According to Stuff.co.nz, ex-SCORPIONS guitarist ULI JON ROTH arrived in New Plymouth yesterday but his all important guitar equipment did not. Roth's arrival kicked off this week's G-TARanaki international guitar festival. He is here to run three guitar Sky Academy seminars for 40 teenage guitar-nuts, as well as playing the headline act at Friday's concert at TSB stadium in New Plymouth. Roth is the first big name to arrive in town.

An Air New Zealand luggage stuff-up did not take much of the shine off the long-haired, bandanna-wearing guitarist's welcome on to Waitara High School yesterday afternoon.

Deputy principal Daryn Shaw explained to Roth he was being welcomed with aroha. "This is usually translated as love but it is much more than love.

"It's a caring, a sensitivity and an ability to serve," he said.

The tassel-booted Roth was quite impressed, saying he had never had an experience like it. Having been involved in the rock'n'roll game since he was 17, this is something he would not say all too often.

Read more here.

As previously reported, JOE SATRIANI, Uli Jon Roth, GILBY CLARKE, GLENN HUGHES (ex-DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH), VERNON REID (LIVING COLOUR), ALEX SKOLNICK (TESTAMENT) and fretless harp guitarist TIM DONAHUE are heading up the G-TARanaki 1st International Guitar Festival on July 14th -19th. All of these acts are giving exclusive NZ shows, which involve full concert performances, workshops, forums and jam sessions. Joe Satriani will be also giving fans an intimate "Club Joe" workshop before his headline show.

G-TARanaki is topped off by two mega concerts at the TSB Stadium on Friday July 18th and Saturday July 19th.

(Photo by Mike Scott: Using a borrowed guitar, Uli Jon Roth of Scorpions fame, gave Waitara High School student JD Donaghue a few tips on how to play a guitar to become rich and famous yesterday)