Rock Encyclopedia

Berkleemusic along with Grammy-award winning guitar virtuoso Steve Vai, announced a call to action for guitarists around the world to join forces and set the Guinness World Record for the largest online guitar lesson on March 3rd, 2011. This first-of-its-kind initiative will bring together the worldwide community of guitarists in an unprecedented online celebration of music education.

Vai, who is currently recording a new album and preparing for an extensive world tour, is a Berklee alumnus with a devoted fan base in over seventy countries. Although he is not a guitar instructor, Vai is a passionate advocate for music exploration and hopes the event will encourage players to continue to cultivate their own unique style and spirit on the instrument. “This online event, and the larger efforts Berkleemusic is making to teach students around world, is a great example of the collaboration that happens at Berklee ,” says Vai. “Whether you’re in Boston, Bombay, or Brussels, we’ll all be together on March 3rd.”

The World’s Largest Online Guitar Lesson is a one-time event that takes place Thursday, March 3rd, 2011 at 1:30PM EST. Berkleemusic has partnered with Livestream, the pre-eminent live streaming video platform, to host this event in their New York City studio. Participants can learn more about the online lesson at www.berkleemusic.com/vai-live.

Vai’s FREE online lesson will last 30 minutes, and will provide a look into Steve’s technique with a focus on how guitarists can develop and gain insight into their own playing. In order to further engage with his fans, Steve is also encouraging participants to submit questions to him online, which he will answer onstage at the conclusion of his online lesson.  Interested participants can submit questions to Steve on the event’s web page, located here: www.berkleemusic.com/vai-live. (more…)

Epic Records and Legacy Recordings celebrate Pearl Jam’s 20th anniversary with the release of newly restored and expanded editions of Vs. and Vitalogy , the second and third albums from Pearl Jam which broke all initial SoundScan records and secured the band’s reputation as a preeminent force in American rock music.

Vs. and Vitalogy will be available in new Expanded Editions (featuring three bonus tracks on each) or together in a three-disc Deluxe Edition (featuring Live at the Orpheum Theater, Boston, April 12, 1994) and Limited Edition Collector’s Box Set, on Tuesday, March 29th . Each album will also be released in new commemorative remastered Vinyl Editions on April 12th in time for Record Store Day 2011 (April 16th).

Pre-orders for the Vs. and Vitalogy Limited Edition Collector’s Boxed Set begin today at www.PearlJam.com .

Details on the new Reissue Formats of Vs. and Vitalogy are as follows: (more…)

In Celebration of These Artists’ Nominations, Free “Black Rain” MP3 Now Available To Guitar Hero’s Over Two Million Facebook Fans

Headline anthems from Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock – Megadeth’s “Sudden Death” and Soundgarden’s “Black Rain” – have been nominated for Best Metal Performance and Best Hard Rock Performance, respectively, at the 53^rd Annual GRAMMY Awards.  Inspired by, composed exclusively for, and debuted in the game, “Sudden Death” marks the first time an original track created for a videogame has been nominated by The Recording Academy for the prestigious awards.

To commemorate these exciting nominations, Guitar Hero is offering a free MP3 of Soundgarden’s “Black Rain,” the previously recorded song that was finished for inclusion in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, exclusively to all of its over two million Facebook fans.  The free download  begin Friday, 14^th January, 2011, at 05:01 am GMT and end Sunday, 16^th January, 2011, at 16:59 pm GMT.  For more information on the free download, please visit facebook.com/guitarhero.  “Black Rain,” which debuted in a big way on both the band’s first new album in over ten years, Telephantasm, and in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock simultaneously, marked the first time an album has received RIAA platinum certification upon the day of its release.  (more…)