As you can see by
the front page of
the site, the new
record is scheduled
to be released on
August 17th. As I’ve
said before, it’s
quite heavy and
classically
influenced. This
one’s all metal from
start to finish,
very dark and
focused with
gratuitous amounts
of shredding
throughout. Also,
thanks to the great
work of engineer
Ducky Carlise and
mastering engineer
Maor Appelbaum, it’s
my best sounding
record to date as
well. I’ll have some
sound clips up in a
few weeks.
On another note, I
recently finished
all the guitars on
the new HolyHell
record entitled
“Darkness Visible,”
which will also be
released in a few
months. It’s a
fierce slab of dark,
evil metal with tons
of vicious riffs and
ripping solos. Check
out the official
HolyHell Facebook
page for some cool
video clips and info
regarding the new
record. I’m
currently rehearsing
with the band as
we’re getting ready
to head over to
Europe to do some
live damage on
several large
festivals over there
in the upcoming
weeks. The rest of
this year will be
quite busy as it’s
looking like they’ll
be a bunch of
touring in the
pipes, both
solo-wise and with
HolyHell. I’ll post
all the tour dates
on the site once
they’re confirmed.
Also, in the very
near future, I’ll be
teaming up with a
well-known guitar
oriented website and
I’ll be offering
online guitar
lessons. They’ll be
one-on-one
individual lessons
offered via Skype
and there’s also the
possibility of
prepackaged, already
shot lessons being
available on a
variety of topics
(arpeggios,
alternate/economy
picking, harmonic
minor/Hungarian
minor playing,
Baroque pedal tone
motifs, classically
inspired linear
play, etc.). It
should turn out to
be a very cool
thing, so stay
tuned.
FEBRUARY
2012 - UPDATE
I have a new
instructional DVD
from The Shred
Academy, "Shred
Guitar 101." All DVDs for the entire Neo-Classical series are now
available
as an
instant
download
at www.ShredAcademy.com, as
well as
the new
DVD,
"Shred
Guitar
101."
Click
HERE for more
information.

December
2011 - UPDATE
Hey, Happy Holidays
to everyone! Just a
quick update before
the year ends. I’ve
finished my new
instructional DVD
entitled Shred
Guitar 101. I think
it’ll be very useful
learning tool for
players on many
levels and it’ll be
released by the
Shred Academy early
next year.
I’ve also finished
my new solo record
(also to be released
next year). It’s all
recorded, mixed, and
I’ll be sending it
off to be mastered
within a week or so.
It came out killer
-- my best sounding
record, both
sonically and
playing-wise. I’ll
release the title
and track listing,
as well as some
small audio samples
of a few of the
tracks, after I get
back the finished
master. Over the
next few months,
I’ll start recording
guitars for the new
HolyHell record. So
next year will be a
very busy year
touring-wise with
both HolyHell and my
solo bit.
And here is a great
interview from
Underworld Music
Magazine:
Underworld Music
Magazine
October
2011 - UPDATE
I recently completed
some guest solo
spots on a couple of
tracks.
"Knights of Templar"
from Dean Cascione's
new CD,
"Neoclassical Fire."
My solo is from 1:47
to 3:02.
CLICK HERE
"Legatus Electrum"
from Yoger Mucci's
Guitangears' new CD,
"Triangulum Chapter
1." My solo is from
2:29 to 3:47.
CLICK HERE. This
CD also features
some great guest
solos from Michael
Angelo Batio, David
Shankle, Theodore
Ziras, and Marco
Minnemann.
Apprentice."
Here's a cool video
of "Bullet Train"
live in the studio
from my recent DVD
shoot for Shred
Guitar 101:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1IlGyE4kM4
September
2011 - UPDATE
Here are a few video
links from last
month's New York
show. There is a
"Bullet Train"
excerpt and "The
Sorcerer's
Apprentice." The
quality is pretty
decent, so I thought
it'd be cool to post
them.
August
2011 - UPDATE
Here’s a very long overdue update! I’ve
been busy these days, hence the delay.
Most of the guitars for my new solo
record are recorded. I spent some of May
and most of June holed up tracking
guitars in my home studio. All melodies,
harmonies, solos, and most of the rhythm
guitars are done leaving just some nylon
string stuff and rhythm guitar overdubs
to finish. This record is heavier,
darker, more classically based and
technical compared to “Virtuostic
Vendetta.” With every record I try to
step it up and challenge myself both
playing-wise and compositionally, and
I’ve certainly done that with this
upcoming release.
In addition to that, I’ve been
continuing to play solo dates in the
States so check the touring section of
the site for upcoming shows. I have new
DVD’s, both concert and instructional,
in the pipes and both should be released
in the late fall. More on that when it
gets closer. Also, I added a guest solo
to the track “The Burning Martyr” by
female fronted power metal band Des
Demon. The track features a guest vocal
by Tim Ripper Owens. It’s been posted
already on YouTube and Facebook, so
check it out.
February
2011 - UPDATE
For the last few months I’ve been locked
in my work room at home crafting and
demoing the material for my next solo
album. No title just yet, but this one’s
shaping up to be a bit more technical
and classically influenced than
“Virtuostic Vendetta.” But
there’ll still be a few retro
Hendrix/Blackmore/Gary Moore inspired
tracks mixed in as well.
HolyHell will be playing its first run
of shows in The States in quite some
time, starting at the beginning of
March, so of course I’m really looking
forward getting back out there with the
band and doing some damage.
On a far different note, I’m deeply
saddened about the tragic death of one
of my all-time heroes, Gary Moore. Gary
had a tremendous impact and influence on
my playing. He’s someone I’ve been
listening to since the early 80’s, and
still listen to on a regular basis to
this day. To me he combined all of the
elements that make hard rock guitar
great - killer technique,
great emotionally drenched melodic
playing, and a massive tone in his
hands. I remember hearing “White
Knuckles” on a metal radio show almost
30 years ago and being blown away. I
love both his power blues era material
as well as his 80’s period hard rock and
metal stuff. I learned every solo on
“Corridors of Power,” “Victims of the
Future,” and “We Want Moore,” as well
as many other solos from a bunch of his
other recordings. I will have some type
of Gary Moore tribute style track on my
upcoming solo record. A more recent
example of Gary’s influence on my
playing would be the track The Beacon on
“Virtuostic Vendetta.” It is just a
tremendous loss for the music and guitar
community.
November 2010 - UPDATE
Just a quick update since my last posting. HolyHell performed at the Female Metal Voices Festival in Belgium last month and the show was great, a killer set by the band and great reaction from the fans.My new concert DVD will be along shortly, it’ll be a cool combination of footage from various shows and clinics I’ve done over the last year or so of touring in support of
"Virtuostic Vendetta." A good portion of the material will be from that record as well as my previous record,
"Speed Metal Messiah," with some classic older stuff mixed in, of course. I’m currently composing and putting together material for my next solo record as well as the next HolyHell release. After a year plus of quite a bit of touring, it’s great to be back in my work room at home doing a ton of playing and writing.
August 2010 - UPDATE
The past few
months have been quite busy for me as
touring with both HolyHell and my solo
thing have continued this summer.
HolyHell was over in eastern Europe for
2 festivals in July, and the Masters of
Rock show in the Czech Republic was
without a doubt one of our best shows as
a band to date. The band played killer
and the crowd really enjoyed it.
I've compiled quite a bit of high
quality concert video footage over the
last several months, so some type of
full-on concert DVD of my solo stuff
will be released before the end of this
year. It'll be a 2 DVD package. DVD 1
will be me performing tracks from
"Virtuostic Vendetta" in a combination
performance/instructional type of
thing, and the second DVD in the package
will be a full concert with maybe
some bonus clinic and
bootleg concert footage in there as
well. That's it for now.
May 2010 - UPDATE
Hey, sorry about the lack of update info on my part but, if you look on the tour dates section you’ll see that I’ve been quite busy playing/touring these days. I was in Europe all of January with HolyHell. We were, once again, out on tour with Manowar and, as usual when it comes to touring with The Kings of Metal, everything was top notch. The band played killer and the shows were great. It was cool to see many of the German fans again. After returning from Europe, I’ve had a small run of shows in the States and also just got back from a recent tour of Mexico. I hadn’t been to Mexico since 2006 and had not played Mexico City in almost 7 years. The Mexican metal fans were as crazy as ever and all the shows and clinics were packed. The fans couldn’t have been cooler, and I had a great time. “The Ultimate Shred Guitar Collection” comes out in the US on June 8th on Magic Circle/Sony RED. It’s a collection of some of my favorite tracks from my earlier records (all remastered) as well as 2 previously unreleased tracks and some short video footage. All in all it is a very cool package. I have more shows/clinics in the States in May and June then over to Eastern Europe with HolyHell for a couple festivals in July. That’s it for now.
December
2009 - UPDATE (pt. 2)
Joe Stump guests on
Shredding The Envelope debut
Check out Joe's blistering leads
on the new tracks "Shredding The Envelope" and "The Call
Of The Flames" from the release "The Call Of The Flames"
by Shredding The Envelope out now on iTunes, Amazon Mp3
and where fine records are sold, via Standstill And
Scream Music. Along with Joe there are also guest solos
by Michael Angelo Batio, Chris Poland , Glenn Drover and
George Lynch making this one record one vicious slab of
guitar driven metal.

December
2009 - UPDATE
Tuesday, December 8, 2009 -
HolyHell Announces 2010 World Tour!
Andreas Schöwe from German Rock It! magazine recently described
HolyHell's selftitled debut album as "...dark mystic melodic rock
with classic appeal of the utmost grace." And now, hot on the heels
of such accolades, HolyHell will hit it live, unleashing this
apocalyptic masterpiece of a concept album on audiences across the
globe as they embark upon an extensive international tour. The quest
begins in January 2010 with a series of indoor concerts across
Germany as special guests of Magic Circle Music label mates Manowar.
Further confirmed shows already include open air festivals in
Slovenia and the Czech Republic.
First confirmed shows are:
Jan 16 2010 Leipzig, Germany @ Haus Auensee
Jan 18 2010 Fürth, Germany @ Stadthalle
Jan 19 2010 Berlin, Germany @ Tempodrom
Jan 21 2010 Ludwigshafen, Germany @ Friedrich-Ebert-Halle
Jan 22 2010 Ludwigsburg, Germany @ Arena
Jan 23 2010 Offenbach, Germany @ Stadthalle
Jan 25 2010 Munich, Germany @ Zenith
Jan 28 2010 Tilburg, Holland @ 013
Jan 30 2010 Hannover, Germany @ AWD Hall
Jan 31 2010 Cologne, Germany @ Palladium
Jul 11 2010 Tolmin, Slovenia @ Magic Circle Festival IV at Metalcamp
Jul 16 2010 Vizovice, Czech Republic @ Masters Of Rock 2010
More dates expected soon!
For more information and constant
updates, check out the brand new
HolyHell website www.holyhell.com
Or better yet: subscribe to the HolyHell newsletter so you will not
miss any news!
November
2009 - UPDATE
Joe Stump autograph signing session at The House of Guitars in Rochester, NY at 4:00 p.m., Sat., Nov 14th. Joe will be playing the Montage in Rochester later that night supporting Jennifer Batten. And also here are links to Joe performing various tunes from the new record Virtuostic Vendetta, contained in the links are clinic footage from Europe, show footage from the States, as well as Joe doing some damage to backing tracks in his office at Berklee.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rel94odKNMY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jke_mrRciqI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvcKvXhMAmA
September
2009 - UPDATE
Archived
images are now back and up and running, I am currently on tour in
Europe, check out the dates and try and make a gig.

June
2009 - UPDATE
THE
SHRED LORD’S COLLECTION IS ESSENTIALLY YOURS!
NEW
YORK, USA - When it comes to blazing guitars, one of metal’s
favorite sons has ignited many fires in the hearts of metal fans.
Known as The Shred Lord, JOE STUMP is already cemented in the annals
of history as a metal guitar virtuoso. In recent years, he joined
forces with power metal band, HOLYHELL and has been devoting much
of his time to recording their debut album, set to be released in
the summer of 2009. However, fans would not let him move on without
releasing a collection of his greatest compositions. Hence THE ESSENTIAL
SHRED GUITAR COLLECTION was born. In this collection, Stump breathes
new life into favorites from many of his solo albums, as well as
adding a few new tracks. It’s a necessary addition to every
guitar fans’ collection, if not only to archive and preserve
monumental moments in music history.
Look for THE ESSENTIAL SHRED GUITAR COLLECTION by JOE STUMP now
available on the MAGIC CIRCLE MUSIC label. Also immediately available
with high quality, DMR-free MP3s at The
Kingdom Of Steel Online Store
Joe
Stump, along with HOLYHELL, will be headlining 6 of Europe’s
major summer festivals as special guests of MANOWAR on The Death
to Infidels Tour 2009. For details, visit www.magiccirclemusic.com,
www.holyhell.com,
www.magiccirclefestival.com.

May
2009 - UPDATE
There are tons of great reviews flooding in! Check
them out in the Press Section.

April
2009 - UPDATE
Well
if you`re reading this then you see the killer facelift the website
has gotten thanks to my buddy Andy Craven. The gear section has
been updated with a portion of my guitar collection (yes I have
quite a few more and will add a few more in the upcoming months)
. And of course the big news is that the new record is out and reviews
are just starting to come in. I`ve got several solo shows upcoming
in May with fellow shredmasters Michael Orlando and Matt Mills on
a bill entitled Night
Of The Living Shred, and I`ll also be playing 2 Virtuosity
09 Guitar Festival dates in Ohio with Michael Harris, Rob Johnson
and a bunch of other great players.
After
the solo shows in May I`ll be in Europe doing some damage over there
with HolyHell playing a bunch of festivals in June and July , the
next couple months will be filled with plenty of live guitar work
so I couldn`t be happier. All tour dates are posted on the site.
As usual a few more new things in the pipes upcoming so I`ll be
checking in with that info quite soon.

February
2009 - UPDATE
New
album news - Vengeance is mine sayeth the Shredlord!
Virtuostic
Vendetta will be released worldwide by Lion Music on April 17th.
Here’s the track listing in order and a cool video trailer
for the new record up now on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NeI0Ge7jfQ)
just click to get a glimpse. The new record contains 12 tracks and
clocks in at over 72 minutes so everyone’s getting their hard
earned money’s worth on this one and then some!
Chasing
The Dragon
Pistol Whipped
The Dance of Kashani
Fire and Brimstone
The Beacon
Blackmore`s Boogie
Old School Throwdown
Allegro #2 in A Minor
Trigger Happy
Symphonic Pandemonium
The Witching Hour
Strat Sorcery
January
2009 - UPDATE
There
is a cool review, some pictures, and a live video (the band doing
Deep Purple's "Burn") of Joe Stump's show in DeBosuil,
Weert, on November 28, 2008. Go to www.RainbowFanClan.com and click
on "Last Update" on the left side of the screen, then
scroll down to "2/12" for the video and "11/30"
for the review and pictures. Enjoy!
September
2008 - UPDATE
Hey,
just a quick update from the flight deck. I’ve done a few
guest appearances on several upcoming things. One would be Matt
Mill’s new Neo-Classical Spirit release. Matt’s a monster
player and a good friend of mine. I’ve got a lengthy solo
on the track Enoch’s Journey. I appear on the record along
with George Bellas and David Shankle (both killer players and friends
of mine). I also appear on Mike Vescera’s new solo offering
as well as the upcoming Jack Starr’s Burning Star record.
I’ve been a fan of Jack’s for many years going back
to the old Burning Starr records of the 80’s, so it was a
real treat to contribute to his new record, which by the way is
going be a bad-ass slab of metal.
Speaking
of bad-ass, my new record is entitled Virtuostic Vendetta, and let
me tell you it’s going live up to its title! I’m all
business on this thing. I’ll post an update regarding the
release date shortly. Also the track I did for the Magic Maestro
record, The Story of Swan Lake (recorded with the London Philharmonic
Orchestra), is currently available on Amazon.com. You can download
the track for 99 cents by clicking HERE. I’ll go out on a
limb here saying that it’s the most amount of notes you’ll
likely get for less than a dollar. It’s a speed metal version
of Tchaikovsky’s Enchanted Lake theme. I’m really proud
of the adaptation, as I was given the score to the entire piece
and I had to incorporate certain key sections of the score in the
arrangement. It was a lot of fun and quite challenging as well.
August
2008 - UPDATE
Hey,
once again, sorry for the delay between updates but I’ve been
flat out since I returned from Europe. Both the Bulgarian festival
and the Magic Circle Festival were quite successful for HolyHell.
The band played killer sets at both, and the band’s fan base
has really begun to grow. We previewed a couple new things from
the upcoming full length debut record and the response was great.
Since I came back, I’ve been in the studio finishing my next
solo offering. It’ll be done within the next few days, and
I’m happy to say it’s by far the best thing I’ve
ever done throughout my two-decade long career of making and releasing
records. It’s a great diverse mix of tunes. And, of course,
there’s some maniacal neo-classical speed metal stuff, a few
evil riff heavy tracks, an emotionally drenched Gary Moore inspired
guitar ballad, and some killer retro-Blackmore /Purple /Hendrix
/Trower /Marino type tunes. The record should be released sometime
in late Oct/early Nov. While there are several working titles, I’ve
yet to settle on one, as playing and composing all this intense
guitar shit is far easier than coming up with one of my cool and
somewhat pretentious titles after all these records. I’ll
post some samples on the site and the Joe Stump MySpace after it’s
mastered.
Here’s
the track listing (in no particular order):
Chasing
The Dragon
Fire and Brimstone
Pistol Whipped
The Witching Hour
Blackmore’s Boogie
Strat Sorcery
The Dance of Kashani
Old School Throwdown
Trigger Happy
Allegro #2 in A Minor
The Beacon
Symphonic Pandemonium
May
2008 - UPDATE
Hey,
once again sorry it’s been quite awhile between updates. The
European tour back in Feb/March went extremely well. I played 15
dates in 20 days combining shows and clinics. A sincere thanks goes
out to all that attended. A bunch of the footage was recorded in
both audio and video format, so I’m sure that a bunch of that
will surface in the form of bonus tracks and quite possibly a new
bootleg concert DVD with concert and clinic footage combined. I
played a nice combination of solo stuff, Reign of Terror material,
and quite a bit of Rainbow and Deep Purple so the bootleg DVD will
be completely filled with tons of guitar. I’m currently recording
my new solo record, the long awaited follow-up to Speed Metal Messiah,
and it should be released later on this year (late fall). I’ve
got a bunch of the guitar tracks completed and I’m very pleased
thus far. It’s a very diverse collection of tunes with a bunch
of blazing neo-classical tracks, of course, a nice Gary Moore style
ballad, an evil speed metal/thrash metal bit, and some retro Hendrix/Blackmore
induced tunes. While all the tracks are titled, I have several working
titles for the record that I’m still tossing around. While
there’s, of course, a ton of over the top guitar stuff going
on as usual, this one will be my best record song/composition-wise.
I feel really good about the selection of tracks. For all you European
fans, I’m featured in the new Shred issue of Gitarist magazine
(www.gitarist.nl). There’s an interview with me, plus I’m
mentioned as one of the top 20 Shredders of all time. I’ll
be going to Europe next month for some festival dates with HolyHell,
and as usual, I’m really looking forward to getting out and
doing more damage. After returning from Europe, I’ll get back
to work on the new record, which should be completed by late July/early
August. That’s it for now. I’ll try to make updates
more frequent in the future, but what can I tell you, I like playing
guitar way more than typing at the computer!
January
2008 - UPDATE
Hey,
Happy New Year to everyone! Hope you guys had a great holiday. As
usual, new stuff to report. It’s looking like this year should
be very busy. I just came back from Bulgaria where HolyHell played
a New Years Eve show opening for Saxon (3 band bill, we were in
the middle). Believe it or not, it was an outdoor show, and fuck
yeah it was cold. They had bionic heaters on stage but it was still
quite chilly to say the least. However that didn’t affect
the show as the Bulgarian fans were wonderful, the band played a
killer set, and it was great to see the fans really enjoying themselves.
The show was taped for Bulgarian national television, so it was
fun to be a part of their version of Dick Clarke’s Rocking
Eve. When it comes to being true metal fans, the Bulgarian people
don’t fuck around and I can’t wait to go back later
on this year. The new instructional DVD is out, so thanks a ton
to you guys (and gals) that have picked it up. If you haven’t
it’s available at www.ShredAcademy.com. I also have a new
audio instructional program coming out in a few weeks. This will
be out through www.guitarassault.com (a sister company of the Shred
Academy). It’s a very cool program entitled “66 Licks.”
What it is is 66 one bar licks grouped into 3 categories: easier,
intermediate, and advanced. All the licks are played at the same
tempo with 3 different grooves to play them over included. I play
various examples using combinations of many of the licks showing
how when strung together it’s a great way to formulate soloing
ideas. The licks are in the European neo-classical/shred vein and
these are phrasing ideas and technical portions of my playing vocabulary.
It’s not like I came up with outside ideas just for the program.
These are things that are a part of my actual playing vocabulary.
Touring-wise I’ll be playing at the NAMM show this week, Thursday
Jan 17th - Sunday Jan20th. I’ll be playing at the US Masters
Guitarworks booth. They’ve released a killer amp that I’ll
be demoing, (very Blackmore-ish tone to it) so needless to say,
I’ll be hard to miss if you’re attending the show. I’ll
also be playing a European solo tour in Feb/March, the dates will
be posted in the tour dates section, and it will be updated regularly
with dates being added. I’ll be playing solo instrumental
stuff, Reign of Terror material, and a bunch of Deep Purple and
Rainbow. I’m playing shows and clinics, and I’m really
looking forward to getting out and doing more damage.
November
2007 - UPDATE
Well,
sorry for the long layoff as far as posting my recent activities,
but I’ve been quite busy with a bunch of cool new stuff in
the pipes. First off, I’m very excited because I’m going
to appear on a record with the famed London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Magic Maestro Music is a company that produces books/CDs for children
and adults. The book/CD package is a story based from a famous work
of music. The orchestral pieces are performed by the London Philharmonic.
On each disc they feature a track with a work from the classical
piece done in a non-traditional classical format. I’ve recorded
a speed metal neo-classical version of Tchaikovsky’s “Enchanted
Lake” from Swan Lake. It was a great experience and the track
came out killer. I’ve also finished my 5th instructional DVD
entitled “Advanced Hard Rock/Metal Soloing Techniques.”
This one will be a 2 disc set and will be released by the Shred
Academy in late November. I also recorded additional footage for
the re-release of the Sweep Picking/Arpeggio DVD. That will also
be a 2 disc set available through the Shred Academy in several weeks.
As you’ve seen in the last update, my entire instrumental
back catalogue has been released through Magic Circle Music. It’s
only available in digital format for now, but they’ll be re-releasing
cool re-mastered products with many extras and bonus materials next
year. I’m back at work on the follow up to “Speed Meal
Messiah” that will be released in the early portion of next
year. Thanks.
October
2007 - UPDATE
Magic
Circle Music releases Joe "Shredlord" Stump's back catalog!
Magic Circle Music is proud to announce the release of the back
catalogue of Shred Guitar legend Joe Stump. This is available for
immediate download at Magic Circle Music's online store, Kingdom
Of Steel. Please visit http://store.magiccirclemusic.com/.
Voted as one of the top ten fastest shredders of all time and referred
to by many music experts as the Ultimate Guitar Monster, Joe's instrumental
releases are bombastic displays of shred. Joe continues to assault
the world showcasing his amazing power and technique. This collection
is a must for all fans of intense guitar driven metal!
June
2007 - UPDATE
Hey,
just a quick update, to report some of the stuff I’ve got
in the pipes. First off, HolyHell will be playing two festivals
in Europe, the Kaliakra Rock Fest in Kavarna, Bulgaria on June 30th,
and the Magic Circle festival on July 7th. The Magic Circle fest
is going to be killer with a bunch of great bands on the bill, so
go over to www.magiccirclemusic.com to get all the details. I’ll
also be shooting another instructional DVD for the Shred Academy
within the next few weeks. This one will be entitled Hard Rock and
Metal Advanced Soloing Techniques. I’ll be playing several
solos from my recordings, breaking them down content- and concept-wise,
and detailing all of the techniques used. The Shred Academy will
also be reissuing the Sweep Arpeggio DVD and I’ll be shooting
additional footage to be offered as a bonus DVD that’ll be
packaged along with it. The footage will include transcriptions
and demonstrations of some of the most challenging arpeggio sections
I’ve recorded. There’s also a few US dates in the touring
section, so check out those as well. I’m currently rehearsing
for my next solo record that depending on my touring schedule I
should be gearing up to record quite soon. That’s it for now.
April
2007 - UPDATE
Once
again, sorry for the lengthy delay in between updates but when I’m
touring, I’m not much of a computer guy. I’ve just returned
from Europe and the Demons, Dragons and Warriors tour was a truly
great experience. The venues were massive, the crowds were great
and all and all it couldn’t have gone better. HolyHell was
very well received at all the shows and it was killer seeing how
people responded so amazing well to a brand new band. Of course
the kings of metal, Manowar, destroyed every night of the tour;
it’s amazing seeing over 10,000 people packed into an arena
with their fists in the air night after night. When those guys fire
up live and throw down, they don’t fuck around. During the
tour, HolyHell released an EP/single (it’s referred to as
a single in Europe) on March 23rd; it contains 4 tracks plus additional
video material containing interview segments and live concert footage.
You can download the entire EP/single at www.HolyHell.com. On May
19th and 20th, I’ll be playing in Buenos Aires, Argentina,
on a G3 type of bill with Angra’s Kiko Loureiro and George
Bellas. It’s gonna be a killer guitar show and I’m really
looking forward to it. After all the dust settles from touring,
I’ll get back to work rehearsing the band for the recording
of my next full-on solo album. All the tunes are written and it’s
just a matter of getting the guys prepared before we get into the
studio to bang it out. I guess that’s it for now.
February
2007 - UPDATE
Hey,
sorry it’s been awhile in between updates, but I’ve
been quite busy lately. Right now, I’m just getting ready
for the upcoming Manowar/Rhapsody of Fire/Holy Hell tour. Rehearsals
start up soon and I’m really looking forward to getting back
out there and doing some serious damage when the tour starts up
in March. As far as the Holy Hell thing goes, there will be a release
fairly soon but I’m not at liberty to break any of that news
until the label issues the official word. But get ready because
it’s coming and I’m sure everyone’s going to be
floored by the great work we’ve done. I also have some guest
appearances on several releases coming up. I played solos on ex-Manowar/fellow
shred demon David Shankle’s upcoming DSG record, guitarist
Ethan Brosh’s solo record (great player -- one of my former
students -- George Lynch and Greg Howe are guesting on the disc
as well, so needless to say, I’m in good company), and my
buddy Sean Baker’s next release (who’s another killer
player). Also, I just signed on with Dean Markley strings. They
are a great company, and I’m really looking forward to working
with them as two of my all time heroes, Gary Moore and Yngwie Malmsteen,
are Dean Markley guys. So, it’s nice to be among some full-on
guitar royalty. In addition, lots of other things are in the pipes
for this upcoming year. I will be recording and releasing my next
solo record but the time frame really depends on my Holy Hell touring
schedule. I’ll also be doing at least one more Neo-Classical
DVD for the Shred Academy this year. A few solo tours are also in
the works for this year as well as some other surprises, so things
will continue to be busy. I’ll try to keep the site updated
more often.
October
2006 - UPDATE
Sorry
for the delay in updating the site, but as usual, I’ve been
fairly busy lately. Neo-Classical Guitar 3 is now available through
the Shred Academy. They’re offering it in two formats; a single
disc package containing only the instructional DVD itself plus a
performance of The Red Priest or a two disc package. The second
disc contains some short instructional footage and performances
of four tunes from the Speed Metal Messiah record -- Eastern Beast,
Unleashing the Fury, Weapon of Choice, and Psycho Shred Suite’s
2nd Movement Presto. All and all a cool package with tons of instructional
info combined with quite a bit of playing footage. There should
be a video teaser of the DVD up at the Shred Academy site and JoeStump.com
shortly. I’ve got a few shows lined up before the end of the
year, Reign of Terror will be doing two shows in Mexico; one in
Cihuahua at the El Craneo and one headlining the second stage at
the Monterrey Metal Festival. I’m really looking forward to
returning to Mexico as the fans there are some of the best I’ve
played for. There are some solo shows as well, so check the touring
section of the site for updates. I’m currently rehearsing
the material for my next upcoming solo record. I’ll start
recording later this year with the record being released early next
year after the Holy Hell record comes out. It’ll be a kind
of return to some of my earlier releases like Supersonic Shred Machine
with a variety of material. Some retro hard rock Hendrix and Deep
Purple inspired stuff, a few heavier tracks, and of course some
blazing classically influenced speed metal. No title as of yet,
that’s the toughest thing, composing and playing all that
stuff is much easier than coming up with a cool, pretentious title
for the record. Also some exciting news in the pipes about the re-releasing
of my back catalogue, I’ll have more about that next update.
July
2006 - UPDATE
Sky Academy Report - in Joe's words
The
Uli Jon Roth Sky Academy concerts out in LA were a blast with a
ton of cool players involved (Roy Z, Chris Impellitteri, Warren
DiMartini, Tony Franklin, Jeff Scott Soto -- to name just a few).
And it was a tremendous treat to play and spend some time with Uli
and it was extremely inspiring to watch him play 3 nights in a row.
I played all three nights and was also one of the few artists to
get a short spot myself performing my instrumental version of the
Rainbow classic Still I'm Sad (yes, I know it was originally done
by the Yardbirds). I had Uli's band backing me and none other than
the webmaster himself, Joe Hart, fulfilling the bass duties, which
itself was a ton of fun. My favorite part came on the final Saturday
show when I played Rainbow's Lost In Hollywood and Love's No Friend
with Graham Bonnet. Uli joined us on these tunes and we had a great
extended jam at the end of Love's No Friend. So needless to say,
I was in the presence of real hard rock royalty. I'm looking forward
to being involved in future Sky Academy events.
Holy Hell \m/
I
just finished all the guitars on the Holy Hell record and it sounds
killing. I played a ton of solos, many of them quite lengthy, so
trust me when I say everyone's going to get their money's worth
when this thing comes out. While it's not quite as guitar heavy
as a full-on Joe Stump release, I'm still doing plenty of damage
on this record. It was also a great experience working with producer
Joey DeMaio (Manowar bassist and power metal kingpin). He really
pushed me to be on top of my game and it really shows in the performances.
Neo- Classical Guitar 3 DVD
I
finished recording Neo-Classical Guitar 3 and it'll be released
very soon through the Shred Academy. Along with the Neo-3 DVD there
will be a bonus 2nd DVD included with me performing several of my
tunes from various recordings.
May
2006 - UPDATE
Joe
has just checked in with the following news...
Work
continues on the debut Holy Hell record and will continue as I'll
be back in the studio tracking guitars for it in both May and June.
In addition to the Holy Hell disc I've also got a new solo record
in the pipes , with all of the material composed. I'm preparing
to start work on that after the guitars are finished with Holy Hell.
I've
also recorded another new instructional DVD Neo-Classical guitar
3. This DVD focuses on Baroque style classical pedal point and linear
playing. As with the previous DVD it contains quite a bit of instructional
content, performance footage and yes plenty of gratuitous shredding.
It should be released by the Shred Academy in June sometime.
In
late May I'll be participating in a series of concerts in Los Angeles
with Uli Jon Roth at the Ralph Freud Theater . Since Uli is one
of my all time heroes and of course a great artist and innovator
in the world of Neo-Classical / European hard rock guitar I'm extremely
excited to have been asked to play at this event.
Upcoming
Shows
Joe
Stump
May 24 , 26 , 27 Ralph Freud Theater- Los Angeles Ca. with Uli Jon
Roth and Friends
June 9th Shredfest Steel Music Hall -Rochester N.Y.
Joe
Stump`s Reign of Terror
August 17, 18 , 19- Expo Rock -Mexico City, Mexico
March
2006 - UPDATE
"Neo
Classical Guitar 2" DVD Out Now
Joe's new DVD "Neo-Classical Guitar 2" is available to
buy now from Shred Academy. The DVD is currently on a special release
discount price so order yours today before stocks go at this link.
Guitar
Clinic At Alpha Music, Virginia Beach, VA - 24th April 2006
Alpha Music in Virginia Beach VA is the home for Joe's next guitar
clinic. As an added bonus he will also be doing some master classes
(beginner class, intermediate and advanced class) in the afternoon
before the evenings clinic. The date you need is Monday April 24th.
The store opens at 11 am. Please call for the class schedules and
prices ( toll free 1-877-486-2001).
Tickets
for the clinic (only) are $10 which start's at 7pm (1900hrs).
February
2006 - UPDATE
Joe’s
new DVD, “Neo-Classical Guitar 2,” will be released
by a new internet instructional site called the Shred Academy. The
new DVD will be in full-on DVD format (not DVD-R like previous releases).
Production has already begun on it so it should be available in
two weeks. Sorry about the delay, but the alliance with the new
company pushed back the release date a bit. The links to purchase
the new DVD will be posted as soon as it’s available.
January
2006 - UPDATE
We
just got this info from Virtuosa Magazine:
"Just
a quick message for you to put on your web site. You have been selected
from among the finest guitarists in the world to appear courtesy
of LION MUSIC on the free SHRED CD which will be given out with
VIRTUOSA MAGAZINE with issue 11 (out January 10th). You can buy
the magazine from www.lionmusic.com at the shop section or for more
information contact Nick the Editor on Nick.J.Hinton@btinternet.com."
So,
be sure to check it out! Also, there is a cool video clip of Joe
shredding here.
December
2005 - UPDATE
Hey
everyone, hope all is well out there. Sorry it’s been a little
bit in between updates, but we have a lot to report! Joe’s
been very busy tracking guitars for the debut Holy Hell CD. He says
the tone is massive and promises it’s going to be a monster
of a record -- pure unadulterated metal like your mom used to make.
And yes, of course, there will be plenty of cool ass guitar stuff
on the disc. New dates for the Demons, Dragons and Warriors world
tour have been confirmed and are posted in the touring section of
the site. The first leg starts early next year and there will be
many more dates to come. It’ll be a full-on world tour with
the kings of metal -- Manowar, the mighty Rhapsody and Holy Hell
-- with dates throughout a good portion of 2006. The new instructional
DVD, Neo-Classical Guitar II, is finished and edited. It should
be available for purchase very soon! It’ll contain a ton of
cool instructional stuff, plenty of gratuitous shred footage, and
several live play-along performance tracks. It should clock in at
over 90 minutes and I’m certain everyone’s really going
to enjoy it. Also in the press, in the new Shred issue of Guitar
One, with Yngwie Malmsteen and Buckethead on the cover, has a feature
with Joe along with several of his totally over-the-top guitar runs
recorded on the CD ROM and transcribed in the magazine -- a very
cool issue!
September
2005 - UPDATE
Well,
I’ve been out playing and touring for most of the summer and
I’m now home for a period of time. Between playing solo shows,
clinics, and master classes for Berklee in Boston and LA, and the
Manowar, Rhapsody, Holy Hell - Demons Dragons and Warriors tour
in the States and some festival dates in Europe, it was great to
have the last several months filled with so much live playing. I’m
currently writing tunes for the Holy Hell release and will start
work on the band’s debut record in a few weeks. In addition
to recording the Holy Hell disc, I’ll be shooting the next
instructional DVD, Neo-Classical Guitar II. The disc will feature
a massive amount of classically tinged instructional material, plus
a fair amount of performance footage as well. I think all the fans
are going to be quite pleased. I’ll be doing some solo shows
and clinics periodically in upcoming months, so please check the
tour dates section of the site.
April
2005 - UPDATE
The
new DVD entitled Neo-Classical Guitar I is now available; all the
tablature for the DVD will be available to download from the site.
The next more advanced DVD, Neo-Classical Guitar II will be shot
after Joe returns from touring at the end of April/early May. Also
Joe appears in back to back issues of Guitar World magazine. In
the May 2005 issue there is a cool review of the newly released
“Shredology/Midwest Shredfest” double CD, and in the
June issue, Joe’s doing the “Betcha Can’t Play
This” feature. Video footage at both warp speed and slow speed
of the lick are on the Guitar World CD-ROM. Joe will be playing
both nights at the Shredfest in Rochester on May 20th and 21st.
However, due to scheduling conflicts, the full band will be playing
on only the Friday, May 20th show. Joe is the headliner at that
show and plans on playing a very lengthy set. On Saturday, May 21st,
Joe will play a totally different set of material but will be doing
that solo with backing tracks (ala guitar clinic style) Also, Joe
is playing with power metal band Holy Hell. The band includes vocalist
Maria Breon, Jay Rigney on bass guitar, Jay Gates on drums, (both
from Joe’s solo band and Reign of Terror) and guitarist Tom
Hess. They will be touring with metal legends Manowar and symphonic
metal masters Rhapsody. Shows will start in the US and Canada in
early June as well as the Masters of Rock festival in the Czech
Republic and Germany’s Earthshaker festival in July. All tour
dates will be posted.
January
2005 - UPDATE
Some
new sound clips will be featured on the site shortly, these will
be exclusive to JoeStump.com. These are live recordings from the
last European tour, which ended in Oct., featuring live versions
of several instrumentals and also Joe tearing into a bunch of Deep
Purple, Hendrix, and Gary Moore stuff. As Joe puts it, "a show
of gratitude to the fans, it's the least I can do for all the great
support I get." So feel free to burn, download, and do whatever
you like with the tracks. I thought it would be a cool thing to
put up for everyone to enjoy. Also we just got done shooting the
Neo-classical Guitar I DVD and expect a quick release after editing.
The DVD will clock in at around 90 minutes and covers a whole variety
of techniques.
December
2004 - UPDATE
Sorry
for such a lengthy period in between updates, but I've been quite
busy. First off, the official live bootleg DVD will be available
in a a matter of days, so webmaster Joe Hart should be able to start
taking orders very soon. As promised, it will include an entire
Reign of Terror show, an entire guitar clinic from the same European
tour, plus additional solo footage from several shows earlier this
year. I'm going to reshoot neo-classical guitar 1 around the same
time that I'm going to shoot 2 (the 2nd more advanced DVD). I had
hoped to finish these sooner, but I just moved into a new house
and that set me back a little. But I promise those will be completed
and available very soon. I've got all of the material ready to go,
and I assure you guys that it'll be worth the wait. Also tab booklets
will be included in both instructional DVDs. Leviathan Records will
release Shredology - a compilation of select tunes from my entire
Leviathan instrumental catalogue. The disc will come in at close
to 80 minutes and all the older tracks will be remastered. Also
included will be some bonus tracks and the Midwest Shredfest live
record will be included as a second bonus disc. If you recall, that
was originally only available in very small quantities on Diginet
Music thru MP3.com a few years ago. Vote now for your Shredology
song list, just email me the tunes you'd like to see appear on the
record. I'll check everybody's list and make the track listing dependent
on the results. So I'm waiting to hear from you guys. thanks, and
happy holidays to everybody.
September
2004 - UPDATE
The
new record, “Speed Metal Messiah,” is currently available
at all the posted sites and webstores. We’ll post additional
webstores and outlets in the upcoming weeks. Joe has just starting
to do a bunch of press for the new record, so we’ll be posting
interviews and reviews as they start to come in. An article and
full review of the new album will appear in the upcoming issue of
BWBK. As far as the new instructional DVDs go, the first one is
still being edited and we’ll be shooting the second one sometime
in the next several weeks - before Joe heads off to Europe for the
hard rock/blues tour. But they both should be available by late
Oct. early Nov. We’ll also be selling an official Joe Stump
live bootleg 2 DVD set exclusively on the site. The first DVD will
include a lengthy full concert from the last Reign of Terror European
tour as well as additional clinic footage. Another DVD will include
a compilation of several live instrumental shows from recent tours.
So we’re talking HOURS worth of live footage! And since it’s
more of a live bootleg type of recording, it’ll be offered
at a great price. Plenty of guitar close-ups and gratuitous shred
footage! That one should be available within the next few weeks,
prior to the neo-classical instructional DVD coming out.
July
2004 - UPDATE
New
Record, New label - Joe has just signed a deal with Lion Music for
his new record Speed Metal Messiah. Lion is a European based company
and has an impressive roster of guitarists on it’s label -
James Byrd, George Bellas, Marcel Coenen, Alex Masi , Lars Eric
Mattson, Rusty Cooley, Kelly Simonz, Ritchie Kotzen, Tony Macalpine
- just to rattle off a few. The disc will be released in Sept. (a
slight delay due to the change in labels) Joe will be releasing
2 instructional DVDs in the upcoming months as well. Neo-classical
Guitar 1 which has already been shot and is being edited now will
feature some technique building exercises incorporating diatonic
scale patterns and a six part neo- classical workout with each section
demonstrating a different technique. (Scale patterns, multi string
arpeggios, single string picking phrases, rhythm playing, etc) The
second one, Advanced Neo-Classical Guitar, will be loaded with many
transcriptions to some of Joe’s most demanding works as well
as a ton of other Baroque induced fret frying. Both DVDs will feature
lengthy guitar cadenzas as well as several full tunes with Joe playing
with various backing tracks. Also included in the performance tracks
will be several tunes from Speed Metal Messiah. Joe has also been
busy contributing guitar work on ex Virgin Steel guitarist Jack
Starr’s new album which is being produced by Manowar bassist
Joey DeMaio for Magic Circle Music and will be released on SPV.
May
2004 - UPDATE FROM JOE
The
European tour was a blast and I just want to thank everyone for
making it such a success -- the DDA Agency, tour manager Dick Stam
and my buddies Louie Van Aalst, Ruud and of course all the fans
that attended the shows and guitar clinics. There will be plenty
of pics from the tour to be posted. I’ll be back out on the
road in June in the States so check the tour dates section which
will have dates and cities posted soon.
New
Record – Yes, the new record is all finished and it’s
a monster of a guitar record, my best playing to date. The official
title is “Speed Metal Messiah” and it contains the following
track listing:
1.
Prelude
2. Speed Metal Messiah
3. The Red Priest- Vivaldi Dedication
4. Eastern Beast
5. Weapon of Choice
6. Reflection
7. The Killer Instinct
8. Dragon’s Den
9. Unleashing The Fury - Malmsteen/Blackmore Dedication
10. Retroactivity
11. Psycho Shred Suite (1st Movement)
12. Cadenza Diablo (2nd Movement)
13. Presto (3rd Movement)
14. Chamber Maid
Some
sound clips of several tracks will be up at the site shortly.
Before
the tour in June begins, I’ll also start shooting my new advanced
neo-classical instructional DVD.
March
2004 - UPDATE FROM JOE
"Leviathan/Diginet has remastered and reissued the first Guitar
Master cd and it's available at the Leviathanrecords.com site. It
contains a ton of cool improvised playing and was recorded in the
same fashion as Armed and Ready where I was given pre-existing bass
and drum tracks, and was free to play whatever I wanted. This one
much more blues tinged than Armed and Ready but still contains a
ton of shredding and over the top playing".
"As
far as new record news goes the brand new Joe Stump instrumental
album is nearing completion. With several working titles in the
pipes (no confirmed title to the record as of yet) here`s a partial
track listing"-
Weapon
of Choice
The Killer Instinct
Speed Metal Messiah
The Red Priest - Vivaldi Dedication
Retroactivity
Eastern Beast
Prelude Allegro
Unleashing The Fury- Malmsteen/Blackmore Dedication
Psycho Shred Suite -three movements
Reflection
"Primarily
containing very classically inspired material this record is quite
a few notches beyond anything I've ever done and will be a monster
of a guitar record with tons of complex sections, lengthy solos
and every type of arpeggio you could think of".

Januray
2004 - UPDATE FROM JOE
Joe is currently busy writing and rehearsing with his band for his
next solo album to be released later this year. In addition Leviathan
Records are giving the Guitar Masters vol.1 album (previously only
available on the internet) a proper release. More details to follow
as and when we have them.

25th
November 2003 ~ UPDATE FROM JOE
The
Reign of Terror European Tour was a ton of fun and the shows went
very well. We’re hoping to go back sometime early next year
(April). More pics from the tour to be posted very soon. We recorded
one of the shows and are also recording the Nov. 29th show in Rochester
N.Y. and might use a combination of both shows for a live album.
The live album would feature tracks from Sacred Ground, Conquer
and Divide, several instrumental tracks, a live guitar solo, a few
tunes from Mike’s past groups (Loudness and Yngwie Malmsteen),
also some old Rainbow and Deep Purple tracks. We will post more
on that with a full track listing when a release date is confirmed.
Also
I’ll be recording my 7th instrumental album during December
03 and January 04 to be released early next year. I promise it will
be my finest recorded guitar work to date. It’s been awhile
since I’ve done a full on studio instrumental record and I’m
sure you won’t be disappointed.
I’ll
also be doing a third instructional DVD, the second one to be released
right here at JoeStump.com. This one will be an advanced Neo-classical
DVD covering difficult excerpts from some of my more demanding tracks,
Classical pedal point and arpeggio sequences as well as some blazing
right hand alternate and economy picking material.
I’ll
also be doing a clinic tour in December 03. going to Taiwan, Hong
Kong, and parts of China. So there will be plenty of new Joe Stump
products available early next year. Thanks to everyone for all the
much appreciated support.

20th
June 2003 ~ NEW RELEASE: ARMED & READY
Well,
quite a bit has gone on since the last update. Joe has a new record
entitled Armed and Ready that is now available through Leviathan.
This is a remixed and remastered rendition of the last Guitar Masters
CD. Since the disc turned out so well, and was only previously available
in a very limited format, Leviathan decided to do a full on printing
of the disc. It contains some of Joe's most inspired improvised
solo playing and a huge amount of over the-top-shredding.
Joe
has also started doing an instructional column for the Rhino Amps
website entitled Joe Stump's Shred Academy. Every month there will
be tabbed out examples, an explanatory text, and sound clips of
the instructional material as well as bonus sound clips recorded
by Joe specifically for the site. Needless to say, all the featured
clips are recorded using Rhino amplification exclusively.
Joe
will be be out on the road at various points during the summer starting
at the end of this month, so make sure to check the touring schedule
for venue info. Also a ton of photos from March's Tour of Mexico
to be posted very soon in the photo section of this site.

15th February 2003 ~ TOUR DATES IN MEXICO
* Sat. March 15th Taquilla del Circo Volador, Tianguis Cultural
Del Chopo- Mexico City
* Sunday March 16th The Pit Foro - Bar 6:00 in Cuernavaca, Morelos.
Sunday March 16th Guitar clinic at the Pit 2:00
* Guitar clinic Monday March 17th at G Martell escuela de Musica-
Mexico city

2nd
February 2003 ~ ARPEGGIO LESSON VOLUME 1 DVD - ON SALE NOW!
Exclusive
to JoeStump.com! New Instructional DVD for sale, "Arpeggio
Lesson - Volume I." Click Here
The
sweep-picking instructional DVD is now available. The cost is $20.00
plus shipping. It's a great learning tool for players on all levels.
Joe Stump.com is also taking credit card orders for the DVD as well.
Joe's first instrumental album, the classic "Guitar Dominance,"
has been reissued and remastered. It's available now at LeviathanRecords.com
and will be available at all the usual CD sources (Guitar 9, CDnow,
Amazon, etc.) later this month. Joe's instrumental tour of Mexico
is scheduled for March14-18th. It will include several live shows
and guitar clinics. Exact venues for all events will be posted within
the next week. After the Mexico tour, Joe plans on doing another
run of Reign of Terror shows starting in late March, so check the
site for tour dates.

20th
December 2002 ~ NEW GUITAR MASTERS CD
The new 2002 Joe Stump Guitar Masters CD is now available, just
go to DiginetMusic.com or MP3.com to place your order. This release
is a lead guitar lovers wet dream and contains all kinds of very
inspired solo playing from Joe.
GUITAR
DOMINANCE REMASTER AND RE-RELEASE
Also, early next year, Leviathan Records will reissue a new remastered
version of Joe's 1993 instrumental classic debut, Guitar Dominance.
Reviews
and articles about Joe and the new Reign of Terror release, Conquer
and Divide, can be found in the new BWBK issue 66 and in the newest
copy of the Feb. 2003 Guitar One mag.
METAL
CHOP BUILDING BERKLEE PRESS DVD
The Metal Chop-building Instructional DVD is now available through
Berklee Press (just go to Berkleemusic.com) and the final touches
have just been put on the new sweep-picking DVD, so that should
be available within the next few weeks.