The level of musical interplay and synergy by the Citriniti brothers (Danilo, drums; Domenico, bass) and guitar virtuoso Fabrizio Leo is a powerful force resulting in a set of tunes that are brimming with important performances, both by the ensemble and by the individual soloists. Their 2008 CD, "Citriniti", is a heavier, more powerful, more progressive and more metallic effort than their Shrapnel Records release "Between The Music And Latitude". Eleven instrumental tracks are offered, designed to satisfy all the various types of fans of Citriniti's music.

The official music video for Ty Oliver's track "Made Of Memories" is online now. The song is taken from the new CD release "Heartstrings", and you can view the video at tyolivermusic.com, or myspace.com/tyoliver.

Steve Fister has signed an endorsement deal with Framus. Steve will be using the The Dragon series amp, 100 watts, 3 channels of pure EL34 whoop ass, along with 4x12 Celestion vintage 30 cabinets. Steve will also be using a Framus Mayfield Custom guitar. In addition, new "Deeper Than The Blues" tour dates have been added (checkwww.stevefister.com for more info):

May 18 Mad Dog, Wuppertal, Germany
May 25 Em Kotten, Solinger, Germany
June 7 Jazz Cafe The Duke, Leiden, Holland
June 8 The Comm, Groesbeek, Holland

Steve Hunter is back home from a highly successful US tour with Lou Reed - time for a few days rest then he'll be gearing up for the release of his next CD, "Short Stories". This release is in the rock/blues style that he is known for, with a few surprises along the way! In about four weeks time Hunter leaves for the European tour of the "Berlin" show with Lou Reed, so lots to get done in a short time! Check out the Youtube videos of Lou, Steve and the band on the East Coast over the last few weeks and keep an eye out for "Berlin The Movie" which will soon be in selective theaters all over the USA.

Brazilian guitarist Serj talks about his 1996 release, "Incarcerated Scream", "My friends keep asking me, "Serj, why go instrumental? Why don't you sing so you can finally make some money?" Let me explain. When you listen to somebody sing a song, you hear the lyrics and you get the exact picture of what he/she is talking about. If you relate to the lyrics, you start loving the song, right? Nothing wrong with that! But with instrumental music things work in a different way because you don't have lyrics to tell you the whole story. This is where the fun begins. You get to make up your own story. The sounds and the arrangement can bring different people to different places, so listening to instrumental music can be a uniquely personal and thrilling experience."

"The Hurricane Waltz" features 16 original guitar-oriented songs by guitarist Guy Lee. Although the CD is a collage of different guitars, Guy's main performance guitar, his '69 Tele (on the cover) was used predominately throughout this project. "Sirocco" rocks the opener followed by the cool, fresh sounding "Jive Hive". Guy pulls out his jazz and slide guitars for the alternating 5/4 & 4/4 "Flash Cash" with some great improv by violinist Derek Pell. The eloquent "Jennie" begins with a refreshing nylon string guitar performance then launches into a blend of electric six strings. "L'Angelo Misterioso" is a tribute to George Harrison using a resonator guitar for slide with Far East percussion and violin. The electronica/jazz/rock of "Soul Patch" pulses.

Check out new video clips of T.D. Clark laying the shred at www.myspace.com/tdclark. Check out the guitar player people have called Chicagoland's Paul Gilbert!

Prashant Aswani recently finished producing George Lynch's Instructional DVD's for Hal Leonard. The titles are "Wicked Riffs" and "Scary Licks" and both are due for release in August/September 2008.

In a world of musical homogeny, Avatar cleverly combines Latin and world music styles in an innovative way, with the twin guitar assault of Glenn Cannon and Nick Freer being driven by the rhythmic muscle that is bassist Gavin Pearce and drummer Ryan Menezes. The all original, instrumental outfit plays everything from explosive Latin, fusion and odd-time grooves, to reflective ballads, and European influenced music. Avatar represents something different - original music which blurs regional identities and musical styles. What is out there is in here! Check out "Hands", the ten song debut release from Avatar. Frank Gambale makes a guest appearance on two tracks.

For the next 24 hours www.tdclark.com is giving away two video clip modules. Normally $5.99 these great educational clips featuring T.D. Clark are free. Don't wait, act now!

Daniele Liverani's new project Cosmics mark their debut with the instrumental / experimental concept album "The Cosmic Year". The album, a collection of 10 tracks within a melodic and progressive metal setting are based around the keyboard wizardry of Daniele Liverani (Twinspirits, Genius, Khymera), along with "special guest" drummer Virgil Donati (Steve Vai, Planet X, Ring Of Fire), young guitar hotshot Tommy Ermolli (Twinspirits, Khymera) and respected bassist Rufus Philpot (Planet X) show that progressive music can be both accessible and intelligently written. Each track contains various movements given a sonic reference to specific moments in the evolution of the universe which maintain both a progressive outlook yet work cohesively as a sonic unit and as single entities. Daniele Liverani showcases immense skill in this his most complex, visionary and progressive work to date. Guitarist Tommy Ermolli's performance will only go to further the reputation this 20-year-old has earned so far.

Stef Burns has released his 2008 solo album, "World, Universe, Infinity", which features, in addition to a number of instrumental tracks that he in generally known for, his first lead vocal opportunities. Burns remarks about the half-instrumental, half-vocal project, " The track "Burns' Blues" is inspired by one of my favorites, Jeff Beck. It's blues with a twist. "Mepukori" is based on another song entitled "Spasimo" written by Mario Riso from the "Rezophonic" album in Italy. Lyle Workman and I rearranged, rewrote, and added a new middle section that is gorgeous. Then we got to trade guitar solos. "On My Way Home" is a very feel good track with lots of atmosphere. "Isle Mystique" has a cool feel. "Shine" I cowrote with Fabio Valdemarin and might be the most emotional track on the album."

Zeroesque's second CD, "Multipick Technique", is piled high with chops-heavy, instrumental progressive fusion from the minds of Shawn Christie (guitar) and Tim Lehner (keyboards) and is also chock full of guitar bad-asses lending guest guitar solos. Like who? Well how about Vinnie Moore, Marco Sfogli and Derryl Gabel - just to drop some names. As Christie tells it, "We're very proud of the compositions on this one. Although the chops-heavy stuff is right in there, the melodies and harmonies have taken center stage... and it's a good thing."

Neil Haverstick writes about his new blues CD, "Way Down By The Mississippi..." "I love the blues. I think it's one of the greatest musical expressions in history. Raw and powerful, honest and unforgiving, the blues is about life, and everything that comes with living. From the one chord moans of Howlin' Wolf, to the big band swing of Count Basie and Johnny Otis, from Hank Williams' honky tonks, all the way to Jupiter's sulphur mines with Jimi Hendrix, the blues tells a wide range of stories, and is many things to many people. I have been greatly influenced by the blues since I first started playing guitar, and this CD is my tribute to the many many great blues guitarists whose licks and ideas have found their way into my playing. I've included two blues in 19 tone equal temperament, which is one of the microtonal tuning systems I've played and recorded in for many years... hope they tweak your ears a little."

Steve Hunter is currently on a US tour of the East Coast with Lou Reed; dates can be found on his Myspace page.

razilian guitarist Serj has released his album "Liquid Piece Of Me", a mostly instrumental (there is no singing, but many of the tracks have sound bytes or spoken word parts) CD complete with a beautiful full color 30-page booklet. The album has a screenplay, and each of the 17 songs represents a chapter of that screenplay, with actors performing some of the lines of the script. The listener is able to open the booklet and see how the characters look, while they are able to hear their voices! Add in sound effects and the mood is complete. Some of Serj's great friends (and heroes) are guests on this album: Blues Saraceno, Brett Garsed, TJ Helmerich and Steve Blucher played some beautiful guitar and pedal steel. Eduardo Ardanuy, Marcelo Barbosa, Luiz Sacoman and Alex Mihanovich are Brazilian friends who also played some serious guitar tracks.

Steve Hunter talks about the music on his CD "Hymns For Guitar", "When I was a very little boy my grandmother would occasionally take me to Sunday church with her. One thing I always enjoyed was the sound of all those people gently and quietly singing those old beautiful hymns. I always loved feeling surrounded by that warm, peaceful sound, and hearing all those lovely old melodies. Many, many years later I did an acoustic guitar arrangement of one of those old hymns, one called "Softly And Tenderly". Everyone I played it for seemed to really love it and responded to it in a similar way I did when I was a child in church. Friends started suggesting I do an entire CD of things like that. including my producer friend Bob Ezrin who was the guy I did all the work with in the '70s . And that's how this new CD was born. All the songs are my acoustic guitar arrangements of some of my all time favorite old American hymns. Many of these great old melodies were written in the mid 1800s. The arrangements are a variety of solo guitar pieces as well as multi-track pieces. My main goal was to try to create that warm, peaceful sound with acoustic guitars that I had heard as a boy in church."

"Djaz_Dtox", French guitarist Alex Ehrsam's debut album, blends instrumental fusion ideas, jazz chordal structures and funky grooves. As he is trying to cut into basic guitar chops to develop arpeggiated and chromatic approaches - listen to "Scab Co-Worker" or "Fix" - he also goes into an acoustic/Latin atmosphere with the tune "Cold Chill". A few friends of his have joined the party to jam alon; check out the bass and guitar conversation on "Out U Go". He also creates a smooth nu-jazz ambience on the tunes "Elevator Shaft" and "Malpractice", mixing abstract sounding guitar chords and odd modal changes.

Guitarist Mike DiBari's new CD release is a delight for both jazz and blues fans alike. The Boston area musician, who has spent the last ten years on the thriving local blues/R&B scene, combines his roots in the blues with a passion for jazz. "When I got more serious about playing jazz I didn't want to let go of what I learned from all those great players like B.B King and T-Bone Walker. My goal was to create a style where I could go from blues to Charlie Christian to Thelonious Monk and everything in between, all at the same time." On "Rotary Ahead!" Mike achieves what he set out for. In the opener, "Billie's Bounce", a Charlie Parker tune in the classic bebop tradition, you can hear swirling Jazz lines intertwined with blistering blues licks. DiBari's jazz chops are further confirmed on "Fly Me To the Moon", which opens with signature Wes Montgomery style octaves, and later unravels with consecutive choruses of double time runs a la Pat Martino

"Exile" is the debut and first concept album from Kole, and it is based off of the Eastern belief of Yin and Yang. Exile represents all that is Yin or feminine. At age 12, Kole received a beat-up, dull red, 1970's generic electric guitar from his father and decided he wanted to learn how to play it. Originally inspired by bands like Metallica and Led Zeppelin, Kole started to form a foundation of rock and blues based music that eventually would dominate his playing and composition style. Three years ago his life changed when he met solo musician and virtuoso guitarist, Tom Hess. Since then, Kole has taken very large strides in improving himself musically and forwarding his career in the music industry.

Following the success of the Steve Fister Band's "Live Bullets" CD, the new studio release, "Deeper Than The Blues", will be released April 11 on ZYX/Pepper Cake Records Europe. The tour will run from April 17 to June 13, with stops in Germany, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, Czech Republic, and the UK. The band will also be special guests on the Joe Satriani European Tour 08, on the following dates*. Joining Steve will be Barend Courbois on bass and Hans in't Zandt on drums.

4/16 DE-Hamburg / Downtown Blues
4/18 DE-Lorsch / Muiktheater Rex
4/19 DE-Torgau / Kulturbastion
4/20 DE-Kassel / Fiasko
4/23 DE-Erfurt / Museumskeller
4/24 DE-Schortens / Fair Cafe
4/25 DE-Hannover / Bluesgarage
4/26 DE-Oldenburg / Charly' s Kneipe
4/28 DE-Larry's Pub/ Chemnitz
4/30 DE-Dresden / Tante JU

5/2 DE-Holzschuppen / Grossliebitz Festival
5/4 NL - Oeffelt
5/7 BE- Het Spoor / Harelbeeke with Y&T
5/9 UK-Real Music Club/ New Bull and Butcher
5/10 UK-Zoom @ The Moon, London
5/11 tba UK
5/12 NL- Plug Unit Reeuwijk Radio Show
5/14 NL- EFM Radio
5/16 NL-Cafe De Kroeg, Arnhem NL
5/17 NL-Cafe Oeles, Tegelen
5/18 NL-Kelpen Oler
5/22 TBA NL
5/23 NL-The Rambler, Eindhoven
5/24 NL- Dupont, Den Helder

Special Guests for: Joe Satriani Europe Tour 08
5/29 *Filharmonie Filderstadt Stuttgart, DE
5/30 *Serenadenhof Nurnberg,, DE
5/31 *Phonix-Halle Mainz, DE

6/01 *Backstage-Werk Munich, DE
6/03 *T-Mobile Arena Prague, CZ
6/04 *Große Freiheit Hamburg, DE
6/05 *Amager Bio Copenhagen, DK
6/07 Jazz Cafe The Duke Leiden, NL
(Steve Fister Band Headline)
6/12 *Rijnhal, Arnhem, NL
6/13 *Paradiso, Amsterdam, NL

Legendary U.S. progressive rock band Holding Pattern will perform at this year's Prog Day Festival in Storybook Farm, Chapel Hill, North Carolina on Saturday, August 30, 2008 in support of their new release "Breaking The Silence". Holding Pattern's show will include songs from all previous albums as well as material from guitarist/composer Tony Spada's solo releases. Please visit www.progday.com for ticket information or www.holdingpatternusa.com.

A Porin is a Croatian music award given by the Croatian Phonographic Association, Croatian Musicians Union, Croatian Radiotelevision and Croatian Composer Society. Nebojsa Buhin's "Guitar Language" album was nominated in the category of Best Instrumental Album, while his and "Nebo Plays Christmas Songs" is nominated in thecategory of Best Christmas Album for a 2008. The winners will be announced on May 10 in Zagreb on Croatian RadioTelevision.

Paul Nelson tours Europe with Johnny Winter. click here for more.

MAY 2008
01 LONDON UK THE ASTORIA
02 SOUTHAMPTON UK THE BROOK
03 FROME/SOMERSET UK CHEESE & GRAIN
04 WOLVERHAMPTON UK ROBIN 2
06 HOLMFIRTH UK PICTUREDROME
07 NEWCASTLE UK CARLING ACADEMY
09 ZOETEMEER NL CLUB TOWN
10 AMSTERDAM NL PARADISO
11 ANTWERP BEL HOF TER LO
13 UHERSKY BROD CZE DUM KULTURY UHERSKY BROD
14 PRAGUE CZE LUCERNA MUSIC BAR
16 THESSALONIKI GRE PRINCIPAL CLUB THEATER
17 ATHENS GRE GAGARIN 205
19 VIENNA AUS PLANET MUSIC

Noted reviewer MJ Brady writes on the Proggnosis site about "Ego", by Italian keyboardist Alex Argento, "What an excellent piece of musical work he has created for his first recording as a solo artist. This CD is an absolute must for fans of over the top, technically challenging prog/fusion music with the highest degree of musicianship, writing, and production standards, in other words, it is as good as it gets. The keyboards and drumming are first rate fusion excellence on this CD, but I would be only providing half of the equation as to why this is such a great fusion recording; the other half being the guitarists and bassist that compliment each song, Alex has enlisted the efforts of quite a list of great guitarists, and they are not at all just occasional soloists here. Marco Sfogli, who did some phenomenal work on James LaBrie's "Elements Of Persuasion", helps out as both a structure accompanist, as well as providing some searingly freakish solos. There are also some spot solos by fellow Italians - Fabrizio Leo (Bicio), Alessandro Benvenuti, and Vittorio Falanga guesting on one song. This is a must have recording for those that are at home with the company of artists and bands listed in this review."

Chilean guitarist Lucas Yaksic released his solo instrumental heavy metal CD, entitled "Vol. 10", in 2006, and the album features his trademark devastating riffs and solos,, showing great technical skill, creativity, and intelligence. Guitarists such as Paul Gilbert, Andy Timmons and Michael Angelo Batio team up with Yaksic for clinics and shows when in Chile, giving the metal guitarist even more exposure to the rabid guitar community. Acts such as Metallica, Iron Maiden and Motley Crue have influenced his style, which adds a shred component to ferocious metal rhythms tempered with psychedelic rock ideas, and even more eclectic tone passages. Fans of guitarists such as Alejandro Silva or Pascal Allaigre should warm up quickly to the music of Lucas Yaksic and his band.

Guitarist Keith Howland writes about his new fusion project with his brother, drummer Craig Howland, "What is "KeCraig"? Well, aside from being what my father called my brother from time to time (and I CraiKeith), it is a brotherly jam that occurred at my house over the Thanksgiving holiday. Having not played together for many years, we decided to go into the studio, press record and see what happened. With only guitar and drums we spontaneously made music for about an hour with no intention of anyone ever hearing it but us and the wall. No songs or even ideas were in place when we began recording. It was all off the top of our heads from the word go. Once I began listening back to what we had captured and added some bass, "KeCraig" was suddenly becoming a legit project. Jeff Babko was the final component that glued it all together."

Sakis Zachariades is a Greek jazz-fusion guitarist, who is a masterful jazz improviser, and whose music generally falls somewhere between rock, fusion, and modern jazz. He started on guitar while at high school in Thessaloniki, and in 1993, Sakis studied at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California. After his return to Greece, Zachariades formed many bands and played the clubs with all kinds of music. In Greece, Sakis is on the faculty at two well-known music schools in Thessaloniki, sharing his knowledge with the current generation of guitarists. He has also won three awards in Greece for composing and improvising - from the Makemusic Contest in 2004 and 2005, and the "Music Powered By Technology 2004" contest. "It All Sounds Greek To Me" represents his debut fusion release, sure to win over many new fans.

With the dissolution of McGill Manring Stevens, Scott McGill continues to explore the outer realms of rock and fusion with his new band Freak Zoid. On board is Ritchie DeCarlo on drums and assorted analog keys, Kjell Benner on bass and Dave Kloss on Stick. Percy Jones is the guest bassist on one track. The music has a far more experimental quality than MMS. Freak Zoid buries its roots in improvisation resulting in a more band oriented sound than McGill's previous solo album "Awareness". The refinement and restraint is most welcome.

Guitarist Ty Oliver's follow up to "Healed Through Time" is entitled "Heartstrings", and features ten new instrumental compositions, which range from wah-wah drenched rockers to ballad tempo introspectives. This time, "Heartstrings" features guest solos by some of my Oliver's favorite players on the track "Space Jam" - Matt Cafissi, Neil Rambaldi, and Matt Sotelo of Decrepit Birth all contribute some killer lead work to this special track, very cool! The new songs also feature current and past live band members, and are a much more accurate reflection of Oliver's playing today, as opposed to "Healed Through Time" which was mostly written and recorded previous to 2003.

Check out a new wide ranging interview with guitarist Scott Allen at myspace.com/rockzoneone. In this interview Scott discusses his time at G.I.T, his record, "What Lies Beyond Words", his new CD, as well as some memorable shows.

Kevin Russell is looking for guitar heroes. Four years ago he started a touring project called Guitar Heroes, which featured Kevin's trio as a the core band, Kevin as musical director and a host of guest guitarists who stepped on stage, did a few tunes, then joined the others on stage for a rave up as a finale. Russell is looking to keep the focus on blues and blues/rock, and if you feel you'd like to participate, he is targeting fall of 2008 to begin putting together shows. Email Kevin Russell for more information.