Well, Old Man 2009 has scuttled out of porthole of time and a young 2010 has slid neatly into his place. What does this mean for the boys at Avatar?

It means Jam Cruise!

Probably one of the most-looked-forward-to events of any given year, Jam Cruise has just completed its eighth voyage. I haven't heard the report from Rear Admiral Chip Smith yet, but I'm betting it went something like this.

It was probably a lot warmer in the tropics than it was here in Atlanta. There were probably a lot more cool bands playing at all times, and there were ...[read more]

Do you like gear? Do you like lovingly-used pro-level gear for under twenty five bucks? Do you HAVE twenty five bucks?

Well even if you don't, don't worry because we have items for sale on Thursday September 17th at Avatar Studios on Ottley Drive for all the way down to FIVE dollars.

Here's the magic decree from our very own Chip Smith:

"The main goal of this sale is to move ALL of the smaller items in the storage room. Drum Heads, cables etc. The nicer pieces such as amplifiers are for sale but not as big of deal. Items ...[read more]

Sometimes, the only way to unwind during a busy festival season is to jam out. If you're like me, it's always a little bit annoying to jam out on a stage of mismatched guitar and bass amps. Some are black, some are grey, but for the most part they're pretty drab looking.

So, what's the answer? Orange is the answer.

Now, it's true that not everyone might have a stockpile of gleaming Orange brand ...[read more]

Well, unfortunately the Essence Music Festival is over this year, and while Bryan and the boys from Avatar are sad to see it go, they are hopeful for next year, I think. Bryan in particular looks a bit misty-eyed about it, although he could just have a hangnail.

There won't be any rest for the Boys of Backline, though, because coming up hard and fast is the Allgood Festival in picturesque West Virginia, mountain mama.

A short few weeks after that a little festival called Lollapalooza descends upon Grant Park, and not too distant is the Voodoo ...[read more]

I just took a stroll across the street to Avatar's headquarters with the intent of getting my hands on the new Fuchs amplifiers they just got in. I heard last week that they were coming, and I got pretty excited.

Chip from Avatar is the one who tipped me off that they'd be arriving. "Dweezil Zappa's going to be extremely stoked," he added.

This morning I got the news that they'd arrived, so I set aside some time to go over and see what was going on with them. I found them on top of a road case ...[read more]