this month's poll

please leave your comments here after voting in this month's poll

Victor Wooten Bass Clinic

I had the privilege of going to see a free clinic at Sweetwater recently and was very impressed! I saw a few of our fellow bloggers there too and wondered what your impressions were? What were your favorite tips?

For me, Victor Wooten (bassist for Béla Fleck and the Flecktones) was quite impressive as a player and performer but what really surprised me was his humble demeanor and gracious attitude. This is my first time attending a clinic so I'm not sure if this is common, but he seemed very willing to take time and make sure that every question was heard and that every topic was covered.
He had some very interesting ideas on many topics like how to practice by yourself, how to raise kids to love music without making it a chore, how to approach music as a whole to make it more enjoyable to play and create, and much more!
All I can say is that if most clinics are half as good as this one, I'd recommend going to any of them you can!  Below is a little Wooten trivia:
Wooten won two Nashville Music Awards for Bassist Of The Year and is the only three-time winner of Bass Player magazine’s Bass Player Of The Year. With the honors came sideman calls, leading to recordings and performances with artists like Branford Marsalis, Mike Stern, Bruce Hornsby, Chick Corea, Dave Matthews, Prince, Gov’t Mule, Susan Tedeschi, Vital Tech Tones (with Scott Henderson and Steve Smith), the Jaco Pastorius Word Of Mouth Big Band, and the soundtrack of the Disney film Country Bears.

post your album recommendations here

*edit* I have bumped this thread up again so we don't forget to keep adding suggestions.  also don't forget to check the box to receive email updates on future comments

if you find a new favorite album that you would like to recommend to the rest of us, please post all of them in the comments of this post here. this way we will have a ongoing list to refer to when we want to broaden our listening habits.
also, please post a little info too such as:
☼ why you like it, ☼ things to listen for, ☼ favorite tracks, ☼ sounds like, etc...
if you subscribe to comments then you can easily see when people add suggestions without needing to check back to this post all the time. or when you post your comment, you can check the box to have follow-up comments emailed to you automatically to keep up with new suggestions.

Les Paul (1915-2009)

what kind of music blog is this? not even a mention of the passing of a music legend?!? for shame...

By all accounts he was a really nice guy who loved to play and perform right up until his death at age 94.

Among the numerous videos of him on youtube here are two I found interesting:

Coors beer commercial (I like the thought of him putting a punk in his place)

Showing off his licks (about a minute in he starts really flying!)

Lester William Polsfuss, known as Les Paul (June 9, 1915 — August 13, 2009) was an American innovator, inventor, musician and songwriter. He was a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which "made the sound of rock and roll possible".^[2] He is credited with many recording innovations, including overdubbing (also known as sound on sound),^[3] delay effects such as tape delay, phasing effects, and multitrack recording.^[4]

His innovative talents extended into his playing style, including licks, trills, chording sequences,fretting techniques and timing, which set him apart from his contemporaries and inspired many of the guitarists of the present day.^[5][6][7][8] He recorded with his wife Mary Ford in the 1950s and they sold millions of records.

Among his many honors, Paul is one of a handful of artists with a permanent, stand-alone exhibit in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.^[9] He is prominently named by the music museum on its website as an "architect" and a "key inductee" along with Sam Phillips and Alan Freed.^[10]

poll: predictive obituary

many of the old classic bands are getting up there in years, so who do you think might 'lose' a member next and why?

everyone has a muse

When I watch a movie I really liked. I always want to write a song about how I viewed the main plot or charactures. kinda silly when you think of it. but, I was wondering what makes other people write. I also like to write after I see people argue. I implant what I think the arguement is about. so, list what it takes for you to bust out a song.

Poll: hidden tracks

there have been all kinds of variations on the "hidden track" from long silences followed by a tiny clip to multiple blank tracks followed by a bonus song. the only thing I personally have against them is when there is a long silence because it really messes up a good random play mix.
how do you feel?

annoying hit songs

so since i forgot my mp3 player today i had to listen to a crappy warsaw fm station that basically played classic rock and 100% of it was the super overplayed songs that are famous. personally i hate hearing songs often even if they are some of my favorites.

but today they played back-to-back what have to be 2 of the most annoying songs:

Layla (Clapton) followed by Sympathy for the Devil (Stones)

now i'm not saying that these are bad songs (listen to clips yourself) but they sure seem annoying when you actually listen to all 6-7 minutes of them. Clapton solos thru the whole song and for about 4 mins at the end he is playing some really annoying bends way up on the neck that make my ears bleed. and thruout almost the whole Stones song the background singers keep saying "WOOOT WOO"

eghads!

So, what are your nominations for some of the most annoying famous songs? especially ones that the whole world just seems to love but that make you want to blow your brains out with a rusty pellet gun.

just when you think you are starting to 'get' music

I am always amazed and usually stupefied every time I scratch the surface of music knowledge.
recently, while doing a bit of research on wikipedia, I ran across these mind blowing topics: (which link to many more brain bending topics!)
Just Intonation
Pythagorean Tuning
Close Harmony
Beat (acoustics)
Mathematics of Musical Scales

So, now post any cool little tips or musical phenomena that you have known that you found amazing in your previous experiences.

Poll: popular music genres

please check out this month's poll and if you would like more info on any of the genres and the hundreds of sub-genres you can find some information here and here. Many of them are quite funny sounding and just beg to be commented on so here's your chance to crack on ridiculous styles of music!

Favorite Movie Soundtrack?

What are some of your favorite movie soundtracks and why? Click here for some ideas. Just off the top of my head and in no certain order, some of mine are:

• Star Wars (Original Trilogy) - all of the music but specifically: The Imperial March / The Force Theme
  
• Across The Universe - interesting versions of Beatles songs
  
• August Rush - Kaki King's guitar work in the movie
  
• Get Shorty - Funky bass lines and horns
  
• Immortal Beloved - Moonlight Sonata, Fur Elise
• O' Brother Where Art Thou? - The Soggy Bottom Boys! lol
  

Metallica haters

I think someone has to speak out with a reality check for Metallica music.  Unlike somebody who listened to a small piece of one song on the radio, I have heard the whole album multiple times, and, yes people still do buy their albums.  Would you take one bite of a five course meal and judge the whole meal based on that bite? Do you review movies based solely on the preview?  I'm sorry but I can garauntee you that Dave Mustaine has always regretted getting kicked out of the band.  He has even said so publicly.  I love Megadeth but you have to admit they are always  in the shadow of Metallica.  As for the changes within the "day that never comes" song, I think you may have forgotten about at least half a dozen songs on kill em all or and justice for all.  Listen to the four horsemen or harvester of sorrow and tell me they aren't different parts put together.  If you remembered your Metallica history you would know that this fits right in the formula that has made some great songs in the past.

As far as Hetfield's vocals go, sure age has taken its toll on his voice.  Name some singers who have been going at it so fierce for so long that haven't shown wear for the worse   e.g. Ozzy, Sebastian Bach, or Axle Rose.  I think you were making reference to Velveeta when you talked about processed things since I don't know what the heck Velvetta even is.  If you are under the impression that there are big time singers still out there who don't process their voices and spend hours fixing voice problems or rerecording tracks you have been duped my friend.

Now we respond to the video game problem.  There are so many bands in those games that are still considered respectable.  Slayer tried to get into rock band but was turned down.  Are they less hardcore because they wanted to make a few more million dollars?  Any band who has an opportunity to get their name on a huge popular great-selling item will do it.  That is why they get into it.  Sure bands love to make music, but the real reason they go through the agony of "making it" is to reap the rewards that come with it.  Tell me Aeroosmith or ACDC or the Rolling Stones didn't jump at every opportunity to get bigger or put their faces out their more and more.

I also don't understand the theory that the black album was somehow a less commercial album than the albums that followed.  There is a slow song, multiple songs on the radio, and talk about processing.  There is no less processing on the black album than there is on Load.  Also, how is Garage Inc. a wasted album when it has great old stuff and covers of good rock songs as well.

In conclusion, I challenge you to defend these arguments.  Give me a specific band that you think has done it better for as long as Metallica has.  I want to hear more about the huge changes musically between the black album and later albums.  It might also be nice if you actually listened to the music you are trashing before you degrade it.  Maybe even listen to some older stuff instead of just your fragmented memories of glory so you have a good comparison.  Come back when you have an accurate picture of the whole music catalog.  Lastly, I just want to verify that it is spelled Velveeta and I know because it rocks just like Metallica does!

music soothes the savage beast

Today was a bad day for me and when I got into my car no average music will do.I made a cd for just this day . heres some of the songs on it. "kick out the jams"-mc5(clean)....."Winder"-hum.....,"leave me alone"-extreme....,"one angry dwarf"-ben folds....and others... so ,If you were to make a cd of this nature what would be on it????

Poll: new instrument

post your comments on this month's poll here

woodstock was 40 years ago

I have recently seen rumors that there might be a 40th anniversary of Woodstock 1969 this year but it looks like it will not happen in any form recognizable to the original event. when I tried to think of who they'd get to play it now-a-days I had a really hard time thinking of appropriate acts that would have the same relevance as it did back then... maybe I give those old classic bands too much credit but they sure seemed more epic than anybody we have around today. (did you know that Sha-Na-Na played Woodstock!?!? click above to read who played and what songs they payed)

so, I thought we should make our own Woodstock 09 dream lineup. who are some bands that would be good to have in a 3 day/night outdoor concert in 2009? no wrong answers are possible, just lots of good suggestions of bands that are active today.

Which band or artist jumped the shark?

The other day I was scanning radio stations in the car trying to find a decent song (actually any song at that point because there were commercials on all the stations) and I paused at 98.9 for a moment. I paused in much the same way that a person would pause as they pass a horrific car accident. It's terrible but you can't look away. Similarly, this song was terrible and yet I couldn't change the station. The name of the song was...actually I don't know and don't want to know. The band was Metallica. I'm assuming the song was off of a new cd? Are people still buying their cds? I don't know. Anyway, the song sounded like all the band members were dead and the studio assembled some outtakes and made a song out it. (which is ironic because they have been dead to me since the black album...I think the black album should retrospectivelly be called "Metallica is dead, because we're going to sell out and suck really bad after this black album and that's why we made it black and with no album title because we died ") Kind of like after Elvis was dead and they kept "finding" lost songs or when they did a song with dead Elvis and his daughter Lisa Marie. Hetfield's singing...well I can only relate it to Velvetta. Velvetta is so processed that they can't even call it cheese...it's cheese product. Yes, James Hetfield Highly Processed Singing Product or JHHPSP for short. The guitar, bass and drums sounded terrible in every way imaginable...like a bad Guitar Hero version. Which brings me to the icing on the cake of disappointment. A kind of jumping the shark of the music business. Metallica endorsed Guitar Hero?!?! Somewhere on the west coast there is a very very happy and at peace Dave Mustaine who is no longer angry that he got kicked out of Metallica. He's so very very happy as he watches the Metallica Guitar Hero commercial, that he is not a part of that band!


Is there a band or artist that you feel jumped the shark? Did they lip sync at the superbowl? Did they guest judge on American Idol? Did they try to replace a frontman through a tv show called Rockstar? Did they make 5 albums past their prime? Did they play Pierre's recently? :-D What are your thoughts?

missed live performance you'll never see

I was recently listening to a CD of 'rare' live tracks of a now defunct band (Jellyfish) and thinking how sad it will be to never see them play a live show... then that made me think of other bands I'll never get to see play live, like: Alice in Chains with Staley would be one. Morphine is another dead singer band that i'll never get to see either which is a shame cause the ultra-low sax playing might have sounded amazing live cranked so loud. (youtube audio stinks!)

so, are there any performers that you wish you could have seen play live, but most likely will not ever be able to now (for whatever reason?) I'm not really looking for bands that were fairly impossible for you to see like the Beatles (since they quit playing live before some of us were born) but more the bands that you should have seen but never did and now it's too late.

American Idol - do ya watch it? who do ya like?

So my wife makes me watch American Idol and yes, sometimes I even like it :-D At times there are some very fresh takes on old songs. It's funny because each year they audition 100,000 people and then have an elimination starting with 36 then down to 12. Even at the point of the final 36, it's fairly easy to pick out who the final 2 or 3 are going to be. This year kind of threw me though. We thought for sure Alexis Grace was going to the final 3 but she got voted off early. She had some bad song choices but the link above shows what she's capable of.

Our picks for the final two are Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta.

Allison Iraheta - Papa Was a Rolling Stone - Motown week. One of my favorite songs by the Temptations anyway...this little 16 year old girl just totally belts it out.

Adam Lambert - Satisfaction - Difficult to watch cause we think he's probably gay or just completely narcissistic...but the guy can hit some crazy notes. Would've made a great 80's hair band / hard rock lead singer.

Adam Lambert - Ring of Fire - This is the version he did for country week...lol.

Allison Iraheta - Give In To Me

Allison Iraheta - Blame it on your Heart

Adam Lambert - Tracks of my Tears - Motown week.

Linda also likes Kris Allen. In case you didn't watch AI last year, check out David Cook - Billie Jean (the Chris Cornell version)

Lyrics "Broken"

Here we are love turned to words
Spoke in an misunderstanding
you don't believe me and I can't prove its true
lately we feel like the calm before the storm
I'm broken heart and spirit
I did my best but my best wasn't good enough
I'm broken heart and feeling
and your turning it around and around and I
never trusted you
you broke my heart and nothing else matters
I'm broken heart and spirit
but I could never do you no harm
I look around what do I see
a thousand millon people happy but me
maybe next time I'll use more philosophy
I'm broken heart and spirit
I did my best but my best wasn't good enough
I'm broken heart and spirit
my head is turning around and around and I
never trusted you
you broke my heart and I won't recover
I'm broken heart and spirit
But i could never do you no harm

--
N.Benson

new member

everyone give a shoutout to our newest member: Andrew from Nashville.
you can learn a bit about him on his facebook wall
Andrew, feel free to post anything you think of... and you can post comments on older topics too as most of us keep up with all that... have fun!

Show your Original lyrics

I was thinking that most( if not all) on this blog write original lyrics or poems. so why not share them. this might be very uncomfortable for some but, i think that we have to put ourselves in uncomfortable places to make us better or at least get us to be less critical of our own work... so what do you think? should we set up a separate site where we could download songs we've created or what?....give me your thoughts.

Gear: Guitar Amp?

In my quest for a cheap Fender Tele I was also thinking about getting a new amp. My current amp is a Crate GX65. Nothing spectacular about it. Nice reverb, nice crunch, just nice in general. I want something that excites. I like some of the Fender tube amps that I've played at Guitar Center and I've been researching "boutique" amps. Soldano is mentioned alot.

What are your thoughts?

Gear: Guitar Materials?

Just wondering what everyone's thoughts/preferences are on various guitars/guitar components. What do you like/dislike?

LIKE
Maple Neck
Maple Fretboard
Ebony Fretboard
Fixed Bridge guitars (no tremolo)
Ovation Guitars (i have the 2078T)
Ibanez Guitars
ESP Guitars (Ibanez/Jackson wannabe but cool nonetheless)
Fender Telecaster (love the tone and feel)
Jackson Guitars (i have a Jackson Professional with a custom Warmoth body. Also, I prefer the Jackson Flying V over the Gibson.)

DISLIKE
Gibson Guitars (in general, I don't like the feel. Feels clunky and the neck width and diameter just aren't comfortable for me. I had an Epiphone Flying V back in the day.)
Guitar neck painted same as body color (my hand sweats and sticks to the neck)
Locking neck / Locking bridge Tremolo system (only big $ system actually stays in tune)
Fender Stratocaster (love the tone but to me this is the Ford Taurus of guitars...boring)
Rosewood Fretboard (once you go Ebony or Maple you'll never go back =)

My next purchase will be a Fender Telecaster. I actually like the cheaper Squier version $200 and the $500 or less Fender version both with Maple Neck/Maple Fretboard better than the $1000 and up models. The tone on the cheaper models is just as good as the high dollar models.

Music Theory 101 (This is a Blues Riff in B Watch for the Changes and Try to Keep Up).

Lately, I am starting to have a greater appreciation for guitar since I have been messing around with the piano. As Scotty had mentioned, I took a music theory course a couple of years back taught by a fun-sucking taskmaster named Generalissimo Lydy. In the course we learned that a major scale is: Whole step (2 frets), Whole step, Half step (1 fret), Whole step, Whole step, Whole Step and Half Step from your bass note (a minor scale would be W, H, W,W,H,W,W). Therefore, all the white keys on a piano are in the key of C. Whereas with the guitar it means all the normal notes (no sharps or flats) are in the key of C. However, if you did the major scale in A then C, F, G would be sharp. Further, music nazis name these notes in a major scale as (using the C major scale as the example):
I or Tonic (C) is the key note.
ii or Supertonic (D) establishes the Dominant as the secondary tone.
iii or Mediant (E) is the middle note in a triad (the three notes that make up a chord).
IV or Subdominant (F) is considered a good harmony note to start with since it is not in the triad.
V or Dominant (G) is the running mate of the Tonic and is also the third note of the triad to make a chord therefore C, F & G make up a C major chord
vi or Submediant (A) is the note that passes to the IV or ii. It is the second chord in the example passing to the IV.
vii or Leading Tone (B) is the note that music theorist say a song cannot end on cause it "naturally" directs you towards the Tonic note. It's the third chord in the example.
VIII or Octave is the same note as the Tonic only higher or lower. If you ever see the notation 8va or 8vb that means they want you to play the note higher or lower than the notated note.

Finally, the reason some of the roman numerals are lower case is because those chords in the major scale are supposed to be played as minor chords and the vii chord is diminished (which the fifth is flatted). Which means if you are playing the chords in the C scale it would be: C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, B dim (A scale would be A, Bm, Cm#, D, E, Fm# and D#dim which most guitarist simply achieve by capoing their guitar and playing like they are in the key of C). The reason I am boring you with this is because from this base we can get into some interesting conversations about scales, modes (Mixolydian, Dorian etc), and general theory and rule breaking of this theory that makes music unique. Also, I would like to know when you're making up songs do you follow any music theory or do you just wing it?

Anyway here are some songs in the key of C:
Dust in the Wind
Let It Be

technique: gettin picky with it

there is a nice article in the latest issue of Sweetwater's guitars & gear newsletter concerning an easy way to tweak your sound on guitar. check it out HERE.

Poll: what would you like to see more of here?

everybody please vote on the most recent poll and if you have suggestions please add them to the comments on this post. thanks!

Who's your favorite drummer?

So I was working on learning the song Jenny Wren by Paul McCartney and my wife and I were reminded of how much we enjoy watching Abe Laboriel, Jr. play drums. His passion for the music is contagious. I love how he makes a contribution to the song even though his part of the song is very basic. The drums (drum) kick in at about 1 minute 15 seconds. Linda's favorite part is from 2:24 through 2:40.

• Also, check out Maybe I'm Amazed - Paul McCartney - Abe really gets into it about 2 minutes 25 seconds...so much though that the keyboard player and Paul can't stop smiling at him.
• Also, the dude can sing! He starts singing at :42.
• How about any of these three?

Who's YOUR favorite drummer?

(by the way...for the bass player topic, how about Abe's Dad, Abe Laboriel Sr? :)

most embarrassing music in your collection

sorry for all the lists recently but i can't stop thinking of topics to ask your opinion on.
here is the rules for this most embarrassing music list:
you must own this music currently and you have to have played it within the past year's time.
in other words, it is something you like, and listen to occasionally, but you aren't proud to tell other people.
please note why it's embarrassing, and if you can provide a link so we can enjoy it's embarrassing-ness that would be most excellent (Amazon.com is a great way to find free clips of songs)

most annoying frontman ever?

(edit: I found this list of annoying rockstars with some pretty funny comments)
comment to place your vote for the most annoying frontman (singer) ever.
multiple suggestions are welcome, and reasons backed by evidence (specific songs or audio/video clips) would be nice =)

the 51st grammy awards

this years grammy awards: what did you think about this years show, winners, and performances?

Maybe there's a particular album, or song that....

...reminds you of some horrible chain of events, or completely misguided decision some time in the past?

Personally, the more I try to rid myself of the abomination called "Recovery Room Commercial v7.8", starring Nathan, John, Larry, and myself, the more it comes out and haunts me.

Example: Today, in my errand-running activities (The bank, and a Goodwill store) I heard the radio version of the commercial a total of THREE times! Twice at Goodwill, once at the bank.

Example 2: After being convinced the abomination had crawled into a hole and died, finally, I was reminded by FOUR people in one day of window cleaning that they had seen the commercial within the last week or so, and they just thought it was fantastic.

Perhaps there's a similar case out there, where you hear a song/album, and think, "Man, whatever it is I'm remembering was dumb at the time!"

In my case. Thursday's album : Full Collapse was the first album I ever had in my first car. Man I hate that car. Love the album. But honestly, should have gone with the '72 Volare! The Nissan was a pit.

What about y'all?

we are being had (again)

I need to rant about this just a bit and then i'll be ok...

so I actually went to buy a CD today and was appalled at the price, and so i left the store to do a little research.  now in truth  it's been awhile since i bought a new CD from a store and i think the last one was at Best Buy on the release date so it was only $8.99 that day... everything else i've bought was used off ebay except for one album recently that was $5 for a whole 256kps mp3 album from amazon. 

so maybe i'm a bit of a jaded consumer but doesn't it seems like we are being totally ripped off when it comes to buying music?

i'll use the most recent counting crows CD as an example:

$10 amazon.com 256kbs mp3 download with no art/lyrics, etc

$14 + $3 shipping amazon.com for new CD with reduced packaging (read: no case)

$15 at Best Buy for CD with reduced packaging

$18 in B&N store for CD with cardboard sleeve (ahem: reduced package blah blah)

ok, artists really only get paid based on the amount of music they sell, right, so basic production and recording of albums is fairly consistient between artists and then marketing and pressing of the CD's i'm sure is not super cheap, but $15-$20 for a CD when I can buy 50 blank CD's for under $20?  given the benefit of doubt that it really does cost that much to make an album from start to finish where do they get off charging $10 for a download!?!?  and it would be $14 if I purchased it one track at a time on iTunes!??  wha?

if i remember, a download is an inferior quality version that contains no physical attributes, no case, no artwork, no lyrics.  I don't neccessarily want all that for every album i buy but i think we are getting ripped both ways now.  at least with a CD i can tell myself that i am getting the highest quality sound possible (a CD is 1400kbps while a mp3 is 128-256kbps) and at least with a CD i have an archival-quality, physical copy of something i bought and it will still be there if my hard drive/mp3 player craps out or comes down with a nasty virus.  but $20!?!? when we know it only costs them 25 cents for the CD, 25 cents for the liners, and 25 cents for the case.

somehow we have been convinced that despite massive increases in technology, a single song of lesser quality is worth $1 each on iTunes... that a physical copy of songs we purchased are not neccessary, and that it costs an artist $20 to produce an album.

/sigh... looks like i will be watching for more $3 deals on used CD's on ebay for all my future music purchases... sorry musicians

...and don't even get me started on what netflix and blockbuster are charging for less-than-DVD-quality movies for download... are we just that gullible these days or does quality not matter anymore in this throw-away world?

Morbid thought

What song (other than kingdom melodies) would you want to be played at your funeral ?

under the radar - guitar

name one "famous" guitarist who is very underrated or doesn't get the respect they deserve despite their talent.

keep it to national recording acts with relative fame (a recognizable name) and maybe even provide a specific example or even a link to a song or video as proof.

for research purposes check out this list with included audio samples from rolling stone's 100 greatest. (i changed the link to make it easier to read)

What inspired you?

What inspired you to play an instrument? Were there songs or an artist along the way that sent you in a different musical direction? My path:


1) Randy Rhoads (guitarist for Quiet Riot and Ozzy) - I was 15 years old and my buddy played me the Tribute album by Ozzy...specifically the guitar solo for the song Suicide Solution. The solo gave me chills, so the next day I went and bought a Hondo guitar and a small amp. Still can't play the solo to this day but I'm getting there :-D


2) Stevie Ray Vaughn - I was 21 years old, watching MTV unplugged and this very ugly man sits down on the show and starts playing Pride and Joy. Next day I go to Quantum Music on State Street and begin taking blues guitar lessons from George Ogg (John Forbing was teaching down the hall). /end heavy metal influence /begin blues influence.


3) Classical - This was always there but kind of in the background because I didn't have the dexterity at the time to play any of it. There were always pieces of heavy metal or hard rock songs that I would learn such as the Love Song intro by Tesla, When the Children Cry intro by White Lion and Dust in the Wind by Kansas. My focus on classical shifted when Johnny5 and I took a music class at IPFW. The prof taught us the correct traditional fingering and Linda bought me a classical guitar. This is most of what I'm playing/learning these days.


4) Cirque Du Soleil - The Beatles Love @ The Mirage - Las Vegas - A couple of years ago Linda and I saw this show in Vegas. I was always pretty closed minded about the Beatles but I found that I did actually like quite a few of their songs. Also, I wanted to learn easy to play popular songs for gatherings and such and the Beatles fit the bill. There is much more depth to their songwriting and playing than I would have ever imagined.



What inspired you?

Try This!

So with all of the talk about new music I am curious what is in your CD/.mp3 player at the moment? What album would you recommend that I should pick up? Right now I am listening to Kings of Leon's "Only By the Night". Personally, from beginning to end I think it is a four star record. I have their other stuff but I didn't like it all that much. The singer has a really unique voice and I don't think he got a handle on it until this album. They are a Tennessee band so perhaps some of you have already heard of them.

music is like an old friend

I was listening to a cassette that i haven't listened to in years. It brought up some old memmories and feelings. so ,I was thinking that we should list our cd or cassette or album that we used to listen to all day long when we were teens. heres mine........Sports (huey lewis and the news)1983............favorite song "walking on a thin line"..............so whats yours?

Across the Universe: Romance, history lesson, musical.

As a romance, Across the Universe is unspectacular. Why did Jude find Lucy so attractive? She was blonde, I guess.

As a history lesson, it is trite.

And as a musical, it is, well... a musical. Which is to say it is sometimes fun, and oftentimes embarrassing--kind of like a crazy mom.

On the plus side, the film does feature covers of and references to one of the great bands across the universe.

Tom Waits.

Tom Waits should appear an interesting figure to almost anyone. You know who he is, you've seen him in movies, his songs have been (some would say unfortunately) popularized by Spingsteen ("Jersey Girl"), Rod Stewart ("Downtown Train"), and the Eagles ("Ol
55"). You're perfectly aware of him... A perpetually old, perpetually hat-wearing pathological liar, who, after returning to music from a 7-year stretch without an album, told every single interviewer who asked what took him so long: "I was stuck in traffic." But there's STILL a wall around the music itself. It's almost like a big inside joke, because you can't just pick up a record and get into his music.

First of all, there are 20 records between 1973 and today. Ignore the "gravelly voice" thing for now, everyone either gets over it or comes to appreciate it. The first thing to do is provide some chronological context, so you know which end of the spectrum you're in if you decide to listen. Between 1973's Closing Time and 1980's Heartattack And Vine, you have genuine bar sleaze, foraying into the seedy underbellies of jazz and blues. Most recommended from this era is 1976's Small Change, including "The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)" and "Invitation To The Blues."

In 1983, Waits was pushed into experimental territory in a reversal of the usual paradigm: by sobering up and settling down with wife/faceless collaborator, Kathleen Brennan (to whom he's still married today). Swordfishtrombones was the first of a trilogy of albums, followed by Rain Dogs and Franks Wild Years. Check out "Gun Street Girl," the linguistic evolution of traditional few-strings-short-of-a-guitar blues. "Jockey Full Of Bourbon," "Hang On St. Christopher," and the title track to Swordfishtrombones are other easier-access highlights of the era. After this came Bone Machine, which won a grammy for Best "Alternative" Rock performance, to which Waits responded, "Alternative to what?" The song "Goin' Out West" is most memorable for its appearance in Fight Club, definitely the peak of Waits' growly rock songs.

OK, now, a little soundtrack work, stage productions, and 7 years later we arrive at 1999's Mule Variations. Lots of people like it, I'm not sure about it. More folky than Waits' older work. Next we have two albums released at the same time... Alice. From Robert Wilson's experimental twist on Alice In Wonderland, which figured into its stage context the fact that Lewis Carroll wrote his Alice stories for the eponymous 9-year-old girl who had captured his affections. Listen to the title track, and that's about it. Now this is important: if you only listen to one Tom Waits song, listen to "All The World Is Green" from Blood Money. The album has plenty to offer in between its less accessible pieces, but this is, above all, the doorway to Tom Waits. Then from 2004's Real Gone: "Dead And Lovely" and "Green Grass" are most recommended.

So now that you've gotten your bearings, hopefully you can appreciate the rest of the catalog. Admittedly, nothing is truly accessible, but there is a certain difference between Tom Waits and many other performers. With most, even if you can't get into it at first, there may be a moment when it all clicks and you understand it. With Tom Waits, these things click very gradually... Maybe first it's the lyrics, which lead you to appreciate the voice... Maybe then it's the more traditionally-constructed songs from Small Change or Blue Valentines, and by the time the 80's records roll around into your music collection, you see the transition and understand those a little better, and then you come to understand the more folk-oriented records coming from Waits' growing domesticity.

Before you know it, you'll be bothering your coworkers or your wife or whoever comes into the room with music they probably won't like. I dunno, though, I always liked that feeling.

does rock make you ugly?

or is it that rock just allows the ugly to succeed? (see possible evidence in pic below)
although i'm not sure if eddie van halen was even decent-looking in his prime, i can easily say that he is far from it now if this pic from 2006 is allowed into evidence!
fortunately, more recent pics show a bit of improvement from his 'meth-mouth' look of 2006. i especially enjoyed some of the defensive comments from people on the blog.... wow those are some die-hard fans!

interesting comparison

for a very interesting discussion including a comparison of two heavy-weight rock songwriters check out this post by one of our own contributors

a theory in the works

the initial idea of creating a blog like this came from a conversation with nathan about the state of music today and a personal theory of mine which partially involves the topic of why some people stop listening to new music as they age. i believe the theory will eventually involve many possible reasons for this all-too-common occurrence and i will be working on fleshing out the general outline of my theory in coming days and look forward to hearing if you have any such personal insights right now. is it more than just the human tendency to look with disgust upon incoming generation's culture? is it that overall music generally devolves each year? is it the form and way we listen to music because of changing technology? is it genetic? etc...

charter statement

welcome! as you can see this is a work in progress. my purpose is to provide a forum for myself, other musicians, and general lovers of music to post and catalog the many daily observations that come with the blessing (curse?) of being music retentive.

therefore, please feel free to post any music related comments, and please comment on other peoples posts, regardless if you agree or disagree with their thoughts. DEBATE IS ENCOURAGED BUT PLEASE REMEMBER THAT EVERYONE IS ENTITLED TO THEIR OWN OPINIONS---so try to post your feelings without belittling any others opinions. otherwise, post it all: long or short, sophisticated or sophomoric, silly or serious, rock-solid or undefined. my purpose it to create a safe haven for all thoughts musical and to gain insight into my fellow fools fantasia of thoughts.

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