Posted June 7, 2011 at 6:55 am | One comment
Creedence Clearwater Revival’s second-ever gold single was “Bad Moon Rising”, the lead single from their 1969 studio album, Green River. Like most CCR songs, “Bad Moon Rising” is musically very simple, as they were never about virtuosity. Featuring only three deceptively jolly-sounding chords, the song is about an ominous future apocalypse. Even though the words “bad moon rising” are the title of the song, many people thought that the chorus line was “there’s a bathroom on the right” instead. Singer John Fogerty would have fun with this misconception every now and then, singing the “bathroom” line in performances.
Posted in: Guitar Tab
Posted June 7, 2011 at 5:44 am | No comments
Though the title of this prequel motion picture refers to the iconic mutants of the Marvel Comics®, when they were still budding youths just discovering their special gifted abilities and first finding their destined paths in the world, the title more than aptly describes this superb motion picture installment in the beloved film series.
Posted in: Reviews, Rock Reviews
Posted June 6, 2011 at 2:07 pm | No comments
The Ninety Miles project started when three world renowned American musicians Christian Scott, David Sanchez and Stefon decided to go to Havana, Cuba to record with Cuban musicians. The recording for this project will be released in the next two to three months, and the accompanying tour will begin shortly after the album’s release. This was the first time this particular ensemble took to the stage after recording the music in the studio, and the results were astounding.
Posted in: Jazz Reviews, Reviews
Posted June 6, 2011 at 6:55 am | No comments
If you listened to the radio at all during the summer of 1995, you should be very familiar with Collective Soul’s huge rock hit “December”. Ironically released in the summer, “December” sports contemplative lyrics about a failing relationship over the same five-chord circular pattern. Different and constantly changing instrumental textures and layers of riffs keep the unchanging chord structure engaging, but what really makes the song is singer/guitarist Ed Roland’s bluesy and emotional melodies. This is a great one to sing and play!
Posted in: Guitar Tab
Posted June 5, 2011 at 4:55 pm | No comments
Coldplay’s “Speed of Sound” came from a very specific stylistic place of birth. In 2004 when the song was written, Chris Martin, the vocalist and piano player of Coldplay, had been listening to British alternative rock singer Kate Nash a lot and had just had his first child, Apple. The song itself was a conscious effort to write a Kate Nash-esque song about awe and wonderment, and they pull through with flying colors. Built upon a piano riff, the song builds energy up until a big, synth-heavy chorus that embodies that feeling of awe. “Speed of Sound” was recognized by American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) as Song of the Year for 2005 and won a Brit Award for Best British Single in 2006. It was also nominated for two Grammy’s.
Posted in: Guitar Tab
Posted June 5, 2011 at 7:49 am | 4 comments
The soaring and steady relevance of straight-up hard rock and heavy metal isn’t going anywhere. As a matter of fact, ask any hard rock or metal fan and you’ll get an earful about its longevity and importance. Music is universal, that’s a fact; take every genre out of the equation, dissecting them all one by one and you may find a bit of relentless “loyalty” in hard rock fanship – and the heavier the music, the better.
Posted in: Interviews, Metal Interviews
Posted June 4, 2011 at 10:12 am | No comments
Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” is one of the most influential rock n roll songs of all time. It has been covered by a wide variety of artists from many genres, including Jimi Hendrix and country artist Buck Owens. The song started out being about his piano player, Johnnie Johnson, but Chuck’s 1958 rocker morphed into a semi-autobiographical piece. Ironically, it isn’t Johnnie Johnson playing on the recording, but Lafayette Leaks, as it was recorded and released three years after it was first written. Originally, the lyrics said “colored boy” but Chuck changed them to “country boy” to make sure the song played on the radio. Apparently, the lyric change did the trick, as “Johnny B. Goode” hit No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Sides chart. “Johnny” has also received many awards and accolades, including #1 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Songs Of All Time and #12 on Guitar World’s 100 Greatest Guitar Solos list.
Posted in: Guitar Tab
Posted June 4, 2011 at 9:12 am | 3 comments
What we perceive as a good show is the product of many people working onstage and many working offstage as well. Lousy tone or a messy stage can ruin an otherwise good performance. John Sinks may not be a well-known name, as he spends most of his time working out of sight, but he has helped the likes of Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Dweezil Zappa and The California Guitar Trio bring their craft to the audience. He has a long experience “in the field” (“in the trenches”…) as Stage Manager, Road Manager, Live Recording Engineer, Guitar Tech, Studio Engineer, Technical And Strategic Liaison: all of this means solving problems and making the show run smoothly.
Posted in: Industry Interviews, Interviews
Posted June 4, 2011 at 8:06 am | No comments
The Second night of The Puerto Rico Heineken JazzFest kicked off with a quintet of brilliant jazz musicians led by the wonderful saxophone player Ted Nash. The quintet performed music from a suite commissioned from Jazz at Lincoln Center titled “Portrait in Seven Shades.” The concept behind the suite is that each of the movements was inspired by the paintings of artists such as Monet, Picasso, Dali, Van Gogh, Matisse and others. Although this is definitely not unfamiliar ground for composers, in that 20th century composers such as Morton Feldman and John Cage also drew inspiration from artistic influences, Nash’s “Portrait in Seven Shades” truly delves into the actual artist’s painting and the artist themselves in a musical way.
Posted in: Jazz Reviews, Reviews
Posted June 4, 2011 at 6:31 am | No comments
Paul Reed Smith hardly needs an introduction. He is the man behind one of the most successful guitar companies of all time, with an artist roster that already includes the likes of Carlos Santana, Orianthi, Howard Reese and Tim Mahoney, and that seems to be growing by the week. Millions of players around the world have come to know and love PRS guitars, and over the decades the company has developed an army of devoted dealers, distributors, fans and players.
Posted in: Industry Interviews, Interviews
