Now is the right time to become an American Federation of Musicians member. From ragtime to rap, from the early phonograph to today's digital recordings, the AFM has been there for its members. And now there are more benefits available to AFM members than ever before, including a multi-million dollar pension fund, excellent contract protection, instrument and travelers insurance, work referral programs and access to licensed booking agents to keep you working.
As an AFM member, you are part of a membership of more than 80,000 musicians. Experience has proven that collective activity on behalf of individuals with similar interests is the most effective way to achieve a goal. The AFM can negotiate agreements and administer contracts, procure valuable benefits and achieve legislative goals. A single musician has no such power.
The AFM has a proud history of managing change rather than being victimized by it. We find strength in adversity, and when the going gets tough, we get creative - all on your behalf.
Like the industry, the AFM is also changing and evolving, and its policies and programs will move in new directions dictated by its members. As a member, you will determine these directions through your interest and involvement. Your membership card will be your key to participation in governing your union, keeping it responsive to your needs and enabling it to serve you better. To become a member now, visit www.afm.org/join.
BAE’s Hot Fuzz dual-stomp guitar pedal has both a vintage-style treble booster and a vintage-style fuzz, each with independent bypass switches. The Hi Frequency Boost features single gain control. With treble, bass, juice, and gain controls, Hot Fuzz lets you dial in the perfect tone.
Music programs for students in Texas and Florida schools have been deeply affected by hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Schools have sustained damage or had to close indefinitely, leaving districts scrambling for resources. The Houston Independent School District alone lost $1 million in instruments across 13 campuses.
Yamaha Corporation of America, in conjunction with the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, is helping to rebuild these music programs. Now through December 31, if you post a photo or video explaining how music education has changed your life with the #YamahaSharetheGift hashtag on Twitter or Instagram, or submit a video through YouTube via the Share the Gift website (www.yamaha.com/us/sharethegift/), the company will donate a brand new instrument to Music Rising, the disaster relief fund of the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation.
This year’s Summer NAMM show saw the launch of Local 257 (Nashville, TN) member Brad Paisley’s signature Fender guitar. The Brad Paisley Road Worn Telecaster body is custom-made from lightweight and resonant paulownia center core with spruce top and back. A custom wound ’64 Tele Bridge Pickup expands the sonic palette. The “V” neck provides a comfortable grip, while medium jumbo frets allow quick picking and over-the-neck bends. The guitar has a Road Worn silver sparkle finish, aged hardware, and a paisley pickguard.
Roland’s GP607 brings a light-weight and maintenance-free mini grand into your living room. SuperNATURAL modeling technology provides high quality, realistic tone, complemented by a premium, multi-channel speaker system for top quality sound whether playing or listening. The new expressive touch PHA-50 hammer action keyboard with escapement provides authentic feel. Bluetooth compatible, GP607 lets you stream music or connect to the latest apps for learning and performance. 3D Ambience technology headphones allow accurate sound and silent practice. The graceful polished design with opening lid comes in ebony or white finishes.
The HeadRush Pedalboard guitar processor delivers diverse classic vintage and modern amp and FX models, including exclusive boutique effects, plus the ability to load your own custom response (IR) files. Other features include gapless preset changes with reverb and delay tail spillover, and a built-in looper with 20 minutes of record time. HeadRush Pedalboard is housed in a rugged steel chassis that features 12 footswitches with their own OLED displays, plus a seven-inch touch display that gives ultra-clear feedback.
Fender has partnered with Jose Cuervo to create the Cuervo x Fender Agave Stratocaster, made from the agave plant. With a 21-fret neck and fingerboard, the two-piece ’56 Stratocaster features genuine Fender hardware, a custom-engraved neck plate with Jose Cuervo inscription, hand-wound Fat ’50s neck, RWRP middle, and bridge pickups. The unique art guitar was designed and constructed by Fender Custom Shop Builder Paul Waller who traveled to Tequila, Mexico, in 2016 to tour the Jose Cuervo distillery and harvest agave materials. The beautifully crafted guitar weighs just 6.5 pounds and has a “quackiness” to its sound that make it a perfect tonal fit for surf music.
Casio’s Cleviano AP-270 digital piano boasts a redesigned cabinet with all controls located on the side panel. The simulated ebony and ivory weighted, scaled, hammer action keyboard provides the feel, depth, and integrity of an acoustic piano. It features 22 tones, including both European and American concert grand piano tones with damper resonance. In addition, AP-270 offers Concert Play with 10 songs, three pedals, plus USB MIDI and two-track recording, all for under $1,500.
What do you do with more than 1,000 musical instruments in disrepair and no funds to fix them? That was the dilemma faced by The School District of Philadelphia. Now a new project, Symphony for a Broken Orchestra (symphonyforabrokenorchestra.org), funded by the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage and The Barra Foundation, seeks to remedy the situation. A city-wide effort initiated by Temple Contemporary in partnership with the school district, the Philadelphia Orchestra, The Boyer College of Music & Dance, the Curtis Institute, and numerous professional and amateur musicians, will see musicians perform a composition December 2017 written by David Lang specifically for the sounds of the instruments in their current broken state.
The brainchild of Tyler School of Art Temple Contemporary Director Robert Blackson, the project invites the public to “adopt” an instrument, effectively paying for its repair. All of the instruments available for adoption are pictured on the website, which also lists what school the instrument belongs at and what repairs it needs. You can also hear the sound the instrument is capable of making in its current state.
Based on the mid-1960s classic, the Epiphone Elitist Casino hollow body has the classic look and sound made famous by The Beatles.
Features include nickel hardware, Gibson USA P-90 pickups, and bone nut. The body is five-ply maple with spruce top bracing and SlimTaper mahogany neck. The fingerboard is rosewood with parallelogram inlays and 22 medium jumbo frets. Available in Vintage Sunburst of Natural finish, it comes with a classic hardshell case.
Taylor’s Mini Bass is a compact, lightweight, comfortable acoustic bass that provides natural sounding bass notes. Custom D’Addario nylon-core strings (with phosphor bronze wrap wire) plus a unique dual-prong bridge pin design yield great sound and a slinky feel. Condensed fret spacing make it a breeze to play, and an inspiring tool to have on hand for writing, recording demos, and jamming with friends. The bass comes equipped with an ES-B onboard pickup and preamp, featuring tone and volume controls and a built-in tuner, plus a hard bag featuring adjustable backpack straps for easy portability.
