I haven't posted one of these in a while and while this may not feature a lot of star power it does feature some formidable musical chops. To quote the "hype sheet,"
Drummer Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, The Winery Dogs, Transatlantic), bassist Billy Sheehan (Talas, Mr. Big, David Lee Roth), guitarist Tony MacAlpine & keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Black Country Communion, Dream Theater, Billy Idol) brought their collective strengths to Japan this past fall. The result was a 16-track deep cornucopia of the member's individual highlights. The group unleashed a fierce storm of sonic musicianship on songs such as "Shy Boy" from Sheehan's band Talas, MacAlpine's "The Stranger", Sherinian's "Apocalypse 1470 B.C." and Dream Theater's "A Change Of Seasons: The Crimson Sunrise."
I mention this for one other reason. Last month I had the opportunity (and privilege) to help sponsor a bass clinic given by Billy Sheehan at my place of business. Besides being a monster player, Billy is a charming, charismatic storyteller and held the audience rapt for hours. Not only did he play some jaw dropping solos but demonstrated some unique bass playing techniques - including one that showed how the bass player could use chordal structures to fill in the parts of "21st Century Schizoid Man" in a power trio setting - that caught my attention. He also previewed a track from the BD - the band's cover of Billy Cobham's "Spectrum" - worth the price of admission alone. Here's the artwork for the release;
Drummer Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, The Winery Dogs, Transatlantic), bassist Billy Sheehan (Talas, Mr. Big, David Lee Roth), guitarist Tony MacAlpine & keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Black Country Communion, Dream Theater, Billy Idol) brought their collective strengths to Japan this past fall. The result was a 16-track deep cornucopia of the member's individual highlights. The group unleashed a fierce storm of sonic musicianship on songs such as "Shy Boy" from Sheehan's band Talas, MacAlpine's "The Stranger", Sherinian's "Apocalypse 1470 B.C." and Dream Theater's "A Change Of Seasons: The Crimson Sunrise."
I mention this for one other reason. Last month I had the opportunity (and privilege) to help sponsor a bass clinic given by Billy Sheehan at my place of business. Besides being a monster player, Billy is a charming, charismatic storyteller and held the audience rapt for hours. Not only did he play some jaw dropping solos but demonstrated some unique bass playing techniques - including one that showed how the bass player could use chordal structures to fill in the parts of "21st Century Schizoid Man" in a power trio setting - that caught my attention. He also previewed a track from the BD - the band's cover of Billy Cobham's "Spectrum" - worth the price of admission alone. Here's the artwork for the release;
