Marcus Miller Bass

Features: These basses are made in Japan. It's got a 21 fret maple "C" shaped neck on a natural Ash body. it's modelled on Marcus Miller's own 70s Jazz Bass. It has a Badass II bridge & 2 band active EQ. Two Fender "Vintage" pickups. There is a volume for each pickup, as well as a mini toggle Switch to turn the active bass & treble controls on. The bass came in a gigbag with a small Fender cable. // 10

Sound: I play mainly Rock & Blues and this bass suits this style well! I run it through my Ashdown Eb12 and they sound great. With the EQ turned off, the bass has the typical Fender jazz bass sound. The neck pickup is warm & the bridge pickup can be blended in using the volumes to add some bite. With the EQ on, the bass becomes more textured. Adding more bass gives enough low end to shake the room, while adding treble gives the bass more clarity. I usually play with the Neck on full, bridge rolled off slightly, Treble about half and Bass 3/4 of the wayy up. This gives a very versatile sound which can appeal to a variety of players. Bassists Who prefer slap techniques would get on with this bass well! There was some fretbuzz at first, but a small truss rod adjustment soon fixed this. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: The action as suplied was great, it was low enough to be easy to play, but high enough to not cause buzz and other unwanted problems. The Badass II bridge means the action & intonation can be adjusted really easily. The pickups were fine and I love their tone! At first I wasn't keen on the natural finish, but I've warmed to it and think it adds to the overall character! The only thing that sometimes gets annoying is the chrome pickup cover, it gets in the way if you prefer slap or playing with a pick. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I have gigged this bass for over a year now and I haven't had any problems with it at all! The hardware is great and I haven't had the need to replace anything! The strap buttons are solid enough but I always use locks just to be safe. I usually gig without a backup as I have never had any problems. I carry a spare battery for the preamp, but have only had to change it once. // 10

Impression: I play mainly rock (eg Led Zep, Free, Queen, ACDC, Whitesnake etc) and the tone is fantastic. I have been playing for 3 years now and this was my first "serious" bass. It took me a while to hunt one down, and I'm glad I found one eventually! I also have an Epiphone EB3 and an old P-Bass copy. If it was lost or stolen I would be gutted as I think it's a fantastic bass that's very adaptible for different genres. I also play a lot of blues, and this bass sounds great when using the neck pickup. My favourite feature is probably the active EQ and the natural finish. The neck is also very playable and smooth. I recommend this bass to anyone is looking for their first serious bass Who plays a variety of genrés and styles, they can be picked up quite cheap now and are definately worth the money! // 9

Yamaha RBX A2 Bass Review

Features: I got my guitar late october 2008 I think it was still pretty new don't know how new, this guitar was made in indonesia according to the sticker on the back, the neck is very wide (Compared to all the Fender, peavy, and Ibanez basses at the guitar center) I can fit my middle finger in between each of the strings at the top of the neck and play both strings with no buzz clean. The whole reason I bought this guitar over a 5 string Ibanez was the fact that it has a high action it didn't buzz one bit I tried to make it buzz I hit mid neck on the "E" string. nothing. clean. it has a verry crisp and "Buttery" sound to it. it's very comfortable I can play anything I have been playing bass for only 3 months now this is my first bass that I have owned but I have played and had unlimited access to 7 electric bass guitars and 2 acoustic and one stand up bass and this one trumps all of them, this bass has a huge range you can go from jazz to metal with a turn of a knob, it's got a realy futuristic look in a way it's real sleek and modern is jet black with brushed metal tuning keys and bridge, it has a 1 master volume knob and 2 tone knobs usualy when I mess with tone knobs with basses I can't hear the difference in sound with this one you can not only hear you can feel the difference it's very powerful. The fingerboard has no dots on it which takes a little getting used to but I feel it looks better plus you can see the little dots on the side when you are playing it so it doesnt't hinder your performance. it didn't come with anything I just took it right off the guitar stand and walked out with it and a coffin case. It is super lightweight I was playing a weekly gig with a Fender Musicmaster bass I liked it it was comfortable but it was heavy! Damn I couldnt play that thing for more than 30 minutes at a time without feeling like my back was gonna telescope!

this bass I can, and have, played for 2 hours solid standing up the entire time. it's so light it's hollow bodied most basses achieved sustain through thick wood and and large surface area this bass achieves better sustain and less weight!! it's amazing it hasn't even gone out of tune yet!!! // 10

Sound: I use this bass with a kinda crappy bass amp but I'm getting a new one soon I also use it with a guitar amp it's a dinky little Ibanez amp for now I also have a bass pre-amp it's a Behringer Bass V-Amp I use that with some kickass sennheiser studio headphones I think they are irish made all I know is when I was producing music they could blow my ears off! this bass through this kickass pre-amp and awesome headphones sounds great I kind of want more options than what they give me but what they give me is plenty for a beginning player! // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: This bass has a high action which lowers buzz to an absolute minimum it has no flaws that I'm aware of it was built very well it hasn't gone out of tune even once it's still in tune! That's how well it was built no flaws everything is perfect it has a beautiful rich sound it has a jet black finish with a silver lining around the side it has light up dials that wax and wane when you turn them up and down they are red and blue (Master volume red tone knob no.1 blue tone knob no.2 no light) // 10

Reliability & Durability: No wear yet still new I've dropped it a few times haven't even scuffed the paint. and no I don't mean like drop it while I'm holding it I mean like it was leaning on a table and it tipped over onto a hard wood floor. It's durrable headstock has a lot of plastic on it I don't trust plastic the battery burned out after like 3 weeks, I wouldn't say it's the most durable but it's pretty darn tough // 8

Impression: This thing matches any type of music, I play a little guitar I have a Squier Bullet sometimes I use this bass with a Behringer Bass V-Amp it's a preamp I picked up I use that with a dinky little Ibanez guitar amp and sometimes a high quality peavy bass amp and other times an awesome big bertha bass cabinet. I've only done that 4 times tho... I wish it came with a guitar amp I had to get one seperate I kinda wish it was a 5 or 6 string but I'll get one of those when I'm a more advanced player it's realy simple and also super awesome I would realy change anything it is ideal! All I can say is it was the ultimate beginner bass for me. here lets put it this way I was at guitar center there was a group of advanced players browsing guitars and basses and this place was packed loud and buisy and when I plugged this thing into this amp and staryed testing it a drew a crowd and I had started playing for about 2 weeks before this. // 9

Van Halen Reschedule Tour Dates

Van Halen has rescheduled all of the previously postponed dates on its North American Tour.

The new dates kick off with the band's performance at Tiger Woods' charity event, Tiger Jam XI, in Las Vegas, NV, on April 19th, and run through Monday, June 2nd, when the band plays Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Tickets for the band's previously scheduled dates will be honored. Refunds are also available at the point of purchase.

NEWLY SCHEDULED TOUR DATES
Sat-Apr 19 - Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, NV
Tue-Apr 22 - U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, OH
Thu-Apr 24 - American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
Sat-Apr 26 - Scottrade Center, St Louis, MO
Mon-Apr 28 - Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI
Wed-Apr 30 - Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
Fri-May 02 - John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA
Mon-May 05 - RBC Center, Raleigh, NC
Wed-May 07 - Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH
Fri-May 09 - Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ
Sun-May 11 - Gwinnett Arena, Duluth, GA
Tue-May 13 - Izod Center, East Rutherford, NJ
Thu-May 15 - 1st Mariner Arena, Baltimore, MD
Sun-May 18 - Giant Center, Hershey, PA
Tue-May 20 - Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT
Fri-May 23 - Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Sun-May 25 - Dunkin Donuts Center, Providence, RI
Wed-May 28 - Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, NH
Fri-May 30 - Allstate Arena, Chicago, IL
Mon-June 2 - Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI

Fall Out Boy To Play Record-Breaking Show In Antarctica

Fall Out Boy are set to break a world-record, when they will play a show at a scientific colony on March 25.

The band will make the journey to Antarctica with Greenpeace and will bring a crew to film the trek in order to document the impact of global warming.

A certified recorder from the Guinness Book Of World Records will also be present to record the ground-breaking event.

No further details have been made available, but Pete Wentz himself confirmed the event on his blog at the weekend with a promise to unveil more details soon.

Credits for the info to NME.com.

Bad Horsie Wah Review

Switchless design. "Clear-Tone" buffer circuit ensures pure guitar tone and maintains signal level in bypass and wah mode. Works with BASS guitar too!

Ease of Use:

This Pedal is easy to get a good sound out of it. It gives a lovely wah, the only problem I found was trying to use it with a distortion pedal. It gave a bit to much wah with the distortion pedal.

// 8

Sound:

I am using an Ibanez GIO with the pedal. The Effects are always great off the 'Bad Horsie' Wah and I would reccomend it to everyone. A lovely Hendrix sound comes with it.

// 10

Reliability & Durability:

Very reliable and I haven't had any problems with it yet. Very Sturdy.

// 10

Impression:

I play rock and it suits well with this style. If my wah was stolen or lost I would definitely buy it again. The only bad thing is that it has no level meaning you can't vary the amount of wah you get but it delivers the right amount always. Overall, the 'Morley Bad Horsie' wah is a brillo pedal. // 10

Neil Young To Headline New Festival In Kent

Neil Young has been announced as the headliner for the inaugural A Day At The Hop Farm Festival in Kent.

The new festival has been described by organisers as “back to basics” because fans don’t have to register and there will be no VIP area.

A Day At The Hop Farm, which takes place in July, is the brainchild of former Mean Fiddler man Vince Power.

Power said that it would be a goal of the event to make festival-goers the most important people at the festival.

"I am happy to be returning to create a new, independent festival in a far more competitive marketplace, which counteracts the current brand-saturated music scene," Power said in a statement.

Further acts are due to be announced over the coming weeks, reports the BBC.

Thanks for the info to Gigwise.com.

Epiphone Les Paul Custom Plus Review

The multi-layered binding and gold-plated hardware of the Les Paul Custom, the top model in the original Les Paul line of the '50s, is further enhanced by the figured Maple top.
Features:
- 22 medium frets
- Figured maple top in cherry sunburst
- Mahogany back, neck and head, maple top, rosewood fingerboard
- Flamed top in cherryburst
- Single cut away Les Paul style body
- Tune-o-matic/stoptail bridge
- 2 volume, 2 tone, three way Switch
- H/H Epiphone USA pickups
- Grover Tuners
- All gold hardware
- Came with hard shell case, tuner and posters
// 10
Sound:
This Guitar is perfect for any style. I play anything from classic rock to blues (except punk). I use a Marshall amp and they just work together perfrectly. Switch is clean, no noise. As the great Slash said, "As long as you have a Les Paul and a decent amp, you can make any sound."
// 10

Action, Fit & Finish:
Action is perfect, met the factory standards as set in the manual. Pickups needed a very small ajustment (took literally 30 secs). Top bookmatched perfectly, bridge is great. No flaws.
// 10

Reliability & Durability:
I would definetly gig w/o backup. Hardware wil last ages and ages. Strap buttons haven't given pout yet and are very tight. Finish is built to last forever.
// 10

Impression:
I play alot of styles and this just beats the crap out of any other guitar. I wouldnt even think about buying a Gibson. I've been playing for a while and this is my first really good guitar. If this were stolen I would go on a killing spree to find the theif. It would be worth it to get it back. I love everything about and nothing has gone wrong. But my favourite feature is the way it plays itself. I dont have to push as hard as my other guitar and barre chords are much easier. The only thing I wished it had was a Marshall Stack (not included). // 10

Marshall MG15CD Review

Armed with two channels, a three band EQ, FDD and 15W RMS of real Marshall power, the 1x8" MG15CD combo delivers superb tone - from pristine clean to out and out filth!

Features:
Made in 2003, this is a real SS s--tbox. It's loud enought to hear over drums while jamming. Crap distortion. 2 channels, and high, mid and low knobsm control. I use this amp 'cause I'm saving up for a JCM2000 100W tube head paired with a Behringer BG412S 400W cab. I use a Behringer X Vamp Multi FX Processor with it, so it's not that bad now.
// 4
Sound:
I use an Epiphone SG custom (grover tuners and Gibson '54 reissue humbuckers) guitars great, but this amp really suks. Mnarshall claims that on clean after the volume is turned past 5 it goes into "crunch" mode. Bulls--t, thats just the solid state break up. The distortion completly sucks for metal, and is extremely noisey and has a shyiload of feedback too. Without a noise gate at high gain you'll blow your ears out. This is pretty loud for a 15 W SS thoguht. But sound quality sucks.
// 4

Reliability & Durability:
Amp sucks, but this thing is tought. I've dropped it a few times, and nothing has happened to it. "Would you use it on a gig without a back up?" For one, I would vever use a 15 W especially SS on a gig, two, never with this one. So no I wouldn't.
// 8

Impression:
I play metal and heavy metal, some punk and hard rock. Worth the 150 cad with tax, but honestly, save a bit more cash and get a tube amp, these SS really suck. I dodn't compare this to anything before I bought it because it was my first amp. Not bad for a practice amp at home. Tube all the way! // 4

BOSS ME-50 REVIEW

The ME-50 Guitar Multiple Effects is a floor-based multi-effects processor built with the ruggedness and simplicity of a stompbox.

Multi-effects units scare me. I can never get a good sound from them and the batteries always die when I finally do, so I have to start building up my tone from scratch which can take a fair amount of time. Seperate stompboxes have the advantage of being able to show you how they are set up through the position of the dials and so the Boss ME-50 also has a total of 20 dials which allow your tone to be created quickly and effortlessly.

Effectively, what you are left with is a chain of about 8 stomp-boxes. Tone Modify, Compression, Noise Supression and Reverb are all available along the top of the unit. Below, the three stomp-box style switches control the seperate Distortion, Modulation and Delay. Finally, and expresion pedal provides Wah, Octave and Volume services depending on how you set the associated dial.

The manual is very efficient and can teach how to use extraneous features such as the tuner easily and also explains how to save your patches in straight-forward English.

The ME-50 can be used in conjunction with two Boss footswitches which allow the user to change between different memory banks much faster. The memory system can perform very well without these devices. The ten banks can store 3 patches each so you can store three different sounds in a bank and then switch between those three sounds within that song. If there are more than three tones required for a particular song, then things get a little more complicated, and you would need to press either the small black buttons or buy an aditional footswitch.

Oh, and the tuner is easy to activate by standing on the Distortion and Modulation pedals simultaneously. The sound cuts out and you can tune without anyone noticing... nice feature.
// 10
Sound:
I usually plug either a Fender Strat-o-ma-caster via a wah pedal into the ME-50. This then goes out to TWO amps (Marshall, of course) which allows panning and rotary effects to be use effectively. The guitar you use, however, is of no consequence, since compression, noise supression and tone modification can give you practicaly any tone you require. A cheap acoustic, if well mic'd up can sound like a Les Paul.
The effects on the ME-50 are substantial to ay the least. Taking the Distortion section as an example, 11 tried and tested workhorses of the distortion world (including 5 Boss pedals, the Big Muff Pi and Marshall tube amp style distortion) are available. These individual effects can then be altered through the tone and bass controls and then just turn them up to get the desired effect. Any kind of distortion can be created using this unit.

Delay is comprehensive and allows numerous layering possibilities. The expression pedal can create many interesting sounds and includes two different Wah sounds and a bizzare effect called a Ring-modulator. I can also be used as an Octave or Volume pedal. However it cannot be all of these at the same time, so you need to make a choice...

Modulation includes Chorus, Phaser and Flanger, as well as panning, which fades the signal from left to right. This is most useful with two amplifiers as the sound fades from one channel to the other, rather than traditional sweeping volume controls. The only real problem arises if you want to use both Phaser and Chorus for example, which is not possible.

In short, any sound can be created using this device. Any artist's sound can be replicated and you don't have to spend hours programming the damn thing.

I'm only giving the unit 4 in this section because on occasion, people may want to use two efefcts at once which they cannot, although this almost never happens and so what I really mean is 4.75.
// 8

Reliability & Durability:
I would not expect this sturdy unit to ever be substantially damaged and I am happy to jump all over it without fearing it not working the next day. It is the imoveable object to my size-11's (UK sizes, mind) irresistable force.

I have also never experienced any power failures due to pulling out the cord, as a thoughtful hook holds the cable in place. Batteries or a power supply are required and a power supply is not included which lets the unit down slightly but they are easily acquired.

This unit practically sings, "Stand by Me" it's so damn dependable.
// 10

Impression:
If, like me, you like to play many different styles, the ME-50 can provide many different sounds and without buying many different boxes. The tone is completely editable in every way and so there is no real need to extraneous boxes.

I compared this unit, before I bought it, to many DigiTech, Boss and Zoom units and this is the only device I could plug into and get good sounds from straight away. It's very easy to use which is why I chose it over any other Multi-effects unit.

Within hours I had the memory system sussed out and had the bass, clean and Overdrive sounds from Seven Nation Army stored and was playing the song over, and over, and over, and...

That all said, there are a few problems with the ME-50. The Reverb is a little lacking and I feel the unit would benefit from a 2-digit display to more clearly show, for example, what note you are playing when using the tuner. Also, the lack of an included power supply seems a little cheeky as this purchase made my wallet look like it had been on slim-fast.

However, although it has it's shortcomings, the Boss ME-50 is definately the most comprehensive, yet uncomplicated Multi-effects unit I have ever used.

Oh, yeah. I wish it came in more colours... // 8

Ibanez SZ320MH Review

Ibanez’s original “S” Series model, introduced in 1986 and still produced by the company, is a shredder’s ax to the core. Recently, however, Ibanez expanded the line to include stripped-down, nononsense versions that reflect the more reserved tastes of today’s players. The SZ320MH is one such example, offering a three-piece set-in mahogany neck, a mahogany body stained dark red and an affordable price that won’t strain the budget of first-time buyers.
Features

Whereas previous “S” Series guitars featured razorthin edges along the body, with most of the “meat” remaining in the center, the SZ320MH is decidedly chunkier, yet it retains a slim, comfortable profile. The strings are anchored through the body, which gives the guitar lively response and brings a little extra sparkle out of the mahogany’s characteristically dark tone. The fully adjustable Gibraltar III bridge is a vast improvement over traditional “Tune-O-Matic” bridge design, providing a smooth surface to rest your picking hand across when palm muting. The SZ320MH’s electronics are similarly functional and elegant. Two Seymour Duncan–designed Ibanez humbuckers enhance the warm and cool mahogany tones, providing just the right balance of bite for clarity and depth for heft, with overall tone falling into territory between a Les Paul and an SG. Controls consist of a volume knob for each pickup and a master tone control. This may not be the most versatile configuration on the market, but when a guitar delivers pure, raw tone like the SZ320MH, you really don’t want too much circuitry getting in the way.

Featuring a 25.1-inch scale, the guitar offers a good balance between the comfort of a traditional Gibson scale and the brilliant tones of a Fender scale, and its 22 medium frets have that “just right” feel as well. Simple abalone dot inlays adorn the smooth rosewood fretboard—nothing too fancy or flashy here, but they get the job done in style.

The Bottom Line

If you’re looking for a “meat ’n’ potatoes” ax that delivers no-nonsense tones, solid construction and comfortable playability for a reasonable price, the Ibanez SZ320MH is the full-meal deal. It may not be the trendiest model out there, but rest assured that guitarists will still be playing their SZ320’s long after the next dozen trends have come and gone.

Gibson SG Goddess Review

The SG Goddess is the perfect guitar for a guitar god in training. It is a pure rock and roll version of the SG with a slim '60s neck, alnico humbuckers, trapezoid neck inlays, and beaufiful burst finishes in unusual colors.

Features: 2008 USA Gibson SG Goddess in ice burst finish. Mahogany neck and body, very lightweight. Madagascan ebony fingerboard, pearloid trapezoid inlays. Thin '60s neck profile, GOTOH locking tuners. Chrome hardware, 1 volume 1 tone with a three way Switch. 490R and 490T alnico magnet humbuckers, 5:8 heel length, 3'4 scale length. Wraparound bridge (easy to use) Nitro finish. Came with Gibson warranty, Gibson hardcase, Levy's strap, truss rod adjuster. For a 1200 dollar guitar, atleast some polishing items could have been included. // 9

Sound: Suits my music style, sounds really meaty and fat. I run it through a Roland Cube 15 and it sounds amazing. Quite a good clean sound, on rhythm with no tone you get an absolute jazzy/blues tone. Hardly any buzz at all. Very good tonal range. Quite a thin sound however, if turned up loud. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: Well set up, fine action. Pickups came bit high, but with a few screws it was fine. Well routed bridge and not any loose parts. Tight jack and no blemishes. The one thing that bothered me at first was the wraparound bridge, it seemed out of place, but then I realized that it made the guitar lighter and was more comfortable and reliable. // 7

Reliability & Durability: Lightweight makes it good for lives, however, like most SG's it is quite neck heavy. However, this takes a matter of hours to get used to. Solid hardware, I recommend strap locks due to the position of the strap buttons. Definitely reliable, good finish. Built like a tank, good solid construction. // 8

Impression: Very good match for me, I've been playing for 4 years, and this is by far my best guitar. My gear includes: Gibson Les Paul Studio, Ibanez SZ520, Fender 65 ri Mustang, Fender American Telecaster, Fender Mexican Strat Standard, Squier Affinity Strat, MD Bass 4, Yamaha FG245 Acoustic Guitar. By far the best. It actually came down to this or a Ri V. This felt more comfortable. Don't mind the "Goddess" it's not a womens guitar. It's an amazing guitar for anyone. // 9

Seymour Duncan AHB-1 Blackout active pickups

Active pickups have a specially tuned preamp built into each one of them that influences the pickup’s EQ, response and output. This preamp makes it possible for the pickups to consistently generate layers of overtones that most passive pickups cannot, especially in conjunction with high gain and distortion. On the flipside, these preamps generally inject a flavor outside of the guitar’s natural sound, often referred to as cold or one-dimensional.
This has left many players to speculate on what tones might be possible from active pickups if they were to also inhere the lifelike beauty delivered by time-honored passive designs. Seymour Duncan handily answers this question with its new Blackout active pickups. Through clever concepts, Duncan’s Blackouts are roughly the sonic equivalent of typical active pickups driven by a warm tube overdrive.

FEATURES
An industry-standard black epoxy casing hides the Blackouts’ bar-style magnets, which are wide enough to support either vintage or Floyd-bridge string spacing needs. If you’re already using active pickups with a three-pin connect system, it won’t take more than a few minutes to light a fire into the Blackouts. On the underside of each pickup, you’ll see the same three-pin, plug-and-play-style system. Should you prefer a typical installation, standard wires are also included. What aren’t visibly apparent are the groundbreaking balanced inputs that feed the differential preamp. This novel inclusion of audio technology results in far greater dynamics and a 12-to-14db reduction in noise compared to other active pickup designs.

PERFORMANCE
Active pickups are often cited for imparting their own frequency curve, thereby obscuring a guitar’s natural tone. The Blackouts, however, seem to supercharge the instrument’s tonal quality, imbuing it with a particularly aggressive midrange that sounded not at all unnatural. Neither sweet nor delicate, these ill-mannered heathens belch raw midrange blasts with all the grace of a gassy Tasmanian devil and scream with much the same animalistic emotion and toothy bite. Depending upon the amp I used, the pickups’ output sometimes required lower gain settings and a change in the amp’s EQ settings to achieve the best tones. Still, their sound was always woody, warm and intensely organic.

THE BOTTOM LINE
Seymour Duncan’s Blackouts have an exciting and natural sound, qualities I would have never expected to find in active pickups. Chief among their attributes are an explosive midrange charge, searing harmonic grind and an earthy foundation that belie their active nature.

Rock on the Range 2008 Lineup Announced

America’s premiere rock festival, Rock on the Range, is back for its second year after a hugely successful inaugural sold out show in 2007, and it’s bigger than ever.

Presented by Right Arm Entertainment, AEG LIVE and the Columbus Crew Stadium, the multi-stage music and lifestyle event has expanded to two days in order to meet the tremendous demand for tickets and will take place on Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18 at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, OH. The lineup for this nationally renowned festival centrally located in the heart of the country includes the debut of the newly reunited Stone Temple Pilots, marking the group’s first performance together in over seven years.

“The time that we’re about to spend together is a true celebration,” says Stone Temple Pilots guitarist Dean DeLeo about the band’s upcoming performance.

In addition, Rock on the Range 2008 will feature some of the biggest names in rock, including: Kid Rock, 3 Doors Down, Disturbed, Staind, Papa Roach, Seether, Serj Tankian, Flyleaf, Shinedown, Killswitch Engage, Finger Eleven, Alter Bridge, Filter, Theory of a Dead Man, Sevendust, Default, 10 Years, Bobaflex, Red, Airbourne, Black Tide, Revelation Theory, Ashes Divide, Drive A and more.

This year’s two-day event will feature 28 bands on two stages, an expanded festival village, state of the art main stage LED screens, enhanced main stage and second stage sound and light systems, dynamic new merchandise (T-shirts, hats, hoodies) and an expanded main stage field area for fans who purchase Field General Admission Tickets.

The Rock on the Range general on-sale begins Saturday, February 23, at 10am (ET). Tickets will be available at rockontherange.com, ticketmaster.com, all local Ticketmaster outlets and at the Columbus Crew Stadium box office.

Special two-day tickets will be available for as low as $99.50, and a limited number of single day tickets will also be available for as low as $54.50. VIP Hotel packages that include hotel accommodations, event tickets, and event merchandise, plus a VIP Vehicle Camp package that includes camp parking, event tickets, and event merchandise will all be available exclusively at www.rockontherange.com.

Guitar Hero Announces Aerosmith Edition

Fire up the fret board, crank the amp to 11 and get ready to rock this way with Activision, Inc.’s Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, the first game built around the legendary music of the great rock band featuring Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer. Slated for release this June, this latest installment from the franchise with the #1 best-selling video game in 2007, puts players in the shoes of Perry (guitar), Whitford (guitar) and Hamilton (bass), as they rock out alongside frontman Tyler and drummer Kramer.

To celebrate this historic, ground-breaking collaboration, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock fans will have the opportunity to download and jam to Aerosmith’s “Dream On.” The song will be available for free from February 16–18 on Xbox Live Marketplace for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation Store for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system. For more information, please visit guitarhero.com.

“Having a game built around Aerosmith has been a huge honor and really a great experience for us,” says Joe Perry. “We’ve put a lot of ideas into the game so that fans can have fun interacting with our music, getting inside our body of work and learning about the band’s history.”

Steven Tyler says, “Any band that can go from ‘Don’t Want to Miss a Thing’ to the ass-kicking ‘Sweet Emotion’ to the cheekiness of ‘Love in an Elevator,’ to the classic ballad ‘Dream On,’ shows why Activision chose us to headline this game based on the diversity of the Aerosmith catalog. Not only is songwriting a bitch, but then it goes and has puppies.”

Perry adds, “On a larger scale, it’s cool for us to be pioneers helping to rebuild the music industry through a format like video games. It’s great for rock since the record companies are struggling to make sense of how things are changing. Fans want to get and experience music in new formats—and there are going to be some of them who will play the game, then pick up the guitar for real and start bands. It’s what’s happening now, and it’s only going to build more momentum in the future. It’s a massive change for the music business.”

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system. The Wii version is being developed by Vicarious Visions. The PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system version is being developed by Budcat. The game is not yet rated by the ESRB.

Nine-Disc Hard Rock Box Set Coming Soon

This summer, Time Life will continue their series of acclaimed music compilations with Hard and Heavy, the most complete collection of hard rock hits of the Seventies and Eighties ever assembled. The nine-disc box set will contain seven CDs plus a bonus two-disc set of power ballads. All together, the discs contain 152 songs by 88 artists. Here's the complete track listing:

Unskinny Bop -- Poison
Dream Police -- Cheap Trick
Lovin’ Every Minute Of It -- Loverboy
Bang Bang -- Danger Danger
Teas’n, Pleas’n -- Dangerous Toys
Rock The Night -- Europe
Hush -- Deep Purple
Shout It Out Loud (studio version) -- Kiss
(You Can Still) Rock In America -- Night Ranger
Don’t Fear The Reaper -- Blue Oyster Cult
House Of Fire -- Alice Cooper
Promises In -- Pat Benatar
Jet City Woman -- Queensryche
Barracuda -- Heart
More Than A Feeling -- Boston
Heading Out To The Highway -- Judas Priest
Only time Will Tell -- Nelson
Feel It Again -- Honeymoon Suite
Sister Christian -- Night Ranger
Is This Love -- Whitesnake
Wind Of Change -- Scorpions
Amanda -- Boston
More Than Words -- Extreme
Forever -- Kiss
I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That) -- Meat Loaf
Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone) -- Cinderella
Love Hurts -- Nazareth
Alone -- Heart
More Than Words Can Say -- Alias
Lady -- Styx
Harden My Heart -- Quarterflash
Love Of A Lifetime -- Firehouse
When I See You Smile -- Bad English
Carrie -- Europe
Heaven -- Warrant
When I’m With You -- Sherriff
Every Rose Has It’s Thorn -- Poison
The Flame -- Cheap Trick
Heaven In Your Eyes -- Loverboy
The Search Is Over -- Survivor
Dust In The Wind -- Kansas
How Can I Refuse -- Heart
To Be With You -- Mr. Big
What Does It Take -- Honeymoon Suite
Only time Will Tell -- Nelson
Alone Again -- Dokken
Burnin’ For You -- Blue Oyster Cult
Eighteen -- Alice Cooper
Epic -- Faith No More
Fly High Michelle -- Enuff Z’Nuff
Holy Diver -- Dio
Hot Blooded -- Foreigner
I Remember You -- Skid Row
I Wanna Rock -- Twisted Sister
Lay It Down -- Ratt
Love Removal Machine -- The Cult
New Girl Now -- Honeymoon Suite
Rock N’ Roll Fantasy -- Bad Company
Smoke On The Water -- Deep Purple
When The Children Cry -- White Lion
When The Heart Rules The Mind -- GTR
Where You Goin’ Now? -- Damn Yankees
Working For the Weekend -- Loverboy
Silent Lucidity -- Queensryche
To Hell With The Devil -- Stryper
Peace Sells -- Megadeth
Heartbreaker -- Pat Benatar
Nothin’ But A Good Time -- Poison
Fly To The Angels -- Slaughter
Edge Of A Broken Heart -- Vixen
Mama Weer All Crazee Now -- Quiet Riot
Rainbow In The Dark -- Dio
My Woman From Tokyo -- Deep Purple
Ballroom Blitz -- Sweet
Rebel Yell -- Billy Idol
The Stroke -- Billy Squire
Rock Me -- Great White
Never -- Heart
She’s A Beauty -- The Tubes
New World Man -- Rush
Bad To The Bone -- George Thorogood
Bang Your Head (Metal Health) -- Quiet Riot
Breaking The Law -- Judas Priest
Carry On Wayward Son -- Kansas
Cat Scratch Fever -- Ted Nugent
Don’t Look Back -- Boston
Down Boys -- Warrant
Eye Of The Tiger -- Survivor
Fantasy -- Aldo Nova
Godzilla -- Blue Oyster Cult
Kiss Me Deadly -- Lita Ford
Lay It On The Line -- Triumph
Magic Man -- Heart
Mississippi Queen -- Mountain
Poison -- Alice Cooper
Price Of Love -- Bad English
Surrender -- Cheap Trick
The Final Countdown -- Europe
Turn Me Loose -- Loverboy
(Can’t Live Without Your) Love And Affection -- Nelson
Among The Living -- Anthrax
You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet -- Bachman Turner Overdrive
Bad Bad Boy -- Nazareth
Call To The Heart -- Giuffria
Caught Up In You --.38 Special
Detroit Rock City -- Kiss
Don’t Tell Me You Love Me -- Night Ranger
Everything About You -- Ugly Kid Joe
Fly By Night -- Rush
I Can’t Drive 55 -- Sammy Hagar
I Want You To Want Me -- Cheap Trick
In The Still of The Night -- Whitesnake
Love Song -- Tesla
Never Enough -- L.A. Guns
Nobody’s Fool -- Cinderella
Rock You Like A Hurricane -- Scorpions
We’re Ready -- Boston
(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!) -- Beastie Boys
Talk Dirty To Me -- Poison
The Warrior --
Tall Cool One -- Robert Plant
Headed For A Heartbreak -- Winger
Wait -- White Lion
Give To Live -- Sammy Hagar
Everybody Wants You -- Billy Squier
Sister Christian -- Night Ranger
Keep Your Hands To Yourself -- Georgia Satellites
Round and Round -- Ratt
Here I Go Again -- Whitesnake
You've Got Another Thing Comin' -- Judas Priest
We’re Not Gonna Take It -- Twisted Sister
Ace of Spades -- Motorhead
Twilight Zone -- Golden Earring
Once Bitten Twice Shy -- Great White
Radioactive -- The Firm
18 And Life -- Skid Row
Cherry Pie -- Warrant
Cult of Personality -- Living Colour
Cum On Feel The Noize -- Quiet Riot
Don’t Close Your Eyes -- Kix
House of Pain -- Faster Pussycat
Juke Box Hero -- Foreigner
Living After Midnight -- Judas Priest
Midnite Maniac -- Krokus
No One Like You -- Scorpions
Seventeen -- Winger
Shake Me -- Cinderella
Smooth Up In Ya -- Bulletboys
Summertime Girls -- Y&T
There’s Only One Way To Rock -- Sammy Hagar
Turn Up The Radio -- Autograph
Up All Night -- Slaughter
Yankee Rose -- David Lee Roth