8.10.07: REBEL news!
Killswitch Engage and As I Lay Dying From Warped Tour '07 The guys from both Killswitch Engage (www.killswitchengage.com) and As I Lay Dying (www.asilaydying.com) were rockin' the Rebel Straps on the Warped Tour neck of the woods in So-Cal at the Home Depot Center in Carson this past weekend. Here's some shots of the bands in action! As I Lay Dying just released their newest CD, "An Ocean Between Us" and featured new bassist Josh Gilbert. Both AILD and KSE will be heading out this fall on tour.
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7.13.07: REBEL news!
New Giveaways!
Rebel Strap Co and Brighten Fender/Squire® Autographed Guitar Giveaway!
In celebration of the “Show Must Go On” tour—featuring Brighten, along with From First To Last, Secondhand Serenade, and Powerspace and featuring headliners, Hawthorne Heights—Rebel Straps and Brighten are offering up an autographed Fender/Squire Standard Strat! Second Place winners will receive an autographed copy of Brighten’s newest CD, two Rebel straps and two Brighten t-shirts! Third Place winners will get 2 Rebel straps. Enter to win by clicking HERE.
So, who are these Brighten kids? Take Jimmy Eat World and stir in a little James Taylor, add a little Get Up Kids, and top with a pinch of Phil Collins…. and you’ve got Brighten. They are rock and roll boys that you can take home to mom. Brighten is currently on the “Show Must Go On” tour with Listen to their music and find tour dates near you @ www.myspace.com/wearebrighten
Rebel Strap Co/Howaudio.com Guitar Giveaway
But wait, there’s more! Rebel has teamed up with the on-line training experts, HowAudio.com, to present a guitar giveaway from master luthier Steve Soest. Soest has relic’ed two guitars for this promo, in celebration of his new howaudio.com DVD, “How To Relic A Guitar.” Enter to win guitars, Rebel straps and cases by Pro Tec… Details HERE. http://library.howaudio.com/html/
Rebel Strap Co’s Prosthetic Records Giveaway Winner
Earlier this year, Rebel and Prosthetic Records gave away a whole mess o’ swag from all the Prosthetic bands including Through The Eyes of the Dead, Light This City, The Acacia Strain, Wolf, Cannae, Burn In Silence, PLUS an autographed Fender Standard Stratocaster signed by Through The Eyes of the Dead! The winner was, Cameron Vogtman, a 17-year-old Baltimore, MD high school student. Vogtman, who’s self-taught and into bands like Rancid, Thursday and Lamb of God, plans to use the new axe in his 3-piece, original rock band. After he’s done his homework. Rock on!
Scandinavian Metal from the land of the Vikings
We caught up with Johannes "Axeman" Losbäck from the Swedish metal band, WOLF. He’s an avid Rebel strap fan, metalhead, and…. Well, hear it from the man hisself:
Give us some brief background on you and Wolf:
I'm a self-taught guitar player from Sweden. I've been a metalhead since my mother played KISS for me at the age of five! I've played in different bands over the years, and joined WOLF in 2002 as their touring/writing guitarist. I became a full member in 2004. WOLF has been around since ‘95 and have released four full-length albums and toured with the likes of Saxon, Pain, Trivium, The Haunted, Celtic Frost, Kreator, etc. Besides WOLF, I’ve played on albums with Power Unit, Decameron and Seventh One.
How would you describe Wolf stylistically?
We're a heavy metal band in the true sense of the word. No swords & dragons and shit. No make-up or baggy pants...just pure metal terror.
As a player, what do you bring to the table? What’s your guitar philosophy? In the pocket? Melodic? Shredder?
I believe I bring aggression and balls to guitar playing. I see the guitar as a part of me, and at the same time, a tool for my expression. I just don’t "play the strings", I play the whole guitar. My "thinking" in creating a guitar solo is that it has to add to the song, otherwise...I let it be. I'll shred if I have to. I’ll play melodic if I have to.
Influences?
I like the twin stuff that Tipton/Downing from Judas Priest do. Jeff Waters from Annihilator triggers me allot. Andy La Rouqe from King Diamond is a great influence. And of course, Zakk Wylde and Trey Azagthoth.
What’s your gear philosophy? Guitars/amps of choice?
I'm a Dean guitar player ‘cause I like the way they make their ‘V’ shapes. I'm a sucker for V's. They embody the whole hard rock/metal style and the Dean V is so metal it goddamn hurts. The sound is amazing. The amp I use is an old Marshall bass head, which was rebuilt by Swedish guitarampwizard, Tommy Folkesson. It has a wicked distortion and a depth far beyond anything I ever played before. I also like the sound of Madison amps and I might get me one of those in the future.
How are you digging Rebel straps? Which ones are you using and why?
First off, is the supreme quality. Second is the look. It catches your eye. I use the Metal Skull Pick Box and the GTO black/white cause they rock... and rock HARD!
For more on WOLF, go to:
www.wolf.nu
www.myspace.com/wolfheavymetal
www.myspace.com/axemanwolf
2.26.07: REBEL news!
Rebel Rouser Profile: Bill Lonero
Bill Lonero picked up the guitar as a youngster and with Angus Young and AC/DC as his guiding light, he’s been playing ever since. In those years, he’s shared the stage and/or studio with the likes of Stu Hamm (Joe Satriani), Gigi Gonaway, Mike Mangini (Extreme and Steve Vai) and Polo Jones (Zucchero and Whitney Houston). His band LoNero—featuring Mike McKaigg on bass, rhythm guitarist William Baglivio and Steve Spicer on drums—is poised to release a new CD, Relentless, on March 6th with the help ofApple® Computers/Quicktime. Read the interview here: Bill Lonero Profile
Great Glass Elevator Releases EP & Kicks Off U.S. Tour
Great Glass Elevator kicked off their spring tour January 20th at West Hollywood’s musical hotspot, The Troubadour. The band also released their new EP, Our Hands Turn Into Machines—a 4-song EP plus a video—available on their website, www.greatglasselevator.com. Look for a full-length release on Atlantic later this year.
"If your band is gonna cite Queen, Coldplay, Radiohead, Pink Floyd AND Jimmy Eat World as influences, you'd better have the epic vision to back it up. And that's exactly what Great Glass Elevator deliver." -Alternative Press, "The Top 10 Unsigned Bands in America"
www.myspace.com/greatglasselevator
REBEL SHIPS NEW GTO STRAPS
Eight Retro Straps Reminiscent Of ‘70s Auto Interiors
The new GTO Series is guaranteed to get your motor running! Inspired by the auto interiors of the ‘70s, the GTO straps are reminiscent of the era of the Naugahyde® interiors, and sport a solid Mustang racing stripe down its length. Eight designs to choose from, you’ll find these retro gems are super soft to the touch and comfortable to wear. Each strap extends to 68”. Check out the GTO straps!
AUDIOSKIN NAMED BEST IN SHOW” BY MUSIC INC MAGAZINE
Find out why Music Inc Magazine recently named AudioSkin “Best In Show” at the Summer NAMM show! We claim AudioSkin is the most revolutionary and innovative cable organizer… ever! While that’s a pretty big statement to make, once you see it in action (or watch the video demonstration on www.audioskin.net), you’ll see what we mean. The AudioSkin collects loose cables and ‘zippers’ them into one snake with a simple twist of the wrist. But that's not all: you can partially pull out individual cables to any length for connecting to miscellaneous inputs—while keeping the snake intact. Great for home or office; on stage, or in the studio. Organize all the untidy cables behind a home stereo, or streamline computer and miscellaneous office equipment cords. CHECK IT OUT NOW
1.22.07: NAMM Show Giveaway!
Nick and Phil from As I Lay Dying came by the Rebel Booth at the Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim CA. We had a crowd of about 100 anxious fans hoping to score some Rebel straps, t-shirts and swag, and the grand prize: a Fender® Standard Strat Signed by the band! Joanne Manriquez of Fullerton CA was the lucky winner!
NAMM Sightings: Rebel Straps were spotted in some of the booths at the NAMM show. All guitars used to demo M-Audio's GuitarBox Pro were noticeably rigged with Rebel straps, and both Carvin and Tech 21 were also rockin' Rebel GTO's in their booths, too.
Rebel Strap Co and Prosthetic Records Present a Mega-Huge Holiday Giveaway!
If you haven't done so already, enter to win our latest giveaway! You have until January 31st to enter. Tell all your friends! Click to enter! Here are the details:
Enter to win a Fender Standard Stratocaster signed by Through The Eyes of the Dead!
Plus, a Rebel Messenger bag filled to the brim with the following swag!: € SIX (6) Rebel Straps of your choice! € ELEVEN (11) Prosthetic CDs: Autographed Through The Eyes of the Dead, Bloodlust Autographed Light This City, Facing The Thousand Autographed The Acacia Strain, The Dead Walk Autographed Yakuza - Samsara Wolf, The Black Flame Cannae, Gold Becomes Sacrifice Burn In Silence, Angel Maker € A mess o' T-shirts from Rebel, Prosthetic and Light This City! € Plus: Miscellaneous Prosthetic posters and stickers!
As I Lay Dying Signed Strat Winner!
Hey all you Rebels! We finally got a winner for the As I Lay Dying autographed Fender Stratocaster! Michael Chapman. He’s a junior high school student from Suisun City, CA! We caught up with Michael after he got the guitar.
Rebel: Congrats on winning!
Michael Chapman: Thanks so much!
Rebel: So how’d you get interested in playing guitar?
MC: Well, I first learned about As I Lay Dying at about the end of 7th grade, and they are pretty much the reason why I started playing guitar. Their song "Through Struggle" has been my favorite song since before I even played guitar. I can remember listening to it over and over listening to the intricate guitar riffs, wishing I could play them.
Rebel: Are you self-taught?
MC: Pretty much, yeah. I started taking lessons about 8 months after I got my first guitar. By then, I could fully read and understand tabs, and had learned a few really easy songs. I took lessons for about 2 months from an instructor my friend Jack Carsley had told me about. I loved taking lessons and being with a better guitarist then I was, but all he was teaching me was how to play songs, not teaching me chords and notes and scales, etc. So I quit after about 2 months.
Rebel: So what are you doing now to keep learning?
MC: Well I started out learning songs with a program called Guitar Pro from bands like Senses Fail and Taking Back Sunday. Then I learned "Through Struggle" from As I Lay Dying. I played it nonstop for hours. I went on learning pretty much a new As I Lay Dying song every few days, and am still learning more. I've played guitar for about two years now, and Jack, who has now played about 4 years tells me I've surpassed him. I can now play a number of As I Lay Dying songs, like "Through Struggle", "Forever", "94 Hours", "Elegy", "Confined", "Meaning in Tragedy", and "The Darkest Nights," but I want to learn every As I Lay Dying song.
As I Lay Dying has always been my biggest inspiration, and I feel honored to get a guitar signed by them. They have been my favorite band ever since I first heard them, and still are today. God Bless and KEEP IT BRUTAL!
Win a signed Epiphone Les Paul Special autographed by Pillar
To celebrate Pillar’s new recording, The Reckoning, Rebel, Gibson/Epiphone and Pillar have teamed up to celebrate the event by offering an ebony Epiphone Les Paul Special signed by the band! Look out for The Reckoning in stores October 3rd!
Rockin' the Rebel Gear!
Chicago Violin rocked the Rebel gear at the Mantis Metal Massacre show, at The Trocadero Theater in Philadelphia, October 14th! Chicago Violin is an intense combination of alternative rock, and metal. Hailing from Philadelphia, PA, the band features rock solid guitar work from both Jeff Smith and Austin Day. The backbone is provided by drummer Mike 
Boland and Scott Bender on bass. Keith Zampino's hard core vocals give this band true versatility. Check 'em out!
Send photos and any Rebel news to: diane@rebelstraps.com!