The Cult

[Falcon]

Ian last night with his long time friend, Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie last night at the PS show in Sydney.

[Falcon]

And with his new bride, The Black Ryder's Aimee Nash - doesn't suck to be Ian..

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It seems as though The Cult's "Choice Of Weapon" has been named iTunes Editors Choice Rock Album of the year.

Pretty cool.

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Forgot how cool a song this is, Ian guesting with Blondie's Debbie Harry on her song "Lovelight":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SoSXYUpRZ8&feature=player_embedded

[Falcon]

A new advert featuring Billy Duffy for the Nokia Lumia Rock Guitar Challenge:

Published on Dec 28, 2012

"Ever record a concert on your phone? Terrible, right? Not always... We pitted the Nokia Lumia 920, 8X by HTC and Samsung Galaxy SIII against rock guitarist Billy Duffy from The Cult to see which phone could capture the experience the best. See for yourself what happened."

http://wmpoweruser.com/nokia-promoted-the-haac-rich-recording-microphones-on-the-nokia-lumia-920-for-recording-rock-concerts/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weG19NA7y4Y&feature=player_embedded

[Falcon]

Well, this is gonna cost me...

http://www.guitarmagazine.co.uk/articles/gretsch-release-billy-duffy-white-falcon/

Wednesday 2nd of January 2013 02:56:17 PM
By: Richard Flynn

Gretsch unleash the new G7593T Billy Duffy White Falcon

Gretsch have released the rather delectable G7593T Billy Duffy White Falcon guitar; a model that Gretsch are billing as 'one of the the most unique and bewitching White Falcon guitars ever made'

The Cult guitarist?s stunning hollow-bodied guitar has some unique features particular only to him including period-correct ?70s Baldwin-era styling, pure White gloss nitrocellulose lacquer finish, V-shaped Falcon headstock, Silver Sparkle binding, custom wound hot ?Black Top? Filter?Tron pickups with three-point adjustable ?70s-style metal bezels and Duffy?s preferred Bigsby tailpiece.
 
Additional features include a 17? wide, 2 ?? deep single cut-away three-ply maple body with a three-ply maple arched top and back and two spruce parallel tone bars and sound post, a three-piece maple neck with ebony fingerboard, a chrome-plated truss rod cover with Duffy?s signature emblazoned on it, a chrome-plated output jack plate, pearloid wide-block fretboard inlays, ?70s-style aluminum ?G? arrow knobs and a premium gray speckled ?Billy Duffy? case.

?This guitar is very personal to me,? said Duffy. ?It?s hard to separate the guitar from the evolution of (The Cult?s) sound. In essence, the big white Gretsch became synonymous with the band very quickly. I?m not really that much of a sentimental person, but in a house fire it would be the first non-living thing that I?d be going for.
 
?It?s not for the faint-hearted,? he added. ?It?s massive. You?ve got to have big hands and you?ve got to really command the instrument when you play it. You can?t really play it with any degree of fear.?
 
"Duffy burst out of London?s early ?80s post-punk scene in Theatre of Hate before meeting Ian Astbury and forming one of rock ?n? roll?s most powerful, unique and long-lasting duos as what would become The Cult,' say Gretsch.  'Duffy?s combination of thick power chords steeped in rich chorused delay, melodic Morricone-inspired lead phrases and filthy feedback-laden solos created an unparalleled sound larger than most venues could contain.
 
"The Cult?s first two albums, Dreamtime and Love, solidified their place among the pre-?alternative? elite, with the latter album featuring what would become their most popular single, ?She Sells Sanctuary,? which remains a global staple on rock radio twenty years on and was even featured on a 2012 Super Bowl advertisement in the States. Every track on those iconic albums featured his Gretsch White Falcon exclusively, and Duffy has made a point to include it on every subsequent album, most notably the chart-topping Electric and Sonic Temple, and their most recent critically acclaimed release Choice of Weapon."

[Falcon]

The Cult's Billy Duffy on his History with Gretsch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKiS6uRz8_8

Billy Duffy Dissects His Signature Gretsch White Falcon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJGFxi2HzG4

Gretsch BD White Falcon page:

http://www.gretschguitars.com/features/billy-duffy

"Introducing the G7593T Billy Duffy Falcon guitar, which has immediately become one of the most unique and bewitching White Falcon guitars ever made."

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BD and his sig White Falcon:

\

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Billy Duffy's official website coming soon:

http://www.billy-duffy.com/

[Falcon]

http://thecult.us/main/2013/01/billy-du ... lcon-2013/

?I am thrilled and honoured to be able to put my name on such a magical and mythical beast as the Gretsch White Falcon? For years now I have been bewitched by it?s charms, first from afar as a young aspiring guitarist, then as a professional musician in The Cult. My White Falcon has been a constant and stedfast companion for over 3 decades now? and my love affair with it is still going strong. Now in 2013 with my signature model I feel that with the help of Gretsch I have taken the spirit of the original ?Sanctuary? guitar so familiar to Cult fans around the world and taken it to a new level. I know that anyone lucky enough to get their own one will get as much joy and inspiration from ?her? as I have. So here?s to the future and continuing to make great music with the White Falcon for many more decades to come? ? Billy Duffy

[Falcon]

Another shot of BD and his signature Gretsch White Falcon - suggested retail price $5500

[FunkyMonkey]

Yeah it is.

Well, this is gonna cost me...

BD and his signature Gretsch White Falcon - suggested retail price $5500

Another "beauty shot":

[Falcon]

Billy Duffy will be appearing at NAMM 2013 Jan 23-27 in Anaheim, CA in conjuntion with the official release of his signature Gretsch White Falcon.

Date(s) and time TBD.

[Bansidhe]

A new advert featuring Billy Duffy for the Nokia Lumia Rock Guitar Challenge:

Published on Dec 28, 2012

"Ever record a concert on your phone? Terrible, right? Not always... We pitted the Nokia Lumia 920, 8X by HTC and Samsung Galaxy SIII against rock guitarist Billy Duffy from The Cult to see which phone could capture the experience the best. See for yourself what happened."

Great sound indeed, but seriously how annoying is it when you're at a show and there's some wanker in front with their phone constantly in the air filming the show as opposed to just enjoying themselves?

[Falcon]

Billy's official site has gone live and it's fucking incredible.

www.billy-duffy.com

Check it out.

[Falcon]

The opening of Billy's bio on his new website penned by none other than Ian Astbury:

?Emerging from the violent streets of Manchester during the ?real? punk rock wars and rolling into post punk, death rock, hard rock and back. He has played with the best, Morrissey, Jagger, Iggy et all, this kid has done more than most could ever dream, he is peerless, a tyrannical perfectionist and iconoclast. In a world of self imposed savants and virtuosos, he has never been a self promoter leaving that for his live performances and studio recordings.
 
A working class hero who has owned the biggest stages in the world and delivered without mercy. As rock dissolves into a patchwork of ragged styles and fading icons, Duffy holds himself with an integrity, sensitivity and ferocity that few can match. He is one of the greatest living guitar heroes of the 20/21st century, often mimicked never matched. I have witnessed other players take a step back when he straps on the Falcon, big boys rules.
 
His melodies and riffs have influenced a generation of players. Everything he has earned has been hard fought. I have watched him thrash his instrument until the blood splattered the virgin white of his beloved Gretsch Falcon, I have witnessed him throw his instrument in the air in a gesture of self-satisfaction after the performance he had just thrown down in front of a sweating, exhausted crowd only to see her crash on her tail and up right herself against his demolished marshall cabinets, streaming ear crushing feedback.

The Cult have and shall always remain outside. While  we live in a cultural that celebrates the ?tortured artist?s? who martyr themselves and don?t have what it takes to survive, we rarely pay tribute to those who actually make it to the other side and surpass the fleeting years of self destructive youth. Duffy is amongst that handful who still have the piss and vinegar to rip it up.?
 
Ian Astbury ? January 2013

[Falcon]

This section of the BD site is great, pix and commentary from Billy from pre Cult and beyond:

http://www.billyduffy.com/memorabilia/

[FunkyMonkey]

This section of the BD site is great, pix and commentary from Billy from pre Cul and beyond:

http://www.billyduffy.com/memorabilia/

I like how they give the backstory for each of the pictures, very cool.  There are some fun photos - MEMORA-BILLY-A.

[Falcon]

Billy will be at the Gretsch booth signing at NAMM Friday 1/25 at 2PM and at the Grove in Anaheim at 6:30PM for a Boss Pedals event.

And some vid of BD at NAMM talking is sig White Falcon, funny stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oDR4KEnvC0&feature=player_embedded

[Falcon]

This section of the BD site is great, pix and commentary from Billy from pre Cul and beyond:

http://www.billyduffy.com/memorabilia/

I like how they give the backstory for each of the pictures, very cool.  There are some fun photos - MEMORA-BILLY-A.

There's some great history there for sure.

First class website - high in content low in filler.

Much more to come as well.