Showing posts with label Andy Larocque. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Andy Larocque. Show all posts

King Diamond will tour North America

Horror metal godfather set to go back on the road

King Diamond's North American tour schedule
The rumors were true after all. KING DIAMOND has confirmed a full North American tour this Fall! A long time coming, the jaunt will commence on Oct. 11 in Atlanta and die happily after the previously announced performance at Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, whereupon King Diamond will be returned to his coffin for a well-deserved slumber.

A limited-edition KING DIAMOND jacket will be available through the SHOWstubs.com fan club presale, which begins tomorrow, June 24. Tickets will be on sale online and at box offices nationwide on Friday, June 27. 

KING DIAMOND will be joined on stage by longtime band members Andy LaRocque, Mike Wead, Hal Patino, and Matt Thompson. Additionally, North American fans will bear witness to the band's full European festival stage show. Reportedly, these will be the most ambitious and largest North American productions of the band's entire history. Stay tuned for news of a special guest support act for the tour will be announced in the coming weeks.

KING DIAMOND North American Tour 2014:  
10/11/2014 Center Stage - Atlanta, GA
10/13/2014 The Fillmore - Silver Spring, MD
10/14/2014 Best Buy Theatre - New York, NY
10/16/2014 The Palladium - Worcester, MA 
10/17/2014 Olympia - Montreal, QC
10/18/2014 The Sound Academy - Toronto, ON
10/19/2014 Stage AE - Pittsburgh, PA
10/21/2014 The Vic Theatre - Chicago, IL
10/22/2014 The Pageant - St. Louis, MO
10/24/2014 Paramount Theatre - Denver, CO
10/26/2014 The Complex - Salt Lake City, UT
10/28/2014 The Moose Theatre - Seattle, WA
10/30/2014 The Warfield - San Francisco, CA
10/31/2014 The Wiltern - Los Angeles, CA
11/01/2014 House Of Blues - Las Vegas, NV
11/03/2014 Rialto Theatre - Tucson, AZ
11/05/2014 House Of Blues - Houston, TX
11/06/2014 House Of Blues - Dallas, TX
Fun Fun Fun Fest

11/08/2014 Auditorium Shores - Austin, TX

Riff This! Rock Gods' Guitars Hit Auction Block

KIP WINGER PERSONAL CONCERT USED WARWICK BASS GUITAR

Kip Winger Warwick Bass
The bass guitar that Kip offered up - an authentic Warwick Corvette ProLine - left us speechless.......and we're sure it will make your head spin as well. Ever since the start of the 2002 Summer tour with Poison, Kip has played this very guitar extensively. For eight years, it has been his most trusted sidekick, as is easily evidenced by the countless photos and videos. Better yet, Kip walked off stage with it after the most recent Blackwood Creek show in Denver.

To quote Kip; "Man, this really has been one of my all-time favorites. Originally, it had a green finish but I painted it black right after the tour with Poison. It's been with me ever since and anyone who's been to a Winger show in the last 8 years, here or overseas, has seen me playing it. During the last show, the front pick-up crapped out on me and I intended to have it repaired. But now that it's going in the auction, I'll let the future owner decide what he or she wants to do."

The bass does indeed show the type of wear one would expect from extensive use. There's the usual (minor) dents, scratches and even some missing paint chips but in all fairness, the guitar wouldn't have character without it. And speaking of this particular model - which ranks among the elite in the vast line of Warwick bass guitars - this rather pricey instrument trademarks are its well-balanced attack and starting transient, with a consistently clear deep bass register, a warm gently growling mid-range and pleasant soft highs. The Corvette ProLine's body consists of two pieces of hard, Flamed Maple. A Wenge fingerboard is glued to the five-piece Ovangkol neck, which slots neatly into the body and is secured by four bolts in individual recessed metal bushes. Kip replaced the standard MEC pick-ups with two EMG pick-ups. It has gorgeous gold hardware and comes in the original "Rockbag" soft travel case, which has some light damage across the bottom but is overall in excellent condition.

Warwick basses has endorsed the greatest bass players over the years such as Jack Bruce, John Entwistle, Adam Clayton, Bootsy Collins and Robert Trujullio. It is no surprise to see Kip playing this majestic and exquisite instrument. Kip signed the bass on the back, which makes this without question the single most exclusive and desirable Kip Winger collectibles one could ever own.

Included is a Certificate of Authenticity, signed by Kip Winger.

Auction Link: Lot 1189

MINISTRY AL JOURGENSEN FAMOUS 'BUCK SATAN #1" GUITAR

Al Jourgensen Buck Satan # 1
Each auction has it's 'crown jewels' and as far as the Al Jourgensen collection goes, this very one might just be it. Offered here is Al's infamous "Buck Satan # 1" Ibanez custom made guitar, which he used extensively for touring and recording between 1996 and 2006. This guitar can be seen in many concert photos, as well as in the 'Lay Lady Lay' video.

Equally impressive is the fact that this prototype guitar is only of ONLY two ever made by Ibanez, exclusively for Al Jourgensen. The second one, aptly titled Buck Satan # 2, is also offered in the auction.

The guitar features mother-of-pearl inlay around the entire side of the body, silver hardware, 2 Humbucker pick-ups and 2 tone/ volume knobs.

The E-string is broken but is included in the original guitar case, which further contains a pack of D'Addario string and the original guitar strap. The guitar shows moderate surface wear but is overall in excellent condition.

Not only is this an amazing collectible for guitar collectors - after all, no other Ibanez of this kind is in circulation - but this is also the very first time that Al has offered a guitar from his private collection in public.

You wanted a 'Holy Grail' item.....well, this is it!

Included is a Certificate of Authenticity, signed by Al Jourgensen of Ministry.

Auction Link:  Lot 1026

MINISTRY AL JOURGENSEN RARE 'BUCK SATAN # 2" GUITAR

Al Jourgensen Buck Satan # 2
Equally rare as its bigger brother - the Buck Satan # 1 - is this amazingly stunning and flat-out super-cool 'Buck Satan # 2' guitar, which was exclusively designed as a prototype for Al Jourgensen by Ibanez.

Al passionately loved this guitar and used it extensively on the road. It was used between 1996 and 2006 on tours such as 'Sphinc Tour' (1996), 'Clitour-US' (1999), 'Evil Doer Tour' (2004) and the 'Masterba-Tour' (2006).

The guitar features mother-of-pearl inlay around the entire side of the body, silver hardware, 2 Humbucker pick-ups and 2 tone/ volume knobs. It comes in the original case and shows moderate surface wear from stage and studio use. Overall however, this true museum piece is in excellent condition.

Not only is this an amazing collectible for guitar collectors - after all, no other Ibanez of this kind is in circulation - but this is also the very first time that Al has offered a guitar from his private collection in public. Will you be one of the very, very lucky few?

Included is a Certificate of Authenticity, signed by Al Jourgensen of Ministry.

Item Link: Lot 1027

ANDY LAROCQUE KING DIAMOND ALBUM USED GUITAR

Andy Larocque Guitar
Known for his signature guitar style of incorporating neoclassical elements into his playing, Andy LaRocque career began in the early days of the N.W.O.B.H.M. as the lead guitarist for metal horror band King Diamond, with whom he has been a member since 1985.

In addition to over two decades of touring and sharing stages around the world with Metal's most outstanding musicians, Andy has produced and engineered top metal bands like Falconer and Evergrey. Bands like Death, At The Gates, In Flames and Dimmu Borgir have called upon Andy as a guest musician to deliver a dose of fierce, lightning fast, heavy guitar. His peerless and influential playing style is admired by so many and without a doubt has earned him a place in the immortal ranks of heavy metal's finest!

Andy is also a Grammy nominated artist for the song "Never Ending Hill" from the King Diamond album "Give me Your Soul...Please" (2007).

Featured here is a most remarkable guitar that will appeal to King Diamond fans, as well as guitar aficionados; Andy's very own Caparison TAT II, which was used during the recording of "Give Me Your Soul....Please".

Caparison Guitars is a Japan-based manufacturer of high-end custom shop electric guitars and endorses a growing numbers of top guitarists and "shredders". The TAT II is an arch top 'Soloist' type guitar that features neck-thru maple construction, 24-fret ebony fingerboard with abalone inlays, alder body wings, Schaller bridge, bound neck & headstock, and a unique one-of-a-kind ' Eastern Red Sunset' finish. The TAT II has a custom made Humbucker (Caparison) and 2 single coil pick-ups with a push/push coil tap switch. This along with the 3-way toggle gives you six distinct tones. Even unplugged, the guitar sounds very loud!

Andy received this guitar from the owner of Caparison in 2002 and will include the personal letter and original documents. Most recently, Andy used the guitar for composing some of the upcoming King Diamond material.

In all, this is a top-tier instrument with great history and provenance. The guitar will be shipped directly from Andy's recording studio in Sweden.

Included is a Certificate of Authenticity, signed by Andy LaRocque.

Auction Link: Lot 1234

JOHN 5 CONCERT USED & SIGNED BROKEN GUITAR WITH CAST

John 5 Fender Telecaster & Foot Cast
Pete Townsend started it, Paul Stanley perfected it and John 5 has taken it to a new level! Yup, we're talking about the art of smashing guitars. Where Townshend's were unpredictable and spontaneous, Stanley's were highly choreographed and intended as a fan souvenir. Our man John 5 however doesn't simply smash his guitar....he beats the living daylight out of it with the same aggression, passion and madness he bends his strings and shreds his way through the night.

During several shows on the summer 2010 tour, Rob Zombie would challenge John 5 to a bet, with the livelihood of his guitar at stake. John would lose the bet and consequently smash it, much to the joy of the audience (and Rob). Now, before y'all get carried away, John wouldn't smash his own J5 Fender Telecaster but would instead reach for the more economically priced Squier model.

Since pitching a broken guitar (or parts thereof) into the audience has because a bit hazardous (people do get injured in the fights that break out over getting a piece of it), John would instead toss the scraps to his tech and that was pretty much the end of it. On rare occasions the body or neck would stay somewhat intact and the few that survived were offered by John to his fans.

However, he saved a special one for a special event and that's what we have up for grabs in this fantastic lot. On the eve of the August 3, 2010 show in Raleigh, North Carolina, John broke his foot and initially feared that he wouldn't be able to do the show. A quick trip to the hospital and a cast later, John was good to go. For John 5 fans you know that "taking it easy on stage" would prove to be a challenge, but he managed to do the full show, including the "smashing of the guitar", which is the one featured here. The guitar is broken in several places but is complete and was signed by John on the chrome pick guard.

Agreed, this by itself would be a prestigious memento for any collector. After all, John 5 is one of today's absolute premier guitar players; period! Owning one of his very few 'battle axes' is plenty reason to draw envy and admiration but why stop here? To make this lot unparalleled, John has added the cast for his broken foot that he got prior to the Raleigh show and supported him for the remainder of the tour. The cast too has been signed.

Whether you're a John 5 admirer or a guitar aficionado, you're not going to find anything like this ever again. Talk 'bout a true one-of-a-kind item....it doesn't get any more authentic than this!

Auction Link:  Lot 1241

PANTERA FULLY SIGNED DIMEBAG WASHBURN GUITAR

Pantera Fully Signed Guitar
If there ever was a 'Holy Grail' Pantera collectible, then it is this amazing, fully-signed Washburn 'Dime Slime' guitar! Out of appreciation for all the years of hard work, support and tremendous successes, all four Pantera band members signed this killer Dimebag signature model Washburn guitar for their manager Walter O'Brien back in 1998.

The signatures read;

* Dimebag; "To Waltino O.B.! Light It Up, Watch It Go, But Don't Make Me Hot. Ya' Boy, Dimebag, CFH '98"
* Rex: "Walt - Here's To Good Times, Love Bro - Rex"
* Phil: "Walt, May We All Die In The South (O.K., Not Really!) P.'98"
* Vinnie: "Thanks For Everything!! Vinnie Paul 1998 X"

The guitar (serial # S97117040) is in absolute mint condition and comes complete with a Dimebag guitar pick, a Dimebag signature guitar strap, a sealed pack of 12 Dimebag signature guitar picks in the original packaging and a brand new 'Dime Cry Baby From Hell" wah pedal (in the original box, complete with inserts).

Also included is a clear display case (with black backing), which measures 50 x 20 x 7 inches. The case is optional as its significant weight will ass substantially to the cost of shipping.

All together, you'll be hard pressed to find a more prestigious Pantera collectible than this!!

Included is a Certificate of Authenticity, signed by former Pantera manager Walter O'Brien.

Auction Link: Lot 1140

MINISTRY AL JOURGENSEN CUSTOM 'COFFIN' SCHECHTER GUITAR

Al Jourgensen Coffin Guitar 
Designed by Al Jourgensen himself, Schechter guitars made a half-dozen 'Coffin' guitars exclusively for the 2008 Final World Tour (also known as the C-U-LaTour). The guitars were made in three colors; black (of course), white and cherry red.

Al took the black and red guitars on the road with him, leaving the red one back in El Paso for studio work. The cherry red guitar as featured in this lot was used by Al for recordings over the past 2 years. Judging from the height of the bridge - which is slightly elevated - Al most recently used it for "slide" work.

The guitar, which is also signed by Al on the back, has gold hardware, mother-of-pearl inlays and Gibson 500T Humbucker pick-ups. It comes in the original case and is in pristine condition.

Al's gracious decision to offer one of his only six in existence beloved 'Coffins' to the public, which makes this one of the most prestigious Ministry collectibles to own. Naturally, for guitar aficionados this guitar is equally thrilling, knowing that you will own this high-end piece of art, of which only two in this color were ever made....and only one will ever belong to anyone else than Al Jourgensen.

Included is a Certificate of Authenticity, signed by Al Jourgensen of Ministry.

Auction Link: Lot 1029

The Rock Gods 'n Metal Monsters Auction also features additional instruments and gear, including artist used keyboards, speakers, mic stands, drums and complete drum kits, percussion items, flight cases and more. Check out the complete collection of auction items in the Instruments & Equipment category at Backstage Auctions.

Auction ends on Sunday, November 7th. Rock on Over to the Auction Tab and register for your VIP All Access Pass. 

Andy LaRocque - All Aboard the Sonic Train

Andy LaRocque

Andy's career began in the early days of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal when he played guitar along side Bengt Fischer in EF Band. Andy is most famously known for his fast, distinct and melodic sound as the lead guitarist for the legendary metal horror band King Diamond, with whom he has been a member since 1985.

In addition to over two decades of touring and sharing stages around the world with Metal's most outstanding musicians, LaRocque has played as a guest musician with At The Gates, In Flames and Dimmu Borgir, delivering a dose of fierce, lightning fast, heavy guitar.

When he is not playing, Andy also produces metal masterpieces at his Sonic Train Studios in Sweden. He has produced hundreds of tracks for bands such as Falconer, Evergrey, Trident, In Flames, King Diamond, Ancient and more, but the list would not be complete without mentioning Dragonland, Witchery and Deathwitch.

But it' his peerless and influential playing style that is admired by so many and without a doubt has earned him a place in the immortal ranks of heavy metal's finest!

LaRocque has put one of his most prized possessions in the auction, his very own Caparison TAT II, which was used during the recording of the Grammy nominated album "Give Me Your Soul...Please". Andy received this guitar from the owner of Caparison in 2002 and will include the personal letter and original documents. Most recently, he also used the guitar for composing some of the upcoming King Diamond material.

In all, this is a top-tier instrument with great history and provenance. The guitar will be shipped directly from Andy's recording studio in Sweden.

The auction event, aptly titled the "Rock Gods and Metal Monsters Auction", is a not-to-miss opportunity for fans and collectors around the world to own an authentic piece of one of the most significant genres of music history.

The auction, which will be held on-line at www.backstageauctions.com starts on October 31, 2010 and will run through November 7, 2010. A special preview of the entire auction catalog is available now for viewing.

Artist Links:
Andy Larocque Official Website
Sonic Train Studios