Presented with M Music & Musicians Guitartown/Conqueroo Kickoff Party Wednesday, March 14, at the Dogwood in Austin The Guitartown/Conqueroo Kickoff Party, presented with M Music & Musicians magazine, will hit SXSW on Wednesday, March 14, from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Dogwood (formerly Mother Egan’s), 715 W. 6th St. in Austin. View additional information and schedule here >>   Thomas Dolby Thomas Dolby at Guitartown... 

MPRESSFEST SXSW 2012 New York, NY – MPress Records is proud to present its annual official MPressFest SXSW party, with newly confirmed headliner Semi Precious Weapons, at The Soho Lounge in Austin, Texas on Saturday, March 17th. The party starts at 12:00pm and is sponsored by M Music & Musicians and other supporters of MPress Records. This year’s line-up includes: MPress Records flagship artist & Independent Music Award Winner Rachael... 

  THIS 1985 LOS ANGELES SESSION WITH THE LEGENDARY RAY Charles had a permanent impact on rock photographer Norman Seeff’s methods. “Within a couple minutes of beginning the session, we were involved in a deeply revealing conversation about his inner creative process,” Seeff recalls. “All the while, Ray was playing and demonstrating the power of emotional expression on the piano I had rented for the session. We got classic Ray shots... 

  CARLY SIMON WAS DRESSED FAIRLY CONSERVATIVELY when she turned up at legendary photographer Norman Seeff’s Los Angeles studio to shoot the cover for her 1975 album Playing Possum. But after a couple of glasses of wine, Seeff posed a provocative question: “Well, don’t you have something on under that?” Simon gamely stripped down to her black teddy and began dancing around the studio to the Shaft soundtrack as Seeff snapped away. “It... 

PRESONUS STUDIO ONE VERSION 2 Putting the fun in functionality PreSonus has carved its niche by consistently releasing smart, reliable, user-friendly hardware for live and studio applications at prices working musicians can afford. Drawing upon their expertise in workflow, PreSonus launched Studio One just over two years ago. Studio One Version 2 builds upon that success and makes its latest offering even better. Available in three flavors—Artist,... 

PRS SWEET 16 Uncompromisingly tasty tube tone  When PRS Guitars namesake Paul Reed Smith crossed paths with amplifier guru Doug Sewell through a chance encounter at the Dallas Vintage Guitar Show a few years ago, a fruitful partnership was forged right away. The ultimate result of Sewell’s entry into the PRS family is the Sweet 16, handcrafted in the U.S. and powered by a pair of 6V6 tubes. Like wine tasters confronting a particularly subtle... 

JBL PRX615M LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEM Big sound without the weight With such a crowded marketplace, it’s important to remember the decades of patents and design ingenuity JBL draws upon with new gear they bring to market. The two-way PRX615M Loudspeaker System is designed to stand on its own or be harnessed as a modular component of JBL’s 600 series. The DuraFlex-covered cabinets are constructed out of poplar plywood and use tongue-and-groove joints... 

AUDIO-TECHNICA AT4080  Phantom-powered bidirectional ribbon mic Audio-Technica mics deliver the coveted ribbon mic sound while eliminating fragility and low-output issues. Weighing in at the upper end of the company’s price spectrum, the AT4080 makes for a great addition to any mic vault. This phantom-powered dual ribbon design features plenty of output impedance, making it a great match for your favorite microphone preamp. The figure-eight pattern... 

DEAN GUITARS DAVE MUSTAINE VMNT RUST IN PEACE Full-metal racket Dean Guitars has been amassing a substantial endorsement roster—including Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine, whose VMNT Rust in Peace signature guitar is a shred-fest waiting to happen. The finish is inspired by Ed Repka’s iconic artwork for Megadeth’s classic Rust in Peace album and, true to its inspiration, this guitar unleashes a fury of thrashing rhythms and face-melting solos.... 

FISHMAN BLACKSTACK SOUNDHOLE PICKUP Bringing acoustic guitars to life Leave it to Fishman to design a humbucking pickup that’s easily installed into virtually any flat-top steel-string acoustic. Whether onstage or in the studio, the ceramic magnets with adjustable pole pieces allow guitars to cut through the mix with excellent string balance. The face of the pickup features a pair of fastening screws, enabling us to go from box to rock in five... 

DOREMIR SCORECLEANER Score big ScoreCleaner is a time-saving program designed to turn MIDI performances or files into musical notation. From the simplest arrangements to the most complex, this program has a host of features that will enable you to craft tidy scores. For songwriters working with hired musicians, this is an exceptional resource for creating charts, even if you can’t play to a click track. ScoreCleaner is also perfect for music educators... 

RIFFTEK RIFFBANDZ Building finger firepower RiffBANDZ are strength and dexterity training devices for building your technique. Each pack includes three bands, plus a code to unlock the instructional video component of the Rifftek training system. After a couple of minutes of practice, we were impressed with how RiffBANDZ helped maintain good hand position while building strength and agility. These are skills that students at all levels struggle with,... 

RAPCOHORIZON I-JAM 3-N-1 BOX Interfacing solutions in a portable package RapcoHorizon’s i-JAM app is as compact and convenient to use as it is addicting. This battery-powered interface neatly straps to your belt or guitar strap and offers jacks for your guitar, mobile device and headphones. Starting with guitar and headphones, we were rewarded with crystal-clear tones as we rocked the studio. Connecting to an iPhone with the included mini-cable,... 

SQUIER CLASSIC VIBE PRECISION BASS ’60s Vintage grooviness With a punchy bottom end, mids that sit just right and a top end that punctuates fingertip or pick attack, the Fender Precision Bass is sonically sumptuous. Not all of us can afford a vintage instrument, which is why Fender has been releasing a number of its most prized designs under its price-friendlier Squier brand—earning kudos from players and critics alike by delivering classic Fender... 

ESPERANZA SPALDING  A rising jazz star talks pop, popularity and the lure of the radio  The internet was abuzz when the name of last year’s Best New Artist winner was announced at the Grammys: Oregon-born jazz singer and bass player Esperanza Spalding. She triumphed over better-known names like teen idol Justin Bieber, whose fans’ over-the-top outrage extended to online death threats. “I don’t take it personally,” says Spalding, 27.... 

LIONEL RICHIE A country boy from Tuskegee reconnects with his unlikely roots  By Russell Hall Lionel Richie is a giant of soul, R&B and pop music, having scored hit singles and sold albums in the multimillions since the mid-1970s—first with his group the Commodores and, since 1982, as a solo artist. But the music that first caught the ear of this Tuskegee, Ala., native was very different from either the dance-floor funk of the Commodores or... 

THE CRANBERRIES Dolores O’Riordan and company bring the magic back to life  the Cranberries skyrocketed to international fame with their debut, 1993’s quintuple-platinum Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? But by 2003, it was time for the Irish group to take a breather. “I just wanted to not be in the Cranberries and not be famous,” says frontwoman Dolores O’Riordan. After making two solo albums, O’Riordan recently reunited... 

DIERKS BENTLEY A country superstar crisscrosses America to find home     “The last year’s been a blur of  asphalt, recording studios and songwriting,” says Arizona native Dierks Bentley, 36. “It’s hard work, but I love what I do. Every record you make, you have to pour more of yourself into it.” His previous effort, 2009’s Up on the Ridge, found him exploring bluegrass and roots music—but the new Home is a return to the muscular... 

DR. DOG  Fresh faces, familiar places and a newfound urge to have a good time    On their last album, the members of Dr. Dog tried to teach themselves new tricks. They left their familiar Philadelphia practice space and studio, Meth Beach, and enlisted the help of an outside producer. The result was 2010’s Shame, Shame—an album that, for all its groovy nods to the Beatles and Beach Boys, was uncharacteristically somber. “It was sort of a... 

SKYLAR GREY  You know her voice from hip-hop hits—now it’s time to get to know her  Not many artists rack up four Grammy nominations before releasing a debut album, but Skylar Grey’s career has hardly followed a traditional path. After writing hits and singing hooks for acts like Eminem, Dr. Dre and Lupe Fiasco, Grey is preparing to release her own debut album, Invinsible. “Being a songwriter is a great life, but I can’t imagine ever... 

GAVIN DeGRAW  Keeping a positive attitude even while  taking a beating—literally   “It didn’t break my will, but it did break my nose,” cracks Gavin DeGraw about the unwelcome experience of being assaulted last August in Manhattan. The native New Yorker was attacked by three men and then hit by a taxi as he stumbled away. His injuries forced him to cancel tour dates as he readied his new album, Sweeter, but he betrays no bitterness. “I... 

CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS Keeping string-band music history alive while pushing it into the future  Last year had its ups and downs for Carolina Chocolate Drops. The North Carolina string band won a Grammy for 2010’s Genuine Negro Jig album, but experienced the loss of founding member Justin Robinson and the addition of multi-instrumentalist Hubby Jenkins. The combination of heightened expectations and seismic changes in the band was a recipe for... 

KASABIAN  Hitting a new groove after 15 years of   boundary-breaking music  It’s 10 a.m. in Australia, and Kasabian guitarist Sergio Pizzorno can’t quite stifle a yawn—it’s early by rock-star standards, yet late by new-parent requirements. “I’m pretty good on just a few hours’ sleep,” says Pizzorno, who fits both descriptions. He is energized by the positive reaction thus far to Kasabian’s latest album, Velociraptor! “It’s... 

APOGEE DUET2 2X4 USB AUDIO INTERFACE Mac pro-recording ready to go FOR: Giant tracks from a tiny footprint. Apogee Electronics first turned the recording world on its ear with its brilliantly designed AD/DA converters, and they’ve continued to wrap sonic expertise into a number of smart and affordable products. This second rendition of the ultra-portable Duet is feature-packed and makes for the best USB recording experience we’ve had. The dual... 

TOONTRACK EZDRUMMER LINE COLLECTION Get your groove on FOR: Killer drum tracks. Toontrack Music has created a Sweetwater-exclusive drum extravaganza, bundling the world’s No. 1 selling drum program and 11 of its best-selling EZX expansion packs. If you’re a songwriter, engineer or producer with a need to craft loops and/or MIDI-based drums across multiple genres, this massive offering will definitely up your groove factor. EZdrummer’s intuitive... 

BOSE L1 MODEL II WITH TONEMATCH AUDIO ENGINE Pro-quality, smooth and portable FOR: Big sound in small and medium venues. The Bose L1 Model II uses Articulated Array speaker technology to apply Bose’s typical outside-the-box logic to portable PAs. Complemented by a lone subwoofer (you can add more), the offset speaker design of the L1 Model II arrays disperse audio nearly 180 degrees on the horizontal axis while projecting little sound toward the... 

REUNION BLUES RB CONTINENTAL GIG BAG Protection you can carry FOR: Shelter for your axe. While we wouldn’t suggest putting your guitar in a gig bag and tossing it off the roof, the video on Reunion Blues’ website demonstrates that the Continental’s creators are confident enough to do precisely that. The RB Continental offers superior protection for your instrument, as well as design features as smart as they are useful. If you’ve ever struggled... 

MARTIN SP LIFESPAN COATED ACOUSTIC GUITAR STRINGS Strings that last FOR: Superior string life. C.F. Martin & Co. have been crafting world-renowned instruments for more than 175 years, so it comes as no surprise that they take their strings seriously. These strings reflect Martin’s hallmark standards of quality, materials and craftsmanship. Strings react chemically to sweat and grime, which coat windings and can kill tone and string life. But... 

PLANET WAVES AMERICAN STAGE INSTRUMENT CABLES Get plugged-in right FOR: A solid connection. Noting the lack of manufacturing consistency in the market, Planet Waves set out to design a cable plug that was sure to make a great connection regardless of instrument or manufacturing point. The only part of the cable not manufactured in the United States is the patented plug, which is manufactured for Planet Waves by Neutrik in Liechtenstein. A robotic... 

LINE 6 MOBILE IN iOS INTERFACE POD in your pocket FOR: Great tones to go. Line 6 has taken its time entering the iPhone/iPad market, but the wait’s been worth it—this is one of the best iOS interfaces we’ve seen. Mobile In utilizes the 30-pin digital connector on the bottom of your iPhone or iPad while supporting up to 24-bit/48kHz digital audio. Mobile POD is a free Apple Store download that includes 32 guitar amps, 16 guitar cabinets and 16... 

YAMAHA MOTIF XF8 WORKSTATION Powerful, mobile and affordable FOR: Killer keys. The MOTIF XF8’s 88-key balanced hammer-effect keyboard puts virtually everything you could possibly want at your fingertips. The massive library of sounds ensures a vast variety of choices, and the built-in 16-track MIDI sequencer is easy to use thanks to the large display. The 128-note polyphony and an auxiliary set of assignable stereo outputs also make the MOTIF XF8... 

CAD AUDIO EQUITEK E100S SUPERCARDIOID CONDENSER MICROPHONE High-performance rich vocal tone FOR: Awesome audio. The CAD family of companies has brought innovative microphone designs to a range of markets since the 1930s. The Equitek E100S is the world’s quietest large-diaphragm supercardioid condenser microphone, and boasts a remarkably flat frequency response from 40Hz up to about 4kHz. The end result is a mic that is wonderfully transparent, yet... 

STRING SWING CC01K & CC06 GUITAR HANGERS Hang ’em high FOR: Guitar stowage. For the past 25 years the folks at String Swing have been in the business of keeping instruments safe and sound. The wooden base plate of the CC01K mounts flush to your wall with the included screws and plastic toggles, insuring your guitar doesn’t make an unplanned stage dive. And if you’re taking your show on the road (or just to rehearsal), the cast-metal frame... 

M Music & Musicians presents Krian Music Group/BFM Digital Official SXSW Music Showcase Thursday, March 15, at the Iron Bear in Austin Featuring VHS or Beta, The Ettes, Capsula, Hands, The Strange Familiar and Suckers Dance-rock favorites VHS Or Beta, Nashville retro-rockers The Ettes, L.A. indie band Hands, Brooklyn quirk-poppers Suckers, Argentinean garage punks Capsula, and Ohio’s The Strange Familiar will perform at Austin’s Iron... 

Bonnie Raitt One of music’s most beloved icons slides back into the rock ’n’ roll slipstream. Bonnie Raitt is always listening. “My ear’s always cocked for a possible direction,” she says. “Something that’s inspirational, either a song I want to do or a songwriter I want to investigate further. We’ve got hundreds of CDs in our collection and files on our computer. I take songs with me on my iPhone and listen every day when I go... 

The Roots Questlove talks about making dark, gritty hip-hop in “the happiest place on earth.” Make no mistake, the average modern person has a very full to-do list from day to day. But does yours look anything like Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s? Today he’s driving from his native Philadelphia to New York City, where he’s due to help put on a pair of Jay-Z performances at Carnegie Hall. That’s just a side project, of course—his main... 

U2 A look back at the making of The Joshua Tree on its 25th birthday. In the middle of the 19th century, members of the still-new Mormon religion found themselves under attack from theological opponents. By the time the church’s founder, Joseph Smith, was killed by an angry mob in Illinois in 1844, his followers were already making their way westward in search of more tolerant climes. Their journeys brought them by the mid-1850s to the Mojave Desert,... 

FISHMAN LOUDBOX ARTIST AMPLIFIER Big tones in a small box FOR: Amplifying acoustic instruments. The Artist is the latest addition to Fishman’s award-winning Loudbox line. Packed with tons of features, this amp will get you heard loud and clear in small venues and beyond, thanks to the robust direct-out feature set. It’s lightweight and portable, but sports plenty of power. What amazed us was the depth and quality of the tones, which are nothing... 

TC-HELICON VOICELIVE RACK Total vocal magic FOR: Studio-quality vocal processing anywhere. The VoiceLive Rack is the latest addition to TC-Helicon’s line of effects processors built especially for vocalists—all designed to produce any vocal sound you’ve heard or imagined. The ability to store and easily recall 10 user profiles based on I/O, input level and EQ help make the transition from studio to stage seamless, especially with the included... 

  JBL EON 210P PORTABLE PA Power to go FOR: Musicians on the move. The 210P is the smallest addition to JBL’s smart EON line. Weighing in at all of 33 pounds, this portable PA packs a mean punch thanks to the 300-watt Crown power amp. The eight-input mixer conveniently detaches from the back of one of the speakers while the other detachable pod holds the power cord and two 15-foot speaker cables, with room left over for mics and cables. The... 

GRIFFIN STOMPBOX A new level of realism to iShred LIVE FOR: Stomping virtual effects. Griffin Technology’s StompBox was designed to function as a four-button pedal-board controller for Frontier Design’s free iShred LIVE guitar app for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, and comes with all the necessary cables to get you up and shredding in no time. IShred LIVE itself includes an amp, three pedals, tuner, plus a metronome with the option of a number... 

TOONTRACK METAL MACHINE EZX EXPANSION PACK Full metal packet FOR: In-your-face metal drums. Toontrack’s Metal Machine EZX pairs famed metal producer and engineer Andy Sneap with powerhouse drummer John Tempesta (White Zombie, the Cult), creating a metal mosh pit that’s guaranteed to rock your hard drive and rattle your neighbors’ windows. The EZX is a combination of multilayered audio samples and fully editable drag-and-drop MIDI files that... 

TRAYNOR YGL1 GUITAR AMPLIFIER All tube, all the time FOR: Classic guitar tones. Traynor has been making classic tube amps since the early ’60s, and the YGL1 clearly demonstrates the company still has its mojo. The player-friendly design incorporates a number of smart features that immediately jumped at us. The front panel features the traditional array of controls augmented by a three-way switch toggling among the USA, Pure (tone stack bypass)... 

AUDIO-TECHNICA ATH-M50 STUDIO HEADPHONES When clarity matters FOR: Critical listening. Audio-Technica’s flagship ATH-M50 headphones are turning the recording community on its ear, earning kudos from noted producers, engineers and artists thanks to their accuracy and comfort during arduous recording and mix sessions. In the era of earbuds, getting your mixes to translate properly to that in-ear environment is increasingly crucial—and the ATH-M50s... 

CASIO WK-7500 WORKSTATION Keys to instant inspiration FOR: Songcraft and more. The Casio WK-7500 Workstation delivers a wealth of features at a price that won’t break the bank. The WK-7500 boasts 800 sounds including pianos from Casio’s award-winning Privia series and a rich offering of drawbar organs. The onboard 17-track song sequencer is perfect for documenting and editing ideas, plus there are quarter-inch mic and instrument inputs. The Song... 

COLLINGS I-35 LC Sweet sounds for the open road  FOR: A vintage semi-hollow tone. The Collings I-35 LC is a small-bodied semi-hollow electric filled with tones that sing a song of exceptional craftsmanship. From the moment we opened the case, the faded cherry laminate top, sides and back caught our attention and promised to take us on a unique musical journey. The Lollar Imperial pickups flawlessly translated what was happening acoustically with... 

RAPCOHORIZON DOMINATOR SILVERFLEX INSTRUMENT CABLE Cables that dominate FOR: A straight line to tone. The Dominator SilverFlex Instrument Cable takes RapcoHorizon’s expertise for crafting stage- and road-worthy cables, snakes and boxes, and wraps it in the highest-conducting metal on the planet, silver. Right down the line, from the Neutrik Valor Chromium jacks to the silver-plated copper conductors and braid, this cable is all about carrying... 

Presented with M Music & Musicians Guitartown/Conqueroo Kickoff Party Wednesday, March 14, at the Dogwood in Austin The Guitartown/Conqueroo Kickoff Party, presented with M Music & Musicians magazine, will hit SXSW on Wednesday, March 14, from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Dogwood (formerly Mother Egan’s), 715 W. 6th St. in Austin. Austin promoter Lil Deb and Cary Baker of L.A. publicity firm Conqueroo have assembled a show that this year includes... 

SUSAN JUSTICE HOMETOWN: New York City INFLUENCES: Tracy Chapman, Death Cab for Cutie, Alanis Morissette ALBUM: Eat Dirt, due out in 2012 WEBSITE: susanjusticemusic.com Aruba-born Susan Justice grew up traveling the world with her itinerant parents and nine siblings as part of a controversial religious sect called the Family, spreading the group’s message through music. “Sometimes we would stay for a few months, but most of the time it was a new... 

KARMIN HOMETOWN: Brookline, Mass. MEMBERS: Amy Heidemann (vocals, guitar), Nick Noonan (keyboards, trombone, vocals) ALBUM: As yet untitled, due out in 2012 WEBSITE: karminmusic.com Nebraska-born Heidemann and Maine native Noonan met and began performing together while attending Boston’s Berklee College of Music. “We were like, ‘We’ve tried all these different things, we should really do something ourselves because nobody is ever going to...