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I’ve got more traveling scheduled for the rest of this year – some with Joe Satriani, some with The Aristocrats – and you can find the schedule for all of that madness by clicking right here.

More to come…

Best wishes,
Bryan Beller

plus more TBD.

Thanks to all who are coming out to see Joe Satriani and the G3 tour! We’re having a blast. More soon…

BB

And yeah, about the release: It’s a long way between now and then. Soon I’ll be starting the process of figuring out how the hell I’m going to record all of this for real. It’s been said that making a record is like raising a child, which is difficult enough. I find myself with twins. So I have a lot of ideas, and after a short break from the project, and getting past the initial overwhelm, I’ll get into action and we’ll see what happens. When will it be done, you ask? When *I* know, I’ll let *you* know. 

Soon I’ll at least announce the name of the album, and maybe tease some of the tunes somehow. First I need to get going on the Joe Satriani tour coming right up…starting next week!

I’m very, very grateful to those in my inner circle who helped counsel and guide me through this amazing process, and I look forward to sharing the results with everyone following along here as soon as it’s right.

Happy new year everyone!

Cheers,
BB

BIG 2018 NEWS: JOE SATRIANI/G3 WORLD TOUR!Hey everyone. It’s been over three months. I’ve been mostly holed away in a solo album songwriting cave. Everything ok out there in the world? *listens to panicked shrieks* Uh…hmmm….ok, a mixed bag.

Well, in crazy times like these, what everyone really needs is more music in their lives, right? I say this from a purely objective standpoint, with nothing to gain from stating this universal principle for all to hear. *waits three seconds* And now let me tell you all about some cool musical things I’m up to, and promote some exciting stuff that’s coming up for next year.

*listens to crowd murmuring restlessly*

Too quick on that pivot there?

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1. JOE SATRIANI “WHAT HAPPENS NEXT/G3″ 2018 WORLD TOUR

Let’s start with the headline: I’m super excited and grateful to be joining Joe Satriani for his G3/What Happens Next 2018 world tour. He’s a consummate pro, an absolute pleasure to work with, and not like anyone needs me to say this, but he’s also one hell of a guitarist and songwriter (his new album absolutely ROCKS). And I’m beyond thrilled to be doing it with Mike Keneally on guitar/keyboards and Joe Travers on drums. Not only have we been close friends for 25 years and counting, but it was Mike and Joe that gave me the break that started my career in the music business. Hard as this may be to believe, even though we’ve played together in various projects for most of our adult lives, this will be our first true world tour together as a unit. So I think it’s going to be really special.

Lotsa lotsa tour dates below (and more may be added):

JOE SATRIANI/G3 NORTH AMERICA 2018
(Joe Satriani/John Petrucci/Phil Collen)

January 11    The Moore Theatre            Seattle, WA
January 12    Historic Elsinore Theatre        Salem, OR
January 13    Grand Sierra Theatre            Reno, NV
January 14    Fox Theater                Oakland, CA
January 16    Delta Hall at Eccles Theater        Salt Lake City, UT *
January 17    Brooklyn Bowl                Las Vegas, NV
January 18    Mesa Arts Center            Mesa, AZ *
January 19    Orpheum Theatre            Los Angeles, CA
January 20    Balboa Theatre                San Diego, CA
January 21    Fox Tucson Theatre            Tucson, AZ *
January 24    Historic Paramount Theatre        Denver, CO
January 25 Uptown Theatre Kansas City, MO
January 26    The Pavillion at The Toyota Music Factory   Irving, TX *
January 27    Austin City Limits – Moody Theater    Austin, TX
January 28    Hobby Center for the Performing Arts    Houston, TX *
January 30    Hard Rock Live                Orlando, FL *
January 31    Florida Theatre                Jacksonville, FL *
February 1    Pompano Beach Amphitheatre            Pompano Beach, FL*
February 2    Barbara B Mann Performing Arts Hall    Fort Myers, FL *
February 3    Mahaffey Theater                St. Petersberg, FL *
February 6    Raleigh Memorial Auditorium        Raleigh, NC
February 8    Toyota Presents Oakdale    Wallingford, CT *
February 9    Landmark Theatre              Syracuse, NY *
February 10    Palace Theatre                  Albany, NY *
February 11    The Palace Theatre           Greensburg, PA *
February 12 Fillmore Detroit Detroit, MI
February 14    Warner Theatre                Washington, DC *
February 15    Orpheum Theatre             Boston, MA
February 16    Beacon Theatre                New York, NY *
February 17    Merriam Theater              Philadelphia, PA
February 18    New Jersey Performing Arts Center    Newark, NJ *
February 20    Auditorium Theatre          Rochester, NY *
February 21    Massey Hall                     Toronto, ONT
February 22    Hard Rock Live                Northfield, OH
February 23    Chicago Theatre              Chicago, IL *
February 24    State Theatre                  Minneapolis, MN
February 25    Riverside Theater            Milwaukee, WI

JOE SATRIANI/G3 EUROPE 2018
(Joe Satriani/John Petrucci/Uli Jon Roth)

MAR 16, 2018 MOSCOW, RU CROCUS CITY HALL
MAR 19, 2018 WARSAW, PL TORWAR
MAR 20, 2018 PRAGUE, CZ PRAGUE CONGRESS CENTRE
MAR 21, 2018 BRATISLAVA, SK INCHEBA EXPO ARENA
MAR 24, 2018 OSLO, NO OSLO KONSERTHUS
MAR 25, 2018 AALBORG, JUTLAND DK ROYAL STAGE
MAR 26, 2018 STUTTGART/FILDERSTADT, DE FILHARMONIE FILDERSTADT
MAR 27, 2018 OFFENBACH, DE STADHALLE OFFENBACH
MAR 28, 2018 COLOGNE, DE E WERK
MAR 29, 2018 BERLIN, DE TEMPODROM
MAR 31, 2018 GRONINGEN, NL DE OOSTERPOORT
APR 02, 2018 ROME, IT AUDITORIUM PARCO DELLA MUSICA
APR 03, 2018 FLORENCE, IT TEATRO VERD
APR 04, 2018 MILAN, IT TEATRO DEGLI ARCIMBOLDI
APR 06, 2018 BILBAO, ES EUSKALDUNA
APR 07, 2018 BARCELONA, ES PALAU SANT JORDI
APR 09, 2018 MADRID, ES WIZINK CENTER
APR 11, 2018 ZURICH, CH VOLKSHAUS ZÜRICH
APR 14, 2018 EINDHOVEN, NL KLOKGEBOUW CULTUURHALLEN
APR 15, 2018 LYON, FR L’AMPHITHÉÂTRE DE LA CITÉ DES CONGRÈS
APR 16, 2018 PARIS, FR LA SEINE MUSICALE
APR 17, 2018 BORDEAUX, FR METROPOLE ARENA
APR 18, 2018 TOULOUSE, FR ZENITH
APR 19, 2018 NANTES, FR ZENITH
APR 21, 2018 ANTWERP, BE STADSSCHOUWBURG
APR 23, 2018 LILLE, FR ZENITH
APR 24, 2018 SOUTHEND, GB CLIFFS PAVILION
APR 25, 2018 HAMMERSMITH, GB LONDON EVENTIM APOLLO
APR 26, 2018 BRISTOL, GB COLSTON HALL
APR 27, 2018 MANCHESTER, GB APOLLO MANCHESTER
APR 29, 2018 PORTSMOUTH, GB PORTSMOUTH GUILDHALL
APR 30, 2018 BIRMINGHAM, GB SYMPHONY HALL

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2. SOLO ALBUM UPDATE

I’m also still working very hard (some might say obsessively, or maniacally) on finishing the demos for my first solo release in ten years, which is turning out to be a massive, modern progressive concept double-album. I’m now working through the realization of song #16 of 18. It’s the kind of thing that I feel artistically compelled to do, or else this music will circle on endless repeat in my head forever and that’s just crazy-making. I hope to have the demos done by the end of the year. I’ll be looking to record it in 2018, and perhaps even put together a full-production live show around its presentation. While I don’t exactly know when I’ll have it ready for release, I do know that I’m committed to this artistic vision I’ve had in my head for many years now, and I’ll keep working on it until it sounds great and tells the story it’s designed to tell. It’s taking up a lot of space in my world right now, as you can imagine.

I could go on and on and on about this, but I’m going to try and save my fire for when the music is completely written. At that point I’ll probably be ready to reveal some details…maybe even the name of the album.

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3. WHAT’S UP WITH THE ARISTOCRATS?

Lots of folks have asked me about The Aristocrats during this much-needed year “off the road”. I’m so thankful for everyone’s support of this crazy, improbable instrumental trio. Playing with Guthrie and Marco is a wild, exhilarating joy, and I’m deeply grateful to both of my double-initialed brethren for this incredible energy we’ve created together. At the same time, in the past couple of years I learned that I am but one human, much as I may wish that I were two (which would surely make me the only person on earth to wish such a thing), and that my body, mind and soul work a lot better when I have a reasonable amount of break time at home between touring legs. So while current complexities collude to create a bit (alliteration, you have failed me!) of a “calendar clash”, I look forward to more Aristocratic activity in the future.

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4. THE MISSING BASSES DENOUEMENT

Some folks still ask me about the missing basses – understandable considering what I wrote about the whole brouhaha! I got one back out of seven. Beyond that, it’s a very, very, verrrrry long story without a happy ending. So I’ve let them go. Maybe they’ll come back to me someday. Or not. Either way, letting them go certainly wasn’t my first choice, but it’s the only choice on the menu, so I’ve chosen it. To whoever’s got them: Godspeed. Each one has a rich, unique spirit, and they were all really great to me in ways I can’t explain in text. I hope you get what you need from them.

Right now, I have a lot of great new instruments and I’m grateful for them. And right now is where it’s at. The dude hovering over the basses in the picture already knows that. Just look how happy he is.

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5. WHEN YOU’RE 46 AND YOU FINALLY ADMIT YOU NEED READERS

Because these upates aren’t going to type themselves and it helps if I can read them before sending.

Seriously, it’s been a great year of recharging and musical discovery at home, and I can’t wait to share this new material with you. I’m cooking it as fast as the oven will cook, I promise. In the meantime, I’ll hope to see some of you in early 2018.

Cheers to all,

BB

Has it really been four months since we last laid digital eyes on each other? I admit, I’ve been laying low, and finally taking some long overdue slow-down time after a pretty intense couple of years. But I’ve been keeping myself busy as well. Here’s what up in my world.

* * * * * * * *

A New Solo Album

Yes, finally. (I mentioned this late last year but I think it’s worth a recap.) It’s been ten years since I wrote the material that became 2008’s “Thanks In Advance”, my last studio solo album. Many, many things have happened since then, and while I was fortunate to be busy with lots of fulfilling work, a noise was building in the back of my head for years about what my next solo album would look, feel and sound like. That noise became a roar last year, as I realized I was walking around with enough material in my head for not just a new album, but a new *double* album. And when I refer to what was “in my head”, I mean pretty close to the whole thing: The album title, the song titles, the melodies, the sonic textures, the grooves, the album narrative, the sequence, the transitions…everything. It’s been a bit odd, as you can imagine.

The good news I’ve finally started the process of getting all of this out of my head and into reality. I now have completed demos for nine of the album’s projected eighteen songs. So far, while it’s obviously still me writing this stuff, I think it’s a pretty radical departure from what I’ve done before. Right now the best phrase I can conjure up is “A Modern Progressive Musical Concept”. The word concept is deliberate: This is a concept album. It’s also definitely less fusion-y, less note-y, and more focused on soundscapes and melodies as you would imagine them through a modern progressive conceptual lens. I mean, sure, they’re not pop songs, there’s intricate bits, but that’s not the focus. If I manage to do it right, it will tell a story, but hopefully not a story limited to and by my own experiences. I’d like it to land as something broader than that.

That all sounds pretty ambitious and high-minded, right? It is, and making it happen will require a healthy chunk of my creative and musical energy for the foreseeable near future. It’s been very rewarding to have the time and space to work on this, and I look forward to sharing more with you when the moment is right. For now, there’s still plenty of road ahead on making this all a reality, starting with finishing the demos for the second half of the album.

For those of you who’ve been following me since the days of “Thanks In Advance”, and even 2003’s “View”, I’m deeply grateful, and hope this upcoming work rewards your patience. If you jumped onboard because of Dethklok, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, or The Aristocrats, I look forward to hopefully showing you something new. And if you known me since the 1990s because of Mike Keneally, there’s probably nothing I can say that you don’t already know, so just enjoy the ride.

* * * * * * * *

August Gigs

Just because it’s a year off from touring doesn’t mean I won’t leave the house every once in a while for a good cause. Here’s a couple I’ve got coming up in August, with Joe Satriani returning to Brazil, and then Mike Keneally up and down the west coast (and eventually getting over to Chicago):

August 6

with JOE SATRIANI
and
Mike Keneally – guitar, keys
Marco Minnemann – drums
Ibirapuera Auditorium
Sao Paulo, Brazil

August 17-26
with MIKE KENEALLY & BEER FOR DOLPHINS
Mike Keneally – guitar, keys, vocals
Rick Musallam – guitar
Bryan Beller – bass
Joe Travers – drums
(special guests Travis Larson Band opening all shows except L.A.)

August 17-18 – The Baked Potato, LA (2 sets per night)
August 23 – Biscuits And Blues, San Francisco, CA
August 24 – Silo’s, Napa, CA
August 26 – The Merrow, San Diego, CA
and then
October 21 – PROGTOBERFEST III – Reggie’s, Chicago, IL
(Keneally/Beller/Travers trio)

Brazil is a crazy wonderful place, and this will be my third trip there in less than a year! I’m looking forward to this unexpected “encore” show of the Satriani Shockwave tour.

And I’m always excited to play Mike Keneally’s completely unique material with my dear friends Rick Musallam and Joe Travers. Mike’s a busy guy lately, playing with a variety of folks around the world, so I’m extra grateful that there’s room in his calendar for these select dates.

* * * * * * * *

Brendon Small’s “Galaktikon II: Become The Storm” – Available For Pre-Order Now

Our mad genius friend Brendon Small has done it again, this time with a new chapter in his Galaktikon musical canon. “Galaktikon II: Become The Storm” is – and I want to make sure I get this right here – a “high stakes intergalactic extreme rock/metal album” that blends everything Brendon has done to date into a swirl of high musical drama and many, many kick drums.

The album was tracked by longtime Brendon Small compatriot and metal legend Gene Hoglan, myself, and then Brendon did everything else. Engineer Ulrich Wild somehow made 10,000 tons of metal fit into a (comparatively speaking, anyway) small space. And it’s available for pre-order right now, with a landing date on Earth of August 25.

Where can you go to find out everything there is to know about this whole crazy thing? Right here: http://galaktikon.com.

* * * * * * * *

The Missing Basses Update

Well, I’m afraid to say I don’t have much of one. I invested a pretty significant amount of time, energy and resources in the early part of this year to try and recover the missing instruments. (Note: some very, very generous friends helped immeasurably, for which I’m forever grateful.) A lot happened in that time, and while it may be interesting to some to know all of the details – especially considering how public I was in the telling of the original story, which isn’t lost on me! – unfortunately it’s not the kind of thing I can post, and I just have to leave it there. I had hoped to be able to present a different kind of update. Apparently the universe has other plans, and I’ve learned it’s foolish to resist that for too long.

The missing basses are pretty unique instruments, and there’s a limited market for them. I have a feeling that they’ll turn up one day, even if I’m lacking the crystal ball to know exactly when.

In the meantime, I am happy to report that I was able to find a used 1999 Mike Lull Modern 5 Jazz Bass, which quite incredibly possessed a serial number only *two* numbers away from my old Red #1! The sound is nearly identical. It’s mine now and it will be making live appearances soon. That was a pretty lucky break, and I’m grateful for it. I’m also still working with both Mike Lull and Spector on a variety of instruments, and I’ll continue moving forward on that path.

Once again, if you were one of the 14,000 (!!) people who shared the original post of the theft report, thank you so much. I’m still kind of amazed at how many folks read the story and wanted to help. It was a blast of positive energy when I sorely needed one.

* * * * * * * *

That’s it for now. Thanks as always for being open to me dropping these e-mails in your inbox every so often. This new music will be for You.

Happy summering,
Bryan

I’m back from Asia, I’ve finally beaten the jet lag (though I’m still too tired to replace this e-mail’s header graphic), and the world touring for Joe Satriani and The Aristocrats is now over for a while. Here is one last THANK YOU to everyone around the world who made the past 20 months so exciting and wonderful. What a ride.

2017 will see me sticking closer to home, slowing down, and doing a lot of writing on my very-long-overdue third studio solo album. I can’t tell you how excited I am about that. But first I’ve got a couple of things in March and early April to share with you.

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WESFEST 12: SUNDAY, MARCH 12 AT THE BAKED POTATO IN L.A.

It’s time for the WesFest 12 concert and the annual WesFest scholarship fundraising drive! As many of you know, every year there’s a Los Angeles area concert and related fundraising drive to benefit the Wes Wehmiller Scholarship at Berklee College Of Music. The show will be held at the very intimate Baked Potato in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 12. This year’s headliner is jazz pianist and R&B vocalist Patrice Rushen, but you’ll also see the scholarship winner – an amazing young bassist named Jonathan Elyashiv – as a part of a night of great music and warm vibes that not only honor this year’s scholarship winner, but also continually honors my dear friend Wes, one of the greatest bassists and humans I’ve ever had the privilege to know.

Even if you can’t go to the concert (which is most of you out there who aren’t SoCal based), you can still donate to the fundraising drive with just a few clicks. This is the sound of me inviting you to consider supporting this very worthy cause.

And if you’re local, come on down. I’ll be the M.C., which means I’ll be running my mouth most of the night. Yes, it’s still worth going.

Just click here for more info, ticket and donation links.

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BRYAN BELLER CLINIC APPEARANCES

I’m very excited to get back into the educational spirit with these two appearances in the Northeast:

MARCH 18-19 – Gerald Veasley Bass Boot Camp – Philadelphia, PA
(at Courtyard by Marriott City Avenue)
MARCH 20 – Chuck Levin’s Washington Music Center – Wheaton, MD

Sponsored by: D’Addario Strings and Planet Waves Accessories

For details on these appearances, just click here.

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I’m also really psyched to be doing a few more shows with my dear friends Mike Keneally, Joe Travers and Rick Musallam in the Northeast and Dallas!

MIKE KENEALLY & BEER FOR DOLPHINS
Mike Keneally – gtr/keys/vox
Bryan Beller – bass
Joe Travers – drums
Rick Musallam – special guest guitar at the NYC shows

MAR 31 – Kennett Square, PA – Kennett Flash
APR 1 – Dunellen, NJ – NJ Proghouse @ Roxy & Duke’s
(**Beller will also play with Teddy Kumpel’s LOOPESTRA at this show:
Teddy Kumpel – gtr
Bryan Beller – bass
Aaron Comess [from the Spin Doctors] – drums)
APR 2 – New York City, NY – The Iridium (two shows)
APR 3 – New York City, NY – The Iridium (two shows)
APR 4 – Bearsville, NY – Bearsville Theater
APR 5 – Marlboro, NY – The Falcon
APR 7 – McKinney, TX – The Sanctuary Music & Events Center

For details on each of these gigs, just click here.

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Tying up a couple of loose ends:

* The drama of my stolen basses has died down somewhat, though not for lack of effort. I’m still on the lookout for them, and I deeply appreciate everyone who’s helped and continues to help in that regard (if this is all shocking news to you, just click here to read the original Facebook post and go forward in time from there, as the story gets a little happier in the subsequent posts). Right now I’m working with the kind folks at Mike Lull and Spector to rebuild the arsenal. I’m very grateful to them.

* Brendon Small’s “Galaktkon 2″ album is now in mastering, and I think it’s yet another huge metal masterpiece from Mr. Small. I’m sure he’ll have some news about that in the coming weeks and months. The best way to keep up with those developments is to follow Brendon’s Twitter feed.

* I mean it when I say I’ll be taking some long overdue time off in the coming months. Some folks out there don’t believe it’s possible for me to really do it. All I can say to them is: Hold my vodka and orange juice.

Thanks again for being interested in what’s I’m up to, and maybe I’ll see some of you in L.A. or in the Northeast (or Dallas) soon.

Best wishes to all,
Bryan

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