DAVE MUSTAINE: New MEGADETH Guitarist Is 'Doing Just Fine'

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine has posted the following message in the "Forums" section of the band's official web site:

"Ah, what a great day it is today! I can see Glen [Drover, former MEGADETH guitarist] posted, and I am happy for him. Chris [Broderick, new MEGADETH guitarist] is doing just fine and we will keep you posted with some snippets at the MEGADETH Fan Club and I will notify you through my The Live Line number when the files are on the MFC site.

"The shows are selling out overseas and we are pumped about the songs we are going to learn. I told Chris after we get the basic set caught up that we could always improvise on certain songs like an extended shred, of which he has to play with one hand behind his back, or we just pull out the songs I have been trying to add for a while and that Shawn [Drover, drums] has been requesting.

"Either way, it is really fun around the House of Mustaine. James [Lomenzo, bass] and I are going over video of the making of the record and the dumbest stuff is on tape, like filming and then stopping and taking the tape out and losing the time code and putting it back in (and that is just to mention the simple things),but James is having fun with it. He actually said what a mess it was with much more colorful words for the film and much less flattery for the camera mis-operators :-)

"I hope to see many of your beautiful faces this weekend at the NAMM show and I hope you get a chance to see Chris at the Engl booth and what not. I know that Shawn and James are going to be there, as well as many of the other old ex-MEGADETH members that still go to NAMM. Then Sunday we start rehearsal at my house studio until Wednesday. We will be leaving on the 31st for Finland tentatively, and we start the European tour in less than three weeks.

"I am excited, are you?

"So, be sure to come check me out if you are at the NAMM show at the Dean booth and if you don't make it Friday, no sweat! I will be there on Saturday too! I am secretly pining to get up there on Thursday to see all of my other endorsers and thank them for the glorious support they provide for me and MEGS, and what we plan on doing this year with Gigantour, and setting out for a new record with Chris some day, and on, and on, and on.

"Thursday I want to visit with Seymour Duncan, Jim Dunlop, Monster Cable, Shure, Pro-Tools, Marshall, and Teac/Tascam to just say thank you, too! SO if you are there on Thursday, it will be much more casual for you to say hello than when I am entranced in front of the fantastic Dean booth!

"Anyway, I am rambling, and I have to go feed Rocky and get the kids to school. And be sure to look for some new people joining Legends Cup Coffee. We are proud to announce we are joining up with Goldberg! Yep, Bill Goldberg of WCW championship is the newest Legend for Pam's [Dave's wife] company (she is the real owner of Legends Cup Coffee, which is why I laugh when the haters say it is my company),and next they are talking to my good friend Charlie Benante of ANTHRAX fame. Truly a legend from the Big Four in American heavy metal back in the day.

"Call my number at The Live Line, my lovelies! Talk to you later!"

The third installment of Gigantour — the acclaimed traveling heavy music festival launched in 2005 by Mustaine — will launch April 12 in Denver, CO with headliner MEGADETH, Swedish metal band IN FLAMES, Finland's CHILDREN OF BODOM, Arizona's modern extreme JOB FOR A COWBOY and Oakland, CA heavy power trio HIGH ON FIRE all confirmed. The 29-date trek will criss-cross North America and wraps May 22 in Phoenix, AZ.