Harmony Central recently caught up with Eric Johnson while he’s out on tour in support of his latest album Up Close. In the video, Johnson talks about some of the songs he’s playing on this tour and some of his gear, including hints to an upcoming EJ signature Fuzz Face and Eminence speaker. The video also includes some excellent live footage. Check it out:

(via the Guitar Buzz)

Red Hot Chili Peppers will be releasing their upcoming album I’m With You on August 30. To promote the release, they are performing the entire album in sequence for the first and only time in an event that will be broadcast in select theaters across the world on August 30. Note that some theaters will get a delayed release of the concert. You can visit RHCPLiveHD.com to see if the concert will be shown in your area.

The Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson will be releasing a new solo album on October 11, titled Through a Crooked Sun. You can listen to three tracks from the new album by “liking” Robinson’s BandPage on Facebook. The three new tracks include “Gone Away,” “Lost and Found,” and “Hey Fear.”

Earlier this year, the Foo Fighters embarked on small garage tour, playing for fans who won a contest to have the Foo Fighters play in their garages. The tour included stops in New York, Toronto, Chicago, Washington D.C., Dallas, Denver, and Seattle. The band has recently posted a video documenting the tour. It looks like the tour was a lot of fun for everyone involved. What a great way to give back to fans. Check out the video below:

Yesterday, Favored Nations Entertainment announced on their Facebook page an upcoming album by guitarist Andy Timmons:

In October Favored Nations will be releasing the brand new Andy Timmons record “Andy Timmons Band Plays Sgt Pepper” which is a power trio rendition of the classic Beatles album which was done completely from Andy’s memory, without referencing the album while recording.

I had a chance to see Timmons do a clinic for Mesa last year, and he played a medley of tunes from this album. His arrangement of the songs sounded really good, so I’m looking forward to hearing the album.

Chicago-based rockers The Steepwater Band are streaming their new album Clava on their website in anticipation of its release in two weeks on August 16, 2011. I’ve listened to the album a few times, and I’m digging it. If you’re into 70s-style blues-based rock, you’ll probably dig it too. Check out the video for the song “Remember the Taker” off the new album:

In anticipation of Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s new album How I Go releasing this week, check out this video of the making of the song “Never Looking Back”:

Also, you can preview four songs from the new album on Kenny’s website.

I’m reluctantly linking to this Music Radar interview with Kenny Wayne Shepherd. I’m reluctant not because of the material–it’s a pretty interesting interview with Shepherd talking about his upcoming album How I Go and his gear–but because Music Radar split the article over 6 pages to increase page views in addition to displaying a pop-up ad. If you’re interested in hearing about the new album, then it’s probably worth the click, though. At any rate, I’m looking forward to hearing this album in a few weeks.

(Thanks for the article link goes to GL regular Darren M.)

Robben Ford has announced Robben Ford’s Guitar Dojo, which is a collection of instructional videos featuring Ford and Don Mock. In addition to the instructional videos, the site will feature soundcheck videos, streaming music, and a journal from Ford while he’s on the road. The videos are about $4.99-5.99 per lesson.

They just opened the virtual doors yesterday, so I imagine that they’ll be putting more content up there, but you can preview the videos that are currently uploaded. Based on what I’ve seen so far, I like what Ford is doing here; I wish more “famous” guitarists would do this kind of educational material.

Here’s Ford talking about the new site:

Eric Johnson has recently started a summer tour in support of his latest album Up Close. Here’s a video from the rehearsals for the tour:

The tour runs from July 7 through August 20:

Jul-07 Tempe, AZ
Jul-08 Tucson, AZ
Jul-09 San Diego, CA
Jul-10 Agoura Hills, CA
Jul-12 Sacramento, CA
Jul-13 Redondo Beach, CA
Jul-14 Santa Ana, CA
Jul-15 Livermore, CA
Jul-16 Grants Pass, OR
Jul-17 Clark County, WA
Jul-19 Seattle, WA
Jul-21 Omaha, NE
Jul-22 Denver, CO
Jul-23 Santa Fe, NM
Aug-02 St Louis, MO
Aug-04 Minneapolis, MN
Aug-05 Milwaukee, WI
Aug-06 Cleveland, OH
Aug-07 Clarkston, MI
Aug-09 Alexandria, VA
Aug-10 New York, NY
Aug-11 Londonderry, NH
Aug-12 Foxborough, MA
Aug-13 Poughkeepsie, NY
Aug-14 Sellersville, PA
Aug-16 Carborro, NC
Aug-17 Charlotte, NC
Aug-18 Atlanta, GA
Aug-19 Jackson, MS
Aug-20 New Orleans, LA