A handful of A-list electric guitar heroes have been recruited by guitarist Brian Tarquin for a new studio album that will be released in support of military veterans.
Titled Brian Tarquin & Heavy Friends: Brothers in Arms, the record will arrive February 3, with partial proceeds going towards the Fisher House Foundation – an organization that supplies housing to veterans’ families while they are hospitalized.
Tarquin – who has played with Leslie West, Billy Sheehan and more in the past – has called upon Joe Satriani, Vinnie Moore and Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal for the release.
Dokken’s Alex De Rosso, Coheed & Cambria’s Travis Stever, Armored Saint’s Jeff Duncan and Tangerine Dream’s Gerald Gradwohl also have guest spots, alongside Chris Haskett of the Henry Rollins Band and Johannes Weik of Son of a Bach.
Tarquin, who previously produced Guitars For Wounded Warriors, composed, produced and performed all of the guitar and bass parts – apart from the guest solos, of course – and recruited session drummer Reggie Pryor for the album.
Of the upcoming album Tarquin reflected, “It was a great experience to record the album featuring such great musicians.”
Satch, who will be playing a solo on a track titled Speed of Sound, said he was “honored” to be a part of the project, while Moore described the experience as “a lot of fun”.
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
“It's a great honor to be part of this album, in support of our beloved veterans and their families,” commented Bumblefoot. “They deserve the very best.”
The first track from the album – the Satch-featuring Speed of Sound – can be heard over on Brian Tarquin’s website.
Brian Tarquin & Heavy Friends: Brothers in Arms’ tracklist can be found below.
- Speed of Sound feat. Joe Satriani
- Kiss My Axe feat. Vinnie Moore
- Luxor feat. Bumblefoot
- Hounds of Hell feat. Johannes Weik, Budapest Symphony Orchestra
- Devil's Tombstone feat. Alex De Rosso
- Black Widow feat. Travis Stever
- Stryker feat. Jeff Duncan
- D-Day feat. Johannes Weik
- Saigon Sally feat. Gerald Gradwohl
- Purple Heart feat. Chris Haskett
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
“He got a kidney infection, so he’s in hospital… That’s a bit of a drag, because he was going to be the lead guitarist”: The iconic charity rock song that missed out on its star guitarist due to illness – and why it could have sounded very different
“There are better players, better lyricists, better songwriters – but there’s an energy to their combined powers that is hard to rival at the moment”: The best guitar albums of 2024