June 19th, 2009 by Fender Front Row

Iron Maiden’s DVD release of “Flight 666″ has soared to the number one spot on music DVD charts in 22 countries, including the U.S. and U.K.

In the U.S. it was not only the No. 1 debut item, but also finished as the highest first-week seller of any music DVD so far in 2009.

The release follows the hugely successful worldwide screening of the award-winning film in over 500 digital cinemas in 42 countries in April.

“Flight 666″ covers the first leg of Iron Maiden’s “Somewhere Back In Time Tour” which began in February 2008 and encompassed 23 sold-out stadium and arena shows in Asia, Australia and North, Central and South America in just 45 days, covering 5 continents and 13 countries, traveling almost 50,000 miles. All this was made possible because of the unique method of travel; the band’s specially customized Boeing 757 plane, piloted by Maiden vocalist and airline captain Bruce Dickinson and christened Ed Force One by Maiden fans.  

April 21st, 2009 by CME

One of the last interviews Kurt Cobain did.

From: Fender Frontline - Fall 1994

I never got to meet Kurt Cobain, but I did have the opportunity to interview him, through a series of trans-Atlantic phone calls and faxes. In the months before his death, Kurt had been designing a guitar with the Fender company (what came to be known as the ‘Jag-Stang’ guitar – a custom built Fender Jaguar, Fender Mustang hybrid). Kurt enjoyed his dealings with the company and had consequently agreed that he would, at some point, grant an interview for Fender’s Frontline magazine. When I first contacted him to do that piece – in February 1994 – Nirvana was in Europe on what would be their final tour. Kurt was, somewhat understandably, less than eager to submit to interviews at the time, but it was made clear to him that the idea of the piece was not to prod him about any of the sensational rumors that were circulating about the band but to just let him speak frankly about his music. He graciously consented.

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April 8th, 2009 by Fender Front Row

15 years ago this week, the world lost a great artist.

Dig around on the ‘net, the Fender Frontline magazine was one of the last interviews he gave…

On a personal note, I am glad I got to see Nirvana live…despite being a big fan, I clearly remember having something else going on (a college exam the next day) and heavily debated going to the show or not…I figured I’d just catch them the next time they came around; but unfortunately, there was no ‘next time’…rest in peace brother, and thanks for the music.

We found the article: Kurt Cobain Fender Frontline Interview

January 26th, 2009 by Fender Front Row

Billboard magazine calls versatile guitarist Jim Campilongo “an American treasure”—an accolade richly deserved through a career of artistry and influence. A New York club and session scene fixture, he’s also the guitarist for country band the Little Willies with pianist/vocalist Norah Jones. His virtuosity and originality has inspired a generation of guitar players.

January 26th, 2009 by Fender Front Row

Fender’s 2009 Kickoff has been a fantastic party and we’re glad you’ve joined us for it. Now the news you’ve been waiting for: without further ado, I’d like to go ahead and announce our 2009 Kickoff giveaway winners! Winners were chosen in automated fashion 100% at random based on this weekend’s posting activity.

Grand Prize: Taking home his choice of a Fender American Standard Stratocaster® guitar or Fender American Standard Precision Bass® guitar is (drum roll, please) … tomk62! (Insert audio of crowd cheering here. ) tomk62 participated all three required days and did a fine job of it, I might add.

Second Prize: Taking home a fantastic new Fender Deluxe™ VM amplifier is … texasguitarslinger, who also
participated all three required days. (More crowd cheering.)

Third prize: Taking home a new Firemist Silver Fender Sonoran SCE acoustic guitar, is … longtime forum member zod! zod submitted post all three days and that’s not surprising ’cause he tends to make a regular habit of stopping by here. (More crowd cheering.)

Prizes are en route to these folks and we’ve asked our winners to send in photos with their prizes once they arrive.   Congrats to our winners and again, thanks for joining us for this weekend’s event coverage!

January 26th, 2009 by Fender Front Row

Artist Darryl McCoy Jr. stopped by to check out the guitars in the Fender booth and serenaded a young couple.

January 26th, 2009 by Fender Front Row

The legendary Mick Mars of Mötley Crüe stops by for an autograph session.

January 16th, 2009 by Fender Front Row

Fender’s 2009 Kickoff is happening Thursday, January 15 through Sunday, January 18 at the convention center in Anaheim, California—and we’ll be covering the whole event right here on the Fender Blog!

New products.  The event is Fender’s showcase for all of our latest gear, including the new Road Worn™ Series instruments; our new Vintage Modified Deluxe™ VM and Band-Master® VM amplifiers; and much, much more! Here’s the complete roundup of new gear:

Live music.  We’ve got a virtual who’s-who of fantastic artists and bands joining the celebration, and they’ll be showcasing our new products onstage at our Spirit-of-Rock-’n’-Roll® Theater all weekend long.  We’ll be filming the performances and sharing them right here as well as on the Fender YouTube channel.  It’s your first opportunity to see and hear the new gear in action!

Great prizes.   We’ll be offering up some KILLER prizes from the show floor starting Thursday, and the best part is that entering to win couldn’t be simpler—all you have to do is sign in and participate at the Fender.com Community.  We’ll be announcing all the details later in the week and, naturally, a few additional terms and conditions apply.  Stay tuned!

A new competition announcement.  The new Road Worn™ Series is amazing in its own right, but the Road Worn™ Competition we’re launching is going to be, quite simply, over the top!  Stay tuned for the details … and prepare to Get Road Worn.

January 16th, 2009 by Fender Front Row

What kickoff celebration would be complete without PRIZES?!  Let’s get the fun started.  Entering to win is simple – all you have to do is stop by and say hello over at the Fender.com Community during our Kickoff event coverage.  Here are the specific prizes and detailed requirements to win:

Grand Prize: pick your choice of a Fender American Standard Stratocaster® guitar or Fender American Standard Precision Bass® guitar!  In order to be eligible to win our grand prize you must log in to the Fender.com Community and submit at least one post to our forums on Friday, one post on Saturday, AND one post on Sunday.  Again, THREE posts are required in all and they must be spread across the respective days during our 2009 Kickoff coverage.

Second Prize: Our lucky second prize winner will take home our new Fender Deluxe™ VM amplifier!  In order to be eligible to win second prize you must log in to the Fender.com Community and submit one post at any time during our 2009 Kickoff coverage Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.

Third Prize: Our third prize winner takes home a Fender Sonoran SCE acoustic guitar, now available in Firemist Silver!  In order to be eligible to win third prize you must log in to the Fender.com Community and submit one post at any time during our 2009 Kickoff coverage Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.

Rules & Regulations:

* It’s very important to note that submitting a whole bunch of posts does NOT increase your odds … so please do NOT barrage our online community with a flurry of junk posting activity.  Doing so will forfeit your eligibility to win and this is entirely at our forum administrator’s discretion to determine whether a violation has occurred.  One post per day is sufficient to qualify you for entry.

* We are pleased to report that this giveaway IS open to international participants.

* Any individual who submits content that is in any way in violation of the Fender.com Forum Rules at any time during the course of the Kickoff will not be eligible.

* Employees of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (the Sponsor) or any of its subsidiaries, affiliates or agencies, or members of their immediate families, or persons living in same household of each, are not eligible to enter or win. Entrants under sixteen (16) years old must obtain parental consent before accepting a prize if selected as a giveaway winner.

* Any other questions? Feel free to ask right over at the Fender.com Community.

January 16th, 2009 by Fender Front Row

First to hit the SPIRIT OF ROCK-N-ROLL® THEATER stage is Michael Lee Firkins!

Here’s Firkins’ full bio:

Michael Lee Firkins was born in Omaha, Neb., in 1967. His father was a lap steel guitarist and his mother was a pianist; Firkins took up guitar at age 8 and absorbed the music of AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Black Sabbath.

He played in local bands, did church gigs through age 18 and started touring with cover bands in 1985. When the cover band circuit wore thin, Firkins returned to Omaha and taught guitar while expanding his own musical horizons, listening to Jerry Reed, Chet Atkins, Albert Lee, Danny Gatton and others. A five-song demo sent to Guitar Player magazine columnist Mike Varney resulted in Firkins immediately signing with Varney’s Shrapnel records label.

Firkins’ eponymous debut album was released in 1990 and served as a showcase for his dexterous rock sound, combined with elements of country, blues and jazz. The record sold more than 100,000 copies and earned Firkins a slew of prestigious accolades, including a “best new talent” nod from a readers’ poll in Guitar magazine, which simultaneously hailed him as “one of the most influential guitarists of the next ten years.” Firkins recorded three more albums for Shrapnel—The Howling Iguanas (1994), Chapter Eleven (1995) and Cactus Cruz (1996). Subsequent albums include Decomposition (1999), Black Light Sonatas (2007) and Since 1967 (2008).