Tag Archives: Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival 2013 is Coming to NYC

27 Nov

In Middle/High school, my friend Josh and I were firmly in the musical minority. While the musical tastes of others impulsively changed with the charts, we were staunch in our love for classic Blues. That love was engendered by Eric Clapton. As teens, we created a “Clapton is God” AOL blog page expressing our adoration for the guitar legend. It was crudely done, but the purpose was clear. While others looked up to Eminem, we looked up to Eric Clapton.

Clapton has always represented a prodigious musical skill that transcends music itself. Not many musicians can transform from musician to icon, and those that do are often outspoken and flashy. With the power of a remarkably proficient playing style and a granular, experienced voice, Clapton has shaped and transformed the Blues. He has carried the torch of his inspirations to a new generation of music lovers and players. Heck, when Josh first learned guitar he immediately explored hammer-ons and pull-offs because of the seminal opening riff of “Layla.”

Thus, when Josh and I have the opportunity to see Eric Clapton, we do. We are only in our early 20s, though, so we have seen Clapton three times (we are lucky that we are located in a concert hub like New York). Soon we will add a fourth concert to the list, and, wow, what a concert it will be.

I will say I am not sure any concert can trump the Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood show at the Izod Center (6/10/09). That concert also sparked my first review for the Music Court (can be accessed there).

The Crossroads Guitar Festival 2013 is coming to Madison Square Garden in April of 2013. Oddly enough, the first night of the two-night event falls on April 12, my friend Josh’s birthday. Quite a present, indeed. The Crossroads Guitar Festival is a triennial musical festival and benefit concert that features a hand-picked line-up of guitarists at Clapton’s discretion – so you can be assured it will be epic. The line-up has transformed since the first show in 2004. In 2010, the Festival was held in Chicago (also held in Illinois in 2007), and many of the artists that appeared in the 2010 show will perform at MSG in April.

The full list of performers (brace yourself) is:

  • Jeff Beck
  • Dave Biller
  • Booker T
  • Doyle Bramhall II
  • Allman Brothers Band
  • Gary Clark Jr.
  • Eric Clapton
  • Citizen Cope
  • Robert Cray
  • Andy Fairweather Low
  • Vince Gill
  • John Mayer
  • Blake Mills
  • Keb Mo
  • Brad Paisley
  • Robert Randolph
  • Kurt Rosenwinkel
  • Robbie Robertson
  • John Scofield
  • Keith Urban
  • Jimmy Vaughan
  • Buddy Guy
  • Allan Holdsworth
  • BB King
  • Earl Klugh
  • Sonny Landreth
  • Jonny Lang
  • Albert Lee
  • Los Lobos
  • Taj Mahal

Where do I begin? Seriously, it is like Thanksgiving dinner. There is turkey, stuffing, and sweet potato, and you just don’t know where to start. Luckily, the MSG stage will serve as a large plate and the audience will be able to feast their eyes AND ears on the music of these great musicians. Some artists serve obvious excitement. B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Jeff Beck, and Albert Lee are legends. The Allman Brothers Band will make their first appearance at the Festival, and that has serious blow-your-socks off potential. Can I please ask for a rendition of “Layla” with Derek Trucks reprising Duane Allman’s role on slide guitar? I am also excited to see rising star Gary Clark Jr. play upon his Jimi Hendrix influence. I can just keep on saying I am also because I am excited about all acts.

It should be noted that all acts will NOT appear on both nights. With the amount of talent present, though, you will listen to something great! You will also be supporting a worthy cause. The Crossroads Centre, Antigua, was founded in 1998 to provide treatment to addicted individuals. As Clapton was once afflicted with addiction, this is a personal cause.

For those with tickets to the show, there will be free admission to a “Guitar Center Road to Crossroads Exhibition” which will feature a diverse display of guitar-related memorabilia including the “Legends Guitar Walk,” which will display some of the most expensive guitars in history. It’s like a mini Rock n’ Roll Hall-of-Fame exhibit on the Terrace Level of MSG. The exhibit opens at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, April 12 and 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 13.

Like the Guitar Fest on Facebook and follow it on Twitter.

TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets go on sale to the public this Friday (11/30) at Noon EST. They can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com. I will be on Ticketmaster frantically refreshing the page for tickets at 11:55 a.m.! See you there.

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McCartney’s Kisses – Iommi Diagnosed with Lymphoma

9 Jan

I just blew the dust off of the Music News category. It had developed a lot of dust, like an unread book on a mahogany bookshelf in an abandoned house. Okay. It wasn’t tangible dust, but, I really haven’t written a post about music news in a while. That stands to change on this Monday, where I do have some pieces of news to share with you all. Let’s jump right into it.

New McCartney Album:

There is so much talent in this image it's almost unhealthy. From left, Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, George Martin, Paul McCartney, and Phil Collins.

 
Only two men in the image above are needed for this post. But, goodness, that picture was too good not to post on the blog. Paul McCartney and Eric Clapton are the two men we are talking about though.
 
On Feb. 7, McCartney will release his first studio album since 2007. The album, Kisses on the Bottom, is his follow-up to Memory Almost Full (which was a great album in my opinion). The album features McCartney in a more intimate, jazzy setting. Unlike Memory Almost Full which was mostly a pop album. The track listing was released and there are some reinterpretations of well-known song. Here is the track list:
 
01. I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter
02. Home (When Shadows Fall)
03.  It’s Only A Paper Moon
04. More I Cannot Wish You
05. The Glory Of Love  
06. We Three (My Echo, My Shadow And Me)
07. Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive
08. My Valentine
09. Always
10. My Very Good Friend The Milkman
11. Bye Bye Blackbird
12. Get Yourself Another Fool
13. The Inch Worm
14. Only Our Hearts
 15.  Baby’s Request (Deluxe Edition)
16.  My One And Only Love (Deluxe Edition)
 
Why is “My Valentine” bolded? Why was Eric Clapton even mentioned? Well on this new album Eric Clapton plays acoustic guitar on “My Valentine.” So what? Click on this – some footage from one of the best concerts of the 2000s.
 
When Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney get together good music is inevitably created. This is no different with “My Valentine” off of McCartney’s new album. Take a listen.
 
 
Eric Clapton has a style of acoustic guitar playing. It can be described as blues perfection, I guess. It is pretty near perfect. You just know it is him when you hear his flawless stylings. This song is, well, beautiful. Wow, what a surprise! Combine Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney, writers of some of the best rock love songs of the rock era, and you get something beautiful, jazzy, melodic, emotional but seemingly effortless. Clapton’s solo at the 2-minute mark is just wonderful. And McCartney’s voice is tremendous. Great release.
 
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Tony Iommi Diagnosed with Lymphoma
 
 
I hate reading news items like this. Black Sabbath’s guitarist Tony Iommi, 63,  was diagnosed with the early stages of lymphoma, according to a statement on the band’s website. This comes on the heels of the announcement that the band’s original members will be writing and recording for the first time in 33 years. Just awful timing. The band is moving from Los Angeles to London in order to work with Iommi while he undergoes treatment.
 
We wish him all the best and hopefully he gets better soon. To sponsor a quick recovery, here is “Paranoid”
 

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Inagural Journey

5 Sep

I’d like to take you on musical journey, more specifically my musical journey, from a tiny dweeb with a mix CD of songs downloaded from Kazaa to this post pubescent humanoid interested enough in music to volunteer to write for this esteemed music blog.

I envision this category as an exploration of musical genres that I enjoy, handpicking artists, albums and even specific songs that are part of my musical gospel.  These music genres and how I divide and subdivide them are really of my own creation and bear no resemblance to what you may or may not have read on wikipedia.  Also, I haven’t decided yet if I will crossover artists between genres.  You’ll just have to stay tuned to find that tantalizing bit of knowledge out.

With that administration stuff out of the way, we can now make way on this exploration.  I’d like to start with my longest obsession: the blues!

The Blues: Great Guitarists

My guess is if you’re here, you’ve at least heard of the greats.  Perhaps you enjoy listening to the Pioneers of Blues, like Robert Johnson, Chuck Berry, the three Kings (BB, Freddie and Albert), Buddy Guy,  or Hendrix.  Or maybe you rock out with the blues guitarists of the British Invasion, try Jeff Beck, Mr. Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page or Keith Richards.  Perhaps, (like myself), you find something really cool about Southern Blues like SRV, Duane Allman, Dickey Betts or Gary Rossington.  Those guys are the greats for many reasons but they certainly are not the only great players out there.

I’m sure you’ve heard of a guy named John Mayer.  Tall, skinny white dude who only seems like a prick until you actually hear him speak and you can confirm it.  Everytime I used to hear the man’s songs I had the sudden and barely controllable urge to break things.  Sometimes I still do.  However, that doesn’t change the fact that although he may have the voice of a pop singer who injects himself with estrogen, Mr. Mayer plays like a guitar god on steriods with three hands who will be killed painfully when and if he stops playing with a healthy does of skill and soul.  Just check out the mans solo and even compare it to the great Eric Clapton’s.

As amazing as some of these guys are, I’ve never wanted to learn to kick ass and take names on guitar more than seeing a guy by the name of Davy Knowles play live.  I was standing next to another act, a pretty good guitarist himself by the name of Evan Watson (checkout this video) who was standing there, mouth open, shaking his head as Davy fretted and played with one hand.  Check out his album Coming up For Air to understand just how talented he is.

Just watched Davy?  The song he just played isn’t actually his.  It’s by a guy by the name of Rory Gallagher.  I know, wimpy first name, not wimpy player.  The bad boys of rock and roll themselves,, those Rolling Stones even asked this guy to play for them.  That’s how good.  Check out the Irish 74 tour live double album for a legend in tippy top shape.

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John McVie – From the Bluesbreakers to The Chain

5 Jul

John McVie? Isn’t he the bassist from Fleetwood Mac? Absolutely. But he wasn’t always in Fleetwood Mac. Welcome John McVie into this week’s installment of “Same Artist, Different Place.”

McVie got his start by playing in High School with a cover band. This has become an almost hackneyed opening to all musician stories, but High School cover bands are truly the way that most famous musicians get started. So the lesson here is to seek out the talented musicians in your High School (like McVie) and latch on to their band. Can’t play an instrument? No matter, be their manager or something. Let’s get back to reality.

McVie played music from the Shadows with his band Krewsaders until leaving school at 17 for tax inspector training. Music, at that time, became a side hobby until bassist Cliff Barton turned down a part in a new Chicago-blues style band called John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers and suggested that Mayall give McVie an audition. Mayall listened and was impressed with McVie. So, Mcvie, with no formal training in music, was accepted into the Bluesbreakers. Mayall gave him albums from B.B. King and other blues musicians to study.

Before Fleetwood Mac, there was the Bluesbreakers, who would later become known as a talented platform band, where English musicians went before becoming famous with other acts (kind of like The Yardbirds). Musicians like Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Mick Taylor, “Sugarcane” Harris, Andy Fraser and Aynsley Dunbar played with the band. The band was exceptionally talented and it sustained itself with tremendously talented musicians.

After Clapton and Bruce left the Bluesbreakers (they would later form Cream), Mayall added guitarist Peter Green in 1966 and soon after added drummer Mick Fleetwood. I bet you see where this is going. McVie developed a great relationship with Green and Fleetwood and after Green was replaced by Mick Taylor he started a new band which he called Fleetwood Mac, after his beloved rhythm section of Fleetwood and McVie. It didn’t take too much convincing to get Fleetwood over to the new band and after McVie became dissatisfied with Bluesbreaker’s move towards Jazz he joined the new band in 1967.

The rest is history.

Here is McVie playing “All Your Love” with the Bluesbreakers (Eric Clapton on guitar).

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Top 25 Guitarists of All Time: # 20 Les Paul

9 Jun

Hello everyone,

So as I am writing this it is still currently Les Paul’s birthday. Funny how these thing’s work out, right? I know I’ve been away for a while, so take your anger out on Matt. It is time to continue this list and there is clearly no better time than the present. There is a great deal of fascinating stuff about Les Paul and I’m not talking about that nifty guitar thing Google had up…even though that was awesome.

Les Paul was born Lester William Polsfuss and played jazz as well as country guitar. Rock and roll exists in large part because of Paul’s part in pioneering the electric guitar. If you want to talk about someone being influential, here’s your guy. If it wasn’t for his work, many genres of music would never have evolved.

In 1940, “The Log” was built in the Epiphone guitar factory. This was no mere cylindrical slab of wood, but one of the first solid-body electric guitars. There was a great deal of drama when the Gibson company changed the design of the guitar without Paul’s knowledge in response to declining sales. Les wasn’t so happy, but went on after an unpleasant divorce to put his name on the guitar, followed by “SG.” This designation stands for “solid body,” and gained immense popularity after Eric Clapton began playing the model, as well as the ES-335.

In addition to the immensely important innovation, Les Paul also delved into multi-track recordings. With a push from Bing Crosby, Les Paul went for it, creating his own studio, utilizing acetate discs instead of magnetic tape.

So, why does Les wind up at #20? Because…he helped make all these things possible…not to mention he was a pretty good guitarist.

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