I was on Facebook this morning when the breaking news feed came across my timeline. "Guitar Icon Rocks The Radio World - Joe Bonamassa Debuts Hot New Radio Show "The Pickup"" I thought to myself, "Joe Bonamassa? New radio program? Brilliant! The Pickup? Brilliant!" A radio program like this is perfect for a guy who
"collects them, plays them and stares at them (guitars)".
Totally excited to learn more, I immediately read the full press release (below) and listened to the 30 minute debut program. It was great to hear Joe's voice again. And Matt's a natural. They were not "geeky" or "technical", but very informative and entertaining.
I liked the program on Facebook and signed up for program alerts, so I don't miss out on one thing. And if you know of someone who might enjoy a program like this, let them know. Yours in music, DebFromMaine Hebert
Independent Music Label J&R Adventures Outflanks Terrestrial Radio Industry
This unique show delivers a creative, entertaining and out-of-the-box program that appeals to guitar players and music lovers alike Los Angeles, CA, August 2, 2013: Today, one of the world's most popular guitarists and blues-rock stars Joe Bonamassa and co-host Matt Abramovitz (formerly of Sirius Satellite Radio's blues channel) debut their brand new weekly radio show The Pickup, an entirely unique and highly entertaining show blending music history, carefully curated songs, an encyclopedic knowledge of guitar facts, and illuminating insights into the world of a musician. Whether it's unusual knowledge of a vintage Les Paul played on an obscure record from the 70s, or a friendly debate on how to name your guitar, each episode weaves together witty banter, fun facts, and amazing stories from the road and the life of a working musician. The show will be streamed every Friday at www.thepickupradio.com and episodes will be available to stream anytime. Listen to the debut episode now.
Each week, listeners will brought behind the scenes with delicious tidbits on all things music and guitar, with stories and history, discussions of select artists and their best work; specific instruments, and the music those artists play on their instruments. Every episode will be different, and theme shows for major holidays will be peppered in with general topics and regular segments, like Matt's favorite called "Name That Guitar." Matt explains: "I'll bring in three tracks and ask Joe to identify the guitars used on the recordings. Joe will rattle off not only the guitar used, but also the amps, the pedals, the recording engineer and the street address of the studio. It's what separates the fan from the fanatic!"
Featured music will focus on blues and classic rock from both sides of the pond including favorites like Eric Clapton, BB King, Freddie King, Johnny Winter and Jeff Beck, as well as deep tracks, new and little-known artists, up-and-comers, and more.
The concept for The Pickup came about through the duo's fascination with the artists who can take an inanimate object made from metal and wood, and give it a human heart. The show's title is a name that resonated for a number of reasons. It's what makes an electric guitar electric, and it's exactly what Joe and Matt hope fans will experience: listen to this program and pickup some music, some laughs and maybe some knowledge, too. The show aims to be more than your average radio program - focusing on music education, discovery and enlightenment, and helping people to learn about music and musicians they may not yet know.
In partnership with Amazon's affiliate program, songs played during episodes of The Pickup will be available for purchase, with all proceeds going directly to Bonamassa's non-profit Keeping The Blues Alive. The Pickup is sponsored by Guitar World, Guitar Player, and Blues Music Magazine.
After Bonamassa's weekly radio shows were canceled, first on Sirius Satellite Radio (Daily Cup of Joe) during the merger with XM, and more recently on UK's Planet Rock, J&R Adventures, the label Bonamassa founded with longtime manager Roy Weisman, looked to other radio networks for a replacement. With over half a million direct fans, they discovered the size of Bonamassa's social and fan network exceeded the outreach terrestrial radio could provide for them and decided instead to do the show in-house and release it independently.
Weisman explains, "Every time they said 'no,' we said 'yes,' which at the end of the day creates a bigger opportunity for the artist."
This project is yet another example of how J&R Adventures, a record label with divisions in publishing, management, and memorabilia, is branding itself as a disruptive and independent entity in the music business. By vertically integrating its business to meet the needs of the artist and the fans, it gives control to the artist and its management directly, rather than to a handful of outside individuals. The result is the ability to release multiple projects year after year, from Bonamassa solo records, to side projects and collaborations, to non-profits, merchandising, fan clubs, and more. The company consistently devises new ways to stay nimble and compete in today's vastly different music landscape.
About Joe Bonamassa
As Joe Bonamassa approaches his 25th year as a professional musician, he continues to blaze a remarkably versatile artistic trail, and amass an authentic, innovative and soulful body of work. Bonamassa's career began onstage opening for B.B. King in 1989, when he was only 12 years old. Today, he is hailed worldwide as one of the greatest guitar players of his generation, and is an ever-evolving singer-songwriter who has released 15 solo albums in the last 13 years, all on his own label, J&R Adventures. Bonamassa's tour schedule consistently hovers at around 200 shows worldwide each year, and a heaping handful of markedly diverse side projects keep him thinking outside the box and flexing every musical muscle he's got. He founded and oversees the non-profit Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation to promote the heritage of the blues to the next generation, fund music scholarships, and supplement the loss of music education in public schools. There's a case to be made that Joe Bonamassa, like another star who shared the same initials, is the hardest working man in show business.
