Posted June 13, 2011 at 6:05 pm | No comments
New York City jazz guitarist Chris Taylor’s music transports jazz aficionados on a sonic wave that is both aurally and imaginatively appealing and one that is magically visual in its coloration and drive. East Coast jazz can be grounded in traditional jazz, but some artists dig into the improvisation mode to channel the essence of their musical palettes in very personal journeys. And from what I’ve heard of Taylor, his willingness to drive hard into improvisation can be tastefully melodic and fearless.
Posted in: Interviews, Jazz Interviews
Posted June 13, 2011 at 4:56 pm | 2 comments
Django Reinhardt was a Gypsy from Belgium who played a very specific type of jazz, imaginatively called Gypsy Jazz. While he was a virtuoso of his time, not many people got the chance to hear him play in person. While he consistently played with jazz greats while he lived in Paris, he toured the U.S. only once, with the legendary Duke Ellington, no less, but that was the extent of his fame while he lived. The most impressive thing about Reinhardt is that he played his imaginatively improvised, hard-swinging lines with only his index and middle fingers. The other fingers on his left hand and his right leg were badly injured in a fire at the age of 18. He had to completely re-learn how to play the instrument he loved. “Django’s Tiger” is a great example of Django’s energetic playing style, and it is a perfect representation of the type of music he made his name playing. With heavy accents consistently on two and four of each bar and incredibly dynamic lines from Django’s two fingers, one finds it difficult not to smile and bob along.
Posted in: Guitar Tab
Posted June 13, 2011 at 5:06 am | 6 comments
Todd Rundgren has gone through many musical phases in his long career. He started out with the blues, got into garage rock for a bit with the group Nazz, and then began his solo career, which had people hailing him as “the new pop-wunderkind” after the release of his 1972 gold-certified double LP Something/Anything?. Later on, Rundgren got more into psychedelia and progressive rock with his band Utopia.
Posted in: Blues Interviews, Interviews
Posted June 12, 2011 at 6:56 am | No comments
“Money for Nothing” was one of British band Dire Straits most successful singles, staying at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks. It is famous for its immediately recognizable buzzing guitar riff that plays throughout almost the whole song. Guitarist Mark Knopfler modeled his tone on the song after ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons. The song has been the subject of lots of controversy over the years, most of which stemming from the offensiveness of the lyrics. The song is written from the point of view of a hardware store employee who watches MTV and sees how rock stars get “money for nothing and… chicks for free.” In the second verse, the word “faggot” is used a few times, as it is what the character singing the song would say, but this has been misinterpreted by many as hateful towards homosexuals. Because of this, many radio stations substitute in “mother,” but Knopfler decided to substitute “Queenie” when Dire Straits play the song live.
Posted in: Guitar Tab
Posted June 11, 2011 at 4:56 pm | No comments
Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water” is one of the most recognizable songs in existence. Even without having heard the song, most people are familiar with the main riff, because it is usually one of the first riffs learned by beginning guitar players. The song tells a true story in the lyrics. When Deep Purple were about to record in at a casino in Montreux, Switzerland, there was a Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention concert there the night before. During the set, someone fired a flare gun that caught the ceiling, and subsequently, the entire building, on fire. The chorus lyrics (“Smoke on the water, fire in the sky”) are credited to Deep Purple’s bassist Roger Glover, and provide vivid imagery of the ensuing scene.
Posted in: Guitar Tab
Posted June 10, 2011 at 7:40 am | No comments
Noah Benardout is a name that I expect we’ll hear a lot this summer. Backed by some of the top session players in the business, the young singer-songwriter nails down some superb pop-soaked melodies on his EP that includes a punchy romp called “Haley.”
Posted in: Indie Rock Interviews, Interviews, Singer Songwriter Interviews
Posted June 10, 2011 at 6:56 am | No comments
Dave Matthews Band is known for their upbeat rock tunes with a jam band flair, but with “Satellite” they toned it down a bit. “Satellite” is the fifth and final single released for their 1994 album Under the Table and Dreaming, and it has a tender, almost lullaby-esque quality. The song’s title and lyrics are a play on the nursery rhyme “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” The “Satellite” is the star from the nursery rhyme that is “like a diamond in the sky.” It is based on a guitar riff that came from a right-hand exercise that Dave Matthews had done in the past. Originally recorded on an early demo as “After Her,” the song evolved quickly into “Satellite,” as no live recording of “After Her” exists.
Posted in: Guitar Tab
Posted June 9, 2011 at 10:27 am | One comment
Who hasn’t picked up the guitar and not wanted to sound like their idol? For me growing up it was Eddie Van Halen. The desire to capture his sound on “Unchained” was always key and the only way to do was to find a Flanger – that magical flame sound and jet engine sweep!
Posted in: Gear Reviews, Reviews
Posted June 9, 2011 at 9:56 am | No comments
In 2003, British throw-back band The Darkness exploded onto rock radio with “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”, which excited audiences with its aggressive yet playful 80’s metal riffage and the stratospheric howls of singer Justin Hawkins. Featured on a couple different best-of lists including Q Magazine’s 101 Greatest Guitar Tracks, “I Believe” has a couple absolutely ripping guitar solos to complement Hawkins’ vocal virtuosity. Unfortunately, due to a less-than-stellar showing for their second album and Hawkins’ entering rehab for alcohol and cocaine issues, the Darkness quickly faded from the spotlight. Rumors of a reunion in 2011 have recently been confirmed, however, and they are slated to appear at this months Download Festival in Donington, England.
Posted in: Guitar Tab
Posted June 8, 2011 at 6:56 am | No comments
“Friday I’m in Love” was the second single from emo godfathers The Cure’s ninth studio album, Wish. Although it was originally intended by songwriter/singer Robert Smith to be a slow, emotional song, it ended up being upbeat, which definitely contributed to the songs success. During the recording process, Smith became increasingly paranoid because he thought he had accidentally stolen the melody and chords from somewhere. After frantically playing the song for everyone he knew, no one else had heard it before, so at the very least he didn’t rip off an established act!
Posted in: Guitar Tab
