Muse

Billboard.com has reported that Muse will play next Saturday night at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. According to Billboard, the British power trio is expected to play at Stubbs on a bill that also includes the Canadian indie rock band Metric.

Billboard.com has also revealed its 20 Bands to Watch at South by Southwest. Similar to Fender’s Guide to SXSW, Billboard’s list includes Band of Skulls and Temper Trap.

Another SXSW guide to check out: Spin’s 50 Must-Hear Bands at  SXSW

“Even in a room that inhaled bass, I got a pleasing vintage sound, not overly deep or bright, but with a solid punch and plenty of volume that worked its way into the overall mix and sync’d up tightly with the kick drum. Counter to what I expected, this single-15” cab was not the slightest bit flabby and didn’t give a hint of struggling to keep up.” – Premier Guitar, January 2010

This Premier Guitar review of the Bassman TV Fifteen amp can be found in full here.

“Vintage Vibe, Modern Twist… Its red jewel power indicator looks like it should be in the cockpit of a spaceship from a ‘50s sci-fi film. The overall aura is all Bassman. But are they truly worthy of the Bassman name? Well, yes.” – Vintage Guitar, April 2010

Pick up the issue and flip to page 130 for the entire “speak-the-truth” review, which claims that of the Bassman TV Series, the Duo Ten is the crown jewel.

To view the entire Bassman TV Amp Series, click here.

Also, page 38 of the April issue features the sixth installment of “Fender Amps By the Numbers,” which is an effort to track down the serial numbers of every Fender tube amp made between 1946 and 1984.

Photo credit: Max Roper

Manchester Orchestra is tonight’s musical guest on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!  Check local listings for details.

The band recently added three more additional dates to their spring co-headlining tour with Thrice:

April 30-Spokane WA @ Knitting Factory
May 6-Ventura CA @ Majestic Venture Theatre
May 8-Tucson AZ @ Rialto Theatre

Click here for more tour dates and ticket info.

The unsigned Phoenix-based rock band You Hang Up is garnering national attention recently, thanks to the fame of its new drummer––former Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz.

In a recent interview with PopEater.com, Muniz talks about how lead singer/guitarist Aaron Brown (an everyday user of a black Fender JA-90 Jim Adkins Signature Telecaster® Thinline guitar; his brother/guitarist Chris plays one, too) recruited him to join the band and how quickly the group has since come along.

“We’ve progressed insanely,” Muniz tells PopEater. “We’ve been trying to keep everything completely under the radar as long as possible, playing small shows under different band names. Now we’re ready to go out and show everyone what we’re made of. We had rehearsal last night — the new stuff we’re coming out with is exciting. So far it’s been an amazingly fun experience, and that’s what’s important.”

The new Jimi Hendrix CD Valleys of Neptune will enjoy its official release today, and Fender is giving away a dozen of them!

The album features 12 fully realized studio recordings and more than 60 minutes of music never commercially available on a Hendrix album.

Here’s what the LA Times is saying about the album:

“Valleys of Neptune reinforces what fans know well about Hendrix: that he loved the blues; that he was a technical wizard who gained energy from extended jams but always came back to the killer riff; that the foundation he created informed the work of every godlike ax dude who followed, from his peers Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton to Prince, the Edge, Jack White and John Mayer.”- LA Times

Click here to enter for your chance to win one of the CDs! And don’t forget, you can also win tickets to the Experience Hendrix Tour!