The concert in Hollywood to celebrate Buddy Holly's 75th Birthday will be broadcast by PBS on the 3rd December. This was a great night and is well worth watching if you are fortunate enough to be able to get the channel.
The all new girl band is taking progressing nicely. We have now got two great girls, 17 year old Raz on Bass Guitar and 19 year old Roxy on the drums. We still have a long way to go before we could back Dave Wickenden in a concert but we are confident we will get there. Dave is already established as a Buddy Holly Tribute and we need to get to a standard that compliments his act.
My trip to Hollywood made me realise just how much influence Buddy had on so many of the worlds top musicians. Over fifty years on that love for Buddy is still every much evident. This year two albums have been released by top artists performing their versions of Buddy's classics. In addition to backing Dave we want THE CRICKETTES to be a stand alone act playing our own versions of Buddy's music and introducing it to new audiences.
We would like to include a combination of vocals and instrumentals plus we may also have guest singers performing with us. With this is mind we have decided we need another girl for rhythm guitar and vocals to join the band.
Zoe and Dave Wickenden are putting together a new act "Buddy & The Crickettes". Dave played Buddy in the London Westend Musical and has toured Europe as Buddy with Rocking On Heavens Door. Dave asked Zoe some years back if she would play lead guitar in an all girl band to back him but Zoe turned him down. However, now she is part of the Buddy Holly Guitar Foundation and has been presented with a replica of Buddy's famous leather covered guitar from Maria Elena Holly at Buddy's 75th Birthday Party in Hollywood she decided why not see if she can get a band together.
Zoe and Dave will be playing a concert in Germany at the end of January backed by a German Band. Then after that the new all girl band should be ready for concerts. There will be three girls in total. Zoe on Lead Guitar. Raz on Bass Guitar and a drummer still to be confirmed. Dave will play rhythm guitar. In a few months time a new web site www.buddyandthecrickettes.co.uk will be up and running. In the meantime here are some pics of Zoe with the new guitar and Zoe and Dave talking about the new project.
I must admit flying again after 6 years was a scary thing for me to do but Virgin Atlantic were great. We arrived in LA at 6.45 on the 3rd September but by the time we got through customs and collected our car we got to the hotel at midnight… Carry on reading here.
Zoe will be overcoming her fear of flying in September and jetting off to Hollywood to play at the Buddy Holly 75th Birthday Party together with other recipients of the Buddy Holly Guitar Foundation special guitar.
Also planned on the 7th September will be the unveiling of a STAR for Buddy on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Zoe will be there for that too.
Zoe has no plans to resume touring or recording albums but she will be doing everything she can to support the Buddy Holly Guitar Foundation Charity in helping children play music. What format this will take is still in the early stages and we will keep you posted as things develop.
In memory of Jet Harris who died 18th March 2011
Zoe has been chosen to be one of only 18 people in the world to be the recipient of a Buddy Holly guitar from The Buddy Holly Guitar Foundation.
Zoe has always been a great fan of Buddy's music and even won a cd when she was 9 for a project she did on Buddy Holly in school. Today the second song all her students learn the chords for is Heart Beat and the the guitar she will be getting will be called 'Heart Beat' also.
Next year on the 7th September Buddy would have been 75 years old and all sorts of things are planned in celebration. In the meantime check out the Buddy Holly Foundation here.
In 2001just after her 15th birthday Zoe appeared with Tommy Emmanuel on the All Star Guitar Night at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville. Last week we were contacted by the Acoustic Box Office to tell us they were going to post a video of this on You Tube. We did not know this video existed so we are very pleased this bit of Zoe's story can now be included in our video section.
With both UBHank Vol FIVE and Casting A Shadow now sold out we have decided to take some of the tracks from both these cds and produce a UB Hank Vol SIX that will be available by mid October 2008. The price will be the same as the existing UB Hank cds. Available to buy here.
Zoe has now retired from recording and playing concerts and has become a hugely successful guitar teacher and a member of The Registry of Guitar Tutors. However at the request of Tony and Baz from the duo "Stack It" from Australia Zoe will be playing a small set of her music and a couple of Shads tracks with Tony and Baz at the South Wales Shadows Club on the 7th October. This should be a good fun night that is open to all who want to turn up. There will be the normal £3.00 club fee payable.
Zoe now has a new website for her teaching. www.guitarteacherswales.co.uk
Zoe has just discovered that mp3.com have posted a review of her Gypsy Noodle album which is interesting. Read what they had to say here.
Zoe is always in search of "That Sound" and has found that Marshall Amps have played a big part in this. Zoe has recently taken delivery of the New Marshall Flagship Amp the JVM410C and is over the moon with the range of tone this amp is giving her. You can see the new amp here.
GUEST BOOK TO CLOSE
Our Guest Book is continually being abused by companies trying to promote unrelated web sites. This has become such a problem that we have decided to remove the Guest Book from Zoe's web site.
We would like to thank all those people who have sent Zoe words of encouragement over the years. We have enjoyed reading your comments and are sorry that the Guest Book has had to be removed.
Any genuine fan that wants to send Zoe a message can still do so via her personal email address. Please send to zoe@zoemcculloch.com.
Neville Marten the Editor of GUITAR TECHNIQUES has been in contact to tell Zoe she will be featured by the Registry of Guitar Tutors in the next GT, (April issue out shortly).
Many of Zoe's younger students will be playing on stage at their schools on the 1st March, St Davids Day.
Photos from the recent French trip can be seen here
I had a great time in France playing some of my music to French audiences for the first time. The concerts included many of my friends from France, Italy and Belguim plus a band I have a very good relationship with - the fabulous Spotnicks.
They invited me to play a number with them but as I do not know any Spotnicks numbers and they do not know any Zoe McCulloch numbers we played "...that Shadows song" as they call it, 'Apache'. I have done this before with the band in Germany but this time was very special because Bo Winberg stayed on stage and joined in.
Zoe is now offering one to one guitar tuition at competitive rates from her home in South Wales. Anybody interested should send and email to Zoe at: zoe@zoemcculloch.com
Zoe was invited by Jeff Beck to his concert at the Big Top Arena Liverpool on the 12th July and to meet with him after the show. The support artiste was the amazing Buddy Guy.
Both shows were demonstrations of the very best guitar playing on the planet. After the show Zoe met Jeff backstage and he told her how much he love her touch on the guitar and that her music was being played all the time in his home.
Having none other than Jeff Beck saying he and his wife liked her guitar playing and comparing her with Jennifer Batten has been such a huge encouragement to Zoe that she has been on a high ever since. Check out Jeff Beck on youtube.com.
Zoe is now at www.myspace.com/zoemcculloch. There is a new video of her playing Eve Of The War from War Of The Worlds.
This was recorded the day after her 20th Birthday.
Zoe's Next concert is 8pm at the Gower Guitar Festival 22nd July 2006
Zoe is now at Myspace! A video of Zoe playing her version of 'Eve of The War' from Jeff Wayne's fabulous musical War of the Worlds should be added by the end of July. Myspace members please exchange links. www.myspace.com/zoemcculloch
Click here to view a video of both Zoe and Matilda playing in Paris.
A new page of photographs from Zoe's trip to Paris are now online here
Two new pages of photographs from Zoe's recent trip to Finland are online here
Zoe has just formed a new country act with singer / songwriter Matt Cook. They have already recorded 'Desperado' by the Eagles to explain how Zoe's guitar voice will blend with the singing voice and acoustic playing of Matt. The new act is still in its early days but both Zoe and Matt are excited about working together.
On Friday the 3rd March you will be able to log onto www.cookandmcculloch.com and hear their fabulous version of Desperado. The duo will be performing together for the first time live at the Gower Guitar Festival on the 22nd July. Both Zoe and Matt will also play their own sets at this event.
Cook & McCulloch is a completely separate act to Zoe McCulloch instrumental guitarist.
My first trip to Finland was wonderful. On the Friday night I was able to relax and listen to some great bands who played until 2.30am in the morning. After the last band had played the sound guys set up the new Marshall stack that I had on loan ready for me to work with in the morning.
I was a bit concerned that my normal Marshall amp was not available in Finland but we soon found the sounds I needed for my set. I had a chance to sound check the whole show late afternoon and this gave the lighting engineer a chance to programme some great effects.
My show did not start until gone 11 pm and I played a full hour which included my version of Jeff Wayne's 'War of the Worlds'. This was so much better on the Marshall Stack with sustain to die for. I can see why Hendrix liked them now.
I now hope to get back in the summer for another festival which at the moment has a full programme, but if a band drops out they want me there. I may go anyway as the music in Finland is so good. I would like to thank Jari who organised it and the sound and lighting guys who were extremely professional and very helpful, for making this a truly fabulous weekend in all aspects.
I would also like to mention Phil and Lorraine from Southampton who travelled with us and helped make the weekend even more special. Finland really is a wonderful land.
On my return we had a nice email from Jeff Wayne about my version of War of the Worlds. If you can get tickets try and catch his arena tour of this musical.
TescoExtra.com and Tesco.com are now selling the Gypsy Noodle Cd!
We regret to say we have failed in our quest to get a Grammy Nomination for the Mason Williams & Zoe McCulloch album Electrical Gas.
However, our very good friends Art Greenhaw and Nokie Edwards did have a nomination and we will be given them our full support in the next stages and hoping they win their Gospel Category.
Here is a Celtica Radio Interview with Zoe featuring some new unreleased tracks at the end and starting with the first track Zoe ever recorded "Dance On" which she recorded just after her twelve birthday.
We also have new pics up of Zoe's return to school and Zoe with members of Los Jets and The Ryders.
Zoe is delighted to be accepted as a voting member of The Recording Academy of America, New York Chapter.
You can now pre-order Zoe's latest album Electrical Gas via our shop page! The tracklisting is available here.
Zoe has returned from a very successful first trip to Japan. In just 12 days Zoe played 8 shows had a jam session with friends plus a welcome party and farewell party, leaving just one night off. On this trip Zoe played with very talented local musicians but hopes to return next year with at least some of her band members.
The new collaboration album Electrical Gas with Mason Williams was completed and entered for the Grammy Awards under the catergory Best Instrumental Pop Album. All the tracks were composed by Mason with Zoe as the main guitarist on 6 tracks and Zoe and Mason on 5 tracks with just one vocal track. The full track list will be listed soon in time for its release date of the 27th September.
To follow up on the previous posting, the recordings are now complete and there are just 2 tracks left to be mixed. The Mason Williams album has been named "ELECTRICAL GAS" after the 2005 mix of Zoe's version of Classical Gas. This album if all goes to plan will be released in September and made available on this web site and that of Mason Williams. This is a must have album for all fans of the music of Mason Williams and / or Zoe.
We will be holding off releasing the Warrior EP mentioned in earlier postings to concentrate on promoting "Electrical Gas".
One of the tracks planned for the EP was an awesome version of "War of the Worlds" which has been in the planning stages since last year long before we knew about the film being released or that Jeff Wayne would re-mixed his 1978 master piece. This track is now complete and should be a million+ seller. To achieve this we need a major label to get behind it and release it as a single. Zoe's version is just 4.49 minutes long, ideal for the radio and is based sections from the original album by Jeff Wayne.
Zoe is back in Shabbey Road Studios this month working on two separate projects.
The first is a collaboration album of Mason Williams compositions. This album still to be named will have Zoe playing the music of Mason Williams, Zoe playing duets with Mason Williams and Mason Williams playing some of his works. The existing 5 tracks that are on the Gypsy Noodle album will be included plus another 7 or 8 tracks. The album when complete should be released on Mason's own label.
Zoe will also be running along side this recording a 4 track EP. This was originally going to be a demo album not for sale and was going to be used to try and get Zoe a record contract. However, so many people have asked us if they can get a copy we are considering putting it on general release as an EP. The quality was always going to be to a high standard as with all her albums. The title of the EP will be WARRIOR and one of the tracks will be a Zoe version of Stephen Housden's "Celtic Warrior".
Stephen composes some great guitar music and if this gets to be a full album we will be working closely with him on several of his songs. Zoe has talked about this album with Mark Knopfler and he thinks the idea behind the album is a good one and has made some suggestions for it. Expect some very dramatic tracks from Zoe and her band on this one.
Zoe went to see Mark Knopfler in concert at the Cardiff CIA last night and was invited to the after show party to meet Mark and the band. Mark Knopfler has always been one of Zoe's biggest guitar heroes and she was thrilled to meet him. The concert was amazing and everyone involved from the band, to the sound, lighting and back stage support were, to use a Mason Williams expression, 'the tops'. This is a concert not to be missed if you get the chance.
Richard Bennett has given Zoe a mention in his "Notes from the Road" on his web site.
We hope you like the new web site.
Zoe has just returned from Los Angeles and the NAMM Show. During the week Zoe met up with lots of her American friends and got to meet two of her guitar heroes, James Burton and Dick Dale, photos will be up in the gallery shortly.
Zoe also picked out a new guitar which is very different to the Stratocaster she has played on all her albums. The guitar is a custom made white, Warrior Armed Soldier . This guitar will be fitted with two pickups custom made for Zoe personally by Seymour Duncan in his Antiquity Custom Shop. Links to Warrior Instruments and Seymour Duncan can be found on our links page.
Sadly "Gypsy Noodle" did not get nominated for the 2004 Grammy Awards but the good news is that two of our very good friends did. Mason Williams' EP: "Music for the Epicurean Harkener did get nominated for the Best Instrumental Pop Album of the Year. This will be Mason's 8th nomination.
Art Greenhaw has also done it again for the 8th time and had one of his albums which has Nokie Edwards playing on it Nominated in the Gospel Section.
Naturally, Zoe is disappointed but at the same time pleased that two of our greatest friends in America have been successful. We are now hoping that they both go all the way and win in their sections.
Pipeline Instrumental Review.
Album Of The Year 2004 Nominations.
| Gypsy Noodle | Zoe McCulloch |
| Sometime Tuesday Morning | Johnny A |
| Channel Surfing With... | The Astroglides |
| Cool Blast! | The Charades |
| Spanish Blood | Los Jets |
| Tornado Alley | The Vibratos |
Zoe has been made an honorary member of the Fender Club UK
