Pete Townshend, who stopped blogging a while ago because he was tired of quotes being taken out of context, recently got back in the game with a post about a new box set of Quadrophenia. The box set is due out in October and will include the original album, remastered by Jon Astley, surround-sound mixes of some tracks by Bob Pridden, a bunch of never-before-seen photographs, and a slew of tracks that didn’t make it on the album.
“Europa” is one of Santana’s most popular instrumental songs, showing off his more relaxed side and his incredible ability to build energy in a solo. The song did not originate as “Europa,” however. After seeing his friend have a horrible experience with the psychedelic drug mescaline (peyote), Santana wrote a song called “The Mushroom Lady’s Coming to Town,” which included the beginning lick to Europa. He put the song away and didn’t touch it for a while after that. Later on, Santana toured with Earth, Wind and Fire, and in Manchester, England he played this song with their keyboardist Tom Coster who added some input on chords. The result was renamed “Europa (Earth’s Cry Heaven’s Smile)” and has since been a classic.
After reaching the top of the Country music world, Canadian guitarist, singer and songwriter Terri Clark decided to move away from the major label world that she had lived in for her whole career and went out on her own for her 2009 album The Long Way Home. This departure has only seemed to strengthen the Country star as she gets the best of both worlds, being able to have complete creative control, while working with distributors to help get her music out to a global audience; two things that would make countless other major label artists jealous.
At one point in time, which seems like eons ago, music was about creating art. It was about pushing boundaries, defying the mainstream and allowing artists to explore their creativity in an unbridled fashion. Then, sometime around the second half of the 20th century, corporations realized that music could be commoditized, and the world of commercial, Pop-driven music was born. Gone were the days when music was made as an art, now it was designed in corporate board rooms using test groups and marketing schemes.
The 21st edition of the Puerto Rico Heineken JazzFest kicked off in grand fashion this week. Not only is the festival in its 21st year, but it is also celebrating a posthumous tribute to Dizzy Gillespie and the Cuban Conga player Chano Pozo. One of Gillespie and Pozo’s contributions to music was that during their lifetime they managed to create a fusion between Afro-Cuban music and American Jazz; creating the genre we now call Latin Jazz.
In the last few years there has been a constant rise in online music education, in the realm of jazz guitarists and shred guitarist who are willing to provide guitar lessons to students willing to pay the right amount. The primary vehicle in these lessons is usually a program called Skype. In my experience taking online lessons some of these may cost one from $50 to $160 depending on the time and the player. One of the consequences I found with some of these lessons is that the program one using to stream to the other musicians can at any moment fail either video or audio wise. Another negative aspect is that there is usually no follow through after the lessons and one can’t review the lesson if one doesn’t record it. I believe that the Jimmy Bruno’s Guitar Workshop gives a good option for these musicians who are frustrated with other technology and are looking for more bang for their buck.
I came across Black Veil Brides surfing YouTube and at first glance thought it was Motley Crue! The hair, the make-up, and the attitude drew me in and I was hooked. They looked like where Crue left off in 1982/83 with Shout at the Devil. The video was for their new single “Fallen Angels,” didn’t just rock, they shredded.
Bullet For My Valentine continues the long-lived metal tradition of over-the-top violent lyrics with “Scream Aim Fire”, the first single from their sophomore album of the same name. Combining speed metal thrashing guitars/drums with hardcore-influenced breakdowns, BFMV create a constantly driving song that makes it almost impossible not to throw up a rock fist. While the majority of the lyrics are sung, the lines “Over the top! Over the top!” and “Scream, aim, fire!” are screamed with intense conviction. The lyrics are evocative of a battlefield, where “the only way out is to die”. They may not be the most creative when it comes to metal lyrics, but they rock hard, and the guitars are the focal point anyway.
A myriad of artists, including Beck and Snow Patrol, have contributed songs to a tribute album for John Martyn, storied British folk singer and guitarist.
With teachers like Johnny Smith and Jim Hall, Bill Frisell has always had one foot in the Jazz world. The other was free to explore countless other genres and styles including fusion, fingerstyle, and even progressive folk. He also has a penchant for ample sonic manipulation, including eccentric effects and loops. That’s why his new album, Sign Of Life: Music For 858 Quartet, is such a far departure. In this instance, he creates melodies and arrangements by exploiting his bluegrass and folk chops, inducing an engrossing vibe and sound.
