Greg Prato, reporting for Ultimate-Guitar.com:
Since 2006, guitar great Uli Jon Roth has been offering a guitar seminar entitled Sky Academy - which includes lectures, master classes, concentration exercises, and special concerts. And while it is led by Roth, many other renowned musicians have contributed to past Sky Academies, as well - including Vernon Reid, Warren DeMartini, Robby Krieger, Leon Hendrix, and Alex Skolnick, among others.
And this year, Sky Academy returns after a several-year break - which will take place at the new Sky Haven venue in Long Beach, from March 29-April 1. Tickets are available for purchase through Roth's official site – which says, "Prepare for a transformative experience that will elevate your musical journey to a new level."
Roth - who is best known for his work with the Scorpions, Electric Sun, and as a solo artist - recently spoke to Ultimate Guitar, and filled us in on what attendees can expect at the 2024 edition of Sky Academy.
Greg Prato: Let's discuss the 2024 Sky Academy in Long Beach.
Uli Jon Roth: "The Sky Academy is something I actually started in Los Angeles in 2006. And we did several full-scale Sky Academies there in the initial years - one at UCLA and one at the Musicians Institute. It was always seminars that were three, four, five days long. A lot of people who were there remember it very fondly - including myself. The last of these we did, I think, in 2013, and then I took a hiatus from all the teaching - mainly because I didn't have anything written. And I wanted to write a book about it all - containing the core of the teachings.
"When lockdown came, I actually had the opportunity to do just that. So, I used the two years of lockdown to write a massive Sky Academy book which is called 'In Search of the Alpha Law.' That book has over 600 pages, and it's quite large – it's a coffee table format with tons of photos and illustrations.
"But it will come out just before our tour in the spring. Now, with that book, I feel like I've got a very solid foundation to start teaching at Sky Academy again. So, that was the reason why we were taking that up again and starting it up in California – where it all started. Because since then, we've done it in many different countries, as well. But California was the place where we had the most Sky Academies."
Read more at Ultimate-Guitar.com.
After five long years, Uli Jon Roth is finally returning to North America with a rescheduled 30-date tour in April/May 2024. This isn't just an ordinary concert - it's an invitation to join the Interstellar Sky Guitar tour, a captivating 3-hour show of music and excitement.
The integrated multi-media show unfolds in two parts:
Part I: An intimate evening with Uli Jon Roth, featuring a selection of both new and older pieces composed by Uli, including excerpts from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Uli’s Metamorphosis Concerto. It will also include a brief ‘TED Talk’ by Uli, introducing his new book In Search Of The Alpha Law.
Part II: Uli navigates through his musical history, performing hits from the early Scorpions and Electric Sun years, with the support of his band.
Find more tour and ticket information at ujr.info.
Dates:
April
2 - Mesa, AZ The Venue - The Canyon
3 - Hollywood, CA - Whisky A Go Go
4 - Ramona, CA - Ramona Mainstage
5 - San Juan Capistrano, CA - The Coach House
6 - Concord, CA - Vinnies
7 - Santa Rosa, CA - The Flamingo Resort
12 - Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern
13 - Portland, OR - Bossanova Ballroom
18 - Hobart, IN - Hobart Arts Center
19 - St. Charles, IL - Arcada Theater
20 - Chicago, IL - Reggies
21 - Detroit, MI - Token Lounge
24 - Sellersville, PA - Sellersville Theater
25 - Fall River, MA - Narrows Center for The Arts
26 - Derry, NH - Tupelo Music Hall
27 - New York, NY - Iridium
28 - New York, NY - Iridium
May
1 - West Yarmouth, MA - The Music Room
