As I’ve explained in the past, when it comes to gear, I’m very much of the “No Expenses Spared” camp. This is what we do; it’s our passion and our life – you wouldn’t see Monet working with Crayola or Gordan Ramsay serving up KFC in one of his dishes would you? I’m not going to waste your time telling you about every little piece of gear I get sent unless it’s something that REALLY catches my ears and I’m happy to use night after night.
As the first single from Iron Maiden’s famous Number Of The Beast, “Run to the Hills” remains one of the metal legends’ most beloved songs. With a slower intro that quickly gives way to a speeding metal verse and chorus, “Run to the Hills” is the first single that features Bruce Dickinson on lead vocals. The ripping guitar solo heavily shows off Dave Murray’s tapping and shredding skills, and certainly won’t be an easy one to learn, so get practicing!
As the story goes, Ratt helped pioneer Hollywood’s legendary Sunset Strip sound and scene. After an 11 year wait, the band returned in April of 2010 sounding fired up and better than ever with Infestation, a heavy, riff driven CD reminiscent of their early days as a band. Ratt was able to reinvent their sound by rediscovering their strengths, shuttling listeners to a time when metal ruled the earth and real musicians wore spandex and make-up.
Listening to a new Jazz artist can move me and reinforce my love of jazz, but some artists leave me a little cold, like a jazz love gone bad. When Dida Pelled’s CD arrived in the mail, I plopped it into my CD player and gave it a spin. The album has a charm to it that offers up some easy on the ears vocals tied to laid back phrasing and relaxed atmospherics.
Like a mixture of dangerous chemicals, equal parts guitarist extraordinaire (Phil Collen – Def Leppard), rudeboy rock drummer (Paul Cook – Sex Pistols), and the righteous rhythms of a badass bass player (Simon Laffy – Girl), all together you have one hell of an explosive combination. Add to this concoction the experience of selling 75 million records and the attitude that comes from being at the top of your game and you’ve got MANRAZE. The long awaited and highly anticipated sophomore album, titled punkfunkrootsrock, will be unleashed upon the masses on August 2nd.
“Pardon Me” is a hit in typical Incubus fashion. The song, which was the first single released from their February 2000 album Make Yourself, features uniquely funky verses that move into a huge overdriven chorus where singer Brandon Boyd morbidly sings, “Pardon me while I burst into flames.” Mike Einziger’s guitar work in “Pardon Me” is interesting. In the verses, while the drums are frenetically driving alongside Boyd’s rapid-fire lyrics, he plays relaxed swelling chords, punctuated by an occasional staccato chord with heavy delay.
Jam sessions can be a guitarists best friend or their worst nightmare. I’m sure many of have stories of nights when a big-name musician was traveling through town and decided to sit in with us at the corner bar, making for an unforgettable night of music. But, there are also those jam sessions where the participants have spent too much time with a bottle of scotch or not enough time in the practice room, or both, and their 12 minute version of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” almost made us want to quit music.
“Drive” is the most famous song by modern rock band Incubus, a group that has a long history of hits. Guitarist Mike Einziger’s catchy acoustic chord action provides the perfect background for vocalist Brandon Boyd’s clear tenor. The song also features a melodic guitar solo by Einziger, who can rip with the best of ’em but chooses to play a beautifully simple melody instead. Although Boyd sings “Drive” over Einziger’s guitar, this is another great song to learn how to play and sing together. Take that one to Potbelly!
“Lips of an Angel” is a power ballad by Hinder. As their breakout hit, the song was the second single from their 2006 album Extreme Behavior. Beginning with a tenderly picked acoustic guitar, “Lips of an Angel” quickly builds into a huge overdriven chorus as a power ballad should. Vocalist Austin Winkler sings about an ex-girlfriend calling him in the night, causing repressed feelings to come hurtling back. The song builds to a simple but effective guitar solo into the last chorus, and of course the obligatory soft coda reiterating the theme of her call being too late at night and in life.
This third installment in the multi-billion dollar Transformers franchise is definitely the charm. Leaving behind the convoluted storyline that derailed the series’ second film, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Director Michael Bay and Executive Producer Steven Spielberg are once again at the helm of this third film. Only now, they pull out all the stops with a mind-blowing, thrill-ride of a film.
