Here is a great check list from our friends at Fender.

Gig bags—those bastions of convenience for the working musician—have undergone something of a renaissance in the past decade or so. They're cooler looking, tougher and more utilitarian than ever before, as attested by all manner of water-resistant fabrics, comfortably padded shoulder straps and the part we love best: all those cool pockets.

Even a modest gig bag of today has room for several other accoutrements besides the instrument it was designed to transport, so we've compiled a list of 15 Other Things You Really Should Have in Your Gig Bag:

1. 1. Strings. Most important. Don't be the guy who didn't have a spare set of strings when one broke halfway through the first set.
   
2. 2. String winder. And don't be the guy who had a spare string but took half an hour to replace it.
   
3. 3. A tuner. A small digital one will suffice. There is absolutely no reason in this enlightened technological age to say things like, "Hey, would you give me an E?"
   
4. 4. Another strap. In case you forget your usual one for some strange reason. Or if it breaks. Or if another guy in your band forgot his. It's inevitable.
   
5. 5. Another cord. The day will come when you hear the maddeningly annoying crackle of a bad cable. Be ready for it.
   
6. 6. Picks. These are always disappearing; probably to the same mysterious void your other sock went.
   
7. 7. A pen. Indispensable for everything—signing merch, making set lists, labeling the soundboard, getting numbers, emergency tracheotomies, etc.
   
8. 8. Tape. Duct tape or black gaffer tape, for which there are so many uses that we won't even attempt to start listing them all.
   
9. 9. Power strip. When you show up at the gig, count on there not being enough outlets.
   
10. 10. 9-volt batteries. Not every rehearsal or gig is near a convenience store. A must-have spare for effects pedals and active instruments.
    
11. 11. Ground lift. Spend the buck-fifty and get the little adaptor that will reduce hum, accommodate ancient two-prong outlets and occasionally save you from being zapped by your mic.
    
12. 12. Flashlight. Just a little one, small enough to hold between clenched teeth. Indispensable at bars, most of which are monuments to inadequate lighting. When setting up and adjusting your gear, it helps if you can actually see your gear.
    
13. 13. Business cards. You really should have these anyway if you're working consistently. But you still need the pen.
    
14. 14. Ibuprofen. Two words: club owners.
    
15. 15. Some paper. For set lists, notes, song charts, on-the-spot lyrical inspiration and myriad other uses. They say Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address on the back of an envelope. On the way to the gig.
    

Original Article

The Experience Hendrix Tour is ready for another North American tour, this time starting in Pittsburgh on October 26 and concluding on November 20 in Indianapolis.

Featured artists performing music associated with the legacy of Jimi Hendrix include some of the best known and highly regarded names in contemporary rock and blues including Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Susan Tedeschi, Robert Randolph, Jonny Lang, Steve Vai, LOS LOBOS' David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas, Eric Johnson, Ernie Isley, LIVING COLOUR, Chris Layton of STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN AND DOUBLE TROUBLE and THE SLIDE BROTHERS a/k/a Chuck and Darick Campbell of SACRED STEEL. Fender Musical Instruments Corp. is the tour's lead sponsor as was the case with last spring's Experience Hendrix tour. Participating sponsors also include Dunlop Effects Pedals, Marshall Amplifiers and Mapex Drums.

Experience Hendrix fall 2010 dates:

Oct. 26 - Pittsburgh - Benedum Theater
Oct. 28 - Toronto, ON - Sony Center
Oct. 29 - City, QUE - Grand Theatre
Oct. 30 - Montreal, QUE - Place des Arts
Nov. 02 - Buffalo, NY - Center for the Arts
Nov. 03 - Morristown, NJ - Community Theatre
Nov. 04 - Mashantucket, CT - MGM Grand @ Foxwoods
Nov. 06 - Albany, NY - Palace Theater
Nov. 07 - Boston, MA - Orpheum Theater
Nov. 09 - Hershey, PA - Hershey Theatre
Nov. 10 - New York, NY - Beacon Theatre
Nov. 11 - Baltimore, MD - Hippodrome
Nov. 12 - Richmond, VA – Landmark Theater
Nov. 13 - Atlantic City, NJ - Caesars Casino
Nov. 16 - Columbus, OH- Palace Theater
Nov. 17 - Cincinnati, OH - Taft Theater
Nov. 18 - Detroit, MI - Fox Theater
Nov. 19 - Merrilville, IN - Star Plaza Theater
Nov. 20 – Indianapolis – Murat Theatre

Pearl Jam fans, save the date: guitarist Stone Gossard says the closest thing to a 20th birthday gig for the band will be a slot on the bill of Neil Young's annual Bridge School Benefit in northern California on October 23 and 24.

"The only thing we've got going on in October is Bridge School, which is really special," Gossard told Billboard while in New York to support the new album by his side-band, Brad. "So that's our 20th anniversary, which is fitting. It's perfect: not too blown up. It's not about us, it about all those kids that are on stage with you and about Neil Young and his commitment, his influence."

It will be Pearl Jam's eighth Bridge appearance. The group first played the benefit, which supports Young's school for children with severe physical disabilities, back in 1992.

Fender has put together a nice memorial for the legendary Stevie Ray Vaughan.

The music world lost a masterful blues guitarist on Aug. 27, 1990, when a helicopter bound for Chicago crashed minutes after takeoff from East Troy, Wis., killing Stevie Ray Vaughan and four others. This Friday, 20 years will have passed since his tragic death, yet Vaughan is still revered by blues purists and rock fans alike as one of the most influential electric blues guitarists in history.

The legendary Vaughan tore through the 1980s like a tornado, single-handedly leading a scorching blues revival that led to gold albums and sold-out tours before his tragic and untimely death at age 35. Vaughan fused the pure blues of Albert King, Otis Rush and Muddy Waters with the rock guitar of Jimi Hendrix to form a distinctive, snarling style of his own that left listeners breathless at a time when blues wasn't exactly tearing up the charts.

Born and raised in Dallas, Vaughan began playing guitar as a child, inspired by older brother Jimmie.

"Jimmie showed me a lot of stuff," the younger Vaughan said in a 1983 interview that appeared in Guitar World. "There was a time when he warned, 'If you ask me to show you anything again, I'll kick your ass.' Well, I did and he did!"

By age 17 the younger Vaughan had dropped out of school to concentrate on music, playing in a variety of groups that eventually led to the late-'70s formation of Double Trouble, so named for an Otis Rush song.

Double Trouble drummer Chris Layton recalls the first time he ever heard his future bandmate play the guitar during an interview with North American radio show In The Studio with Redbeard.

"I didn't meet him that night, but the first time I heard him play was at a place called Soap Creek Saloon in Austin, Texas," Layton said. "Drove up, got out of my car and I could heard the band playing, but I heard this piercing guitar. It was like outside, not even coming from inside; It was just like drilling right there in the walls of the building. I thought, 'Wow, who is this guy?' And, it was Stevie. I thought, 'He's remarkable.' He just was."

Vaughan became lead singer of the band after the departure of Lou Ann Barton in 1979, and Double Trouble soon ruled the fertile Austin, Texas, music scene.

A 1982 Double Trouble performance at the Montreux Festival caught the attention of Brit rock legend David Bowie, who enlisted Vaughan for his blockbuster release later that year, Let's Dance. Now signed to Epic, Vaughan and Double Trouble released their own album in summer 1983, Texas Flood.

The album was an immense success. Texas Flood put electric blues back in the spotlight and high on the charts for the first time since the late '60s. A follow-up was quickly recorded; 1984's Couldn't Stand the Weather charted even higher and attained more success than Texas Flood, going gold by the end of 1985. Third album Soul to Soul appeared in summer '85, and the double-live Live Alive was released in fall 1986 before a massive 1987 U.S. tour. Alcohol and drug use took their toll on Vaughan's health, and he entered a relatively quiet year of rehab after the tour.

Layton recalled a frightening night in Germany when he witnessed Vaughan hit rock bottom.

"I remember looking in his eyes — it was almost like it was like the life went out of his eyes for a second," Layton said in the Redbeard interview. "It's almost like you could see that there was almost some kind of movie or something; some special effect; and then it kind of came back in and he said, 'I need help.' Then I knew that something had switched in him and he was ready to take care of his life, and something — God, some force had brought him back from the edge. Any longer and I don't think he would have been with us."

By 1989, though, he and Double Trouble were back and busier than ever with In Step, which reached number 33 on the charts, won a Grammy for best contemporary blues recording and went gold a mere six months after its release.

Despite his recovery, Vaughan was mulling his mortality in the final days before his fateful helicopter ride. Legendary rock photographer Robert Knight, who shot Vaughan's final encore performance alongside guitarists Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray and elder brother Jimmie Vaughan, vividly remembers the final days he spent with his friend in East Troy, Wis.

"We had weird conversations for those two days about life and death," Knight said. "Just a lot of sacrosanct conversations. He said he felt like something was going to happen in his life; that his career was going to explode, but he didn't know how long he'd have because he had a drug overdose and had done a lot of damage to his body. Still, he felt God had given him a second chance. There was just a lot of this interesting stuff we discussed, and I was sort of morose about all of it."

But Vaughan was in great spirits that final night at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre, gladly taking Clapton up on his offer to ride back to Chicago on one of the helicopters after the show.

"I think the rest of Stevie Ray's band, Robert Cray and everybody were on the buses already, so Stevie looks at me and goes, "Robert, let's go down to Chicago and see Buddy Guy play at his club," Knight recalled. "I was like, 'Nah, I don't think I want to do that.' So he decided to go ahead."

Vaughan must have realized he had depressed his photographer friend with his earlier conversations though, because before departing, he turned to Knight and said, "Listen Robert, don't worry, because if anything ever happens to me, you'll know me when you hear me."

"He actually said that to me," recounts Knight.  "And then we said goodbye, and agreed we'd meet in Paris in two weeks for a Jimi Hendrix tribute thing he was going to go over and do."

The next morning Knight awoke to learn that his friend was gone forever.

"I literally had hundreds and hundreds of photos from that last day and was so happy with the shoot, and suddenly that was all blood money," said Knight, who was besieged by requests from the media for the photos. "I just couldn't bear to have those photos associated with the crash, so I sat on them for about two years before I finally released any of them."

A duet album with Jimmie Vaughan, Family Style, which had been recorded shortly before Stevie Ray Vaughan's death, was released that October and entered the charts at number seven.

Years later, Stevie's death is still difficult to process for Jimmie Vaughan. Nonetheless, he's understandably proud of his younger brother, his work and the music they made together. He said in summer 2010 that "The whole thing doesn't seem like it happened. It still stings."

Vaughan poured his soul into his music and his subsequent posthumous releases proved just as popular as those released while he was alive, including The Sky Is Crying (1991), In the Beginning (1992), Greatest Hits (1995), The Real Deal: Greatest Hits Vol. 2 (1999) and box set SRV (2000).

You'll know me when you hear me.

Through his musical recordings, his legacy lives on two decades later, and undoubtedly will for many more.

Original Article

A brand-new supergroup consisting of Ben Harper, Joseph Arthur and Dhani Harrison has hit the scene. This is one to follow!

Fistful of Mercy from Fistful of Mercy on Vimeo.

The American Federation of Musicians is trying to get Congress to change policies regarding trailing with instruments. Hopefully these changes come soon to help protect our precious gear. Until then here are some tips from Acoustic Guitar on protecting your baby.

By Kristina Olsen

I am standing at the baggage claim, crowded with grumpy travelers pushing for their luggage. The conveyer belt is at an alarming angle and seems to be running way too fast. I can’t make my way to the front. All of a sudden dozens of huge heavy wood crates start careening down the belt. I see my guitar dwarfed by them, and I cry out involuntarily as a particularly large crate falls on my guitar. The usually noisy baggage claim area becomes painfully silent as we all hear the horribly distinctive sound of a musical instrument, designed to transmit sound, transmitting its own death as it is reduced to splinters. I wake up in my hotel bed, a cold sweat permeating the sheets, mattress liner, mattress, and box spring. Oh thank God, it was just a dream.

How do we do it? Traveling with our beloved instruments is a nightmare. Should you check it or try to carry it on? Here are some tips to help you and your guitar survive your next flight.

CHECKING YOUR GUITAR

If you are going to check your guitar in baggage, be prepared to lose it. I have lost my guitar six times, and once it was missing for more than a month. So far I've been lucky: my guitar has always made it back to me, like those pet stories, "We lost old Sparky in Nebraska, but she caught up to us in Hong Kong." I only travel with guitars that I am emotionally prepared to lose. I can't tell you how much stress that has removed from my life.

Pad the peghead. One of the most common injuries to checked guitars is broken pegheads. Even in most good cases, the peghead is not supported. If a case is dropped, the weight of the tuning gears can snap the peghead right off. This happened to one of my guitars. Pack the peghead securely on all sides with T-shirts, socks, and other soft articles of clothing, or buy a case with padded peghead support. Crumpled newspaper or magazine pages will work well in a pinch, too. Just make certain that the peghead is wedged into the case so that it can't move in any direction if the guitar case is dropped.

Loosen the strings. On an average steel-string guitar, the strings pull 150 pounds of pressure. You won't want that kind of pressure on your guitar’s neck while it is getting heaved around by sumo baggage handlers. Taking the tension off will also reduce the risk of snapped pegheads.

Choose the strongest case you can afford and/or carry. I've heard many musicians recommend Calton cases. They come in bright colors, which makes it less likely that someone will walk off with your guitar by mistake, and they have a good arch over the face of the guitar that gives the case more strength. Flight cases (usually triangle-shaped fiberglass cases) are also very good, but they are bulky and heavy. Sadly enough, I know many musicians who have developed tendon injuries not from playing their instruments but from carrying heavy cases. Generally, the heavier the case, the better the protection, so you will have to find a balance. Even the toughest cases, however, are not indestructible. One airline managed to spear a forklift right through the best case a musician friend of mine could find.

Pack your instrument and case in a cardboard shipping box. You can usually get one of these boxes for free from a music store, but you will have to get the box in advance since most stores don't get daily shipments of guitars. When I pack my guitar, I throw all my clothes and an empty duffel bag around the case for padding. The great thing about this method is that it makes your guitar so awkward and bulky that the baggage handlers have to handle it gently by default. The obvious problem with this system is that the box is awkward and bulky for you as well, and you end up taking a big empty box on tour with you for your return flight.

Once, when I wasn't using this method, I saw a baggage handler throw my guitar case over a baggage train where it landed miraculously headfirst on the conveyor belt. The baggage handler jumped up and down ecstatically at the sheer beauty and accuracy of his throw, while from inside the airplane I was screaming inaudibly and pounding on the airplane window. Of course when I checked my guitar the airline made me sign a waiver saying that any damage they inflicted on my instrument was my responsibility. Had I packed my guitar in a shipping box, I would have saved myself a $250 repair bill.

When you get to your destination, go directly to the baggage claim area to get your guitar. I once coincidentally ran into guitarist Nina Gerber as I deplaned and stood talking at the gate for ten minutes while my guitar went around and around the baggage claim carousel. Pretty soon my guitar was the only thing left, and when no one was looking someone stole it. Through some clever detective work on the part of the airline, I got my guitar back, but not until after I had played the festival.

CARRYING YOUR GUITAR ON BOARD

If you plan to try to carry your guitar on board, get a great gig bag, one that you can wear on your back. That way your guitar is pretty much hidden by your body so that when you saunter on by the ticket takers they may miss your guitar entirely. Find a bag that isn't too bulky but offers some protection. I use gig bags by Blue Heron and Reunion Blues. They use a foam similar to backpacking insulate, which is very dense and offers good protection. Gig bags don’t need as much padding as regular cases because they aren't subjected to baggage handlers. And because they are so light and comfortable, you’re not always setting them down, so they don’t get knocked about and are less likely to get stolen.

When you make your reservation, find out what the airline’s policy is for carrying guitars on board and what type of carrier the airline uses. Make sure you are not flying on an L10-11. TWA flies a lot of those. They have tiny overhead compartments that will not hold a guitar. The 700 series (e.g., 737, 747), the airbuses, and the DC-10s are generally fine. But, whether or not there’s room for your guitar on board, many airlines are now refusing to allow passengers to carry them on. A friend of mine used to disguise her guitar (in its gig bag) in a hanging wardrobe bag. It worked for her a few times, but now she just uses a heavy flight case and checks her guitar. In the past, I have had especially good luck with Northwest, Alaska, and Delta, but airlines are getting more strict about carry-ons all the time. When I fly overseas, I check both guitars through baggage. Most overseas carriers won’t allow you to bring your guitar on board. I also have insurance for my instruments that covers airline damage and loss.

When you fly on tiny commuter planes, you will have to relinquish your guitar, but you can watch the baggage person put it in the hold yourself, and at the end of the flight you pick it up right outside the plane, so it doesn't go through the maze of conveyor belts. I have never had a problem on these little flights.

Don't push the airlines. If you are attempting to carry a guitar on board, don't bring a lot of other carry-ons. Many people have to share limited space. I have seen musicians carry on needless extra stuff and act indignant when they get called on it. A friendly positive attitude and gentle persistence will generally get you and your guitar taken care of in the best possible way.

I always fill in the customer survey cards in the in-flight magazines and tell the airline that I am flying them because they have always been great about letting me on board with my guitar in a gig bag. Airlines cater heavily to business customers, and I remind them that we musicians are business customers, too. I always try to be friendly and polite, especially if I am carrying a guitar, so that airline workers will like accommodating musicians.

Bon voyage!

Luthier and Acoustic Guitar contributor Frank Ford has some wonderful tips for flying with your guitar at Frets.com. Be sure to read his photo essay on packing the peghead

Original Article