title	AF2
logo	Af2.PNG
pixels	150px
sport	Arena Football
founded	1999
ceo	Jerry Kurz
inaugural	2000
teams	25
country
champion	Spokane Shock
most champs	(tie) Quad City Steamwheelers, Tulsa Talons & Spokane Shock (2)
website	af2.com
folded	2009
founder	Arena Football League }}

AF2 (styled as af2 and short for arenafootball2) was the name of the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football rules and style of play. League seasons ran from April through July with the postseason and ArenaCup championship in August. The AF2 continued to operate while the AFL had suspended operations. The league was effectively disbanded in September 2009 when no team committed to playing in 2010.

Like most other minor sports leagues, the AF2 existed to develop football players and also to help players adapt to the style and pace of arena football. In addition, the AF2 was similar to other minor leagues because AF2 teams played in smaller cities and smaller venues. While the AFL was played in cities like Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Dallas, and Chicago, the AF2 fielded teams in cities which are part of metropolitan statistical areas ranging in size from Milwaukee (with 1,739,497 residents) to Albany, Georgia (with 164,000 residents). Players also earned less in the AF2, with each player making $200 per game.

History

The AF2 was founded in 1999 by the Arena Football League in an attempt to bring the game to mid-sized markets following the success of AFL on the national level. The AF2 was not intended to be a farm system for the AFL like the American Hockey League and Minor League Baseball are to the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball, respectively. The league was instead designed as a league that would develop the players. The lack of AFL-AF2 team affiliations would prevent the AFL from "stashing" players in the lower league for later use. Players in the AF2 are signed to one-year contracts, after the expiration of which they essentially become free agents to sign with whichever league and team they would prefer. The 16-week contracts with the individual AF2 teams also prevents players from leaving for the parent league mid-season; this preserves the quality of play in the lower league and does not destroy team dynamic with players coming and going throughout the season.

The foundation of the AF2 was a response to launch of several small-market leagues in the mid to late 1990s, including the Professional Indoor Football League, Indoor Professional Football League, and Indoor Football League. Each of these leagues, though they would eventually fold, managed to last a few seasons each, proving that the game had traction in the smaller cities. With Jim Foster's patent on arena football, the AF2 had the advantage of being the same game as was being seen on the national level with the use of the rebound nets. Working on a smaller scale, the AF2 would try to capitalize on local and regional rivalries.

The Xtreme Football League was another upstart league trying to capitalize on the arena football phenomenon. Founded in Birmingham, Alabama, the XFL (which is not related to the WWE-backed outdoor league) used East Coast Hockey League ownership to keep team costs low while providing established ownership and arenas for play. The league never played a game as it and its nine teams were purchased by the AF2.

The AF2 finally took the field in March 2000 in a game between the Birmingham Steeldogs and Tennessee Valley Vipers (the latter of which was one of the acquired XFL teams). Fifteen teams were fielded in 2000 with the rights for several more cities quickly secured. The Orlando Predators also purchased competitor Indoor Football League; several teams would be absorbed into the AF2 for the 2001 season.

The first season concluded with over 868,000 people attending AF2 games, averaging over 7,200 per game; several teams ended with average attendances over 10,000 fans. In addition over 9,200 fans attended ArenaCup I between the Tennessee Valley Vipers and Quad City Steamwheelers in Moline, Illinois. Deemed a success, the league returned for a second season and returned all 15 original teams as well as 13 expansion teams.

Dissolution

For legal purposes, the league was effectively dissolved on September 8, 2009 when no team submitted the paperwork to return in 2010. Since the AFL had ceased 2009 operations and later ceased all operations indefinitely after declaring bankruptcy, the minority owners of AF2 were wary of being owned by and paying money to the bankrupt league.

The remaining teams and Board of Directors of af2, and some former members of the AFL joined together to create a new league, Arena Football One, which was announced at a press conference on September 28, 2009. Legally, Arena Football One is an entity independent of the original Arena Football League and af2 and is made up of former AFL and AF2 teams with several new teams and one team from another league. After acquiring the assets of the former Arena Football League in a bankruptcy court sale, the new entity became the "new" Arena Football League.

ArenaCup

The ArenaCup was the AF2's championship game, held annually in August. For the league's first five years, it was held at the home arena of the higher-seeded remaining team. However, as AFL has changed, the AF2 has also changed. In the same year that ArenaBowl XIX was played at a neutral site in Las Vegas, ArenaCup VI was the first AF2 championship to be played at a neutral site in Bossier City, Louisiana. The practice continued the following year when ArenaCup VII was played in Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan; the title game returned to Bossier City in ArenaCup VIII. Citing lower attendances at the neutral site ArenaCup games, the league returned to the original arena arrangement for the 2008 season.

With the exception of ArenaCup V, all AF2 championships were televised either nationally or locally. The inaugural and second ArenaCups were broadcast on TNN Motor Sports/TNN Sports, which carried AFL games on Sunday afternoons at the time. However, when the AFL announced that broadcast rights had been purchased by NBC the ArenaCup national telecast was lost. The 2002 ArenaCup was televised by the Vision Network, and ArenaCup IV was televised by KWHB, a local station in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After having no television coverage in 2004, the national telecasts returned to the airwaves with Fox Sports Net in 2005 and Comcast Sports Net in 2006, 2007, and 2008.

As of 2008, ArenaCup 9, as well as the season in its entirety, was broadcast online via NiFTy TV.

Teams

The league's teams were divided into two conferences, the American and National Conferences. The conferences were further subdivided into three divisions each. Each division represented a region of the country in which teams played. Unlike most sports leagues, the alignment of teams into divisions was not even; in 2009, the Central division featured three teams while the West featured five teams. Teams were placed in divisions based on geographic rivalries to reduce travel costs as teams played division opponents more often than non-divisional opponents. Alignment was subject to change each year as new teams joined the league and others dropped out.

Because of legal issues regarding the dissolution of the original Arena Football League, no team committed to continue with arenafootball2 operations. This list is the final alignment of AF2.

League expansion

In a June 2003 interview with ''Sports Illustrated'', AFL commissioner David Baker briefly mentioned the AF2, saying how one day, he envisioned the league growing to 100 teams. The AF2 started off with 15 teams in 2000, then expanded to 28 teams in 2001, and finally 34 in 2002. The number of teams the league fielded dropped every year from there on after, until the 2006 season. 27 teams were fielded in 2003, 25 in 2004, and 20 in 2005. Finally, in 2006, the AF2 saw its first expansion in four years, fielding 23 teams, and continued that into 2007 with 30 teams.

The drop in teams between 2002 and 2006 could be partially attributed to the league expanding too rapidly in its first three seasons. Many teams were financially unstable and folded. This can be due to higher expenses compared to similar leagues. Franchise fees in the league ranged from $600,000 to $1 million. Historically, massive expansions had little success. For instance, the National Indoor Football League, a rival indoor league, saw large amounts of expansion teams after beginning play in 2001 but many struggled financially.

Nine new expansion teams were approved for 2007 in the AF2: the Boise Burn, the Cincinnati Jungle Kats, the Fort Wayne Fusion, the Laredo Lobos, the Lubbock Renegades, the Mahoning Valley Thunder, the Texas Copperheads, the Tri-Cities Fever, and the Corpus Christi Sharks. The Texas, Laredo, and Tri-Cities teams moved to the AF2 from other indoor football leagues. For the 2007 season the league fielded 30 teams. After the 2007 season, three of those teams folded, the Fort Wayne Fusion, the Cincinnati Jungle Kats, and the Laredo Lobos. Also the Everett Hawks, Alabama Steeldogs, and the Bakersfield Blitz ceased operations.

For 2008 the league fielded one less team at 29. Two teams the Iowa Barnstormers and the Peoria Pirates were reactivated, and the league admitted three new teams that were transferring from other leagues. The Lexington Horsemen came from UIF, the Daytona Beach ThunderBirds from the WIFL and the Austin Wranglers moved down from the AFL. After the season, Austin and Daytona Beach folded, along with Louisville, Lubbock, and Texas. The league was expected to expand to Toledo, Ohio and Worcester, Massachusetts by 2011.

When af2 legally folded, some teams joined the af2 Board of Directors in forming the new Arena Football One that became the new Arena Football League. Iowa, Milwaukee, Tennessee Valley (which changed its name to Alabama to reflect the state, not region), Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Bossier-Shreveport, and Spokane all seamlessly moved to the new AFL to join "old" AFL teams Arizona, Orlando, Tampa Bay, Chicago, and Cleveland, and expansion teams in Dallas and Jacksonville, and the AIFA team in Utah which had originally been in the old AFL. Originally, Kentucky, Tri-Cities and Arkansas were also committed to the new league, but Kentucky folded, and both Tri-Cities and Arkansas joined Green Bay and Amarillo to the Indoor Football League. Albany will not play in 2010 while seeking an expansion into the "new" AFL in 2011, along with planned addition Toledo.

See also

Defunct af2 teams

List of leagues of American football

References

External links

Official website

ArenaFan Online

Category:Organizations established in 2000 Category:Defunct indoor football leagues

fr:Af2 it:Af2

Paul Brandon Gilbert (born November 6, 1966 in Illinois, USA) is an American guitarist. He is well known for his technical guitar work with Racer X and Mr. Big, as well as many solo albums and numerous collaborations and guest appearances with other musicians.

He has been voted number 4 on a list in GuitarOne magazine of the "Top 10 Greatest Guitar Shredders of All Time", as well as a spot in ''Guitar World's'' 50 Fastest Guitarists of All Time list.

Shrapnel Records

Around 1981-82 Paul first contacted Mike Varney, founder of Shrapnel Records, asking for a gig with Ozzy Osbourne. At the time, Varney couldn't think why Osbourne would want a 15 year old guitarist, but after listening to his demo he changed his mind. They talked for the next 3 years, until Paul went to L.A. for the GIT (Guitar Institute of Technology), and then was ready to record Racer X's debut album Street Lethal.

Racer X

Formed in Los Angeles in 1985, Racer X originally comprised Paul Gilbert (guitar), Juan Alderete (bass), Harry Gschoesser (drums) and Jeff Martin (vocals). They were heavily influenced by Judas Priest and Gilbert's playing was reminiscent of Yngwie Malmsteen, displaying fast-driven solos with extreme-level technique. Gschoesser was replaced by Scott Travis (later known for being the drummer for Judas Priest) in 1986, and Bruce Bouillet was added as a second guitar player. Bouillet was a very skilled player, as he had to play over Gilbert's always difficult and challenging phrases. Paul Gilbert gained recognition as one of the fastest guitar players in the world due to incredibly technical pieces like "Technical Difficulties" "Frenzy", "Scarified", "Y.R.O." and "Scit Scat Wah". Gilbert left Racer X in 1988. Racer X carried on for a short time with guitarist (and fellow GIT alum) Chris Arvin and vocalist Oni Logan (later of George Lynch's Lynch Mob) when singer Jeff Martin departed to play drums in Jake E. Lee's Badlands, in which he replaced Eric Singer who left to join Alice Cooper. Shortly thereafter, the members of the re-invented Racer X went their separate ways. The original band would eventually reform (although without Bruce Bouillet, who in-turn did produce the first reunion record).

Paul contacted the members of Racer X, and all agreed to return, with the exception of Bruce Bouillet. In mid-1999 the band recorded the album Technical Difficulties. Technical Difficulties went gold in Japan, and Racer X's new record label requested a follow-up. In late 2000, the band released another album, Superheroes. The record was mixed by former Racer X guitarist, Bruce Bouillet.

In order to further capitalize on their new-found success in Japan, Universal Japan requested that the band record a live show for another live CD and DVD. On May 25, 2001, the band played their first live performance in thirteen years to a sold-out crowd at the famed Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles. The show was recorded for both audio and video, and in 2002, both the CD and DVD were released under the name Snowball of Doom.

In January 2002, in support of Superheroes and Snowball of Doom, Racer X toured Japan and Taiwan. The band performed these shows in their Superheroes costumes, and the final show, in Yokohama, was hastily recorded in two tracks on the sound board and was to be later released as Snowball of Doom 2. Later that year, Universal Japan pushed for another Racer X release. In October 2002, all four members of Racer X gathered at Gilbert's house in Las Vegas to record ''Getting Heavier'', which was sold alongside ''Snowball of Doom 2'' in a package deal. Although the album was a successful release in Japan, some fans were disappointed with the lighter tracks, which resembled a Paul Gilbert solo album more so than a traditional Racer X album.

Racer X performed at the 2009 NAMM show at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Andy Timmons and his band opened the show, followed by a solo set from Paul Gilbert, and finally Racer X. The Racer X lineup consists of Paul Gilbert, Scott Travis, Jeff Martin and John Alderete.

Mr. Big

When Billy Sheehan left David Lee Roth's band in 1988, he joined with Paul Gilbert, who had left his former band, Racer X. They founded Mr. Big, with Pat Torpey on drums and singer Eric Martin. The band was initially a huge success in Japan, and became famous internationally in 1991, with the release of their second album, ''Lean Into It''. This album featured the ballad "To Be With You", which received strong media play and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Gilbert continued playing in Mr. Big until the late 1990s. He left the band in 1997 to pursue a solo career, and was replaced by Richie Kotzen. Mr. Big disbanded in 2002.

In June 2009, Paul Gilbert reunited with original Mr. Big members; Eric Martin (vocals), Billy Sheehan (bass), and Pat Torpey, for a world wide reunion tour. They recorded a new album with producer Kevin Shirley. titled ''What If...''. The album was released in Japan on Dec. 15th, 2010, in Europe on Jan. 21st, 2011 and in the USA in Feb. 2011. A tour to support the album kicked off at The House of Blues, in Hollywood, CA on April 2, 2011, followed by several dates in Japan in the same month. In May and June 2011, the tour continues in China, Korea, The Philippines and Europe.

Projects

In May 2003 he played in an only twice-performing project called Yellow Matter Custard, a Beatles cover band consisting also of Mike Portnoy (ex-Dream Theater), Neal Morse (ex-Spock's Beard), and Matt Bissonette. In February 2011 Yellow Matter Custard re-formed for 3 Nights Across America. Kasim Sulton replaced Matt Bissonette in the 2011 shows due to other commitments. They took their name from a Beatles lyric in "I Am the Walrus": "Yellow matter custard, dripping from a dead dog's eye".

He rejoined Portnoy along with Dave LaRue and Daniel Gildenlöw for a Led Zeppelin tribute band called Hammer of the Gods in November 2003. The same year, he toured Japan with Linus Of Hollywood, TJ Helmerich, and Scot Coogan in support of his solo albums Burning Organ, Paul the Young Dude/The Best of Paul Gilbert, and Gilbert Hotel. In September 2005, he joined Portnoy, Sean Malone, and Jason McMaster in the Rush tribute band Cygnus and the Sea Monsters. In May 2006, he joined Portnoy, Gary Cherone, and Billy Sheehan to form Amazing Journey: A Tribute to The Who, playing three shows. The band (excluding Sheehan) destroyed their equipment after the show in homage.

He was also revealed to be the guest guitarist on the Neal Morse solo album, ''Sola Scriptura''. In 2007, Paul Gilbert toured with Bruce Bouillet for promotion of his first instrumental album, ''Get Out of My Yard'', which was released in 2006. Also joining him was his wife, Emi Gilbert, on keyboards. Paul Gilbert also joined Joe Satriani and John Petrucci in the 2007 G3 tour. This was the 5th North American G3 run and the 12th tour worldwide since its inception.

On January 23, 2008, Paul released an instrumental CD titled ''Silence Followed By A Deafening Roar''. It was released in Europe on March 31, 2008, and in America on April 8, 2008. This is Paul's second instrumental album.

On October 22, 2008, Paul released an album with vocalist Freddie Nelson entitled United States. The collaboration has been described as a cross of Queen and Mr. Big.

Paul with Racer X performed at the 2009 NAMM show at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Andy Timmons and his band opened the show, followed by a solo set from Gilbert, and finally Racer X. This Racer X lineup consisted of Gilbert, Scott Travis, Jeff Martin and John Alderete.

Gilbert also joined George Lynch and Richie Kotzen on the Guitar Generation tour.

On June 30, 2010, Gilbert's new album ''Fuzz Universe'' was released in Japan, with a release in America and Europe soon after. It is Paul's 3rd solo album being entirely instrumental. A cover of Johnny Cash's "Leave That Junk Alone" is featured as a Japanese bonus track.

Influences and Style

Talking about his influences, Paul mentions many different artists, including: Randy Rhoads, Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen, John J Kirby, Tony Iommi, Alex Lifeson, Jimmy Page, Robin Trower, Ritchie Blackmore, Pat Travers, Gary Moore, Michael Schenker, Judas Priest, Akira Takasaki, Steve Clark, Jimi Hendrix, Kiss, and The Ramones. Paul has stated many times that he was heavily influenced by his uncle Jimi Kidd who was instrumental in getting Paul interested in playing the guitar. He is also a great fan of The Beach Boys and The Beatles. He states on the Space Ship Live DVD that George Harrison is one of his favorite guitar players. ''Guitar World'' magazine declared him one of 50 of the world's fastest guitarists of all time, along with Buckethead, Eddie Van Halen, and Yngwie Malmsteen.

Gilbert composes music in a wide variety of styles including pop, rock, metal, blues, funk and european classical music, but is perhaps best known for his versatility and speed. He is noted in particular for his efficient picking and his tendency to pick many notes rather than relying on legato for fast passages.

Instructor

Paul Gilbert wrote his own section of the British guitar magazine, ''Total Guitar'', where he normally demonstrated guitar techniques in the magazine and accompanying CD. Even before that, he contributed instructional articles to Guitar Player Magazine in a late 1980s/early 1990s series entitled "Terrifying Guitar 101". His period of working with ''Total Guitar'' spanned thirty-one issues until the November 2006 issue. Paul also teaches at the Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) regularly, and is also an "honorary dean" of the GIT division in Japan. Paul visits Japan, enjoying the lifestyle like his Shrapnel labelmate Marty Friedman, who still lives in Japan and speaks Japanese fluently. Gilbert is known for his instructional videos, which are often comical in nature. One of his instructional videos includes him pulling a rabbit out of his guitar, putting his guitar in a straightjacket and having presents thrown at him by members of the film crew. Paul also was, for a short time, mentor to Buckethead. Gilbert now writes a column for ''Premier Guitar'' entitled "Shred Your Enthusiasm".

Gear

Paul Gilbert primarily uses his Ibanez PGM signature series guitars, identified by the unique painted on "F-holes". Although earlier PGM models featured the Ibanez Lo-Pro/Edge double locking tremolo system, many of his guitars (such as his main PGM300) were modified to accommodate a fixed bridge after he stopped using whammy bars in the early 90s, hence the Ibanez PGM301 guitar. Along with his signature guitars, Gilbert often uses his sticker-covered "Dino" Ibanez RG750, in addition to a wide variety of Ibanez solidbody and semi-hollow electric guitars. It's a common known fact that Paul Gilbert was the first person to read his own dick. Recently, Gilbert has been using Ibanez "Fireman" (a reversed-body Ibanez Iceman with single-coil pickups and an extra cutaway) guitars, which he designed himself. A red version The Ibanez Fireman is to be mass-produced for consumers at a more affordable price than the Ibanez PGMFRM1 (current Paul Gilbert signature Fireman) in Fall 2011.

Regarding amplifiers, Gilbert used A/DA preamps (A/DA MP-1) and rack effects units early in his career prior to switching to Laney amplifiers. He praised the Laney amps as having ''"the best natural distorted sound of any tube amp ever heard"'' Since the G3 2007 tour however, Gilbert stated that playing with Joe Satriani and John Petrucci inspired him to take a closer look at his own guitar sound. As a result of his search he found the Marshall Vintage Modern series. He currently uses the Marshall Vintage Modern 2266c combo amps. Paul now uses the Marshall JMD:1 (specifically JMD501) amplifier along with his Vintage Modern amplifier. Paul uses Jim Dunlop Tortex picks, of which he prefers the orange (.60mm) picks. As far as cables Paul uses Bullet Cable 30' Coiled Cables, Bullet Cable SLUG DIY solderless patch cables for his pedalboard and effects.

Paul has been known to use the following effects:

Home Brew Electronics Bajo Mos

Home Brew Electronics Detox EQ

TC Electronic Nova Delay

Home Brew Electronics Compressor Retro

MXR Phase 100

MXR Phase 90

BOSS DD-3 Digital Delay

Ibanez AF2 Airplane Flanger

MXR Blue Box

Home Brew Electronics THC Chorus

Robert Keeley Nova Wah LE

Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Electric Mistress

Korg Pitchblack tuner or Boss Chromatic Tuner (depending which is more visible in stage lighting)

Majik Box Fuzz Universe (as of 2010)

X-otic AC Booster

Jim Dunlop 535Q Crybaby (as of 2010)

Paul also used a modified vintage A/DA Flanger from the 1980s (source: Berlin VIP session interview). You can hear it on tracks like 'Bucket of Rocks', and he also uses it on the 'Snowball of Doom' DVD. Paul stated the flanger had been modified. He would set the flanger to self oscillate, which would make the pitch of the resulting signal alternate up and down to create a sound similar to a dive bomb or a pull up on a whammy bar. Unfortunately, during Paul's 2008 European tour, his trusty A/DA Flanger broke. Thankfully, before the pedal broke, he and Ibanez collaborated to make a similar pedal, with both a regular flanger mode and a mode which can be set to create a close approximation of the A/DA pedal's sound, and the pedal has been released as the Ibanez Paul Gilbert AF-2 Airplane Flanger. He also uses the Psilocybe phaser and THC chorus pedals from Home Brew Electronics.

In the intro to "Get Out Of My Yard" Paul uses a Boss DD-3 Delay pedal to achieve the altered pitch looped effect at the beginning of the track. This was also demonstrated by Paul on the instructional DVD of the same name.

He is also famous for using a Makita cordless drill with three picks mounted on the end of it, which he used most famously on the Mr. Big track "Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy".

In 2009, Ibanez released a new PGM model, the Ibanez PGM401, which is rather different from most of Paul's previous models, with an ash body (most of his previous models were made of basswood, although his PGM800 guitar was made of lightweight ash, a similar but different wood than that used in the PGM401), Trifade Burst finish, Cosmo Black hardware and a regular headstock replacing the reversed one of the previous models. Also, rather than the DiMarzio PAF Pro, Tone Zone and Super Distortion pickups used in his previous models, the PGM401 comes with Paul's favorite humbucker model for the past five years, the DiMarzio Air Classic, arranged in a dual humbucker arrangement. Paul has stated that he had the bridge pickup moved 1mm closer to the neck, which he said results in a warmer and thicker sound, particularly for the high notes he often uses in soloing. The F-holes are 3% smaller, to make the look more balanced with the pickup mounting rings. But perhaps the biggest difference from other current Ibanez guitar models, is that the PGM401 uses the old late-1980s neckjoint, which is thicker than the current neckjoints on other Ibanez guitars.

Discography

Racer X

''Street Lethal'' (1986)

''Second Heat'' (1987)

''Extreme Volume Live'' (1988)

''Extreme Volume II Live'' (1992)

''Technical Difficulties'' (1999)

''Superheroes'' (2000)

''Snowball of Doom'' (2002)

''Getting Heavier'' (2002)

''Snowball of Doom 2'' (2002)

Mr. Big

''Mr. Big'' (1989)

''Raw Like Sushi'' (1990)

''Lean Into It'' (1991)

''Raw Like Sushi II'' (1992)

''Bump Ahead'' (1993)

''Japandemonium: Raw Like Sushi 3'' (1994)

''Channel V at the Hard Rock Live'' (1996)

''Hey Man'' (1996)

''Big Bigger Biggest: Greatest Hits'' (1996)

''Get Over It'' (2000)

''Actual Size'' (2001)

''Next Time Around'' Best Of (2009)

''Back To Budokan'' Live (2009)

''What If...'' (2011)

Solo Albums

''Tribute to Jimi Hendrix'' (EP) (1991) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #59)

''King of Clubs'' (1998) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #28)

''Flying Dog'' (1998) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #23)

''Beehive Live'' (1999) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #72)

''Alligator Farm'' (2000) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #24)

''Raw Blues Power With Jimi Kidd'' (2002) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #94)

''Burning Organ'' (2002) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #27)

''Paul the Young Dude/The Best of Paul Gilbert'' (2003) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #31)

''Gilbert Hotel'' (2003)

''Acoustic Samurai'' (2003) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #94)

''Space Ship One'' (2005) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #53)

''Get Out of My Yard'' (2006) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #52)

''Tough Eskimo'' (limited edition EP) (2007)

''Silence Followed By A Deafening Roar'' (2008) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #39)

''United States'' With Freddie Nelson (2009)

''Fuzz Universe'' (2010) (Japan Oricon Album Chart #57)

Other appearances

''Trouble In The Streets''- Black Sheep(1985)

''Atomic Basement Tapes'' - Missing Lynx (1981)

''Revelation'' - Darrell Mansfield Band (1985)

''Pump It!' - Jeff Berlin (1986)

''Out of the Sun'' - Joey Tafolla (1990)

''Humanary Stew'' - A Tribute to Alice Cooper

''Guitars That Rule the World'' (1992)

''Smoke On The Water: A Tribute'' (1994)

''Samad: Samad'' Lead Guitar on "Joget" and "Animo" (1994)

''Jeffology: A Guitar Chronicle'' (1996)

''Carmine Appice's Guitar Zeus'' (track "Dislocated") (1996)

''Akira Takasaki - Wa'' (1996)

''Merry Axemas - A Guitar Christmas'' (1997)

''Mikazuki "In Rock" Sound Track, Guitar on tracks "Crescent Moon" & "Theme for Kazeo" (2000)

''Becker 2001, Warmth in the Wilderness -A Tribute to Jason Becker''(Guitar and vocals for ''Hawkin'')

Hughes Turner Project'' - HTP (2002)

''Battle Gear III: The Edge'' (played on "Charge and Discharge," "Morning View," and "The Machine of Rage" bonus tracks) (2003)

''Kim Fox'' Return to Planet Earth (2003) Guitar on track 4

''Guitar Wars'' (2003)

''Return to the Planet Earth'' - Kim Fox (2003)

''One Night in New York City'' - Yellow Matter Custard (2003) Available @ MikePortnoy.com

''Mieze'' - Marco Minnemann (2004)

''Five Feet...No Inches'' - Pintsize (2005)

''Contraire de la chanson'' - Marco Minnemann (2006)

''Parador'' (track "Joke") - Wisely (2006)

''Light at the End of the Tunnel'' - War and Peace (2006) (with Richie Kotzen, John Norum, Jeff Pilson)

''Two Nights In North America'' - Hammer of the Gods (2006) Available @ MikePortnoy.com

''One Night in Chicago'' - Cygnus and the Sea Monsters (2006) Available @ MikePortnoy.com

''Live with Sex Machineguns - Tokyo (2005)

''One Night in New York City'' - Amazing Journey (2007) Available @ MikePortnoy.com

''Spin The Bottle'' - An All Star Tribute To Kiss (guitars on "I Want You") (2004)

''Numbers from the Beast'' - An All Star Tribute to Iron Maiden (guitars on "The Evil That Men Do") (2005)

''Evil Lives: A True Metal Tribute to Black Sabbath'' (with Racer X on Track 4: "Children of the Grave") (2006)

''The Fool'' - Jeff Martin solo album (2006)

''Sola Scriptura'' - Neal Morse (2007)

''G3 Tour'' (2007)

''Lifeline'' - Neal Morse (2008)

''Guitar Hero Hero (Beating Guitar Hero Doesn't Make You Slash)'' - MC Lars (2008)

''Bowling For Soup - Merry Flippin Christmas VOL 1 (I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause) (2009)

Videography

''Intense Rock - Sequences & Techniques'' VHS version

''Intense Rock II'' VHS version

''Guitars from Mars'' Japanese DVD release

''Guitars from Mars II'' Japanese DVD release

''Terrifying Guitar Trip'' VHS version

''Eleven Thousand Notes'' DVD

''Guitar Wars'' DVD

''Space Ship Live DVD (2005)

''Complete Intense Rock DVD (2006)

''Terrifying Guitar Trip DVD (2006)

''Get Out Of My Yard Guitar Instructional DVD (2007)

''Get Out Of My City Guitar Instructional DVD/VCD (2007)

''One Night In New York City'' - Yellow Matter Custard (2003)

''Two Nights In North America'' - Hammer Of The Gods (2006)

''One Night In Chicago'' - Cygnus And The Sea Monsters (2006)

''One Night In New York City - Amazing Journey (2007)

''Silence Followed By A Deafening Roar Guitar Instructional DVD And Shred Annex (2008)

''The Last Note of Freedom

References

External links

The official Paul Gilbert site

The official Racer X site

Paul Gilbert - Rock Squad Interview

Gilbert's solo on Mr Big site

Paul Gilbert on Last.fm

Paul Gilbert artist page at Guitar Video Channel

Category:1966 births Category:Living people Category:American rock guitarists Category:Lead guitarists Category:American musicians of Polish descent Category:Racer X members Category:Mr. Big members Category:G3 Category:Musicians from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Category:People from Carbondale, Illinois

de:Paul Gilbert es:Paul Gilbert fa:پال گیلبرت fr:Paul Gilbert hr:Paul Gilbert it:Paul Gilbert he:פול גילברט hu:Paul Gilbert nl:Paul Gilbert ja:ポール・ギルバート pl:Paul Gilbert pt:Paul Gilbert ru:Гилберт, Пол sk:Paul Gilbert fi:Paul Gilbert sv:Paul Gilbert tr:Paul Gilbert zh:保罗·吉尔伯特