Another NAMM show has come and gone. And, believe it or not, I'm still alive. As you might guess from the length of time it took to get this report published, I am not entirely unscathed. NAMM is exciting, but it's also brutal. It's been two weeks now, and I'm still not caught up . . . on the job or my sleep. Finally, though, here's a bit of info on this year's winter NAMM event.

After a week and a half of last minute preparation, I headed out to Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, January 16th. David (as in Nordschow; you know, the genius behind the brand) and I roomed together again but since I got there first, I got first pick on beds. (Heh!) Our hotel was right across the street from the back doors to the show, which was nice - a much shorter "commute", if you will, than last year.

Now that everything's unboxed, it's time to figure out where it all goes. This year, we boxed ourselves in with walls to help stave of the Volume Police.

Wednesday was set up day, and that's always a blast. NOT! Lots of boxes to unpack, and rigs to build. And "where's my 410XLT?" And "why is this 405 set for European voltage?" And, finally, "where's my other pallet of stuff?" We still had a boatload of gear to show, so things worked out OK. But for a while there, I was pretty much in a fult-tilt tizzy.

The show opened Thursday, and we could tell right away that things were going to be busy this year. We saw far more people in the booth than expected. That's all to the good, as is the fact that almost every one of them began with "where's the WTX-260?". Of course, all the rigs got a workout, even though no one included a black bass for me to use. (I just closed my eyes and pretended it was black.)

That night, David and I hung at Bass Player's bash. It's always great to visit with other industry types and see what they've got going on, and the BP staff always put on a fun party. This year it was at the same Mexican restaurant as last year. The tequila flowed like water but, thankfully, I'd learned my lesson last year, and passed on the shots that were flying around the room. Good thing, too, as you shall soon learn.

After paying my respects to BP. I headed over to the Fender Avenue Bar and Grill. And, yes, it's really on Fender Avenue. Even cooler, the bar is in the building where the very first Fenders were made. The reason for the trip was to see Eden endorser Rev Jones perform with Kotak (fronted by James Kotak of the Scorpions) and Black Symphony (led by Randall endorser Rick Plester). Rev and Rick aren't just business contacts to me; they're both good friends, and was really looking forward to finally hearing Black Symphony live. (The new CD just KILLS, by the way.) Do me a favor: allow me a few paragraphs on this, because it was one of the coolest parts of my trip.

Rev Jones tears it up with Kotak and Black Symphony at the Fender Ave. Bar & Grill. Note the upside down D610XLT and the taped-on EQ settings for forgetful roadies.

I missed the first two bands because I was late, and because I spent the first hour outside meeting the rest of the members of the two bands I'd come to hear. Kotak put on a great show, and Rev was as solid as ever. I lost count of how many instruments he used, but they all sounded great through his rig - a WT800 and a D610XLT cab. And I've got to tell you, James Kotak is a nut! And I mean that in the best way. What fun to watch him do his thing.

Black Symphony followed with a blistering set of all new material. I'm pretty sure they're all blind. I say this because, even though they were in a small local bar playing a gig just for fun, you'd'a thought they were playing the MegaDome. Everyone was on top of their game, and performing for all they were worth. The crowd knew they were getting a killer set, and responded accordingly at all the right places.

The "encore" was a free-for-all jam. People rotated after every song, and as most of the players were from the World of Heavy, the jam consisted of Metal and Hard Rock covers. Until the last few songs, that is. At the very end of the night, Rick got back up and set his rig on "Disintegrate" and let fly with a raging version of Voodoo Chile (Slight Return). Drummer Johnny O laid the foundation and Yours Truly got to play bass. Yeah, you're not alone. I was about that shocked, too. Anyway, Rev let me use the one 4-string he had with him. It was either that or one of those elevnty-twelve-string Warr guitars of his... and I'd have spent the whole song trying to find an open E.

Anyway, we tore through VC, which was a blast! (Thanks Johnny and Rick.) And I started to put the bass down. "Where do you think you're going?" Rick asked, and I put the bass back on. Another guitarist came up and I expected I'd just follow his lead. BZZZZT!!! Wrong answer. The club manager came up and said, "Hey, you do Blues. Play me some Blues." OK, ma'am; shuffle in A, and we're off doing my version of Highway 61 (Bob Dylan). It was a ton of fun to play with - and for - a bunch of headbangers . . . and they're all banging their heads to a SHUFFLE!

Lane sings the last song of the night, a rousing read of his slow Blues, Stormfront.

After the shuffle, Ms. Manager said, "play me a slow Blues" and Rev shouted "play one of your own tunes, bro!" So, the final song of the night was Stormfront. About two verse into it, a second guitarist came up to my side of the stage and asked if he could sit in, too. Well, of course! So we finished with dueling guitars and it was as powerful as the hurricane I was singing about. So, you can see why I was VERY glad I'd passed on all those Tequila shots earlier. Talk about fun!!

To cap the night off, poor Abe White finally found his way to the club about ten minutes after it closed. He'd flown in that evening, met up with Amanda Williams and her friend and producer Rob for some dinner and headed out in search of the gig. Abe and I ended up in his hotel room for a coffee hang to catch up, then caught a few hours sleep before Day Two.

Friday is a blur. Now that I've caught up on my sleep, looking back I'm not sure who showed up at the booth on which day. Suffice to say I talked myself hoarse again, and got to hook up with a ton of friends from dealers around the country as well as numerous members of our endorser family. Friday night found me back at the Mexican restaurant that hosted Bass Player's bash. This time, however, it was for a sit-down dinner with Abe, Amanda and several friends. Afterwards, it was back to the hotel and more coffee and conversation.

Saturday made Friday look tame. People coming and going faster than I could track. I snapped as many pictures as I could, but I know I missed some folks. I do remember meeting the producers of the All Star Guitars concert, perhaps the most prestigious concert of the entire week. They were there to pick up an Eden rig for Mark Egan, David's longtime friend and Eden endorser. It was very kind of them to allow Mark to use his preferred rig when the event was sponsored by other manufacturers.

Mark and Danny Gottleib perform with upcoming guitar hero Trey Alexander. The young Master in the Making led the trio through a beautiful - and highly original - read of Little Wing.

I attended the show with Abe White and a West Coast friend of his by the name of Shawn. Mark's trio performed a wonderful set early in the evening. It was definitely an aural treat in all respects. Later, Mark and drummer Danny Gottleib backed Up and Coming Guitar Star Trey Alexander. Trey led the band through an awe-inspiring version of Little Wing that showcased his soulful vocals as well as his blazing yet elegant guitar work. Keep your eye on this young man; he's destined to take his place in the world of Guitar Hero-dom. . . and soon.

After the show, the hang continued at both hotels co-located with the convention center. I'm not sure I remember everyone I met, but it was a great time, filled with great music. One highlight was listening to a student band rip through Van Halen covers and the like and just nail them all. Restored a bit of faith in the wolfed of Music Education, I can tell you.

Sunday the floor was a ghost town. That was good, as it gave us time to visit the rest of the show, and to have longer conversations with several people. Although it's always arduous, the final pack-out was a welcome event. It meant that another NAMM show had come to a close, and this one went firmly into the Success column. Then, it was just a process of getting to the plane the following day and remembering where my van was parked. As I mentioned earlier, I got less sleep each night, and this night I got none at all, thanks to an all-night hang with a very close friend from the West Coast with whom I only get to meet face to face at the NAMM shows. I did make the plane on time, however, and after a short delay at my connection, I was finally on my way home.

Ninety minutes after pulling out of long-term parking, I was back in Danville with a cup of coffee in front of me, pulling out handfuls of stickers, picks, pictures, T-shirts, hats, drum sticks and various other paraphernalia I'd managed to gather together for my band mates. Then, we had our normal Monday Night Rehearsal and I finally rolled into the home front late that evening. Is it any wonder I slept 'til Thursday?

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