Hard Rock Hotel Chicago and Gibson Guitar introduce “CHECK IN, ROCK OUT,” a new guest program in which both professionals and amateurs can jam in the privacy of their own room without disturbing those around them, thanks to the Line 6 pocket pod and a pair of headphones. Guests can choose from a wide variety of electric and acoustic guitars, such as the ES-335, Les Paul Custom Cherry Sunburst, the all-new SG Carved Top Autumn Burst, a Jack Casady Gold Bass, a Montana J-45, a Songwriter Deluxe Studio EC, the classic Hummingbird or a variety of many others.
As there is no charge or time limit to the program, guests are encouraged to sample the guitars and keep them for as long as they stay at the hotel. Plans are in the works for a Gibson in-room channel dedicated to guitar lessons, as well as on-site jam sessions.
To learn more about this program, visit http://www.hardrockhotelchicago.com/services-amenities/gibson/index.cfm.
08.31: Van Morrison, he of moondancing and G-L-O-R-I-A fame, was born on this day in 1945. 09.01: R.L. Burnside, the 78-year old blues veteran whom every music lover should’ve and should still know, died on this day in 2005. For real, seek out his burly, hill country blues. 09.01: The very first release, titled U2-3, by a little Irish band called U2, flew onto the scene on this day way back in 1979. Containing a mere three tracks, hence the title, the EP earned the guys critical praise and music awards. The first of much and many, respectively. 09.01: INXS performed for the first time under that name on this day in 1979. Before that, the band, simply known as The Farriss Brothers, already did things in excess, but after that the band name seemed a bit more apropos. 09.02: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened its doors on this day in 1995 in Cleveland, Ohio, forever enshrining all that is awesome and good about rock and roll, rhythm and blues, hip-hop, country, and most other genres of which one could think. Cleveland had long argued its position as the birthplace of rock and roll, with the actual coining of the term by Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed, in lobbying to be the home of the Hall of Fame, beating out Memphis, Cincinnati, and New York. 09.02: On this day in 1970, Genesis placed an add for a drummer in Melody Maker magazine. Phil Collins answered the ad. Lucky for us that he did. Otherwise, who knows if the world ever would have experienced the mysticism and enchantment that is "Easy Lover.” 09.04: The Animals, they of “House of the Rising Sun," one of the first salvos in the British Invasion of the ‘60s, played their first show in the U.S. at the Paramount Theater in Brooklyn on this day in 1964. America would very quickly become Brit-happy day trippers, rolling like stones and thinking ‘bout tambourine men. 09.04: The Beatles “Love Me Do” became recorded reality, for the 2nd of 3 times, on this day in 1962 at Abbey Road Studios. It’d been recorded a few months earlier with The Beatles’ first drummer, Pete Best. After Ringo joined the group, they re-recorded it. Their producer, George Martin, however, didn’t like Ringo’s drumming, so another version, the one people are most familiar with, was recorded one week later using a session drummer. Ringo was still on that version, though. He played the tambourine. 09.05: Aerosmith didn’t miss a thing on this day in 1998 when the biggest hit of their career, their one and only #1 song, hit the top of the charts and remained there for four weeks. Can you guess which song it was? If you guessed “Sweet Emotion,” you are a loser. 09.05: On this day in 1946, Freddie Mercury, lover of champions, fat-bottomed girls, Scaramouche, and fandangos, was born. The frontman’s frontman, Mercury’s stage presence would never be equaled by anyone, ever. The man couldn’t not be cool. 09.05: On this day in 1992, John Cougar Mellencamp pounced on his matrimonial prey. The rocker married model Elaine Irwin after the two met when she was hired to appear on a Mellencamp album cover. And so, the long line of model-rocker marriages would remain intact, though the Mellencamps, who are still married, seem to have bucked the subsequent trend of model-rocker divorces that’ve hit the likes of Billy Joel, Paul McCartney, and Rod Stewart. 09.06: On this day in 1944, Roger Waters was born. Fortunately, there weren’t any floating pigs, walls, or dark sides of any moons in the delivery room. Those would come later when Roger and his little band that could, Pink Floyd, took over the world.
To learn more about this program, visit hardrockhotelchicago.com.
Check it out, y'all. Chickenfoot recently stopped by Hard Rock Cafe New York do donate a guitar signed by all the guys in the band. The guitar will be part of an upcoming charity event. What's that you say? Don't know who Chickenfoot is? Just one of your everyday, run-of-the-mill supergroups. Check this out to see who's in the band: http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/photo//090817/482/0f5a8e2fa10142c299ceda4f9e06c3b8/
Last night, at Hard Rock Live Orlando, the Ambassadors of Rock worldwide tour touched down for an exhilarating gig by O.A.R., who brought their road-tested sound to a packed house. The guys in the band even took time out to donate some items, including a setlist, a drumhead, and a cymbal (all signed by each member), to Hard Rock's ever-growing collection of music memorabilia. Even better, though, is the fact that the entire evening also raised money for Global Angels, one of Hard Rock's favorite charities.
Indie singer/songwriter Brett Dennen opened the show with his signature pop/folk sound, getting the audience warmed up and moving. Brett's laid back style makes the whole music thing seem easy, but looks are deceiving, of course, because it's not easy being that good. Brett was in the zone, as always.
O.A.R., which stands for Of A Revolution, by the way, came out charging, opening their monster set with a reggae-tinged island vibe that immediately got the house moving. From there, the party never stopped, even when it slowed down a bit for a more intimate, slightly mellower run of songs. O.A.R. stormed through a plethora of material (they have a lot, ya know) and gave the crowd just what it needed: good times, great songs, and yet another excellent Ambassadors Of Rock show.
Were you at this show? If you were and you snapped some pics, head on over the the Ambassadors of Rock Photo Stash to upload them and share them with the world. Do it. Do it now.
Show your commitment to breast cancer awareness this October by celebrating Pinktober, Hard Rock's campaign for breast cancer awareness. Hard Rock Cafes and Hotels everywhere are hosting Pinktober parties and live music events, raising awareness and money for local, national, and international charities. Hard Rock Hotel Bali announces the launch of its Pinktober events through an online auction of a Kelly Slater-signed surfboard, sales of a collectable Pinktober T-shirt, as well as a “Pink For A Cure” Cocktail at Centerstage. Proceeds will benefit The Indonesian Cancer Foundation and other local cancer charities.
Kelly Slater is an American professional surfer known for his competitive prowess and style. Slater has been crowned ASP World Champion a record 9 times, including 5 consecutive titles from 1994–98. He is the youngest (at age 20) and the oldest (at age 36) to win the title and is the most successful.
Slater has signed this collector’s item surfboard, generously donated by Quiksilver Indonesia to support breast cancer awareness and research. Bidding begins in October, so check back at Hard Rock Hotel Bali's website to bid and to help support breast cancer research. You might also get on Kelly's good side. You know you want to.
HARD ROCK HOTEL BALIANNOUNCES “PINKTOBER” MONTHInitiatives throughout the Month of September - OctoberTo Benefit Breast Cancer Research
Kelly Slater signed Surfboard, Quiksilver Limited-Edition Collectable, Hard Rock Merchandise and “Pink For A Cure” Cocktail to Raise Funds to Helping Stop Breast Cancer
Show your commitment to breast cancer awareness this October by celebrating Pinktober. Hard Rock Hotel Bali announces the launch of its Pinktober efforts to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research through an online auction from a Kelly Slater-signed surfboard, sales of a collectable Pinktober T-shirt, as well as a “Pink For A Cure” Cocktail at Centerstage. Proceeds will benefit The Indonesian Cancer Foundation and other local cancer charities.
Kelly Slater
Slater has signed this collector’s item surfboard generously donated by Quiksilver Indonesia to supportbreast cancer awareness and research.
About The Indonesian Cancer Foundation
PARTY THE NIGHT AWAY HARD ROCK-STYLEFLAME BAR, LEVEL 2, CITY OF DREAMSThis Saturday Night ¦ 29 August 2009 ¦ 9pm till late
Time to show off your body before summer’s over! Come and groove with our guest DJ and bikini clad dancers at Hard Rock Hotel Macau. There will be cool summer cocktails, prize giveaways and complimentary drinks for players. Get a group of friends together and come party with us Hard Rock-style.
We've been listening to a lot of incendiary blues around the Memorabilia department this week, as we remember Stevie Ray Vaughan - who died in a helicopter crash 19 years ago this week. Stevie’s death was incredibly depressing and a total shock. Having recently kicked a long-time drug habit, he was at a personal and professional peak. It just seemed so damn unfair. The man they called “Guitar Hurricane” had somehow managed to inject the tried-and-true blues licks, that every guitarist had beaten into the ground, with a level of fire and enthusiasm that made them seem so fresh and vital. His talent bordered on the supernatural. 19 years ago, Stevie played a triumphant gig at the Alpine Valley Music Theater in Wisconsin with Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, and his brother Jimmie (what a gig!). After the show, he boarded a helicopter for a flight to Chicago. Almost immediately upon takeoff, the chopper slammed into a nearby ski slope, killing Stevie and four other occupants. He was only 35 years old. Take a minute to imagine what he could have given the music world over the last two decades. We've got a few wonderful pieces of memorabilia from his short life, but this Maori fishhook necklace is our favorite. Stevie wore it almost constantly in the '80s, and any Vaughn fan will recognize it immediately. We've also got a setlist from a show he did with Jeff Beck in 1989. For more from our Stevie collection, visit our interactive memorabilia website. Now go put on Texas Flood and turn it up to 11 - that's the best way to remember Stevie Ray.