Whitesnake’s forthcoming album, ‘Forevermore,’ is tentatively due for release in March 2011 via Frontiers Records.

Frontman David Coverdale stated, “The new songs are in the very familiar and recognizable Whitesnake territory of soulful, bluesy, melodic power rock, with a couple of ballads thrown in for good measure. It can’t be a Whitesnake album without ballads, mate!”

“As always, we want to take it to the next level,” said Coverdale. “I feel that with the last album we achieved a strong Whitesnake ‘cocktail’ that comfortably embraced and mixed all the previous musical aspects and styles of the band’s history, while taking our identity a little further… all on one album.”

Whitesnake’s current lineup features guitarists Doug Aldrich and Reb Beach, former Foreigner drummer Brian Tichy, newly announced bassist Michael Devin and vocalist David Coverdale.

Keyboardist Timothy Drury can also be heard on ‘Forevermore’ but left Whitesnake earlier this year to pursue a solo career.

Live and Unsigned is the UK's biggest unsigned music competition for original artists and musicians. With £100,000 worth of prizes and a world tour up for grabs, the event really does have it all, whether you're into pop, R&B, punk, indie, alternative, rock, or acoustic. And for 2011, it's our pleasure to announce that we, MusicRadar, are partnering with the competition.

Each year the prize pool gets bigger and better. Acts take to the stage and battle it out for equipment, festival slots, clothing, studio time and master classes. And the 2011 event will see the biggest prize pool yet with the introduction of a world tour for the winning act!

Tour Music Fest will be awarding one act an all expenses paid trip to Italy to perform on their main stage! As one of the most recognised festivals for emerging talent in Europe, the winning act will get to play their music to a global audience at the Piper Club, where artists like David Bowie, The Beatles and Pink Floyd have all performed.
Rock bands in the competition will have the chance to play at I Rock, Asia's biggest Rock festival. Plus the winning band will receive an all expenses paid trip to India, play in a global face-off and have the chance to win from $50,000 in prizes.

Other prizes include a tour to America and Australasia, a selection of Marshall amps, extensive coverage on MUZU TV and YouTube, a UK tour and a recording contract with Future Music, with up to £50,000 investment!

All acts in the competition are auditioned live; there are no demos or submissions. Those who make it through the audition stage will get to perform to industry judges, A&R associates and celebrity guests in some of the UK's most prestigious venues. And those who make it to the Grand Final will get to share the stage with some of the UK's best musicians at the Live and Unsigned Festival at the 02 in London.

Auditions begin again in January 2011 so make sure you register today. Visit MusicRadar's brand new channel dedicated to live performance - www.musicradar.com/live - for more details.

Guitarinternational.com - When thinking back to the ‘60s British rock scene, guitar legends such as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix (who first found fame in London before returning to claim America) and Jimmy Page all come to mind. While all of these players deserve the accolades and recognition they have received over the years, there is one man, one player whose contribution to the instrument and the blues-rock genre is often tragically overlooked when looking back at this era of music history.

That man was Irish guitarist extraordinaire Rory Gallagher, and thanks to Eagle Vision’s latest DVD/CD release Ghost Blues: The Story of Rory Gallagher & the Beat Club Sessions, the story of this multi-talented singer-guitarist comes to life on the big screen.

The DVD portion of the package tells the story of Gallagher, from his upbringing in Ireland all the way through his untimely and unfortunate passing in 1995. Providing glimpses into the guitarists musical background, including his early days learning to play the ukulele and his influences including Elvis, Gene Vincent, Chuck Berry and of course Buddy Holly (who is the reason why Gallagher played Fender guitars throughout his career), the film digs deep into Gallagher the person, as well as the musician.

Through interviews with Rory’s brother, as well as musical legends The Edge, Bob Geldof, Bill Wyman, Slash and journalist Cameron Crowe, we are told the story of a musician who was staunchly dedicated to the music he loved, the blues, and how his devotion to this musical genre helped steer and shape his career.

Besides the interviews, there are plenty of vintage photos and videos to provide a glimpse into Gallagher’s personal life as well as showcase him doing what he did best, playing guitar and singing live on stage. It is this archival material that really brings Gallagher’s story to life, shedding light on the music he loved to play, his family life and providing the context for his musical output and the choices that shaped his career and personal life as he grew as a player and person.

Fans will no doubt enjoy seeing these classic Gallagher performances, as well as press clippings from his early days in the U.K., and newcomers will get a chance to not only hear the guitarist tear up his fretboard, but also see him in action, something that makes this DVD worth buying.

Accompanying the DVD is a CD with 90 minutes of previously unreleased live material. Featuring the guitarist in his favorite lineup, the guitar trio, the album is a raunchy collection of 12 songs. The music ranges from blues-rock, “Laundromat,” to down-home blues “I Could’ve Had Religion,” to acoustic guitar pieces such as “I Don’t Know Where I’m Going” and the Jimmy Page inspired, or is it the other way around?, “Just the Smile.” All in all this is a solid collection of tracks that deserve to see the light of day.

Often times companies will release archived live albums that the artist probably wouldn’t have approved for various reasons, but these tracks are well-mixed and edited, and Gallagher shines throughout. By adding the CD to the two-disc package, Eagle Vision has erased any excuse people might have for not picking up this collection.

Ghost Blues: The Story of Rory Gallagher & the Beat Club Sessions is a great package for any fan of Gallagher’s music, which also acts as the perfect introduction to his music for those who are only discovering the Irish guitar legend’s work. Check it out, you won’t be disappointed.

The Grand County Blues Society is kicking off its ninth year of bringing music to Grand County school age children by making Dec. 9-16 the first Official Blues in the School Week.

Blues in the School is a program in which the GCBS teaches the history of America's indigenous music. It covers the origin and the effect that this music and its creators have had on all popular music since.

The program has brought several artists in for concerts and interactive teaching. Every learning facility in Grand County has been visited multiple times.

All of this has been accomplished without any school funds. The program has continued with grants from The Grand Foundation, the Grand County commissioners, The Lion's Club, The Winter Park-Fraser Valley Chamber of Commerce and private donations from the GCBS and its members.

Maria Chavez has been director of this program from its inception. Dan Treanor, long-time blues educator, Civil War expert and blues artist has been the face of Blues in the School for the GCBS.

The program also created the popular and award-winning "Check out the Music." This program has placed more than 40 instruments in the local libraries for card-holders to check out, including guitars, keyboards, amps and DVDs.

Awarded the 2007 "Library Partner of the Year" for the state of Colorado, this program is more than 6 years old and going as strong as ever.

Besides "Check out the Music" and going into the schools teaching music, the program also created Blue Star Connection, a program that gets music into the lives of children enduring cancer treatment along with other challenging situations. This program is now nationwide with over 80 kids in 26 states, as well as outfitting nine Children's Hospitals with various instruments.

So far Blue Star has been to Dallas, Denver, Pittsburg, Kansas City, Nashville, Cincinatti, Oakland and Oklahoma City.

The week-long event will include the final touches on 20 cigar box guitars that will be sold to highest bidders. That will enable the grant to be replenished and used for the program.


The week will end with Mike Zito and Samantha Fish at Smokin' Moe's on Dec. 15. Mike recorded a live CD at Moe's during last year's festival and he is releasing it on this night. He plans to donate $5 of every CD sold to Blues in the School.

The GCBS is a 501c3 non profit and depends on the support of the entire county to continue its work with the local youth. You can find out about them at www.grandblues.org/ and at www.bluestarconnection.org/.

With his blistering fast lead chops, impeccably clean technique, and exceptional composition skills, Jeff Loomis is recognized as one of the top guitarists on the progressive metal scene today. Since the early 1990s, the guitar virtuoso has been a primary creative force in the Seattle-based band Nevermore, and he’s recently spread his wings as a solo artist with the impressive debut effort Zero Order Phase.

One rainy Seattle afternoon, Jeff and I chatted about technique, gear, and all things guitar for a BOSS Tone Radio podcast. To listen to the complete conversation and clips of his music, visit www.BossUS.com/podcasts.

Eric Clapton was voted the top guitar hero at this week's Guitar Nation Live show in London. The poll was taken at a booth hosted by instrument insurance company Allianz Musical Insurance.

"It's great to see that the U.K. still has a strong rock star tradition," Allianz's Claims Manager Robin Stagg told the press.

Two more U.K. natives, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck, also made it into the top 5. The top 5 guitarists in the poll were Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Chuck Berry.

Clapton will have the opportunity to prove that he still deserves the title when he goes on tour in the U.K. next year. Slowhand will play shows in Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow and Cardiff before participating in a six-night residency at the Royal Albert Hall in London.