June 22, 2015

2015 Light Up the Blues Concert

Jim Bybee [Roland US] Artists autism, Autism Speaks, Education, Jack Black, Light It Up Blue, Light Up the Blues, Neil Young, Stephen Stills

Annual All-Star Show to Support Autism Awareness

Shawn Colvin, Stephen Stills, Jack Black, Neil Young, Steve Earle, and others at the 2015 Light Up the Blues concert (photo by Peggy Sirota).

On April 25, 2015, rock legends and top celebrities gathered for the third annual Light Up the Blues concert to raise awareness for autism. Held at the famous Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, the sold-out concert featured great musical performances by Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Shawn Colvin, Steve Earle, The White Buffalo, Chris Stills, and others. To cap off the evening, all the performers took the stage for a spirited rendition of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.”

Celebrities in attendance included Brad Pitt, Jack Black, Christina Applegate, Gary Cole, Amy Brenneman, and many more. Roland Corporation U.S. was also there to lend support, donating several musical instruments that were hand-signed by the performers and included in a silent auction to benefit Autism Speaks, the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization.

June 11, 2015

Roland U.S. Hosts Two VIP Showcase Events

Jim Bybee [Roland US] Artists, Industry AIRA, CenterStaging, JD-XA, modular, musikmesse, SIR, SY-300, TD-25, V-Drums

Exclusive Hands-On Product Events in New York and Burbank

Roland U.S. recently hosted two VIP Showcase events to promote its leading lineup of pro music gear, with a special spotlight on products newly unveiled at the 2015 Musikmesse in Frankfurt, Germany. Held at SIR in New York City and CenterStaging in Burbank, California, the invitation-only events were enjoyed by several hundred industry professionals, including leading musicians, producers, engineers, and prominent members of the music press.

June 1, 2015

Motobunny Performs for Roland Sessions

Roland U.S. Artists keyboards, Keytar, Motobunny, Roland Sessions

Single “Let’s Go Out” Getting U.S. Airplay

Motobunny

Motobunny is a brand-new, Icona-Pop-Meets-Iggy-Pop, American rock n’ roll band with two dynamic front women. Their song “Let’s Go Out” is currently making its way across the country on Sirius/XM and local radio stations. The band recently performed their song “Thinkin’ About Me” for Roland Sessions. Singer Christa Collins rocked a Roland JD-Xi Interactive Analog/Digital Crossover Synthesizer, and co-singer Nicole Laurenne jammed on a Roland AX-Synth in black sparkle finish. Check out the video on RTV.

January 22, 2015

New Eric Johnson Tone Capsule

Jim Bybee [Roland US] Artists, Product News amp, Blues Cube, EJ, Eric Johnson, guitar, tone, Tone Capsule

Mod Your Blues Cube Amp with EJ’s Signature Sounds

Eric Johnson’s style and sound are legendary in the guitar world, as is his meticulous pursuit of great tone. Now, Roland Blues Cube owners can infuse their amps with EJ’s expert tonal sensibilities via the Eric Johnson Tone Capsule. This user-installable circuit re-voices the Blues Cube Artist and Stage amps, changing the sound and response characteristics to provide custom voicings tuned and approved by Eric himself.

November 4, 2014

Percussionist Pete Korpela Looping on the OCTAPAD

Jim Bybee [Roland US] Artists, Tips & Tricks drums, electronics, Josh Groban, looping, Octapad, pad, Percussion, Sampling, SPD-30 0 Comments

Video Demo: How to Use the SPD-30’s Onboard Phrase Looper

Pete Korpela on stage with Roland’s OCTAPAD SPD-30.

Percussionist Pete Korpela seems to be everywhere these days, heavily in demand as a touring sideman and studio session player with artists like Josh Groban, Robbie Williams, and Melody Gardot, to name a few. At the center of his percussion setup is Roland’s OCTAPAD SPD-30, which plays an important role alongside his large selection of traditional acoustic instruments. Pete visited the Roland AR office a few months back for an in-depth discussion about how he uses the OCTAPAD on stage and in the studio. While he was here, we also captured a great video of the percussionist demoing the OCTAPAD’s built-in looping function—check it out below.

November 4, 2014

Big BOSS Giveaway 2014

Jim Bybee [Roland US] Artists, Contests autograph, Billy Duffy, boss, compact pedal, contest, Daryl Jones, Dave Navarro, Don Felder, giveaway, GUS G, Herman Li, John 5, Orianthi, Steve Lukather, Steve Vai

Time is Running Out—Enter Now for Your Chance to Win!

Click the image to enter the Big BOSS Giveaway.

The Big BOSS Giveaway is well underway, and there’s just a short time left to participate. One lucky winner will be drawn at random each week and receive a BOSS pedal autographed by a famous musician. All submissions received are eligible for the Grand Prize of $1000.00 in BOSS gear.

The entry period runs from October 1, 2014 through November 25, 2014. Visit the BOSS Facebook page or the contest page at BossUS.com to enter for your chance to win.

October 10, 2014

Kanade Sato: Little Drummer Girl

Jim Bybee [Roland US] Artists Chick Corea, Drummer, HD-3 V-Drums, Hit Like a Girl, TD-1 V-Drums, Toto, V-Dums

The Story Behind Roland’s New V-Drums Video

Kanade Sato playing the Roland TD-1K V-Drums.

Have you seen the new promo video for Roland’s recently released entry-level V-Drums? If you haven’t, you really need to have a look. In the video, 11-year-old Kanade Sato, a very talented young drummer from Japan, has been invited to play on the new V-Drums kit and spontaneously jam along with three pro musicians. The event was a total surprise to her, and she had no advance knowledge of what was going to take place before she arrived. Undeterred by the soundstage, lights, and large production crew, Kanade gave an inspiring, on-the-spot performance that shows what a bright future she has in store for her stated goal, which is to be a professional drummer when she grows up.

August 29, 2014

Top Guitarists Choose CUBE Amps

Jim Bybee [Roland US] Artists CUBE Amps, CUBE-GX, guitar, Micro CUBE, Nita Strauss, Paul Sidoti, Rhandy Rhoads, Richie Kotzen, Rudy Sarzo 0 Comments

The Pro’s Choice for Premium Tone On the Go

Roland CUBE-GX Guitar Amplifiers.

Packing a versatile selection of sweet tones and onboard effects into durable designs that are built to last, Roland’s CUBE amp series has long been the top compact choice for pros gigging in town, weekend hobbyists, and beginning guitarists. But did you know that many of the world’s best-known players love CUBE amps as well? That’s right—these amazing guitarists can play whatever they want, and they turn to the CUBE whenever they need a convenient, great-sounding amp for practice at home, backstage warm-up, and even small club dates and recording sessions. More

July 30, 2014

Pierce The Veil Announces World Tour

Gary Lenaire [Roland US] Artists, Contests distortion, Effects Pedals, guitar, Pierce the Veil, Stompbox, Tony Perry 1 Comment

Win a DS-1X Distortion Signed by Tony Perry

Win a DS-1X Dostortion Signed by Pierce the Veil’s Tony Perry

There’s a lot to be excited about in watching the progression of Pierce The Veil’s ten-year ascendance into rock stardom. The band, Mike Fuentes, Vic Fuentes, Tony Perry, and Jaime Preciado, have been going at it since 2006 with the release of their first-studio album, A Flair for the Dramatic. Fast-forward to 2014, and the boys of Pierce The Veil are globetrotting veterans. This week, their latest world tour was announced with show dates in the U.S., Europe, Australia, Japan and others. They’ll be sharing the stage with Sleeping With Sirens, Beartooth and This Wild Life.

CONTEST: Win a BOSS DS-1X Distortion Signed by Tony Perry

Ends July 31, 2014 More

July 29, 2014

Nate Morton: My TR-8 Setup for The Voice

Drew Armentrout [Roland US] Artists, Tips & Tricks ACB, AIRA, drums, MIDI, Nate Mortone, NBC, The Voice, TR-8, V-Drums 4 Comments

How to Trigger the TR-8 from Your Drumset

Nate Morton: My TR-8 Setup for The Voice

Nate Morton’s hybrid kit for The Voice includes acoustic drums, V-Drums and a TR-8

EDM has definitely become part of the pop musical lexicon and is the backbeat to much of today’s music. So much so, that I recently received a call from Nate Morton, the drummer for NBC’s The Voice, who told me that more and more contestants where competing with EDM tracks. As a result, Nate was looking for a convenient way to be able to add EDM sounds alongside his acoustic rig. Nate, and his drum tech, Steve Morrison (of Drum Tech Services) had brought an original TR-808 into rehearsals, and were determined to integrate these classic sounds. Because space was an issue, along with needing the most realistic 808 sounds possible that could be triggered by MIDI, we decided to experiment with a TD-15K V-Drums Kit, triggering an AIRA TR-8 Rhythm Composer. What we discovered was that the AIRA engineers had not let us down, enabling the TR-8 to easily integrate as a sound module for V-Drums. For V-Drums enthusiasts, adding a TR-8 to your rig is easy, inexpensive and gives an edge to your sound that you won’t find anywhere else.

Nate Morton TR-8 Setup Step-by-Step PDF