Joe Bonamassa has reported on Facebook that he is currently writing for the next album. New studio album is due for release in May. Recording sessions start next week in Las Vegas with Kevin Shirley. 2012 marks Joe’s seventh year working with the legendary Kevin Shirley. More details to come! Next month Joe’s live at the Beacon DVD will be released. Make sure you pre-order and get it before the street date!

Here it is folks! The OFFICIAL trailer is out the Beacon DVD! The Beacon DVD is due out for release on March 27th… that’s a little less than two months away. Incase you forgot, it will be coming out on BluRay as well. Trailer looks fabulous, just an odd fact – the confetti dropped on night two, not night one! Enjoy…

Also – you can order the DVD/BluRay today! Click here and follow the link to the Joe Store!

At the Seymour Duncan booth at NAMM this past weekend, Joe got to play two blues tunes with the one and only Seymour Duncan. Not did he only jam with him, but we also learned that Seymour Duncan is releasing signature pickups. The Joe Bonamassa Signature Pickups from Seymour Duncan will be a Guitar Center near you in the soon to come future. Above we have Joe Bonamassa on the left and Seymour on the right. You can also see Len Bonamassa in the background. Joe jammed out on his Gibson, while Seymour played his Fender Telecaster.

Joe Bonamassa Signature Seymour Duncan Pickups

The Joe Bonamassa Signature dual-humbucker set accurately replicates the P.A.F. pickups in Joe’s beloved 1959 sunburst Les Paul®. Their rich, dynamic, and nuanced voice will appeal to all tone connoisseurs who cherish the passion and power of the original humbucker. Wound on the historic Leesona machine that created humbuckers for Gibson back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, the set features an Alnico 2 magnet in the neck pickup and Alnico 3 in the bridge. Period-correct butyrate bobbins, lightly antiqued nickel covers, wooden spacer, and retro-style “Bonamassa” P.A.F. stickers heighten the vintage vibe. Only 1,959 Custom Shop sets will be sold. Each will be hand signed by Seymour Duncan and Joe Bonamassa and include a special USB flash drive with video interviews, special features, and more.

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Joe was at NAMM this past weekend. While at the Gibson booth, he unveiled the new signature Paul Kossoff Les Paul. About two years ago, Joe got to play Paul’s original 59’ Les Paul. From that moment on, Joe has been part of the design process. In the video, Joe compares the signature LP to the real deal, they are dead on! What an honor for Joe to be part of such an amazing experience.

Due out for release on March 27th is a new album from Tommy Bolin and friends. Joe plays with Black Country Communion bandmate Glenn Hughes on a track titled Lotus. Other artists featured on the CD include Peter Frampton, Warren Haynes, Myles Kennedy, Derek Trucks, Brad Whitford, Steve Lukather, and Sonny Landreth. With an allstar lineup like that, this is an album that can’t be missed.

1.  The Grind w/ Peter Frampton
2.  Teaser w/ Warren Haynes
3.  Dreamer w/ Myles Kennedy and Nels Cline
4.  Savannah Woman w/ John Scofield
5.  Smooth Fandango w/ Derek Trucks
6. People People w/ Big Sugar and Gordie Johnson
7. Wild Dogs w/ Brad Whitford
8. Homeward Strut w/ Steve Lukather
9. Sugar Shack w/ Glenn Hughes and Sonny Landreth
10. Crazed Fandango w/ Steve Morse
11. Lotus w/ Joe Bonamassa, Glenn Hughes and Nels Cline

Rock Guitar Daily had this to say about the new CD..

“I’ve just heard Lotus, a cut off of Great Gypsy Soul by Tommy Bolin and Friends, that features Glenn Hughes, Joe Bonamassa, and Nels Cline – 2012 is on it’s way to being amazing. The whole album is gonna blow some minds. Not out until March 27, but it’s good to have something to look forward to – Wow!!!”

So folks, there you have it, just another piece to add to Joe’s agenda for 2012. We’re not even out of January yet and it’s turning out to be a great year!

On Joe’s Planet Rock radio show , he said that he will be sitting in Dave Mason on a new release soon. Joe was invited to join in on the session. No other details are available as of now. I know many of you are fans of Dave Mason. Who wouldn’t be? Dave has played with plenty of legends such as Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, George Harrison, Fleetwood Mac, and Eric Clapton. He’s also known for his work with traffic and his successful solo career. We will update you as the news comes in!

Joe Bonamassa and John Hiatt performing together at the Beacon Theater back in November. Joe’s upcoming DVD, Live at The Beacon is due for release on March 27th on DVD and BluRay. Joe’s right hand man, Kevin Shirley, posted the picture above today on his Facebook page. Notice how Kevin also mentions BluRay! Both BluRay and DVD share the same release date. Kevin has just finished editing the live footage in Toronto. The final audio mix will be done this weekend. Make sure you’re following him on Facebook.

Carmine Rojas: Crossing Boundaries  (February 2012 Bass Player issue by FreddyVillano)

Carmine Rojas is the consummate bass sideman, and that’s not by accident. Over a career that has spanned four decades, the native New Yorker has laid tasty foundations for a long list of heavies that include Tina Turner, B.B. King, Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, Al Green, Herbie Hancock, David Bowie and Rod Stewart, for whom he served as musical direction from 1988 to 2003. Since 2005, Rojas been touring and recording with blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa, whose 2011 release Dust Bowl- as well as Don’t Explain, Bonamassa’s gritty soul collaboration with singer Beth Hart-Showcase Rojas’ ability to tap into a wealth of musical styles for any given gig. His secret? Respect, “If you’re going to do this and make it  a career, respect it. It’s very sacred. Where the information comes from is spiritual. You have to be above yourself and respect the flow of energy and where it comes from.

How’d you hook up with Joe Bonamassa?

I have to thank [producer] Kevin Shirley for piecing this together, because at first, I wasn’t sure about being in a blues band. I didn’t know if it was going to be interesting enough. Buy it’s not about playing “Sweet Home Chicago” until we’re blue in the face. I get to throw some 6/8 in there just to clever it up.

You worked with David Bowie on hits like “Let’s Dance” and “Modern Love,” and your bass line on “China Girl” is classic

Iggy Pop’s  original version of “China Girl” doesn’t even have a bass line. The day before we cut that song, the Rolling Stones’ “Under My Thumb” was on the radio. Brian Jones’ great vibraphone part has the same chord changes as “China Girl” –E to D to C. That’s where my bass line comes from.

What prepared you to be a musical director for Rod Stewart?

I learned a lot Carlos Alomar, David Bowie’s musical director for many years, who took me under his wing. He would mix genres all the time, like Latin with Rock. He’d say, “Let’s put [Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s 1888 symphonic suite] ‘Scheherazade’ in this punk thing.” I’d be like “You can do that?” and he would say “Year,Sure-Just turn the groove around.” As long as it was in the pocket, I could do whatever I wanted with Carlos. I was never Limited.

Ron Wood’s bass line on “Maggie May”: Masterpiece or mess?

[Laughs] You can her Woody messing around and missing the root notes; that’s a brilliant, walking/country-western line that he put in a little rock flair into. I added my own thing to it’s the kind of line you can mess around with. I would throw in an extra 3^rd somewhere or stay on the V chord for a while. I altered that line all the time.

What’s the difference between backing an icon like Rod Stewart and a guitar hero like Joe Bonamassa?

There isn’t really any difference, because I still play what I call “Across-the-boards” bass. Maybe with Joe I try to come up with more Andy Fraser-like parts, but I’m using the same spirit, the same techniques, the same aggressiveness, and I’ll add to it whatever I heard the day. My ipod stays on “Shuffle” all day long, and I play along with whatever comes on. If I hear something I like-even if it’s keyboards, horn parts and vocal lines-I try to figure it out and then us it in the show somewhere.

Gear:

Basses: Xotic XB Series 4 and 5-strings, Rig: Gallien Krueger Fusion 550 amp, Gallien Krueger Neo Series 4×12 cab, Strings: Ernie Ball Super Slinky (0.040 – .125), Other: Brace Audio digital wireless

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Joe’s live DVD recorded at the Beacon Theater in NYC is due out on March 27th. Both Beacon shows were recorded, featuring special guests Beth Hart, John Hiatt, and Paul Rodgers. From a recent exclusive interview with Classic Rock Magazine (issue 167), Joe unveiled the release date. 2012 is going to be a great year for Joe, a lot of great things are already in the works. Kudos to 2011, looking forward to 2012! Stay tuned over the next few days for more insider news about 2012.

Guitar World Magazine has recently released their listing of the top 15 blues and roots rock albums of the year. Joe Bonamassa is a former winner at Guitar World for various awards. He came in first place this year with his album Dust Bowl. Other finalists in the top 15  included Warren Haynes, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Johnny Winter, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Congrats are in order for Joe because  put out three killer albums in 2011 (Dust Bowl, BCC2, & Don’t Explain).  Looking forward to 2012! Read more at Guitar World.’