From left: Jim Cox, Steve Vai, Steve Morse, Sterling Ball, Albert Lee, John Petrucci and John Ferraro (Image credit: William Ray Lynch III)
Today, GuitarWorld.com presents the exclusive premiere of "The 'In' Crowd," the latest taste of The Mutual Admiration Society, the new album by Ernie Ball Music Man owner and CEO Sterling Ball and his longtime friends, John Ferraro and Jim Cox.
The album, which also features contributions from guitarists Steve Vai, Steve Lukather, John Petrucci, Albert Lee and session legend Jay Graydon, will be released January 19 via Mascot Label Group in a deal with Steve Vai’s Favored Nations label.
"I approached it as if we were playing a show together," Morse says. "When [drummer] John [Ferraro] brings down the band with a certain type of snare hit, I tried to imagine us at a little club somewhere having a blast. This is a fun record, and we all got to hear the whole thing together, laughing and smiling the whole time.”
The release of "The 'In' Crowd" follows "Sugar Shack," a Mutual Admiration Society track that features Vai on guitar, which we premiered in December. In case you missed it, you can check it out here.
The album was recorded at Gordon Rustvold’s Broken Prop Studio in Fountain Valley, California, produced by Ball, Ferraro and Cox and engineered by Bill Evans. For more information about the project, watch the new Morse and Vai interview videos below—and head in this general direction.
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
