January 2016 Archives

Adam Clayton said that he's "proud" to be part of the national music education programme, to which U2 have donated €2m raised from their recent Irish concerts.

RTE.ie

The U2 bassist, Taoiseach Enda Kelly and Minister Jan O'Sullivan gathered today along with students from Music Generation to cement their commitment to the programme.

As well as U2's €2 million paycheck for the programme, The Ireland Funds also donated €1 million, which ensures the programme will be funded to 2020 and beyond, and it also got a boost from the Department of Education, who have committed to ongoing funding, which means the music initiative can be expanded.

The programme, which currently reaches 26,000 children and young people annually who would otherwise not have had access to music education, can now be expanded in up to nine additional areas across the country.

Fender board director gets own signature

By MusicRadar/Total Guitar/Guitarist

NAMM 2016: In a move that's taken pretty much no-one by complete surprise, two years after The Edge joined the Fender board of directors the U2 guitarist finally has his widely-rumoured signature guitar, alongside a suitably desirable signature amp.

The Edge Strat will apparently replace the guitarists' usual collection of vintage instruments on tour, so it's safe to assume that the design was a genuinely considered, close collaboration between endorsee and luthier.

Features include two special Custom Shop Fat 50s single-coil pickups in the neck and middle position, cranking out versatile tone with enhanced bass response, a DiMarzio® FS-1™ pickup at the bridge and a quartersawn maple neck for an Edge-ish bright tone.

The Edge Deluxe amp, released alongside the Strat, is essentially an update of the '57 tweed Deluxe he currently uses - a 12-watt hand-wired amp configured for a tighter low end response.

The Fender Strat will retail for approx $1800/£1260, while the Deluxe will set you back $2399/£1740.

U2 have joined the tributes pouring in for David Bowie as they pay respects to one of their biggest influences.

by Sasha Brady, Irish Independent

U2 posted a message on tweet saying 'Planet Earth is blue" upon hearing the news of the iconic singer's death on Sunday evening at 69.

Bowie - known for his hits like Changes, Ashes To Ashes and Starman - left a legacy created by pioneering musicianship and ground-breaking lyrics dating back almost half a century.

The Irish megastars have have always been open about the influence Bowie had on their music and career.

Planet Earth is blue - Bono pic.twitter.com/p4GVmnuQql

— U2 (@U2) January 11, 2016