Reunion Blues Backstage Banter

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Category Archives: RB News

Justin Meldal-Johnson & Reunion Blues Gig Bags Unite

If you’ve heard any popular rock/pop music for the past decade then you’ve probably heard Justin Meldal-Johnson. This session bassist, producer and songwriter has worked with Beck, Garbage, The Mars Volta, Courtney Love, Ladytron, The Foo Fighters and Nine Inch Nails. Today marks the release of “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming” from the French band M83 which he co-wrote and produced.

Reunion Blues is proud to have him as part of the family and even more proud that he uses our gig bags to protect his instruments.

Check out Justin Meldal-Johnsons artist page here.

 

Reunion Blues Signs Buddy Guy as Artist Endorser

Thats right folks. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and legendary blues guitarist, Buddy Guy, is now an official artist endorser of Reunion Blues bags and cases. This five time Grammy winner is one of the chief guitar influences to rock icons like Hendrix, Clapton, Beck and Vaughan. At the age of 72, he appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone as part of the magazine’s 100 Greatest Guitar Songs package. And now he proudly protects his guitars with Reunion Blues gig bags and cases.

Click here for Buddy Guy’s bio page with videos!

John Maher (Marketing Dir.) & Buddy Guy with his Reunion Blue Guitar Bag

Welcome Famous Blues Guitarist Ric Hall to the Family

Join Reunion Blues in welcoming one of the best musician’s to come out of Chicago, Ric Hall, to our artist endorser family. He currently tours and performs all over the world with Buddy Guy and has performed in the past with BB King, Albert King, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Carlos Santana, Jeff Beck and many more.

As a constant traveling musician, Ric Hall relies on one gig bag to see him through and Reunion Blues fits that bill. Now we are proud to have him apart of the family. Check out Ric Hall’s Reunion Blues Artist Page Here!

This Flights For You…

A question we often get asked by our customers about our new RB Continental line of cases is, “Can I carry this on a plane?” Now, being able to carry on your case or having to check it is variable upon the airline but thankfully we have first hand accounts of how the RB Continental Case performed in both areas.

Brett on His Way to His Flight

First up our own sales guru, Brett, had to take a trip back to his homeland of Colorado. Lucky for him he was able to land himself a gig while he was there which meant he had to take his semi-hollow body guitar with him. He decided to check his guitar with the airline inside his very own RB Continental guitar case. Click here to read about Brett’s RB Continental Case success story.

Just recently one of our own dealers, Cream City Music, had one of their guitar teachers travel from Milwaukee to Brooklyn for a gig. He took his RB Continental Acoustic Dreadnought Case for the journey and he ended up being able to carry-on the case. Click here to read about Cream City Music’s RB Continental Case carry-on success story.

Reunion Blues & Laurence Juber

As far as contemporary guitar players go, you’ll be hard pressed to find a player with more feathers in his cap than Laurence Juber. And those are some big, bright feathers. Laurence has done it all. He is the former lead guitarist for Paul McCartney and Wings, Alan Parsons Project, Carly Simon and too many other top stars to mention here.

Laurence Juber, now and then!

He has his own Laurence Juber signature model C.F. Martin Acoustic guitar OMC-LJ. He is a world renowned fingerpicking expert, composer, arranger and all around guitar virtuoso.  He composed and performed music for Ken Burn’s follow up baseball documentary film The Tenth Inning.  And he has recently completed LJ Plays The Beatles Vol. 2. These are just a few of his achievements and accomplishments in a hugely successful career.

And who does Laurence turn to for gig bags and cases for his prized guitars? Reunion Blues, of course! When I asked him about his squadron of Reunion Blues gig bags, he commented:

“I am indeed well-equipped with your bags, with my first purchased at Manny’s Music on 48th St in NYC in 1978.”

The Juber Squadron

Laurence sent us this photo of his Reunion Blues gig bags and cases titled: En Route to a Session (I bet that was one heck of a session!  He added:

“As a traveling musician, I appreciate the value of a well-designed and functional gig bag. There are certainly some competitive alternative products in the marketplace, but none have the consistency of style, ‘fit’ and ‘finish’ that I associate with Reunion Blues.”

When asked about traveling with his guitars, he offered this comment which may be even more impressive than our famous drop test from the top of a 3-story building:

“I’ve been happy with the Reunion Blues Continental for my Les Paul and have checked it as baggage with no concerns.”

Laurence was one of the first people we showed our new RB prototypes to at the 2011 NAMM show. Here is what he had to say:

“The suede finish prototype bag at NAMM was cool – I particularly liked the zippered flap over the outside pocket.”

We are obviously thrilled to have Laurence as an official Reunion Blues artist endorser. To learn more about one of the most exciting guitar players of our time, just go to laurencejuber.com. Enjoy with amazement!

John 5 Endorses Reunion Blues

We are pleased to welcome John 5 as our latest Reunion Blues artist.
John 5 has had an extremely diverse career – whether that be as a solo artist or working as part of a band, or as a guest or session musician for another artist.
With a list of work that includes KD Lang, Meatloaf, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie and with artists such as Ricky Martin and Lynrd Skynrd in between, John 5 is certainly one of the more underrated artists due to his diversity and sheer technical brilliance as a guitarist.
John 5
John5
His stage name was bestowed on him in 1998 when he joined industrial metal group Marilyn Manson as their guitarist, taking over from Zim Zum. He is currently the guitarist for Rob Zombie.
See his web site HERE.

Newbie NAMM Notes

Reunion Blues and Bentley at NAMM 2011
Wow! The only word to describe my virgin experience at the 2011 NAMM show in Anaheim last month. From the amazing sights and sounds of the show, to the extensive array of new products on the floor, to the excitement of the vendors and dealers, to the celebrities and rock stars roaming the halls…it was a truly fantastic happening! At the Reunion Blues booth, we not only had prototypes of the new Reunion Blues Continental cases, we also parked a $250,000 Bentley Continental car right in the booth. The prestige of Reunion Blues and Bentley go hand in hand, and the similar positioning of the Continental line within each brand name is perfectly parallel.

Everywhere I went the mood was upbeat, the energy level high and the reaction to new products was enthusiastic. I believe this is a very good indicator, not only for the musical instrument and accessories business, but for the whole economy. Most dealers had a good holiday season and want to keep the momentum going. Regardless of their musical tastes, most attendees were ready to “Rock On!” into the new year.

The Reunion Blues Continental cases were a smashing success. Both the existing models and the new prototypes created a big buzz. The expanded Band & Orchestra line including Cornet, Flugelhorn, Trombone (coming soon) and Euphonium cases will help our dealers fill a demand gap. The Violin, Banjo, Mandolin and Ukulele cases will also be very popular with the string players when they are available in a couple of months.

In the Kaces and Strukture booth, the Puck 3” drum practice pad had everyone testing their accuracy with the sticks and the new Strukture lightweight aluminum keyboard stands were lifted more than a newborn baby.
My favorite non-Ace product was the ZT Lunchbox amp. As a guitar player who is not getting any younger, I’m always looking for less weight and more portability. And they had a pretty kicking sound too. The ZT amp might be on next year’s wish list for under the holiday tree.

And, as a first timer, I have to mention a few celebrity sightings. Stevie Wonder stopped the traffic as he walked through and Glen Campbell seemed to be the nicest guy in the world as several people wanted to shake his hand…and, of course, he obliged. Even Fifi Larue added some excitement as he is still out there trying to make the big time as a heavy metal clown. You may laugh but you gotta respect his persistence. Laurence Juber of Paul McCartney and Wings fame, and more recently as a guitar fingerpicking expert, stopped in the Reunion Blues booth to express love for his 5 (count ‘em 5!) Reunion Blues gig bags and his desire for one of the new prototypes.
And the southern California weather in January was really nice too! Can’t wait ’til next year!