Renowned guitarists Alex Skolnick of Testament and Chris Broderick of Megadeth have joined forces to create the first annual Skolnick & Broderick’s Winter Guitar Retreat. This unique experience offers a select group of guitarists of all talent levels the opportunity to expand their horizons while spending four days and five nights studying and jamming with Broderick and Skolnick in a relaxed setting at Full Moon Resort in New York’s Catskill Mountains from December 26-30, 2011.
While best known for their work with Testament and Megadeth, Skolnick and Broderick are diverse, well rounded musicians with backgrounds and training in rock, jazz, classical and blues.
Skolnick & Broderick’s Winter Guitar Retreat will include master classes with Skolnick and Broderick, jam sessions, open mic nights and optional private lessons. Attendees are invited to expand their knowledge of lead guitar, rhythm guitar, music history, jazz theory, chord theory, harmony, improvisation, counterpoint, composition, chord voicings, improv (taught by Skolnick), classical fingerstyle technique (taught by Broderick), and of course heavy metal guitar. Guitarists will learn techniques to increase speed and improve tone, while hearing stories about life on the road, getting gear tips and much more. Nathan Peck (bass) and Matt “Zebar” Zebroski (drums/percussion) of the Alex Skolnick Trio will provide rhythm accompaniment for jam sessions throughout the week.
Check out a video clip of Skolnick and Broderick talking about the Winter Guitar Retreat here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCpIWgFooH8.
"I'm really looking forward to partnering with my friend Chris Broderick for our Winter Guitar Retreat,” says Skolnick. “Each of us has a unique, individual approach to guitar and it's always fun to share one's experience with deserving students. Therefore, we've decided to join forces and create the ultimate post-Christmas, pre-New Year’s getaway for amateur and pro guitarists alike."
(Photo by Stephanie Cabral)
Broderick concurs: "Come join Alex and myself this winter for a comprehensive look at how we view the guitar. It will not only be insightful, but relaxed and fun as well. We will cover things such as stage performance, live jam sessions, and all kinds of helpful guitar playing tips that you can utilize. I look forward to seeing you at this incredible event.”
Skolnick & Broderick’s Winter Guitar Retreat will provide a full vacation experience, including gourmet meals from the in-house chef. In addition, Full Moon Resort is conveniently located close to a full array of winter activities including skiing and snowboarding.
A special 10% discount for Skolnick & Broderick’s Winter Guitar Retreat is available for those who register and pay in full before October 31, 2011.
For full details, go to: http://sbwinterguitarretreat.com/site/.
The Skolnick & Broderick’s Winter Guitar Retreat is the first winter installment of the successful Music Masters Camp Series (www.musicmasterscamp.com/home/) held at Full Moon Resort, which has been hosted by musicians including Dweezil Zappa, Todd Rundgren, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto.
http://sbwinterguitarretreat.com/site/
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www.fullmoonresort.com
About Alex Skolnick
Alex Skolnick first picked up a guitar as a 9-year-old KISS fan, but it wasn’t long before he began to carve his own path, refining the blueprint for thrash metal as lead guitarist for Testament. At the same time as Testament was carving out its niche as one of metal’s most essential and enduring bands, Alex – intrigued by the later works of Miles Davis – began a parallel journey down the path of jazz. This ultimately led him to New York, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The New School’s jazz program in 2001. In a roundabout way, this intense study of jazz led him straight back to his original inspiration: Alex Skolnick Trio, formed during his time at The New School, opened its 2002 debut album Goodbye to Romance: Standards for a New Generation with a radical reinterpretation of KISS’ “Detroit Rock City.” The trio’s latest release, Veritas, released earlier this year by the esteemed jazz label Palmetto Records, reached the Top 10 on iTunes’ jazz charts. Along the way, Alex has played with the platinum-selling Trans-Siberian Orchestra, delved into producing, and his SkolNotes blog can be read regularly at alexskolnick.com/SkolNotes. Meanwhile, after an extended hiatus Alex rejoined Testament in 2005, and the band continues to break new ground. Testament’s most recent CD, 2008’s The Formation of Damnation (Nuclear Blast), was the band’s highest charting album to date on the Billboard Top 200. Testament’s Dark Roots Of Earth is due out in 2012.
www.alexskolnick.com
About Chris Broderick
For nearly four years, Chris Broderick has shared lead and rhythm guitar duties for “Big 4” heavy metal legends Megadeth. His first album with the band, 2009’s Endgame, featured the Grammy-nominated single “Head Crusher.” Megadeth’s song “Sudden Death” from Guitar Hero: Warriors Of Rock--and set to appear on the band’s forthcoming TH1RT3EN CD--was also Grammy nominated. TH1RT3EN will be released November 1, 2011 via Roadrunner Records. Previously, Chris built his reputation as one of the genre’s preeminent shredders with Jag Panzer and as touring guitarist for Nevermore. While he may be best known for his blistering solos, his styles include a broad range: classical, rock, blues and jazz. Both student and teacher of the instrument, Chris has been playing guitar since he was 11 years old – taking his first lessons at age 14 – and teaching for the past 16 years. He has a degree in Classical Guitar Music Performance from the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music, and has performed in many master classes including those given by David Russell, Benjamin Verdery, and his primary instructor Ricardo Iznaola. In addition, Chris has studied jazz improvisation and chord voicing, advanced music theory, and sight-reading.
http://chrisbroderick.com
About Full Moon Resort
Full Moon Resort in Big Indian, NY is a year-round mountain facility located in the heart of the "Forever Wild" Catskill Forest Preserve in upstate New York, 30 minutes west of Woodstock, and only fifteen minutes from Belleayre Mountain, a premier family ski center in the Catskill Mountains. Dedicated to the celebration of nature, music and the arts, the resort features over one hundred acres of fields, meadows, mountains, forests and streams. Driving time from New York City is only two and a half hours, and airports in Albany and Newburgh, NY are just a 90 minute drive.
www.fullmoonresort.com
Friday, April 20, 2012 at 3:16PM 
