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XG Extreme Guitar Tour featuring Uli Roth and Vinnie Moore with Black Knights Rising and Old James with Vinnie Moore

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Uli Jon Roth, Legendary Scorpions Guitarist and legendary shredder and UFO guitarist, Vinnie Moore bring together an All-Star cast of musicians for a night of guitar greatness. XG Extreme Guitar Tour featuring members of Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, DIO, MSG, Rainbow, Trans Siberian Orchestra, Scorpions, UFO & Yngwie Malmsteen. XG Tour includes performances by guitar greats Uli Jon Roth, Vinnie Moore, Craig Goldy and introducing new act, Black Knights Rising. Black Knights Rising features: Craig Goldy (guitar), Vinnie Appice (drums), Mark Boals (vocals), Allesandro Bertoni (keyboards) and Elliot Rubinson (bass). Drumming for Uli Jon Roth will be Kofi Baker, son of Cream drummer Ginger Baker. Elliot Rubinson, CEO of Dean Guitars will be featured on bass during the performances of all three guitarists. Canadian rockers Old James will be special guests to open the show.

Uli Jon Roth

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www.ulijonroth.com

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Artist Bio

In 2018 ULI JON ROTH is celebrating a rare TRIPLE ANNIVERSARY

For UJR Fans all over the globe 2018 is going to be a very special year:

• 40-year anniversary of SCORPIONS - TOKYO TAPES !
• 40-year anniversary of the Birth of ELECTRIC SUN !!
• 50-year ANNIVERSARY of Uli’s first ever stage performance in 1968 !!! 

To celebrate this special anniversary year, ULI JON ROTH is performing a whole series of concerts and tours worldwide with varying programs.

 

His two-month TRIPLE ANNIVERSARY NORTH AMERICAN TOUR – starting at the end of May 2018 - will be devoted to performing a complete set of Songs from Uli’s ground breaking ELECTRIC SUN period.

ELECTRIC SUN REBORN will consist of an intense 90-minute set by Uli and his band, complemented by multi-media projections. This is followed by an intermission and a shorter set of the highlights from TOKYO TAPES REVISITED to round off the 3-hour extravaganza. 

Uli has not performed the bulk of this music for over 30 years. Although it never enjoyed the overwhelming commercial success of Scorpions, Electric Sun was far more than just a cult band and had a sizeable following on both sides of the Atlantic as well as in Japan. Largely thanks to Uli’s innovative and ground-breaking guitar playing and interesting compositions the band became artistically influential and presented a unique blend, which was sometimes likened to a strange mixture, located somewhere between Beethoven and Hendrix.

Following the worldwide success of his latest SCORPIONS REVISITED releases, Uli will now revisit the spellbinding music of his first solo venture after leaving Scorpions and re-connect with his songs from that prolific era of his long and colorful career. 

Widely regarded as one of the greatest guitar players ever, Uli pioneered a unique style of guitar playing which - for the first time - combined complete mastery of the instrument with an intensely melodic and emotional appeal. Uli’s Electric Sun guitar solos are both uplifting and often mesmerizing, displaying a very wide variety of textures, colors and novel ideas. They always take you on a journey. 

From his earliest days’ onwards, Uli has always been a bold and uncompromising musical innovator of the first order and his Electric Sun period bears ample witness to that fact. Being the first guitar player in rock to incorporate complex melodic arpeggio sequences, Uli Jon Roth - in the eyes of many of his peers - practically reinvented modern guitar-technique almost singlehandedly during his Scorpions tenure, but even more so during his Electric Sun days. 

Uli has now taken a fresh look at this material, drawn from the altogether three Electric Sun albums which he wrote some 40 years ago. The three albums – in chronological order – were EARTHQUAKE, FIRE WIND and BEYOND THE ASTRAL SKIES. Electric Sun and Uli fans alike will be delighted to finally hear these songs played live again by the master himself. 

As a real bonus for his die-hard fans and connoisseurs Uli has a special treat in store which will bring many a tear to the eyes of nostalgic older fans; due to popular request, Uli will finally bring his legendary white Fender Stratocaster guitar on tour again! The famous instrument - which he used during ALMOST ALL the Scorpions and Electric Sun recordings (!) - will make an onstage appearance for a couple of songs after having remained silent for so many years... The guitar has not been played in public since the Mid-Eighties when Uli switched over to SKY GUITARS for good and he is looking forward to putting this iconic guitar through its paces for old times’ sake. The “WHITE STRAT” can be seen on the covers of IN TRANCE as well as FIRE WIND. Uli played this guitar in EVERY SINGLE Scorpions concert since 1975 and on every single Electric Sun album !!!

To make the evening even more intense, another VERY SPECIAL TREAT is reserved for the purchasers of VIP PASSES and comes as a big surprise. (VIP passes are only available online at UliJonRoth.com). VIP PASS holders will be given a unique opportunity to hear Uli perform his METAMORPHOSIS OF VIVALDI’S FOUR SEASONS in its entirety during a private pre-show concert!!! 

Uli has not performed Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in over 14 years and this is a very rare chance to hear this amazing piece of music played live by the “Master of the Sky Guitar” himself. Uli was the first and only guitarist ever to perform this most famous of all violin concertos on electric guitar note for note, stretching the instrument to the very limits of its capabilities, and beyond. Vivaldi’s Four Seasons concerto was written in 1723 and sounds as fresh and inspirational now as it did 300 years ago. Particularly so in Uli’s truly mind-blowing rendition, which is fiendishly difficult to play on guitar and can only be performed at concert pitch on one of his signature SKY GUITARS.

Uli will be accompanied for the event by his two very talented young protégés NIKLAS TURMAN and DAVID KLOSINSKI on guitar as well as CORVIN BAHN on keyboards who will play the orchestral parts. As an additional treat, Uli is going to perform this piece on his legendary “MIGHTY WING” 7-string SKY GUITAR, which has not been seen in public for a long time, but which was his main guitar for a period of 20 years. 

ULI JON ROTH FANS all over the world! Prepare yourselves for a monumental evening of sheer musical ecstasy!!!

 

Vinnie Moore

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www.vinniemoore.com/2010

Once Vinnie Moore picked up his first guitar (a Kay) at the age of 12, he became, as he describes it, a “guitar freak.” His earliest influences included - among others - Jeff Beck, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Queen.

Vinnie took lessons with a private instructor and at 14, he joined his first band, jamming on cover tunes with drums, bass, 2 guitars and vocals. After a few years of playing with different bands, Vinnie decided it was time to make the jump from covering songs to creating his own music. He quit the band, got a 4-track tape recorder, and began experimenting by recording his ideas and building them into songs. It was evident that he had found his calling; this was the start of his journey as a songwriter.

After many hours of creating tunes with his 4 track, Vinnie sent a demo to Guitar Player magazine, and came to national attention via its "Spotlight" column, written by Shrapnel Records exec Mike Varney. This led to Vinnie’s first professional work in the music business which was writing and playing the music for a national Pepsi TV commercial. In 1987, Shrapnel released Vinnie's breakout album, Mind's Eye. Vinnie was quickly heralded "best new talent" in Guitar Player, Guitar, and Guitar World magazines, and Mind's Eye sold more than 100,000 copies.

In 1988, Squawk/Polygram released Vinnie’s second effort (and major label debut) Time Odyssey, which solidified his reputation as a musical innovator. His third release was Meltdown, in 1991 (on Relativity/Epic Records); the song Meltdown received national radio airplay on both album-oriented rock (AOR) and hard rock formats. In 1996, Mayhem Records released Out of Nowhere, with Brian Tichy (Billy Idol) on drums and Dorian Heartsong (Powerman 5000) on bass.

On The Maze (in 1999), Vinnie was joined by former MSG drummer Shane Gaalaas, bassist Dave LaRue (The Dregs and The Steve Morse Band) and renowned master musician Tony MacAlpine on keyboards. The Maze was stunning, rooted in the progressive neo-classical style that had already generated legions of loyal fans. Vinnie also displayed a new-found maturity in his songwriting; now, many of his diverse and exotic musical influences, including Latin, Jazz, and the Blues, began finding their way into his signature sound.

Other albums followed: Live (in 2000), with Shane Gaalaas (drums), Barry Sparks on bass, and Wayne Findlay on keyboards, and Defying Gravity in 2001 with Dave LaRue (bass), Steve Smith on drums, and David Rosenthal on Keyboards.

As a performer, Vinnie Moore's resume is impressive. A member of Alice Cooper's band, he toured the U.S. on the Operation Rock'N'Roll tour, and also performed on Alice’s album Hey Stoopid. Vinnie’s own band has toured extensively as a headliner and also was chosen as opening act for legendary rockers Rush on the Northeast leg of their Roll The Bones Tour. Vinnie also toured Japan as a member of the T.M. Stevens’ band, which included Bernie Worrell (Parliament Funkadelic) on keyboards, Wil Calhoun (Living Color) on drums, and Al Pitrelli (Megadeth) on guitar.

Vinnie has done hundreds of guitar clinics all over the world including such places as, Japan, Scandanavia, Italy, Poland, Mexico, Canada, New Zealand, England, Germany and Australia.

In 2003, Vinnie joined the legendary group UFO (Phil Mogg, vocals; Pete Way, bass; Jason Bonham, drums; Paul Raymond, keyboards). Their first effort together as a band was the SPV Records release You Are Here (in 2004); Vinnie was a major songwriting contributor on this record. The band followed You Are Here with a worldwide tour which spanned from March 2004 to August 2005. A LIVE DVD from this tour was released in Nov 2005. Titled UFO Showtime, this two-DVD set also includes bonus footage of the band. The band's second studio effort called The Monkey Puzzle came out in 2006 and marked the return of original UFO drummer Andy Parker. The boys toured Europe and Russia and the USA in April and May 2008. The third UFO studio record with Vinnie in the band is called The Visitor and was released in June 2009 on SPV Records.

 

 

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Black Knights Rising

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Black Knights Rising...

brings together an All-Star cast of musicians who have either worked with or have been monumentally influenced by two of the greatest Hard Rock & Heavy Metal heroes of our time... Ronnie James Dio and Richie Blackmore.

Asked to both "carrying the torch" and creating anew, the members of BKR rise to the monumental task by delving deep into the music catalogs of Dio, Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. Together they breath new life into the songs that originally made these bands so well loved.

The first successful incarnation of Black Knights Rising Mk1 features guitarist Craig Goldy (Dio, Giuffria, Rough Cutt), drummer Vinny Appice (Dio, Black Sabbath, Heaven and Hell), Elliott Rubinson on bass (Uli Jon Roth, Michael Schenker Group, Carmine Appice and CEO of Dean Guitars and DDrum) and vocalist Mark Boals (Dio Disciples, Yngwie Malmsteen, Uli Jon Roth, Ring of Fire). Craig & Vinny have written, toured live and contributed to many of the classic songs, recordings and live performances of the original bands.

Originally the concept was formed in late 2013, when Craig Goldy joined forces with producers Andrew Banks and Jeff Agins to perform as a guest guitarist during select live sets at the January NAMM Convention held in Southern California. As things go during these NAMM style jam events, he was joined by Vinny, Mark & Elliot under the temporary name of CGP or the Craig Goldy Project.

The band chemistry was there and the performances were top notch. Soon after these shows, the web was buzzing with videos and positive reviews. It was clear that there is an audience that wanted more and is starving to hear these amazing songs played live.

Special surprise guests may be attending at various shows globally depending on an artists availability. Past guests have included Michael Angelo Batio, Derek St. Holmes, Howie Simon, Roy Z, Gary Hoey & Uli Jon Roth.

Looking forward, other former artists from Dio, Rainbow and Black Sabbath have expressed an interest with verbal intent to become part of the BKR roster later in 2014 and into 2015. This will become an on going project that continues to morph and take shape, allowing multiple artists to join together on stage to play live the music they originally helped to create. With the growing artist roster, it will insure that audiences will continue to come back to see over & over the newest version of BKR to grace the stage.

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Old James

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Brewed in Heavy Metal and distilled in Rock 'n Roll, OLD JAMES is a Canadian rock band that combines their history of Heavy Metal with their passion and love of Rock 'n Roll. The roots of the band come from a strong bond between brothers and dedication to family. At the young age of 17, Brian Stephenson (Vocalist) earned his experience by touring with renowned heavy metal bands Annihilator and Sanctity (Roadrunner Records). Chris Stephenson (Drummer), following in his brother’s footsteps, at age 18 joined Cauldron, earning him a JUNO nomination in 2012. He later joined Skull Fist and toured extensively in Europe, Japan and South America, gaining high-intensity, professional live show experience. Introducing a new member Jon Ublansky (Bassist), gives the band a fresh funky and technical perspective which showcases his enthusiastic character. Combined with the ingenious mind of Andy Thompson (Guitarist), offers his eclectic, energetic spirit as he paints the melodic colour and vibrance of the music, altogether completing the OLD JAMES family.

Best known for their energetic live performances and uncompromisingly honest lyrics, OLD JAMES compares their sound to the likes of the Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. What makes OLD JAMES unique is not only their ability to fuse together various genres such as heavy metal, jazz, blues and funk, but also their strive to bring back the mystery that was once Rock 'n Roll.

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