Barlow Girl

Composite Acoustics has been working with Becca Barlow "officially" since the first of the year and during that time we have had several phone conversations and e-mails with Becca Barlow, Vince Barlow (Father/Manager) and their Record Label regarding a custom painted guitar Becca had in mind. After many months, that day finally came and I took off to Knoxville Tennessee last Thursday to hand deliver this guitar to Becca personally. One hour into my trip I encountered a little problem and quickly realized I had a flat. Thankfully the rain had subsided and I was able to get it fixed in time to meet them prior to a video interview and their performance that night with Thousand Foot Krutch and Toby Mac. I arrived in just enough time to literally drive back stage and unload the guitar and jump on board their bus to show Becca what she had been anticipating.

Make sure you catch Barlow Girl performing live in concert and be sure to listen to the instructions during their show to enter by text messaging during the show to enter to win this very guitar I delivered to her and that she will be performing with during this fall tour. Here are the dates.

10.03.07
Cullman, AL
Cullman Fairgrounds
Details
10.05.07
Chattanooga, TN
Chattanooga Memorial Auditorium
Details
10.06.07
Cincinnati, OH
Landmark Church
Details
10.07.07
Columbus, OH
Grove City Church of the Nazarene
Details
10.11.07
Worcester, MA
Palladium
Details
10.12.07
Portland, ME
Portland Expo Center
Details
10.13.07
E. Rutherford, NJ
Continental Airlines Arena
Details
10.14.07
Albany, NY
Washington Avenue Armory
Details
10.18.07
Ft. Wayne, IN
Grand Wayne Convention Center
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10.19.07
E. Lansing, MI
Wharton Center
Details
10.20.07
Bloomington, IL
Braden Auditorium
Details
10.21.07
Des Moines, IA
Val-Air Ballroom
Details
10.25.07
Milwaukee, WI
Oak Creek Assembly
Details
10.26.07
Spencer, IA
Clay County Regional Event Center
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10.27.07
Duluth, MN
Denfeld High School Auditorium
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10.28.07
Minot, ND
Minot Municipal Auditorium
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11.01.07
Little Rock, AR
Church at Rock Creek
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11.02.07
Salina, KS
Bicentennial Center
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11.03.07
Dodge City, KS
Dodge City Civic Center
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11.04.07
Oklahoma City, OK
Bethany First Church of the Nazarene
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11.09.07
Tulsa, OK
Victory Christian Center
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11.10.07
Houston, TX
Berry Center
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11.11.07
Hattiesburg, MS
Forrest County Multi Purpose Center
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12.14.07
Nashville, TN
Allen Arena/Lipscomb University
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Needtobreathe

I met with Bear and Bo Rinehart who are brothers and the guitar playersvocalists in the band Needtobreathe. I've known and worked with these guys for several years and it was good to see all of them again. It was also nice to see their reaction to the GX which Bear used that night and has with him to this day. If you don't have their new CD entitled "The Heat", do your self a favor and rush out and get it. It's been a long time since I listened to a whole CD and liked every song! Yea, I haven't said that in a long time! Watch for big things to happen for these guys this year. Check out their webpage at www.needtobreathe.net

While en route to a show in Knoxville Tennessee, I learned of the death of Patrick Borque who was the bass player for Emerson Drive. Patrick Bourque died suddenly last night at his home in Canada. His body is at a hospital at this time and no official details have been made available as to the circumstances surrounding his death. The brothers of Emerson Drive are shocked and grieving. Patrick was the band’s bass player until he resigned in August. He had been living and working in Canada since leaving Emerson Drive. You will be missed "HOLLYWOOD."

RED

Anthony Armstrong, guitar player for the band RED, and I got together this week for a couple hours to discuss his custom GX. I don't want to give it away at this point, but it should be really cool and just in time for him to recieve by all of us on November 7 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. You will all be able to view Anthony performing with his GX. I don't want to let anything slip just yet, but stay tuned, it's going to be very cool!

Make sure you check out RED on tour with Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin and Seether.

www.redmusiconline.com

Oct 4 2007
8:00P
Harrah’s Casino-Voodoo Lounge
Maryland Heights, Missouri
Oct 5 2007
6:30P
The Loft
Madison, Wisconsin
Oct 6 2007
9:00P
The Rock Box
Rockford, Illinois
Oct 7 2007
8:00P
The Intersection- main room
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Oct 12 2007
11:00P
The Machine Shop
Flint, Michigan
Oct 13 2007
8:00P
Harpo’s Music Hall w/Seether
Detroit, Michigan
Oct 14 2007
7:00P
House of Blues w/Seether
Cleveland, Ohio
Oct 15 2007
7:30P
House of Blues w/Seether
Chicago, Illinois
Oct 26 2007
7:00P
Convention Hall w/3DG, Breaking Benjamin, Seether
Ashbury Park, New Jersey
Oct 27 2007
7:00P
Utica Memorial Auditorium W/ TDG Breaking Benjamin and Seether
Utica, New York
Oct 28 2007
8:00P
Cumberland County Civic Center w/3DG, Breaking Benjamin, Seether
Portland, Maine
Oct 30 2007
8:00P
Agri-Center on the Fairgrounds w/3DG,Breaking Benjamin,Seether
Hamburg, New York
Oct 31 2007
8:00P
Allen County War Coliseum w/3DG,Breaking Benjamin,Seether
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Nov 2 2007
8:00P
Sandy Superstore Arena w/3DG,Breaking Benjamin,Seether
Huntington, West Virginia
Nov 3 2007
8:00P
LittleJohn Coliseum w/3DG,Breaking Benjamin,Seether
Clemson, South Carolina
Nov 4 2007
8:00P
UTC McKenzie Arena w/3DG,Breaking Benjamin,Seether
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Nov 6 2007
8:00P
Bancorp South Center w/3DG,Breaking Benjamin,Seether
Tupelo, Mississippi
Nov 7 2007
8:00P
Baton Rouge River Center w/3DG,Breaking Benjamin,Seether
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Nov 9 2007
8:00P
Cox Center w/3DG,Breaking Benjamin,Seether
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Nov 10 2007
7:00P
Bell County Expo Center w/3DG, BB, Seether
Belton, Texas
Nov 11 2007
8:00P
Nokia Live w/3DG, Breaking Benjamin, Seether
Dallas, Texas
Nov 13 2007
8:00P
Relient Arena w/3DG,Breaking Benjamin,Seether
Houston, Texas
Nov 14 2007
8:00P
Mississippi Coast Coliseumw/3DG,Breaking Benjamin,Seether
Biloxi, Mississippi
Nov 16 2007
8:00P
House of Blues w/3DG
North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Nov 17 2007
8:00P
The Tabernacle w/3DG
Atlanta, Georgia
Nov 18 2007
8:00P
The Norva w/3DG
Norfolk, Virginia
Jan 20 2008
10:00P
RAGE FESTIVAL
Phoenix, Arizona

Building 429

Dove Award-winning Word recording artist Building 429 wraps a summer of non-stop event and festival appearances, moving on to an even busier fall touring season. The band will be a featured artist on the fall 2007 SHOUTfest tour in addition to co-headlining two other national tours. With major appearances this summer including Luis Palau’s Heartland Festival, the Franklin Graham NY Penn Festival, and KLTY’s Celebrate Freedom, as well as a national radio single and music video campaign for “You Carried Me,” Building 429 has hit the road on the fall 2007 SHOUTfest tour alongside Jeremy Camp, Jars of Clay, Pillar, Superchick, Shane & Shane, Bebo Norman, and The Afters, among others. This year’s SHOUTfest tour will stop in 20+ cities through November. For tour dates visit http://www.shoutfest.com/. Between SHOUTfest dates, the band will co-headline a national tour alongside INO/Columbia Records artist The Afters. This tour will additionally feature Gotee Records band StorySide:B as well as Word Records’ Jackson Waters. Lastly, Building 429 and worship phenomenon Aaron Shust will team up for a run of dates in November. A complete list of tour dates is available at www.building429.com.

To watch Building 429's new video entitled, "You Carried Me", click this link to watch Jason playing his GX.

http://www.youcarriedme.com/

Stay tuned for more live photos of Jason playing his custom Iris to Iris GX.

Charlie Major

Charlie Major has been a force in country music since the early 90s. However, after more than a decade in the business, Major is doing something in his career that he's never done before - he's wearing his heart on his sleeve and singing about his personal life. "Most of songs I've written have been about other people, or situations that other people were going through that I felt I could relate to. This time it came from my life, which is different for me," says the Juno and CCMA award-winner, “it's me who is standing naked now." “Shadows and Light,” Major's sixth album and first with Fifth Line Recordings, is primarily about the progression of one relationship. Songs such as That's When I Feel Loved cover the beginning of the love affair, True Love Street concentrates on the middle, and Already Gone, There's No Easy Way To Say Goodbye and A Better World deal with the breakup. "I felt compelled to do it. It was a therapeutic thing that just unfolded on its own," Major says of the album he co-produced with Jason Barry. Major wrote all eleven tracks, and the raw emotion really does shine through. This is one of his most riveting and heart-felt albums to date. Major even questioned the inclusion of his final track Mandy, because it was too personal: "It's my honesty and my truth and at the end of the day, so in the end I decided that it belongs there," Even the songs that don't deal with relationships come from the heart. Major wrote the inspirational You'll See Angels to lift the spirits of a friend who was dying in the hospital. "Writing the song came very easily, but it was difficult to write emotionally." Major was able to play the song for his late friend before he died, which in Major’s eyes, made it all worth it. The title track Shadows and Light was inspired by one of Major's brothers. "We've been through a lot together. We used to live together and we've had some falling outs and making up. This song is dedicated to everyone in life who forgives you, and lets things go, and who won’t abandon you, no matter what." The track was also one of the few songs Major didn't write at his home just outside of Ottawa. He got the idea on a plane and ended up writing the first draft on his boarding pass. The spark for the first single, Young at Heart, which features Kim Mitchell, also came from his family. While celebrating his 79th birthday, Major's father admitted that he still felt 18 in his mind. That comment along with some gentle teasing from his own children to ‘act his age’, is all Major needed to pen this rockin' hit. With such a strong collection of emotional songs, Major is sure to add some more awards to his collection - a collection which already includes three Junos for Male Vocalist of the Year (1993, 1994, 1995) and seven Canadian Country Music Awards. Major's debut album “The Other Side” is the only album in Canadian history to have six #1 songs. Discography The Other Side (1995) - Double PlatinumLucky Man (1996) � PlatinumEverything's Alright (1997) � Gold444 (2000)Inside Out (2004)Shadows and Light (2006)

Below is an e-mail I received from Charlie regarding the Bluegrass he is presently performing live with.

Hey Bruce...... I have been playing the guitar for the past three weeks on stage and it's just an amazing instument. I don't know if it's some kind of magic spell on it but it's hard to put it down. Even after the shows in the hotel room I find myself taking it out and playing it for hours on end. It just seems to fit like a glove, so comfortable and a great balanced sound all across the strings and finger board. I've been letting everyone I meet try it out and they are all equally impressed. Can't thank you enough for getting it to me.

all my best to you and yours Charlie Major

Marcel

Marcel and I got together earlier this morning in down town Nashville for him to check out our GX. I have known Marcel for many years and these are some very exciting times for him.

After 3 years of perseverance a famed producer Marty Williams (Rascal Flatts, Josh Gracin) called Marcel up and asked him if he would like to take another swing at making a new record. He thought "gee, let me think.SURE!" Marty and Marcel began to work on the set up to present him to the hottest label in town.LYRIC STREET RECORDS. It was then when Randy Goodman and Doug Howard accepted him with arms wide open to give him the chance to again make his dreams come true. Marcel signed with LYRIC STREET roughly a couple months ago and they are in the studop recording his new record. Because Marcel had ample time to write over the last 3 years they were prepared with all of the songs. The only problem is.which it's a good problem to have. is that they are having a difficult time deciding which tunes to record. They have narrowed it down to 20, only being able to record 11 or 12. Marcel has decided to put One Big Church and Hollywood Cowboy up on his MySpace page for everyone to get a preview of what to expect. They are master recording from the forthcoming new record. Go to http://www.myspace.com/marcelchagnon and take a listen.

Passing of Hughie Thomasson

I was sad to hear this morning that Hughie Thomasson, who I worked with during his days in Lynyrd Skynyrd up to when he left the band to start "The Outlaws", passed away Sunday night from a heart attack. You will be missed Hughie!

2007 Canada's Guitar Player Of The Year

Composite Acoustics endorsee, Jason Barry, has won 2007 Guitar Player Of The Year in Canada. Congratulations Jason, 2 years in a row! Listed are Jason's other awards and nominations.

CCMA Guitar player of the Year 2006*CCMA Backup Band of the Year 1996*,1998,1999,2000,2001,2003,2004,2005*CCMA Independant Group of the Year 1999*OCPFA Songwriter of the Year 2000*OCPFA Musician of the Year 2002,2003*OCMA Songwriter of the Year 1999*Houstin Globe Award 2006* Houstin Globe Award 2006*Houstin Globe Award 2007*Houstin Globe Award 2007*CCMA Guitar Player of the Year 1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,CCMA Songwriter of the Year 1996,1998,2000,2002CCMA Producer of the Year 2002,2003,2004,2005CCMA SOCAN Song of the Year 1999,2000,2002CCMA Special Instrument of the Year 2001,2002

Artist Relations Report

Stay tuned to the all new CA-ARTIST-RELATIONS Blog.