Tag Archives: Music

Happy Birthday Freedom

4 Jul

234 years ago the United States adopted a document declaring its independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. One year later, Philadelphia celebrated the anniversary of this declared freedom, an…Independence Day celebration, with an official dinner for congress, gun salutes, speeches, and fireworks. That’s right. The fireworks show may not have been an elaborate combination of complex display pyrotechnics linked with a synchronized audio track, but, Americans were still celebrating freedom by blowing colorful stuff up in the sky. Yes, the fourth was celebrated just one year after its actual inception and now, as we gather with family for our own congressional dinner and amateur fireworks display it is a good time for us all to reflect on our American pride. Proud to be an American…where have I heard that before.

Oh Yeah:

Do you want to know more about this fourth of July hit. Check out Chris Gay’s post on the Rocks Off blog from the Houston Press:

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks/2010/07/ten_fun_facts_about_god_bless.php

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An Acoustic “Telephone”

1 Jul

Dual Posting Time. A court link and an artist profile; a double dip for the ages. And, boy, do I have a cool link for you all tonight.

There are a select few acoustic guitar masters and Igor Presnyakov is certainly one of them. The Russian born guitarist/composer has been playing the guitar for around 35 years – according to his website – and that has given him a diverse range of guitar experience. He also plays a Russian 7-string guitar, a type of guitar that was popularized in the 19th century. He is one of the few to play it on a professional level.

The invention of the “Russian Guitar” is attributed to Andrei Sychra. It was popularized in the early 19th century and actually remained the popular standard until a strong interest in underground music (including that of Western music like The Beatles) brought the 6-string guitar prominence.

Anyway, back to the 7-string guitar playing of Igor Presnyakov. Here is Presnyakov playing his acoustic version of Lady GaGa’s “Telephone.” Yes, this is very real and very cool.

Like what you hear: http://igorpresnyakov.blogspot.com/

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Foul Deeds never seemed so pure

30 Jun

Pegi Young, the wife of folk troubadour Neil, is not just a female backup singer for her husband any longer. Instead, her new album, Foul Deeds, paired with her self-titled debut in 2007, proves that she is far more than a one-trick-pony; more like a true Crazy Horse.

Young is the classic example of a late-blooming artist, releasing her first album in her 50’s. But, don’t let age fool you. In response to her age Young says, “I’m 57, so I’m never gonna be the next big thing, but I’m cool with that. If I was younger, I might be more focused on the commerce part of it. But I’m not a 20-year-old trying to make a living, so I don’t have to conform to some record company’s idea of whatever they’re looking for that week. In that way, I guess I can be truly independent and focus on the creative part. I have no idea where it will go from here, but I’m having fun and I feel really, really good about what I’ve done so far.”

While Young was too shy to do anything past amateur recording when she was younger, she began pursuing music only 10 years ago after her kids were grown. As a back-up singer for her husband, she was exposed more to music and was able begin recording her own songs.

As Young says in her quotation above, she does not need to conform to any record company’s idea and therefore can be independent. This is certainly reflected in her music. Her maturity inspired by life experiences is highlighted in her lyric and song. It is as if she just simply skipped the “growing up” portion that most musicians need to go through, and went straight into clean, fulfilling performances. Young knows who she is and it shows. I have so much respect for musicians who let everything out in their craft.

“Foul Deeds seemed like a good album title, because this record definitely has its share of dark themes… divorce, debauchery, disillusionment and despair,” Pegi Young says of her second album and first for Vapor Records. “But I’m not trying to be a bummer. I’m just trying to tell some stories and make music that I can get behind.”

And, isn’t this a breath of fresh air. Young tells it straight. So many musicians today put on a musical façade, refusing to reveal themselves. Young, while she may have been shy when she was younger, is recording music that she, “can get behind.” Music that she knows is real.

Foul Deeds is full of creative originals and fantastic covers. Her originals represent her grasp on heavy emotional issues and mastery over the folk style.

Young also concentrated on the flow of the album, a concept that is commonly forgotten about today. “I’m still a big believer in the old idea of a record being a complete experience,” Young asserts. “So it matters to me that the songs have thematic relevance, and that somehow it tells some kind of story. Maybe people don’t really listen to records as a whole anymore, and you can work on the sequencing till the cows come home but they’ll still put it on shuffle and it doesn’t matter. But it matters to me, and this group of songs just seem to make sense together.”

Info:
www.pegiyoung.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Pegi-Young/133463653345541

Buy the album: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003JH0L9G/ref=s9_simh_gw_p15_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=043NYMRAXTV0W6ER84QP&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

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SWOD: Come On, Come On and Make a Haptic Move at Me

29 Jun

Today’s Word:

Haptic (adjective): Relating to the sense of touch; tactile.

He's not afraid

Musical Example:
As the title evinces,  The Doors made a mistake when titling their 1969 hit, “Touch Me.” Obviously, haptic move would have been a better choice.

The song, which was written by guitarist Robby Krieger, implements a riff inspired by The Four Seasons’ “C’mon Marianne.” It is perhaps one of the most known Doors’ songs, and a perfect example of Jim Morrison’s excellent croon.

It also includes both brass and string instruments, which, according to fans at the time, was the problem with The Soft Parade, the album which the song finds itself on.

But, while the album faced controversy then, it has, like a fine wine, aged well.

Did You Know…

The album had numerous working titles before the Doors’ finally settled on “Touch Me.” Fortunately, “Make a Haptic Move at Me” was not in the running. “I’m Gonna Love You,” a lyric of the song, was a possibility. “Hit Me,” a reference to the card game black jack, also was a working title. Actually, the famous first line of the song originally went, “C’mon, hit me, I’m not afraid.” But, Jim Morrison frequently changed the line during live performances fearing that the “hit me” line would encourage fans to challenge him to a fight.

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Glastonbury Muse and Vampire Blues

27 Jun

I am going to take you on a mini journey for this installment of Court Links. First, off to the just finished festival in Glastonbury.

Matthew Bellamy from Muse performing at the Greek Theatre Los Angeles, California - 19.07.06 Credit: (Mandatory) Aaron D. Settipane/WENN

The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, the largest open-air music festival in the world, was supposed to feature U2 as a performer on their expansive list of acts. But, because of Bono back surgery, U2 could not participate in the festival. But, U2 fans at the festival got a special surprise when the Edge came out to help Matthew Bellamy and Muse perform the U2 classic, “Where the Streets Have No Name.”

Bellamy and the Edge, both bathed in red stage light, provide an excellent vocal, guitar combination and a wonderful harmony when the Edge provides his backing in the chorus. The fans certainly seemed to enjoy the performance and it is hard not to. Kudos to the Edge for joining Muse on stage for the encore.

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Now, on to the more obscure “Vampire Blues.” This, of course, unless you are a Neil Young fan. Then, you would understand that we were going to explore the actions of the always liberal-minded 64-year-old folk musician. But, for this journey we must enter the world of the interweb.

On Thursday, at 6:17 p.m., Young expressed his computer literacy, by giving his 416,628 fans who like his Facebook page a special treat. He typed, “I have been thinking about adding Vampire Blues to my show but I would rather do it with a band. This is my first posting. Thanks for being there.” The post stirred over 11,000 likes and over 3,000 comments from excited fans, many beckoning Young to write more. Who knows if this is actually him or simply a publicist trying to spark some excitement. But, let’s be real, it is probably Young and that’s just awesome.

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