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* denotes a cover story
-Calendar Updated - 2/3/08
-Editorial Updated 1/11/08

January 2008
ON THE COVER:
Beatallica *1/08


INSIDE:
Brew City Sludge 1/08
CD/DVD Reviews  1/08
Crystal Corner Bar 1/08
Eclectic Vibes 1/08
Fair To Midland 1/08
The Honorary Title 1/08
Letter To The People 1/08
Rock Star Death Notices 1/08
The Scarring Party 1/08
Slipped Discs 1/08

December 2007
ON COVER:
Ottoman Empire *12/07

INSIDE:
CD/DVD Reviews  12/07
Coheed & Cambria 12/07
Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks 12/07
Dry Bean 12/07
Fair To Midland 12/07
John 5 12/07


November 2007
ON COVER:
Dropkick Murphys *11/07

INSIDE:
Dad The Plow 11/07
CD/DVD Reviews  11/07
Robyn Hitchock 11/07
Reptile Palace 11/07

-------------------------

Archives:
Alphabetically by Last Name

#1234
30 Seconds To Mars *3/07
48 Hours In Iceland with Last Crack *4/05
420 *3/01
1956 4/05

A
Abstract Giants 10/04
Adema 4/05
Aerosmith *1/07
Alabama Thunderpussy 6/04
All Girl Summer Fun Band
Bernard Allison *6/00
Alston 2/05
Alter Bridge * 9/04
Amen 5/04
American Headcharge * 10/01
Ian Anderson  10/06
Anthrax * 10/04
Anthrax 11/05
A Perfect Circle 12/03
A Perfect Circle * 4/00
Arena Venus
Arrested Development
Asylum Street Spankers *2/07
Atomic Bitchwax
Autolux 10/05
Avenged Sevenfold *7/06
Awesome Car Funmaker *7/05

B
Baghdad Scuba Review 7/07
Beastie Boys/Mix Master Mike *12/04

Beautiful Creatures * 9/01
Black Label Society *7/00
Black Sabbath * 12/98
bloodsimple 2/05
Bif Naked *11/05
Big Sandy And His
Fly-rite Boys
6/99
Big Wu 8/04
Billy Idol 9/05*
Birth Of Tragedy 4/06

Blaqk Audio 9/07
Blind Boys Of Alabama
Blue Man Group * 10/03
Bo Diddley  10/06
Boney Fingers 1/05
Books On Tape/The Demix 3/05
Boris The Sprinkler *7/99

Broken Social Scene 7/04
Lonnie Brooks 9/05
Lonnie Brooks  8/01
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown *7/00
Jack Bruce  12/01
Bugattitype 35 *8/97
Burden Brothers * 6/04
Built To Spill  9/06
Buzzhorn, The * 8/02


C
Cadillac Pete 6/07
Captured! By Robots *6/05
Calexico 9/06

Carbellion 9/05
Cardia
Canned Heat
Canned Heat 7/07
Cates, Lucas  8/07
Cealed Casket 10/07
Cibo Matto *5/01
W.C. Clarke 9/00
Clutch
Coal Chamber * 2/98
The Cocksmiths *10/07
Coolzey 1/07
Cradle Of Filth 12/04

Cradle of Filth 10/07
Crepitus
The Cummies 7/05
Curran, Nick
CUT The Movie 4/07
Crest/Jack Cracker
The Cribs 4/06 3/04
Cynergy 67

D
Damage Plan * 4/04
Dark New Day 5/05
D.A. Sebasstian *2/05
Days Of The New 7/04
Days Of The New  *8/98

Danzig 10/04
The Dead Kennedys 10/05*
Decapitado * 3/04
Anthony DeCurtis  10/06
Default  12/01
Davis, Rachael 1/06
Deep Purple 4/04
Def Leppard 7/07
Deftones *12/06
Denali 4/04
The Dials 12/05
Dimmu Borgir
Dirty Three
The Dirty Three 10/05*
Disturbed * 8/00
Disturbed 9/05
Dismemberment Plan
Donnas, The * 7/03
Dorsey, Claude * 12/03
Drain S.T.H. * 6/97
Drill 187
Driver 13  9/01
Droids Attack
Droids Attack  12/06

Dropkick Murphys
Drown * 4/99
Drowning Pool 3/04
Drowning Pool * 11/01
Duarte, Chris

E
Eagles Of Death Metal *5/06
Edwards, David "Honeyboy"
El Donk
Electric Hellfire Club * 3/02
Endeverafter  9/06
Evanesence * 2/04

F
Factory 81 *12/00
Fear Factory *7/01
Fingertight
Finger 11 *11/04
Bradley Fish *2/06
Fluid Ounce *3/99

Freshwater Collins 1/05
Future Leaders Of The World 10/04

G

German Art Students
Gingerjake *6/07
Godsmack * 2/99
Godsmack 12/04
Goldfinger 3/05
The Gomers 9/02
The Gomers *4/06

Goo Goo Dolls
The Goo Goo Dolls *6/06
Gov't Mule 11/04
Gov't Mule  11/06
Guided By Voices 6/02
Tracii Guns 5/06

Grade8 * 1/03
Gravity Lost 10/04
Great Girls Blouse  9/01
Green Scene  3/01
Greene, Jackie * 8/03
The Gufs  12/06
Gwar

H
Halford  12/06
Hank Thomas & the Western Starlanders
Heavils, The * 3/03
Helliphant 2/07
HELLYEAH *5/07

Helmet 10/04
Hersh, Kristin 7/03
High Noon Saloon's Cathy Detmers 5/05
Hiss, The 4/04
Hope Conspiracy  10/06
Hot Tuna
Hotwater Music 12/04

Huun- Huur-Tu * 2/03

I
Icon The Mic King 4/07
Infantry Rockers 9/02
Innatrance
Iron Maiden 8/05*

J
Jessie Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter *4/05
JJO Band Camp 7/04
John Paul Jones  11/01
Judas Priest * 8/04

Junkers, The
Justin Hinds 9/00


K
Karl Denson's Tiny Universe 1/05

Katie Todd Band  8/06
Kid Rock * 12/99
Killingtons, The 3/04
King Crimson  11/01
King Gun 9/04
King Solomon
Kittie 7/04
Kodo Drummers 3/05
Korn *3/06


L
Lacuna Coil * 7/04
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Lamb Of God 11/04
Sam Lay 9/05
Last Crack * 11/02
48 Hours In Iceland with Last Crack *4/05
Last Crack in Amsterdam 6/05
Lavette, Bettye
Tommy Lee *6/02
Les Ballets Africains 3/07
Les Paul 5/07
Les Percussions De Guinee * 1/01
Life Of Agony * 5/98
Little Feat 7/04
Locksley 2/07

Bob Log III
Long, Chris11/04
Long Story Short
Lordi  8/07
Lorenzo Music * 2/98
Lotus 4/06
Lovlies, The


M
Machine Head *9/99
Magic 7 *9/96

Man.. Or Astro-man *10/96
Aimee Mann 6/06

Marilyn Manson *
11/00
Mickey Hart's Planet Drum * 10/98
Midnight Oil *7/02
Midwest Rock Opera Company (MiROC)
Mine
Ministry *3/96
Mississippi Cactus
MOD 7/04
Mofro
Monster Magnet *9/98
Moon Gypsies
Mötley Crüe 12/04
The Motor Primitives 3/07
Moving Parts
Mudride 3/05
Mudride 3/02
Mudvayne *1/01
Mudvayne 3/06

Must *3/05
Muzzy Luctin * 10/99


N
Natty Nation 2003
New Recruits
Nevada Backwards * 5/03
Nickelback
Nine Inch Nails 10/05*
Nomonic 3/04
Nonpoint 12/00
Nonpoint  12/06
North Mississippi All-Stars 9/05


O
O.A.R.  6/07
Oh My God
Osborn, Joan*5/96
Osbourne, Ozzy*12/01
Otep 5/07



PQ
Pantera 2/01
Papa Roach  *11/06
Paramount Records
Pelican 1/07
Pigface
Pimps, The
Poison  9/06
Polysics 10/07
Probers, The
Projekt Revolution  8/07
Psypchedelicasi  *9/97
Puddle Of Mudd * 8/01
Puta Pons 6/01
Q and Not U 3/05


R
Rammstein *12/00
Ray Condo And His Ricochets
Reason For Leaving
Rebels Without Applause *9/00
Red Elvises, The * 4/01
Reel Big Fish  11/06
Reptile Palace Orchestra * 11/03
The Residents *2/01
Rev. Horton Heat * 2/02
Rictus Grin 1/07
Marc Rizzo 3/07

Robert Randolph And The Family Band * 3/03
Roadrunner United 2/006
Roxy Saint 11/04
Rundgren, Todd 4/04

S
The Sadies 9/06
Schwillbillies, The * 12/02
Screamin' Cyn Cyn & the Pons  8/07
Second Coming *5/99
Sevendust * 4/97
Sevendust * 8/99
Sevendust 9/03
Sevendust *2/06
SevenOneFive *4/06
Shadows Fall 7/07
Billy Sheehan  10/01
She Might Have A Gun *3/99

Shinedown
Shotdown
Shot To Hell * 9/02
Siegel-Schwall Band *1/06
Skintones, The
Slayer *1/07
Sleestak 9/04

Slipknot * 4/04
Slipknot * 5/00
Skindred 10/04
Smithereens 1/05
Snooky 8/04

Snopek III, Sigmund 4/04
Jill Sobule 6/06
Something To Do
Eric Sommer 7/07
Southern Culture On The Skids * 5/04
Soulfly * 2/01
Soundtribe Sector 9 2/05
Space 2004
Spiral Seed 4/06
Split Lip Rayfield  *10/06
Static-X *8/07
Stone Sour *10/06

Suite 13
Sunshine For The Blind 1/07
Supersuckers, The * 5/02
Stone Sour *10/06
Stone Temple Pilots *10/00
Story Of The Year 3/04
Stuck Mojo * 4/98
Kasim Sulton 8/01
Sunset Black
Sunspot 6/04
Summerfest History 6/07
Super Deluxe 3/05
The Swanks 9/05
System Of A Down * 9/99

T
Koko Taylor 3/06
Taylor, Otis
Taylor, Otis 6/04
Tenacious D * 4/02
Telenovela 1/05
Terra Diablo 9/07

Tesla 3/04
Tesla *7/07
Thompson, Ed * 10/02
Tiesto 9/07
Tool *9/06
Tony Levin Band
Tormentula * 4/00
Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players
Trans Siberian Orchestra *12/05
Trinity James 12/05
Trout, Walter 4/04
The Tubes 4/06

U
Ultraspank *7/98
Umphrey's McGee *9/07
Under The Surface 9/04
Union Pulse
Union Underground *6/01

V
Voivod * 4/03

WXYZ
Wakeman, Rick
Wasp 4/01
Webley, Jason 2/06
Wickershams 9/02

Yakuza
Yamagata, Rachel 11/04
Youngblood Brass Band
Zen Guerilla

Factoid/Quote of the Week


"Underneath all that hair, there's a little, tiny, Jewish accountant." Gene Simmon's Wife

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Albert Einstein

"Good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from poor judgement."  George Washington

"If the disclosure is true, it's breathtaking. The president is revealed as the leaker in chief." - Representative Jane Harman of California, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee

"I tell you, he's President George Bush, not King George Bush. This is not the system of government we have and that we fought for," Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wisconsin:  The Associated Press.

“Priest Holmes told me to never get comfortable. He said that no matter what you’ve done, it’s never enough and that you always have to prove yourself. I think that stuck with me the most since I left.” Samkon Gado - Running Back, Green Bay Packers

"I've never supported him and certainly would never vote for him. I think he's a fool and a man without forethought. I have no confidence in him whatsoever. I think he's an idiot, I really do. He has done nothing to our country but drag it down to the ground." - Ronnie James Dio from an interview in Terrorizer Magazine in UK

"You may lose with me, but you'll never win without me." - Terry Bradshaw

"We are exquisitely social creatures. Our survival depends on understanding the actions, intentions and emotions of others. Mirror neurons allow us to grasp the minds of others not through conceptual reasoning but through direct simulation. By feeling, not by thinking." Dr. Rizzolatti, a neuroscientist at the University of Parma 

 "Which would you rather watch at halftime? Aging rock stars or supermodels playing full-contact tackle football in lingerie?"  former NBA Star Dennis Rodman

"Anything that seeks to rule using fear or guilt can't possibly be divine." Rökker, publisher, Maximum Ink music magazine

"Most rock journalism is people who can't write, interviewing people who can't talk, for people who can't read. -- Frank Zappa, Chicago Tribune - Jan 18 1978

"Leave your ego. Play the music. Love the people." Luther Allison

We don't negotiate with terrorists. I think you have to destroy them. It's the only way to deal with them." Vice President Dick Cheney, NY Times

 


 

  Voting Poll

Which is more likely to happen first?
Another Tsunami
Bush is impeached
California has the big one
China invades Taiwan
North Korea invades South Korea
Pakistan invades India or vice versa
Social Securtiy is saved
The US is attacked by terrorists 9/11 style
US pulls out of Iraq


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Maximum Ink Music Magazine - rock music online, rock music magazine, new rock music, metal rock music, rock pop music, alternative rock music, punk rock music, rock and roll music, history of rock for Madison and all of Wisconsin is proud to be affiliated with the following quality web sites:

3000 Records - Independent Record Label
CD Register - CD Registry Site
Daily Tattoo
Indie360 - Independent PR website
Last Crack
Magazineboard.com - listing of magazines
MusicStack.com - Over 20 Million CDs and LPs!
Randy's Recording - Madison, WI area
Spyder Studios - Get a rehearsal room in Madison
Terrence Damian - Owner of 3000 Records
Ultimate Arts Tattoo

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Maxmum Ink's 12 Year Anniversary Party at the Cardinal Bar in Madison, 3/22
Posted: 03/17/2008
Author: Rokker Ink
Source: Maximum Ink

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

hey Everybody!

It's that time of year! Maximum Ink music magazine is celebrating the beginning of our 13th year with our 12 YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY!

Paradise Guitars and Ale Ayslum brewery present:
Maximum Ink music magazine's 12 Year Anniversary Party 3/22 at the Cardinal Bar


No Cover
Free Beer (HOPALICIOUS from ALE ASYLUM BREWERY
 from 9:30-10pm (or when it runs out!)


Free munchies including Supreme Pizza, and Rokker's Mom's famous appetizers!!

Free Raflles will include:
Gift certificates from Ultimate Arts Tattoo and Capitol City Tattoo, 4 Star Video and more.

Win a ESP EC-50 Electric Guitar, Les Paul looking, Satin Black from Paridise Guitars in Beloit!

Music at 10pm with EL DONK, who will be performing songs of PINK FLOYD, THE DOORS AND DAVID BOWIE. if you missed them performing these sets individually at previous parties, don't miss this unique experience.

Maximum Ink's 12 Year Anniversary Party!
Saturday, March 22
Cardinal Bar
418 E. Wilson St.

CLICK HERE for party poster

 

 



MAXIMUM INK WEBSITE REDESIGN
Posted: 03/16/2008
Author: Rokker Ink
Source: Maximum Ink

Hey Everybody!

The Maximum Ink website is currently under redesign.

Our new website will have many more features and be easier for our crew to update, providing our readers with a much smoother website experience and many more interactive features, like adding comments to stories, live show reviews, localized content and much more!!

Our apologies for slow updates until the new site is in place, it is one of the reasons for the redesign in the first place!

So kick back and enjoy this site and it's archives, when the new site it up, this will all be migrated.

Thank you for your patience as we have Elephant for dinner this evening ;)

Rokker
Publisher
Maximum Ink music magazine



AEROSMITH Pulls Out Of Harley Owners Group 25th Anniversary Celebration in Milwaukee
Posted: 03/06/2008
Author: Rokker Ink
Source: Blabbermouth

The Business Journal of Milwaukee reports that AEROSMITH has cancelled its scheduled concert at the Harley Owners Group 25th anniversary celebration August 28 at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Citing a spokesperson for the band, H.O.G. said Thursday that AEROSMITH cancelled because of "medical reasons" and that the band does not have any other scheduled dates through the rest of the year. A press release from the organization did not provide details.

"While it's disappointing to lose AEROSMITH, we have a great lineup of musical acts including KID ROCK, SUGARLAND, and JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS," said Mike Keefe, H.O.G. vice president. "We're pleased to announce that all entertainment during our 25th anniversary celebration at Miller Park will be free for all H.O.G. members."

Read more at
The Business Journal of Milwaukee.



Guitar great Jeff Healey dies, 41
Posted: 03/04/2008
Author: Rokker Ink
Source: RTE Entertainment

Courtesy RTE Entertainment: Jeff Healey, the Canadian guitarist who sold over a million copies of his debut album 'See the Light' and starred opposite Patrick Swayze in 'Road House', has died.

Healey, who was 41, had battled cancer throughout his life and died on Sunday in Toronto.

As an infant Healey lost his eyesight due to retino blastoma, a rare form of cancer.

AdvertisementHe began playing the guitar when he was three-years-old and developed a style of playing the guitar across his lap while seated.

Discovered by the legendary guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan in a Toronto bar at 15, Healey put together his first band at 17 and later found fame with his trio The Jeff Healey Band.

The trio's debut, 'See the Light', was Grammy-nominated and gave them a US hit with the track 'Angel Eyes'. 

Healey explored early jazz on his later albums but had completed work on his first rock and blues album in eight years, 'Mess of Blues'. It was due for release in Europe on 20 March.

He is survived by his wife and two children.



Texas Native Kris Kristofferson Endorses Barack Obama: Legendary Singer Inspired
Posted: 02/28/2008
Author: Rokker Ink
Source: Ellis Creative

Kristofferson endorses Obama for President

Legendary Texas singer, songwriter, actor and social justice activist Kris Kristofferson has endorsed Barack Obama in his bid for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.  The Texas primary election is Tuesday, March 4th.

"I believe in Barack Obama like I believed in the Kennedys," Kristofferson said. "In the months before his death, John Kennedy pointed out that while we could not agree on their choice of government, there was much in the history of Russian people we could admire in terms of personal courage in the World War and artistic and scientific achievement.  It's this spirit of finding common ground and working things out through dialogue and diplomacy that the world needs so desperately today at this critical point in our history. This is the hope that Obama inspires."

Born in Texas and raised in a military family, Kristofferson was a Golden Gloves boxer who studied creative writing at Pomona College in California. The Phi Beta Kappa graduate earned a Rhodes scholarship to study literature at Oxford, where he boxed, played rugby and continued to write songs. After graduating from Oxford, Kristofferson served in the army as an Airborne Ranger helicopter pilot and achieved the rank of Captain.

In 1965, Kristofferson turned down an assignment to teach at West Point and, inspired by songwriters like Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash, moved to Nashville to pursue his music.  After struggling in Music City for several years, Kristofferson achieved remarkable success as a country songwriter at the start of the 1970s. His songs "Me and Bobby McGee," "Help Me Make It Through the Night," "Sunday Morning Coming Down," and "For the Good Times," all chart-topping hits, helped redefine country songwriting.

By 1987, it was estimated that more than 450 artists had recorded Kristofferson's compositions. His renown as a songwriter triggered Kristofferson's successful career as a performer and that, in turn, brought him to the attention of Hollywood, leading to his flourishing career as a film actor.

Kristofferson has acted in more than 90 films. He'll appear in the upcoming feature films "Powder Blue" with Forest Whitaker and "He's Just Not That Into You" starring Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Aniston, Ben Afflect, Jennifer Connelly and Drew Barrymore. Other recent films include "Fast Food Nation," "Dreamer: Inspired By A True Story," "The Wendell Baker Story," "The Jacket," and "Silver City."

In 1977 Kristofferson won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in "A Star Is Born."  He's starred in cult favorites including the "Blade" trilogy, "Lone Star," "A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries," "Convoy," "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," "Blume In Love," "Cisco Pike," and "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid." 

Heralded as an artist's artist, the three-time GRAMMY winner has recorded 26 albums, including three with pals Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings as part of the Highwaymen. Kristofferson has spent three decades performing concerts all over the world, in most recent years in a solo acoustic setting.

Kristofferson has reached living legend status. In addition to many other awards, Kristofferson is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, winner of the prestigious Johnny Mercer Award from the Songwriter Hall of Fame, and was honored with the American Veteran's Association's "Veteran of the Year Award" in 2002.  In 2007, Kristofferson was honored with the Johnny Cash Visionary Award from Country Music Television.



Former Hendrix drummer Buddy Miles dies in Texas
Posted: 02/28/2008
Author: Rokker Ink
Source: Reuters - by Dean Goodman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Drummer Buddy Miles, who played with Jimi Hendrix in his short-lived group, Band of Gypsys, died at his home in Austin, Texas on Tuesday, his publicist said.

Miles, who was 60, suffered from congestive heart failure, Duane Lee said on Wednesday. He did not know the official cause of death.

With his bombastic style, the former teen prodigy helped develop such musical forms as funk metal and acid jazz thanks to his work with such guitarists as John McLaughlin, Mike Bloomfield and Carlos Santana.

In 1967, he and Bloomfield co-founded Electric Flag, whose rock-brass sound influenced Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears.

But Miles is probably best known for his stint with Band of Gypsys, an all-black group put together by Hendrix in 1969 after the dissolution of the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Miles and bass player Billy Cox, an old Army buddy of Hendrix's, kicked the guitarist into a higher gear with an Afrocentric, polyrhythmic groove.

The funky sound marked a strong contrast from the melodic stylings of Hendrix's English bandmates in the Experience, drummer Mitch Mitchell and bass player Noel Redding.

The Band of Gypsys are immortalized on an acclaimed album of the same name, which drew from four shows performed on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day 1970 at the Fillmore East in New York City. Miles contributed two of his own compositions, "We Gotta Live Together" and "Changes."

Read the entire article HERE



The Gretsch Company Celebrates 125 Years of 'That Great Gretsch Sound'
Posted: 02/27/2008
Author: Rokker Ink
Source: Jakson Spaulding PR

SAVANNAH, Ga., U.S.A., January 1, 2008 – The Gretsch Company, one of the world’s most well-known drum and guitar manufacturers, will celebrate its 125th anniversary in 2008.  Throughout the year, Gretsch will celebrate by introducing new lines of limited edition anniversary drums, guitars, and other Gretsch products; conducting an online search for the world’s best unsigned bands; and hosting a major concert event in New York City featuring an illustrious lineup of “Gretsch Greats.”

“It’s quite exciting to reach this remarkable milestone,” said President Fred W. Gretsch.  “We owe our many years of success to four generations of Gretsch owners and the dedicated men and women on their team who were – and are – passionate about great music and high-quality instruments.”

According to research conducted by American Management Services, Inc., only three percent of American family-owned businesses survive to the fourth generation.  The Gretsch Company is among that relative handful of fourth-generation companies. 

Based in Savannah, Ga., the company has earned its reputation as an industry leader through 125 years of enduring commitment to manufacturing professional-quality, handcrafted instruments.  The Gretsch Company began in 1883 when Friedrich Gretsch, a German immigrant, started making banjos, tambourines and other instruments in a Brooklyn, N.Y. factory.  At the time, Chester A. Arthur was president of the United States and the Brooklyn Bridge was celebrating its grand opening, making it much easier for young Friedrich to get to and from Manhattan from his Brooklyn, N.Y. shop. 

The company’s popularity grew steadily, then exploded with the arrival of rock-n-roll in the 1950s and 1960s as Gretsch attracted famous endorsers like George Harrison, Bo Diddley and Charlie Watts. 

Gretsch has been a family business for all but 18 years of its history, starting when third-generation owner Fred Gretsch, Jr. sold The Gretsch Company to Baldwin Music Company in 1967 – a period much maligned by Gretsch aficionados.  Without the family commitment that had driven the business for so many years, the company faltered.  As a testament to his passion for the family business, the company’s current president, Fred W. Gretsch, vowed to one day regain control.  In 1985, he made good on his promise and bought The Gretsch Company back from Baldwin.  He moved operations to Savannah, Ga., where the revitalized company began to offer new, vintage-styled Gretsch guitars and classic Gretsch drums.  The new products were immediately successful and The Gretsch Company once again became a leading force in the musical instrument industry.

Today, Gretsch drums and guitars are the preferred instruments of many studio musicians and recording artists looking for unique tonal quality and hand-made craftsmanship. 

“For as long as I can remember Gretsch drums have always epitomized ‘class,’” said longtime Gretsch endorser Phil Collins.  “I remember prowling around the drum shops of London in the 60s gazing at the beautiful drums in the windows.  More often than not it was the Gretsch kits that made my mouth water.  Then I started to notice which drummers played which drums – Charlie Watts played Gretsch, so did Tony Williams.  Many more of course, but those two were enough for me.”

As the 2007 recipient of Cox Family Enterprise Center’s Century Award for Family Business, the company is also known for its strong commitment to community service.  Last year, Gretsch awarded four college scholarships and donated numerous guitars for school fundraisers across the country.  The Gretsch family was also an early major sponsor of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon, Ga. 

“The Gretsch Company is gearing up for another 125 years of excellence” said CFO Dinah Gretsch.  “We look forward to an exciting future creating that great Gretsch sound.”

More information about The Gretsch Company’s 125th Anniversary celebrations can be found at www.gretsch125th.com

and www.myspace.com/gretsch125th.

About The Gretsch Company

Founded in 1883 as a small musical instrument shop in Brooklyn, N.Y., The Gretsch Company, now based in Savannah, Ga., has produced some of the world’s greatest drums and guitars over the span of four generations.  With its emphasis on hand-craftsmanship and commitment to quality, Gretsch has pioneered new designs and manufacturing techniques, winning endorsements from some of the music industry’s most respected artists, including Chet Atkins, Charlie Watts, Neil Young and Phil Collins.  Gretsch also owns and manufactures some of the other most popular and historic music industry products and brands including Bigsby® Vibratos and Sho-Bud® Pedal Steel Guitars.  The company has strong worldwide ties with musical giants Kaman and Fender, placing the Gretsch name in concert halls and recording studios around the globe.



BLACK CROWES Say MAXIM Review A Fraud
Posted: 02/23/2008
Author: Rokker Ink
Source: Blabbermouth

The Associated Press reports the BLACK CROWES are lashing out at Maxim magazine for reviewing the band's new album — apparently without actually hearing it first.

The review, published in Maxim's March issue, gives the CROWES' "Warpaint" a rating of two-and-a-half stars out of five.

"The writer — who has not heard the album since advance CDs were not made available — wrote what appears to be a disparaging assessment anyway, citing, 'it hasn't left Chris Robinson and the gang much room for growth,'" said a
statement on the band's official Web site.

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