As the 40th Anniversary of his joining the SCORPIONS North American tour rolls on, ULI JON ROTH has confirmed that Dean Guitars and Ddrum CEO Elliot Rubinson will be playing bass in ULI's band for the first half of the tour.

Rubinson recently toured North America as a part of MICHAEL SCHENKER's band. Elliot started on January 26th in Santa Ana, CA and will continue on the tour through February 12th in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. In addition, Uli will be joined by various Dean Artists throughout the tour.

Elliot commented on being a part of Uli's band on the upcoming tour: "I have been fortunate to be able to have played with Uli everywhere from cruise ship tours to European trade shows. He is clearly one of the greatest guitarists ever with a sense of harmonies few possess. Since we grew up on the same music we share a passion for greats like Jimi Hendrix. I am very excited about being a part of the filming and recording taking place on this tour."

Uli is equally excited to be playing with Rubinson: "It is always a real pleasure to share the stage with Elliott Rubinson. Not only is he an excellent bass player, who delivers the goods at every show, but he also connects with the audience in a great way. Together we're rocking the house!"

In addition to his breathtaking 40th Anniversary shows, Uli will also be offering his world renowned Sky Academy Seminars while he is on the road in North America. The aim of Sky Academy is to provide knowledge and inspiration to those who take guitar playing seriously and to help them reach a new plateau. The seminars are designed to open musicians' eyes to new possibilities and to trigger an awakening of the student's full potential and talent.

Special emphasis is given to inspirational concepts rather than technical means. While the academy is also discussing matters of technique, purely practical aspects of guitar playing are not at the forefront of the teaching. This means that exercises play only a minor role in the seminar, which aims to impart ways of HOW to get better in a short time, rather than prescribing exercises as a means to get better, or as some sort of musical 'medicine'. Exercises are undoubtedly an important part of any musician's development, but there are already numerous facilities to learn about these things, and Sky Academy is designed to teach particularly those things which are not normally touched upon in music teaching, but which provide a true gateway to mastery.

Tour dates:

February

5 - Chantilly, VA - Sully's
6 - New York, NY - Stage 48 *
7 - White Marsh, MD - House of Rock *
8 - Montreal, QC - Le National
9 - Toronto, ON - The Rock Pile *
10 - Toronto, ON - The Rock Pile
12 - Ottawa, ON - The Brass Monkey *
13 - Sellersville, PA - Sellersville Theater *
15 - Kenosha, WI - Hatrix
16 - Savage, MN - Neisen's Sports Bar & Grill *
17 - Chicago, IL - Reggie's Rock Club *
21 - Tempe, AZ - Club Red
22 - Las Vegas, NV - Vamp'd
23 - Corona, CA - Marquee 15
24 - Santa Rosa, CA - The Last Day Saloon
26 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon *
27 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater *

March

1 - Concord, CA - Vinnies

* = Sky Academy