There's always something going on at Alpha!
Here are a few of our events that you may or may not have been a part of.
For those of you who were there... Great to see you!
For those of you who were not... Why not?
Win a beautiful ‘69 Corvette! See it, smell it at Alpha Music! Saturday, January 23, 2009
Please e-mail or
contact Assisi House for more information.
Todd Sucherman Clinic live at Alpha Music, December 14th, 2009 - Unbelievable!
When:
Monday, Dec 14th, 6:30 pm
Where:
Alpha Music, of course!
His much anticipated instructional DVD release "Methods and Mechanics" is getting raves from everyone, he has been powering Styx for years as well as working with Brian Wilson, Spinal Tap, Eric Marienthal, Peter Cetera, John Wetton, Steve Cole, The Falling Wallendas and more! Todd is a "drummer's drummer" who will make you stand up and take notice.
If you want a fun and instructional evening you want to cancel practice (you can practice anytime, Todd has never been here!), tell your girlfriend you’re hanging with the guys and you need to be at Alpha Music on Dec 14th!
There will be door prizes from Remo & Pearl as well as special Sabian prototypes available at the clinic. Todd’s DVD and much more. Held in the Alpha Music live performance theater, tickets are $10 and are available at Alpha Music or right here on alpha-music.com. Don't miss the last clinic of the year oh and... prepare to be amazed!
Alpha Music and Suhr Guitars present Guthrie Govan! Monday July 20, 2009, 7:00pm!
When:
Monday, July 20th, 2009, 7 pm
Where:
Alpha Music's spacious Performance Hall
Guthrie Govan hails from Chelmsford, UK, and is arguably one of the most exciting and significant new guitarists to emerge in the virtuosic rock/fusion guitar scene in many years. A brilliant virtuoso who is at home in a variety of musical genres and styles, he combines astonishing technique, vast theoretical knowledge, down-to-earth feel, sophisticated harmonic vocabulary and for memorable melodies and woody organic tone. Whether it's mainstream shred rock a
la G3 or fusion jazz or chicken-picking country or groove-driven funk or down-home blues or whatever other style you could think of, Guthrie does 'em all and does so extremely well.
Guthrie was nothing short of amazing! His presentation, both commentary and playing was second to none. We'd like to thank John Suhr for choosing us as a stopping point and both thank and congratulate those of you fortunate enough to attend.
Alpha Music and our friends at Fender Musical Instruments presented Fender Fan Appreciation Day! Fender offered customers 10% cash back on any new Fender or Squier gear!!
Where:
Alpha Music, where else?
Of course everyday is a sale at Alpha Music! There are more than 5000 items in our current inventory and nearly everything is at least 30 - 40% off! Every day, but on Fender Fan Appreciation Day customers got that already smokin' Alpha deal on that brand new Fender or Squier instrument and a Fender Representative handed them 10% off of the ticket price for that instrument. Cash! Instant gratification! Plus they'll still get that award winning Alpha service including free setups for as long as you own that instrument!
Want an amazing deal on an American Standard Guitar or Bass? As of 6/15 and until 9/15, Fender is offering a $100 mail-in rebate on these fine instruments and you can use that on top of our Fender Fan Appreciation deals! If you want Fender or Squier gear, you need to get it here. Hey... that rhymes!
Alpha Music and our friends at Gibson and Epiphone came up with one heck of an event! The event included an Epiphone sale, a "concert" and a guitar competiton. The deals were definitely flying and many folks left with their dream guitars! Again, I'd like to mention that everyday is a sale at Alpha Music! There are more than 5000 items in our current inventory and nearly everything is at least 30 - 40% off!
The final element of this extravaganza was the local component of the Gibson / Epiphone Guitarfest 2009 guitar competition. Congratulations go out to 1st Place Winner Daniel Karp, 2nd Place Winner Jack Holladay. In addition to taking top honors on Saturday, they will also advance to the regional finals where they'll compete for even bigger and better prizes!
Alpha Music and Hartke Systems present Victor Wooten! Wednesday May 20th 7:00pm!
When:
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009
Where:
Alpha Music's spacious Performance Hall
Bass master Victor Wooten redefines the word musician. Regaled as the most influential bassist since Jaco Pastorius, Victor is known for his solo recordings and tours, and as a member of the Grammy-winning supergroup, Bιla Fleck & The Flecktones. He is an innovator on the bass guitar, as well as a talented composer, arranger, producer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist. But those gifts only begin to tell the tale of this Tennessee titan.
Here's your chance to catch victor up close and personal and to learn something from a true bass master! Stay tuned for more details and ticket information as it evolves and if you've never seen Victor before, prepare to be amazed!
The Alpha Music "Masters of Metallica" Guitar Competition!!
When:
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Where:
Alpha Music's spacious Performance Hall
Alpha Music's official guitar competition returns! This year we've teamed up with ESP Guitars to celebrate the music of Metallica and inviting all guitarists, 18 and under, to come and compete to be crowned Hampton road's own Master of Metallica.
Each contestant performed a pre-selected Metallica tune with a live band before a live audience and a panel of judges.
When the smoke cleared, top honors went to Jacob Caburian. Jacob's win netted him this ESP KH2 Kirk Hammett Signature guitar courtesy of ESP guitars, who also judged the event.
The second spot went to Tayoh Valdez, who took took home a hand-built Dunlop Kirk Hammett Signature Wah courtesy of the fine folks at Dunlop Manufacturing, makers of MXR, Jim Dunlop, and many other fine brands. The third spot went to Alex Dempsey. Alex will be ripping Metallica tunes with custom printed guitar picks from InTune Guitar Picks.
Once again, we'd like to mention our outstanding back-up band: Alan Terrell on Vocals, Alpha Music drum instructor Alan Felder on Drums, Alpha Music Sales Associate Noah Martin on Bass and a special thanks to Alpha Music guitar Department manager Jimmy White who, organized the event, played Guitar and handled the Emcee duties. We'd also like to thank all of those who entered the competition for their support of the event and Alpha Music!
Alpha Music and Fender Musical Instruments Team up to help local sound man, RD Sisk
One of the regions best local soundmen mixing in this area since the early 80’s (The Phone Cops, The Boneshakers, and many other bands since), RD Sisk, suffered a stroke on February 12 which initially paralyzed his left side. After two weeks in the hospital he is able to walk short distances with a cane and with great concentration move his arm slowly and start to move his fingers. While this is tremendous progress, the bills are mounting and his income has stopped. Unfortunately, like many musicians, RD had no health insurance coverage. Alpha Music has rallied to help and with our friends at Fender Musical Instruments who so graciously donated a brand new Fender 60th Anniversary Tele ($2000 retail) we were able to raise $1300 to help out friend RD! Thanks to every one who participated.
RD (left) accepts a check from Alpha's General Manager Eric D. Burgess
R.D Sisk Benefit Concert - 7 Bands live at the Jewish Mother!
When:
Sunday, May 17,
2009, 5:00pm - 11:00 pm
Where:
The Jewish Mother, Virginia Beach, VA
The love and support continues on May 17th when 7 of the areas top bands come together in one of the areas top (and longest lasting) club venues to play, party and eat, drink (and be merry).
Over the years, R.D. has worked with countless area musicians and this is our opportunity to help out a friend and fellow musician in a time of need. Tickets for this event are $10 with all proceeds going to R.D.
Special thanks to Judy Kirkman for helping to organize the bands and the bands' schedules. Also thanks to Jim Windsor for arranging the date at the Jewish Mother. Special thanks also go out to Mark Johnson of Fidelity Sound for generously supplying back line for the bands and Mark Koch for delivery of the gear.
Come on out and support a great cause, enjoy some great food and live music. All ages are welcome.
The Pearl Drums Demon Drive Tour 2009 came to Alpha Music!
When:
Tuesday, March 9, 2009
Where:
Alpha Music's spacious Performance Hall
A totally free event brought to you by Alpha Music and Pearl Drums
The Alpha Music "Wizrds of Oz" Guitar Competition!!
When:
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Where:
Alpha Music's spacious Performance Hall
The next installment of Alpha Music's official guitar competition celebrated the music of the one and only Ozzy Osbourne. We invite all guitarists, 18 and under, to come and compete to be crowned Hampton road's own Wizard of Oz.
Each contestant performed with a live band (an Ozzy or Sabbath tune, of course) before a live audience and a panel of judges.
When the dust settled, top honors went to Alex Dempsey. Alex's win netted him a Marshall MG100DFX half stack courtesy of Marshall Amplifiers. The second spot went to Marshall Wacker, who took second in our "Shred Like Ed" competition and actually won last year's "Show Me Your Angus" competition. Marshall took home a Dunlop Crybaby Wah courtesy of the fine folks at Dunlop Manufacturing, makers of MXR, Jim Dunlop, and many other fine brands.
Once again, we'd like to mention our back-up band: T.R. Morgan on Vocals, Tripp Johnson on Drums, Alpha Music's Damien Wade on Drums and a special thanks to our own Micah Spruill who, once again, organized the event, played Guitar and handled the Emcee duties. Finally, we'd like to thank all of those who entered the competition for their support of the event and Alpha Music!
And you know there's no place they'd rather stop than Alpha Music! If you aren't
familiar with "The Gibson Trailer"... The Gibson Custom, Art &
Historic Division’s Traveling Exhibit is one of the most exciting displays of guitars
and guitar information anywhere around. This 40-foot "showroom on wheels" lets
you come face-to-face with the Custom Shop and provides you the opportunity to
get that feeling that you can only get when you hold a Gibson! The display
includes Custom
Collection and Historic
Collection guitars as well as one-of-a-kind and limited
edition instruments. Just check out the slide show of some
past visits from both the Acoustic and the Electric exhibits
and whet your appetite!
Adam Nitti has emerged as one of the cutting edge bassists and composers in the world of instrumental jazz and rock. Based out of Nashville, Tennessee, Adam currently has 3 CDs released on his own Renaissance Man Records label. Adam has toured with the Dave Weckl band, Jeff Coffin Mu’tet, the Justice League, Angie Aparo and has also performed with such legendary artists as Scott Henderson, T
Lavitz, Peter Erskine, Jimmy Herring, Mike Stern, Kirk Covington, Susan Tedeschi, Wayne Krantz, and manyothers. He is currently the bassist with Steven Curtis Chapman, a 5 time Grammy winning artist. In addition to being a performer and composer, Adam is also Chief Learning Officer for MusicDojo.com, an interactive online music school. He is also a bass clinician for SWR, D'Addario, and Warrior Instruments, and is a staff instructor for Victor Wooten's bass & nature camps.
Adam is also a columnist for Bass Player magazine, an adjunct faculty member of Lagrange College's school of music, a first-call session player, and has done dozens of clinic and performance appearances at such events as the Bozeman Bass Bash, Bassquake, Euro Bass Day, and Bassup!
Adam was nothing short of spectacular and fun was had by all! Check out more info on Adam, on his website adamnitti.com.
The Alpha Music "Shred Like Ed" Guitar Competition!!
When:
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Where:
Alpha Music's spacious Performance Hall
Alpha Music's official guitar competition returns! This year we teamed up with Jim Dunlop and MXR to celebrate the music of Van Halen and inviting all guitarists, 18 and under, to come and compete to be crowned Hampton road's own Eddie Van Halen.
Each contestant performed a pre-selected Van Halen tune with a live band, before a live audience and a panel of judges.
At the end of the show, the judges were unable to decide on the order of the top 2 spots; prompting an impromptu solo "wang off". When the dust settled the tiop honors went to Chris Rowley. Chris was awarded a hand-built Dunlop EVH signature wah. The second spot went to Marshall Wacker, who actually won last year's "Show Me Your Angus" competition. Marshall took home an MXR EVH Flanger. The 3rd place honors went to Nick Lemaster, who received an MXR EVH Phaser. All prizes were courtesy of Dunlop Manufacturing, makers of MXR, Jim Dunlop, and many other fine brands.
Once again, we'd like to mention our excellent back-up band: Walt Redmond on Vocals, Tripp Johnson on Bass, Alpha Music's Andy Payne on Drums and a special thanks to our own Micah Spruill who, once again, organized the event, played Guitar and handled the Emcee duties. Finally, we'd like to thank all of those who entered the competition for their support of the event and Alpha Music!
Orrin is an award-winning guitar, banjo and mandolin player and also a recognized top bluegrass instructor. A former National Flatpicking Champ, he is the author of Hot Licks for Bluegrass Guitar and a columnist for Flatpicking Guitar magazine. http://www.orrinstar.com
Workshop 1 - 12:00 - 2:00pm
Rhythm Mandolin
Rhythm is a vital yet seldom focused-on aspect of mandolin playing. In this workshop we explore five different rhythm styles, from folk to bluegrass, Celtic to country swing, and reggae. You'll come away with some new strums and chords forms that you can immediately apply to your music-making.
Workshop 2 - 2:30 - 5:00pm
Making Your Mando Sing: A Lead Workshop
One of the hurdles facing mandolinists on the road from memorizing solos to making music is learning to incorporate rhythm moves into their leads. Using the classic song New River Train, this workshop will give you a tool-kit of strums and double-stops that can be used to transform a simple vocal melody into a full-sounding mandolin solo.
Workshop Details
Limited to 10 participants each.
Geared to novice - intermediate players.
Bring your instrument
Includes tablature hand-outs.
non-video recording devices welcome.
$45 fee for each workshop.
Two ways to register
Email: Send PayPal payment to orhay@aol.com
Martin Clinic - "The Martin Story: History, Heritage and Future"
When:
Saturday, April 5th,
1:00 pm
Where:
Alpha Music's spacious Performance Hall
Join Martin Clinician and Bluegrass flatpicker Richard Starkey along with Martin District Sales Manager Dan Gulino as they take you on a tour of the Martin factory (on the Alpha widescreen) and and present the past, present and future of Martin guitars. They'll also be bringing some very special Martin instruments with them as well as conducting a free re-string clinic for your Martin guitars.
Want to pick up a new Martin? Well Saturday is the day to do that! Buy any new Martin from Alpha's extensive inventory and we're going to pay the sales tax! That's right, Alpha Music will pay the sales tax on your new Martin!
And as if that isn't enough, after the presentation they're gonna participate in Alpha's monthly Bluegrass Open Stage. This is one event you don't want to miss!
A totally free event brought to you by Alpha Music and Martin Guitars
A true "drummer's drummer", Terry Bozzio is here to stretch the boundaries of modern drumming. Cancel your band practice, tell your significant other you are are going to school and don't be late for this event!
Terry John Bozzio (born December 27, 1950) is widely regarded as being one of the finest drummers of the modern era. Having made his name recording and touring with Frank Zappa (most notably in the concert movie Baby Snakes), Terry later went on to form Missing Persons with his then-partner and lead vocalist Dale Bozzio, ex-Zappa guitarists Warren Cuccurullo and Patrick O'Hearn and keyboard player Chuck Wild. Terry has recorded with numerous players on hundreds of different albums from right across the musical spectrum, including Duran Duran, Jeff Beck, Chad Wakerman, Steve Vai, Steve Stevens and Tony Levin, Andy Taylor, Robbie Robertson, Gary Wright, Don Dokken, XYZ, Paul Hyde, Herbie Hancock, Dweezil Zappa and Richard Marx.
As you know, most of Alpha's events are free,
but due to the magnitude of this event, tickets are required.
Tickets are $20 available from Alpha Music.
This event will sell out quickly!
Matt Mills Neoclassical Rock Guitar Clinic and Performance
When:
Saturday, November 24
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Where:
Alpha Music's spacious Performance Hall
"I remember meeting Matt, hanging with him and hearing him play a bit. He`s a very nice
guy and he's an excellent player as well. Scary Arpeggio play combined with blazingly fast neo-classical runs, fans of over the top guitar work will have plenty to feast on while listening to Matt`s playing." -
Joe Stump
Matthew Mills grew up in southern Maryland and started playing guitar around the age of 15. He was completely blown away after hearing The Yngwie Malmsteen album Trilogy. In fact, the album completely changed his world. He knew he wanted to take guitar very seriously. He began playing as much as 6 to 8 hours a day and listen to guitar masters Vinnie Moore, Tony MacAlpine, Joe Stump and George Bellas. These guitarists were a huge impact on his playing style. In addition to his 3 critically aclaimed solo albums, Matt is a very accomplished Guitar instructor, studio musician and fortunately for us, Matthew also does guitar clinics. On November 24th, he'll be playing songs from his instrumental albums as well as explaining his playing style and gear. Don't miss this opportunity for a little free neoclassical schooling!
Matthew plays Schecter Guitars Fender Yngwie Model Guitars and Vox and Marshall amps.
Johnny Hiland Guitar Clinic at Alpha Music. Update! He's bringing his band!!
When:
Friday, November 16
Meet and Greet - 4:00 pm
Clinic - 6:00 pm
Where:
Alpha Music's spacious Performance Hall
"I think Johnny Hiland is the most versatile guitar player I've ever heard. From Bill Monroe to Eddie Van Halen, he can play it all." -
Ricky Skaggs
That's right! He's brought his band with him and the show was amazing!!!
If you tried, you couldn't make up a story this good: legally blind kid grows up in a trailer home in rural Maine. A guitar prodigy, he tours with the family band starting at age 8, wins local and regional competitions, moves to Nashville, ends up dropping jaws all over town, doing sessions with Ricky Skaggs, Toby Keith, Randy Travis, Janie Fricke and many more, and gets signed by Steve Vai when his manager leaves a demo snippet on Steve's voicemail box. But indeed, this is true the story of Johnny Hiland.
Johnny has shared the stage with such diverse performers ranging from Vai, Satriani, and Ynvgie Malmsteen on their G3 tour, legendary rocker Sammy Hagar and Living Colour's Vernon Reed to country supertar Ricky Skaggs, to Les Paul to funk master George Clinton.
In addition to session work, live performances, touring, writing, designing his signature model PRS, Johnny has been teaching Master Classes at such prestigious schools as Berkley School of Music in Boston, Musicians Institute in California and the Academy of Contemporary Music in England. He's produced 9 instructional CDs for Mel Bay and 2 Hot Licks videos. In 2006, Johnny started a motivational speaking campaign within the public school system in Maine designed to motivate students to achieve their goals despite any handicap they may have.
Alpha Music & Gibson Guitars "Show Me Your Angus" competition results!
When:
Saturday, November 10, 2007
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Where:
Alpha Music's spacious Performance Hall
Alpha Music's official guitar competition returned and this year we teamed up with Gibson Guitars to celebrate the music of AC/DC and to crown Hampton road's own Angus Young.
Each contestant performed with a live band (an ACDC tune, of course) before a live audience and a panel of judges.
At the end of the show, 2 reigned supreme (one from each of the 2 age brackets). Marshall Wacker took home top honors in the 16 and under bracket and Kevin Mitchell snagged the top prize in the 17 and up group. Both were awarded the two USA Gibson SG guitars shown below. We'd like to thank the fine the fine folks at Gibson Guitars for co-sponsoring this event and for their continued excellent dealer support and customer service. We'd also like to thank the our excellent back-up band: Walt Redmond on Vocals, Tripp Johnson on Bass, Alpha Music's Kevin Hall on Drums and a special thanks to our own Micah Spruill who not only organized this even, but played Guitar and handled the Emcee duties as well! Finally, we'd like to thank all of those who entered the competition for their support of the event and Alpha Music!
