As of lately, I have been on a literary rampage and felt the need to educate. After after unsuccessfully writing a blog entry for 4 hours I have abandoned that desire. However, I shall give you the titles of some magnificent books:
-The 1000 Year War -Richard Maybury
-World War I - Richard Maybury
-World War II - Richard Maybury
Maybury is an economist and views both World Wars and the conflict in the Middle East as one continuous war. Furthermore, being an economist, he looks at the logistics of war, and by doing that he puts the US involvement in World politics in an interesting light. I'm talking FDR's scheme to sacrifice Pearl Harbor so he could participate in World War II and such...
-Religion Explained - Pascal Boyer
Obviously religion has survived evolution, or rather, since it's around, it must serve an evolutionary purpose. A very interesting study in human nature and the brain.
-The GOD Delusion - Richard Dawkins
-god IS NOT GREAT - Christopher Hitchens
These titles speak for themselves. Quite entertaining. I love the rants of witty folks.
-The World Is Flat - Thomas Friedman
With the Internet and all, a South African school kid has the same access as an American business executive to all human knowledge (that humanity admits to having). The educational and business field is slowly but surely flattening out. (Implied in this book is that eventually there will be no need for government.)
-1421 (The Year The Chinese Discovered The World) - Gavin Menzies
Apparently, Columbus had maps of the Americas. Where did these maps come from? Right before discovering the straight named after him, Magellan faced mutiny by his crew, which got a little pissed off about sailing so close to Antarctica. He calmed them down by showing them a map of where they ware going. Wait... what?!
Happy reading.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Not sure what to title this. ( Competition: If you have suggestions, have at it, the winner will get a free Diet Dr. Pepper.)
So tonight I got together with the great Stan Lassiter, my new guitar teacher. His method is steeped in Taoism, and it literally immediately changed my approach to guitar. I seriously walked out a different musician than I walked in. And the timing couldn't have been better.
I went down to Tootsies to see Mark Matejka play (same guy from the ass-whipping I wrote about two weeks back). I said hello, and he asked me if I wanted to play. He did this right after doing "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" sans fiddle (he covered those part verbatim). So Headley said "Yeah... eh... sure...", and proceeded to go to the bar to get any alcohol I could get a hold off, to help me deal with DEF CON 5. It went relatively well, but it was another ass-whooping nonetheless.
I went down to Tootsies to see Mark Matejka play (same guy from the ass-whipping I wrote about two weeks back). I said hello, and he asked me if I wanted to play. He did this right after doing "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" sans fiddle (he covered those part verbatim). So Headley said "Yeah... eh... sure...", and proceeded to go to the bar to get any alcohol I could get a hold off, to help me deal with DEF CON 5. It went relatively well, but it was another ass-whooping nonetheless.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Blues Songwriting 101
If you're new to blues music, or like it and never really understood the why and wherefores, here are some very fundamental rules:
1) Most Blues begin with: "woke up this morning..."
2) "I got a good woman" is a bad way to begin the Blues, unless you stick with something nasty in the next line like "I got a good woman, but she's got the meanest face in town."
3) The Blues is simple. After you get the first line right, repeat it. Then find something that rhymes - sort of "I got a good woman, she got the meanest face in town. Got a good woman, she got the meanest face in town. Got teeth like horse and she weighs 500 pound."
4) The blues is not about choice. You stuck in a ditch... well, you stuck in a ditch. Deal with it.
5) Blues cars: Cadillacs, Fords, Chevys and of course the beat up pick-up truck. Blues doesn't travel in Beamers, Volvos of Escalades. Most blues transportation however , is a southbound freight train or Greyhound bus. Jet planes and state-sponsored Prevosts are out of the question. Walkin' is also acceptable in the blues lifestyle. So does fixin' to die.
6) Teenagers can't sing the blues. They ain't fixin' to die yet. Adults can sing the blues. Adulthood means being qualified to get the chair after shooting men in Reno, just to watch 'm die.
7) Blues can take place in New York City, but not in Hawaii or anywhere in Canada, let alone The Hague, The Netherlands. Hard times in Seattle or San Fransisco are probably nothing more than clinical depression. Chicago, IL, Memphis, TN , 'Nawlins, LA and Buttcrack, MS are the still the best places to get the blues. Also, you will not get the blues where it doesn't rain, ie; Phoenix, AZ.
8) Breaking your leg while skiing is not an acceptable form of obtaining the blues. Breaking a leg 'cause a gator be chompin' on it is.
9) You can't have no blues in a mall or an office. The lighting is wrong. Go outside and sit next to the BFI dumpster.
10) Good places for the blues:
-a jail house
-highway 61
-empty bed with a silvertrail you don't recall
-bottom af a whiskey glass
11) Bad places for the blues:
-Target
-Birkenstock store
-Art gallery
-Ivy League institutions
-Golf courses
12) No one will believe you have the blues if you wear a suit. Unless you're old. And you slept in the suit.
13) Do you have the right to sing the blues?
YES:
-you're blind
-you shot a man in Reno
-you can't be satisfied
NO:
-if you have all your teeth
-you once were blind, but now you can see.
-the guy in Reno lived
-You have 401K
14) Blues is not about color. It's a matter of bad luck. OJ can't sing the blues. Sonny Liston could have.
15) If you ask for whiskey and your woman gives you gasoline, it's the blues. Other acceptable blues beverages are:
-cheap wine
-rot gut whiskey
-corn liquor
-muddy water
-black coffee
The following are not blues beverages:
-Perrier
-Chardonnay
-Slim Fast
-Scotch
-Starbucks chai latté with vanilla shots, chilled
16) If death occurs in a cheap motel or a shotgun shack, it's the blues. Stabbed in the back by a jealous lover is another bluesy way to die. So is the electric chair, substance abuse and dying lonely on a piece-of-shit cot. You cannot have a blues death during a tennis match or liposuction.
17) Blues names for women:
-Sadie
-Big Mama
-Bessie
-Fat River Dumplin
18) Blues names for men:
-Joe
-Willie
-Big Willie
-Little Willie
19) People with names like Amber, Michelle, Heather, Patrick, Matthew or Pepé can't sing the blues. No matter how many men they shot in Reno.
20) Blues name starter kit:
a) name of physical infirmity (blind, criple, lame, etc)
b) first name (see above)
c) last name of a president (Jefferson, Fillmore, Johnson, Jackson
example: Blind Lemon Jefferson, Pegleg Lime Johnson, or Cripple Peach Fillmore.
1) Most Blues begin with: "woke up this morning..."
2) "I got a good woman" is a bad way to begin the Blues, unless you stick with something nasty in the next line like "I got a good woman, but she's got the meanest face in town."
3) The Blues is simple. After you get the first line right, repeat it. Then find something that rhymes - sort of "I got a good woman, she got the meanest face in town. Got a good woman, she got the meanest face in town. Got teeth like horse and she weighs 500 pound."
4) The blues is not about choice. You stuck in a ditch... well, you stuck in a ditch. Deal with it.
5) Blues cars: Cadillacs, Fords, Chevys and of course the beat up pick-up truck. Blues doesn't travel in Beamers, Volvos of Escalades. Most blues transportation however , is a southbound freight train or Greyhound bus. Jet planes and state-sponsored Prevosts are out of the question. Walkin' is also acceptable in the blues lifestyle. So does fixin' to die.
6) Teenagers can't sing the blues. They ain't fixin' to die yet. Adults can sing the blues. Adulthood means being qualified to get the chair after shooting men in Reno, just to watch 'm die.
7) Blues can take place in New York City, but not in Hawaii or anywhere in Canada, let alone The Hague, The Netherlands. Hard times in Seattle or San Fransisco are probably nothing more than clinical depression. Chicago, IL, Memphis, TN , 'Nawlins, LA and Buttcrack, MS are the still the best places to get the blues. Also, you will not get the blues where it doesn't rain, ie; Phoenix, AZ.
8) Breaking your leg while skiing is not an acceptable form of obtaining the blues. Breaking a leg 'cause a gator be chompin' on it is.
9) You can't have no blues in a mall or an office. The lighting is wrong. Go outside and sit next to the BFI dumpster.
10) Good places for the blues:
-a jail house
-highway 61
-empty bed with a silvertrail you don't recall
-bottom af a whiskey glass
11) Bad places for the blues:
-Target
-Birkenstock store
-Art gallery
-Ivy League institutions
-Golf courses
12) No one will believe you have the blues if you wear a suit. Unless you're old. And you slept in the suit.
13) Do you have the right to sing the blues?
YES:
-you're blind
-you shot a man in Reno
-you can't be satisfied
NO:
-if you have all your teeth
-you once were blind, but now you can see.
-the guy in Reno lived
-You have 401K
14) Blues is not about color. It's a matter of bad luck. OJ can't sing the blues. Sonny Liston could have.
15) If you ask for whiskey and your woman gives you gasoline, it's the blues. Other acceptable blues beverages are:
-cheap wine
-rot gut whiskey
-corn liquor
-muddy water
-black coffee
The following are not blues beverages:
-Perrier
-Chardonnay
-Slim Fast
-Scotch
-Starbucks chai latté with vanilla shots, chilled
16) If death occurs in a cheap motel or a shotgun shack, it's the blues. Stabbed in the back by a jealous lover is another bluesy way to die. So is the electric chair, substance abuse and dying lonely on a piece-of-shit cot. You cannot have a blues death during a tennis match or liposuction.
17) Blues names for women:
-Sadie
-Big Mama
-Bessie
-Fat River Dumplin
18) Blues names for men:
-Joe
-Willie
-Big Willie
-Little Willie
19) People with names like Amber, Michelle, Heather, Patrick, Matthew or Pepé can't sing the blues. No matter how many men they shot in Reno.
20) Blues name starter kit:
a) name of physical infirmity (blind, criple, lame, etc)
b) first name (see above)
c) last name of a president (Jefferson, Fillmore, Johnson, Jackson
example: Blind Lemon Jefferson, Pegleg Lime Johnson, or Cripple Peach Fillmore.
Sunday, April 1, 2007
The Crossroads.
So the "Selling-Your-Soul-To-The-Devil-For-Dummies" Manual kinda puts it like this:
You show up right before midnight at the Crossroads (where Hwy 61 and Hwy 49 meet in Clarksdale, MS). Bring your git-fiddle. At midnight a clean-cut black man wearing a nice suit will show up. You hand him your guitar, which he'll tune and then he'll pick you a song. Then he'll hand you your guitar back, and walk away. Congratulations!!! From here on out you'll have hell-hounds on your trail!!! Happy Travels!!!
But from what I understand, as of lately, the Devil doesn't go there anymore. He just sends an associate down to the crossroads, with a written message:
"Dear Aspiring Guitar Slinger,
I got a bit tired of all these white boys that don't want to practice.
Best Wishes!
-The Devil
PS: Marilyn Manson freaks me out ."
You show up right before midnight at the Crossroads (where Hwy 61 and Hwy 49 meet in Clarksdale, MS). Bring your git-fiddle. At midnight a clean-cut black man wearing a nice suit will show up. You hand him your guitar, which he'll tune and then he'll pick you a song. Then he'll hand you your guitar back, and walk away. Congratulations!!! From here on out you'll have hell-hounds on your trail!!! Happy Travels!!!
But from what I understand, as of lately, the Devil doesn't go there anymore. He just sends an associate down to the crossroads, with a written message:
"Dear Aspiring Guitar Slinger,
I got a bit tired of all these white boys that don't want to practice.
Best Wishes!
-The Devil
PS: Marilyn Manson freaks me out ."
Guitar Tone
I've been talking with some people lately about guitar tone. My take on it is this:
"Tone is a guitarists awareness of his sound"
His "sound" is the musical manifestation of who he is, whether he's playing on Lower Broadway, eating a burger, taking a crap or gets his hair done. Gear therefore are tools that help him to a) get that sound out (thus preventing him from having to fart into a microphone) and b) manipulate that sound. This is why Eddie Van Halen will always sound like Eddie Van Halen, even if he's on SRV"s rig. Point in case, Ed Beaver and I crashed a private party in Clarksdale, MS (yes... we live on the edge) where a blues band fronted by Mississippi Slim was playing. His guitarists gear was a guitar, a cable and a transistor amp. He blew us away...
And now you also know why I think you will not sound like SRV, Hendrix, Clapton, Brent Mason or Brad Paisley, even if you were to play their rigs. You are not your idol.
As for my personal tone, I was talking with Ed about how I really enjoyed playing Bettie, my Fender Strat. She has a really cool vibe, and it comes out through the way she looks, feels, plays and sounds.
As I wrote before, this guitar spent some time on a grill, and that burnt the guitar and melted the plastics, which I've obviously replaced. As far as the wood finish is concerned, I sanded it off, exposing the wood, so now the wood is not constrained by the sealing lacquer anymore: Bettie breathes. So she has the same sound whether I play through an amp or unplugged. I dig that.
So what I'm looking for in my basic live tone, and Ed verbalized this, is that I want my electric guitars to sound like acoustic guitars, just louder and with more gain (but with not much or no distortion). The effects I buy I judge mainly on their transparency. If they mess with the sound from a guitar, I don't like them. The same for my amps. Both amps and effects can have their flavor, but the guitar itself needs to come through.
"Tone is a guitarists awareness of his sound"
His "sound" is the musical manifestation of who he is, whether he's playing on Lower Broadway, eating a burger, taking a crap or gets his hair done. Gear therefore are tools that help him to a) get that sound out (thus preventing him from having to fart into a microphone) and b) manipulate that sound. This is why Eddie Van Halen will always sound like Eddie Van Halen, even if he's on SRV"s rig. Point in case, Ed Beaver and I crashed a private party in Clarksdale, MS (yes... we live on the edge) where a blues band fronted by Mississippi Slim was playing. His guitarists gear was a guitar, a cable and a transistor amp. He blew us away...
And now you also know why I think you will not sound like SRV, Hendrix, Clapton, Brent Mason or Brad Paisley, even if you were to play their rigs. You are not your idol.
As for my personal tone, I was talking with Ed about how I really enjoyed playing Bettie, my Fender Strat. She has a really cool vibe, and it comes out through the way she looks, feels, plays and sounds.
As I wrote before, this guitar spent some time on a grill, and that burnt the guitar and melted the plastics, which I've obviously replaced. As far as the wood finish is concerned, I sanded it off, exposing the wood, so now the wood is not constrained by the sealing lacquer anymore: Bettie breathes. So she has the same sound whether I play through an amp or unplugged. I dig that.
So what I'm looking for in my basic live tone, and Ed verbalized this, is that I want my electric guitars to sound like acoustic guitars, just louder and with more gain (but with not much or no distortion). The effects I buy I judge mainly on their transparency. If they mess with the sound from a guitar, I don't like them. The same for my amps. Both amps and effects can have their flavor, but the guitar itself needs to come through.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Essential Listening
Like a lot of people I go through phases when it comes to listening to music. For a while I might listen to Jimi Hendrix or Johnny Winter and then not listen to them for months. Nevertheless there are some albums I listen to at least every couple of weeks since they never seize to amaze and inspire:
UNSHAVEN: Live At Smith's Ole' Bar (Billy Joe Shaver)
Hunter Carmichael turned me onto this guy. Billy Joe is the real deal Texas outlaw. I don't think he ever recorded any Waylon Jennings songs, (and then there is Honky Tonk Heroes...). Billy Joe's son Eddy is playing lead guitar and it is seriously bad-ass. Monster, MONSTER tone, insanely musical playing, and Eddy is solely responsible for my exploring Stratocasters more in a country/rock setting.
Trace (Son Volt)
I use to listen to Uncle Tupelo some, but I never quite could get past Jeff Tweedy's whining. Jay Farrar is an amazingly observative songwriter. He has his way with words (he inspired the names of two of my guitars), and has a quality, not unlike Mark Knopfler, where you have no clue what the fuck he's talking about unless you do some serious homework.
Trace chronicles Jay Farrar's travel from New Orleans to Minneapolis, driving along the great Mississippi river. Americana at it's best. This album also has a line that I kept close to heart after hearing it for the first time:
"Too much living is no way to die"
Interestingly, I read an article in the New York Times (I believe) about how articles written about Son Volt and Jay Farrar were always good and well written.
So turn up the non-profit radio.
Folklore (16 Horsepower)
"Goth-a-Billy" is the best way I've heard this band described. I have no clue what they're singing about, but it calms me down.
Tape Head (King's X)
Although the probably shouldn't be, and can't be labeled this way, this is the only band out of the '80s that I do like (Although Guns 'n Roses was alright too). They can be pretty friggin' heavy, but, like the Beatles, they have never recorded a negative song. That includes songs like "I Hate You" and "Go To Hell".
A Night At The Opera (Queen)
This album, and "A Day At The Races", also by Queen were actually required listening during my music classes when I was in high school. But at the time I didn't understand it completely. Even though I was heavily into the late '60s, early 70's British scene, it was mainly centered around the London blues-rock scene. The Cambridge scene, from which Queen hails, had a more avant garde quality (hell... Allan Holdsworth came from Cambridge), and it took me a while to appreciate that.
This album is the epiphany of a classic rock album. Unlike all these idiots with their "concept albums", who likened themselves to the great classical composers (Tom Schultz anybody?), Queen was one of the few that could pull it off, and that without claiming to be the shit. Great orchestration, great harmonies, great guitar playing. Do I need say more?
Monty Python (John Cleese, Michael Palin, et all) also hail from Cambridge, whom I also didn't appreciate during my high school day, but now totally dig. Nobody expects the Inquisition! Back then I was into Rowan Atkinson, and his various characters (Mr. Bean, Blackadder and the Devil (even though you could call him Toby, if you would have liked), who is definitely from the Oxford school of comedy)
UNSHAVEN: Live At Smith's Ole' Bar (Billy Joe Shaver)
Hunter Carmichael turned me onto this guy. Billy Joe is the real deal Texas outlaw. I don't think he ever recorded any Waylon Jennings songs, (and then there is Honky Tonk Heroes...). Billy Joe's son Eddy is playing lead guitar and it is seriously bad-ass. Monster, MONSTER tone, insanely musical playing, and Eddy is solely responsible for my exploring Stratocasters more in a country/rock setting.
Trace (Son Volt)
I use to listen to Uncle Tupelo some, but I never quite could get past Jeff Tweedy's whining. Jay Farrar is an amazingly observative songwriter. He has his way with words (he inspired the names of two of my guitars), and has a quality, not unlike Mark Knopfler, where you have no clue what the fuck he's talking about unless you do some serious homework.
Trace chronicles Jay Farrar's travel from New Orleans to Minneapolis, driving along the great Mississippi river. Americana at it's best. This album also has a line that I kept close to heart after hearing it for the first time:
"Too much living is no way to die"
Interestingly, I read an article in the New York Times (I believe) about how articles written about Son Volt and Jay Farrar were always good and well written.
So turn up the non-profit radio.
Folklore (16 Horsepower)
"Goth-a-Billy" is the best way I've heard this band described. I have no clue what they're singing about, but it calms me down.
Tape Head (King's X)
Although the probably shouldn't be, and can't be labeled this way, this is the only band out of the '80s that I do like (Although Guns 'n Roses was alright too). They can be pretty friggin' heavy, but, like the Beatles, they have never recorded a negative song. That includes songs like "I Hate You" and "Go To Hell".
A Night At The Opera (Queen)
This album, and "A Day At The Races", also by Queen were actually required listening during my music classes when I was in high school. But at the time I didn't understand it completely. Even though I was heavily into the late '60s, early 70's British scene, it was mainly centered around the London blues-rock scene. The Cambridge scene, from which Queen hails, had a more avant garde quality (hell... Allan Holdsworth came from Cambridge), and it took me a while to appreciate that.
This album is the epiphany of a classic rock album. Unlike all these idiots with their "concept albums", who likened themselves to the great classical composers (Tom Schultz anybody?), Queen was one of the few that could pull it off, and that without claiming to be the shit. Great orchestration, great harmonies, great guitar playing. Do I need say more?
Monty Python (John Cleese, Michael Palin, et all) also hail from Cambridge, whom I also didn't appreciate during my high school day, but now totally dig. Nobody expects the Inquisition! Back then I was into Rowan Atkinson, and his various characters (Mr. Bean, Blackadder and the Devil (even though you could call him Toby, if you would have liked), who is definitely from the Oxford school of comedy)
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