04/01

Hello and welcome to the latest update from your friends at J. D'Addario & Company. Inside this month's newsletter, read about the latest from our endorsees including David Gray, Jimmy DeGrasso, Adam Nitti, Lucinda Williams, Liberty DeVitto, Ralph Molina, Ed Toth, PJ Harvey, Ben Harper, Eric Marienthal, Lenny Kravitz, Gerry Brown, Linkin Park and many more. Please read on!

Consumer Comment of the Month:

"I'm into my 5th week on the new EXP strings and can't sense any deterioration. They are better than anything I've previously tried. Your products continue to lead the pack. You are the King of Strings."

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Artist Quote of the Month:

"D'Addario strings give us the sound we want and the strength and durability we need." - Martha & Eddie Adcock (Bluegrass legends)

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Evans News:

Evans is proud to welcome drummer Ralph Molina to our family of Performing Artists. As an original member of Crazy Horse, the world's greatest garage band, Ralph has been providing the muscle and backbone for Neil Young's musical journeys since the very beginning. Ralph is currently locked away in a northern California studio recording tracks for an upcoming N.Y. release. Reverse-Dot Power Center snare heads and coated G2s are Ralph's sonic palettes.

Graham Hawthorne is currently on the road with D'Addario string user, Paul Simon. Graham recently performed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction for Mr. Simon and on The Late Show with David Letterman.

Frank Colon recently returned from conducting a series of workshops in Rio de Janeiro to join a tour with Michael Wolff's "Impure Thoughts" band. Frank and the band will be performing in a few cities before heading to Los Angeles to record.

Longtime Evans endorsee Mickey Curry has been very busy lately. In addition to working on the new Ian Hunter album and completing tracks for Bryan Adams, Mickey will be hitting the road in April on a Bryan Adams tour. In May the band will be off to India for several dates.

Gerry Brown recently finished up a Showtime film project with Stanley Clarke. The film, entitled The Red Shoes is directed by Gregory Hines and features cues written by Gerry. Gerry is embarking on a series of drum clinics in April to promote his recent video release R & B Drumming.

Rock act Vertical Horizon, featuring Evans artist Ed Toth, is performing on both the Rosie O'Donnell and Conan O'Brien shows on April 13. Talk about keeping busy!

John Blackwell, Jr. is currently at Paisley Park laying down the groove for the latest from Prince. Yes, his name is Prince once again!

Megadeth rhythm man Jimmy DeGrasso will be the featured cover story for Drum! Magazine's June issue.

Buckcherry, featuring Devon Glenn, releases their sophomore CD. Nobody gets down and dirty and rocks as hard as Devon! The band is currently on tour. For more info, please visit http://www.devonglenn.com

Chad Wackerman launches his official website http://www.chadwackerman.com

Billy Joel's Liberty DeVitto releases Funk Club. For more info, check out Liberty's awesome website at http://www.libertydevitto.com

Tony Verderosa is currently on a Sam Ash Clinic tour.

Ron Thaler has been busy working on several projects. He recently recorded Jazzed and Confused: Exploring the Music of Led Zeppelin, which features Dweezil Zappa, Mike Stern, DJ Logic, and many others. The CD is slated for release in September. Ron also completed the soundtrack for a movie entitled Tilt, produced by the X-Files Patrick Stark. Look for it in theatres this summer.

Steve Brown, who has been nominated for a British Jazz Award, recently recorded two new CDs for the jazz label Concord Records. The first, Jazz Signatures, with Tenor Saxophonist Scott Hamilton, has just been released and the second, Manhattan, with jazz trumpeter Conte Candoli, is due for release this month.

Rocky Bryant performs on Dianne Reeves Grammy-winning album.

Rick Latham can be heard on new releases from WAR and Edgar Winter.

Eric Singer of Kiss is using Evans EQ-Pads & AF Patches on the band's Japan & Australia tours.

Little Feat, featuring Evans endorsee Ritchie Hayward, is currently on the road.

Tom Roady is on the road filling the drum chair for the one and only Engelbert Humperdink.

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D'Addario News:

Legendary singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams has joined the D'Addario artist roster. Ms. Williams recently dazzled sold-out crowds at SXSW in Austin, TX performing music from her latest CD entitled Essence, which is set for a June 5th release.

David Gray's Lost Songs 95-98 is scheduled to be released in mid-April. Lost Songs is a collection of previously unrecorded material written by Gray between his third album, Sell, Sell, Sell, and his most recent release White Ladder. Recorded in London in the fall of 1999, Lost Songs was first released in Ireland last July, where it debuted at #1 on the album chart and has now gone quadruple platinum. This stripped-down acoustic recording was released in England in February of this year, where it debuted at #6 on the album chart and was nominated for a Brit Award in the "Best Album" category. On April 12, David Gray will kick off a 33-date North American tour. In addition, a Late Show with David Letterman booking has been confirmed for May 2.

Bass wizard Adam Nitti has been keeping himself busy with a number of projects. Adam is currently holding down the bottom for singer songwriter Angie Aparo's band. They recently performed at two outdoor festivals: the Savannah Riverfest and Atlanta radio station Star 94's concert. Adam is also performing with critically acclaimed blues artist Susan Tedeschi this month. Adam's solo CD is scheduled for release in May and features players such as Dave Weckl, little John Roberts, and Shane Theriot.

Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals release a live two CD set entitled Live From Mars.

D'Addario is proud to be PJ Harvey's string of choice for her opening slot on the current U2 tour. Polly Jean and band are rockin' out with XL115, XL110, and Half Round bass strings.

The Del McCoury Band gathered in December at the Skaggs Family Records Studio to work on new material with some friends, including Stuart Duncan and Ricky Skaggs. The band now has an official website. Check it out at: www.delmccouryband.com

Lenny Kravitz is hard at work tracking new material at Roxy Studios in Miami. His new album is scheduled for a late 2001 release.

Ozzfest 2000 Second Stage: The CD has recently been released on Divine Recordings. This live CD features D'Addario endorsees Slaves On Dope, Fear Factory, and Kittie and Planet Waves endorsees Queens Of The Stone Age.

Ozzfest 2001 kicks off in June and features D'Addario endorsees Marilyn Manson and Linkin Park.

Sony Pictures Classics announced the acquisition of Gillian Grisman's touching documentary Grateful Dawg. The film follows the final days of the legendary Jerry Garcia. Directed by Gillian Grisman, the documentary shares the unique musical friendship between Garcia and famed mandolinist and D'Addario Performing Artist, David Grisman.

Finger-style guitar champ Steven King releases Soft Flowing Waters. Steven gets his great tone from D'Addario EFTs.

Flamenco guitarist Robby Longley's latest is entitled Baraka.

Liona Boyd is currently recording music in the Latin pop style. Ms. Boyd's new release will include guest performances by such guitarists as Al Di Meola, Strunz and Farah, Oscar Lopez, Pavlo, and Johannes Lindstead.

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D'Addario on Tour:

The Tories

Ratdog, featuring Rob Wasserman

Sister Hazel

Scott Henderson

"The New Queen of Bluegrass," Rhonda Vincent

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Planet Waves News:

Alvin Chea, vocalist for Take 6, has joined the Planet Waves artist roster. He is currently in the studio working with producer Marcus Miller. Alvin's command of the voice as an instrument is second to none. Planet Waves cables are insuring clean, strong signals make it to tape!

What the Pros are saying about Planet Waves:

"The best cable I've used in my 30 year career, both live and in the studio." - T-Bone Wolk

"Planet Waves cables are incredibly sturdy and quiet. I rely on them every night when I'm on the road and everyday in the studio." - Jimmy Haslip

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Vandoren News:

Eric Marienthal is currently in the studio laying down tracks for his latest solo CD.

Tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman releases Passage of Time.

Saxophonist Ken Field will perform with the internationally acclaimed modern music ensemble Birdsongs of the Mesozoic for the group's 20th Anniversary Concert on May 5th in Boston. An interview with Ken recently appeared on www.allaboutjazz.com

Dan Higgins recently performed at the Academy Awards. Check out Dan's new article in Windplayer Magazine.

Scott Robinson was recently selected by the State Department to be a US Jazz Ambassador for 2001, and will soon embark on an eight-week tour of West Africa. Scott also has a new band, Scott Robinson's Bronze Nemesis.

For more information on clinic dates and locations, please visit www.daddario.com