Summer’s here, NAMM is just around the corner and ready to stage the newest music gear and other products at the Nashville, Tennessee convention center from July 21 to July 23, 2011. This year, attendance is expected to reach over 12,000 visitors to the NAMM event, which will serve as a key focus for music merchants from around the world.
The second single off of Audioslave’s debut self-titled effort, “Like A Stone” shows off the band’s more relaxed side. Following the explosive “Cochise,” “Like A Stone” is a significant departure from Rage Against the Machine and Soundgarden’s (the bands that combined to make Audioslave) hard edges. For most of the song, singer Chris Cornell croons over a dark landscape of wavering guitar, a groovy bass line and a simple drum beat. Guitarist Tom Morello does get to have a bit of fun with his crazy sound effects in the bridge, however, as he plays a very melodic solo that sounds like a bending synthesizer.
The Allman Brothers Band had a hit with “Jessica” in 1973, despite the instrumental nature of the song. Written by guitarist Dicky Betts, who replaced Duane Allman, who had passed away in 1971, “Jessica” features an incredibly catch melodic line that is harmonized with three instruments. Gregg Allman played the lower harmony on a Hammond organ, while Chuck Leavell hit the top harmony with a Fender Rhodes piano and Betts took the main melody on guitar. As with many Allman Brothers Band tunes, “Jessica” is a journey, clocking in at 7:28.
Tangents is the proverbial Indie needle in a haystack, and have created something so smart and crafted something so beautiful in their new record One Little Light Year that it is bound to make fans of any genre of music pay attention. TANGENTS’ sound is reminiscent of early Muse and Copeland, yet still has the distinctive qualities to separate itself from the pack.
“You Shook Me All Night Long” is one of powerhouse hard rock band AC/DC’s most enduring classics. Audiences all over the world have been singing the iconic chorus of this signature song from their most successful album, Back in Black. As number 10 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the ’80s, “You Shook Me All Night Long” might have been inspired by the Muddy Waters song “You Shook Me.” Featuring a stop-and-go riff recognizable from a mile away, the song also features a guitar solo by Angus Young that is relatively easy to play but still rocks hard.
One of AC/DC’s most explosive (ha) songs, “TNT” has shook audiences and listeners since it was released in 1976 on AC/DC’s album of the same name. Featuring the Angus Young’s driving power chords, the song was written by Bon Scott and the Young brothers. This classic has been featured in plenty of movies over the years, including Napoleon Dynamite, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Shiner, as well as episode of That 70’s Show and includes a short but sweet guitar solo in the bridge, accentuating Scott’s passionate vocals.
