Posted December 1, 2011 at 1:22 pm | No comments
With the explosion of guitar books over the past two decades, first in hard-copy form and now through the ebook phenomenon, it is harder than ever for guitarists to sift through all of the material available to them and choose a good book to dig into in the practice room. While some books are aimed at specific genres such as metal licks or blues chords, playing in the style of your favorite player or learning a certain technique such as tapping or fingerpicking, one of the most popular formats has been and is still the “umbrella” approach to teaching in book form.
Posted in: Book Reviews, Reviews
Posted November 30, 2011 at 1:15 pm | No comments
I love testing distortion pedals just as a wine aficionado loves collecting and tasting wines. I feel that there is a place and song for every distortion pedal. I enjoy the simplicity of a good stomp box in a world of digital rack mounted clutter and complication. I don’t have the time nor want to read a one hundred page manual to figure out how to program a unit. I want to plug my guitar into a box, step on it, and be blown away. That is exactly what happened when I hit the gas on The PolySaturator by Pigtronix.
Posted in: Gear Reviews, Guitar News, Reviews
Posted November 27, 2011 at 2:48 pm | One comment
Boston jazz artist Gerry Beaudoin has distinguished himself in many ways the past several decades. He has been a mainstay in jazz clubs of Boston and New York City. Beaudoin is also well respected as a teacher, which is one of the most admirable parts of his career. He is making sure that a new generation of jazz guitarists understands the roots of where we are today. Explaining and demonstrating the form and complexity of playing through advanced chord changes is a true gift, and one that needs to be shared freely.
Posted in: Guitar News, Jazz Reviews, Reviews
Posted November 26, 2011 at 5:46 pm | 2 comments
The “For Dummies” series has been around for as long as I can remember, and while I know a few people who got a lot out of their books in the information technology field, I never had any personal experience with them before I picked up guitar playing. Like a lot of people, I was slightly put off by the title, and even more so by the idea of toting the book around with the only-too-recognizable “For Dummies” on the cover, but out of curiosity and my liking for simplicity, I invested in Rock Guitar for Dummies.
Posted in: Book Reviews, Guitar News, Reviews
Posted October 31, 2011 at 12:11 pm | One comment
My first instructional DVD with Rob Wallis and Paul Siegel of Hudson Music was called A Work in Progress, and the subject was composing drum parts and recording them. It was based around the making of Rush’s Test For Echo album in 1995.
Paul, Rob, and I enjoyed working together, and I felt it was a true collaboration, like the one I have with my bandmates, Alex and Geddy. In preparing for the shoot, the three of us exchanged dozens of notes and conversations, and while we were filming, we would get together between shots and discuss topics for discussion in the next one. Because it was filmed in the Catskill Mountains of New York State, in May, 1996, we had some nice outdoor settings for the parts where I was talking to the camera, and that made for a more “scenic” program.
Posted in: DVD Reviews, Reviews
Posted October 25, 2011 at 6:13 am | 14 comments
Though the venue doors opened at 7:00pm and show time would not be until 8:00pm, gaining entrance into the Warner Theater was proving to be quite the challenge. The ornate grand foyer of the former movie palace was a cacophony of various languages, demonstrating the band’s large international following.
Posted in: Concert Reviews, Reviews
Posted October 24, 2011 at 12:59 pm | 5 comments
Alice Cooper is back with his wicked rock unleashed again on his new release, Welcome 2 My Nightmare. Cooper vamps with producer, Bob Ezrin, who produced the original 1975 Welcome To My Nightmarealbum, and the coupling of spirits works its magic once more on the new Nightmare II. Alice also called on a fellow Michigan guitar legend, Dick Wagner, who collaborated on the original album, to work his six-string magic. And let’s not forget the monster axe master Steve “The Deacon” Hunter who, along with Wagner, still cranks out some of the best surly rock you’ll ever hear.
Posted in: Reviews, Rock Reviews
Posted October 24, 2011 at 12:06 pm | No comments
Many new guitar players purchase an acoustic guitar or have one given to them as a gift, not knowing a thing about the ingredients that must go into the craftsmanship in order to produce that tone they heard when they first fell in love with the acoustic guitar and dreamed of becoming a great player.
Posted in: Building and Repair, Guitar Lessons, Reviews
Posted October 14, 2011 at 7:39 am | No comments
Having never been to Ram’s Head Live and having never seen either The Antlers or Explosions in the Sky in a live setting, I was in strong anticipation of the evening ahead. Assuming Ram’s Head Live was Baltimore’s equivalent of D.C.’s 9:30 Club, I couldn’t have been more off the mark. The venue is situated in what can only be described as an intense colony of nightlife surrounded by brightly lit clubs and restaurants with neon and glitz everywhere you turn. After wading through a sea of eager partiers and not before my ID was checked three times, I headed into the somewhat hidden Ram’s Head Live, where The Antlers had begun their set.
Posted in: Concert Reviews, Reviews
Posted October 14, 2011 at 7:26 am | No comments
For a 50th anniversary tour and to celebrate their new release of Breathe Out, Breathe In, the iconic ‘60s rock band The Zombies are playing a lengthy tour with fellow UK sensations Strawbs (in their Acoustic Strawbs incarnation and lineup), with both bands meeting and exceeding expectations across the board.
Posted in: Concert Reviews, Reviews
