PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Clyne Media, Inc.
Tel: (615) 662-1616
Fax: (615) 662-1636
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GUITAR CENTER HELPS EMPLOYEES PURSUE THEIR DREAMS
WITH FRESH CUTS VOL. 3 COMPILATION CD
— Third CD release from the GAIN Program’s Fresh Cuts series,
available for free from Guitar Center, features GC employees’
songs hand-selected by Just Blaze, Jay Electronica and Mike Chav —
— CD also features exclusive unreleased Jay Electronica track
engineered by Mike Chav and produced by Just Blaze —
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, October 28, 2008 —
Guitar Center, the world’s largest musical instrument and professional
audio retailer, announces the new compilation CD Fresh Cuts Vol. 3.
The release, the third in an ongoing series, is part of Guitar Center’s
GAIN Program, designed to give GC employees an outlet for pursuing their
music industry dreams. As such, the disc features recordings by members
of the GC family, hand-selected by none other than legendary producer
and hit maker Just Blaze from a pool of GC employee submissions. Blaze
is also included on the CD himself, via “Exhibit A (Transformations)”
– a song produced by Just Blaze, written by Jay Electronica and
engineered by Mike Chav. 50,000 CDs will be available for free while
supplies last at over 200 GC locations, starting October 25, 2008.
Since arriving on the national hip-hop scene in the late
1990s, Just Blaze has collaborated with some of urban music’s
biggest stars, including Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Usher, T.I., Snoop Dogg,
Kanye West and countless others. Following a successful stint as in-house
producer at Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella Records, Just Blaze founded his
own label, Fort Knocks Entertainment, through Atlantic Records in 2005,
where he continues to produce hit records and showcase new talent. Jay
Electronica has been building a steady underground fan base in the hip-hop
world, earning respect as a rapper from such luminaries as Erykah Badu
and Nas. A successful example of how the Internet can be used to enhance
new industry business models, Jay Electronica has promoted himself by
emphasizing his MySpace page and word-of-mouth, and it is expected that
Jay’s star will continue to rise in the future. Mike Chav has
worked as an engineer, mixer and/or producer for some of the biggest
names in hip-hop, including Eminem, Snoop Dogg, The Game, Method Man,
Busta Rhymes and many more.
The GAIN Program was launched in March 2007 by Guitar
Center to help GC team members achieve their musical aspirations. At
the heart of GAIN is an extensive private social network where GC employees
can post music, pictures, blogs and online discussions, in order to
share with and learn from each other. In addition, GAIN presents a number
of other benefits, deals, offers and opportunities to its participants,
including partnerships with a number of vendors, services and institutions
(music-related and non-music related alike). The Fresh Cuts CD series,
inaugurated by GC and GAIN in 2007, offers GC employees a chance for
their music to be heard with special participation from industry figures
such as alternative rock legends The Smashing Pumpkins, who selected
the tracks and contributed an exclusive song of their own for Fresh
Cuts Vol. 2. The GAIN program continues to build relationships with
companies, organizations and individuals who can provide exposure, insight,
tools and opportunity to the musicians who work for Guitar Center.
Greg Trojan, Guitar Center COO and President, reflected
on the Fresh Cuts Vol. 3 CD: “Guitar Center encourages all of
its employees to pursue their musical dreams. The GAIN Program and projects
such as the Fresh Cuts CD series provide promotion and opportunity that
might not be otherwise realized by the individual participants. Partnering
with such respected industry figures as Just Blaze, Jay Electronica
and Mike Chav makes these projects all the more meaningful for everyone
involved.”
Fresh Cuts Vol. 3 Track List:
1. Jay Electronica – “Exhibit A (Transformations)”;
Produced by Just Blaze for Reset Button Music / NQC Mgmt; Recorded by
Andrew Wright and Michael Chavarria; Mixed by Andrew Wright and Michael
Chavarria; Mastered by Nobody for Missed Deadline Entertainment; myspace.com/justblazeradio,
myspace.com/jayelect, myspace.com/mikechav
2. EMC – “Leak it Out”; Featuring Vinson Johnson of
Guitar Center Ft. Myers, FL; myspace.com/emcthegroup
3. Simpler Machine – “Monday Man” Featuring Dave Isaac,
Vintage Inventory Manager, and Anoush Saboktakin of Guitar Center Hollywood,
CA; myspace.com/simplermachine
4. The American Life – “Wait”; Featuring Daniel Domann
and Jim West of Musician’s Friend, Kansas City, MO; myspace.com/theamericanliferock
5. Paxtin – “What We Are”; Featuring Patrick Crandal
of GuitarCenter.com and Ryan Jones of Musician’s Friend Salt Lake
City, UT; myspace.com/Paxtin
6. Reapacussionz – “Revelationz”; Featuring Jose Ruiz,
Department Manager, of Guitar Center Springfield, NJ; myspace.com/reapreproyalty
7. 48sin – “Sipping Down the Barrel of a Gun”; Featuring
Patrick Windsor, Assistant Manager, and Justin Flanigan of Guitar Center
North Chicago, IL; myspace.com/48sin
8. Beautiful Vision – “Redirect”; Featuring Thomas
Aniano, Assistant Manager, of Guitar Center Carle Place, NY; myspace.com/beautifulvision
9. The Hollow Sound – “Of Arms and Ocean”; Featuring
Justin Poirier of Guitar Center Boston, MA; myspace.com/thehollowsound
10. Marti Stevens – “Back Again”; Featuring Marti
Hargrave, Inventory Control Supervisor, Stores of Guitar Center Management,
Westlake Village, CA; martistevens.com
11. Regenerated Headpiece – “The New Animal”; Featuring
Brett Isler, Retail Leadership Trainer of Guitar Center Management,
Westlake Village, CA; regeneratedheadpiece.com
12. The Last Pop Band – “Keep It Down”; Featuring
Tom Steimel and Rob Dickey, Operations Manager of Guitar Center Grand
Rapids, MI; myspace.com/thelastpopband
13. Scott Orlans – “Dark Matters”; Featuring Scott
Orlans, Assistant Manager of Guitar Center Pasadena, CA; myspace.com/scottorlans
Photo File 1: GC_FreshCuts3_1.JPG
Photo Caption 1: Fresh Cuts Vol. 3 CD cover art
Photo File 2: GC_FreshCuts3_2.JPG
Photo Caption 2: Pictured L-R: Rapper Jay Electronica, engineer Mike
Chav and producer Just Blaze, recording “Exhibit A (Transformations)”
for Guitar Center’s Fresh Cuts Vol. 3, produced in association
with Guitar Center’s GAIN Program.
About Guitar Center
Guitar Center is the leading United States retailer of guitars, amplifiers,
percussion instruments, keyboards and pro-audio and recording equipment.
Our retail store subsidiary presently operates more than 200 Guitar
Center stores across the U.S. In addition, our Music & Arts division
operates more than 100 stores specializing in band instruments for sale
and rental, serving teachers, band directors, college professors and
students. We are also the largest direct response retailer of musical
instruments in the United States through our wholly owned subsidiary,
Musician's Friend, Inc., and its catalog and Web site, www.musiciansfriend.com.
More information on Guitar Center can be found by visiting the Company's
Web site at www.guitarcenter.com.
The Guitar Center logo is a registered trademark of
Guitar Center, Inc. Other brand or product names may be trademarks of
the respective companies with which they are associated.
MEDIA CONTACT: Robert Clyne, Clyne Media, Inc., at (615) 662-1616