RICHIE KOTZEN
When RICHIE KOTZEN plays his guitar, you know it’s him. The guitar virtuoso, singer and songwriter possesses an inimitable style that’s both instantly recognizable and immediately striking. This unique style courses through THE ESSENTIAL RICHIE KOTZEN, a career retrospective collection set for release September 2 on Loud & Proud Records. It encompasses this iconic talent’s entire career of his most essential work and includes two CDs of classic material, acoustic performances, bootleg material and two brand new songs (“War Paint” and “Walk With Me”), and a DVD of music videos, acoustic performances and bootleg material. A three-song sampler, including the two new songs along with “Lie To Me,” is being serviced to rock radio stations later this month.
With his guitar styles ranging from rock, blues, jazz and fusion to pop and soul, RICHIE KOTZEN has built a remarkably diverse 20 year career as a guitarist, singer and songwriter. During that span, KOTZEN toured with his trio extensively outside the United States, building a loyal fan base and selling out shows throughout Europe, Latin America, and Japan. In 1996, Fender guitars honored him with not one, but two signature model guitars. His signature model Telecaster is available worldwide and continues to be a top seller for the brand. In 2006, KOTZEN received one of his biggest personal honors when The Rolling Stones chose him to open up a string of Japanese shows placing him in front of some of his biggest crowds to date. He has not only built an incredibly successful solo career, but has also found himself writing, recording and playing live with a variety of different artists, including Jazz legends Stanley Clarke and Lenny White. He currently plays guitar and fronts the band The Winery Dogs with bassist Billy Sheehan and drummer Mike Portnoy (the band’s self-titled debut album debuted at #27 on the Billboard “Top 200 Albums” chart).
JOHN 5
How does one define John 5? Is he rock? Is it country? Is he heavy metal? What about emo, industrial or bluegrass? Truth is there is no one set genre to fit John 5. In a world where music must be defined, John 5 breaks every mould by continually changing and adapting his style. Although he is unmistakably John 5 in his sound, he mixes around with the foundation with every new track he writes, every album he guests on and every time he picks up the guitar.