Andy Aledort

January 15, 2014

Andy Aledort is maybe the busiest man in show business. He serves as senior editor

of Guitar World Magazine, and helped to popularize guitar magazines back in the

1980’s. He has been touring as the slide guitarist for the last eight years with the

Dickey Betts Band. He has been part of the Experience Hendrix tour over the last

nine years, playing alongside Mitch Mitchell and Billy Cox, Mick Taylor and Buddy

Guy to name just a few. Oh, and he’s also sold over one million instructional guitar

DVD’s.

He tours regularly with his band the Groove Kings, and just launched his brand new

website designed by EnigmaImage. Andy is also in the process of finishing a new

instructional DVD on the playing style of Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Andy has played big stages and small stages all around the world, and shows no signs

of stopping.

With so much on his plate, Andy Aledort is always on. So we sat down to talk with

him to get his take on….

AA: First let me say I’m really pleased with the work that EnigmaImage has done. It’s really fantastic, it’s cutting edge of what a

website should be these days. For example, on the home page, all the gigs are scrolling on a calendar. There’s a J player with

musical examples, and there’s the latest news on instructional DVD’s that I’ve done.

You can click on lessons, there’s blog content. It looks beautiful. And this EnigmaImage site is built so that it’s easy for me to

add, change or update content. Before you used to have to know HTML code. And this website delivers connectivity through

social media like Facebook and Instagram. In just a couple of days I’ve got like 200 new followers in places all over the globe

who never heard my music before.

On his new website designed by EnigmaImage: https://soundcloud.com/enigmaimagemusicmagazine/new-website?in=enigmaimagemusicmagazine/sets/andy-aledort-editor-of-guitar

"Andy Aledort can make his guitar scream and cry, and

swing in a unique and stunning blues rock style. He’s

been my new favorite guitarist for a long time now."

~ Joe Satriani

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

www.enigmaimage.com

AA: When I saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan in 1964, it was

a life-changing event, like it was for so many people of my

generation.

So when your peer group is involved, there’s healthy

competition. You see your buddy play and say, “I want to do

that”. Getting into the Beatles opened the door into all of the

great music that followed.

My mother had been a professional singer and an actress and

there were a lot of great records in my house even before

being exposed to the Beatles. There was Tony Bennett, Ella

Fitzgerald. She even had some old acoustic blues like Lead

Belly. So I was always interested in music.

But it was the Beatles that made me want to get a guitar and

want to play. In that time in the 60’s, just about everyone I

knew played guitar or some instrument. So when your peer

group is involved, there’s healthy competition. You see your

buddy play and say, “I want to do that”. So getting into the

Beatles opened the door and then all the great music that

followed.

AA: While recuperating from surgery on my

hand in 1980, I couldn’t play, so I took a course

in music notation to learn to write music

correctly. I bought a great book that I would

recommend to anyone, called, “Music

Notation,” by Gardner Read. It became my

companion. It was important to know all those

rules, and then translate them over to writing

tab.

On influences & that moment when he decided to play a guitar:

https://soundcloud.com/enigmaimagemusicmagazine/influences?in=enigmaimagemusicmagazine/sets/andy-aledort-editor-of-guitar

“You have the knack to

pass what you know on in a

manner that I can understand (even

though I can’t play everything) and I

want you to be assured that it is

appreciated so much out here in

guitar playing land.

Thanks. …Sincerely,

Al Watson”

On developing a style: https://soundcloud.com/enigmaimagemusicmagazine/developing-a-

style?in=enigmaimagemusicmagazine/sets/andy-aledort-editor-of-guitar

AA: Back in 1983, the sister of a good friend of mine knew a guy named

Dan Fox who was working for a guitar magazine called Guitar For Practicing

Musician. He told her they needed people to do accurate guitar transcriptions.

There were no US magazines offering accurate transcriptions at the time,

though they were available in Japan. The pay was abysmal, like $7 a page. I

thought, well, I teach a lot of people and write a lot of music out, so maybe I

can sell some transcriptions I’ve already done. So I talked to the editor of this

new magazine

He asked me to send him a sample of my work so I sent him a transcription of

Jimi Hendrix’s “Red House” solo, something pretty complicated. The guy

called me back and said, “This is the best transcription I’ve ever seen, and I

want you to have my job”. He didn’t really want the job. He said he wasn’t

really even much of a guitar player. He had been arranging piano books for

music publishers at the time. He recommended to the owner of the magazine

that they hire me as music editor.

January 15, 2014 Andy Aledort

On becoming the editor of the world’s biggest guitar magazine:

On Emulation vs. Inspiration: https://soundcloud.com/enigmaimagemusicmagazine/emulation-vs-inspiration?in=enigmaimagemusicmagazine/sets/andy-

aledort-editor-of-guitar

AA: There are plenty of people who are in tribute

bands so their jobs and their roles are to replicate

the recordings and performances of particular

bands. If you are in a Led Zeppelin or a Van

Halen tribute band, it's imperative to play the

parts exactly as they are on the records. And

oftentimes people in tribute bands will dress up

like the people in the band. As a musician, if you

want to work, there are things you have to do to

work as much as possible. If that’s what you

want to do, it takes a tremendous amount of work

and dedication to recreate Led Zeppelin or Van

Halen.

But speaking for myself, I never wanted to be in a

tribute band even though I do like to play a lot of

Jimi Hendrix songs. Or blues songs, or Freddie

King, Albert King or BB King, or Allman

Brothers, whatever. When people come see us,

they know they’ll hear songs familiar to them,

and we try to play them as well as we can.

Whether I’m playing a song by The Band, The

Beatles, Neil Young or one of my own originals--

and we’ve discussed this in the band--we try to

play them all the same way. We play with the

mindset that, first and foremost, we want to

express ourselves as musicians.

Aledort has been touring for the last eight years with Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers and plays slide guitar

in the band. Additionally, he appears on the new “Dickey Betts & Great Southern: 30 Years Of Southern Rock”

2 Disc DVD and the double live CD, “The Official Bootleg”.

AA: When I really got into guitar playing it was 1973 and there was so much

great music and guitar players and genres. I already liked rock, and blues/rock,

Jimi Hendrix and Johnny Winter. But then I heard some jazz, like John

McLaughlin and that was exciting and I wanted to learn about that style of

playing. I had friends who played bluegrass music and I had heard Doc Watson

and Tony Rice and I wanted to be able to do some of that too.

So it just didn’t stop. It’s like that for all of us that are the same age, such as

guys like Warren Haynes and Larry Campbell, who has done a lot of playing

with the Levon Helm Band. For all of us, it was about the instrument, a

fascination with the instrument.

It’s still incredible to me that the guitar can be used to create the sound of Jimi Hendrix’s version of the “Star Spangled Banner,” to Lightnin Hopkins and Robert Johnson and Tony Rice. It’s this same thing with six strings on it. The instrument is just endlessly fascinating.

January 15, 2014 Andy Aledort

On learning different styles: https://soundcloud.com/enigmaimagemusicmagazine/learning-different-styles?in=enigmaimagemusicmagazine/sets/andy-aledort-editor-of-guitar

continued... On becoming the editor of the world’s biggest guitar magazine:

https://soundcloud.com/enigmaimagemusicmagazine/developing-guitar-tab?in=enigmaimagemusicmagazine/sets/andy-

aledort-editor-of-guitar

But there wasn’t a globally accepted system for

transcribing at the time, so I had to create a

template for how to construct a modern guitar

arrangement, keeping in mind things like how

an accurate transcription would fit into a certain

number of pages in the magazine.

Tablature goes back to 12th century lute music, I

believe. I inherited a basic template for what

tablature was and I had to add what rock guitar

players might do, including feedback, whammy

bar, vibrato, etc. This stuff didn’t exist when I

was a kid, and if it did I would have bought it.

Guitar For The Practicing Musician went from

nothing to being the biggest guitar magazine of

them all within just a couple of years, and these

modern guitar transcriptions completely

revolutionized the music publishing industry.

“Andy plays with tons of heart and soul, and draws from a depth of influences to emerge with his own unique

voice.”

~ Mike Stern

January 15, 2014

On the tour bus: https://soundcloud.com/enigmaimagemusicmagazine/life-on-tour?in=enigmaimagemusicmagazine/sets/andy-

aledort-editor-of-guitar

AA: The last time I worked nine to five was when I was 20 years old,

having to be in an environment in a building, surrounded by other

people. This is multiplied when you’ve got 14 musicians on a tour bus, in

this sort of metal canister 24 hours a day. You’re never alone. It’s

unnatural to just have people around you all the time. There are times

when you don’t want to be around other people, and that’s normal.

When you’re not sleeping, and eating horribly, your nerves start to get

frayed. It’s all part of the learning curve, not only learning how to play in

front of large audiences on big stages and having stage presence. I also

had to learn about living life as a touring musician.

Communal living is weird if you’re not used to it.

AA: I’ve learned a lot about pacing and the things you should do to keep an audience interested. If you’re Eric Clapton you already

know he’s a great player and he can just stand there and play. But little things go a long way on a big stage, making sure you emit a

certain confidence when you are up there on stage.

I learned from Les Paul that you have to act like you’re having the greatest time in the world when you’re on stage, because when you do,

the audience will have a great time. Even if you’re not. You have to emote impression that so people pick up on it.

On playing on the big stages: https://soundcloud.com/enigmaimagemusicmagazine/playing-on-big-

stages?in=enigmaimagemusicmagazine/sets/andy-aledort-editor-of-guitar

Andy just finished shooting, editing and engraving all of the music for his soon-to-be-released Guitar World DVD, In Deep with Stevie Ray Vaughan. The DVD is about 90 minutes long and covers a great variety of Stevie’s guitar techniques in regard to both rhythm guitar and soloing techniques.

Andy Aledort

AA: Yes, there is a certain attitude, but I don’t think it’s any different that the

attitude towards life. If you’re the kind of person that is argumentative and it’s

my way or the highway, and you’re a huge pain in the ass, then you’re probably

gonna be a huge success. You didn’t think I was going to say that, did you?

It seems to be true in a lot of cases. My real answer though is that in life, the

people we want to be around have a good attitude and are welcoming of other

people’s opinions and can share their views and be serious when you need to be

serious, but also have a sense of humor and all those things that make you fun to

be around.

And it’s true in music. Most musicians will tell you that they will choose an

inferior musician to play with if he has a good attitude. The guy could be an

incredible musician but if he has a bad attitude and is a drag to be around,

nobody’s going to want to play with you.

I play with people that I like. We’re all really, really good friends, no matter what we’re doing and it translates to the stage and comes out in the music.

January 15, 2014 Andy Aledort

On the “right attitude” for success as a musician:

https://soundcloud.com/enigmaimagemusicmagazine/the-right-attitude?in=enigmaimagemusicmagazine/sets/andy-aledort-editor-of-guitar

continued... On playing on the big stages:

https://soundcloud.com/enigmaimagemusicmagazine/playing-on-big-stages?in=enigmaimagemusicmagazine/sets/andy-

aledort-editor-of-guitar I asked John McLaughlin once about his

technique. He said people are coming to see

me play, not to see what problems I have. I

want them to be entertained, that’s why they

came. I learned a lot about that mindset and I

carry it with me. It doesn’t matter if I’m

playing by myself on an acoustic guitar in front

of 12 people. You have to prove, and it can’t

be fake, that you’re dedicated to your

performance and to communicate certain

feelings and importance of what you’re doing

and be focused on your performance and

deliver that. That’s the biggest thing I’ve

learned from playing the big stages and take it

to the small stages.

On the greatest reward about being a professional

musician: https://soundcloud.com/enigmaimagemusicmagazine/greate

st-reward?in=enigmaimagemusicmagazine/sets/andy-aledort-editor-of-guitar

AA: Having had the opportunity to meet and

play with so many great musicians has given

me a greater amount of dedication and

inspiration to express myself through music and

become better at it.

On Working with Dickey Betts

https://soundcloud.com/enigmaimagemusicmagazine/working-with-dickey-betts?in=enigmaimagemusicmagazine/sets/andy-aledort-editor-of-guitar

Behind the Shred

by: Robert O'Friel

As we sat down to interview heavy metal shredder Xander Demos of the Xander Demos Band (XDB) I thought it was only fair to admit that I was not overly familiar with him or his music, that I have a basic knowledge of metal and the lingo. I really had no idea what to expect.

Xander sat down in front of me with slightly spikey but not wild hair, but otherwise was not sporting the “Slash/Axl Rose” look. Over the next hour or so he would prove to be a smart, friendly and energetic interview.

EIM: Let’s start at the beginning. What drove you to want pay music?

XD: I picked it up at age 13 in the 80’s I listened to a lot of Boston, and Journey and that kind of stuff. I still do. As time went on I kind of honed my craft. I grew up in Florida, which had a great music scene at the time, but I was 3 years younger than the guys I was hanging out with. They were 19, I was 16. They could play at the bars, I couldn’t.

I was just a little bit too young, but when I look back I wasn’t terribly skilled. Then I started seeing guitar teachers, these guys that were just amazing players. Some of them are still well known in the circuit today. That’s how I got started.

This part of my career took a turn about 6 years ago after a trade show in Vegas. One of those shows with vendors and products and rock stars. I looked around and thought, I can do this.

I had been playing for 20 or 25 years and had created my own style.

EIM: Is there one moment or one person that made you think that music was your calling?

XD: The one band that really made me want to be a musician was the Pretenders. The video for Talk Of The Town. There was something about watching them play that kind of clicked with me. I used to fixate on the Pretenders video when it came on.

EIM: So how did you get to heavy metal?

XD: Ozzy Osborne, and Night Ranger and Journey videos started coming out. liked the energy of hard rock like but I love the melody of the popular stuff like the Pretenders. I try to make it not sound like a bunch of finger exercises. I try to make it sound like songs and get melodies that will stick in your head.

EIM: Who was the single biggest musical influence?

XD: It would have to be Sean Lane. That’s when I started to take music a lot more serious. He’s a serious composer, and that branched me off in different directions. He died unfortunately about 10 years ago. He was so unbelievably fluid and fast but yet melodic and beautiful at the same time.

I’m also a gigantic, raging Abba fan. They are the godparents of modern pop.

EIM: Your website describes your music as being beautifully melodic and jaw dropping insane. Which do you prefer when writing a song?

XD. It can’t be one or the other, it has to be both. You have to have a soaring melody and be able to rip someone’s head off at the same time. It may sound crazy, but I think both are captivating at the same time.

The songwriting process starts with a melody. But when you write vocal stuff, your canvass shrinks up a little bit. You’re either writing for instrumentals, or writing for vocals. Maybe the melody doesn’t work for a voice so it stays instrumental.

EIM: Does the tune come first, or does it start with a story or lyric.

XD: For me it starts with the tune. A hook. Then I get to turn it over to a vocalist for the lyrics. Here you go buddy! I hate to say that, but it’s true. I’m not much of a lyricist at all, but I’ve gotten to work with people like Jeff Morris. He can come up with something on a keyboard, and then just start singing it. It’s something we didn’t have before. He’s very creative with our style of music. He can just blow your doors off with his voice. I defer that lyric stuff to Mario our singer and Jeff. It’s a collaboration for sure.

EIM: You’ve been involved in Sabbath Judas Sabbath and the XDB. Are both of those bands active right now?

XD: Sabbath is sort of on hiatus right now. XDB is active. James Rivera from Texas basically runs SJS, there are chapters all over the world. For me, I am a solo artist with XDB. I’m not doing anything else right now, no collaborations or projects. For now I just want to get this record done. We’d like to go and tour more next year with that one. We’ve got local shows in Pittsburgh, Baltimore this year. We played Skullfest.

We’d like to get out around the northeast, co- headlining with someone. It takes a long time to build that up, especially for an all original band. We play a lot more outside of Pittsburgh.

Metal is more of a European sound. Next year at Altar Bar we’re opening for a couple of European bands like Metal Church and Primal Fear. They’re huge bands over there. Really, really big.

EIM: What are your thoughts on the metal scene here in Pittsburgh?

XD: When those bands come here and play Altar Bar, they’re playing for 300 or 400 people. Over there, it’s like 10,000 people. We’d like to get over there. I think the whole project with XDB has a better shot over there. This new album I’m doing, there’s only one instrumental. The instrumental thing can only go so far, it’s a niche market. Now we have an album that we can take to a bigger audience.

EIM: It sounds like you have a bigger following outside of Pittsburgh?

XD: I think so, yeah. The whole idea is to go national. It seems like they’re not as much into live music as they might have been at one time around Pittsburgh.

EIM: You are due to play the Whiskey A Go-Go in LA in January. The same stage where Jim Morrison stood. Does that resonate with you?

XD: There is a deep, deep respect for all those artists like Morrison and Jimi Hendrix. I think they are amazing for what they did. To be on that same stage, yeah it is kind of cool.

The Whiskey is chaotic. We’ve played out there before for benefits. It’s like a metal jam. They just put people together that you might not even know. So you just get out there and just do it. It’s for a fun cause.

EIM: Dancing With Daggers is a new project. Is that the name of the new CD?

XD: Dancing With Daggers is the name of the CD. We have another tune called Dream Gate, an 8 minute opus, fast power-rock song. We have about three or four others. Our goal is to release an EP with those originals and a remix of the song Guitarcadia. I have a keyboard intro for that never got finished. Then we might do a cover or a live track on this EP that we won’t release anywhere else.

We like to have something come out about every year. By the time this one comes out, it will be like two years since Guitarcadia so we want to get this one out in January.

EIM: Tell us about this movie you worked on called Hair I Go Again.

XD: Two guys that I grew up with in Florida, one of them a guitar player named Kyle, started talking about putting his old band together and documenting it for a movie. It was cool that he included me. It was basically me talking about the old times. But again, I was younger than most of those guys.

He actually has two songs from my album that he’s using too. Under Darkened Skies is one of them, and one of my instrumentals though I can’t remember which one.

When you look at this list of people in this movie that they are doing interviews with, I’m lumped right in there with CJ from Firehouse.

EIM: Is there a musical hero that you got to play with?

XD: I’m a huge fan of Racer X, and I got close. Paul Gilbert who was in Mr. Big, and Scott Travis who’s now the drummer for Judas Priest were in that band. They were all stars. So last year I was supposed to play a festival with Jeff Martin the vocalist for Racer X, but we ran out of time and didn’t get to play. I was really bummed. To share the stage with him would have been awesome.

EIM: Who would else would you want to play with if you could pick someone?

XD: Anyone from Dream Theater. I think it would be cool to get out with Paul Gilbert from Racer X. Anyone from Journey or Whitesnake.

EIM: What’s the craziest show you’ve ever been a part of?

XD: I was in a band in Florida at this club where they had girls in bikinis doing oil wrestling. We started playing Fly Me Courageous by Drivin And Crying. The oil dancer came up to try and oil us while we were playing. So I’m trying to make room, and I’m slipping, but I managed to keep the guitar up and play like I meant to do that. It was kind of embarrassing but funny at the same time. I had the one girl that was topless next to me, and I just kind of fell.

EIM: What’s your personal passion outside of music?

XD: Flying. I have a flight simulator at home. I would love to fly a plane. It’s been a passion of mine for about 40 years.

And I’m passionate about dog rescue and fostering. A portion of my CD’s goes to the ASPCA. I see those commercials on TV of those dogs and it just kills me. I have to do something about it.

EIM: What would your dream career be?

XD: Honestly, this is it. I do my web design and I do my music. I’m very happy to be able to do both things that I love. I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. I’m incredibly lucky and fell into it. I’m lucky to be able to make music because it costs money to make music and I can do it right. I’m really content with things right now. I love music and doing the software thing, and I get to be my own boss.

I’m doing what my mom told me I should do.

http://www.xanderdemos.com/Default.aspx

Get the long-awaited full-length album Guitarcadia HERE! Shipping is done via USPS Priority Mail and CDs will be shipped upon payment received. This is going to be the only place where you can get a hard copy of the CD so spread the word!

www.enigmaimagemusicmagazine.com www.enigmaimage.com

BENEFIT FOR THE CHILDREN’S INSTITUTE OF PITTSBURGH

By Rob O’Friel for EnigmaImage Music Magazine

For this writer, the holidays were officially underway after hearing Jill West and Blues Attack belt out “Run, Run Rudolph” on the Hard Rock Café Pittsburgh stage the night before Thanksgiving. That was at about the half- way point of an evening of rock and roll by a “Last Waltz” like line up of Pittsburgh musicians who came out to jam for the 8th Annual Thanksgiving Joyce and Bill Toms Benefit Concert. The event helped to raise over $5,000 for the Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh.

I had the honor of co-emceeing the event with one of Pittsburgh’s finest on air personalities, Sean McDowell of 102.5, WDVE, affording me the chance to first-hand the work and effort that the musicians, their families and friends put into making the show happen so that money and awareness can be raised for a charitable cause.

Bill Toms, wife Joyce, and two daughters make it a family affair with Bill leading his band, Hard Rain, through a set of rockers that included a cover of the Waterboy’s “Fisherman’s Blues”, Tom’s originals “I Won’t Go To Memphis No More” and “Lord Don’t Take Me Now”.

In addition to Hard Rain, a stream of friends such as

Shari Richards, Marc Reisman, Rick Witkowski and Olga Watkins among many others joined the band, rotating in and out and finally finishing up just one minute before midnight with the last note fading at 11:59PM. Each and every musician on the stage played with passion and a smile.

While the band plays, the Tom’s family helps to oversee a silent auction and a Chinese auction to help raise money by raffling baskets filled with donated items such as candles and fragrances, Pittsburgh sports memorabilia, and “homemade hooch”.

At the same time, Joyce and the girls are busy working their way through the crowd selling chances for the 50/50 drawing.

Debbie ……… of the Children’s Institute took the stage a couple of times to help educate the packed house about the Institute and its mission which is to be dedicated to improving the quality of life for children, young people and their families by providing a specialized continuum of services that enables them to reach their potential.

Bill Toms And Friends Team To Raise Money That Kicked Off The Holidays

The Children's Institute of Pittsburgh is dedicated to improving the quality of life for children, young people and their families by providing a specialized

continuum of services that enables them to reach their potential.

As part of their Vision 2016 initiative, The Children’s Institute has dedicated itself to enhancing its programs as Centers of Excellence in the areas of Autism, Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury, Prader-Willi syndrome and Family Visitation.

Bill and Joyce started this ever growing annual event in 2006………. helping to raise money for a number of great causes such as the Pittsburgh Food Bank, The St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and the Children’s Institute.

The show has outgrown venues such as Cefalo’s in Carnegie, where it has been held for several years, moving to the Hard Rock Café in Station Square this year. The show was such a success this year that the 9th annual show has already been booked again at the Hard Rock in 2014.

IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO MAKE A DONATION TO THE CHILDREN’S INSTITUTE ON

BEHALF OF THE JOYCE AND BILL TOMS 8TH ANNUAL THANKSGIVING EVENT BY

SENDING A CHECK IN ANY AMOUNT TO:

Bill Toms

Joyce Toms

Shari Richards

Marc Reisman

Rick Witkowski

John Vento

Jill West

Steve Binsberger

Jeffrey Joffo Simmons

Greg Krupa

Hank Raffetto

Nick Crano

Phil Brontz

Olga Watkins

Andrea Pearl

April Kinder Wisyanski

Christopher Caresani

Nicole Schweitzer

Tom Breiding

Helene Mila

Don Czaplicki

Mike Filosemi

Kathy Sabol

Edith Abeyta

Karen Anderson

Thank you all!

Mail a check made out to The Children's Institute of Pittsburgh to: The Children's Institute of Pittsburgh

Institutional Advancement Department 1405 Shady Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15217-1350

www.amazingkids.org

w w w . n o r m a n n a r d i n i . c o m

www.enigmaimage.com

presented in this huge college town. Got a chance to see The Band at Symphony Hall, The Byrds with the late great Clarence White on guitar, saw them three times one summer at different outdoor locations, Dave Van Ronk, Nina Simone, Mose Allison, Roland Kirk, Pharoah Sanders, The Youngbloods, McCoy Tyner, Miles Davis, Kenny Burrell, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, Procol Harum, Muddy Waters, Larry Coryell, .......I'm sure that I've forgotten a few as well. I also had the opportunity to see and play with Big Mama Thorton.

I think the experience that I learned the most from was the time I went to see Willy Dixon play at The Jazz Workshop. This very very cool small club was the scene of one magical night after another. When I could, I'd go early and stay late. I just knew that I loved being around the music and the music people.

I can't honestly say that I remember everything about Willie Dixon's performance that night, not sure who played drums, not sure who played guitar, I think that Big Walter Horton played harp and I think Lafayette Leake played piano. I do remember the way this huge smile would come across Willie's face, I do remember how relaxed he seemed to be on stage. I remember hanging around after the show and talking with this gentle giant. Willie Dixon made me feel like he enjoyed speaking with me. ME!.....I was so impressed with the way that he spoke, so concerned, so kind. As he gathered up his gear he told me about a band that he was producing at the time, I think they were called "Branding Iron" and I think they were on the Volt label. Mr. Dixon gave me a copy of their 7 inch 45 rpm record.

Here is the guy that wrote Hoochie Coochie Man for Muddy Waters, Evil for Howlin' Wolf, My Babe for Little Walter, Wang Dang Doodle for, KokoTaylor, Spoonful for Cream......and he's huckin' his own gear up outta the club, with my humble assistance. I'm still learning lessons from the night I hung with Willie Dixon, now, in my 49th year as a musician, I try to be the kind of person that I met that night at The Jazz Workshop in Boston Mass, kind, concerned and never too self important to look past another. Just before Willie Dixon got in his black Cadillac and drove off into the night he looked me in the eye, shook my hand and gave me a million dollar smile that I'll never forget. I touched greatness that night and greatness touched me back..........that's gonna last forever and ever.........

Willie Dixon Touchin'Greatness BY: NORMAN NARDINI

Back in '71 or '72 I was takin' classes at Berkley School of Music in Boston Mass. You could say that I was very interested in getting an education, I wanted t' learn everything I could. As a young buck from Pittsburgh, I was amazed at all the music that was being

www.enigmaimagemusicmagazine.com www.enigmaimage.com

“This is The Business We Have Chosen.” - You may recognize us; we’ve been playing around town for quite a while. But not like this. You haven’t seen anything in Pittsburgh like this. Take four of the most talented musicians from the local blues scene, give them free reign to do the music they want the way they want to, and you get the Bo’Hog Brothers. With veterans from Jill West and Blues Attack, 8th Street Rox, the Boogiemonsters, and the Usual Suspects we have seen it all and done most of it too! We’ve played together around the country, opened for all sorts of national acts, and paid our dues working weekend after weekend. We do it because we love it, and something in our heads tells us that we just can’t stop. The music we play is fun and high energy, with a great groove. Some of it you will recognize, some you may not, but either way you won’t be disappointed. We range from Blues and ‘Roots and Rhythm’, to Rockabilly and Texas Swing. We play many of the songs you know, from every era, but often in our own way. We have also incorporated strong improvisational aspects into our music;

blending rock, country, blues, and jazz to create our own unique style. But the music isn’t the only reason to come see us. We have incorporated our ‘interesting’ personalities into our show as well. One of us has toured the country playing music. One is self-taught on guitar. One owns his own business. One has a master’s degree in chemistry. What do we have in common? Mostly beer…but also a deep love and respect for music of all kinds. Together we form the tightest band in town and can play virtually any style. Our show is unusual, and incredibly fun to watch. You should join us sometime! We’ve got the chops, the sense of humor and the originality to make your night one to remember. There’s nothing like spending a night Bo’hoggin…

The Bo' Hog schedule can be found on http://jillwestandbluesattack.com/index/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/BoHog-Brothers/139666822747190

Written by: Nick Crano

Stay of Execution November Awareness

How You Can Help

All dogs deserve this freedom!

I'm often asked, surely your platform is much broader than chained dogs? What about all the other animal atrocities? What about spay and neuter? And my answer is, of course we support ALL animal efforts. Spay/neuter support and stopping other forms of animal abuse are absolutely critical. However, our focus must remain on the chained (and penned) dogs.

Because they are the forgotten cause. Their abuse is much more subtle, no less insidious. They may not be in immediate danger of death. But death of the soul is still death to me. And they are dying out there, piece by piece, hour by hour.

—Tamira Ci Thayne (the activist formerly known as Tammy Grimes)

Homeless Cat Management Team

About The Homeless Cat Management Team works to humanely reduce the population growth of homeless cats through sterilization and promotion of responsible colony management. Mission The Homeless Cat Management Team is an organization whose mission is to humanely reduce the population growth and minimize the suffering of homeless cats through sterilization and the promotion of responsible colony management in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Description Our program focuses on Community Cat, (otherwise commonly known as feral and stray) Colonies, and friendly kitties rescued from these colonies to be placed into loving homes. Responsible "Outside" cats caretakers must provide food, water, shelter and veterinary care when necessary, to the felines they feed. We do not provide relocation or adoption services. We do not operate an animal shelter. Our high volume spay/neuter clinics include the following: Spay/neuter surgery for cats and kittens (This includes a preventative antibiotic, anesthetic and IV pain medication). Rabies vaccination for all cats over three months of age. This service is included in the Feral Cat Package. Rescue cats will incur an additional $8.00 charge for this service to defray our cost. Frontline treatment for fleas, grooming to remove fleas, ticks, ear mites, matted fur, etc. Mandatory left ear-tipping for spayed/neutered feral cats being re-released, for ease of recognition.

“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.” ― Will Rogers

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Stay of Execution November Awareness

Trumbull Co Pound

DOG WALKERS NEEDED!!!!! Address: 7501 ANDERSON AVE, WARREN, OH 44484 (HOWLAND TOWNSHIP)Phone: 330-675-2787 Hours: Mon-Fri 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, Sat 9 am to 1 pm This is a county facility. The staff are not allowed by law to refuse any incoming dog. Therefore space is always a huge concern and dogs may have to be euthanized to make room for incoming, if the number of incoming exceeds available kennel runs, although every effort is made to avoid it.. A stray/lost dog must be kept for 72 business hours to allow time for an owner to locate their pet. An "owner-turn-in" is not lost, and therefore does not have to be kept for any length of time. Rescue volunteers try to get as many as possible out to rescues around the country, and to spark public interest in adoptions. This is a former gassing facility, which has just recently switched to euthanasia by injection (spring/summer 2011). Adoption Fee: $20 - Dog License: $14 - Mandatory Spay/Neuter Agreement with every dog adopted/rescued. Micro-chipping available: $25 The pound accepts payment in cash or by personal check. It does not have capability to accept credit or debit cards. http://www.petfinder.com/pet-search?shelterid=OH650

Meigs Co Dog Shelter

Description MCDS is a county funded and ran Dog Shelter, in accordance to Ohio State law. With minimal financing, MCDS relies heavily on community contributions and support for day-to-day operations, as well as for feeding, cleaning and care of the dogs placed in it's facilities. MCDS is very Rescue friendly. While no Pull Fee is charged, we always accept donations to help those dogs who remain behind. General Information Due to the requirements that the Warden and his Assistant Warden spend many hours every day on the road, answering calls and patrolling the county for stray/loose dogs, the shelter is open a limited number of hours. However, the staff is always willing to meet during other hours, time permitting. We DO NOT accept cats. While there always seem to be some strays, please do not bring cats to the MCDS, as we are unable to properly care for them. http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/meigsdogs.html

QUOTE

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves

you more than he loves himself.” ― Josh Billings

This Friday the 17th live at Moondogs! Doors open at 9pm. Hope to see you there!

Ron & The RumpShakers Released December 2013

FUBAR needs your help and it only takes a few seconds! All you need in an email address and an iHeartRadio account! Voting ends at midnight tonight so we need one final push by our fans, family, and friends! You vote would be much appreciated...

Step 1: Visit the link below... http://www.1059thex.com/pages/winterrock13.html Step 2: Locate and listen to FUBAR's single "Highway" in the song player. Step 3: Click on the speaker in the center of the page that says "Click Here to Vote" which will take you to a new page. Step 4: Enter your email address. If you are an existing iHeartRadio user you may proceed to vote. If not you will need to fill out some information in order to register. Step 5: Scroll down the list and choose the radio button next to FUBAR "Highway" and then scroll to the bottom and click "Confirm Entry". I know it sounds like a process but it's not as bad as it seems! Friends, family, fans, please vote for us so we have a chance to participate this year! Thanks and stay FUBAR my friends!

Saturday January 18th 8pm! Hope to see you there!

Chrome Moses gives you the hardest fastest rock

and roll that is by no means heavy metal. A 50's

groove and a 60's swagger illustrate the sound of

the band. You'll hear guitars and bass and thumping

drums on the two.

Chrome Moses is a soulful rock and roll band from

Pittsburgh, PA. Chrome Moses's groove

encompasses brawny musicianship and screaming

guitar that will enthrall audiences across the nation.

Moses is poised to melt faces and make people

sweat.

Contact EnigmaImage Music Magazine if you would like to post your

band announcement here! www.enigmaimagemusicmagazine.com

Xander Demos

Not sure if I shared this with my fellow guitar geeks

yet but this is my new incoming Conklin machine: 26-

frets, strung Low-B to High-A, Lundgren pickups,

maple fingerboard, 5-piece laminate neck, fanned

fret (with the perp fret at the 14th), Quilt Maple top

and to everyone's surprise it WILL be finished in

some oceanic burst scheme....(teal to blue, green to

blue, etc.) what a TOTAL shock, I hear ya

Find your music

resources here!

Cindy's Guitar Plus 1701 Lincoln Hwy North Versailles, PA (412) 829-8990 http://cindysguitarplus.com/ Store Hours Monday thru Thursday -11:00am - 8:30pm Friday - 11:00am - 8:00pm Saturday - 10:00am - 5:00pm Sunday - 12:00am - 4:00pm Modern Lessons Our goal is to teach you to play the most modern and contemporary of musical instruments: The Acoustic or Electric guitar, the Electric Bass guitar or the Drum Kit. In Store Repairs Because of decades of experience, we can make your stringed instrument play and sound better. Learn more about our in-store repairs here. Starter Packs Good quality instruments and accessories giving you everything you need to get started. Two free lessons included.

Gourmet PA Systems 3016 Unionville Rd Cranberry Twp,PA (724) 776-7350 http://www.gourmetpa.com Hours Monday: 10am-6pm Tuesday:11am-4pm Wednesday: 10am-6pm Thursday: 11am-4pm Friday: 10am-6p _______________________ Jim’s Guitar Works Located off of Rt. 51 south of Clairton and Jefferson Hills. Route 837 at Lincoln Square West Elizabeth, PA 15088 Ph: 412.384.2518 Monday – Thursday 11 AM to 8 PM Friday 11 AM to 6 PM Saturday 11 AM to 4 PM Supurb guitars at the lowest prices. Highly recommended for all guitar set ups, repairs and other sundry luthier work. “We buy, sell, trade guitars.” Retail sales, expert repairs, lessons by appointment. http://www.threeriversproductions.com/jims.html ______________________ Acoustic Music Works 2142 Murray Ave Pittsburgh, PA (412) 422-0710 http://amwtestsite.com At AMW, we ship worldwide, to twelve countries and 39 states in 2012. We provide in-house repair and setup services, and build our own instruments as well.

We generally list about 80% of our inventory on the

AMW website. We do reserve some items for local sale. We buy, we sell, we trade, and we invite consignments.

Guitar Performance Systems Lessons-Sales-Repair 902 Lincoln Hwy North Versailles, PA 412-829-2207 Hours of Operation: Monday–Thursday, 11:30 a.m.–8:00 p.m. Saturday, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Instruments Bring melodious sounds into your home with musical instruments from Guitar Performance Systems. Our studio sells a variety of name brand merchandise. We also service and repair instruments ranging from strings and brass to woodwinds and keyboards. Lessons Enhance the quality of your life with a new hobby and skill with music lessons from our studio. For more than 15 years, we have taught all levels, from beginner to advanced, with a goal of having students play as quickly as possible. Even more, we have been putting student bands together long before there was a school of rock. Meet Our Instructors Learn from the best with our outstanding instructors. Each is an accomplished musician on the instrument he or she teaches. http://www.guitarperformancesystems.com/

Resonance Violins 701 Washington Rd, Pittsburgh, PA (412) 344-7605 http://www.resonanceviolins.com/ We specialize in major restorations, repairs, bow rehair and sales of a large selections of

fine new and old instruments. We also provide well- adjusted quality instrument rentals and supply the best in quality accessories as well as buy, sell and trade- in old or antique instruments. ________________________ Micarelli Music 354 Morgantown Street Uniontown, PA (724) 438-9311 http://www.micmusic.net/

Micarelli Music is a music and guitar store, located in Uniontown, PA, purveyor of fine new, used and vintage guitars and instruments. The area's largest selection of new Fender guitars and Fender Custom Shop guitars. Marching band instruments, amps, PA systems, effect pedals, drums and cymbals. Instruments and gear since 1965. We buy, sell, and trade used and vintage guitars. __________________________ Modern Piano Wexford Store 11883 Perry Highway Wexford, PA 15090 (724) 934-5397 Pittsburgh Store 660 Washington Rd. Suite 101 Mt. Lebanon, PA 15228 (412) 344-5397 Modern Piano is the only authorized Yamaha dealer in the greater Pittsburgh, PA area. We sell new and pre-owned pianos and welcome trade-ins. Lessons available. __________________________ Swissvale Music Store 2037 Noble St Swissvale, PA (412) 351-5882 http://www.swissvalemusic.com/ Musical Instruments, Disc Jockeys, Musicians, Music Events, Sound & Recording Equipment Sales,

Recording Studios, Musical Instrument Rental, Musical Instrument Repair, Consumer Electronics, Used Musical Instruments, Wholesale Televisions & Radios, Wholesale Electronic Instruments. ________________________ Fudoli Music & Repair Ctr. 142 S Main St Butler, PA (724) 287-8080 Musical Instruments, Musical Instrument Rental, Musical Instrument Repair ________________________ Guitar Gallery & Drums 575 McClelland Road Canonsburg, PA 15317 (724) 746-9686 http://guitargallery.tv Brands: Gibson: USA Electrics, Historic, Acoustics, and Epiphone; Martin Acoustics; Paul Reed Smith; Guild; Rickenbacker; Gretsch; Jackson; Ibanez; Alvarez; ESP/LTD; Dean; Luna, Boulder Creek, Spector, Peavey, Washburn. ALSO: Marshall, Vox, Blackstar, Peavey, Gallien-Krueger, Ampeg, Roland Amps; also Peavey PA Gear !

________________________ Vittone's Music Center 801 N Greengate Rd Greensburg, PA (724) 672-3441 http://www.vittonesmusic.com We are located inside of the Gabriel Brothers Shopping Plaza, next to CD Warehouse We Provide: Instrument Repair Accessories Organ Installation Piano Tuning & Repairs Musical Instruments Sheet Music ________________________ Main Street Music & Sound 327 Main Street Irwin Pa 15642 724-382-4633

In addition selling new and used guitars, drums, keyboards, and PA systems, we do also offer band instrument rentals and repairs. We rent only top quality name brand instruments and our monthly rental rates are among the lowest in the area. Every dollar of the monthly fee goes towards purchase. We also provide one on one private lessons too.. Complimenting that, we stock a full line of band related accessories like reeds, valve oil, cork grease, cleaning kits, straps, stands and many different lesson books. Kevin McDonald www.mainstmusic.com kevin@mainstmusic.com ______________________ Pianos n Stuff Music 468 Freeport Road Pittsburgh, PA 15238 Business Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 10:00 a.m - 8:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday 10:00 a.m - 5:30 p.m. Wednesday and Sunday CLOSED Phone Numbers: (412) 828-1003 Local (877) NSTUFF1 Toll Free (412) 828-6405 Fax CATEGORY Guitars Amps and Effects Bass Bass Amps and Effects Other Fretted Instruments Drums and Percussion Keyboards Recording Headphones Live Sound DJ and Lighting Microphones Harmonicas Media

General Accessories Clearance Used Gear New Arrivals Rental Packages FEATURED SERVICES Rentals Lessons Financing Mail-In Rebate Center Installations Guitar Service Electronic Service