There are a lot of great guitarists out there, but being unique makes you stand out from the crowd. People who made innovations in guitar techniques also have their place in history. That’s why I’m going to settle the age old question: Who is the greatest guitarist of all time? Well, here’s my top ten.

10.  Randy Rhoads (Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne) - He’d be a lot higher if he’d had more time to play material, but sadly, he died in a plane crash. Still hell of a guitarist. Best solo is “Mr. Crowley” and obviously most recognized is “Crazy Train.”

9. Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) – What can I say. He’s Jimmy Page! Probably most recognized solo is “Stairway to Heaven”, but his best is “Achilles Last Stand.”

8. Slash (Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolover, Slash’s Snakepit) - One of the most recognizable guitarists with his top hat and hair. Best solo is ”Paradise City”, but most recognized is either “Sweet Child O’ Mine” or “Welcome to the Jungle.”

7. Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) – Best red haired guitarist out there and one of the smartest guys in metal, EVER. Best solo is Hangar 18 but most recognized is probably “Peace Sells.”

6. Adrian Smith, Dave Murray, Janick Gers (Iron Maiden) – There’s nothing better than having three guitarists on stage at the same time. The guitar solos are…amazing…seriously. Best solo(s) in technical terms is probably “Hallowed Be Thy Name”, but my personal is either “Deja Vu” or “The Clairvoyant.”

5. David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) – One of the most innovative guitarists of all time… Pink Floyd is just awesome. Best solo and most recognized is probably “Comfortably Numb.”

4. Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield (Metallica) – Probably the most recognizable metal band out there because of the crossover on the Black Album. In the beginning, however, they led the thrash metal movement and their solos changed metal completely. Best solo(s) is either “Fade to Black” or “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” but most recognized would be” Enter Sandman.”

3. Angus Young (AC/DC) – The school boy! There’s nothing better than watching Angus moon the crowd in AC/DC boxers after he’s stripped down from his school attire. He’s one of the first guitarists to really put personality to rock and making it more of a show than a concert. Best solo is “Highway to Hell” but probably the most recognized is “Back In Black” or “You Shook Me All Night Long.”

2. Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath, Heaven and Hell, Iommi) – THE METAL GOD. He created what we know today as heavy metal. If he had never gotten the tops of his fingers cut off, we probably would never gotten the heavy, deep sound that he created. Very innovative and inspriring, and he’s also a hell of guitarist! Best solo is “I Go Insane” and most recognized is either “Paranoid” or “Iron Man.”

1. Eddie Van Halen/ Joe Satriani (Van Halen/ Joe Satriani, Chickenfoot) – Well, I tried to, but there’s no way you can put one of these guys over the other. Eddie is….amazing and Joe is just insane… Eddie might get a slight edge for being the major innovator in tapping, but that’s about it. Eddie’s best solo and most recognized is “Eruption”, and Joe’s best solo is “Surfing With the Alien.” Of course, everyone knows Joe’s most recognized solo, “If I Could Fly”, because Coldplay STOLE IT (if you don’t believe me, look at this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb49QuPLuHg). Fuck you Coldplay. You have no talent…

Alright people this holiday Im going to watch some of my favorite movies and one of the most memorable is Crossroads with Ralph Macchio. The best part in this movie is the guitar duel with Ralph and one of my favorite guitarists, Steve Vai. I used to think Macchio played all his guitar parts in the movie and he gave a pretty good performance but it was actually Vai who dubbed all Macchio’s guitar scenes.

Steve Vai has to be one of the best guitarists in the world, if not THE best and THE hottest (he’s so damn hot), and also one of the most creative but I guess its a tie between him and his earlier guitar mentor, Joe Satriani. Im a fan of both but if you’re new to these amazing musicians then I would say start with Vai, and check out all his albums and then Satriani’s, especially his earlier stuff. Satriani is awesome, watch his video for Always With You, Always With Me. This is my favorite of his instrumentals, one of the most touching love songs I can remember.

And grab a copy of Steve Vai’s new CD & DVD, “Live In Minneapolis – Where The Wild Things Are” available from his website Vai.com The Official Steve Vai Website. Watch a video below, Steve Vai and the String Theories band perform the opening track “Now We Run” from the new DVD. I love this track and this freakin hot performance, it shows Vai still has it and always will.

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Dec 15, 2009
Here’s a link to a little video I ran across of a pilot flying down low through the Grand Canyon in an Air Force trainer jet in 1959. Joe Satriani on guitar. (From what I understand, that link should be good for a year, after which the license to use the music expires, so after that… probably not.)

And, long as we’re talking about guitar music, here’s a little Christmas music:
Lucky Holiday cornbread stuffing aka “Rocketsledder from the North.” That’s me on rhythm guitar. Skip “Cornbread” Kavanaugh on lead guitar, and Marty “Hockinfinger” Kiel on everything else (synth, drums, etc.) It’s (c) 2005, the abovementioned people, but it is also licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 license so feel free to download it and redistribute under those terms.

O plágio é o acto de assinar ou apresentar uma obra intelectual de qualquer natureza (texto, música, obra pictórica, fotografia, obra audiovisual, etc) contendo partes de uma obra que pertença a outra pessoa sem colocar os créditos para o autor original. No acto de plágio, o plagiador apropria-se indevidamente da obra intelectual de outra pessoa, assumindo a autoria da mesma. (via @wikipédia)

Hoje em dia é muito comum encontrar músicas que possuem melodias, solos, riffs e até mesmo letras parecidas com de outras músicas. Algumas vezes são feitos com o intuito de homenagear a pessoa plagiada. Confira alguns exemplos abaixo:

Daft Punk

Coldplay –> Joe Satriani –> Enanitos Verdes –> Cat Stevens

Bônus (Humor)

Original

Plágio

via @jacarébanguela

In GonzoGeek’s on-going quest to pimp a band that needs no pimping, please enjoy the following: Jason Bonham  playing drums as Chickenfoot covers Led Zeppelin’s ‘Rock and Roll’ in Vegas over the weekend.

Witness! Chad Smith ‘playing guitar’. See! Jason Bonham drumming. Experience! Sammy Hagar vocalizing. Hear! Joe Satriani shredding. Acknowledge! The presence of Michael Anthony.

Who's in YOUR Superband?

When I posted my review of Them Crooked Vultures, I got thinking about the idea of superbands. The idea of taking the “best” parts of other bands, and putting them together in a new band in the hope that this conglomeration of artists could produce something better than they could on their own. Of course, this is all down to personal taste, the idea of what you consider good about different bands and artists, how you hope they would fit together and the sound you are yearning to get from them.

I’ve been mentioning these ideas to people, and it seems that even when people think they are putting effort into their choices, there seems to be some consensus. It seems that most people’s dream superbands take one of two routes. On the one hand, you have the people I will call “Legend Lovers”, who will give you a list of names of classic artists, most of whom are dead, but all are instantly recognisable. On the other hand, you have the “Virtuoso Votaries”, who will pick the artists who are famous for playing fast and complex, and little else. There is some overlap between these groups, but unless people actually sit down and research artists, all their choices fit into these two groups. When it comes to me, my first instinct was to be a Legend Lover as, to be honest, they are legends for a reason!

Vocals: Freddie Mercury/Robert Plant/Roger Daltry

Guitar: Jimi Hendrix/Brian May/Pete Townshend/Eric Clapton/Jimmy Page

Bass: John Entwistle/Geddy Lee/Paul McCartney

Drums: Keith Moon/Neil Peart/John Bonham

Virtuoso Votaries

Vocals: Freddy Mercury/Bruce Dickinson/Ian Gillan/Steve Perry

Guitar: Jimi Hendrix/Joe Satriani/Steve Vai/Yngwei Malmsteen/Eddie Van Halen/Herman Li

Bass: Flea/John Petrucci/Geddy Lee/Cliff Burton

Drums: Neil Peart/John Bonham/Mike Portnoy

The Rules

So, with all this useless research, where does this leave my superband concept? Well, I’ve been putting thought into this, and decided upon some rules for myself. By following these rules, I think I have come up with my personal perfect superband, who could actually have a chance of working together, and is somewhat original.

Rule 1: Avoid Legend Lovers and Virtuoso Votaries lists as much as possible

Rule 2: No dead musicians

Rule 3: Put together a band I think will actually work, musically.

The Band (All Photos Lead To Standout Performances)

Brian Viglione

Drums: Taking up the rhythm duties for my dream superband is Dresden Dolls drummer, Brian Viglione. I know, I’m off to a slightly obscure start, but hear me out. This guy is a really energetic and expressive drummer, and has enough stage presence to not just disappear at the back of the stage. While primarily a rock drummer, with punk influencing the sheer speed of some of his playing, he is also heavily influenced by Jazz, after his father took him to see “The Elvin Jones Jazz Machine” at the age of 11. Playing with Amanda Palmer in Dresden Dolls has given Viglione a good range. He knows when to play softly and not get in the way, but even in these moments he can add sweet little nuances, and not just cymbal taps.  Also, when the time comes, he is able to really thicken up a sound with complex beats, jazzy fills and high-energy rock and roll swagger. He’s the perfect rock to hinge my band on.

Tim Commerford

Bass: One thing I love is when the bass can create movement in a piece of music. It sounds like an oxymoron, but melodic basslines are something we’ve sadly almost lost, but are one of the things that create that classic rock sound that is slowly dissapearing. Listen to most bands, and all you hear from the bassist is the root note of whatever chord the band is rocking. Add the ability to make any song truly funky and you begin to see that the bass guitar is a wonderful instrument and not one to be neglected like this. With Tim Commerford on Bass duties, I know it definitely won’t be. Bassist for Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave, this guy is the king of melodic, funky, alterna-rock basslines. Despite this being quite a narrow category, it’s one that he really does truly own. Ok, in terms of alterna-rock funk, the crown goes to Flea, but it’s moments like the intro to RATM’s Calm Like A Bomb that earn Tim his place in my superband. He’ll probably have to drop the effects box to fit into the sound, but that will just make his great playing easier to hear.

Allison Robertson

Lead Guitar: This is where I get controversial. The lead guitarist I have picked isn’t a true guitar virtuoso, or even particularly a big name in their own right. However, the perfect guitarist for this band is coming in and breaking the boys club it is becoming so far, as this superband needs the axe stylings of Allison Robertson. The lead guitarist The Donnas has an irresistible classic rock style, drawn from bands like AC/DC, The Ramones and Kiss, but rather than being big headed and pretentious, her playing style is just a hell of a lot of fun. Chords are big and full, solos are fast and fun, and lead lines fit in brilliantly with everything else that’s going on. My superband has a little bit of classic rock lean, and Allison forms the heart of that sound.

Dave Grohl

Vocals (and Rhythm Guitar): Ok, this band is lacking two things. The first one is star power, the second is a killer front man. This is why we need to call in the services of Dave Grohl. While starting his career as a drummer, Dave has really made it as the singer and guitarist for Foo Fighters. He can disarm you with sweet tones, or scream straight through you, all the while maintaining a sound that very few people will object to. His skilled rhythm playing will round out the sound too, giving Allison the backing she needs for her solos, and help come up with some really memorable riffs to get this band in the public eye and ear. Also, on the subject of singing, all the other band members have had to handle backing vocal duties in their original bands, so there’s potential for some great harmonies and multi-vocal stabs.

I know none of this would ever happen, but it’s a lot of fun to think about and try to put together. Now the question is, who would you want in yours?

Ieri sera a casa di amici ho rivisto per l’ennesima volta il film Forrest Gump , io lo considero talmente speciale da meritare una rivisitazione . Faccio prima una premessa : io credo che  la filmografia statunitense ( Hollywood) è una filmografia di stato , controllata fin nei minimi dettagli dalla United States Information Agency (USIA) , un agenzia federale pubblica nell’esistenza ma segreta nell’operatività ( come la CIA) istituita nel 1953 allo scopo di creare nel pubblico internazionale una precisa ancorché falsa immagine degli USA. L’agenzia non si occupa solo di Hollywood ora conta sui 30.000 dipendenti e ha sede al 301 IV South West Street di Washington. Ma veniamo al nostro Forrest Gump. È un film inquietante e pericoloso , perchè non solo oltremodo carico di propaganda politica e culturale , ma anche costruito con tecniche subliminali sopraffine e atte ad arrecare danni significativi. Racconta la singolare vita di un americano di Nome forrest Gump ,semiritardato e , da bambino poliomielitico, cui capita di avere contatti sia pure fugaci con molti grandi personaggi e di partecipare ad eventi storici nodali del suo tempo. In pratica una carrellata di 30 anni di storia americana , diciamo dal 1955 al 1985, dandone senza farci accorgere una valutazione precisa. Il film è del 1994 lo conoscono tutti per cui evito di dilungarmi nella trama. Ecco allora gli elementi di propaganda intenzionale che sono presenti nel film.

1)Forrest è descritto come gli USA vorrebbero che il mondo credesse l’americano tipico : forse poco intelligente ma onesto e ben intenzionato , candido sino all’ingenuità ; uno che se fa del male lo fa per stupidità o per eccesso di zelo ( tipo i bombardamenti”intelligenti” o le due bombe atomiche sul Giappone o le oltre cento guerre dichiarate ai vari paesi di tutte le latitudini, da quando questo paese e nato……..loro sono cosi per nulla cattivi solo un po’ bamboccioni) E’ propaganda culturale , perché l’americano tipico è l’opposto : astuto , cinico e malintenzionato , e quando fa il male — pur ridendo , come in genere — sa di farlo. Serve perché gli americani amano fare gli sprovveduti per non “pagare il dazio” . Dopo aver compiuto una delle nefandezze varie, mettiamo un colpo di stato o una strage di civili ( esempi ce ne sarebbero a iosa) sono dispostissimi a d attribuirli al loro “zelo anticomunista” forse eccessivo; a “informazioni sbagliate o incomplete” ; a “bombe intelligenti” delle quali con falsa ritrosia ammettono qualche volta i difetti: ma anche a pura e semplice dabbenaggine . Tutto pur di non dire “ABBIAMO SOVVERTITO , UCCISO perché COSI AVEVAMO PROGRAMMATO. Non dico che non esistono americani come Forrest del film. Esistono in verità , e si possono prendere a modello per un film. Frank Capra lo ha fatto molte volte . Ma averne inserito uno come protagonista di un film come questo non può non che essere una scelta precisa e maliziosa.

2)Attraverso l’abile montaggio di filmati d’epoca vediamo Forrest in contatto con i presidenti Kennedy,Johnson e Nixon . Ci sono più strati di falsità. Questi episodi sono presentati come incontri di un uomo comune con il potere incarnato , e cosi si dice implicitamente che i presidenti americani comandano.

3) I presidenti americani invece non contano proprio niente. Il potere negli USA è detenuto dall’establishment imprenditoriale , in particolare dalle multinazionali , e il presidente, è solo un impiegato incaricato di fare i loro precisi interessi nel mondo, il che è la definizione di sempre della politica estera americana. Gli USA in effetti sono UNA DITTATURA IMPRENDITORIALE . Dire o suggerire che i presidenti americani comandano è pura propaganda. Quindi si presentano i tre presidenti secondo i soliti cliché ; Kennedy idealista, democratico,benintenzionato;Jhonson populista , democratico ,benintenzionato;Nixon disonesto ,poco democratico male intenzionato ( e perciò sarebbe stato allontanato dalla carica,e cioè licenziato). Tutto falso erano dei presidenti americani e perciò erano tutti uguali , tutti dediti a fare gli interessi all’estero dell’establishment , con i soliti metodi spietati .kennedy fece uccidere Ngo Din Diem ; tentò di fare altrettanto con Castro ( per venti volte secondo quest’ultimo) ; diede impulso alla sovversione in Indocina ; fece preparare l’orrendo programma –quadro di manipolazione pscicologica di massa che fu chiamato in suo onore Camelot ( come i media americani chiamavano Kennedy, perché era nobile e senza macchia come un cavaliere della tavola rotonda ; il programma per chi non lo sapesse , THE QUARTER MAN che fu usato dalla CIA per il colpo di stato in Cile del 1973 faceva parte di Camelot) Johnson fece mettere in scena l’incidente del golfo del Tonchino e poi iniziò i bombardamenti di civili in indocina che alla fine tirate le somme , avrebbero provocato 6 milioni di morti . Nixon era come loro , appena un po’ meno simpatico , e fu licenziato solo perché aveva sancito la sconfitta nella guerra del Vietnam.

4) La sensazione della democraticità del sistema americano pervade tutto il film. Lo fa in maniera indiretta , dandola per talmente scontata da non meritare evidenziazioni . Come si è detto , gli USA non sono affatto una democrazia . Sono un sistema totalitario , che si regge sull’esclusione del voto di più della meta della popolazione e sulla repressione del dissenso . Sopra l’ho chiamata una dittatura dell’imprenditoriato , e questo è. Dire o suggerire che sono una democrazia è propaganda

5) Durante una manifestazione hippies e di neri a Washington un uomo un po’ anziano e in divisa stacca goffamente la spina del megafono dell’oratore di turno. E’ una inserzione di propaganda sublimale: suggerisce che gli eventuali boicottaggi alle manifestazioni progressiste degli anni 60 –dei pacifisti , dei figli dei fiori ,dei neri-furono dovute ad iniziative estemporanee e personali di singoli benpensanti , sia pure magari appartenenti a qualche corpo statale o federale. Abbiamo invece avuto modo di vedere a proposito del movimento dei diritti civili dei neri che si trattò di ben altro, che si trattò di una repressione ufficiale , e violentissima benché surrettizia , ordinata dal Congresso.

5) Nel film i movimenti degli hippies pacifisti o dei neri per i diritti civili sono potentemente diffamati . I loro happenings sono tutti disordine , ubriacatezza, droga e intemperanze sessuali. Non è certo la parte “buona” dell’america. La parte buona è evidenziata da Forrest , che casualmente capita in una di queste manifestazioni vestito in alta uniforme (è in licenza dal Vietnam , dove faceva il suo dovere ;mantiene la divisa perché — ci suggerisce la regia –ne è orgoglioso) . Viene proposto un party delle pantere nere ,cui partecipa Jenny l’amata di Forrest : alcol, droga e tutto il resto .Un giovane presentato come comunista , segretario di cellula ,picchia Jenny senza apparente motivo: si sa come sono i comunisti .La salva Forrest , nella sua divisa . Non sono opinioni del regista o dei produttori ; è propaganda dell’USIA.

6) Nel 1978 l’USIA ha stabilito con molta precisione come Hollywood deve rappresentare la guerra del Vietnam , sia dal punto di vista politico che tecnico-militare. Politicamente va detto , o dato per sottointeso , ch egli Usa intervennero per difendere il sud dalla minaccia comunista. Dal punto di vista militare non andavano assolutamente mostrati i bombardamenti di civili e tutta la guerra andava ridotta a una guerriglia nella foresta , con piccole pattuglie americane che si difendevano dai da proditori attacchi di elementi non in divisa .Panzane naturalmente, propaganda. Gli usa intervennero per assicurare a tutte le loro multinazionali le risorse del paese e dell’Indocina tutta ; interessavano particolarmente le foreste di alberi della gomma buoni per fare i pneumatici . I bombardamenti di civili erano quotidiani , e cosi fu per anni . E la guerra fu una classica guerra moderna, risolta non dai guerrieri Vietcong ma dalle artiglierie , e dalle divisioni corazzate, meccanizzate e di fanteria dell’esercito regolare del Vietnam del nord . E’ importante invece far credere che si sia trattato unicamente di guerriglia : si giustifica in qualche modo l’esito del conflitto .Invece ammettere una guerra regolare rivelerebbe una verità che gli usa vogliono tenere nascosta , la congenita e stupefacente debolezza delle loro forze di terra , che non sono in grado di battere nessun avversario , praticamente( nel 1968 , l’anno dell’offensiva del Tet , quando i carri armati del Vietnam del nord giunsero a Saigon , 540,000 equipaggiattissimi soldati americani appartenenti a 51 divisioni,appoggiati da una potentissima aviazione e serviti da 850.000 ascari Sudvietnamiti , avevano a che fare con il seguente avversario : 87400 regolari nord-vietnamiti ripartiti in 10 divisioni , 56000 Vietcong , altri 69000 guerriglieri sciolti , e 50800 elementi non combattenti addetti ai trasporti ,sanità propaganda e cosi via) Forrest va alla guerra in Vietnam e le sue vicende concordano con la versione USIA , COME è PER TUTTI GLI ALTRI FILM di Hollywood ,è ovvio . Non si parla dei motivi della guerra, ma se ci fosse stato qualcosa di losco l’intelligente e democratico tenete Dan lo avrebbe detto no? Quindi il combattimento a cui partecipa Forrest e tipico di quanto prescritto dall’Usia : la sua pattuglia cade in un’imboscata .Di carri armati Nordvietnamiti che avanzano in file serrate e di carri armati americani abbandonati dagli equipaggi in fuga non c’è traccia.

7)A parte come un cammeo va trattata una scena di Forrest in Vietnam. In una sequenza di pochi secondi si vede la pattuglia di F avanzare in perlustrazione col fucili spianato in una risaia , fra i contadini sud vietnamiti che rimangono chini a lavorare tranquilli sulle loro piantine , come se niente fosse .E’ una scena subliminale. Trasmette un messaggio preciso: che i contadini sud vietnamiti in generale –si fidavano degli americani , li consideravano amici e alleati. Una falsità; i sud vietnamiti , e i contadini in particolare , erano terrorizzati dai soldati usa . Basti ricordare l’episodio di May Lai , dove nel novembre 1968 la compagnia Charlie sterminò tutti gli abitanti perché nei pressi erano attivi guerrieri ; le vittime furono 500 , ed erano donne e bambini perché gli uomini erano a pesca. Esiste un filmato di tale operazione , girato da uno dei soldati .Da notare che Hollywood non ha mai tratto un film da tale episodio , che pur si presterebbe.

Analoga la scena in cui il reduce tenente Dan presenta la nuova moglie a F: nel doppiaggio italiano è definita una latino americana, ma ha i tratti somatici indocinesi , addirittura vietnamiti ( messaggio subliminale: i vietnamiti non ci tengono rancore , perchè non gli abbiamo fatto nulla di male) Nell’originale inglese la donna è definita “vietnamita”e cosi è il doppiaggio nei paesi meno evoluti.

9)Una sottile propaganda culturale è propinata da F podista .F corre a piedi per gli States senza mai dire nulla .La gente pensa che abbia qualche messaggio da comunicare e diversi giovani cominciano a trotterellargli dietro in attesa . Dopo tre anni e due mesi F si ferma ed i giovani pendono dalle sue labbra, ma lui dice “sono un pò stanchino”. penso che tornerò a casa . E’ una irrisione per coloro che attendono qualcosa dai pensatori , dagli ideologi , da tutti quelli che non ritengono soddisfacente il sistema americano e continuano a cercare. Per l’ USIA il sistema usa è perfetto e chi spera di trovare alternative è un illuso.

10) Nel film c’è un chiaro elogio al capitalismo americano . Dopo il Vietnam Forrest e il tenente Dan, uno semiritardato e l’altro senza gambe, diventano miliardari con la Budda Shrimp Company .Messaggio subliminale : sono due meritevoli e il sistema — che è giusto —- immancabilmente li premia , sia pure dopo averli fatti penare un po’. Si fa di più .Si suggerisce infatti — sempre per via sublimale – che è Dio stesso a guidare tale sistema : provoca una tempesta che elimina la flotta peschereccia della concorrenza. E’ l’dea fondamentale del Calvinismo , la religione americana : Dio fa arricchire i meritevoli , o gli insondabili prediletti , e manda a ramengo gli altri. Segue un po’ di propaganda subliminale della Apple Computers :Forrest e Dan si arricchiscono ulteriormente investendo in azioni di questa multinazionale , che diventa veicolo di positività e quindi positiva essa stessa. Diventati capitalisti consolidati i due fanno beneficenza : elargiscono donazioni alla parrocchia protestante locale, soccorrono finanziariamente la madre dell’amico nero Budda morto in Vietnam , e fondono un ospedale a Bayoula , il paesino dei pescatori di gamberetti rovinati dalla tempesta divina. .Nella vicenda è contenuta ( in via subliminale) una diffamazione dei neri : i pescatori di Bayoula ( paesino della Luisiana sul delta del Missisippi) sono tutti neri e sempre stati in miseria, ma ecco , arrivano due bianchi a fare il loro mestiere e diventano miliardari.

11) Forrest ha una vita punteggiata da contatti personali, benché fugaci con grandi personaggi pubblici : conosce Elvis Presley (cui addirittura ispira le tipiche movenze) ; incontra i presidenti J.F.K,L Jhonson e R.Nixon ( e ne innesca la caduta) partecipa casualmente ad una intervista televisiva di J. Lennon ; assiste all’attentato del governatore Wallace. Occorre in qualche modo rendere verosimile tale sequela di eventi pubblici e si ricorre ad altri strumenti sotterranei , che riguardano accettabili concatenazioni di eventi sul piano privato e predispongono ad accettare anche quello a livello pubblico . Il filo conduttore sono gli arti inferiori del corpo umano .Forrest bambino guarisce dalla poliomielite e diventa valido maratoneta .In Vietnam il tenente Dan lo ammonisce come prima cosa a tenere i piedi asciutti ( le risaie) Lo stesso tenente perde proprio le gambe .Il collegamento con la sfera pubblica avviene con il governatore Wallace , rimasto paralizzato nell’attentato , e su una sedia a rotelle , come il tenente Dan. Il tenete alla fine cammina con delle protesi che richiamano gli apparecchi portati da Forrest bambino.

12) Ma questa la lascio trovare a voi………vi do giusto un suggerimento. Andate a vedere la biografia di una certa Jean Seberg ( attrice assai nota negli usa ma anche in Europa ) e confrontatela con la figura di Jenny Curran l’amata di Forrest e vi stupirete delle analogie tra le due……………………

Molti lettori Italiani potranno obiettare di non aver mai sentito parlare della Seberg.Può darsi, ma altri si

Ci sono paesi poi dove la vicenda ebbe un eco maggiore che in Italia , inducendo strascichi più lunghi nella memoria .In Francia ad esempio e senz’altro negli USA. Non tutti i critici cinematografici europei inoltre sono come quelli italiani , o come Paolo Limiti odoratore di Hollywood e delle sue bionde star del passato ben si guarda dal citare anche minimamente la vicenda “ Seberg” .Povera Jean Seberg .Le diffamazioni dell’FBI la uccisero .Ora anche le diffamazioni di Hollywood pesano sulla sua tomba.

Giusto per solleticare la vostra curiosità fate qualche ricerca sul programma : COINTELPRO, oppure su qualche nome del tipo Huey Newton, Abbie Hoffaman, Bobby Seale, Holly Maddox o sul quel “ buon uomo” di Robert Maheu e della sua passione per certi filmetti pornografici ( ne sa qualcosa , sua malgrado il compianto M.L.King) e se non bastasse il “buon uomo” si ripete anche nei confronti del presidente dell’indonesia Sukarno e della cantante Eartha Kitt. Ma si sa …è tutto roba fatta in buonafede e che diamine !!

This is also my instrumental phase. Have been listening to instrumental covers of my favorite songs, and original compositions. They’re breath taking. It just proves that sometimes words are never needed. I’m just going to put up the few I heard this morning, all by Immediate Music from their album Trailerhead, will put up other links later ’cause there are so many !! But before that, I MUST put up one of my all time favorite performances. It’s the G3 concert – with John Petrucci *swoons*, Steve Vai *applauds* and, of course, Joe Satriani *^m^* – in Tokyo and the song’s called Smoke on the Water *smiles and wishes she was there*

G3 – Live at Tokyo – Smoke on the Water *I’m wondering if I did post this earlier…not sure*

Serenata Immortale

Trial of the Archangel

Lacrimosa Dominae

Fides en Lucius Dei

]]> http://presidioprimolevi.wordpress.com/2009/11/21/a-cavallo-dellarcobaleno/ Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:47:55 +0000 presidioprimolevi http://presidioprimolevi.wordpress.com/2009/11/21/a-cavallo-dellarcobaleno/

Uli John Roth

Ci si può emozionare sino alle lacrime ascoltando il suono di una chitarra? A me è successo. Proprio ora. Non pensavo potesse accadere, eppure è successo. Anche questo è il potere della musica.

Credo che la grandezza di un artista che si esprime senza usare le parole valga doppio perché doppio è il rischio cui si espone: quello di non essere capito e quello, ancora peggiore, di essere frainteso. Difficile usare la musica per comunicare, difficile eppure possibile. Qualcuno ci riesce. Ci riusciva Jimi Hendrix, ci riesce Ritchie Blackmore, ci riesce Brian May e ci riescono tanti altri maestri che hanno formato la sensibilità musicale di chi scrive. Da qualche giorno ne ho scoperto un altro di questi maestri, ancora una volta un protagonista degli anni settanta. Favolosi e terribili quegli anni la cui anima vibra ancora, presente, viva, inquieta. Non va via, forse perché dannata. Benedetta sia quell’anima dannata. Bruci ancora a lungo.

Conoscevo Uli John Roth ma non il suo suono, ero a conoscenza della sua militanza negli Scorpions degli anni d’oro, quelli a cavallo tra il 1973 e il 1978, ricordo di averne sentito parlare per la prima volta nel 1998 in quanto membro di una delle tante incarnazioni del G3 di Joe Satriani. Pensavo, misero e presuntuoso, che fosse uno dei tanti guitar hero che popolano il variegato mondo della musica rock. Quanto sbagliavo! C’è voluto l’entusiasmo di una persona preziosa quanto l’emozione che muove ora le mie mani a farmi scoprire che dietro quel nome si celava un chitarrista geniale e raffinato come pochi. La musica di Uli John Roth è commovente e poetica come una poesia di Alda Merini. Così come commovente e poetica è  la passione di Cecè, lo splendido untore di cui sopra, che mi ha iniziato all’ascolto di Tokyo Tapes in una serata autunnale che farò davvero fatica a dimenticare.

Tra qualche giorno potrò ascoltare dal vivo la poesia musicale di Uli John Roth e, sono sicuro, altre lacrime righeranno il volto invisibile dell’anima mia, e non me ne vogliate se tornerò su questo spazio per parlarvene ancora. Le emozioni sono più belle quando sono condivise. Buona musica a tutti.

Giorgio Castriota

Owen made the following comment on a recent post:

There is a certain type of young man who generally pursues the priesthood. We dance around it, but in my mind it is unequivocally true. In Orthodoxy there are certain forms and postures that are, aesthetically speaking, humble, but which are easily practiced and replicated, and do not necessarily reveal the inner heart – soft, slightly effete voice, a way of walking in the cassock, a way of mentioning the contrary opinions of others and pleading one’s ignorance on matters even as it is quite clear you’ve got a strong opinion and you want it to be deemed the right one, a slightly affected, sentimentalish manner of being around icons, prayer ropes, the altar &nave, and so forth, a slightly affected manner of quoting sayings or hagiographic tidbits of the saints, etc. But beyond all that, you spend some time with the fellow and you realize that he loves and is naturally given to didacticism – here is a man who likes to be in a position of teaching others. It is also clear that he has a hunger to be in a position of spiritual authority over others. In my opinion, keeping in mind that opinions in Orthodoxy are worth as much as wax stains on nave carpets, a desire to teach in the Church and have spiritual authority over others is usually, but not always, instigated by demons.

Okay. We’re adults here; let’s not be coy and play dumb. We all know what he’s talking about, and we all know people who are more or less like this — assuming we ourselves don’t fit this description! I’m going to let Owen’s words speak for themselves, and I assume that he is savvy enough to know that he has just profiled a chunk of his readership (although I would be hard-pressed to say whether or not he would particularly care if he offended any of them).

So, neither adding nor subtracting nor commenting directly on the particulars Owen discusses, my question is, why are young men who tend to have these characteristics the ones who seem to be drawn to the priesthood like moths to flame? (Perhaps people can weigh in on whether or not the ordination-bound in other confessions/communions also behave this way.)

In the interest of full disclosure, the priesthood is something I feel reasonably certain to not be in God’s plan for me. This is not a conclusion I have reached lightly; in one form or another, the question of pastoral ministry was one that really troubled me, at least off and on, from my teenage years up to late twenties. During my time in Anglican circles, there were a couple of people who were really pushing me to consider seminary, and I think it was only the fact that I did not yet have an undergraduate degree that kept these individuals from forcibly sending me off to someplace like Trinity or Seabury (Nashotah House is not a place one hears about in the Pacific Northwest). Being an excitable young man, of course the question resurfaced for me as an Orthodox Christian, and immediately following my chrismation in February 2005 it seemed (as it does for so many of us) that surely seminary would be the logical next step for Somebody Like Me (particularly since that would make the matter of grad school much simpler). In the fall of 2005, I visited the St. Vladimir’s campus, fell in love… and then the whole issue just seemed to dissipate as a compelling force. It hasn’t resurfaced since. I sometimes wonder if the point was simply to bring me to a place where I would finally be willing to go that route, and then to redirect me elsewhere. At this stage of the game, I am no longer afraid of the priesthood (and haven’t been for awhile), but it seems more likely that, if I were to wind up at a place like St. Vlad’s, it would be as a member of the faculty (or potentially as a visiting student while I’m writing my dissertation) rather than as a candidate for priestly formation. As it is, I have a desire to teach, but not in the Church — at least not as a catechist. No, thank you. That’s not responsibility I care to have. Maybe I could help illuminate a couple of things here and there within my own area of expertise, maybe I could teach a chant lesson or two, but I’m not the person to entrust with forming the holiness of others.

Extending maximum charity to the type of gentleman Owen describes (particularly given that, for all I know, there could be people who read those words and think, “Yep, that’s Richard Barrett!”), what pushes this person onto the path of the priesthood and gives them such a desire for spiritual authority? I am not totally unwilling to discount the explanation of demons, but let us say I feel more at ease discussing what might be the concrete instruments of said demons than the demons themselves.

My favorite ’80s teenage rom-com is Say Anything… In a lot of ways, it’s really more properly considered a ’90s movie than an ’80s movie (it was released in 1989) — rather than somewhere in California, it takes place in a rather idealized and curiously rearranged Seattle four years before Meg Ryan would get from the 520 floating bridge to Sand Point in a matter of seconds (it takes twenty minutes to half an hour assuming no traffic, folks), it’s got Soundgarden and Joe Satriani on the soundtrack, it’s got John Mahoney as the problematic Seattleite father (prefiguring Frasier by about half a decade), and it’s got John Cusack as Lloyd Dobler, in what amounts to his first adult role. Young adult (the script goes out of its way to explain that Lloyd is graduating high school a year older than his classmates because of various familial matters), but he’s not fantasizing about dancing hamburgers at his fast food job anymore. One perhaps could argue that he starts the movie as a kid and finishes as an adult (cf. Lili Taylor telling him, “Don’t be a guy. The world is full of guys. Be a man“). More to the point, you can see Lloyd as potentially growing up to become Martin Blank (and I have occasionally wondered if Say Anything… wasn’t discussed, even if only in jest, as sort of a murky back story for Grosse Point Blank).

Anyway, Lloyd is a nice, if slightly off-center, guy. He wears a Fishbone t-shirt and a trenchoat. He’s a bit disconnected from his family, since his parents are in the military and stationed elsewhere, and he lives with his single-mom sister and her kid while he figures some things out. He’s not intelligent or obviously talented in conventional ways, he’s graduating high school a year late, he has no college plans, but what he does have are some very definite principles (“I don’t want to buy anything, sell anything, or process anything as a career”), and when he’s dedicated to something — like kickboxing, for example — he gives it his all. His guidance counselor buttonholes him at a party to try to persuade him to make some conventional decisions about his future, and he dismisses her advice, saying, “I’m looking for something bigger, you know? I’m looking for a dare-to-be-great situation.”

Let’s just imagine for a moment that Lloyd one day wandered into St. Nicholas Cathedral (ROCOR) in Seattle and found his dare-to-be-great situation there, giving it his all just like he did with kickboxing. I think he’d wind up a lot like the kind of young man Owen describes.

My point is this. I think there are a lot of smart guys with a genuine faith in and love for God, who want to give something the whole of their effort, who maybe just haven’t had the right — or at least the obvious — opportunity come their way and who at least know that there are some specific things they don’t want to do. Maybe they’ve had an interest in various aspects of the humanities and social sciences, enough to be broadly informed about a wide range of topics, but they’ve never had the discipline or the right setting to rise above being a dilettante, or at least an undergrad who shows some promise. Maybe they’ve had something of a taste of church service in another setting, enough so that they put on a cassock or some other kind of vestment and realize that they’re visibly part of something bigger when they do that. Maybe there are other circumstances in their life that make them determined to never do anything halfway, so that they never have to apologize for their own presence or participation.

And when these guys discover Orthodox Christianity, with all of history and all of its richness of faith and practice and all of its demands, with all of the ways it can order one’s life in the service of Christ, the various facets of their person which otherwise make it hard for them to fit in suddenly have a place, a context. They’ve discovered their dare-to-be-great situation. This is their life’s work, they just didn’t know it before. How can the priesthood, if not monasticism, not become a draw, the call that surely was always there if it could only have been perceived?

(By the way, unlike what I suppose about Owen, I care very much about offending people, so I really hope nobody thinks I’m saying this to mock or be critical. I have observed much of the above, yes, but much of it I have observed in myself. I cannot mock without mocking my own person first of all.)

I think what it often (perhaps not always) boils down to is that, for the young, male, zealous convert, it is not difficult to develop the desire to spend as much time in church as possible. Eventually, and naturally, this turns into the question — perhaps unconsciously — “If what I want to do is be in church all day, then wouldn’t a vocation just make sense?” Since there’s really only one way somebody can work for Orthodox Christianity in this country as one’s day-job, the direction becomes pretty clear from there.

Does it have to be this way? Maybe not, and I would hope that a seeming one-to-one ratio of zealot to cassock could be a reasonably short-lived phenomenon. (I say that as a cantor who wears a cassock.) The truth is, there is something that drives young men who behave as Owen outlines. If it might be healthier that not all of them get tonsured as readers the day after their chrismation and start teaching catechism after their second Divine Liturgy as a communicant, then there needs to be some active spiritual guidance about what to do with whatever it is that drives them. I have no doubt that for priests and bishops who have long lists of things to get done, young men with a lot of energy and desire to serve are hard to tell, “You need to sit back and chill for a while.” Still, it raises the question of whether or not the desire specifically to be the one serving in a visible, set-apart fashion can’t itself turn into a passion.

Ultimately, I think Owen is absolutely right from a descriptive standpoint. I’ve remarked before that there’s a certain self-consciousness of the American convert that we’re going to have to figure out how to deal with, and what Owen talks about is part and parcel of this self-consciousness. If there is a sort of contrived and constructed manner of holiness that has been assumed, then the answer is that we need more models of holiness that haven’t been contrived or constructed. Still, I think there are deeper reasons for why this occurs that we’re also going to have to figure out how to understand and deal with, and we will need to do so compassionately and productively.

Pentru mintea omului , muzica este o calitate innascuta. Nu exista cultura pe Pamant sa nu o posede , iar creierele noastre sunt inzestrate sa o perceapa si sa fie miscate de vraja sa.
Peste toate acestea , detinem “urechea perfecta” , capacitatea de a identifica un anumit sunet muzical fara a-l auzi in raport cu altul … este o calitate extrem de rara. Acest dar ne este dat fiecarora dintre noi , urmand mai apoi sa-l ducem pe meleaguri necunoscute , dar pline de frumusete , dezvoltandu-ne urechea muzicala dupa preferinte , posibilitati si vointa.

Trebuie sa luam minte ca muzica e una dintre cele mai vechi si cele mai populare forme de arta … si arta e subiectiva. Nu ar trebui sa condamnam nici macar un gen de muzica , un stil , o interpretare , pentru ca pana la urma si aceasta trebuie sa aiba cea mai mica urma de arta pentru cel care o asculta sau pentru cel care o interpreteaza.

O doza de arta in domeniul muzicii gasim in persoana celui numit Steve Vai … considerat unul dintre cei mai mari chitaristi si muzicieni ai tuturor timpurilor. Un geniu pe toate planurile ,cel de compozitie , interpretare , improvizatie , tehnica … ca sa-mi exprim aprecierea va recomand , cred , cea mai reprezentativa piesa semnata Steve Vai – For The Love of God ( G3 DVD ) ; For The Love of God ( Amsterdam ) … si chiar e strigator la cer daca e sa consideram cata inspiratie are artistul. Tot pe tente de spiritualism , Vai ne aduce un alt tranchilizant , piesa Whispering a Prayer , prin intermediul caruia sopteste o rugaciune poate ca noi sa devenim mai perceptivi la muzica buna ; ( pe tema spiritualism – muzica puteti citi un articol scris de mine pe www.muzica-nu-ucide.ro , undeva pe maine la amiazi ).

Despre Steve Vai pot sa va scriu foarte multe dar acum intervin cu cateva date fixe si anume ca acesta s-a nascut pe 6 Iunie 1960 , si-a inceput cariera muzicala prin anii 1970 luand lectii de la un alt virtuos al chitarii , Joe Satriani. El a fost remarcat si promovat foarte mult de Frank Zappa. Si-a lansat primul album solo in 1984 , de cand nu s-a oprit din a ne uimi si incanta cu simtul artistic si cu ideile geniale. Artistul a colaborat cu foarte multi muzicieni cunoscuti , a cantat in trupe de rock care au avut de spus un cuvant in scena muzicii contemporane , trupe precum Whitesnake.

In afara de piesele linistitoare prezentate mai sus , Steve Vai are si acea parte de heavy metal prin celebra piesa Bad Horsie de pe albumul Alien Love Secrets , album care contine piesa mea preferata : Tender Surrender , o piesa care din punctul meu de vedere este culmea realizarilor lui Steve Vai , o piesa pe care nu o pot descire in cuvinte , apropiat fiind doar “mesmerizing”. Tot pe partea putin mai heavy m-au impresionat foarte mult piesele The Attitute song si Building the Church pe langa multimea de creatii geniale pe care acesta le detine.

Cu toate ca am inceput sa scriu un intreg roman despre acest minunat chitarist , am renuntat din mai multe motive dar cred ca am cuprins tot ceea ce cred eu ca este important despre artist . Va las ca si recomandare TOATE piese acestuia dar pentru ca tot este necesara o selectie va recomand Lotus Feet din concertul cu orchestra din Amsterdam , piesa Babushka cantata si compusa pentru Romania in turneul acestuia.

Pentru chitaristul invatacel din mine , Steve Vai este mai mult decat o inspiratie , muzica acestuia ma determina de multe ori sa pun mana pe chitara cu totul ca poate nu sunt intr-o dispozitie buna. Ca sa il citez pe profesorul meu de chitara , Andrei Rosulescu , “Daca l-ai intalni pe Dumnezeul chitarii , ce l-ai intreba ” … cred ca daca ar adresa cineva aceasta intrebare lui Steve Vai acesta va raspunde ca tocmai a stat la bere cu el. Pur si simplu nu imi pot da seama de unde are atat de multa inspiratie … pe langa faptul ca poate canta cel putin 10 ore zilnic. Cred ca e o intrebare fara raspuns.

Eu va doresc auditie placuta si sper ca sa va placa si sa-l admirati pe cat il admira chitaristii din lumea intreaga.

Vai Official

Vai Myspace

The best thing about Satriani is that he combines speed with great music. His songs have more emotion than many other guitar players that I have come across. Almost all of his songs are masterpieces, listen to them. Highly recommended.

Made Of Tears

Flying In A Blue Dream

Satch Boogie

Strings on fire with Herman Li guitar solo contest – SAGGESE

TAKE 3

take 1

take 2 on scalloped neck

A mediados de los 80, en pleno apogeo del Hard Rocky y del Heavy Metal surgió toda una legión de guitarristas dotados de una técnica asombrosa, directamente influidos por el por aquel entonces Dios de la guitarra Yngwie Malmsteen , y en menor medida por Van Halen Michael Schenker y Randy Rhoads. Se publicaron una serie de discos instrumentales, casi todos ellos publicados por el sello Shrapnel Records, el por aquel entonces hogar de casi todos los héroes de la guitarra de aquella época , gente como Vinnie Moore, Tony Macalpine , Jason Becker, Marty Friedman , Joey Tafolla…todos ellos increibles guitarristas que parieron una serie de discos acojonantes repletos de guitarras asesinas y  solos increibles llenos de técnica y melodía sin dejar de lado unas composiciones exquisitas. De aquella hornada surgieron también Joe Satriani y Steve Vai que lograron el éxito masivo con sus discos primero y uniéndose a otras bandas después . Vai estuvo con David Lee Roth y Whitesnake previo paso por los Alcatrazz de Grahamm Bonnet y Satriani giró con Mick Jagger y pasaría por Deep Purple. Todos ellos nos dejaron un legado de discos asombrosos y fueron la pesadilla de los críticos más snobs que flipaban con Mark Knopfler

VINNIE MOORE

TONY MACALPINE

JASON BECKER

MARTY FRIEDMAN

Joe “Satch” Satriani es un guitarrista de rock instrumental. Ha recibido 13 nominaciones a los Premios Grammy y ha vendido más de 10 millones de discos en todo el mundo.

Según otros guitarristas ha conseguido dominar casi todas las técnicas de ejecución de su instrumento, incluyendo tapping a dos manos, sweep picking, volume swells, tap harmonics, etc. Además es reconocido como un gran profesor de guitarra, entre cuyos alumnos se incluyen Steve Vai, Kirk Hammett (Metallica), Alex Skolnick (Testament), Marty Friedman (ex-Megadeth), Larry LaLonde (Primus) y Reb Beach (Whitesnake)

I am a Joe Satriani fan and keep looking for his songs on You Tube and also people who play covers of his songs.

I came across Jack Thammarat’s channel. He is an awesome musician. Just check out this cover. Just check out the amazing improvisation in the end.

If you’re a Simpsons fan, this will get you excited, as usual. If you’re a Simpsons and Coldplay fan, you should be entering the contest right away.

Come up with a character for The Simpsons that will air during the Coldplay episode (which will be the 20th Anniversary show on January 10th, 2010) at www.thesimpsons.com/character.

I’ll be submitting an angry Joe Satriani who doesn’t speak at all in the episode, but shows up periodically to express himself only by shredding annoyingly high-pitched notes on his guitar.

Chitarre e pickups

Satriani usa chitarre Ibanez JS series, da lui disegnate. Queste chitarre montano ponte Ibanez Edge Pro, pickup DiMarzio “Paf Joe”al manico e pickup DiMarzio “Fred”, prodotti con la collaborazione del musicista. Di seguito una lista dei modelli:

• Ibanez JS1200, in finitura Black e Candy Apple
• Ibanez JS1000, in finitura Black

Amplificatori

Satriani usava amplificatori Marshall, specialmente il JVM410H, prima di passare a Peavey. Ora nei live usa amplificatori Peavey JSX, prodotti sotto sue indicazioni, e casse Peavey JSX 4×12.

Rack ed effetti

Nel suo rack sono presenti due delay Chandler, settati rispettivamente a 450-550 ms e 600-800 ms. Nella sua pedaliera vi sono: un wah-wah Vox Joe Satriani Big Bad Wah, un POG Poliphonic Octave Generator, un distorsore Vox Joe Satriani Satchurator, un Fulltone Ultimate Octaver, un delay Vox Joe Satriani Time Machine, un Boss CH-1 Super Chorus, un distorsore Boss DS-1, un octaver Boss OC-2 e un DigiTech Whammy IV, il tutto alimentato da due unità Voodoo Lab Pedal Power.

Plettri

Usa plettri Planet Waves JS 0.83

Chickenfoot é um supergrupo formada pelo vocalista Sammy Hagar (ex-Van Halen e Montrose), o baixista Michael Anthony (também ex-Van Halen), o guitarrista Joe Satriani e o baterista Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers).

Achei o CD deles (que se chama Chickenfoot) disponivel para Download. Só clicar no ícone abaixo.

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To these people who insist on fabricating entire genres based on a single album (remember Battles’ Mirrored?): the last time I checked, nobody’s dad wanted to listen to Nels Cline’s guitar howl and grind for a full minute during a one-note interlude. Or if they do, they’ve probably got interesting taste in music that extends well beyond the experimental confines of Wilco (The Album), which, if you were wondering, isn’t far. Instead, it would appear Wilco has graciously accepted their place as a band with a camel on their album cover. A camel with a party hat on.

Guitarist Nels Cline is to Wilco, this late in their career, a technical godsend. On the albums, it’s uncontested, but his rangy presence on stage, even, is a unifying and wondrous thing to behold. Throughout Wilco – and even moreso on Sky Blue Sky, for that matter, his mastery over the guitar is absolutely mind-blowing, and not in an Yngwie Malmsteen type of way. See, those types of guys — and don’t think this list doesn’t include Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, etc. — are really little more than solo jocks, with every miserable track they write another divine platform for them to grandstand on until their audience is visibly glowing with admiration. Worse still, their followings are disgustingly loyal, and at the same time, not at all the kind of people you want to have in your corner (think of Mike Tyson’s grinning, tattooed face holding up signs reading “Free Kobe;” thanks, but no thanks, buddy). At any given concert (read: recital), you’d need a palm counter to keep track of all the t-shirts covered in sundry guitars with phrases like “So Many Choices, So Little Time,” and “Life Is Guitar, The Rest Is Just Details.” Ok, we get it – you learned how to finger-tap. Ladies, please, keep your shirts on!

Though Nels has a relatively reserved arsenal for a man of his ability, the crowd simply can’t get enough, and frequently egg him on between songs. It’s really no wonder: aside from being a prodigiously talented individual, he is a magnetic stage personality. He flails his limbs wildly during interludes, kicking his heels out sideways as he abuses the tremolo bar to wrestle out his trademark fluttering vibrato (“One Wing”). It’s as if he is the guitar solo made manifest, acting outwardly whatever internal passion his hands cannot convey. He owns the music and loves it simultaneously; it is a delight to watch. At least, it’s a lot more delightful than watching fanboys expel shuddering hyperbole on the merits of Surfing With The Alien.

You can almost see the wizened band members shaking their heads and chuckling to themselves when bandleader Jeff Tweedy presented them with “Wilco (The Song).” Gleefully smug and casually self-referential, the lyrics are oddly comforting: “tired of being exposed to the cold / the stare of your stereo / put on your headphones / before you explode / Wilco / Wilco / Wilco’ll love ya, baby.” Just as quickly as it began, the bizarre band-name-as-title-track is off the stage, and Wilco is bathing the listener lovingly in brushed acoustic strings and harpsichord pangs. “Deeper Down” goes in fits and starts, pausing between phrases to suss out the weight of Tweedy’s plaintive phrasing. Other highlights include the Feist feature “You And I,” and “Sonny Feeling,” an ambling alt-country rocker.

Nothing, of course, matches the the brutal deconstruction of “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart” that Wilco is so famous for. Not all of it is lost yet, however. It might be the one holdout track, but the band spends the latter part of “Bull Black Nova” investigating a single note suspended over what might be their funkiest bass groove yet. The band shrieks and wails as Tweedy, riddled with desperation, musters “it’s in my hair / there’s blood in the sink / I can’t calm down / I can’t think.”

Wilco’s “Bull Black Nova.” from Wilco (The Album).

And after fifteen loyal years, fans have come to terms with Tweedy’s relatively sedate nature on-stage. Any action he performs, that in any universe could be considered even slightly funny, is instantly made hilarious because Jeff Tweedy’s doing it, and that in itself is half the charm of whatever rare between-song banter happens to take place. When guitarist Pat Sansone steps forward and raises his guitar demonstratively aloft in his best Pete Townshend, the audience doesn’t bat an eye. Jeff Tweedy trades shirts with a crowd member, however, and they cheer and holler as if he’s cured some virulent disease.

All of this talk of the band and so little about the actual music probably leaves the reader wondering: is there any meat to the review, or indeed, to the record itself? In fact, the essence of the record is best conveyed with an understanding about the band. Not a forgiving understanding of the elderly, mind you; this is not a list of excuses for the band’s shortcomings in its members’ middle age years. In short, Wilco is not a failure at innovation, it’s a success at dignified folk-rock craft. Wilco has yet again asserted their territory as a dependably enjoyable group of musicians; they have all the technical ability of a group of studio players, combined with the posture and creativity of a road act. The best part is, they don’t veer toward the cloying pseudo-spirituality of so many aged rockers still trying to hogtie the intangible – their irretrievable youth.

So, really, the main difference between Sky Blue Sky and Wilco (The Album) is not so much the music, but that the fans (and perhaps the band members) have accepted that Wilco is simply a band embracing a mature eminence. What’s more, they still have a leg up on many Top 40 rock groups — most of them in their 20s and 30s — and they also still have a lot of fun doing what they do. Wilco (The Album) is a success partially because it’s well-written, but mostly because it’s delivered with such comfort and confidence, in the studio and on stage.

- JB

I dislike drawn-out electric guitar solos as much as anyone, so I expected that Surfing with the Alien—basically a 36-minute solo—would be an exercise in mind-numbing tedium. But that Joe Satriani comes flying at you. He charges at a blistering pace. A scorching pace. And not a note out of place. He somehow manages to play rapidly through “Always with Me, Always with You” and make it sound like a slow, lyrical ballad. Throughout, the other instruments remain deep in the shadows. Surfing with Alien is all about what an electric guitar can do in the right hands.

Rating: * * * * *