California, U.S.A. — Guitar Center has announce the upcoming induction of multi-platinum and Grammy winning singer/songwriter Alanis Morissette, into the retailers historic RockWalk. The induction ceremony, which is by invitation only, will take place on Tuesday, August 21 at 10:30 a.m. PDT at Guitar Center’s Hollywood location on Sunset Boulevard.

“Alanis Morissette is the perfect example of the type of artist we intend to honor with Guitar Center’s RockWalk,” said Dave Weiderman, Chairman of Guitar Center’s RockWalk. “She has made such a lasting impression on the hearts of her fans and on the styling of fellow musicians that it is high time we recognize her place in music history. Guitar Center is always striving to support and inspire musicians so we are honored to be recognizing such an influential artist.”

Guitar Center’s RockWalk is dedicated to honoring those artists who have made a significant impact and lasting contribution to the growth and evolution of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Blues and R&B. As the newest RockWalk inductee, Alanis Morissette’s handprints will reside alongside the handprints, signatures, and faces of other equally accomplished musicians and innovators such as Eric Clapton , George Martin, Jimmy Page, Iron Maiden, Carlos Santana, Johnny Cash, Van Halen, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Marvin Gaye,James Brown, B.B. King, Stevie Wonder, Run-D.M.C. and Queen, among numerous others.

“I’m honored to be joining the ranks of such an esteemed group of artists,” said Alanis Morissette. “Guitar Center’s RockWalk is home to some of my own personal musical idols, and to be in that kind of company is truly humbling. I hope I can provide the same type of inspiration to aspiring musicians today.”

Guitar Center and Alanis Morissette also recently partnered on an episode of the award-winning live performance and interview music television series Guitar Center Sessions. The episode featured an intimate interview between Morissette and renowned music journalist Nic Harcourt as well as exclusive live performances of the singer-songwriters’ songs, both classic hits and tracks from her upcoming album Havoc and Bright Lights. Additionally, Morissette will grace the cover of Guitar Center’s Buyers Guide.Havoc and Bright Lights will be available for purchase at all 230 Guitar Center locations nationwide beginning August 28, 2012.

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WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, U.S.A. – Guitar Center and DIRECTV have announced that the 2012 season of their award-winning live performance and interview music television series Guitar Center Sessions will begin airing this May exclusively on DIRECTV. The new season will showcase seven new episodes featuring groundbreaking artists including Alanis Morissette, The All-American Rejects,Colbie Caillat and more.

The season kicks off with legendary guitarist Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators on May 18, at 9pm in 2D hi-definition on DIRECTV’s The Audience Network (channel 239). DIRECTV will also air the series in 3D on DIRECTV’s n3d.

View the trailer here: http://bit.ly/JXHG2v

Guitar Center Sessions features intimate interviews conducted by renowned music journalist Nic Harcourtwhich offer a rare behind the scenes view into the storied careers of music icons and the inspirations behind their music. Each episode also showcases exclusive live performances by the artists captured at Guitar Center’s famous Hollywood, CA location.

“With each episode we aim to present more than just the exceptional live performances given by our guest artists,” says Nic Harcourt. “We provide music fans a glimpse into the creative process behind the music and histories of their idols, revealing their unique stories of successes as well as struggles, offering a realistic inside look at what it takes to succeed as a musician.”

Upcoming Guitar Center Sessions 2012 Episode Schedule:

• May 18th     Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators
• June 1st       The All-American Rejects
• June 15th     Colbie Caillat
• June 29th     Alanis Morissette
• July 13th      Megadeath
• July 27th      Switchfoot
• August 10th  Sublime with Rome

Guitar Center’s musical expertise as the worlds largest retailer of musical instruments and equipment, paired with DIRECTV – the world’s largest pay TV provider – ensures that each episode is delivered in the highest audio and visual quality. This dynamic pairing lead Guitar Center Sessions to receive the International 3D Society’s award for Best Music Television Series in 2010.

“Our goal with Guitar Center Sessions is provide artists, emerging and established, with a highly credible platform to expose their music and riveting back stories to a large audience,” says Dustin Hinz, Director of Music Marketing and Artist Relations for Guitar Center. “By continuing to develop high quality original music programming that focuses on conversations and themes pertinent to the artist’s craft and creative process, Guitar Center continues to further its commitment to helping artists be heard in an ever changing, uncertain music business.”

Since its premiere in August of 2010 with the iconic Peter Gabriel, Guitar Center Sessions has gone on to feature 31 episodes with today’s most compelling artists including, Weezer, Jane’s Addiction, The Cult, CAKE, Jakob Dylan, Blondie, Social Distortion, Seether, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Bush and Peter Frampton.

Image Courtesy of  Guitar Center

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Guitar Center (www.guitarcenter.com), the world’s largest musical instrument retailer, continues its support of unsigned artists, announcing 21-year-old Jean-Pierre “JP” Didier Bouvet as the winner of the twenty third-annual Guitar Center’s Drum-Off (http://gc.guitarcenter.com/drum-off-2011/), the nationwide search for the next great undiscovered drummer. JP beat out over 4,500 contestants to take the nearly $50,000 grand prize.

“I’m blown away by this win,” says Bouvet. “Sometimes you feel like you should win, sometimes you shouldn’t. This time I was right in the middle. I had no idea this was going to happen. I honestly thought it could have gone to anyone and I wouldn’t have been mad. I’m flattered, honored and humbled, it’s truly amazing. For Guitar Center to put a contest like this on, it’s fantastic. I’m honored just to be hanging out backstage and meet all these drumming legends.”

“Guitar Center annually celebrates drummers by giving aspiring musicians the chance to take their careers to the next level,” said Maria Brown, manager of music and entertainment marketing at Guitar Center. ”JP put on an incredible performance at the 2011 grand finals, excited to see where he goes from here.”

The grand prize package includes:

• $25,000 Cash
• Custom Drum Kit (Gretsch, OCDP, Tama, Pearl or DW)
• Drum Kit Endorsement Deal (Gretsch, OCDP, Tama, Pearl, or DW)
• Complete Set of Cymbals (winner’s choice: Zildjian, Sabian, or Meinl)
• Cymbal Endorsement Deal (Meinl, Zildjian, or Sabian)
• Drumhead Endorsement Deal (Evans or Remo)
• Stick Endorsement Deal (Pro-Mark or Vic Firth)
• Roland TD-20SX Electronic Kit & PM30
• Audix DP7 Drum Microphone Pack
• $500 Converse Gift Card
• Feature in Modern Drummer Magazine
• 2012 NAMM VIP Experience
• Trip to New York to record at the Converse Rubber Track Studio
• Guest Spot on Drum Channel’s Live Show

The grand finals at Club Nokia in LA featured not only a riveting competition between the five grand finalists, but also a series of sets by some of the drum world’s biggest icons. It even featured one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, as Jack Black and his Tenacious D band mates joined Brooks Wackerman for three songs during his set.

The rest of the performers included: Ilan Rubin (Angels & Airwaves, Nine Inch Nails) with Hayden Scott (Awol Nation) and Daniel Rubin; Aaron Spears (Usher, Alicia Keys) with Jabo Starks (drummer for James Brown) and Roland Garcia (American Idol) as well as Arthur “Buddy” Strong, Tim Stewart, Eric Ingram, Kevin Williams, Sean Erick and Leon Silva;

Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Avenge Sevenfold) with Billy Sheehan (Steve Vai, David Lee Roth), Tony MacAlpine (Steve Vai), and Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Planet X, Black Country Communion); Dennis Chambers (Santana, Parliament/Funkadelic) with Gary Grainger, Haakon Graf, and U-Nam; Brooks Wackerman (Bad Religion, Tenacious D) with Robert Trujillo (Metallica) and Armand Sabal-Lecco (Paul Simon) plus very special guests; Terry Bozzio (Frank Zappa, Missing Persons) with Jimmy Johnson (James Taylor, Allan Holdsworth) and Alex Machacek.

The evening’s panel of judges included: Cora Coleman-Dunham (Beyonce, Prince) – former Drum-Off champion, Tony Royster Jr. (Jay-Z) – former Drum-Off champion, Peter Criss (Kiss), Adrian Young (No Doubt), Dave Elitch (Mars Volta), Ray Luzier (Korn), Jose Pasillas (Incubus), Tommy Clufetos (Ozzy Osborne), Thomas Lang, and Trevor Lawrence Jr. (Herbie Hancock, Dr. Dre).

In addition to all the incredible performances, the night featured the Drum Legend induction of drumming greats Peter Criss (KISS) and Terry Bozzio (Frank Zappa, Missing Persons).

Guitar Center’s Drum-Off has jump-started the careers of a number of professional drummers over its twenty-three year history, including those of Cora Coleman-Dunham and Tony Royster Jr. (Prince, Beyonce and Jay-Z respectively).

Guitar Center’s Drum-Off is just one of many Guitar Center initiatives created to foster growth and success within the music community, including its annual On-Stage, Your Next Record and King of the Blues competitions, among others.

Image Courtesy of   https://www.facebook.com/pages/JP-Bouvet/114606655239675

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