1963 Gibson SG Junior

Someone sneaked a camcorder into a Berends Bro's rehearsal while I was trying out my buddy's gorgeous vintage 1963 Gibson SG Junior...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLIL89VZHZY

Insomnia reviews!

Lots of nice reviews coming in for the new Mastermind album! Check them out here then purchase a copy in the Mastermind Store. Thanks!

I hope you enjoy it! Let us know.

First Insomnia review

The first review of the new Mastermind "Insomnia" album is online... I was quite pleased! Hopefully others will notice this album and share some of these sentiments. Mastermind deserves a wider audience!

http://www.imhotep.no/?did=9095929&aid=9069486

Nice.

MASTERMIND signs with LION MUSIC!!!

Hey, today is my birthday! Yay me!! I have chosen this auspicious occasion to make a very big announcement…

MASTERMIND has signed with LION MUSIC (Finland) to release the long awaited INSOMNIA album!! The album will be released on February 19th 2010. Featuring Tracy McShane (vocals), myself (guitars, synths, bass), my brother Rich (drums), and Jens Johansson (keyboards), I am really happy to finally see this album get released properly.

Read more here: http://mastermindband.com/blog/?p=30

Visit lionmusic.com for more information about the release.

Happy birthday indeed! A wonderful way to start a new year!

Strings on Fire update

I was pleased to see I made the first cut in the Strings on Firecontest. Like I've said before, I don't take these contests seriously in the competitive sense and certainly don't consider myself a state-of-the-art shredder, but it feels nice anyway. Cool.

Firebird Strings On Fire

Another take of the Strings On Fire track (see previous entry) playing what else? The mighty Gibson Firebird V... there's nothing else like it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXXr4d7SgBE

Strings On Fire

Here's another video for Truth In Shredding. I don't take the contest aspect of it too seriously, but enjoy the challenge of playing over the unfamiliar. Kind of rough & tumble... I just got home from a bar gig and decided to give it a shot before the deadline, so in just under the wire. If it wasn't for the last minute nothing would get done. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf8Q32t_h7w

Early Mastermind albums

The early Mastermind albums are now streaming at bandcamp.com. If you aren't familiar with these I encourage you to go listen. Progressive rock power trio with lots of blazing guitar & guitar synthesizers. Enjoy!

MASTERMIND Volume One

MASTERMIND Volume Two "Brainstorm"

My playing & writing has evolved over the years, but I think these recordings have stood the test of time. As you might expect, all the guitar is my '68 Gibson SG and Marshall JCM800. More to come!

Shred this...

I made this video for Truth in Shredding which is a guitar-centric web site run by a fellow named Laurie Monk. It's for a guitar contest called "Shred this..." where a bunch of guys (and girls) play over a simple backing track and strut their stuff. The winner gets some kind of prize and bragging rights... maybe even a trophy!? lol ;) Actually, it's really mostly about networking, but it's a fun idea anyway.

I've never entered a talent contest before for a plethora of reasons... so I looked at it as more of a challenge than a competition. Being involved with a community of guitarists seemed like a nice idea and I thought 'well, if I'm so cool I should be able to do this'... I also thought it would be a good way to launch my new youtube channel, or at least have something up on it for now anyway (youtube.com/billberends), so here it is, shred this....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMroSLqbxd4


My real goal was to see if I could make some kind of video with the limited means available to me... i/e no video camera, so I rigged up a webcam and gave it a go. Some of the other entries are obviously overdubbed or punched in and that's not *truth* in shredding as I see it, but I don't think there are actually any rules. I just plugged into my little Fender Champ and played straight thru, so it is what it is... me & my guitar in the wee hours, a little buzzed, and tired of dicking around with computers. But I had to make the deadline! Yes, I'm something of a slacker... if it wasn't for the last minute nothing would get done.

As for shredding... I never really liked that term but have come to accept it in the vernacular. There are some interesting entries from what I've seen, then a slew of Satri-vai-howe type stuff. Pretty much what I think of when I hear the word shredding. I prefer a more natural stream of consciousness 'I-don't-practice-scales-all-day' kind of playing and was never big on two hand tapping, or what Frank Zappa referred to as "stunt guitar". I also like a more natural guitar sound with just a bit of tube grit and a touch of reverb. I just play a guitar like it was originally meant to be played... old skool. It is interesting to note I didn't see many other Gibson players. Mostly Ibanez & Strats.

Anyway, it's a cool website with lots of guitar info, news, links, and players. The Shred This Competition is a good clean fun way to draw some attention to the site, so check it out.

ps1: Bb at the end of the video refers to the key of B-flat, *not* a guitar friendly key. That might explain the dodgy bits. :P

ps2: thanks to Cheryl the flute mistress for inspiring the webcam idea and posting often enough to get me off my butt.

ps3: if anyone wants to donate a digital video camera you'd see a lot more video from me! Seriously... just a thought. :)

Session work

A few months ago I mentioned on the Mastermind blog I was up for for some studio collaborations. Studio production and recording is my day job so to speak, and outside of Mastermind I must've recorded and mixed a thousand bands in various studios including my own over the past few decades. Now with the internet it's possible to work with people in distant places, so being somewhat behind the bleeding edge I am just now getting 'round to that sort of thing. Hooray for the interwebs! Here are some projects I've worked on recently...

First up, a guitar solo I did for keyboard wiz kid Fab Muratori in Italy, aka Fab Shiver, on his tune called Streams. A nice mellow, new agey track, but with some smokin' soloing from both myself and Fab... a little bit in the vein of Mastermind's Excelsior! perhaps. That may sound contradictory, but somehow it works. I like it and hope to be working with Fab again in the future. Go have a listen.

I just finished some mixing, editing, and guitar work for Luna Jade, a fantastic female singer in Florida. Here she's posted some preview clips of her tune called A Symphony of Angels as mixed by yours truly. The editing involved was simply shortening and extending the track for radio or DJ use, but the composition and music is all Luna. I added some rhythm guitar as I heard it and a bit of a solo on the extended mix which turned out really nice. A fantastic tune, did I mention Luna can really sing? Go check her out.

Currently I'm working on a few tracks for other artists (along with my own music) and I'll post links when they become available. If you would like to have me mix, master, produce, or play on one of your projects, get in touch and let's see what we can work out. My fees are quite reasonable and I enjoy taking on an interesting challenge.