Posted October 31, 2011 at 12:11 pm | One comment
My first instructional DVD with Rob Wallis and Paul Siegel of Hudson Music was called A Work in Progress, and the subject was composing drum parts and recording them. It was based around the making of Rush’s Test For Echo album in 1995.
Paul, Rob, and I enjoyed working together, and I felt it was a true collaboration, like the one I have with my bandmates, Alex and Geddy. In preparing for the shoot, the three of us exchanged dozens of notes and conversations, and while we were filming, we would get together between shots and discuss topics for discussion in the next one. Because it was filmed in the Catskill Mountains of New York State, in May, 1996, we had some nice outdoor settings for the parts where I was talking to the camera, and that made for a more “scenic” program.
Posted in: DVD Reviews, Reviews
Posted October 29, 2011 at 10:34 am | 3 comments
One of the hits on Steve Vai’s album Real Illusions was the tune “Building the Church.”
What immediately grabbed our attention and blew everyone away was the insane intro lick that Steve also repeats later in the song. He moves it around, making a completely new section of the composition.
Posted in: Guitar Lessons, Rock Guitar Lessons
Posted October 25, 2011 at 6:13 am | 14 comments
Though the venue doors opened at 7:00pm and show time would not be until 8:00pm, gaining entrance into the Warner Theater was proving to be quite the challenge. The ornate grand foyer of the former movie palace was a cacophony of various languages, demonstrating the band’s large international following.
Posted in: Concert Reviews, Reviews
Posted October 24, 2011 at 12:59 pm | 5 comments
Alice Cooper is back with his wicked rock unleashed again on his new release, Welcome 2 My Nightmare. Cooper vamps with producer, Bob Ezrin, who produced the original 1975 Welcome To My Nightmarealbum, and the coupling of spirits works its magic once more on the new Nightmare II. Alice also called on a fellow Michigan guitar legend, Dick Wagner, who collaborated on the original album, to work his six-string magic. And let’s not forget the monster axe master Steve “The Deacon” Hunter who, along with Wagner, still cranks out some of the best surly rock you’ll ever hear.
Posted in: Reviews, Rock Reviews
Posted October 24, 2011 at 12:06 pm | No comments
Many new guitar players purchase an acoustic guitar or have one given to them as a gift, not knowing a thing about the ingredients that must go into the craftsmanship in order to produce that tone they heard when they first fell in love with the acoustic guitar and dreamed of becoming a great player.
Posted in: Building and Repair, Guitar Lessons, Reviews
Posted October 14, 2011 at 7:39 am | No comments
Having never been to Ram’s Head Live and having never seen either The Antlers or Explosions in the Sky in a live setting, I was in strong anticipation of the evening ahead. Assuming Ram’s Head Live was Baltimore’s equivalent of D.C.’s 9:30 Club, I couldn’t have been more off the mark. The venue is situated in what can only be described as an intense colony of nightlife surrounded by brightly lit clubs and restaurants with neon and glitz everywhere you turn. After wading through a sea of eager partiers and not before my ID was checked three times, I headed into the somewhat hidden Ram’s Head Live, where The Antlers had begun their set.
Posted in: Concert Reviews, Reviews
Posted October 14, 2011 at 7:26 am | No comments
For a 50th anniversary tour and to celebrate their new release of Breathe Out, Breathe In, the iconic ‘60s rock band The Zombies are playing a lengthy tour with fellow UK sensations Strawbs (in their Acoustic Strawbs incarnation and lineup), with both bands meeting and exceeding expectations across the board.
Posted in: Concert Reviews, Reviews
Posted October 13, 2011 at 12:49 pm | No comments
Boston jazz guitarist, and Berklee Associate Professor, John Stein is back with his third album as a leader since 2008. With his previous two releases, Encounterpoint and Raisin’ The Roof, garnering him a wide array of attention from across the jazz guitar community, Stein brings together an all-star cast for his third album in as many years. Accompanied by bassist John Lockwood, drummer Zé Eduardo Nazario (known to many as the Brazilian Elvin Jones) and newcomer, Jake Sherman on acoustic piano and Hammond orgran, Stein has not only gathered a quartet of world-class individuals for this record, but a group that knows how to gel as an ensemble, which contributes highly to the overall success of the album.
Posted in: Jazz Reviews, Reviews
Posted October 11, 2011 at 4:34 pm | 3 comments
In my early development as a guitarist, I had aspirations to play as well as Jim Hall one day. Jim Hall and Ron Carter’s Alone Together is one of the main records that inspired me to learn how to play jazz guitar, and his melodic inventiveness maintains my attention even until this day. I saw him perform at the National Guitar Workshop this past summer, and his playing did not cease to surprise me.
In this interview with one of the most influential jazz guitarists alive today, we discuss his duet recording with Ron Carter as well as many other things. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did!
Posted in: Interviews, Jazz Interviews, Legends Interviews
Posted October 10, 2011 at 6:40 am | 3 comments
Truer words could not have been spoken. Not many bands have shaped heavy metal like the British band Judas Priest. With Glenn Tipton and KK Downing on dueling guitar, Ian Hill on bass and the Metal God, Rob Halford on vocals, they have forged the metal scene since the ‘70s. The band’s unique style of wearing S&M leather and writing thunderous anthems have ignited and influenced four generations of musicians. With such hits as “Breaking the Law,” “Living After Midnight” and “Hot Rockin,” it’s no wonder.
Posted in: Interviews, Metal Interviews
