NEW JIMI HENDRIX COMING IN MARCH

Rolling Stone’s greatest guitarist of all time, Jimi Hendrix is back.
With a 40-year-old collection of tunes recorded during the legend’s final studio sessions, “Valleys of Neptune” will hit the shelves March 9.

The album contains 12 tracks recorded during the late musicians “First Rays of the Rising Sun” disc. It features studio versions of Hendrix’s covers of “Bleeding Heart” and Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love,” as well as rerecorded versions of classics “Fire,” “Red House” and “Stone Free.”
“Valleys of Neptune” is the title track of the album which was recorded in 1969. The disc will also have an early recording of “Mr. Bad Luck,” a track some believe may be the first original tune Hendrix ever played.

The album which launches a series of projects marking 40 years of Hendrix’s death is produced by Janie Hendrix, John McDermott and Eddie Kramer.

Janie Hendrix, the sister of the musician and CEO of Experience Hendrix, said “his brilliance shines through on every one of these precious tracks. Valleys of Neptune provides an essential, compelling, and up-till-now largely unseen view of what Jimi Hendrix was up to musically in the critical period between the release of Electric Ladyland in October 1968 and the 1970 opening of his own Electric Lady Studios.”

Photo Courtesy: RCA Records

KE$HA’S ANIMAL DUE OUT THIS SPRING

The breakout artist of the year, Ke$ha, is enjoying a hefty stint on the US pop charts, and the Billboard’s singles chart as No.1.

Better known for her vocals on Flo Rida’s 2009 hit “Right Round,” the young singer is hitting the airwaves and flying high with catchy dance beats on her “Animal” album.

The recently released record channels the likes of Katy Perry, Uffie and Avril Lavigne and has sold 151, 942 copies during the week ending in January 10, data from the Nielsen SoundScan cites.

The first single off the album “TiK ToK” has spent weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has become the most downloaded single by a female artist in a week, after selling more than 600,000 units.

“Animal” is Ke$ha unplugged. The singer describes it as an accurate documentation of her life over the past four years and something she is eager to share.

“I’m excited about it,” she says during an MTV interview. “I think that throughout the album, what I’m really proud of is that with every song you can tell it’s me. It’s all really honest — almost to a fault — and really genuine.”

Photo Courtesy: Hollywood Records/ Photo Courtesy: Sony Music Entertainment

LIVE IN CONCERT

Breaking Benjamin and Three Days Grace set out on a US co-headline tour with special guest Flyleaf.

Breaking Benjamin is a multi-platinum American alternative rock band that has been around for nearly a decade. The band returns this year with their latest release “Dear Agony,” which debuted at No. 4 on Billboard’s Top 200.

“I Will Not Bow” is the albums first single which spent 5 weeks at No. 1 on rock radio and was recently named the No. 1 rock song of 2009 by AOL Radio listeners.

Three Days Grace is a Toronto-based rock band that recently released “Life Starts Now,” debuting at No. 3 on the Billboard Top 200 charts. The band released their first album in 2003, which generated three hit singles. And currently enjoys two of their records, “Three Days Grace” and “One-X”, having been certified Platinum and selling over 4 million albums worldwide.

The bands came together in January and will be on trek through March 2010. They will visit Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Jersey and our very own Germain Arena in Estero, FL on February 26. Tickets on sale now.

THE NEW VINYL’S

The New Vinyl’s is a revamped three-piece party band mixing funk, rockabilly, surf, reggae, punk, Indie, metal, hip-hop and more to give audiences the ultimate musical show. The diverse group entertains in various spots around town and promises the experience of a lifetime.

Catch up with The New Vinyl’s on:

- February 5 & 6: 9 pm at the Crow’s Nest at Tween Waters in Captiva Island, FL.
- February 12: 10 pm at Sal’s Longshot Lounge in Downtown Fort Myers, FL.
- February 19: 9 pm at Cabasca’s in Fort Myers, FL.
- February 20: 9 pm at The Cottage in Fort Myers Beach, FL.
- February 26 & 27: 9 pm at The Beached Whale in Fort Myers Beach, FL.

DAVID JOHNSON

David Johnson has that Motown vibe from his hometown, Detroit, Michigan. A classical soul and R&B music lover, Johnson has enjoyed his time playing with several artists and bands, including the local Blues band, Mambo Brothers, The Neville Brothers, Paul Rozmus, John Chapman, and the band Adrenalinn to name a few. Today, after two records, this bassist/vocalist enjoys his time entertaining the crowds with the individuality, soulfulness, and sincerity in his music.

Blues it up on:

- February 3, 10, 17 & 24: 5 pm – 8pm at Happy Hour with David Johnson at the Phi Lobby Bar in Fort Myers, FL.
- February 4, 11, 18 & 25: 6 pm – 9 pm at the Grill Room at Coconut Point in Estero, FL.
- February 5, 12, 19, & 26: 7 pm – 11 pm at Sundown Tiki Bar & Grill in North Fort Myers, FL.
- February 7, 14, 21 & 28: 6 pm at Key Lime Bistro in Captiva, FL.

STRANGE ARRANGEMENT

Strange Arrangement is a group made up of two brothers. Warren and Gregory Van Kirk have a unique style that is rich and varied. The brothers thrive off live performances where they arrange and produce original sounds full of musical diversity, textures, genres and much more.

Vibe with the Brothers Van Kirk on:

- February 5: 9 pm at Ralph’s Place in Cape Coral, FL.
- February 13: 10 pm at The Spot Downtown in Fort Myers, FL.
- February 19: 10 pm at Leapin’ Lizard Bar & Grill in Cape Coral, FL.
- February 20: 9 pm at Hustler’s in Cape Coral, FL.
- February 27: 8 pm at Miceli’s Restaurant in Matlacha, FL.