Hello! I want to let everyone know that I will be working on my new album, "Behold Electric Guitar," for the next three weeks (writing, rehearsing, and recording.) I need to put 100% of my effort into making the album, so I will be taking a break from creating new Video Exchanges during that time. 

Greg Howe opened the show at my recent concert in Tel Aviv. I invited him to jam with me on "Little Wing." A few choruses in, I had the idea to trade guitars. I've always like Greg's playing, and he sounded great at our jam. In this photo, I like that his thumb is way over the neck. Proof of... ROCK!

Tonight in Madrid, I found myself playing better than I usually do. There are gigs where the guitar can fight back. Not tonight. The guitar let me go where ever I wanted to. The muscles in my hands, and the musical intention in my ears and heart worked perfectly together. My memory may be subjective, and I'm sure some YouTube bootlegs may expose a clam or two. But overall... it was a rocking show!

After some intense rehearsals, my band and I are ready to rock Japan. First Freddie Nelson and Tony Spinner came to Portland to rehearse with me and work out our guitar parts and vocal harmonies. Then the three of us flew to L.A. to rehearse with Kevin Chown (bass) and Thomas Lang (drums.) The nice thing about rehearsing is that... It works. The band gets tighter, and my own playing gets better and easier. 

I'll be touring for the next two months... with three different bands. First is a show in Japan with the 5-piece band that played on my "I Can Destroy" album. Next are a few shows in California with Mr. Big, and then a tour with my 3-piece band in Europe, England, Israel, and Russia. These are the pedals that are making the songs happen at the moment. In order, they are: MXR Buffer, Foxrox Octron, Keeley Looper to switch the Electro Harmonix Deluxe Electric Mistress, two MXR Phase 90s, Ibanez TS-9DX Tube Screamer with Keeley Mod, TC Electronic MojoMojo, and 4114 Custom Effects Flux Capacitor Delay. The Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2 Plus is there to power the pedals.

I will giving VIP lessons at many of the shows. These tickets are extremely limited and sell out quickly, so if you're interested in jamming with me, and seeing soundcheck, please sign up soon.

http://www.paulgilbert.com/viplessons/

See you on tour! 

http://www.paulgilbert.com/tour/

Thank you,

Paul

The excellent people at Tortex picks have made some special picks for my Great Guitar Escape camp. The shape is a version of the Tortex pick called "The Wedge." It feels slightly larger than the standard shape (which makes it easier to grip.)

I've been using .50mm gauge for a while now, and I really like the "thwap" of the single notes, and the way that a thin pick allows me to play hard without getting tangled up in the strings. Everyone attending the camp will receive some of these picks, so there should be some good thwapping going on. And did I mention the pick scratches? Thin picks do pick scratches the best! Anyway, I hope to see you at the GGE!

Thank you,

Paul

Dan Balmer Rocks! Look at that arm, lifted above the guitar, in order to strike a mighty chord!