Posted July 25, 2011 at 1:27 pm | No comments
After attending the Monterey Blues Festival for several years running, this was the first year the weather threw me a curve. With the festival held a little over a mile from Monterey Bay, it’s typically cool in the morning, heats up during the day, and cools down again at night. With that scenario in mind I showed up at 11 am wearing only shorts and a T-shirt. It didn’t take long before I was chilled and there weren’t any indications that it was ever going to warm up. It looked like a long, uncomfortable day. Back at the car sat my long pants, extra shirt, and a jacket. A lot of good they were going to do me. The festival only allows in and out privileges to a special few, and I wasn’t one of them this year. Luckily I ran into a friend (who shall remain nameless), who was one of those few. He lent me his special wristband that allowed in-and-out access, and I quickly exited. Even though my Miata was parked on a busy public boulevard, I managed to shimmy into warmer clothes within its tight confines. Warmly dressed, I returned to the festival.
Posted in: Blues Reviews, Concert Reviews, Reviews
Posted July 25, 2011 at 10:02 am | No comments
Take rock guitarist Phil Collen of Def Leppard, combine him with the dynamic intensity of an iconic drummer in Paul Cook from The Sex Pistols, add a soul stirring rhythmic bass of Simon Laffy from Girl, and throw in the experience of selling over 80 million records, 2 achieving diamond status…and you’ve got Manraze, an electrifying London based alternative dub-punk-rock band.
Posted in: Interviews, Rock Interviews
Posted July 25, 2011 at 5:56 am | No comments
One of John Mayer’s most recognized songs, “Waiting on the World to Change” was the first single from the tender singer-songwriter/guitar hero’s 2006 album Continuum. As it can be inferred from the title, the lyrics of “Waiting” lament the state of the world and the inability of those at the bottom to change anything. Despite the heavy subject matter, Mayer’s tune is sweet-sounding enough to woo the ladies with, so sing and play this one!
Posted in: Guitar Tab
Posted July 24, 2011 at 6:56 am | No comments
“Always With Me, Always With You” is the fourth track from Joe Satriani’s 1987 album Surfing With The Alien. The song gives a respite from the fast and complex nature of much of the rest of the album, its relaxed drum track and arpeggiated chords providing a solid foundation for “Satch” to take flight. Satriani begins very simply, his phrases building in speed and captivation until his short but amazing solo near the end. Good luck with the last couple licks of that one!
Posted in: Guitar Tab
Posted July 23, 2011 at 6:56 am | No comments
“Margaritaville,” originally released in 1977 via ABC, is a song by Jimmy Buffet. In the song, Buffet, who is known for his “island escapism” image, sings about roaming the beach, drunk on margaritas, “searching for my lost shaker of salt.” Appearing on his album, Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes, “Margaritaville” has almost come to define Jimmy Buffet’s impressive career. The scene portrayed in the song is a huge part of his image. Buffet even owns a chain of restaurants called the Margaritaville Cafe.
Posted in: Guitar Tab
Posted July 22, 2011 at 6:56 am | No comments
“Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” is the last track on the third and last album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and is based on the 15-minute “Voodoo Chile,” which is also on that same album. It was recorded after the group had finished recording the long, slow blues jam of “Voodoo Chile” when a TV crew came in and wanted footage of the band recording. As the group’s only song to hit No. 1 on the charts in the UK, “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” is one of the most beloved guitar songs in Hendrix’s body of work. The guitar solo is #11 on Guitar World’s 100 Best Guitar Solos list, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd has said that it is “the guitar anthem of all time.”
Posted in: Guitar Tab
Posted July 21, 2011 at 8:04 am | No comments
Jimi Hendrix’s rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” is one of the most famous guitar solos. Part of the reason for this is his revolutionary use of a wah-wah and whammy bar with controlled feedback. It’s also partly because he played it at Woodstock in ’69 and was featured in the documentary film on the festival. Some people loved the solo, believing it to be an update on our national anthem, an anthem-goes-psychedelic kind of thing, but some thought Hendrix was desecrating something sacred. Either way, it’s a killer solo, so use that whammy bar and get dive-bombing!
Posted in: Guitar Tab
Posted July 20, 2011 at 11:50 am | 10 comments
Guitar teachers are always telling students to practice. You come in for your lesson having neglected structured studies in favor of jamming to your favorite tunes for the past week, and your teacher looks at you all disappointed that you flubbed an A Dorian scale. But did you really waste your time? Absolutely not.
Posted in: Guitars and Guitarists
Posted July 20, 2011 at 10:18 am | No comments
This 2 CD set was recorded November 20 and 21, 2010, in Raleigh, NC. Headlining the festival was John McLaughlin, with his current band The 4th Dimension. He was joined on the program by the Jimmy Herring Band, Wayne Krantz, Lenny White’s Group, Ranjit Barot, Alex Machacek, and Human Element.
Posted in: Jazz Reviews, Reviews
Posted July 20, 2011 at 8:16 am | No comments
Jimi Hendrix has said that “Little Wing” is “one of the very few ones I like,” from his 1967/68 album Axis: Bold as Love. He got the idea for the song by putting everyone who attended a festival at Monterey into a girl named “Little Wing” and writing a song about her. Hendrix’s unique guitar tone in the song was achieved by playing through a Leslie organ speaker cabinet, giving his guitar a swirling effect. The frustratingly short song is one of Jimi’s finest compositions, fading out during the ending guitar solo shortly after the 2-minute mark. Bluesman Stevie Ray Vaughan later gave fans more to chew on with an almost 7 minute long version on his 1991 album The Sky Is Crying.
Posted in: Guitar Tab
