PAUL GILBERT has released a new single ‘I Saw Three Ships’ from his upcoming Christmas album ‘Twas’, coming out November 26th via The Players Club/Mascot Label Group.
Paul Gilbert: “It was 104°F in Portland, Oregon, on August 12th, when the band and I recorded “I Saw Three Ships.” I was trying to get extra sounds from my A/DA Flanger by attaching a foot-operated, mechanical knob-turning device. But the device kept coming loose, and I kept getting angrier and angrier at it. I finally decided to give up on the knob-turning, and convert my frustration into pure guitar playing energy. The result was a slightly worried band, subtle flanging, and a good take! Thanks to Nat King Cole and George Thorogood for the arrangement inspiration. And thanks to England for the song.”
Check out I Saw Three Ships here:
Just recently, Paul Gilbert and The Players Club / Mascot Label Group have announced the release of a new seasonal offering titled ‘TWAS. Gilbert’s 17th solo album features a dozen recordings, two of which are new, original compositions. The global release date for digital and CD is November 26. The LP will follow on December 10.
The track listing features “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!,” “Frosty The Snowman,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “The Christmas Song,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “I Saw Three Ships,” “Every Christmas Has Love” (original), “Three Stings For Christmas” (original), “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” “Silver Bells,” and “Winter Wonderland.” On the Japanese release of TWAS, there will be a bonus track titled “Down the Chimney Blues” (original).
Photo credit: Jason Quigley
Gilbert offers, “Ten of the songs are classics. I was inspired by the Christmas recordings of Nat King Cole, Loretta Lynn, Stevie Wonder, Barbra Streisand, Johnny Mathis, Ella Fitzgerald, and The Ventures. And of course, inspiration came from my guitar heroes, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Lifeson, Johnny Winter, Robin Trower, Frank Marino, Pat Travers, Jimi Hendrix, and Jimmy Page, to name a few. I also wrote some of my own new Christmas songs. As I have been doing recently, I begin with lyrics and a melody. Then I let my guitar take over, as it sings better than I do.”
Track list 1 Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! 2 Frosty the Snowman 3 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing 4 The Christmas Song 5 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 6 I Saw Three Ships 7 Every Christmas Has Love 8 Three Strings for Christmas 9 Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas 10 We Wish You a Merry Christmas 11 Silver Bells 12 Winter Wonderland
PAUL GILBERT and The Players Club / Mascot Label Group have announced the release of a new seasonal offering titled ‘TWAS. Gilbert’s 17th solo album features a dozen recordings, two of which are new, original compositions. The global release date for digital and CD is November 26. The LP will follow on December 10.
Gilbert shares, “Many will agree that in recent times, challenging events have been pouring down upon our heads like an Exploding Waterfall of Molasses. At least it sometimes feels like that to me. But while I was jamming Christmas songs with my friends, playing an assortment of red, green, and white Ibanez electric guitars, I felt like life was THE BEST. I hope that this music can put a smile on your face as well. Merry Christmas to all. And to all, a good night.”
View Video For “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” Here:
The track listing features “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!,” “Frosty The Snowman,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “The Christmas Song,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “I Saw Three Ships,” “Every Christmas Has Love” (original), “Three Strings For Christmas” (original), “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” “Silver Bells,” and “Winter Wonderland.” On the Japanese release of TWAS, there will be a bonus track titled “Down the Chimney Blues” (original).
Gilbert offers, “Ten of the songs are classics. I was inspired by the Christmas recordings of Nat King Cole, Loretta Lynn, Stevie Wonder, Barbra Streisand, Johnny Mathis, Ella Fitzgerald, and The Ventures. And of course, inspiration came from my guitar heroes, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Lifeson, Johnny Winter, Robin Trower, Frank Marino, Pat Travers, Jimi Hendrix, and Jimmy Page, to name a few. I also wrote some of my own new Christmas songs. As I have been doing recently, I begin with lyrics and a melody. Then I let my guitar take over, as it sings better than I do.”
He continues, “‘Three Strings for Christmas’ refers to the 3-string guitar that I used on my double-neck. I tune the strings in octaves, which allows me to play ridiculously fast arpeggios, and very little else (which is why I have a normally strung guitar for the other neck.) ‘Every Christmas Has Love’ was written quickly, inspired by my panic-driven mental state of album making. When I know that the recording sessions are coming, my brain shifts into survival mode, and melodies start popping out. Then I take all the chords I learned by listening to 70s AM radio, and build a song. The lyrics are nice too. I’ll be printing those in the liner notes of the album.”
Gilbert formed a band of Portland, Oregon’s finest jazz and blues musicians for these sessions. The players are Dan Balmer (guitar), Clay Giberson (keyboards), Timmer Blakely (bass), and Jimi Bott (drums). He reflects, “All brought supreme musical goodness to these arrangements and performances. They certainly steered me to make wiser musical choices than I would have made on my own. And as you will hear, my metal guitar instincts still breathe fire when they get the chance.” The album was recorded in Jimi Bott’s studio, who also engineered and mixed the recordings. The approach was to record two songs every day, for six days, delivering the collected body of work. Gilbert shares, “All songs were recorded live, although I think Jimi snuck some cowbell overdubs in. If anything should be added to a live track, I believe cowbell is the right choice.”
PAUL GILBERT and The Players Club / Mascot Label Group have released the virtuosic guitarist’s 16th solo Werewolves of Portland. The guitarist shares, “Let’s start with the things I love. The trees. The rivers. My local guitar repair shop, bakery, and grocery store. Beautiful places for walking and biking. Driving to anything in less than 15 minutes. My musician and recording engineer friends. Small businesses and wonderful restaurants. My son’s school and teachers. The pie bakery! I love all these. Then there’s that other stuff you see on the news. I don’t want to kick Portland while it’s down. But if it stays like this, I may need to sneak away. I’m hoping to live somewhere that isn’t in the news so much. I haven’t heard much about North Dakota lately, which is good. I’ve actually never been there. I like buffalo. That’s a start. Thank you, Paul.”
View Stompin’ Solo Performance Video of “Hello North Dakota!” Here:
MOJO MOJO and Paul Gilbert have released a new signature overdrive pedal, inspired by the gear he has been performing with for years. Danish guitar effects company TC Electronic, whom he’s been collaborating with for almost a decade, collaborated with the guitarist on the design and creation of the MojoMojo Paul Gilbert Edition. The redesign of his mainstay overdrive pedal truly adds a new dimension of pure shredding power to the pedal board. Gilbert offers, “The MojoMojo has been a mainstay on my pedalboard for years. I love the tones that it gives me! But I always wished that it was purple. Now it is purple! And it goes to eleven! Even better!” For a glimpse at the design, click here: https://redirect.is/q8c1ut1
“It has been an absolute pleasure and a unique experience to work with Paul on tailoring this pedal to his exact needs and preference,” says Paul Robert Scott, Customer Solutions Guitar and Bass Leader. “And we’re not just talking about a new stylish custom color. Paul always uses the same settings on his MOJOMOJO, which meant there was no need for the additional Voice switch found on the original version. Instead, we went for an ‘Eleven’ switch that engages a massive gain boost for even more drive and attack, taking it to, well, eleven! On top of that, you can add stepped-up circuit board voltage that increases both headroom and dynamics significantly.” Further, MOJOMOJO PAUL GILBERT EDITION features classic TC Electronic characteristics such as True Bypass, easy battery compartment access, road-worthy reliability and an intuitive user interface that supports a constant flow of creative juices and spontaneous ideas.
Photo credit: Jason Quigley
With the international lockdown putting the world on hold, Gilbert approached recording Werewolves Of Portland playing all the instruments on the album himself. He offers, “It took me about six months to think of it, but it finally occurred to me that I could play all the instruments myself. I’ve always loved playing drums, and I can play bass and keyboards well enough to get the job done.”
When it comes to writing, Gilbert reveals that surprisingly it isn’t the guitar that provides the impetus. “Mostly, I write by singing. I use the lyrics to give myself a structure where I can hang the notes. Once the melody is long enough to have some life in it, my musical instincts can take over. I can often finish the song without needing more words. But if I get stuck, lyrics will always get me going again.” He continues, “My guitar can hit the high notes! It’s amazing to have the physical limitations of my voice… gone! The challenge is to be expressive, with all the slides, vibrato, dynamics, and tones that a voice has. I’m constantly learning vocal melodies on guitar, so I get used to playing with the kind of expression that singers have.”
Recorded at Opal Studio in Portland with co-producer and engineer Kevin Hahn, Gilbert pulled out some of his current favorite guitars for the job. “I mostly used my Ibanez Fireman guitars,” he says. “I’ve been collecting vintage Ibanez guitars lately, too. I brought some models from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s like the Ibanez Artist, Roadstar II and Ghostrider. I also brought and modified a ’60s Epiphone Olympic. I used to play those in the early days of Racer X, so it was fun to have a guitar that reminded me of my early shredder style.”
The album title’s inspiration partly comes from the Warren Zevon song, “Werewolves Of London”. “I live in Portland and thought it would be funny to substitute the name of my much lesser-known city. My original idea for the ‘Werewolves’ was just the guys in my band and me. When we play music, it is our version of ‘howling at the moon’. Unfortunately, Portland has become more ‘known’ in the last year for events that are pretty sad to watch. And ‘Werewolves’ could take on other meanings that I certainly hadn’t anticipated. But the title, to me, still has a musical meaning.”
Gilbert is a formidable force. From his time in LA metallers Racer X to helping form Mr. Big, one of the era’s most revered names. His distinguished solo career has seen him putting out 15 acclaimed records and has been asked to guest on albums from such diverse names as Todd Rundgren, Bowling For Soup, Glenn Hughes and MC Lars. He also toured with Joe Satriani and John Petrucci in 2007 (G3) and two years later with Richie Kotzen and George Lynch (Guitar Generation). This is not to mention a lengthy tenure as a much-in-demand teacher and instructor. This began when he was still a teenager, being hired in 1985 by the prestigious Guitar Institute Of Technology (GIT) in Los Angeles.
“I didn’t become a musician to shout my ideas, complaints, or philosophies at anyone. I love music because of the music. So, I love my method of using my inner rants as scaffolding to build melodies. This scaffolding can then be pulled away to unveil some pure emotional music. This works perfectly for me and hopefully for my listeners. “I need to be able to visualize the look and sound of my fretboard well enough to play accurately in my mind. It’s almost like real air guitar! Then when I actually go to play the music, I’ve got a good chance of having my melodic intentions come true. And that’s about the best feeling in the world.”
Guitar virtuoso PAUL GILBERT will release his brand-new album, Werewolves of Portland, on June 4th via The Players Club. Today he has revealed a video for the title-track, watch it below.
Paul Gilbert tells us: “My song “Werewolves of Portland” is actually two songs, put together. The first song is based on a short lyric, “I’ve got to look out for the werewolves… I’ll take a deep breath… ah-woooooooo!” which allows me to play some dramatic slide guitar.
The second song was originally titled “Dad Metal.” It’s full of fast guitar riffs, percussive picking, and modulating dominant sus4 arpeggios. This section is very “busy” musically, so I was happy to join it with the sustaining “ah-whooooo” howling part for contrast.
I played a melodic blues guitar solo, with some jazz chord changes in the middle, to let the song breathe even more.
For the video, I brought the idea of “Dad Metal” to life by having my 6-year-old son, Marlon, play guitar, drums, and dance together with me. Marlon brought great energy (and mischief, in general) to the video, and I tried my best to keep up with him. I’ll admit that my legs were sore for about two weeks after the shoot. Dancing is hard!
Of course, we stayed true to the “Werewolves” theme by wearing wolf masks and tails, and doing plenty of howling.
I decided to play my Ibanez double neck guitar for the silhouette sections of the video, and Ibanez built a matching double neck (in two days!) for my son to use. He could barely lift it, but he tried his best! (It’s an awesome guitar, that I plan on using myself, at least until he’s old enough to play it.)
Since I played all the instruments on the recording of the song, I also wanted to play some drums in the video. I didn’t own a drum set, so it gave me a good excuse to buy a small kit, which I now use for jamming in my studio.
I’m thinking that the wolf masks and tails will come in handy around Halloween.
Mostly, I’m happy that I could make a video of my “Boy Wolf” and me rocking out and having the best time.”
“Ah-wooooooo!!!”
Recorded at Opal Studio in Portland with co-producer and engineer Kevin Hahn, Gilbert pulled out some of his current favourite guitars for the job. “I mostly used my Ibanez Fireman guitars,” he says. “I’ve been collecting vintage Ibanez guitars lately, too. I brought some models from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s like the Ibanez Artist, Roadstar II and Ghostrider. I also brought and modified a ’60s Epiphone Olympic. I used to play those in the early days of Racer X, so it was fun to have a guitar that reminded me of my early shredder style.”
Track list
Hello North Dakota!
My Goodness
Werewolves of Portland
Professorship of the LeningradConservatory
Argument About Pie
Meaningful
I Wanna Cry (Even Though I Ain’t Sad)
A Thunderous Ovation Shook The Columns
Problem-Solving People
(You Would Not Be Able To Handle) What I Handle Everyday
Guitar virtuoso PAUL GILBERT will release his brand-new album, Werewolves of Portland, on 4 June 2021 via The Players Club.
Check out the new song ‘A Thunderous Ovation Shook the Columns’ from the album, here:
Paul Gilbert: “I also wrote not one, but TWO songs about the Russian composer Dimitri Shostakovich. One is ‘A Thunderous Ovation Shook the Columns’, which is a line that I saw when I was reading about the audience’s reaction to the debut performance of Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony. They liked his symphony! So, fortunately, did Joseph Stalin, who had made no secret that he did NOT approve of some of Shostakovich’s earlier music, and that he’d better write something more pro-state, or be sent off to a ‘work’ camp in Siberia. In these days of culture battles, I thought, today’s cancel-culture people still have nothing on Stalin.”
Track list
Hello North Dakota!
My Goodness
Werewolves of Portland
Professorship of the LeningradConservatory
Argument About Pie
Meaningful
I Wanna Cry (Even Though I Ain’t Sad)
A Thunderous Ovation Shook The Columns
Problem-Solving People
(You Would Not Be Able To Handle) What I Handle Everyday
Gilbert is a formidable force. From his time in LA metallers Racer X to helping form Mr. Big, one of the era’s most revered names. His distinguished solo career has seen him putting out 15 acclaimed records and has been asked to guest on albums from such diverse names as Todd Rundgren, Bowling For Soup, Glenn Hughes and MC Lars. He also toured with Joe Satriani and John Petrucci in 2007 (G3) and two years later with Richie Kotzen and George Lynch (Guitar Generation). This is not to mention a lengthy tenure as a much-in-demand teacher and instructor. This began when he was still a teenager, being hired in 1985 by the prestigious Guitar Institute Of Technology (GIT) in Los Angeles.
Guitar virtuoso PAUL GILBERT will release his brand-new album, Werewolves of Portland, on 4 June 2021 via The Players Club (Steve Lukather, Robby Krieger, Michael Landau, Tommy Emmanuel). To celebrate this, Gilbert has also revealed the video for the first taste, “Argument About Pie,” which you can watch below.
Now he has his 16th solo studio album ready to prove to everyone that, astonishingly, this master continues to raise the bar on what he can achieve. With the international lockdown putting the world on hold, Gilbert decided to, rather than wait, he got on with playing all the instruments on the album himself. “It took me about six months to think of it, but it finally occurred to me that I could play all the instruments myself. I’ve always loved playing drums, and I can play bass and keyboards well enough to get the job done,” he says.
Talking about the first song released from the album, he explains, “most of my titles come from the lyrics that I write in order to get a melody going. I’ve even printed the lyrics in the liner notes of the album, so you can ‘read along’ as you listen to the music. “‘Argument About Pie’ is one of my favourites. This lyric came from my pre-lockdown experiences of stopping by my local pie shop for a slice of strawberry rhubarb. Amidst all the brewing angst in Portland, the pie shop was a place where everyone was happy and at peace. Eating pie seemed to be something that everyone could agree on. Since my mind has the habit of searching for contrasts, I started to wonder what people might be against eating pie.”
Photo credit: Jason Quigley
When it comes to writing, Gilbert reveals that surprisingly it isn’t the guitar that provides the impetus. “Mostly, I write by singing. I use the lyrics to give myself a structure where I can hang the notes. Once the melody is long enough to have some life in it, my musical instincts can take over. I can often finish the song without needing more words. But if I get stuck, lyrics will always get me going again.” He continues, “My guitar can hit the high notes! It’s amazing to have the physical limitations of my voice… gone! The challenge is to be expressive, with all the slides, vibrato, dynamics, and tones that a voice has. I’m constantly learning vocal melodies on guitar, so I get used to playing with the kind of expression that singers have. “
Recorded at Opal Studio in Portland with co-producer and engineer Kevin Hahn, Gilbert pulled out some of his current favourite guitars for the job. “I mostly used my Ibanez Fireman guitars,” he says. “I’ve been collecting vintage Ibanez guitars lately, too. I brought some models from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s like the Ibanez Artist, Roadstar II and Ghostrider. I also brought and modified a ’60s Epiphone Olympic. I used to play those in the early days of Racer X, so it was fun to have a guitar that reminded me of my early shredder style.”
The album title’s inspiration partly comes from the Warren Zevon song, “Werewolves Of London”. “I live in Portland and thought it would be funny to substitute the name of my much lesser-known city. My original idea for the ‘Werewolves’ was just the guys in my band and me. When we play music, it is our version of ‘howling at the moon’. Unfortunately, Portland has become more ‘known’ in the last year for events that are pretty sad to watch. And ‘Werewolves’ could take on other meanings that I certainly hadn’t anticipated. But the title, to me, still has a musical meaning.”
The song titles are somewhat quirky and certainly catch the imagination. There are not one but two songs about the Russian composer Dimitri Shostakovich. “A Thunderous Ovation Shook the Columns” is about the audience’s reaction to the debut performance of Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony. “They liked his Symphony! So, fortunately, did Joseph Stalin, who had made no secret that he did NOT approve of some of Shostakovich’s earlier music. ‘Professorship At The Leningrad Conservatory’ is my lyric about that story, and I built the melody from there.”
Gilbert is a formidable force. From his time in LA metallers Racer X to helping form Mr. Big, one of the era’s most revered names. His distinguished solo career has seen him putting out 15 acclaimed records and has been asked to guest on albums from such diverse names as Todd Rundgren, Bowling For Soup, Glenn Hughes and MC Lars. He also toured with Joe Satriani and John Petrucci in 2007 (G3) and two years later with Richie Kotzen and George Lynch (Guitar Generation). This is not to mention a lengthy tenure as a much-in-demand teacher and instructor. This began when he was still a teenager, being hired in 1985 by the prestigious Guitar Institute Of Technology (GIT) in Los Angeles.
“I didn’t become a musician to shout my ideas, complaints, or philosophies at anyone. I love music because of the music. So I love my method of using my inner rants as scaffolding to build melodies. This scaffolding can then be pulled away to unveil some pure emotional music. This works perfectly for me and hopefully for my listeners. “I need to be able to visualize the look and sound of my fretboard well enough to play accurately in my mind. It’s almost like real air guitar! Then when I actually go to play the music, I’ve got a good chance of having my melodic intentions come true. And that’s about the best feeling in the world.”
Track list
Hello North Dakota!
My Goodness
Werewolves of Portland
Professorship of the LeningradConservatory
Argument About Pie
Meaningful
I Wanna Cry (Even Though I Ain’t Sad)
A Thunderous Ovation Shook The Columns
Problem-Solving People
(You Would Not Be Able To Handle) What I Handle Everyday
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