Michael Jackson's Kids Are Well Adjusted, Passionate About Entertainment

JSN Photography, WireImage

If what People reports is true, nothing short of a miracle is going down in Southern California: Michael Jackson's three children are growing up happy and well adjusted.

Two and a half years after their famously eccentric father died, sources tell the magazine, MJ's kids are keeping up with school work while pursuing interests in entertainment. Paris, 13, was recently cast in the film 'Lundon's Bridge and the Three Keys,' while Prince, 14, and Blanket (real name: Prince Michael II), 9, are looking to get behind the camera.

"Prince and Blanket want to be directors," the musician Genevieve told People. "They make home movies together and recruit their cousins to act in them."

Philip 'Fatis' Burrell Dead: Influential Reggae Producer Suffers Fatal Heart Attack

David Corio/Redferns

Philip "Fatis" Burrell, an influential Jamaican music producer, died of a heart attack on Dec. 3, the New York Times reports. He was 57.

Burrell's legacy spans over 20 years of championing young and emerging artists from Jamaica. Among those that he managed and produced, Sanchez, Pinchers, Luciano and Sizzla stand out as some of the island country's strongest reggae acts to date.

Growing up in the Trenchtown section of Kingston, Burrell established himself as a hungry producer with his now-defunct label Lions and Kings in 1984. After the death of reggae patron saint Bob Marley, dancehall music began to take hold of Jamaican radio. Burrell was insistent to keep the roots of his country's music alive, and continued to employ session musicians while contemporary Jamaican music grew more and more electronic-based. By the late '80s, the producer had founded the Xterminator label which remains as a true showcase of the island's talent.

1 Things You Might Not Know About Joe Bonamassa

No one could accuse Joe Bonamassa of not staying busy. This year alone, the guitar sensation has released three albums—a solo disc titled Dust Bowl; a group album titled 2, with Black Country Communion; and a duet album of soul classics, titled Don’t Explain, with acclaimed singer Beth Hart. Amazingly, as recently as last fall, some scribes were still calling Bonamassa “the best living guitarist you’ve never heard of.” Guitar aficionados--and Gibson players, in particular—know better, and in fact many have delved into the details of Bonamassa’s life in music thus far. Still, we found a few tidbits that might have escaped all but the most dedicated followers.

How to Fake it Like Eddie Van Halen: Symmetrical Scales

Symmetrical scales are one of the most fun – and easiest to wrap your head around – ways of making harmonically interesting music without having to spend 10 years at music school (although if you can afford to spend 10 years at music school, please do, then tell me all about it so I may live vicariously though you, ’cos that sounds rad!). Two very well known exponents of the symmetrical scale are Eddie Van Halen and Dimebag Darrell. Darrell was quite open about borrowing the idea from Eddie, whose most famous example of the technique can be heard on his solo to “Ice Cream Man” from Van Halen’s self-titled debut. Eddie’s “Ice Cream Man” solo starts in the key of the song but quickly evolves into a bizarre, out-there-sounding tumble through cascading note flurries.
So what is a symmetrical scale, and how does it help you to rock? Well, it’s simply a “fake” scale made up of repeating the same fret pattern on each string. That is to say: playing a symmetrical pattern on each string. It’s not really a scale in the traditional sense, since it actually incorporates fragments of all sorts of different “real” scales.
A word of caution before we go any further: some of the coolest-sounding symmetrical scales can involve very wide fretboard stretches, so make sure that you warm up your hands first. And for maximum rock power and ergonomic freedom, point your guitar headstock skyward to better align your hand with your fretboard. Seriously, don’t do this stuff until you’re warmed up.

Gibson to Give Away 4 Les Pauls in November on Facebook

Just in time for the holidays, Gibson is giving away four Les Paul Studio Swirl guitars on its official Facebook page.
To enter November’s Guitar Giveaway Sweepstakes, simply visit Gibson’s official Facebook page, click on the “Contests” tab on the left side of the page, and fill out the required information.
A popular new edition to the Studio series, the Les Paul Studio Swirl made its debut in March 2011 and became an instant blockbuster, thanks to its outstanding value and four stunning finishes (Silver Swirl Burst, Green Swirl Burst, Blue Swirl and Gold Swirl).
Be sure to also “Like” Gibson on Facebook for daily updates, music news, new product announcements and tons of fun!

Ozzy Osbourne Leads Tributes to Zakk Wylde at January ‘Roast’

Ozzy Osbourne will lead a parade of rockers “roasting” his long-time friend and former guitarist Zakk Wylde in January. The party will be held at Guitar World magazine’s inaugural “rock ‘n’ roll roast” taking place on January 19, at the Grove in Anaheim, California, as part of the NAMM music trade show.
“A raucous night of comedy, charity and chaos is planned,” organizers said about the event. A portion of the proceeds will go to the MusiCares charity, which provides a safety net of critical assistance when music people are in need.
Wylde was working in a gas station when he got the gig in Ozzy Osbourne’s band two decades ago. He’s gone on to huge solo success with his own Black Label Society.
“Roastmaster” Sharon Osbourne reckons “my boy needs a good kicking.” And joining in will be Ozzy, Chris Jericho, Anthrax’s Scott Ian, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Slipknot’s Corey Taylor.
“How can they roast me? I’m a good Catholic boy…” responded Wylde after hearing he was to be the first victim of this annual event.

Rod Stewart Faces Reunion Question

With ’70s band the Faces to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next year, original singer Rod Stewart has spoken about possibly re-joining his old colleagues for a show or two.
Stewart told Rolling Stone, “Oh, yeah! I’d love it. If they’re all available I’ll definitely make myself available.”
The band also included guitarist Ronnie Wood, keyboardist Ian McLagan, drummer Kenney Jones and late bassist Ronnie Lane.
“It’s something that I would want to do, but it’s getting a commitment from Ronnie [Wood] who is hanging onto what the Stones are going to do. He’ll suddenly say, ‘Hey, let’s tour next week!’ I’ll say, ‘Hold on Ronnie, I've got commitments! I’ve got commitments for the next year.’
“If we all sat around and said, ‘Let’s do it next summer, or let’s do it for charity’ or whatever reason, I would do it. It’s not totally ruled out.”

The Darkness Return to America

The Darkness recording in Nashville may seem crazy, but it is happening.
The reformed U.K. hard rockers are busy working on their third album and frontman Justin Hawkins tells Rolling Stone that they have their swagger back. “For every person that loved us another person hated us. That used to annoy us, but now it turns us on again,” Hawkins says of the band’s love/hate reputation. The Darkness return to North America early in 2012, for a brief tour starting February 1 in Toronto.
Before that, they head to Nashville to record some extra tracks and to add polish on the upcoming, unnamed album. “I doubt there’ll be pedal steel, but I’m definitely not averse to it because I love that sound,” Hawkins says. “But I think it’s a great place to go anyway just to spend some time there.”
Of new songs, Hawkins adds. “There’s one called ‘I Can’t Believe it’s Not Love,’ and I suppose it’s the nearest equivalent the new set of songs has to ‘Friday Night’ or something like that. It’s an acoustic-y, swing-y one with a massive guitar solo in the middle. Then there’s another song called ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us,’ which has been in the set for a while. There are probably seven or eight tracks we’ve actually done live, all of which will make it onto the record probably.”

Jimi Hendrix Park to Open in Seattle

Guitar great Jimi Hendrix will be honored next year when the Jimi Hendrix Memorial Park opens in his hometown of Seattle.
According to NME.com, the park will cover 2.5 acres and be in the shape of a guitar and feature “lyrical stepping stones, rain drums, a sculpted butterfly garden, performance area, sound garden and a green space” and a fretboard-shaped bridge.
The park has been financed by donations from Jimi’s sister Janie Hendrix, the Parks and Green Spaces Opportunity Fund and the Neighborhood Matching Fund Award in Seattle.

Jimi Hendrix died in London in 1970. He was just 27.

Jason Newsted Joins Metallica at Anniversary Concert

This week, Metallica are hosting a series of concerts to celebrate their 30^th anniversary as a band. At Monday night’s kick-off show at the Fillmore in San Francisco, they brought out a number of special guests, including former bassist Jason Newsted, according to Rolling Stone.
Frontman James Hetfield announced Newsted as “someone who lived with us, and toured with us and did stuff with us for 14 years.” Newsted then played “Harvester of Sorrow” with the band, including his replacement Robert Trujillo. Afterward, Hetfield begged Newsted to stay for another song, and he and the band played “Damage Inc.”
Other guests at Monday night’s concert included host/comedian Jim Breuer, members of Diamond Head, John Marshall from Metal Church, Apocolyptica and Soul Rebels.

Bass-ically: A Brief History of Gibson Basses

Gibson produced its first electric bass guitar – the EB-1 – in 1953. With a shape that was inspired by upright basses and with false f-holes painted onto the body (decades before Paul Gilbert used the idea), the EB-1 was a rather simple instrument with a solid mahogany body, raised pickguard, and a 30.5” scale neck. It was a particularly “bassy” sounding bass, with its single pickup butted right up against the neck for maximum low end. It further distinguished itself from the early electric basses of the time with the addition of a telescopic end pin, easing the transition for upright players to the new electric instrument.
Although the EB-1 was innovative, it wasn’t until 1958 with the introduction of the EB-2 – featuring a shape reminiscent of its companion six-string, the ES-335 electric guitar – that Gibson really started to forge an identity as a bass company. The EB-2 initially shared the same pickup placement as the EB-1, and soon the model was augmented with a “Baritone Button,” a pushbutton for alternating between a deep, bassy rumble or a more midrange-present voice.