Posts Tagged ‘Music
Turn It Up Tuesday!
Brad Delp, multi-instrumentalist and lead vocalist for the 70′s and 80′s rock Band Boston took his own life on this day in 2007, with a note clipped to his shirt that read, “I am a lonely soul.” From what I’ve read online, there are those who believe Brad may have suffered from undiagnosed bipolar disorder (aka manic depression).
According to Wiki, Boston’s self-titled 1976 debut album has sold over 17 million copies (17x Platinum) – making it the second-highest selling debut album in US history. Only Guns and Roses’ 1987 debut Appetite for Destruction sold more copies, currently at 18x Platinum.
Aside from being the group’s vocalist, Brad also wrote Boston’s lyrics – so as you listen to Boston, you are listening to Brad sing the stories that he himself gave us. It strikes me with even a greater degree of sadness when I listen to him singing such familiar and uplifting music now. To think Brad was feeling so lonely in this world that he chose to “Opt out” lends a degree of melancholy and new meaning to his songs.
As much as Boston’s debut album was a monster record for sales and popularity, I’d thought I’d share a couple of lesser known (but excellent) cuts from their 1986 release, Third Stage, along with a fan tribute video I found on Youtube. Enjoy…
So many people
have come and gone,
their faces fade
as the years go by.
Yet still I recall
as I wander on,
As clear as the sun
in the Summer sky…
–from ‘More than a feeling’
Turn It Up Tuesday!
Hammond B3 Organs and Leslie Speakers – gotta love ‘em.
In the first video below, this was recorded with nothing but a Sony T-Series digital camera with no external microphone…
Next we have a little blues improv…
And lastly, Jon Lord – the man responsible for my love of the sound and tone of the Hammond B3 and Leslies…
Enjoy, and Turn It Up!
Dem Changes
“Well, my mind keeps going through dem changes, I think I’m going out of my mind…”
You know how your tastes change over time, from not liking something to really liking it or vice versa? I hated spaghetti until I was about 12, then loved it almost overnight! Hormones? Insanity? Teenage confusion?
Don’t know. I’ve never liked KISS and I was done with the Rolling Stones in the late 70′s. Bruce Springsteen never floated my barge, for some reason, and I’d rather pan fry my hands and eat them than listen to Billy Joel or hip-hop in almost any form.
So, it came as one of life’s changes recently when friends who own the city’s alternative weekly newspaper remembered that I was once a big fan of Joe Bonamassa. He’s coming back to Salt Lake City mid-March to play Symphony Hall and it’s sold out at $75 for nosebleed seats. No small feat and I give him huge props for selling out a hall that size in this town.
When I was trying to be Street Team dude for JB in Utah, no one had heard of him here save a tiny handful of people. I spent weeks telling people to get to Deer Valley Resort to see him open for BB King in the mid-00′s and I was the sober dude in the audience yelling to people all around me to “Watch this guy! He’s going to be huge! Listen to what he’s doing up there! He’s making magic!” A few strange looks from the wine-and-cheese-in-a-$200-designer-picnik-basket crowd, but exhilirating to see Joe in Utah and being warmly welcomed.
And thus comes dem curious changes: I used to love to watch JB in a 3 piece just kill it on a small stage in an obscure setting. That was fun. That was exciting. Tix were $10.
Now, lo and behold, he’s selling out symphony halls with a bigger band at $75 for the cheap seats. Don’t even know this guy.
So, when my friends at the paper offered me two free tickets to JB’s show next month, I politley turned them down and said,”I’ve so been there and done that! You need to share those with a new fan, someone who doesn’t remember him from 10 years ago. Someone who doesn’t like spaghetti, but isn’t sure why.”
Brilliance
bril·liance [bril-yuhns]
Origin:
1745–55; brilli(ant) + -ance
Turn It Up Tuesday!
Stuck somewhere between Van Halen, Motley Crue, Poison and the other ‘Hair’ metal bands of the day was Great White. The spotlight never shined on them quite as brightly as it did their contemporaries, possibly because they lacked the pretty-boy good lucks of their peers. No matter the reason, they remain a guilty pleasure of mine. Jack Russell is an amazing vocalist, and their album Once Bitten is one of the best of that subgenre.
Here’s a few cuts from that excellent record. Enjoy, and crank it up!
I don’t mean to keep talking about Animoto, but it’s part of the story as to how I doscovered today’s featured artist, Mike Gallagher.
Part of the process of creating a video on Animoto is selecting the music you want to play with your video. You can upload your own music, or select from Animoto’s library. Music is available from a number of genres, including Electronica, Gospel, Singer/Songwriter, Pop, Jazz, Rock, etc. and you can listen to samples of each song before selecting.
A couple of the songs were by Mike Gallagher and I loved them! I googled him, found his website, and a link to his Myspace page where you can listen to 10 full-length songs. They are all instrumental guitar pieces, and this guy rocks! He would probably be considered a, ‘Shredder’ but he still has feel, soul and melodic sensibility.
I’m often left cold by many shredder types who have amazing chops and speed but lack feel and tone. Mike Gallagher is an exception to that dynamic. He’s got the whole package; speed, technical ability, AND soul and feel. He’s got 3 CD’s (Extreme Guitar I, Extreme Guitar II and Extreme Guitar III) and I’m going to look into them all.
Click this link to visit Mike’s Myspace page and take a listen to these 10 songs. Let me know what you think!
Enjoy, and TURN IT UP!
How Bass Works In Music
Here’s an outstanding series of 5 videos that speak to the role of bass in music. They are part of a larger series of videos called, “How Music Works.” If you search Youtube you’ll also find a related series of videos for rhythm, for melody and for harmony - all taken from a documentary that appeared on television in the UK in 2006.
Then someone comes along and, quite frankly, redefines the bass guitar…
One Year Gone
No description needed. Turn it up LOUD, and remember…
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