News...

February 1, 2010

Shreddtime Stories is cooking off the the digital shelf! Thanks so much for downloading it keep it coming! It reached the top 4 CD's in the Arena Rock category on CDbaby.com. You can get it at  http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/shreddtime-stories/id338780557 Get your copy today of the guitar CD of the year!

I have 2 shows coming up. This Saturday February 6th at Penny Road Pub. We go on at 11. Doors open at 8. Get there early and lets get the party started. Also on March 6th we are playing Penny Road Pub again. This time show starts early at 8 P. M. Get there by 7 to get a seat.

NAMM show killed! I played at the Nady Systems booth everyday for like 4 hours promoting my new CD Shreddtime Stories! I got to hang out with Brad Gillis, Chuck Billy, John Hatton ( Brian Setzer Bassist) Vinnie Paul ( Pantera) and a host of other greats. I demo'd a ton of new gear from Nady Systems and EMG pick-ups. I was also featured at the EMG Booth. They had a 50 inch TV going with all the videos from their website. My " Play That Funky Music " video was being featured to promote EMG's new HZ SRO passie pick-up line. You can check out all the latest gear at www.nady.com and www.emgpickups.com.

Make sure to check out all my videos on youtube as well!

Thanks a ton,
T D Clark

November 16th, 2009

Back from Japan
Current mood:  tired
Category: Music

I am jet lagging something fierce so I thought I would update you all on what is going on here in T D Clark land.

First off Shreddtime Stories in here at www.itunes.com and at www.cdbaby.com/tdclark4! It has been selling well and has been getting great reviews so go get your copy today!

I was in Japan for 10 days for both some work and some pleasure. It was a 13 hour flight going there, which was a bit rough, but I slept for most of it thank goodness. Upon arriving in Tokyo we checked into our hotel and hit the streets, with some friends of my friend Jeremy who was traveling with me. We went to an Izzikia ( I have no idea about the spelling here lol) for dinner and some drinks. The place reminds me of a Tapas bar where you order little plates of things and everyone eats everything. It is all grilled food like meats fish etc veggies. Was really good. Some strange stuff on the menu including grilled Chicken skin, Chicken hearts chicken cartilage. Drank a lot of different Sake then crashed.

Next night met with a promoter at another Izzikia to talk about what chances I may have to play in Japan. We ended up going to a bar where the  band Preying Mantis were hanging out. They had a hit in the 80's and had just done some shows in Japan and were going back to England in a few days. I got up on stage with the Bass Player and Drummer and we pounded out Cliffs Of Dover. Then the whole band got up and we played Tush, All Right Now from Free, Knocking on Heavens Door ( Gun's n Roses version )! A total blast. The promoter and the people in the crowd loved it. I met with that promoter at then end of my trip and she is now talking to some Japanese labels about what we are or possibilities for touring, record deals, mgt etc. I had always wanted to play Japan and I did sort off lol so this whole experience was a dream of sorts. If anything else happens it is gravy!

After being out til 4 or so we crashed out, then got up and saw Tokyo which was incredible. Super clean and modern and the people are organized and seem to actually like working. They bow to you and greet you with hello good day etc. When you buy things they say thanks always smiling and bow to you. Really cool. A society that respects others and themselves. 10 year old and younger school kids riding the subway by themselves because it is so safe. Giant clean parks and Shrines in the center of the city. At night Tokyo is bathed in a rainbow of neon colors with giant signs on all the buildings and video screens on most buildings playing music videos and commercials. It's so bright it doesn't feel like nighttime.

Next went to Kyoto and saw Nijo Shogun castle, the home of the Shogun and its garden and surrounding moat etc. The floor were designed to creak when walked upon so you could hear if there were intruders. The creaking sound sounded like a bird chirping. Really cool place. Kyoto also had a  cool bar district with  dozens of tiny bars ( maximum in these places range from 5 people to 20) lined up next to each other. All with  different themes and piled into streets or paths about 8 feet across. I saw real Geisha's walking around here , which is hard to do because they don't like to go out and be seen let alone photographed.

I then went to Hiroshima by myself (with Jeremy tending to so business of his own  and saw the A Bomb memorial. An experience getting there using the Shinkansen or Bullet Train system. Hiroshima lies about 2 hours from Tokyo and I had to navigate both the  Subway and regular train station. However there are some signs in English and the people are helpful plus I had my phrase book which made it easier. The Dome and the entire complex itself is in a big park with an eternal flame, a reflecting pool. A truly sad experience but a very educational one. I was almost in tears by the end of the tour through the memorial to the dead and the museum itself. People had skin melting off them after the attack and could get very little help. Burned black by the blast most people died in agonizing pain. I am almost in tears now.

The next day went to Hymegi castle, a giant Samurai warrior palace made of wood and plaster. All the old buildings are made of wood in Japan. They have stone walls and foundations but the structures are normal wood. I encourage you to look this one up on line to learn more t was way cool.

They seem to eat more noodles in Japan than rice if you can believe that. There are Ramen houses all over where you eat giant bowls of soup, slurping in air to cool it off as you eat. Soba and Udon noodles are in almost every dish. Depending ong the region there are specialties. They also eat eggs in one form or another in most dishes. I ate like a pig but seemed to be losing weight due to the 5 miles+ a day we were walking. I am finally getting tired again so I will continue with part 2 later.

T

October 31, 2009

Hello to all and how are you doing? Happy Halloween to everyone!

SHREDDTIME STORIES is here! It should be available for download at i-tunes November 4th so Please go and download at will! I am very pleased with the songs, production, playing on this disc! It freaking screams! I have some teaser MP3's up here for you to check out! I want to thank Jimmi Ward and Fred Bartolomeo for kicking total ass on the disc and bringing the tunes to life! We had a blast this Summer recording it here at Studio T and the music shows just how much fun we were having! Special thanks to Dave Shankle for trading solo's with me on Drop D Symphony! Chase Carter with his enormous talent brought my cover concept to life as he usually does!

December 5th from 1 to 3:30 I am having a Guitar Master Class here at Studio T. It will cover all the licks and tricks I used on SHREDDTIME STORIES and cover scale and arp usage. All students will receive a packet filled with all the Tab and scale and Arp patterns plus a backing CD of SHREDDTIME STORIES to practice applying techniques learned at home. Cost is $70 for the class. Contact me at tdclark@comcast.net for more info and to reserve a spot. Spot are limited due to space.

Saturday November 21st I am playing at Penny Road Pub, cranking out the new Shreddtime Stories tunes! It is an early show with an 8 P M START TIME! Get out early

On Friday Novmeber 20th I am going to be playing lead guitar for the group Level 5, also at Penny Road Pub. Level 5 is fronted by 2 amazingly talented female singers and is the next big thing for sure. You must check them out! Great rock tunes and killer vocals.

Cheers for now and get your copy of Shreddtime Stories today!
T

September 13, 2009

Finally an update!

How the heck is everyone doing? Its been while and there is much to talk about.

First off I am finishing my new CD this Saturday! I am stoked the tracks are killing and I think you guys will approve! It will be on i-tunes October 1st so please be on the lookout! I have a sample demo track entitled TBA on my www.myspace.com page for you to check out. It looks like there will be 11 tracks ( plus a bonus track Christmas tune) I have yet to name the new CD and even some of the tunes LOL so I have my work cut out for me. The CD was recorded at Studio T with Mike Ault manning the boards.

I have brand new videos up at www.emgpickups.com click the EMG TV button alongside killer players and bands such as Alexi Laiho from Children of Bodom and Jeff Loomis from Nevermore, In this Moment etc! There is a performance of Play That Funky Music live from the Cube at EMG studios and a guitar lesson as well! There will be a performance clip of Timanfaya up shortly.

I am playing the new EMG SRO pickups which are passive and they are screamin! I am also playing through a Rocktron Prophesy and the tones are sweeeeetttt! I am one of the first people to play the SRO and EMG chose me to unveil the line to the public, which is an incredible honor! I want to thank Scott Wunschell and everyone at EMG for having faith in me to do this.

I have 2 CD release shows lined up in October. The first is Saturday October 17th at the Gasthaus in Elgin Illinois. The second is October 23rd at Doug's Rock Room in Aurora IL. Please get out and check out my new band and the new tracks! I need your support to get this new music to the masses! I am also going to host an open mic nite at Doug's Rock starting in November so be on the lookout for more info on that. Come out and jam with me!

If you haven't done so already look me up on Facebook or myspace.

Cheers for now
T

May 3, 2009

Well kids I am back!

I am so slammed which is why no matter how hard I try to stay on top of this page I never seem to be current for very long LOL. Patrick thanks for sticking with me.

I flew out to EMG studios, aka The Cube in March to do so shredding for the EMG TV website. The Cube is a state of the art sound stage packed full of the latest recording gear both for the audio and visual medium. The clips I shot will air shortly but I have some pics from the shoot that should be up on tdclark.com as you read this. I filmed several instructional clips as well as performance clips and product demos.

I was also treated to the delightful and cherubic Scott Wunschel who is the guy at EMG! I want to say thanks Scott W, Bobby, Scott, Howard, Jeff and Andy who freaking rocked out during the daytime and partied like crazy at night! The people at EMG are tremendous! The shoot was totally pro and the other artists featured on EMG TV are Kerry King from Slayer the band In This Moment, the bass player from Nickleback Mike Kroeger and many others. It was an honor to be asked
to do this and to be featured alongside some of the heaviest of hitters in the rock scene.

EMG is located in the incredibly beautiful city of Santa Rosa California, which is in Sonoma county the heart of wine country. As if the pick-ups alone didn't freaking crank and the locale for the HQ couldn't be any cooler I found out that all EMG pick-ups are made right here in the U S of A! I toured the facility where every one of
these pickups are manufactured. There is something to be said about a product still made in the states in this day and age where shipping everything overseas seems to be the norm.

I have a new tune from my upcoming Christmas CD called Not so Silent Night. It features the EMG 81x and 85x pickups. This version of the tune has been miced and mastered by Dave Hughes and I played all the Guitars and Bass with the mighty Fred B. on the drum kit.

Check it out and go to EMG Pick-Ups EMG TV to check out my clips.

Thanks a ton and keep rocking out!

SPECIAL NOTICE! 2/20/2009

Today at 2 P M Cental time I will be a guest DJ on Metal Express Radio! I will be spinning some of my favorite tracks that have inspired my career and continue to inspire me as I continue to write and record.

Other guest DJ have been Rob Halford (Judas Priest) Geoff Tate(Queensryche) Don Dokken (Dokken) Bjorn (In Flames). I am very happy to be in such company.

After my show they will spin 30 minutes of songs from my latest CD Next BIg Adventure.

February 8th 2008 NAMM Show 2009!

Absolutely kicked ass! I have had one of the best times ever and met even more of my favorite rockers.

 I arrived at Long Beach airport Wednesday January 14th right before the big freeze here in Chicago and went to my hotel and to meet up with the Nady systems people. Mike Perez, who is the coolest guy ever and my main contact for all things Nady, was already partying and having a good time. They had just finished building the booth and having dinner so everyone was ready to let loose a little bit.

I settled in with a beverage of my own and began planning out the next few days. I am scheduled to play everyday demoing the new Nady Guitar Half stacks and some other outboard gear and film some info-merciless for Nady and EMG pickups. We quickly get everything squared away and start shooting the crap about everything that has gone on since I last saw everyone and Nady HQ this past summer.

Thursday morning I get up unfortunately at the crack of dawn because my roommate, Red, had to go to an early sales meeting. So I decide to go for a walk in downtown Disney which is directly across from my hotel. I get a call from home telling me how freezing cold it is and all I can do is just look at the Sun in the 75 degree weather and be thankful. I head over to the Nady Booth at about 11 and start setting up my gear and getting my backing tracks ready. This year I brought some not yet released stuff to play over and wanted to make sure the levels were good and such. I did my first set for about an hour and then proceeded to record a bunch of mini film clips talking about the latest Nady gear. I felt like saying after each one if you act now I will throw in not 1 not 2 not 3 but 4 super Shammies LOL it was hilarious. I did 3 more sets that day and got to meet one of my heroes, Brad Gillis, who was going to jam the next day with co-guitarist Joel Hoekstra from Night Ranger. That night I went to dinner with the Nady folks and to a few parties.

Friday morning came early yet again LOL as Red had more early meetings. I went for a walk in Downtown Disney, I just love that place, and then to the booth. I did my first set and it was a long one from 11:30 to 1. Took a break for about an hour then started playing again. By this time a considerable crowd had gathered to get autographs from Brad and Joel.. When I finished Joel, who was a Chicago guy, came up to me and said really cool things about my playing. He said he had heard about me on the circuit when he was here in Chicago. I was blown away...totally blown away. Joel is a MONSTER guitar player and the compliments were amazing! We talked for a while and have since mailed about getting together here in Chicago. He then asked me to join him and Brad and the Night Ranger crew for a drink in the Hilton bar later. Brad and Joel then proceeded to blow up the booth with an instrumental version of "Don't tell me you love me"  and a blues type jam after that had the crowd going ape! Totally cool.

That night we went to the Hilton to see the band Hot for Teacher, which is the number 1 Van Halen tribute in the country. I am normally not a tribute band fan however these guys I have known for years and they really kick ass! They are Nady endorsees and Rockin’ Randy the singer has David Lee Roth down perfect. The hotel lobby is huge and has multiple stages set up and bands play all night. I ran into Mark Tremonti, from Creed/Alterbridge fame Sam and Henri from Dragonforce. Just a ton of folks. Hot for Teacher rocked (Jude Gold on guitar has Eddie nailed as well) and Brad and Joel joined the boys for a few tunes and really tore down the house!  More to follow!

January 12, 2008

I will be jamming at the Nady Booth with Brad Gillis ( Night Ranger, Ozzy Osborne) and Joel Hokstra from Night Ranger at Winter NAMM in Anaheim California this Thursday through Saturday. Stop by booth 4650 say hi and watch some killer guitar playing. Saturday the guys from Testament will be at the booth doing a meet and greet.

December 1, 2008

It has been too long as usual people so let’s get to it.

Next Big Adventure shot to number 17 on the most popular list at www.guitar9.com after a bunch of sales and great reviews in the word of mouth section. I also had just under 200down loads on iTunes in the last month and a half or so. That puts the total number of down loads at somewhere around 1400 give or take. I cannot say how cool it is having people from around the world buying my songs. Thanks a ton!

Well I had been working on my Christmas CD like crazy but ran into a delay when one of my band members children got very sick. I really want to complete this CD using as much of my current band as possible so I am waiting for this situation to get better. Hopefully I will have something for you to at least listen to here on the site soon.

I started writing tracks for my new CD which is yet untitled and am hoping to have it out by Summer 2009. I am also buying a new video camera and will have regular vid clips up for you guys to check out more often. I have been delayed by never having the right gear to do this correctly, keeping updates current on the site and having lessons/vid clips on some regular basis. It has been my fault, I was and am super busy but not having a good camera and software is not good either. But fear not my friends it will change shortly.

My company T D Clark Productions was written up in the Mokena Messenger last Month. I currently am offering guitar classes going on through my company at 18 Park districts here in Illinois and it is growing by the minute. Mokena was soo happy with their class taught by my instructor Bill Osman that they sent out the local newspaper to do a shoot and I did a 30 minute phone interview. To see it go to Mokena Messenger and look up Mokena’s real guitar hero's.

My annual Christmas recital is on December 21st at the Eola Community center 555 S.Eola Road in Aurora 60504. Student drop off is at 4:30 and the food will be served around 5:45 with the recital starting around 7. I look forward to this event every year and it seems to get bigger all the time. I am expecting 120 people this year with 35 students participating in the recital.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

August 19th 2008

OK. I have been recording my Christmas CD like Crazy trying to get it finished by months end. I am not sure if I will make it but it will be out this Christmas come Hell or high water as they say. I want to say a big thanks to EMG Pickups and Dean Markley Strings for keeping the great products they make in abundance in Studio T.

The Paul Avers Band has been in Studio T recording the past 2 weeks and we have a lot to do so it will continue for the next few weeks. I also had Rappers Rio Love and Nova in Studio T laying tracks. Rapper Cutty Slick even stopped by for a bit.

I am in the process of signing a deal with a well known song placement company that will have them shopping some songs from my catalog to TV and Film. They have placements in My name is Earl, Heroes, Desperate Housewives etc. I will have a big announcement when it is official.

I have been doing a ton of private events lately with all my bands but am working on a Christmas show to showcase the Christmas CD for December.

My company T D Clark Productions now offers Guitar Classes at 15 area Park Districts and Montessori schools in the Chicago land area and growing!

Make sure to check out the band Absolutely Perfect. They recorded their newest CD here at Studio T and they played great and wrote killer tunes and Engineer Dave Hughes made the tracks even more Happening.

Good luck and hold tight with the market crash. Remember any losses incurred in the market at this moment are only losses if you pull out now. The market has a way of correcting itself so if you weren't going to pull your money anytime soon just ride it out. I have lost a ton of value but I am a long way from retirement so I am not letting it get to me.

Remember all my songs are available on i-tunes for down load.

Cheers everyone

T.

August 23rd 2008

After a busy June and July August has settled down a bit.

Our gig at Penny Road Pub killed and we are still working on another date there in September or October. I had several gigs with the Paul Avers Band and the Mister Mom's that went great and I did a few private party's as well..

I have some brand new EMG pick ups in my ESP EXP 351. They are a prototype version of the 81 and 85's. The tech's and I think they are a bit cleaner sounding than the 81 and 85's but just as hot. I am going to do some you tube stuff demoing them next week.

I have a gig this Friday at Potter's in downtown Naperville from 8 to 10 with the Mister Moms. Come on out for the last Potter's show of the Summer. That is a sad thing to say Summer is ending.

I was a celebrity judge in the Channahon Battle of the Bands last week. I watched several kick as bands lay it on the line. Aux Sable Embers won with a killer set. I then jammed about 5 songs from Next Big Adventure while the judges scores were tallied.

Ruta Sepety's, who is Steve Vai's MGR, wrote me a mail raving about Next Big Adventure. I sent her a copy last week and she replied almost immediately saying how much she enjoyed the CD, and really liked track 12 Cafe Around the World. I will have direct quotes for you guys soon but I wanted to get permission first. All I can say is how nice Ruta was to take the time to listen to my CD but also single out tracks she really enjoyed. It made my year!

The boys and I are working on a Christmas CD ( yes the same one) but I am trying my best to finish it by the end of October so we can do some high octane Christmas shows to support it.

I am also going to begin tracking and producing the new Paul Avers CD. I will also play guitar and help with the arrangements. We are in pre production now.

Cheers

Don't forget to check out our sponsors here on the banner below.

T

July 30th, 2008

August 22nd at Potters place in Naperville, IL

Rivelts of sweat running down my face as the band kicks into Seat 26D! The crowd roars in approval and starts to jam along.......

OK, maybe a bit dramatic. But that was what is what like playing at Naperville's Ribfest supporting Big Head Todd and the Monsters. On July 3rd, we really put on a show for the fans. The boys, Simon, Fred and Chase were so tight I could've been playing Kazoo and it would have sounded great. The set was getting better and better and then we pinned the needle with our rendition of One Way To Rock from Sammy Hagar/Van Halen. We kicked out dozens of beach balls to the crowd, who were batting them about like crazy, just adding to the fun. The crowed snag along to Play That Funky Music and I had a smile frm ear to ear.I had the most fun playing a show in years.

Then On July 6th, I cranked it up playing with the Paul Avers Band ( supporting Trace Adkins) at Ribfest! Jay Levine (from Channel 2 I think) introduced us and gave Paul a big kick off as we played the best Country music Ribfest has ever heard.

On July 8th I had a clinic at Guitar Center Naperville sponsored by EMG pickups amongst others. I demo'd EMG's new SRO passive pick-ups. They sound great and really enhance my live tone a ton.

On July 11th I played at Potter's on downtown Naperville with my acoustic trio The Mister Mom's. We drew a big crowd and landed a wedding gig from the show LOL. We are back at Potter's August 22nd.

We then played Penny Roads Pubs Metal Fest, which as moved indoors because of the weather. It was great and we plaed well and will be doing more shows at PRB in September and October. Stay tuned for details.

It has been a bt crazy and will continue to get crazier. We are going to finish the Christmas CD I started a few years ago on August and it should be for sale by November and we are planning a tour to support it.

So see you soon!

June 19, 2008

Summer is here and it couldn't be any sooner than now, after our crappy winter here in the Midwest of the good ole U. S A. How is everybody out there in cyberspace doing? I hope well. I have times for my Naperville Rib Fest shows and they are as follows;

The T D Clark band will be playing from 5 to 6 P M on Thursday July 3rd. We are playing on the Brian Schultz Rock N Roll stage and are playing the same night as Ted Nugent and Big Head Todd and the Monsters. Make sure to get there early because it will be packed. They are expecting 20,000+  people to attend!

On July 6th I will be playing lead guitar in the Paul Avers band opening for Trace Adkins from 2 to 3 in the afternoon. Again it will be packed so get there early.

I want to thank  everyone that came out to Potter's Place Friday night and remind everyone that my acoustic duo, the Mister Mom's, will be back at Potter's on July 11th at 8 P M.

I have a clinic at Guitar Center Naperville on July 8th from 6 to 8 P M. I will be playing songs from my CD and breaking down the techniques used as well as talk about the gear I am using these days.

It is being called a Shred clinic so I will be talking about and explaining various Shred Techniques used by myself and some of the greats of the genre'.

July 19th we are Playing at Penny Road Pub's outdoor Metal Fest. Come out and enjoy the Sun, beverages and BBQ as well as the killer jams being cranked out by us as well as all the other bands.

Studio T has been booked solid the past few weeks as our Summer sale rages on! If your band or solo project wants to record, now is the time for a great deal on the best recording studio in the suburbs!  E-mail me at tdclark@comcast.net for more info!

And finally I have new lesson up on the lsson page, go check them out!

Thanks a lot for all the support! Remeber all of your favorite T D Clark songs are available on i-tunes. We are teetering on 1000 downloads and I want to croos that Mark by July so go grab your favorite songs and slam it on your MP3 player today!

Peace,

T D Clark

April 25, 2008

Hello to my fellow music friends!

First I want to send my condolences to my great friend Nick Martinelli, my webmaster and cohort in crime, and his lovely wife Lisa. The recently had some health related issues , and while they are well on their way to recovery, I want them to know how much myself and my family care about them!

 I am playing the Naperville Ribfest twice this year. First my solo band is supporting either REO Speedwagon or Ted Nugent on July 3rd 4th or 5th. Exact dates and times are TBA. I am also Playing lead guitar in the Paul Avers band  and we are supporting country music star Trace Adkins on July 6th. Times TBA. There should be something like 5000 people there and tons of great food and drink so you cannot miss this event! I am stoked to be able to have so much fun the week of July 4th!

Also in the works is my first custom guitar! I have been approached by a custom guitar maker out of Milwaukee Wisconsin to build the first T D Clark guitar. We are in the process of making my dream guitar and I am very excited to build a guitar to my exact specs!

I am also working on a multi state clinic tour  with several equipment companies that should happen in late Summer or early fall. I will keep you posted!

I am closing on 1000 songs sales, somewhere around 975, through I tunes! Thanks for downloading your favorite T D Clark tunes!

I am loading up on all acoustic duo shows with vocalist Chris Brow playing Potters Place in downtown Naperville, IL this Summer so check out the dates in my show calendar here on the site.

I have expanded the business to include 12 park districts that will be offering Group Guitar classes through my company T D Clark Prodcutions If you or anyone you know is a top notch guitaProductionsr and wants to earn a little extra money teaching contact me at tdclark@comcast.net.

And last but not least if you have not made me your friend on myspace please do so when you have a spare moment.

Cheers for now

T

March 16th, 2008

Hey everyone Happy St Patrick's Day! The day where everyone is Irish  whether they want to be or not LOL!

April 5th I will be playing a show at the End Zone in Aurora on  Farnsworth just south of I-88. Showtime 10 P M doors at 9. Cover to  be announced but expect about $7. This will be an official Snappy Wiener sanctioned event so all you Wiener fans come on out LOL!

It will be my first show with my new band which features Fed  Bartolomeo on Drums, Simon Farmery on Bass and Chris Brown on vocals. I have worked with Fred for a bit of time now so Simon and Chris are  the newest additions to the lineup. Hailing from Brighton England U  K , Simon brings his legendary bass skills honed in the bands PRIDE  and FURYON to the band as well as his total bad boy rocker persona!  Imagine Billy Sheehan meets Steve Harris and that there is Simon!

Hailing form good ole Naperville Illinois U. S. A we have Chris Brown  will be providing the vocals for a bit of something new. Chris is a  Pro Vocalist by trade playing with the Acapella group AC ROCK for the  past 10 years. He absolutely kills, so you must come out! We will be  doing about an hour of vocal cover tunes as well and the Clark  instrumentals and originals both vocal and instrumental. I want to send out a huge congratulations to Steve Underwood. Steve  played drums in my band for a couple years and played on several of  the songs on Next Big Adventure CD and now is out on tour with Stuck  Mojo! I couldn't be happier for him! He is a fantastic drummer and  really worked hard and over came many obstacles to finally hit the  big time! Good luck Steve!

I have new photos from NAMM 2008 up in the photo section so go check  them out.

There will be new lessons coming soon, just sit tight.

Thanks for your continued support with your I-tunes purchases! I have  now sold over 860 songs through I-tunes and can't thank you enough!

Cheers,
T.    : )

February 10th, 2008

I am going to try and do a day by day NAMM diary from memory so here goes.

I left for the airport at about 5 AM with Lothar and Jen Keller from Local rockers Sacred Dawn. We arrived, trudged through security and had a big coffee, which was sorely needed. It was freezin ass and I remember being excited to leave but tired and trying to organize what needed to be done upon arrival. I ended up in a row by myself so I practiced guitar for like 2 hours and even recorded a song with my Korg PX4. I flew Jet Blue which is killer because they have satellite TV and a screen in front of every seat.

The plane was full of NAMMers and we all got to partying and laughing and shit. I always enjoy the commeraderie of other musicians because we all have strange lives in comparison to our regular job counterparts.

Upon arrival at Long Beach airport I realized how much I miss California and how much I want to move there. Mountains, oceans great weather. it just kills.

I got to my room and checked in, proceeded to gather all my stuff together for the short walk to the show. I got the Nady booth in time to get a quick lunch and then straight to the jamming!

I was demoing the new Lightning Guitar and Amp pack and the Nady half stack and encore II wireless system. I did have fun though I was beat and the day hadn't even begun LOL.

I went to dinner with the whole Nady crew and then Mike and I went back to our room to get organized for that evenings events.
More in a minute...................

October 2007

Well where do I begin? LOL! -10/29/2007

Hello again to all my friends out there in web land! I am back from the dead. There is much to get to so lets get cracking.

All summer the production company Mind On Business has had their rappers recording songs here at Studio T and they are now putting on shows in Chicago. Definitely check them out. They have had comedians from Comedy Central hosting the events. The have shows every week and if you are into rap or just having a good time with some cool dudes go check them out.

I had a last minute show at The End Zone in Aurora October 5th where I was working in my new Bass Player Alex Juneau. We cranked it up and had a good time. Joining us on the bill was fellow Fox Valley guitar maniac Dave Byron. We ended the show by playing a ripping version of Medditeranean Sundance/Rio Ancho by Al DiMeola /Paco DeLucia. We threw down something fierce and this lead us to talking about doing some Latin fusion shows together. Stay tuned.

I had filmed a segment for the Rock and Roll Revolution cable access show hosted by Ken Hawk before I went to Spain this summer. It began airing on Channel 4 and 10 in Aurora/Naperville area in September and features an interview and 7 music videos of me playing songs from my newest CD Next Big Adventure. We are also putting it up on you-tube and my myspace page and right here on my main site so check it out.

I have a show with my acoustic duo, The Mister Moms, on November 10th at the Green Leaf Coffee house on Eola road in Aurora. The show starts at 7 and features the incredible Chris Brown on Vocals. We do a variety of modern and classic covers plus our own original songs in the pop genre. Get there early to get a seat.

I recently crossed the 450 down loaded song mark and want to thank everyone for continuing to support my music! It is so cool every month to see people from around the world down loading my songs. You guys rock!

Make sure to check out the David Shankle Groups new CD Hellborn featuring a stellar guitar solo trade off section from myself, Joe Stump, Michael Angelo and Dave Shankle, on the song the Voyage.

I have expanded my teaching business to include 4 more Park District group classes for a grand total of 5 offering a total 7 classes. These start up in the Winter, Spring and Summer sessions and continue through the Fall. I hope to add to that total in the coming months

I want to send a shout out to Jenny and Larry who were my seat mates on my flight from Phoenix to Chicago recently. They were super nice and we had great conversation. Good luck to you both.

July 2007

I am back! What up?

The concert on June 30th at The End Zone went great! We had a big turnout and played for almost 2 hours! The new band was killing! We sold a bunch of CD's and made a lot of new converts.

David Shankle's new CD Hellborn is out and features a song called The Voyage in which Shankle, Michael Angelo , Joe Stump and I trade off solo's! It is an intense track with some stellar guitar work!
Shankle is one of the best shred maniacs out there so this disc is a must have!

ASCAP is shoppping several songs from my catalog for a publishing deal. I was very excited when I was approached by the Nashville ASCAP office about their interest in shopping some of my new non-shred songs! We are waiting patiently for news and show know something by months end.

On July 27th I am recording a live jam for Ken Hawk's local cable (Channel 4) metal show in Naperville. I will perform several tracks live and then do an interview. It should kick ass as Ken is huge shred guitar fan.

I have added 2 new lessons to the lessons page! Go check them out.

Peace

T.

June 2007

Hello Everyone,

Thanks for being so patient with me. I thought having my inlaws here watching the kids would give me more time to do stuff but it just opened the doors for even more work.

The Noggin Network has expressed and interest in placing London Calls, Mary Love and Bed Time for Ana from my catalog in their series Beyond the break. London Calls was sung by the extremely talented Rchel Mazza and can be heard at www.myspace.com/rachelmazza . Mary love is a song I have licensed many times before from my Perspective CD and Bed Time is from my new CD Next Big Adventure. I have also had a meeting with ASCAP about help in getting a publishing deal and am looking at my options now.

I have a gig with my rock band at The End Zone on Farnsworth ave in Aurora, just south of Route 88 on June 30th. We will play a 90 mintue set with my usual guitar zaniness featuring trax from NBA as well as have some special guests come up and do some songs with us.

I will also be doing an interview and live jam on Chris Payne's Local Program on Q101. It will be in June or early July so check back for the exact date. He just called me the other day so we need to thresh out the details.

I will getting back to recording my Christmas CD hard core in 2 weeks. I had briefly started but got side tracked, no pun intended. It will be a mainly acoustic CD with crazy arrangements of traditional songs.

I am finishing a deal to get Next Big Adventure on i Tunes through CD Baby. My CD will be for sale at CD Baby as well. This should go down in the next month.

We are having a summer DVD sale! All instructional DVD's are $20 plus S+H for a limited time only. Get your copy of Heavy Metal Breakfast or Tales from Guitar Land now!

There are 2 new lessons up on the site now so all you shred heads go check those out.

Cheers

T.

April 2007

Welcome all! A big hello to you!

These past few weeks have been very interesting.

About 4 weeks ago I was contacted through my myspace page by one of the members of the band Night Ranger. Apparently one of their original guitar players, Jeff Watson, had left the band and they were searching for a replacement. I got the management info from the member who contacted me and subsequently spoke with their mangement. This took place over a 3 week span and during that time I was practicing every NR tune I could get my hands on. It was totally fun. I forgot how incredible those players were!

In the end the job was given to Reb Beach (Winger, Dokken, Whitesnake) but I received an E-mail from Brad Gillis ( who plays in NR but also replaced Rand Roads in Ozzy's band when Randy passed) which stated that he went to my myspace page and thought my playing was really good and was keeping me in mind for the future. Winger goes on tour in Europe in the late summer so hopefully I will get another shot when Reb leaves to do that. I was a bit dissappointed not to get the job but was honored just to be contacted. It was quite a thrill!

The Spring Break Sale is over! ( No crying now LOL) but we sold a bunch of DVD's and CD's and I want to thank everyone from around the world who supported me by buying my products!

Next Big Adventure reached number 9 in sales on the Hard Rock Chart and number 6 in sales on the Shred chart at www.guitar9.com for the week ending March 24th! Thanks so much to you all for making that happen!

www.tdclark.com is averaging over 2100 page loads a month and over 850 actual visitors (and climbing) who stop by and read an article check out videos clips or work on one of the free lessons here on the site.

I have been adding a new lesson or exercise every update and this is no different. Check out the new lesson on the lesson page.

I will have abundance of time starting this Friday when my in-laws arrive for two months so I will be doing more updates with tons more content.

T

News Flash 3/28/2007 Spring Break fever is here!

For a limited time only we are having a Big Sale at T. D. Clark.com. All instructional DVD's are being sold for $20 and all CD's for $10!( plus shipping and handling) That is a huge savings to the music lover in you! Go to the merchandise page here on the site and get your music or instructional fix today!

Check out the new Castles and Gnomes lesson on the lesson page, it is sure to keep your fingers busy!

March 2007

Hello world!

We have added a new stat counter here on the site and suddenly realize that we have thousands of people from over 20+ countries logging in and checking out the content. We haven't had a counter in years and figured we were getiing hits from all over, but when you see the numbers it is really cool. Feel free to log into the message board and say hello. We used to have a guest book, but the amount a spam it attracted made it impossible to keep.

I want to thank everyone who bought a CD or DVD last month! It was our best month so far! Expect new reviews shortly from all over the world!

I have been working with several artists in a producer/writer mode these past few months and we will be adding a page where you can check out some of my other song writing styles. While I love the shred and always will, I also enjoy writing a great song no matter what genre'.

Speaking of song writing, I am currently talking with a song supervisor about the license of some of my songs from my catalog for a cable TV series. I am also creating some songs for the show. We will see in the coming weeks what goes down. I will of course keep you updated.

I am trying to put together a clinic tour through Guitar Center. We have been working on a schedule together but the King Of The Blues contest co-ordinating is causing a bit of delay. Hopefully this will hammered out soon. I am chomping at the bit to get shredding!

This past weekend we had the band Embrace the Day in Studio T, recording their new as yet untitled CD coming out on Double Tap Records. They were rocking and slamming and it was a killer time! We also have Rapper JT coming in this week.

I am adding a new lesson for you all this month called Castles and Gnomes LOL! It is a combination drill of Arp and scale ideas with a bit of a classical theme, hence the name.

See you next month!

T.

Febuary 2007

Update 2/14/2007 Hey folks what it is?

In the newest installment of this is T. D.'s life we find our hero looking for a drummer. If you or anyone you know is a drummer and want to jam please mail me at tdclark@comcast.net I am trying out several guys already but want to look at as many guys as possible before I choose one.

The last weekend of February I am going to start recording my long awaited acoustic and Christmas CD's. The acoustic CD will have a variety of tracks from Arabian to Latin to Irish sounding influences. Lots of shredding but even more melody will abound on this CD. The Christmas CD will feature all your favorite Christmas songs in arrangments like you have never heard before. Funky Drummer Boy, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen in a slow Latin style. Definately stuff your favorite music lover's stocking with this one when it come out in November 2007.

I have a new exercise garraunteed to warp your fingers on the lesson page. It is called Skipping Stones and it caters to your inner shred Demon!

I am starting a new online lesson program where you the reader can E-mail me and I will custom write a lesson for you based on your topic. I am also offering lesson packets that cover the Basics. Intermediate 1,2, and Advanced 1, 2. Plus cover styles like Shred and Blues.
Each lesson will cost $45 and is packed with scales, modes chords exercises etc to augment your playing and get you top that next level.

Thanks again for your continued support. Next Big Adventure continues to sell like hot cakes!

See you next time

T.

January 2007

Update 1/24/2007 Hello my excellent friends!

NAMM show kicked some serious ass as usual! I arrived on Wednesday morning and met a friend of mine director Dave Payne for some lunch in Burbank. We talked about his new movie projects and about the films of his that I have songs in and how they are selling and etc. I then stopped in Universal City Walk for some shopping and a coffee and then on to West Hollywood where I met my friend Jeremy for dinner and some beverages. We then spoke with his friend about T-shirts (yes I know, could that take any longer? LOL).

Thursday I went down to Anaheim to set up my gear and promote my 2 days of demoing that were going to start Friday. I was showing a new 100 Watt half stack and Celestian loaded cabinet (the GAC 100) from Nady Systems. It was a hot amp! It has a cross between a Marshall and a Boogie lead tone which worked well with my playing style. I just used a bit of Tube Screamer to bring out the pinch harmonics and away we went.

Friday I started playing about 1 and ended up playing on and off all afternoon. It was great! I felt my playing was really sharp despite all the distractions. Steve Vai and Frank Gambale stopped by to watch me jam which was the highlight of my trip. Imagine looking up and seeing Vai watching you play. It was crazy! During one of my brief breaks I ended up at the Dean Markley Booth jamming with T. M. Stevens. That was nuts! He is the master of the funk and was really nice as well. One of my reps from the Nady Booth ran into T. M. later that day and asked how my playing was to which he replied "That guy was rippin!" Not a bad days work if I don't say so myself! LOL!

Saturday was just as crazy, playing and then running to talk to my reps. Riff Sorce, another in a long line of hot guitar players from Chicago, stopped by the Nady Booth to say hello and check out my show. I also was hanging with Dave "Shredder Extraordinaire" Shankle from Manowar/DSG. Chicago was representing at NAMM big time!

Saturday night was capped off by a visit to Disneyland, which was awesome, and a late dinner. Sunday I had a 3 hour delay so I took the time to have some breakfast, a cocktail or 2 and then began watching the Bears hand out a beat down to the Saints!. Jet Blue has direct TV on the plane so I finished watching the game as I flew home. There is nothing better than that!

As you can see the site has finally been finished and there are new interviews and lessons and info all over so check it out.

See you soon

T.

January 2007

Update 1/13/2007 Happy New Year All!

I had a blast playing a rippin show with fellow rockers RIVAL on New Years Eve! The crowd was totally going nuts the whole night and it made the bands just keep kickin it up a notch! The night ended with several jams with dudes from all the bands getting up and doing songs. I was especially torqued when I played The Trooper with some Gary and Nevin from Rival and Jeff from Cutlass! That kicked ass!

Next week NAMM zaniness begins! I will performing at the Nady Systems booth (# 4650 at the Annaheim convention center) on Friday January the 19th and Saturday the 20th. I will play at 1 and 4 both days demoing the new GTA 100 Watt guitar head and GAC 2 X12 and 4X12 cabinets! My set will consist of songs from my new CD Next Big Adventure (www.guitar9.com ) as well as some old favorites! You have to come out if you are going to the show! Chuck Billy from Testament will be there Saturday signing autographs between sets as will Jerry Only from the Misfits!

I started working with singer Kyle Michaels who did a CD with Geezer Butler from (Black Sabbath). We have demo'd a few tunes and they just smoke! I will have samples up shortly!

Keep checking it will have more news shortly!

T.

December 2006

12/12/2006 -Merry Christmas to everyone!

I am proud to say welcome to the new T. D. Clark. com! Nick has worked feverishly on this for months now to get the site completed and he is still workin it so a big thanks goes out to him!

I will be playing 3 shows coming up in December.

The first is a show with my acoustic band this Sunday morning, December 10, at Living Waters communtiy church 190 Lillycache lane at Route 53 in Bolingbrook. We will do 4 seperate shows between 8 and 11 and they will be a mix of Christmas songs and acoustic trax from my CD's. Admission is free.

The second show will be Saturday December 23rd at the Greenleaf coffee house 2400 south Eola road in Aurora IL. 60503. The show is an early one starting at 6 P. M. going til 8 P. M. and will feature modern arrangements of traditonal Christmas songs. This is also with my acoustic band. Admission is $4.

Later that night on December 23rd I will be hitting the stage with my rock band at 9:30 backing up Sacred Dawn at Legends, 701 west Lake street in Addison. (Formerly Rory's)

On November 22nd the movie Wedding Slashers was released on DVD for rental at Blockbuster and Netflicks and for sale at Best Buy, Circuit City etc and it features the song Mary Love from my Perspective CD.

All of my CD's are available on this site or at www.guitar9.com. and make great stocking stuffers! Speaking of guitar9, Next Big Adventure was in the top 5 in sales week ending 10-31 and has continued to sell like crazy!

My instructional DVD's are now available here on the site or at www.chopsfromhell.com

I have several columns and lessons up at www.shredacademy.com and at www.chopsfromhell.com and I have a ton of new lesson here on the site as well. Send me some mail on topics you would like covered at tdclark@comcast.net

October 2006

10/2/2006 - Happy Halloween!

The new site is close to completion. I have seen some of the pages and finally written some lessons and edited some text so we are getting closer. If you ant to hear new trax check out www.myspace.com/tdclark and if you want to buy my new CD or any of my CD's check out www.guitar9.com 

Speaking oF buying my CD, once again I have to say thanks to all of you who continue to buy my new CD Next Big Adventure. NBA ended the week of September 9th at number 2 in sales at guitar9 behind John Petrucci from Dream Theater in the Shred category

There is a brand new review of Next Big Adventure and interview with me  at www.musicstreetjournal.com! Go check it out!

I am now selling my instructional DVD's, In the Begining and Heavy Metal Breakfast, at www.chopsfromhell.com This is THE site for instructional guitar lessons on the web and I am very happy to be a part of it!

My concert at the Green Leaf Coffee house has moved to Saturday November 4th from 7 to 9 P. M.

Admission is $4. I will be doing a storytellers type of thing where I will play songs from  my new CD and then talk about how they were inspired by my travels around the world. It will be really cool!

I will play electric and acoustic tunes from my CD so expexct some shredding!