2009 started off with a bang. And a crow bar. And some arrests.

Everywhere I go and everyone I talk to seems to think 2009 was a miserable year.  Economic downturn, death, poverty, unemployment, jail time and divorce ran rampant through the lives of just about everybody I know.  I put out the call for why YOUR 2009 was the worst year on the books and I got some responses, some of which people wanted to remain anonymous.  The comprehensive list is below.  Consider this a send-off and a purging of all the negativity that came with 2009:

Starting off on December 31, January 1: Our New Years Eve of this year.  We knew this year was bound to be epically miserable.

The SM lost his job in April.  We moved hoping for a better, cooler life in Charleston, so I left my miserable job that put me on antidepressants.  I knew someething was wrong after I looked at a belt in my closet and thought it might be a good idea to hang myself with it.  After much therapy and drugs, I learned some tools to help me cope a little better and I left my job in June.

…and in turn, got my first legitimate paycheck after that in 6 months on December 11.  It almost all went into a story I don’t want to even get into on here.  Like I said before, the people who it affected knew what went down.  The rest will be spared.  I don’t want to get dooced on top of everything else.

I got vertigo my last few weeks on the job in Charlotte.  I found this out when I felt nauseous at my desk and got up to go to the ladies room and fell on the floor in my cubicle.  I had to take an unpaid medical leave of absence for a good week when the SM already was out of a job because I had already used all of my vacation due to the SM’s kidney stone lithotripsy that didn’t even end up happening.  After he had passed 37 in the last 21 years (3 of which were while I was at this job, that I had to take time off for to take him to the ER)…and though they went ahead and drugged him up.

Once we moved in, our garbage disposal broke and spewed old food all over the under sink cabinet and leaked water all over our kitchen, our washing machine broke, our air conditioner condesation pan overflowed and flooded our downstairs bathroom, the SM’s car (that already had a recall on the engine for spontaneously combusting) is totally shot with no exhaust and a rusted out brake system so we carpool everywhere, leaving me sleeping my mall parking lots throughout North Charleston when he gets off at 11 pm…or even better, when he has to be there at 6 or 7 am.  We’ve pawned just about everything that we didn’t need or didn’t use.

You gonna cry, Mangina?

Every team we rooted for sucked.  None of my clothes fit because all we have been able to afford to eat is crap.  I couldn’t get a gym membership and I couldn’t afford new clothes.

Farrah Fawcett, Walter Cronkite, Patrick Swayze, Brittany Murphy, Natasha Richardson, David Carradine, John Hughes, Ricardo Montalban, John Updike, Lloyd Bridges, SOCKS the Cat, Paul Harvey, Harry Kalas, Bea Arthur, Dom Delouise, Ed McMahon, Billy Mays, Fred Travalena, Karl Malden, Steve McNair, Oscar Mayer, Eunice Kennedy Schriver, Les Paul, Ted Kennedy, Mary from Peter Paul and Mary, Soupy Sales, Olivia from Sesame Street (Alaina Reed Hall) and the KING of Pop, Michael Jackson ALL died this year.

One of my best friends from childhood…her father died from a massive heart attack.  Once people did come down to visit us, a friend’s husband got arrested and taken to Charleston County Jail for driving under the influence.  My mom went back to work for minimum wage after years of not having to because my dad had been out of work for so long.  The SM’s dad was disagnosed with prostate cancer and his sister had to put their dog down after he got sick.

..and I know I am missing things. 

Other submissions:

“I got dooced for a Facebook post in which I told my friends I saw a man jacking off on the side of the road.  I got undooced a week later when the boss changed his mind. But I’ve been walking on eggshells ever since.”

“Moved out on my alcoholic husband, had a nervous breakdown, spent a short ‘vacation’ in the hospital, stupidly decided to reconcile with said alcoholic husband, our house was foreclosed, son’s dad took me back to court regarding custody matters of our son, husband and I moved out of house and parted ways and last month, aunt flow was around for almost 3 weeks – I thought I was dying. So um yeah, 2009 BLEW ASS.”

I haven’t been on Twitter today, which might explain why I just found out 7 hours late that Brittany Murphy was found dead today in her shower. And, ironically, the first news article that comes up in Google with a “Brittany Murphy dead” search is one about celebrities Tweeting about it. I generally poke fun at the whole celebrity-obsessed culture thing, but this whole thing is actually legitimately saddening. She’s a total babe, was a newlywed, I kind of liked her movies, and the David Letterman interview (below) shows a woman with a great laugh and a good heart.

Celebrities have taken an absolute shit-kicking in 2009. Hopefully this’ll finish with the year end. Until then, here’s a quick video tribute to a bunch of the famous people who died in the past 12 months.

Brittany Murphy (December 20, age 32)

Ed McMahon (June 23, age 86)

Patrick Swayze (September 14, age 57)

Michael Jackson (June 25, age 50)

Farrah Fawcett (June 25, age 62)

Billy Mays (June 28, age 50)

Adam Goldstein aka DJ AM (August 28, age 36)

Bea Arthur (April 25, age 86)

Steve McNair (July 4, age 36)

Les Paul (August 13, age 94)

Here is Les Paul and Mary Ford performing How High the Moon to prerecorded tracks.  One of the first multi-tracked recordings ever.

bloggingthechurch

Les Paul (1915-2009) Chasing Sound

The illustrious Les Paul died recently.  He is highly responsible for the advancement of the solid-body electric guitar (especially the one that bears his name) and for the most significant advancements in electronics and recording.  It has been said that he was “chasing sound.“

As a musician, performer, recording engineer and technician he was always chasing sound..

God is chasing a particular sound, the sound of confession from the mouths of believers.

In previous posts, Nov. 28, 2009, “Nothing to Say,” http://blogthechurch.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/nothin-to-say/ , and Dec. 2, 2009, “Something to Say,” http://blogthechurch.wordpress.com/2009/12/02/something-to-say/, we discussed confession as the third element in salvation.

Remember these scriptures?

Matthew 10.32-33, Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But  whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.

• Romans 10.9-10, If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

• 1 Timothy 6.12, Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

• 1 John 4.14-15, And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.

• Philippians 2.9-11, Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

• Hebrews 4.14 & 10.22-23, Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.  Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washedwith pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we confess…

Confessing is the open expression of acknowledgement of belief.  There are no secret Christians.  If you believe in Jesus, the natural thing to do is to tell people, and not just so you can be baptized.  After Paul was baptized, he went out and preached, confessed Jesus.  When I was baptized, the next day, I went to school and told Kim and the two boys at my table about Jesus and my baptism.  It is natural.

If we won’t confess Jesus, well, he won’t confess our faith to the Father.  Probably because if we won’t confess Jesus to people, either to be saved or to express our faith in witnessing and hope, we don’t really have faith.  In fact, Revelation 21:8 states that “the cowardly” will not enter heaven.  The cowardly are those Christians who will not confess and witness about Jesus.  They keep it to themselves for whatever reason.

God is chasing that sound, I am chasing that sound, the sound of people confessing that they believe in Jesus and that they want to receive God’s salvation for them in Jesus Christ.

bloggingthechurch

PS: Here is a YouTube presentation of Les Paul called “Chasing Sound.“

As many readers may know, a trademark need not be a name or a logo.  A trademark can be almost any element that identifies your goods and distinguishes them from your competitors’ goods.  Even the shape of the product itself, or the shape of some specific component or element of the product, can serve as a trademark provided the configuration of that feature is not functional in some way.

The GIBSON LES PAUL guitar - one of the most recognized, and most copied, guitars in the world.

The musical instrument industry, being as competitive as any other, has taken advantage of this fact by registering “configuration” trademarks.  As a musician and compulsive guitar freak aficionado myself, I thought it might be interesting to examine the way that guitar trademarks have helped to shape the industry.

Of course, traditional “brand name” trademark disputes have played their own role in the development of the guitar industry.  Indeed, Fender Guitars’ iconic TELECASTER guitar – the original solid-body electric guitar and the signature axe of rockers like Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen and Joe Strummer – was originally called the BROADCASTER.  Soon after the guitar’s introduction Fender received a cease-and-desist letter from the good people at Gretsch, who used BROADKASTER as a trademark for drums.

Fender quickly switched over to the TELECASTER mark, after a transition period in which it sold a small number of guitars with the BROADCASTER sticker removed and thus no name sticker on the headstock.  Because of their extreme rarity the Fender BROADCASTER guitars, along with the nameless guitars (dubbed “No-Casters” by guitar buffs), command a huge premium in the vintage guitar market.

Copy Guitars – Where the Action Is

In fact, however, infringements of actual trademark names are relatively rare in the guitar industry.  No one is selling CIBSON or VENDER guitars, to my knowledge.  The real action, and the most interest, lies with the issue of so-called “copy” guitars. 

The FENDER STRATOCASTER - another iconic model, also widely copied.

Some background:  Guitarists are nothing if not reverent of the past, and thus there are a limited number of iconic guitar designs.  Most of these date from the 1950s, the dawn of the electric guitar era.  Gibson’s LES PAUL, SG and ES-335 models, Fender’s TELECASTER and STRATOCASTER guitars, various RICKENBACKER brand guitars – these are among the few truly iconic guitar models.  In recent decades, PAUL REED SMITH guitars, named after the company’s founder, have joined those elite ranks. 

Almost from the beginning Gibson and Fender, makers of most of the legendary models, chose not to challenge copy guitars unless the copy was virtually identical to the original. By the term copy guitars, I mean lower-cost (often much lower-cost, and usually foreign-made) copies of the “big name” guitar models.

Even beginning guitarists want to look (if not, unfortunately, play) like their guitar heroes.  Therefore, most beginners want an axe that closely resembles one of the celebrated big-league guitar models mentioned above.  As a result, each copy manufacturer tries to get as close in appearance to those famous axes as possible, without provoking an infringement challenge.

The RICKENBACKER 12-string: Kerrrrrraannngggg! It's been a hard day's night...

Some companies, such as Ibanez, started out as copyists before succumbing to infringement threats and developing their own models.  Many now would rank some IBANEZ models as iconic guitars, subject to copyists of their own.

Personally I am a fan of the higher-quality copy guitars, of which there are many.  In my humble opinion there’s nothing in my hacker’s technique that requires a multi-thousand dollar guitar, especially when I can get 80% of the instrument for 10% of the price.

Who Protects What?

Many of the elite guitar manufacturers have sought protection against the most slavish copyists by registering the appearance or configuration of their guitars.  More specifically, they have sought protection for certain specific elements of the guitars.

In recent years, with growing awareness of the competitive advantages of trademark registration, the guitar companies have increased the number of elements they register as trademarks.  Generally speaking, the top-shelf companies have sought protection for guitar body and headstock shapes.  It can generally be said that each manufacturer seems to have drawn a line in the sand and focused upon preventing the reproduction of one or two particular features of its flagship models:

Gibson energetically enforces its rights in the "open book" design at the top of its guitar headstocks.

Ÿ  Gibson jealously protects the “open book” shape at the top of its headstocks, as well as the particular shape of the cutaways on its legendary LES PAUL and SG models.  (Cutaways are the body indents on one or both sides of the neck, which allow a player easier access to the highest frets when soloing.)

Ÿ  Fender protects headstock shapes, and especially those of the iconic STRATOCASTER and TELECASTER models.  The company recently attempted to reverse the course of history and seek registration protection for its STRAT and TELE body designs.  Fender failed in that attempt when a large number of other guitar makers opposed the applications.  The gist of the other makers’ argument was that Fender had allowed decades of widespread copying of those body designs, and as a result the configurations did not distinguish Fender’s guitars from any of the countless copies.  See the allegations in one of the oppositions here.

If your guitar's headstock looks like this, it'd better be a real FENDER STRATOCASTER.

Ÿ  Paul Reed Smith chooses to protect its headstock, its signature “birds in flight” fretboard inlays, and the beveled edge of its cutaway (see more below.)

Ÿ  Rickenbacker, whose legendary guitars were widely used by the Beatles and the Byrds, is one of the few guitar makers that has protected both body shapes and headstock shapes for decades.  Rickenbacker also traditionally has been far more energetic in pursuing copyists than its peers, with the result that there are very few Rickenbacker copies to be found.

My “Lawsuit” Guitar Is Worth An Extra Hundred Bucks!

At certain points in the past (especially the 1970s), the major guitar companies have responded to particularly exact copy guitars by threatening or actually bringing trademark infringement suits.  The belief has arisen, whether true or not, that the major guitar companies were spurred into action by the equal or greater quality of the foreign copy guitars, and the resulting loss of market share for their much costlier products. 

The distinctive PAUL REED SMITH headstock.

I suspect that very few lawsuits actually were filed, but doubtless some cease and desist letters were sent.  Nevertheless, the phrase “lawsuit guitar” is bandied about quite freely by those selling used guitars on eBay and elsewhere, to lend a certain cachet and to seek a little extra in price.

Big v. Big

Notwithstanding the foregoing, it’s not always the big guys going after the little-guy copyists.  Occasionally, the battle is Big v. Big.  In 2001, Gibson sued Paul Reed Smith Guitars, alleging that PRS’ “Singlecut” model infringed Gibson’s rights in the configuration of its LES PAUL guitar.  In my own opinion, the Singlecut looked no more like a Gibson LES PAUL than countless other copy guitars.  Nevertheless, Gibson prevailed at the trial court level and for a time PRS was forced to stop making the Singlecut model. 

Gibson saw its judgment overturned by the 6^th Circuit Court of Appeals, however.  The appellate court emphasized Gibson’s courtroom concession that “only an idiot” would confuse the two models at the point of sale.  PRS immediately resumed marketing the Singlecut model.  It may come as no surprise that guitar buffs, ever sensitive to tiny nuances of relative prestige, have come to distinguish the original “pre-lawsuit” Singlecuts from those that came later.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF FLICKR USERS MRBILL (STRATOCASTER headstock and guitar), BGVJPE (Gibson and PAUL REED SMITH headstocks), ETHAN PRATER (LES PAUL headstock) and BANJO D (RICKENBACKER guitar), ALL UNDER THIS CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE.

Hey, my name is Antonio (Tony) Estrella. I am the lead guitarist for Black Vendetta. I’m very well rounded, as I can play blues, metal, hard rock, country and classic. I am not only skilled at electric guitar, but acoustic as well. I think of my own riffs and licks and I do not copy other guitarists. My main influence would be Slash. I favor the Les Paul guitar and have one of my own.

I am one of the first members of this band and I plan to stick it out until the very end. Please stay tuned because this is a band of very talented musicians.

Another Tuesday as it gets colder and darker out – hope some of these tunes put a bit of spring in your step. Enjoy!

Good Old War – “Coney Island”

First track from the ridiculously good “Only Way To Be Alone” LP from last year. The trio of Keith Goodwin, Daniel Schwartz and Tim Arnold mix the acoustic Simon And Garfunkel winter-in-New York-pathos with the jumpy, layered harmonies of harder-hitting folkies like Dr. Dog and What Laura Says.

John Fahey – “Desperate Man Blues”

I somehow never heard of steel-string guitar wizard Fahey [1939- 2001] until last week which is kind of embarrassing. His two disc Anthology which I picked up is a mind-bogglingly diverse set of acoustic mastery, ranging from somber slide blues to spooky Indian raga to grinning Hawaiian swing. He seems to mix a bit of everything together in many of the tunes.

Slim Harpo – “Raining In My Heart”

A cut from Bob Dylan’s “Theme Time” radio show [the theme was "Weather"] features the soulful crooning of Slim Harpo and his echo-dripped blues harp. The Louisiana-born songwriter and bandleader is one of many overlooked bluesman who never quite hit the spotlight even in the blues revival of the 1960’s and had to run his own trucking business for much of his working life.

Les Paul and Mary Ford – “The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise”

Sure, Mr. Paul just died so everyone is suddenly interested in him and his work but it’s as good a reason as any to start unearthing the eery, sweet and lightning fast swing-pop that Les and Mary recorded in their bedroom for decades. Some of the first examples of recorded layered overdubbing here makes Ford’s voice practically float across space as Paul’s tinkling, otherworldly guitar pushes it forward.

Langhorne Slim – “Boots Boy”

Recently-released LP “Be Set Free” shows this Philadelphia stage-stomper has fallen deeper into his gospel obsessions and there’s something endearing about the way he seems to nearly blow his voice out with each track.

South Austin Jug Band – “Raleigh & Spencer”

You think you can play fast? Probably not as fast as these guys. Hot diggity dog.

Les Paul Fibonacci Sunburst $385.00 + shipping

* Solid mahogany body with maple top – not photo finish
* One piece mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard and mother of pearl inlays
* 22 Jumbo frets
* Individually hand filed frets for professional feel and playability
* Triple binding on body and headstock, single binding on neck
* Grover tuners 8-1 ratio for fine tuning
* Two humbucker pick-ups
* Two volume, two tone, three way pick-up switch
* Tune-o-matic bridge
* Sopstop tail piece
* Gold hardware

Note: This guitar was a floor model and has a scratch on the back. Please see pictures.

If you have any questions or to buy this guitar click here. I will try to answer promptly.

Les Paul Sunburst

(Above: The magnificent video for “Must Be Santa,” far and away the best track on Bob Dylan’s new holiday album, “Christmas in the Heart.”)

By Joel Francis

Bob Dylan surprised a lot of people when he announced the release of his first Christmas album several months ago. “Christmas in the Heart” surprises in a different way, however, by playing it straight and offering no surprises at all.

Adorned with a cover that looks like a Norman Rockwell collectible dinner plate come to life, “Christmas in the Heart” features 15 well-worn holiday favorites with arrangements and production straight out of the 1940s and ‘50s.

In retrospect, Dylan’s desire to record a Christmas album shouldn’t have been an astonishment. For the past several years, Dylan has dabbled in pre-war pop. A cover of “Return to Me” popped up on a soundtrack several years ago, and several similar originals, including “Beyond the Horizon,” populated his 2006 album “Modern Times.”

Of course, Dylan has long been a purveyor of traditional song and the folk tradition. As the oral history components of American society diminish, holiday and children’s music are the few remaining songs passed from generation to generation. Christmas music stands directly at the crossroads of these passions.

A third consideration is that Dylan delights in doing the unexpected and challenging expectations. The man who returned to the Newport Folk Festival nearly 10 years ago in a wig (and dons a similar headpiece in the video for a “Christmas in the Heart” song), appeared in a Victoria’s Secret commercial and wrote a song with Michael Bolton, clearly enjoys toying with his dedicated following and legend.

Unfortunately, this understanding doesn’t make “Christmas in the Heart” an enjoyable listen. Producing the album under the pseudonym Jack Frost, Dylan drapes the album in arpeggio guitars that recall Les Paul’s singles with Bing Crosby, lilting backing voices in the style of the Andrews Sisters and a nostalgic gauze that would be at home on a Perry Como platter. By smoothing every surface, Dylan leaves no room for any rough edges, which, frankly, is all his voice has to offer these days.

The song selection is another stumbling block. The vast majority of these hymns and carols have been heard and performed a thousand times over. Although his arrangements are clever – check out the piano on “Little Drummer Boy” or violin and light country touch on “Silver Bells” – they hem too closely to the tried and true. Dylan does not have a traditional voice, so it’s understandable his singing doesn’t work in this traditional setting. The album would have been better served if Dylan played to his strengths, like a reading of “Run Rudolph Run” a la “Summer Days,” or more obscure choices, like Buck Owens’ “Santa Looked a lot Like Daddy.”

The single “Must Be Santa” hints at what “Heart” could have been. Originally a 1961 sing-along with Columbia Records honcho Mitch Miller, Dylan more than doubles the tempo and thanks to the frenetic accordion playing of Los Lobos’ David Hildago – who also bolstered Dylan’s “Together Through Life,” released just six months prior – turns the song into a mariachi rave. Another lesser-known track, “Christmas Blues” was also a good choice. More songs like this and fewer Latin hymns could have made “Christmas in the Heart” a holiday staple.

With all album proceeds going to charity, Dylan’s intentions are noble and his reasons sound, but the flawed execution prove the record’s undoing. It’s too bad “Must Be Santa” wasn’t released as a stand-alone single, with any of the remaining 14 songs on its b-side, or as the centerpiece of an EP. As it is, “Christmas in the Heart” is best purchased as a Black Friday bargain.

Keep reading:

“Together Through Life” is a Minor Masterpiece

Traveling Wilburies – “Inside Out”

“Tell Tale Signs” Sheds Light on Legend

Bob Dylan – “All Along the Watchtower” (live)

George Kalinsky: Painting with Light

Bob Dylan – “Workingman’s Blues No. 2”

What Bob Dylan Means to Me (part 1)

What Bob Dylan Means to Me (part 2)

El nombre de “SG” proviene de “Solid Guitar” (Guitarra Sólida en español) y fue un modelo creado por la marca Gibson en los años 60. En un principio se creó como una variación de la mítica Les Paul pero, poco después de su creación, el propio Les Paul perdió el interés por este tipo de guitarras y pidió que se retirara su nombre de ellas. Fue entonces cuando pasó a llamarse SG. Por lo tanto, fue concebida como un tipo distinto de Les Paul y como tal la mayoría de las SG tienen una configuración muy similar a las Les Paul: las dos tienen doble pastilla humbucker, las dos están hechas de caoba ela mayoría de los casos, suelen tener las mismas electrónicas y ecualizador, etc. Hoy en día existen muchos tipos de SG (Deluxe, Goth…) y hasta se han sacado modelos de bajo con dicha forma de cuerpo (personalmente, estos bajos me parecen horribles).

Guitarra Angus SG de Gibson

Pero con un cambio tan radical en la forma del cuerpo no pueden ser todo similitudes. Quizás la mayor diferencia (y la más visible) entre las dos es el doble corte, arriba y abajo, del mastil. Estos cortes junto con sus delgados cuernos estuvieron pensados para hacer los trastes superiores más accesibles, lo cual se consiguió. Además el cuerpo y el mástil son mucho más delgados lo que supone una significativa reducción en el peso del instrumento y su manejabilidad. Como en esto de los instrumentos no hay cambio sin consecuencia, todo lo que se le hizo a la guitarra repercutió en un sonido bastante menos contundente que su pariente Les Paul. Además, y he aquí uno de los principales fallos de la SG, las guitarras tienen muy poco peso en el cuerpo y demasiado en el mástil lo que lleva a que la guitarra a girarse y ser algo incomoda de tocar en muchos casos.

Pese a todo, la SG se convirtió en un icono del rock y con el tiempo ha mantenido una potente supremacía en el mundo de las guitarras eléctricas. Gran parte de este éxito viene dado por que Angus Young, mítico guitarrista de AC/DC, eligió la SG como su modelo de guitarra favorito. Como podemos ver en el vídeo, las guitarras SG se suelen tocar bastante altas (me refiero a la altura del instrumento) para solventar ese problema de peso que tienen.

So far this year, you have taken away:

1) My favorite musician, Michael Jackson;

2) My favorite actor, Patrick Swayze;

3) My most beautiful actress, Farrah Fawcett;

4) My original “Guitar Hero,” Les Paul.

Just so you know, my favorite politician is Barack Obama.

(borrowed from Bill Vaughn @ facebook)

Cool news to come from the Armada gig at the East Brunswick Club last night: Jeff Martin, Canadian songwriter of note, previously of Ireland, has landed in Australia as a full-time resident. Although the travelling troubadour said he didn’t know just how much time he’d get to spend here.

The gig itself, being recorded, was damn fine, although the amount of inane crowd chatter during and between songs could be a headache for the final cut.

Martin, with Wayne Sheehy on percussion and Jay Cortez on bass (and other bits ‘n’ bobs, such as mandolin and harmonica), was in fine fettle for the two-hour performance in a hot, cramped venue offering superb sound. Seated mid-stage throughout in black shirt and jeans, he paraded a host of instruments during the night, including a hurdy gurdy, esraj, oud (won in a Cairo poker game) and theremin, as well as mainstay Gibson guitars, a classic Les Paul and an Australian-made 12-string.

The set list, similar to last year’s tour with familiar banter, ranged from Tea Party favourites such as Sister Awake and The Bazaar, to his signature solo tune, The Kingdom (album review here), again dedicated to Victoria’s Black Saturday bushfires, and Armada tunes. He again offered crafty blends of NIN’s Hurt and Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart, and Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love.

One highlight was Coming Home, given extra gusto by his announcement of a move to Oz, and the closing encore song, Black Snake Blues, with Cortez on slide guitar.

In Sheehy and Cortez, Martin has found ideal complements, and, combined with the regularity of his touring, must bode well for the Armada’s future. Or so I hope.
]]> http://playingguitarinraleigh.wordpress.com/2009/11/21/gibson-introduces-les-paul-tribute/ Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:37:01 +0000 bill844 http://playingguitarinraleigh.wordpress.com/2009/11/21/gibson-introduces-les-paul-tribute/

Gibson introduces the Les Paul tribute 1952 guitar.

Les Paul / Iridium Jazz Club/ NYC/ May 2009 / Jim Piccirillo

I was at the Nokia Theatre today watching rehearsals for the American Music Awards this coming Sunday night. My good friend and mentor Bob Bardo, who is the EIC of Production for Dick Clark, was kind enough to invite me down for a little behind the scenes look and tour of the upcoming show.  Janet Jackson was running through her opening with a stage full of dancers. The staging and technology is amazing these days. The entire set is basically LED walls and Hi end projection. The audio system hurt my chest with its power and bottom end.

I am a gear head. I love this stuff.

Anyway, on a trip through the production truck parked out back, I bumped into my old friend Hugh Grew who was running the Dekko graphics system that is used when the show is on the air.

And it reminded me of one of the best musical moments I have had in many years and it happened just a few months back.

Hugh and I were in NY doing the CW Upfront show at Madison Square Garden. During rehearsals, Hugh walks up to me and says if we can get out early tonight he has an extra ticket to see guitarist, inventor, & jazz great Les Paul!

This is the guy that invented the Les Paul guitar (duh) and also invented mult-track, over dubbing recording. I was intrigued but not sure  if I could cut out early on my own rehearsal! However, Hugh reminded me that the guy is 94 years old and this may be the last chance to see him.

I took a cab down to Broadway just above Times Square around 9:45 to the Iridium Jazz Club. Hugh was already inside and I waited patiently in line to get in the small club. This place holds maybe 125 people… standing sideways!

I found Hugh, who had grabbed a table right on the end, on the first level. Great view of the stage. The waiter informed us of the two drink minimum, so I ordered two right away.

At 10:05 the house lights go down… actually they go all the way out. The place is pitch dark.. you can’t see a thing. A voice announces over the PA.. “ladies and gentlemen please welcome to the stage, the legendary Les Paul!” .. The audience applauds and nothing happens. Dead silence… then we hear footsteps and clanging on the stage, and the sound of  something that made a loud crash. Moments later, still in the dark, a voice comes over the microphone and says… “Now, I understand how Stevie Wonder must feel” !

The lights come up and there sits Les Paul on a stool holding a beautiful Gibson Les Paul. He had obviously had a hard time finding his way on stage in the dark and opened with that very funny line.

That set the tone for the night, because he did more talking and joking than playing. It was like seeing your dirty old uncle hold court, telling off color jokes and stories and strumming a few tunes in between. He was hilarious! He would talk for five minutes between each song, zinging the musicians, the audience and the poor waitresses. Everyone was a target and he relished making everyone laugh at themselves.

When he did play, it was with grace and fluidity. Even at this advanced age, he was sharp with his wit, and sharp with his guitar playing. His long fingers moving over the fretboard effortlessly like he had obviously done thousands of times before.

It is not often that one gets to see someone as legendary as this. A guy who invented the very instrument that you have seen played by about 90 per cent of your favorite musicians for more than forty years. Clapton, Page, Beck, BB,  Allman.. just to name a few and just in the rock world. Les Paul is responsible for just about everything that you and I associate with rock and roll guitar!

Les Paul “retired” in 1965 and here he was forty years later still going strong. He told a great story about when he was a kid and he would be in charge of cranking the player piano for his parents during parties. He said he would load the paper roll with holes on them that created the music from the player piano. One time while loading one of the rolls, he accidentally punched a hole in one and notice the piano made a different sound when it rolled by that hole. So he started putting more holes in the paper and discovered he could create his own music this way. That was the advent of multi-track and overdubbing on records, according to him, and played a pivotal role in his career as a musical inventor. That story alone was worth the price of admission!

But of course he is best known for inventing the solid body electric guitar. (Although Leo Fender may have a word or two about that!). The legendary Les Paul Goldtop was created in 1952 and took the music world by storm. And the rest as they say is history.

Hugh and I had a great time that night. We laughed at his jokes, marveled at his old vaudevillian style of entertainment, and were impressed with his still spot on playing. It was truly amazing to see such a giant of the industry from just a few feet away with a small,  appreciative and adoring audience.

Apparently Les Paul had played every Monday night at the Iridium on Broadway for many years and many of the patrons were regulars. And for that one night in May of 2009, Hugh and I were part of the Les Paul regulars. What a blast!

Les Paul died a little over two months later. I heard it on the radio driving to work and thought fondly back to that wonderful night only a few short months ago. Thankfully, my friend Hugh had the right idea that night and was gracious enough to take me along.

Although Les Paul was already 94 by the time I got to see him, one should always take advantage of the opportunity to see any musician of note when given the chance. You just never know when it may be the last opportunity.

When I was ten or eleven, my older brother got tickets to see Jimi Hendrix and offered to take me with him. I declined and went on a Boy Scout camporee instead. A few months later, Hendrix was dead of a drug overdose. I never got over that one.

A few years later, while in high school, a friend’s mother gave me two tickets to see Elvis Presley. Me and a buddy drove down to Charleston Civic Center (WV) and upon arrival found hundreds of screaming, crying women begging for tickets. Thinking I would always have the chance to see Elvis, we sold the tickets for 65. dollars each. That was big money in those days. We hopped back in his truck, stopped and bought a six pack and headed back home content with our profit for the night. Elvis died two years later and I never forgave my stupidity for that one.

And just this year, all of us witnessed the pre-mature death of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. From the movie reviews of the footage that was shot in rehearsal, the entire world will miss the opportunity to see perhaps one of the most monumental musical happenings of a lifetime.

So, my message to all. Get off the couch. Buy a ticket. Go see a band tonight. You won’t regret it. There is nothing like the sound of a Les Paul cranked up in a small, smoky club spewing out riffs over thumping bass lines and the crack of  a snare!

Thanks to my friend, Hugh Grew, for gently giving me the nudge i needed that evening to create a memory of a lifetime!

Haluaisin vain kertoa kaikille kiinnostuneille, että olen aloittanut Raw Power -mallien testin. Tästä syntyvä juttu julkaistaan ensi vuoden alussa Riffi-lehdessä.

Kannattaa siis vihdoin tilata, ennen kuin hinta nousee!    

Käytetty Gibson Les Paul Special Faded 900€

Mint-kuntoinen 2005-mallin Gibson kaupan!

Epiphone Vee Wee Rave Rig -paketti 220€

Epiphone Les Paul Pee Wee Rave Rig -paketti 220€

Epiphonelta on ilmestynyt kaksi harvinaisen hyvin pukin konttiin sopivaa kitarapakettia jotka sisältävät miniversion joko Gibsonin Flying-V:stä tai Les Paulista, gigbagin, hihnan ja pienen matkavahvistimen. Sopii lapselle ensikitaraksi tai aikuiselle vaikkapa matkakitaraksi!

Epiphone Rave Rig -paketti 220€

Marker and Völkl have partnered with Gibson Guitar Corporation to produce a series of unique electric guitars. Marker and Völkl themed guitars will be produced in Gibson’s Custom Shop in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Völkl guitar is a black Les Paul Custom featuring graphical elements from Völkl’s newly redesigned Gotama ski model. The new Gotama is a “rockered” ski that combines incredible performance in powder snow with everyday versatility. Like the Les Paul, the Gotama is the pinnacle product in it’s class.

The Marker guitar is a Flying V model in Gold Bullion with Marker’s “Rule the Mountain” logo. The aggressive design of the Flying V fits well with Marker’s popularity in the youth & freeride binding markets. “We’re incredibly proud to be associated with Gibson,” said Chris Adams, Marker Völkl’s Promotions Director. “Their craftsmanship has always set the benchmark in quality, so to partner with them on some special one-of-a-kind instruments is really exciting, especially because the guitars will ultimately help some good causes.”

The guitars will be on display at many events throughout the fall and early winter, including many of the tour stops for RE:Session, the latest release from Teton Gravity Research. After being shown at the SIA Trade Show in January, the guitars will go up for auction, with the proceeds going to charitable causes. Proceeds from the Gotama Les Paul auction will support Protect Our Winters, an organization of Snowsports athletes and industry professionals dedicated to raising awareness of climate change.

Proceeds from the Marker Flying V auction will go to the family of Shane McConkey, the popular Big Mountain skier and ski industry icon who was lost in a fatal accident this past March while filming in Italy. “These guitars are stunning,” said Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz “We know there has always been a strong association between music and skiing, particularly in the ski films, so to be part of this with another top tier manufacturer like Marker Volkl is very exciting for us.”

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Völkl on this incredibly unique idea and we’re grateful for the opportunity to raise contributions for POW with it. The money raised will be re-directed towards a number of climate change initiatives we’re supporting this year”, said Jeremy Jones, Founder of POW.

Auction details are available at:  Marker’s Facebook Page

For more information on Gibson, visit: The Gibson Web Site

*

October 16th, 1971, inside of two weeks before Duane's death on Oct. 29th. Gregg Allman, Duane Allman, & Berry Oakley above. Duane and Berry died in separate motorcycle accidents-- Duane in 1971 and Berry in 1972. So, I'm trying hard not to focus on the crazy shirts, but they're pretty smokin' man. Are they Nik Nik shirts?

*

There’s an overwhelming feeling of worldly injustice and “what could’ve been”, when someone so gifted and young is taken from us like Duane Allman was.  The only consolation we have (and a sweet one it is), are the incredible tracks he laid down with The Allman Brothers Band, Derek and the Dominoes, and his session works in the studio with great artists like Aretha Franklin, King Curtis, B.B. King, and Clarence Carter.  And if you think he was just a great slide player and string bender– check out the blistering lead work on You Don’t Love Me.

I can’t believe that 38 years have already passed since the day Duane Allman hopped on his Harley after a party in Macon, Georgia– not knowing it would be for the last time.  He only got a few miles down the road, when a truck turned in front of him and Duane clipped it’s back end.  Allman lost control, and the Harley landed on top of him, sustaining injuries that would take his life within a few short hours. The lead guitarist of the Allman Brothers Band, who was gaining huge acclaim for his exciting and innovative sound and style, was dead at age 24.

Jerry Wexler’s eulogy for Duane sums it up best: “This young and beautiful man who we love so dearly but who is not lost to us, because we have his music, and the music is imperishable.”

Amen, brother.  Amen.

*

November 24th, 1969, Muscle Shoals, Alabama -- Wilson Pickett and Duane Allman.

*

The Allman Brothers at Fillmore East

*

Berry Oakley & Duane Allman, July 1971

*

May 5th, 1969, Muscle Shoals, Alabama -- Members of the Allman Brothers Duane Allman, Dickey Betts, Gregg Allman, Jaimo, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks.

*

Duane Allman on acoustic

*

Duane Allman Fishing, circa 1971

*

Duane Allman in the recording studio

*

*

The Allman Brothers Band members perform at Duane Allman's funeral in Macon, Georgia 1971 -- Image by © Jeff Albertson

*

The Allman Brothers Band live at Fillmore East 09/23/1970.  Unaired set from a PBS-TV special with Gregg Allman, Duane Allman, Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks, and Jai Johanny “Jaimoe” Johanson–

*

*

*

October 16th, 1970, Muscle Shoals, Alabama -- The Allman Brothers, Gregg & Duane Allman/

*

Duane Allman smokin' his Gibson Les Paul.

*

Greg Allman, circa 1970s.

*

Duane Allman passed out with his favorite guitar-- '57 Gibson Goldtop Les Paul.

*

*

*

*

Gregg Allman on guitar, circa 1970s.

*

Duane Allman on a Gibson SG.

*

Dickey Betts, circa 1970s.

*

Duane Allman wailin' on his Les Paul

*

REMEMBER DUANE ALLMAN-- Memorial to Duane Allman on a roadside embankment outside of Vicksburg, Mississippi.

A nice collectible little beauty, the Gibson Les Paul Studio in a stunning Silverburst finish and chrome hardware.

When I first lay eyes on this one, it didn’t jump right out at me, but before I knew what was happening I fell under her spell. Next thing I knew I was driving home with a new guitar…. oops!

Check it out >>>