Brand new for 2011, ‘Alma Vieja’ is the latest CD from guitar virtuoso Russ Hewitt. Replete with the rumba flamenco rhythms and lightning guitar runs that have become trademarks of his distinctive style ‘Alma Vieja’ also includes a stellar line up of backing musicians. Former Miami Sound Machine percussionist Raphael Padilla and drummer Walfredo Reyes Jr (who in his time has played with both Santana and Ricky Martin) are both around to lend a hand and are joined by bass player Bob Parr and exciting flamenco guitar prodigy Alfredo Caceres. Other significant contributions come from the Grammy award-winning violinist Charlie Bisharat (who has graced the stage with heavyweights such as The Rolling Stones, Yanni and Aerosmith) and, perhaps most notably, contemporary jazz saxophonist Michael Lington who features on the first single released to radio, the easy grooving ‘Pacific Sunrise’, which has already made the Top 40 on the Smooth Jazz charts.

It was in late 2008 that Hewitt released his debut CD ‘Bajo el Sol’. Typified by fierce Latin rhythms and infectious contemporary jazz grooves the album garnered the kind of critical acclaim to suggest this talented player was already on the road to musical stardom.

Hewitt firmly believes that as a guitar player he is the accumulation of everything he has previously learned. Consequently he feels an immense affinity with the music that he writes. ‘Bajo el Sol’ translates literally to ‘Under The Sun’ and since the release of the album Hewitt has found that, for him, the sun has never stepped shining. Now, with ‘Alma Vieja’, it is certain that the warm glow of attention will once again be very much on Russ Hewitt.

Uli Jon Roth

Richie Kotzen

Tony MacAlpine

Leatherwolf

Long before British metal legends Iron Maiden picked up on the concept, a pack of hungry Huntington Beach, CA-based teenagers, collectively known as LEATHERWOLF, pioneered and perfected the heavy metal Triple Axe Attack – documented via a trifecta of critically acclaimed and much worshipped ’80’s scorchers. The eponymous debut EP, expanded to a full-length LP, entitled ‘Endangered Species’ for international release, and a pair of stunning albums for Island Records, ‘Leatherwolf’ and ‘Street Ready’ (yielding the MTV videos ‘The Calling’ and ‘Hideaway’, respectively), saw the band flying the flag of decidedly European-styled metal amidst a sea of formulaic L.A. and OC contemporaries.

Then

Now

ShotGun Chaperone