Grammy® Museum, Fender Present “The Boxmasters: A Musical Journey,” April 23 Free public music education forum in L.A. with “electric hillbilly” heroe

The Grammy® Museum and Fender invite you to join well-dressed electric hillbilly heroes the Boxmasters for an evening of unforgettable music and interaction at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 23, at the Grammy Museum.

“The Boxmasters: A Musical Journey with J.D. Andrew, Billy Bob Thornton and Mike Butler” will feature singer/songwriter/drummer Billy Bob Thornton and guitarists J.D. Andrew and Mike Butler discussing the origins and inspiration behind their unique sound and prolific recording methods. Colored with stories illustrating their genuinely fascinating history, the band will perform songs from their brand-new two-disc album Modbilly and engage in a Q&A session with guests. During the performance, special guest acoustic guitarist Danny Baker will join the Boxmasters.

Doors open at 7 p.m. This very special event is free and open to the public; reservations are required and may be made by contacting the Grammy Museum at 213.765.6800 or grammyinfo@grammymuseum.org.


The Grammy Museum is located at 800 Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. 90015. For further information online, visit www.grammymuseum.org.

Neal Smith One Long Party

We were the group that drove the stake through the heart of the love generation,” Alice Cooper has famously claimed. And it was drummer Neal Smith who did the pounding.

It was 1971, and the nationwide bad vibes doled out by the Rolling Stones-Hell’s Angels rock ‘n’ roll meltdown at Altamont two years earlier still had America spooked. The Vietnam War was raging; Watergate was brewing; riots, assassinations, and protests had taken their toll. People wanted to take it down a notch. They wanted to mellow out for a while. And what could possibly be mellower than John Denver, the Osmonds, and Dawn? Looking back, it was probably not the best time for a deafening rock ‘n’ roll band with an elaborate stage show that included boa constrictors, a hangman, giant robot monsters, and a simulated beheading. Good thing nobody told Alice Cooper. While Three Dog Night was happily introducing a bullfrog named Jeremiah, Cooper came careening out of Phoenix, Arizona on a cheap beer buzz screaming, “Welcome to my nightmare.”

Powered by one of the toughest bands ever assembled—guitarists Glen Buxton and Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway, and powerhouse drummer Neal Smith—Cooper took the country by storm, releasing hits like “I’m Eighteen,” “Under My Wheels,” “Be My Lover” and “Billion Dollar Babies.” From behind his massive, 20-drum Slingerland kit, Neal Smith had the best seat in the house. Now playing with longtime friend Joe Bouchard of Blue Oyster Cult, Smith took time from his successful, Connecticut real estate business to look back on his early days with Cooper.

6 Embarrassing On-Stage Incidents Caught On Camera

Being a rock star may seem like the most glamorous job on earth, but it can also come with its own set of humiliations. For example, if one of us trips on the street or in our apartment, chances are thousands of people worldwide won’t care enough to email it to their friends and colleagues, but the same can’t be said for Beyoncé.

Fender Guitar Fest Rocks AZ School

For the fourth year running, downtown Mesa, Ariz., resonated with the ring of guitars as student guitar ensembles from eight Phoenix-area middle schools and high schools participated in the annual Fender Guitar Festival.

Held at a new venue this time, the spaciously modern Mesa Arts Center, the March 25-26 event gave students from eight Valley schools a two-day immersion in guitar performance, instruction and maintenance presented by staff from Fender headquarters in neighboring Scottsdale, Ariz.

Guitar ensembles from Desert Vista High School, Westar/Estrella, Kino Jr. High School, Washington High School, Alhambra High School, Raymond S. Kellis High School, Dobson High School and Maryvale High School performed a few songs each. As in previous years, Fender Music education director Bob Morris offered praise and constructive suggestions to each group after each performance.

The fourth year of this outstanding event was the best so far,” Morris said. “The level of guitar talent in the local schools is astounding to me—it just keeps getting better and better each year.”

The Fender Guitar Festival also featured student “test drive” demonstrations of Fender guitars, basses and amplifiers, instrument care and maintenance instruction, the Rock Band™-equipped Toyota Matrix concept car and performances by Phoenix-area musicians.

Gibson News Wire: Ryan Adams

It turns out those reports of Ryan Adams’ “temporary” retirement from music have been greatly exaggerated. In the guise of his occasional side project Werewolph, the unpredictable singer-songwriter has resurfaced, at least online. Featured at the Werewolph website are three new goth-metal tracks available for streaming. Titled, respectively, “Pink is Not Your Color,” “Evil Weekend,” and “Enemy Ghost Ships,” each song rocks ferociously. Adams left his band, the Cardinals, last month, declaring that he was “stepping back” from the music business. The Werewolph tracks are his first recorded work since marrying Mandy Moore last month.