As I’m writing this I’m still on the road with Kira from the last tour (see posting below). One more clinic in Ft. Wayne, IN (at Sweetwater HQ) and then I get to go home for a week before Guthrie and Marco fly in from Europe to Nashville, and the next adventure begins. Could be worse – Marco hasn’t been home since early March. He went right from our Aristocrats European adventure to a South American/European tour with Steven Wilson, and then he’s coming straight back to us for the US Midwestern run. So I shouldn’t complain, really.

Oh, right, the dates:

* F 5/18: Nashville, TN – The Rutledge
* SA 5/19: Louisville, KY – Zazoo’s (The New Vintage Showcase)
* M 5/21: Indianapolis, IN – Birdy’s
* T 5/22: Cleveland, OH – The Tavern (Beachland Ballroom)
* W 5/23: Columbus, OH – Rumba Café
* R 5/24: Charleston, WV – The Sound Factory
* F 5/25: Charlotte, NC – The Double Door Inn

and let’s not forget the DVD taping shows in Los Angeles right after that:

* SA 6/2 and SU 6/3: Alva’s Showroom (live DVD taping!)

Full details on all upcoming Aristocrats dates here. Read the whole BellerBytes here.

And stop what you’re doing right fugging now and go buy Brendon Small’s Galaktikon here. Really, I mean it.

Did you know our minivan now has nearly 255,000 miles on it? We seriously need to do a commercial for Toyota (it’s a 2000 Sienna XLE, for those of you wondering).

BB

Seriously, I’m lucky to be so busy. Touring with Kira and doing clinics along the way always rocks. I miss the Northeast so I’m happy to be going back to the homeland. We’re going out for a whole four weeks this time. Here’s the itinerary:

* SA 4/14 (1pm): Wheaton, MD – bass clinic at Washington Music Center, sponsored by Gallien-Krueger Amps and D’Addario Strings
* SA 4/14 (evening): Annapolis, MD – house concert
* M 4/16: Fredericksburg, VA – lessons available (just reply to this e-mail!)
* T 4/17: Wilmington, DE – Nomad Bar
* W 4/18: Queens, NY – bass clinic at Guitar Center Queens, sponsored by D’Addario Strings
* R 4/19: Audubon, PA – “office concert” (house concert style)
* F 4/20: Allentown, PA – house concert, seating available
* SA 4/21: Rockaway, NJ – house concert, seating available
* M 4/23: New York City, NY – The Living Room
* T 4/24: Providence, RI – The Spot Underground (Creation: Tuesday)
* R 4/26: Brewer, ME – bass clinic at Mark’s Music, sponsored by D’Addario Strings
* F 4/27: South Attleboro, MA – house concert, seating available
* SA 4/28: Boston, MA – private house concert
* M 4/30: Rochester, NY – house concert, seating available
* T 5/1: Pittsburgh, PA – bass clinic at Pianos N’Stuff Music, sponsored by D’Addario Strings
* R 5/3: S. Charleston, WV – a Kira/Bryan concert at Gorby’s Music
* F 5/4: Columbus, OH – house concert, seating available
* SA 5/5: Cincinnati, OH – house concert, very limited seating available
* M 5/7: Fort Wayne, IN – bass clinic at Sweetwater Performance Theatre, sponsored by Gallien-Krueger Amps

And then, The Aristocrats hit seven cities in the heartland later that same month of May:

* F 5/18: Nashville, TN – The Rutledge
* SA 5/19: Louisville, KY – Zazoo’s (The New Vintage Showcase)
* M 5/21: Indianapolis, IN – Birdy’s
* T 5/22 – Cleveland, OH – The Tavern (Beachland Ballroom)
* W 5/23 – Columbus, OH – Rumba Café
* T 5/24 – Charleston, WV – The Sound Factory
* F 5/25 – Charlotte, NC – The Double Door Inn

I’d say more but I already said it in this here link. Really, I did. And my fingers are tired. Again.

BB

But then, on this last Aristocrats tour, the last two dates were in Istanbul, Turkey and Tel Aviv, Jerusalem. So I reverted, and I’m damned glad I did.

We had a full two days in Istanbul, and one crazy 24-hour period in Israel. Essentially we landed on the afternoon of our Tel Aviv show, did the gig, went out late, and then the next day Guthrie and Marco were slated to fly to the UK. But my flight was later, so much so that it was possible to visit Jerusalem for 3-4 hours before heading to the airport for the long flight back to Philly, and then Nashville. So I went to bed at 5:30am, got up at 9:30am, and saw Jerusalem.

I was raised Jewish, bar-miztvahed and everything. (My Hebrew name is Hesh Aaron, if you must know. Hesher Aaron?) So this was a big deal for me. And I took pictures.

I have them in two Facebook albums. Click here for the Istanbul album, and click here for the Jerusalem album. Hope you enjoy.

Much more substantive news coming up real soon. Good stuff, my friends. Good stuff.

BB

BB

SoCal: We’re in the WesFest 7 benefit show fundraising and concert-ticket-selling home stretch. If you’ve been on the fence about going, please allow me to push you off in favor of going.

Not convinced? OK, I’ll bribe you: The first seven people who buy anything from my online store will get a FREE TICKET TO WESFEST 7 on Sunday, March 4 at The Roxy in Los Angeles, featuring The Aristocrats, Mike Keneally, and four hours of awesome entertainment all detailed here. The only condition: you, or someone you designate, *has* to go to the show. The ticket must be used. To recap: Just buy something at my store, then contact me and claim the free ticket.

Also, some late breaking news in the U.K. – I’ll be doing a bass clinic sponsored by Mike Lull Custom Basses at The Robin in Bilston (outside Birmingham) before the show, at 5pm. Free to get in if you RSVP through Bass Direct, and you get a 50% off the ticket price to the Aristocrats concert that night if you want to go, which you do.

Speaking of the UK shows, London and Edinburgh are just about sold out. Better check the Aristocrats website for details on advance ticket purchasing.

This information is all aggregated in much more artful form in the latest BellerBytes.

Open question for the entity known as the month of February: You mad, bro?

BB

It covers three main topics:

1. WesFest 7 Status: We’re $3,000 Away From The Goal, But We Need Your Help…
2. The Aristocrats Are Headed To The U.K. (with Godsticks) & Europe & The Middle East In March
3. Sneak Preview Of The Next Kira/Bryan NE/Midwest House Concert/Clinic Tour Dates (April/May)

That’s a pretty good headline summary, right? So good that I don’t have to elaborate much further?

OK, I will a little bit. Lots of you have told me that you’re coming to see The Aristocrats at WesFest 7. But advance ticket sales aren’t reflecting that. I’m happy to trust the force and count on a strong walk-up ticket rush on the day of the show, but we’re $3,000 from the fundraising goal, which means we need to sell 95 more tickets. This is absolutely doable, but it’s up to you.

So if you’re planning on going but you haven’t bought tickets yet, how about now? Or now? Maybe, you know, now?

I admit, I’m all typed out from that BellerBytes. Read it and you’ll see why.

In other news, the new Van Halen F–KING ROCKS. I can’t believe how great and authentically VH it is. I feel like I’m 15 again when I listen to it. If you care at all about that band, stop what you’re doing and get it. You won’t be disappointed.

BB

VA, DC, MD, DE, PA, NJ. NY, CT, MA, NH/VT/ME (we’ve never played New Hampshire or Maine, hint hint), upstate NY, Western PA, WV, OH, KY.

Can we make all that happen? Only with your help. If you’ve read and heard about these house concerts and find yourself curious about hosting, first congratulate yourself for your fine taste and inquisitive nature. Then click here to read the latest BellerBytes for video clips and more details about how to make it happen.

There’s also a great new review of the Kira/Bryan live duo CD “Live At The White House” up at Thunder Row, which you can check out here.

And let’s not forget about WesFest 7, featuring headliner The Aristocrats, and a ton of other great music for a truly worthy cause. It’s happening on Sunday, March 4, at The Roxy in L.A. Save the date, SoCal!

Meanwhile, NAMM’s right around the corner, as is a run of west coast shows with the aforementioned Aristocrats. It’s a busy month for promo-whoring. We at Beller Enterprises, Inc. hope and trust you understand.

BB

First, the calendar summary:

JANUARY
* Sat 1/14 – Mike Keneally Band gig at the Baked Potato in LA, CA (not a Keneally/Beller “same band” gig, just the good old Mike Keneally Band rockin’ out!)
* Thurs 1/19 thru Sat 1/21 – NAMM appearances (Mike Lull, D’Addario, Alfred booths)
* At NAMM: Introducing the Mike Lull M5BB Bryan Beller Signature Model Bass!
* At NAMM: Introducing the debut Bryan Beller instructional DVD: Mastering Tone & Versatility (part of Alfred Publishing’s Artist Series)
* Sat 1/21 & Sun 1/22 – The Aristocrats gigs at Alva’s Showroom in San Pedro, CA
* Fri 1/27 – The Aristocrats gig at Biscuits & Blues in San Francisco, CA
* Sat 1/28 & Sun 1/29 – The Aristocrats gigs at The Rendezvous in Seattle, WA
* Tues 1/31 – Beller Bass clinic at Premier Bass Guitars in Denver, CO

MARCH
* Fri 3/2 – The Aristocrats gig at Brick By Brick in San Diego, CA
* Sun 3/4 – WESFEST 7 at The Roxy in LA (featuring headliner The Aristocrats)
* 3/7 thru 3/24 – The Aristocrats tour UK, Netherlands, France, Spain, Turkey, Israel!

For more complete info on all of this, check my official website calendar, always your best source for where I’m at and when.

Now, the new stuff: I am very, very proud of the instructional DVD I have coming out through Alfred Publishing. They were great in giving me the freedom and resources to create a vision and see it through all the way to completion. It has three main parts:

1) First is tone, tone, tone: A 90-minute course on everything from bass archetypes to hand placement to EQ frequencies and more. It goes deep.

2) Second is live performances: Thoroughly explained and broken-down performances with The Bryan Beller Band, Kira Small, and bass-and-drums-only live versions of three Dethklok tunes with the Atomic Clock, drummer Gene Hoglan (super-exclusive footage!)

3) Third is me playing to tracks by Steve Vai, Mike Keneally, and myself, all with explanations and hi-res closeups of what I’m doing.

Check the cover art. Available for purchase here.

Also, I can’t even believe that Mike Lull made a Bryan Beller signature bass. But they did, and it’s modeled after my trusty red Lull that some of you have seen in pictures over the years (and which I used on the Vai tour, countless Keneally tours, my own stuff, The Aristocrats album, etc). It’s a 35″-scale 5-string active jazz bass, Seymour Duncan Basslines pickups, Bartolini preamp with 3-band EQ, AAAAA quilted maple top, ash body and maple fingerboard, Hipshot bridge and tuning keys. Extremely like mine!

Here’s a promo shot of me making a fairly gruesome “groove face” while playing the trusty red monster.

My nutshell on it is that it’s the best-feeling active 5-string jazz bass I’ve ever played, and sounds exactly like a jazz bass should, but with just a little extra aggression in the mids and upper mids for perfect “cut-through” in the mix. It’s a great ROCK 5-string bass, but it does everything well, as a good jazz bass should.

Interested? Just contact Mike Lull’s shop in Seattle right here.

There’s even more in the BellerBytes (like sneak preview news about the next Kira/Bryan tour in the NE and upper midwest in April and May). So if you’re still hungry, go read it.

Meanwhile I’ll be at NAMM, drinking.

BB

A Holiday PSA: Help Find Guthrie Govan’s Band’s Stolen Gear

I was just going to write a short and sweet holiday message for the last BellerBytes of the year, but something terrible happened to my dear friend Guthrie Govan and his band while on the road in Rome, Italy: The entire contents of their gear van were stolen. And Guthrie and his crew could really use your help – especially if you’re in Europe – in tracking it down.

Some of you may have heard about this already through social media. For those who haven’t, I’m going to turn it over to Guthrie himself (who is quite the writer; he went to Oxford for a bit, you know) so you can get caught up:

********

An appeal for your help, after a recent van break-in in Rome

The following isn’t exactly a fun read, but it would be hugely appreciated if y’all could have a quick look through the following: we need your help!

I’ve just finished a tour of Italy with Dave Kilminster, Seth Govan and Pete Riley. Unfortunately, someone broke into our tour van in Rome, during the afternoon of Dec 17th, and stole pretty much the entire contents.

This sucks on a number of levels: not only did the theft make it very difficult for us to play the remainder of the shows we had booked on our Italian tour, but also we’re now faced with the prospect of having to find some way of replacing a lot of equipment – both rental gear and personal stuff.

Some of the stolen gear – particularly Seth’s Warwick bass, which he’s played almost exclusively for the last 22 years or so – also has considerable sentimental value, as you can doubtless imagine.

The Italian police didn’t seem to think there was anything they could do about this situation, so… we’re reaching out to you, the denizens of the internet, in the hope that maybe someone out there can help us to retrieve at least something.

Please have at least a quick look through the following list, and report any suspicious sightings: our only real hope of recovering this stuff lies in the fact that some of it is fairly distinctive/unusual, so in theory it should be hard to sell and easy to spot, if you know what to look for…

If you can think of any website or forum where it might be helpful to post this stuff, please, please copy/paste the following as you see fit!

(NB – although the theft took place in Italy, it seems feasible that the people responsible might instinctively head for the border of some nearby country and try to sell our gear there…?)

Anyhow… here’s a list of what was taken. I’ve left out the various cables/power supplies etc, but needless to say we lost a lot of that stuff, too…

SETH’S BASS GEAR

1989 Warwick Streamer bass, natural finish.

(Distinguishing features: smaller replacement Schaller tuners; screw for lower strap button replaced with a Philips style screw; thumb-sized indentation above the “P-Bass” pickup; long dark stripe/imperfection in the wood on the back of the bass, above the through-neck; small knot in the wood near the top of the inside upper horn…)

SWR SM900 head, serial # 4400106010
SWR Goliath 4×10 speaker cabinet (4 Ohm) serial # 4410500410
Boss OC-2 octave pedal, Boss TU-2 tuner, Boss power supply, various cables.

PETE’S DRUM GEAR

1x left-handed Drum Workshop DW 5000 double kick drum pedal.

DAVE AND GUTHRIE’S GUITAR GEAR

2x Brunetti Mercury heads, serial numbers ME10550 and ME10650 (in flight cases);
2x Brunetti 4×12 cabinets (in flight cases).

DK’s pedals:

Boss Chorus Ensemble;
Boss TU-2 tuner;
Boss digital reverb;
Xotic Effects “EP” Booster;
Suhr Riot distortion;
Dunlop “Van Halen” signature wah;
Ernie Ball VP JR volume pedal.

GG’s pedals:

(mounted in a distinctively crappy-looking “tea tray” pedalboard):
Xotic Effects “EP” Booster;
RetroSonic “Vintage Vibes” chorus;
tc electronics Flashback delay;
tc electronics Polytune tuner;
Guyatone WR-3 envelope filter;
Dunlop “Jerry Cantrell” signature wah;
Ernie Ball VP JR volume pedal.

OTHER

1x unique bag with the emblem “Roger Waters – The Wall”;
Various camcorder tapes containing yet-to-be-edited footage from a professionally filmed 3-camera shoot – for what was intended to be a live DVD of a gig we played at Lapsus, Torino

Well… profuse thanks in advance to anyone who might be able to help us out with any of this!

Cheers,
GG (and the band)

********

It’s hard for me to believe that I just met Guthrie for the first time this year, in January. The whole Aristocrats project – a 2011 creation – has been one of the coolest things I’ve ever been fortunate enough to be a part of, largely because Guthrie is such a kind, generous, and fun dude to be on the road with (let alone play with!). (And yes, Oxford would surely frown upon the previous sentence’s structure.)

All that to not-so-cleverly say that it’s horrible that this happened to Guthrie’s mates, and especially to his terrifyingly talented bassist/brother Seth. I’ve lost my main axe in a theft back in 1994. It’s a bloody awful feeling.

It’s difficult enough to make a living as a musician without stuff like this happening. They could really use your help. If there’s anything you can do to help, especially for those in Europe with knowledge of how used gear gets sold over there, I would deeply appreciate it, as I know Guthrie would as well.

********

Kira and I have so, so much to be grateful for. 2011 was an amazing year. Between the Wednesday Night Live CD and DVD, The Aristocrats CD, the Kira Small/Bryan Beller Live At The White House CD, and the Bryan Beller Instructional DVD for Alfred Publishing (coming out in early 2012), I somehow completed five releases this year. Without your gracious support, none of this would work. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Believe it or not, it is difficult for me to express my gratitude for this in words.

I think 2012 will be a music writing year. I’m overdue.

And that’s pretty much all I got.

Happy holidays and happy new year to all,
Bryan Beller

We’ve got four stops in Florida coming right up: a clinic in Jacksonville (first time ever!),  house concerts in Hernando Beach and Orlando (where we tracked our live album Live at the White House!), and a venue show in St. Pete. Then it’s off to Florence, SC, Birmingham, AL, and one last show in Nashville.

Would you believe I wrote a new BellerBytes about it? Click for details, and believe.

It’s been an amazing year. If you’re down south somewhere in our path, please do come out and celebrate this crazy trip around the sun being nearly complete.

And hey, let’s not forget about The Aristocrats headlining WesFest 7. You read about that directly below, right? Right?

BB