A while back info about the Fender Jazzmaster 50th Anniversary Concert in NYC was posted here, well the event took place and Pitchforkmedia.com managed to get some good photos up on their site.

It seems like somewhat of a big event to have for a Fender guitar but it’s an important one. The Fender Jazzmaster and Jaguar proved to be incredibly influential during the formative years of alternative rock. Bands like Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr, My Bloody Valentine and countless others would go on to re-popularize the Jazzmaster and Jaguar.

During the early 90’s Jazzmasters and Jaguars were largely regarded as surf-music guitars by most players. As a result you could buy high-quality vintage versions of these guitars for around $200 or $300. As a result of their popularity vintage models now routinely sell for thousands of dollars. I’m pretty sure they’ll do a similar event for the 50th anniversary of the Fender Jaguar as well.

The release of Metallica’s new album, Death Magnetic, is not the only newsworthy event this week. It was announced today that Sonic Youth has signed with Matador Records to release their 16th studio album, reportedly entitled The Eternal. Matador part-owner, Gerard Cosloy, wrote:

“For Matador, the opportunity to work in partnership with a group who’ve made such an profound impact on our roster/hometown/collective consciousness was one to jump at. Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley will commence recording the new Sonic Youth LP/CD this autumn and we look forward to sharing further details in the very near future.”

Seems like Thurston is staying as busy as ever, still running his own label, Ecstatic Peace!, and doing shows aside from Sonic Youth including The 50th Anniversary Fender Jazzmaster Concert this Friday. The show will also feature artists such as Tom Verlaine, Nels Cline, Lee Ranaldo & J Mascis. The event, which takes place at the Knitting Factory in New York, will not only be an opportunity for musicians to honor their favorite guitar, but a great chance for music fans to catch their favorite indie-rockers all in one place. (I wonder if Mascis will be playing his signature Jazzmaster).

More info on the show and each artist performing here.

More upcoming shows of interest:

Sonic Youth:
10-09 Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
10-10 Bolzano, Italy - Museion
10-11 Bolzano, Italy - Stahlbau Pichler

Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo:
09-12 New York, NY - Knitting Factory *
* with Nels Cline, Tom Verlaine, J Mascis

Thurston Moore:
09-17 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street #
09-19 Monticello, NY - Kutshers Country Club (ATP New York) #
09-27 New York, NY - Stone (as Northampton Wools)
# performing Psychic Hearts

Kim Gordon:
09-26 Saratoga, CA - Montalvo Arts Center (Kim Gordon Meets Phantom Orchard)

Lee Ranaldo:
09-28 Urbana, IL - Krannert Center for the Performing Arts *
* with Bang on a Can All-Stars, Glenn Kotche