Posted March 12, 2011 at 10:30 am | No comments
Released in 2001 on Incubus’ Morning View album, “Nice to Know You” was one of the heavier songs on the album, which overall was softer than their previous releases. It was also the last album to feature bassist Alex Katunich, who left the band in 2003 after an 11-year tenure with the group, being replaced by current bassist Ben Kenney. The song features the iconic vocals of lead singer Brandon Boyd, who’s mixture of speech and singing became a trademark for the band early on and helped to differentiate them from the other alternative rock bands of the time.
Posted in: Guitar Tab
Posted March 11, 2011 at 7:59 am | No comments
When punk-rock band Green Day decided to move their music from post-grunge radio friendly hits to a more politically tinged writing style, very few people would have predicted the enormous amount of success and recognition that this would bring to the band. It’s always a risk when a band moves into the political realm, for various and often obvious reasons (just ask Sinead O’Connor about her Saturday Night Live appearance), but Green Day’s 2005 album American Idiot is a genuine attempt from the band to discuss current events surrounding politics and more specifically war. One of the most prominent anti-war songs on the album is the hit single “Holiday.”
Posted in: Guitar Tab
Posted March 10, 2011 at 7:39 am | No comments
The love triangle between George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Patti Boyd, is well known in the annuls of rock history, and though it created a lot of heartbreak, it was also the inspiration for some great rock and roll songs. One of the songs that it inspired is the classic love-ballad, “Wonderful Tonight.” Originally written by Clapton as he waited for Boyd to get ready for Paul and Linda McCartney’s annual Buddy Holly party, the song would be both special and heart wrenching for Boyd as her relationship with Clapton went from good to bad and the couple split in 1989.
Posted in: Guitar Tab
Posted March 9, 2011 at 8:44 am | No comments
Referred to as both a painfully slow ballad and one of the band’s best songs, “Desperado” has become a bit of an enigma for a band that has always walked the line between soft rock and hard rock. Written by Glenn Frey and Don Henley, the song was never released as a single when it first came out on the album of the same name, though it has since been released on several compilations of the band’s greatest hits. “Desperado” has become a favorite Eagles track when bands are searching for a tune to cover, and has been rerecorded by many famous acts that range from Clint Black to Johnny Cash to the Gimme Gimmes.
Posted in: Guitar Tab
Posted March 8, 2011 at 1:34 pm | No comments
While the song “Viva la Vida” was a huge hit for UK rock band Coldplay, it was also at the center of two separate plagiarism controversies. The first involved the band Creaky Boards, who claimed that Coldplay had stolen the melody to “Viva” from their song “The Songs I Didn’t Write.” The claims were based on the allegations that Coldplay singer Chris Martin had seen Creaky Boards perform live shortly before writing the song, an allegation that was later disputed. After going back and forth, and posting a video comparing the two songs on the internet, Creaky Boards retracted their claim and let things slide.
Posted in: Guitar Tab
Posted March 8, 2011 at 12:31 pm | 3 comments
Forty-plus years after the Summer of Love and the release of The Doors’ self-titled debut album, 61-year-old Doors guitarist Robby Krieger is a busy man. Recently, Krieger appeared at the Berklee College of Music’s Berklee Performance Center in Boston where he performed a set with Doors tribute band Morrison Crossing comprised of ex-Berklee students, and spoke to the audience and reporters on a variety of topics, past and present.
Posted in: Classic Rock, Guitar Hero Interviews, Interviews, Rock Interviews
Posted March 8, 2011 at 12:00 pm | One comment
Lemmy Kilmister may be the driving force of Motörhead, but Phil Campbell is the vehicle that they travel their music journey in. Phil has been Lemmy’s right hand man and lead guitarist for 27 years, performing 14 Motörhead LPs including such classics as Bastards, Inferno, and Hammered.
Posted in: Interviews, Metal, Metal Interviews
Posted March 7, 2011 at 2:00 pm | No comments
Walter Kolosky the writer of Power, Passion and Beauty: The Story of the Legendary Mahavishnu Orchestra, brings us a listener’s guide that leads the reader through the different depths of John McLaughlin’s music. Kolosky’s Follow Your Heart – John McLaughlin Song By Song is written from the author’s subjective experience after listening to 42 of McLaughlin’s albums and analyzing each of the tunes.
Posted in: Jazz, Jazz Reviews, Reviews
Posted March 7, 2011 at 11:30 am | No comments
“More Than a Feeling,” which took Tom Schultz five years to write, has become Boston’s trademark song, after being released on their self-titled album in 1976. Over the years the song has gained much attention for the band, but it has also been noted for its shared similarities to other classic rock songs, and for songs that came after it which borrowed heavily from this classic track. Most notably, the song’s powerchord riff has been compared to the Kingsmen’s rock n roll track “Louie Louie.” It has also been compared to Elton John’s song “Screw You (Young Man’s Blues) as well as the lesser known track “Walk Away Renee” by the Left Banks.
Posted in: Guitar Tab
Posted March 7, 2011 at 7:50 am | No comments
There is something about Latin Jazz that just feels good, when it’s played well that is. A lot of modern jazz has moved beyond its roots as dance music, pushing the boundaries of harmony and melody in new and exciting directions, but nobody’s going to dance to it. This is why Latin, and Brazilian Jazz for that matter are so much fun to listen to. The top players in these genres know how to keep that deep groove, all while bringing advanced harmonic concepts to the mix. By doing so they not only appeal to folks who like to get up and cut the rug, but also to those who like to be intellectually stimulated when they listen to a jazz record or concert.
Posted in: Interviews, Jazz, Jazz Interviews
