-Guitar Hero is all the rage for consumers.

-Need to take a break from searching for the latest gear during The NAMM Show? Here are some celebrity appearances and parties to check out.

-Attendance increased at Music China and Prolight + Sound, and Kenny G made a big splash.

-Improving next month's NAMM Show is like making the 1972 Miami Dolphins better. But NAMM is certainly not resting on its laurels.

-We reveal all of the manufacturer nominees for Music & Sound Awards to be handed out next month at The NAMM Show.

-Counterfeiting on MI products, particularly guitars, may have received minimal national press, but the problem is real and not going away.

-Find out how to sell products your customers are probably not looking to buy.

-M&SR features its second annual independent retailer roundtable. What's on dealer's mind's this year. Are things better than last year?

-Females playing musical instruments now outnumber males, according to a NAMM/Gallup survey.

-Industry leaders paved the way for the next 10 years.

When they sang “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “I Wanna Rock,” the riffs were burning from his fingertips. In fact, he played on 11 Twisted Sister albums, toured the world, and even appeared in “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.” Now, Eddie Ojeda, former lead guitarist for Twisted Sister, is on his own. He released “Axes 2 Axes” in Jan. 2006, with Ronnie James Dio singing lead on the first track, and featuring a rearrangement of the Beatles classic “Eleanor Rigby” with a cool metal tint. Ojeda is a resident of Rockland County, N.Y., where everybody knows his name. He has spent loads of time in music instrument stores. Maybe even yours. The Retailer first met Ojeda during a Fender party at Winter NAMM, thanks to his friendship with Jill Nicolini, the face behind our VNewsletter and ConventionTV. Connections always help and Ojeda was glad to offer all of his insight in this interview. Enjoy our Summer NAMM edition of Curtain Call.

M&SR: When did you start playing guitar? Who were your influences? Why did you choose guitar? Did you consider playing any other instruments?
Eddie Ojeda: Actually, I did consider drums because my cousin had this fake set of drums set up in his house. He had a chain on one of those TV trays. It’s was one of those tin TV trays. That was his cymbal. And then he took these tin cookie trays and put towels all over them. [Laughs] Considering it was homemade, he actually made a pretty interesting drum set. I was impressed by that. I used to go to his house and play along with the records. And then the whole Beatle craze came about and I reverted to guitar. I started when I was about 15. I started hanging out with other guys who could play. Eventually I bought a cheap guitar and was getting kind of serious. I got a job and saved up for my first Gibson guitar. That’s when I got more serious and got into Hendrix, Cream, Jeff Beck, and Led Zeppelin. Those guys were my main influences. Jimi Hendrix was the biggest influence, followed by Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page.

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