Spring 2012 the Swedish band La Fleur Fatale embarked on a journey to and through California. During two intense weeks they played with legendary psych musicians and met people who was part of making the 60’s into what it later became both musically and spiritually. And in the meantime connecting the past with the present. What is the difference between then and now? Is the Anonymous movement now what 60’s anti war movement was back then?  May 3rd the documentary was released, for free, on YouTube. And May 3rd the band also released a new single, “How Long Is Too Long”, written by Duncan Faure of Bay City Rollers and Rabbitt who they met when filming. “They are really one of my favorite bands now along with Beatles plus a few others.” Duncan says.

During Easter they also recorded yet another single together with Ebbot Lundberg (The Soundtrack Of Our Lives) that will be released after the summer.

The documentary can be found right HERE (link to YouYube).

http://www.lafleurfatale.com

We just wanted to share a little bit about a great organization that we are honored to work with. Guitars Not Guns was founded by Ray and Louis Nelson.  They became foster parents in 1992 and it was through this experience that Ray decided to provide foster kids with guitars and lessons. He began asking friends and strangers for their used guitars to pass along to foster kids. This act of kindness became his passion and as a result there are classrooms across the USA and in Canada. GNG’s goal is to help stop violence in schools and on the streets by providing a music program for at-risk teens and other deserving children. They want to divert as many children as possible from the self-destructive behaviors of drugs, alcohol and crime connected to gang activity. By providing children and teens with guitars and lessons they hope to engage their creative potential. It’s all about helping underpriveleged kids and teens. GNG is an all-volunteer organization and provides their programs at no cost to students! We recently just made the custom guitar pick shown here for them on our White Delrin picks. Photo by Caren Armstrong.

http://www.guitarsnotguns.org/

Jesus “Chuy” Michel is a Los Angeles based guitarist, composer, producer who is currently the lead guitarist for the Latin Alternative group Pastilla (Sony/BMG). He has also worked with some of Latin Americas top artist such as Carlos Baute (Warner), Vampiro (Sony/BMG), and Serralde (Universal). He has done countless national / international tours and played on various albums. Chuy is considered one of the top guitarist in the Latin Alternative/Pop community. Chuy was born June 29 !984 in Los Angeles California to Mexican immigrant parents. He is the oldest of three brothers (his younger brother Ivann is the drummer for Pastilla). His musical journey began at the tender age of 5 when his grandmother brought him an acoustic guitar from vacationing in Mexico. He quickly picked it up and continued to play vigorously. There was always music in the Michel household. Chuy grew up listening to music his parents where fond of such as The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Rod Stewart, and The Byrds. At the age of 16 Chuy started to perform with various groups throughout the Los Angeles music scene and quickly became recognized as one of the top guitarist in Los Angeles. Eventually he was invited to play with Pastilla(Sony/BMG). With Pastilla, Chuy has played countless concerts throughout the U.S., Latin America and Europe. And has headlined some of Latin Americas most important music festivals such as Vive Latino in Mexico City, Mexico, and The Coors Light Indie Music Fest in Aguadilla  Puerto Rico. Chuys participation with Pastilla has resulted in some of the most commercially successful work group has produced including the hit album Amarte. While still a active member of Pastilla, Chuy has collaborated with several national and international touring acts such as Grammy Award winning artist Carlos Baute (Warner), Serralde (Universal), LILO (Universal), Mexican guitar hero and Jaguares/Mana guitarist Vampiro (Sony/BMG) just to name a few.

http://www.chuymichel.com/

This week’s Pick of the Week was made for the band SOLARSET.

SOLARSET is an all original quartet driven by mixed influences to make way for a completely new style of “rock”. The band was formed in Watertown, Connecticut, in the fall of 2011 with Alan Johnson on lead guitar, Justin Spry on vocals and rhythm guitar, Dan Krhla on bass, and Jason Hoyt on drums. From their poetic lyrics and melodic tones to their hypnotizing solos and percussive ingenuity, SOLARSET is a juggernaut of creativity and originality with a fresh new sound that is beyond classification. They are currently working on their debut album expected for release in summer of 2013. SOLARSET has live music, photos, and videos posted at www.facebook.com/solarset.

The SOLARSET picks were made using our white acetal guitar pick material, which is semi-transparent and works great with photo designs, such as the the awesome solar eclipse photo shown here. To order your own custom picks, visit www.claytoncustom.com!

Scott Lea’s Nothin’ Left to Lose is the debut release through a new distribution partnership between RadicLea Records and CEN / RED /SONY. “Nothin’ Left to Lose” was written, produced and and performed by Lea. This powerful track is a gritty, raw tale of downing out, hitting rock bottom and bouncing back. The song takes the listener on an emotional journey from hopelessness to victory. – recorded at Scott Lea Productions studio NJ and
mastered at MasterDisk NYC by Roger Lian (Rush, Gene Simmons, The White Stripes, Muse). Scott belts out the lead vocals and instruments while his long-time friend and colleague Zhana Saunders delivers her sultry and soulful backing vocals. Zhana is known for her club hits “Waiting for Alegria,” “Body Fly,” “Sanctuary of Love” and “Love Dominates.” She is also known for her vocal work with Jon Bon Jovi, Taylor Dayne and Deee-Lite, to name a few and is featured on the RadicLeaRecords release Phase I – Random (“Crazy Eyez”). In addition to “Nothin’ Left to Lose,” you can also look forward to multiple projects being cranked out
of Scott Lea Productions studio / RadicLea Records this year such as Lea’s remixes of Offical Hot Mess (Kristy & Lindsey Landers) – “Money Makes the Girls Go Round” and “Sexy Face”, the rerelease of the Phase I dance album and another solo record, “Breakdown”. All RadicLea Records releases are distributed through The Creative Entertainment Network / RED / SONY and available on iTunes, Amazon, Napster, Rhapsody and other popular online media outlets. Head on over to ScottLea.Com to hear his new single!

This week’s Pick of the Week was made for the band GodSpeed3.

GodSpeed3 (GS3) is a dynamic band whose variety of songs convey a positive message with an exciting stage presence and a modern rock edge. Over the past five years, the band has played for over 100,000 people and shared the big stage with Casting Crowns, Mercy Me, DecembeRadio, Jeremy Camp, Leeland, RoyalTailor, Audio Adrenaline, 33 Miles, Addison Road, Jonny Diaz, Mike’s Chair, Building 429, Abandon, Todd Agnew, The Letter Black, KJ-52 and Big Daddy Weave. Signed to TMG Records, GodSpeed3 was honored to be included on the official Grammy Nomination list in 2009, 2010 and 2011. The band has played from South Mississippi to Ohio, Texas and across the Southeast garnering rave reviews along the way.

With 13 major sponsors already on board and a new partnership with Holt International, GodSpeed3 has hit the ground running, with no sign of slowing, and look forward to spreading the good news with their own style of fun and exciting stage performance. Expect big things from this band.

To learn more about GS3, visit their site at www.GodSpeed3.com!

The GS3 picks were made on our white delrin pick material, which was perfect to support the bright colors of the band logo. The design really stands out! To order your own custom picks, visit www.claytoncustom.com today!

Our endorsed artist Cheska and the A+ Dropouts just released an awesome new music video , check it out at the link below!

http://www.youtube.com/user/APlusDropouts/featured

The Band’s Bio:

A+ Dropouts is originally from the Washington, DC area. They spend their weekdays in class but when school’s out, they rock out wherever they can with their high energy shows. Led by 14 year old, Cheska Zaide, the A+ Dropouts have performed in over 100 live shows with artists like Forever the Sickest Kids, Sister Hazel, Public Enemy. Some of the shows and venues they’ve play include Summerfest in Milwaulkee, National Harbor, National Cherry Blossom Festival, Whisky a Go Go, House of Blues, 930 Club in DC, the Quarter in Baltimore, The Ottobar in Baltimore, Jammin Java, Six Flags America, and Union Square Best Buy NY. Over the past 2 years, they’ve toured through Virginia, DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania, California, New York, and even Wisconsin. In 2010, the A+ Dropouts were voted as one of the top 12 teen bands in America. They’ve also been featured on several of the major television stations in the DC metro such as NBC 4, Fox 5, and TBD Channel News 8. Their singles have played on DC101 Clear Channel radio stations in the DC area. Their video for “On Your Own” has been featured on Fuse TV on demand and Myx Channel.

Skull Fist will be going on their first tour in Brazil this week! Skull Fist is a Canadian heavy metal band that released their first album “Head of the Pack” in August 2011. They have been one of our endorsees for about a year now and having been using Clayton products for 4 years! Check out their tour dates below, and you can visit their Facebook for more on the band.

You may know that John Driskell Hopkins of the Zac Brown Band is one of our endorsees…but did you know he recently released his own album “Daylight”. Daylight is backed up by award winning Bluegrass Band Balsam Range and an array of special guests, John Driskell Hopkins of the Zac Brown Band releases his personal work in Daylight. My personal favorite song is “She Don’t Love Me” the lyrics are great, check it out!

John Driskell Hopkins Website