recreation versions by William Moritz/Fischinger Archive. The 1993 35mm recreation was made possible with the support of the Deutsches Filmmuseum, Frankfurt.

Komposition in Blau (Composition in Blue), Oskar Fischinger, 1935, Germany, color, sound, 4 min. 35mm. Preserved by Academy Film Archive.

Dockum Mobilcolor Performance at the Guggenheim Museum, Charles Dockum, 1952, color, silent, 7 min, 16mm. Made with the assistance of Ted Nemeth and Mary Ellen Bute. Preserved by CVM.


Demonstration of Mobilcolor Projector and 1966 Mobilcolor Performance Film, Charles Dockum, 1966, color, sound, 7 min, 16mm. Short documentary explaining the operation and techniques behind Dockum's Mobilcolor Projector, his invention to compose and play colored light. Plus a film illustrating a Mobilcolor performance. Preserved with support from the NFPF.

[Mobilcolor Performance Film], Charles Dockum, 1966, 16mm, color, silent, 3 min.

Muntz TV Commercial, Oskar Fischinger, 1952, b/w, sound, 1 min, Originally 35mm, screened on 16mm.
The Muntz TV commercial was painted in the same technique as Motion Painting No. 1 (but consciously limited to shades of black, white and grey), and at its best moments, with the same vigor and brilliance. One can only wish that Fischinger had gone through with his plans to prepare a totally abstract version. (William Moritz, Optical Poetry)

Mood Contrasts, Mary Ellen Bute, 1953, color, sound, 7 min, Originally 35mm, screened on 16mm.
Premiered at Radio City Music Hall, New York. Advertised as "New Sensations in Our 'Seeing Sound' film series" and as "Pioneering Electronic Animation." A publicity flyer from Ted Nemeth Studios says this film "is electronically animated and represents the actual pictures of the music....It is a marvelous combination of science and art and is abreast with the great public excitement and enthusiasm over these fields of science. It combines many of the elements astute showmen are seeking today."


Cibernetik 5.3, John Stehura, 1960-65, 8 min, digital.
John Stehura's spectacular film combines computer graphics with organic live-action photography to create a new reality, a Third World Reality, that is both haunting and extraordinarily beautiful. (Gene Youngblood, Expanded Cinema). Made in a basement at UCLA.

Turn, Turn, Turn, Jud Yalkut, 1966, color, sound, 10 min, 16mm. Sound by USCO. Preserved with the support of the NFPF. A kinetic alchemy of the light and electronic works of Nicolas Schoffer, Julio Le Parc, USCO, and Nam June Paik.


Single Wing Turquoise Bird Light Show Film, SWTB, 1971, color, sound, 5 mins, 16mm.
Film document of light show performance by Peter Mays, Jeffrey Perkins, Michael Scroggins, Jon Greene, Larry Janss and Rol Murrow, including film footage by David Lebrun, Pat O'Neill, and John Stehura.

Tanka, David Lebrun. 1976, color, sound, 9 min. TANKA means, literally, "a thing rolled up". Tanka, photographed from Tibetan scroll paintings of the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, is a cyclical vision of ancient gods and demons, an animated journey through the image world of the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Preserved with support from the NFPF and Film Technology.

Celebration, Jules Engel, 1978, color, sound, 4 min, 16mm. Preserved with support from the The National Endowment for the Arts.
A dance of color and form. Engel wrote of his films: "The emphasis, then, is on the development of a visual dynamic language, independent of literature and theatrical traditions, demonstrating that pure graphic choreography is capable of its own wordless truth."

3 Arctic Flowers, Jules Engel, 1978, color, sound, 3 min, 16mm, preserved with the support of The NFPF.
An elegantly choreographed, early computer-generated film from Engel's experiments at California Institute of the Arts.

Mobiles, Jules Engel, 1978, color, sound, 3 min, 16mm. Preserved with support from the NFPF.

Very cool screening of groundbreaking experimental visual music films.

Check out more info on the Center for Visual Music website.

Puscifer Live

Puscifer are playing their first ever live concerts next month at the Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas.

3 nights: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 13-15, 2009.

The Dr. Strangelove-spoofing promo video above features Maynard James Keenan, Laura Milligan, Paul Greenberg, Jackie Harris, Paul Koslowski, Mark Fight and Ron Lynch.

Expect these shows to be wild...

Plan B Ringer

The new Plan B Ringer low-cost Eurorack frame on top of the Performance System at the NAMM Show.

Zoom H4n - R16 + Q3

Zoom showed some great new recorders at the NAMM Show.

The Zoom H4n is an improvement on the H4 handy recorder. You can record 4 tracks simultaneously with the built-in stereo mics and combo inputs. The mics can be set to 90° or 120°.

The H4n is easier to use and sounds better than the H4. The USB 2.0 device records up to 24bit/96kHz on SD/SDHC cards up to 32GB. The rubberized, shock resistant body feels solid. I'm planning to upgrade from my H4 when the H4n comes out.

The R16 is a 16-track portable recorder that captures up to 8 tracks simultaneously to an SD/SDHC card or to a computer as a USB interface. You can link two of these machines together for 16-track simultaneous recording. It comes with built-in stereo condenser mics.

There was one more last-minute announcement from Zoom at the NAMM Show... the new Zoom Q3 quick cam recorder. It's like an H2 handheld audio recorder with a built-in video camera. Similar to a Flip video camcorder but with good sound quality. Expect to see these at every concert you go to this summer.

IK StealthPedal

The new IK Multimedia StealthPedal is the first USB-powered guitar audio interface and software controller in a wah-style pedal. 2-in/2-out. Comes with “Powered by Amplitube” software.

Open Labs MiKo + NeKo Gen5

Open Labs unveiled the fifth generation of the MiKo and NeKo workstations at the NAMM Show. More powerful than ever.

Mixcity KueIt

KueIt is a sample player for your computer by Mixcity. It looks great for DJs running Serato who want easy access to one-shot samples or loops by simply hitting a key on the laptop. No need to carry another separate piece of hardware for your samples.

Motus Mavis

The last instrument I saw at the NAMM Show yesterday was a unique modular synth by Skot Wiedmann. He says the custom star-shaped synth has no name, no traditional oscillators and no LFOs. Well, what is it then? Talking to Skot, it seems like he's still figuring out. Each section does something different depending on what it's patched to with banana plugs. He says feedback circuits are in play, and it's combination of analog and digital designs.

Paul Barker [Malekko/Ministry...] and I put on some headphones and listened in awe to Skot demo his creation with a Haken Audio Continuum fingerboard. He grabbed the two wheels and started spinning away. The sound was almost Buchla/Serge-like and definitely out there. Then he played with the spongy blue pads to trigger more crazy sounds.

I plan to stop by the Haken booth again today, but I have a feeling I won't understand it any more than I did yesterday. This synth is really something else...

Check out sound samples - pics + more info at Skot Wiedmann's site: Motus Mavis.

Update 4/19/09: There's still very little info out there on this synth. Here's an email Skot sent to Future Music.

John Bowen Solaris

The John Bowen Solaris emulates analog and digital synths. Cool
sounds. Joystick.

Lowrey Prestige

Get your name engraved on a Lowery Prestige...

Digitech Time Bender

Digitech Time Bender delay/looper with cool strum key and pattern
features.

Infinite Response VAX77

The Infinite Response VAX77 controller keyboard folds to carry-on
size. 76 keys + 1 hot key. Touch screen interfaces with MainStage.

Minarik Triple Neck

Minarik triple neck guitar.

MOTU Volta

I can't believe MOTU made Volta, a plug-in that can automate your
modular analog synth with control voltages from a MOTU DC-coupled
audio interface. Here's a set of Plan B modules hooked up to a MOTU
UltraLite mk3. Too cool. Endless possibilities...

Royer SF-24V

Royer SF-24V mic

JazzMutant Lemur

The JazzMutant Lemur is really cool.

Diabolical Devices TR-707

The circuit bent Diabolical Devices TR-707 is crazy noisy awesome.

Plan B Performance System

I really like the idea of a portable modular synth case that is bigger
than a Doepfer A-100P 6U case but can still be an airplane carry-on.
Great selection of modules in the Plan B Performance System.

Plan B Model Zero

I see the Plan B Model Zero case in my future...

The Model 30 triple digital VCO looks great too.

Midas Pro 6

Midas Pro 6 console with XL8 technology. 56-in/35-out.

Blue Mikey

blue mikey iPod stereo recorder with built-in speakers and 3 gain
levels. check levels on the iPod's screen.

Max for Live

cycling '74 and ableton Max for Live add-on lets you open MaxMSP
patches in Live.

wow.

NI Maschine

native instruments maschine groovebox rtas/au/vst controller with over 14,000 searchable sounds

NI Guitar Rig Mobile

native instruments guitar rig mobile handheld guitar I/O with
guitar rig LE. $119 list. available in april.

NI Audio 4 DJ

native instruments audio4DJ USB interface with 2 pairs of RCA ins and
outs

Buchla 285e

don buchla showing the buchla 200e with new model 285e frequency
shifter. awesome.

Moog Etherwave Plus

the moog etherwave plus theremin has 2 CV outs and a gate out to control your voyager, moogerfoogers or whatever. guitar players, use your headstock to control filter sweeps. cool!

Akai APC40

the akai apc40 looks great. there's a patch that puts a red box around
the 40 clips assigned to the pads. scheduled to ship in may. mpk25
looks good too.

Access Virus TI2

access virus TI2 with version 3.0. new editor, frequency shifter, lots
of distortions

NAMM Plan

Hi all-

I'm heading over to the NAMM Show.

My plan is to give you a peek at some of the new product releases I find interesting along with my initial reactions over the next four days. I'm always busy as hell at NAMM, and this is the first time I'll attempt to report on it in real-time. My coverage will be very limited as I'll be texting from my phone so be sure to check out the many great websites out there that do a great job of covering the show.

If you're at the show and want to meet up, shoot me an email.

-TJ