Even George Fullerton, a legendary founding father of Fender, couldn’t resist taking a peek at the Triumph motorcycle that was custom made for the Fender Custom Shop by Sucker Punch Sallys in Scottsdale, AZ.
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From Fender Front Row, fender.com
Fender 2009 Kickoff: George Fullerton checks out the Custom Shop’s hot new ride!
January 18 2009, 8:17pm
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From Fender Front Row, fender.com
Fender 2009 Kickoff: Robert Cray autograph signing
Blues legend Robert Cray was kind enough to sit down and autographs for a line of fans.
January 18 2009, 8:16pm
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From Fender Front Row, fender.com
Fender 2009 Kickoff: Dweezil Zappa (Clip 2)
Dweezil stopped by the Fender Amps booth and tested out a new Vintage Modified Band-Master® head and cabinet while working his finger magic on the new Eric Johnson signature model Stratocaster®.
January 18 2009, 8:14pm
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From Fender Front Row, fender.com
Fender 2009 Kickoff: Dweezil Zappa
Dweezil stopped by the Fender Amps booth and tested out a new Vintage Modified Band-Master® head and cabinet while working his finger magic on the new Eric Johnson signature model Stratocaster®.
January 18 2009, 8:13pm
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From Fender Front Row, fender.com
Fender 2009 Kickoff: Raining Jane
Eclectic Los Angeles-based rock-folk band Raining Jane is defined by the merging of four songwriters, three vocalists and a variety of instruments, including acoustic and electric guitars, drums, bass guitar, cello, cajon and sitar, plus stunning vocal harmonies. On top of solid musical and songwriting chops, Raining Jane always delivers thoughtful, playful and utterly engaging performances. Forming in 1999 out of the UCLA music community, Raining Jane has toured relentlessly ever since, averaging 120 shows per year. Taking on all business and artistic responsibilities (songwriting, booking, web design, driving – and so much more), they have become a notable example of independent success in the music industry, while simultaneously carving their own niche artistically. The group released eight-song EP Paper Nest in March 2008, has co-written several songs with Jason Mraz and has recently toured with Sara Bareilles, Rachael Yamagata and Willy Porter.
January 18 2009, 8:12pm
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From Fender Front Row, fender.com
Fender 2009 Kickoff: Los Lobos
Everybody is raving about Los Lobos’ high energy set at our SPIRIT OF ROCK-’N'-ROLL THEATER:
Los Angeles legends Los Lobos is a triple Grammy®-winning group whose expert combination of rock ‘n’ roll, Tex-Mex, country, R&B, folk, and traditional Spanish and Mexican music has won them longstanding acclaim and adulation. Formed in East Los Angeles in 1973, the band consists of David Hidalgo (vocals, guitar, accordion, fiddle), Louie Pérez (vocals, guitar, drums, jarana), Cesar Rosas (vocals, guitar, bajo sexto), Conrad Lozano (vocals, bass, guitarron) and Steve Berlin (keyboards, horns). Major-label success and critical acclaimed came with a 1983 Grammy for the song “Anselma” and 1984 major-label debut album How Will the Wolf Survive? By the Light of the Moon followed in 1987, and a cover of the Ritchie Valens classic “La Bamba” became a number one single for the band later that year. Third album La Pistola y El Corazón (1988; 1989 Grammy winner) featured original and traditional Mexican songs. Other releases include The Neighborhood (1990), Kiko (1992), Just Another Band from East L.A. (1993), Papa’s Dream (1995), Desperado: The Soundtrack (1995; Grammy Award for track “Mariachi Suite”), Colossal Head (1996), This Time (1999), El Cancionero Mas y Mas (2000; box set), Good Morning Aztlan (2002), The Ride (2004), Live at the Fillmore (2004 concert DVD) and The Town and the City (2006).
January 18 2009, 1:43pm
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From Fender Front Row, fender.com
Fender 2009 Kickoff: Robert Cray Band
A fantastic performance by the Robert Cray Band:
Robert Cray’s name has become synonymous with soulful modern blues with clean, impeccably phrased guitar work. Born in 1953 in Georgia into a military family that moved often, he grew up listening to blues, jazz, gospel, soul and pop and he began playing guitar in his early teens. Near the end of high school in Tacoma, Wash., Cray was considering an architecture career and formed a cover band in which he sang and played guitar. Cray moved to Eugene, Ore., in 1974 and started the Robert Cray Band, playing college towns up and down the West Coast and enjoying several years of regional success before signing to Mercury Records in 1982. His major label debut, Bad Influence, appeared that year, followed by False Accusations in 1985. His third album, 1986’s Strong Persuader, received a Grammy® Award and boasted hit single “Smokin’ Gun.” The Robert Cray Band opened for major acts such as Eric Clapton (Cray and Clapton became lifelong friends), and Cray sold out large venues as a solo artist well into the 1990s. Cray continues to record and perform. He has appeared frequently with Clapton on tour and at large guitar festivals, and Fender introduced the Robert Cray Standard Stratocaster® guitar in 2003.
January 18 2009, 1:38pm
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From Fender Front Row, fender.com
2009 Kickoff Event : Greg Koch and Bryan Beller, with Nick D’Virgilio
How about this motley crue of intensely talented musicians! The always-entertaining Greg Koch hit the stage with the similiar-entertaining-but-in-a-different-way Bryan Beller, Nick D’Virgilio, with a vocal performance by Malford Milligan.
January 17 2009, 8:44pm
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From Fender Front Row, fender.com
2009 Fender Kickoff: Philip Sayce (Clip 2)
We were lucky enough to have Philip Sayce hit the stage a bit earlier for yet another amazing performance:
Sayce first turned heads as a teenage Toronto axe-slinger in the late Jeff Healey’s band; playing just out of high school at prestige gigs such as the Montreux Jazz Festival and on bills with the Allman Brothers Band, Robert Cray, Gary Moore, Johnny Winter, B.B. King and others.
January 17 2009, 8:39pm
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From Fender Front Row, fender.com
2009 Fender Kickoff: Philip Sayce
We were lucky enough to have Philip Sayce hit the stage a bit earlier for yet another amazing performance:
Sayce first turned heads as a teenage Toronto axe-slinger in the late Jeff Healey’s band; playing just out of high school at prestige gigs such as the Montreux Jazz Festival and on bills with the Allman Brothers Band, Robert Cray, Gary Moore, Johnny Winter, B.B. King and others.
January 17 2009, 8:38pm
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From Fender Front Row, fender.com
Fender 2009 Kickoff: Rhonda Smith and Karma Deuce
Halifax, Nova Scotia-born singer, songwriter and bassist Rhonda Smith hit the stage and belted out a memorable set!
Rhonda Smith is best known for her long stint as bass player with Prince, although she is a gifted and inventive smooth jazz/funk and electrified funk/rock songstress in her own right. Born into a musical family, Smith learned to play baritone horn, keyboards, guitar and bass as she grew up in Montreal. She studied jazz performance at McGill University in Montreal and began touring Canada with different rock groups; working with many noted Canadian artists and winning a “best contemporary jazz album” Juno Award (Canada’s equivalent to a Grammy) in 1995 for her work with Jim Hillman and the Merlin Factor. A chance meeting with Sheila E. at a music convention in Germany led to Smith’s long tenure with Prince, and she has also worked with Chaka Khan, Beyonce, Erykah Badu, Patti Austin, Patrice Rushen, Brenda Russell, Lee Ritenour, Larry Graham, Patti Labelle, Little Richard, Justin Timberlake, George Clinton and many others. Smith’s debut solo album Intellipop was released in 2000, followed in 2006 by RS2.
January 17 2009, 6:55pm
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From Fender Front Row, fender.com
Fender 2009 Kickoff: Gretsch Girl Kim Falcon
Now, normally we wouldn’t post this particular snippet on the Fender site, but we just like Kim so much that we had to! Here’s Gretsch® Girl Kim Falcon hangs out in the Fender break room in preparation for an autograph signing at the Gretsch booth at the 2009 Kickoff event in Anaheim, California. For more Gretsch coverage from the event check out http://www.gretschguitars.com.
January 17 2009, 5:51pm
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From Fender Front Row, fender.com
Fender 2009 Kickoff: George Fullerton Autograph Signing
We had the honor this afternoon of being joined by living legend George Fullerton (one of Fender’s founding fathers). For more on our continuing friendship with Mr. Fullerton, visit http://www.fender.com/fullerton/.
January 17 2009, 5:39pm
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From Fender Front Row, fender.com
Fender 2009 Kickoff: more from the Custom Shop booth (Clip 5)
January 17 2009, 4:38pm
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From Fender Front Row, fender.com
Fender 2009 Kickoff: more from the Custom Shop booth (Clip 4)
January 17 2009, 4:36pm
