Pros:

1. I enjoy the city/venue interface much more than Guitar Hero’s poster idea.
2. The range of songs is much more to my liking.
3. Overdrive makes the band get a multiplier instead of just increasing mine.
4. ‘Saving’ is a neat mechanic.
5. The vocal interface is much more user-friendly and intuitive.

Cons:

1. I was playing challenges that require me to finish the same song eight or nine times.
2. In the beginning, I’m playing the same set at three new venues… while realistic, it’s boring.
3. After I pause, the game does not count me back in.
4. The ‘expert’ difficulty is far too easy… about the same as HG’s ‘hard’ level.
5. Drummers cannot choose when to deploy their star power.

So far, I certainly don’t like it any better than Guitar Hero World Tour.  I will have to try GH5 before I make my final decision though.  Anyone else have thoughts on GH v. RB?

Whatever became of me...

When Black Friday comes
I’m gonna dig myself a hole
Gonna lay down in it
‘Til I satisfy my soul
Gonna let the world pass by me
The Archbishop gonna sanctify me
And if he don’t come across
I’m gonna let it roll
When Black Friday comes I’m gonna stake my claim
I guess I’ll change my name.

- Steely Dan, “Black Friday”

Well, now that we’re all sated on turkey, football and bargain crazed shopping, let’s give thanks that its once again Friday and time for us to our trip through the tubes.  I’m most thankful that my fellow GonzoGeeks got their links in to me before they disappeared for the holidays.  We’ve got some good stuff here today kids, so hang on.

Of course, before we serve up the links, we have to serve up the cheesecake.  This week, we decided it was time to go retro once again.  Stephe and I decided that we could think of no vintage cheesecake more appropriate for the day after Thanksgiving than Loni Anderson.  Why?  Because of the legendary “Turkey Drop” episode of WKRP in Cincinnati, that’s why.  Loni tweaked the dumb blonde secretary stereotype magnificently on WKRP and in this episode especially.  Don’t know what I’m talking about?  CLICK HERE.

In the meantime, enjoy the links.

1. The early days of some of your favorite websites.
2. Iraqi Metal.
3. The BIG Boom (scroll down).
4. Translation be fun time to me.
5. Ms. Couric, your freak is showing.
6. Rob Schneider vs. radio imbeciles.
7. Stephe’s lone contribution of the week.  Its even in English this time.
8. TEQUILA!
9. The dangers of MMORPGs exposed.
10. Another chimp attack victim goes on Oprah.
11. Cool pictures of vintage girl bands.
12. As the 00’s come to a close the “best of” lists have started to roll in.
13. This week’s gratuitous Twilight post #1.
14. Gotcha?  You betcha.
15. Even when Hulk Hogan is playing air guitar on the title belt?
16. How to pick cereal.
17. This week’s obligatory Twilight post #2.
18. Just in time for Black Friday, what not to buy in 2009.
19. 25 scariest moments in non-horror movies.
20. It’s evolution baby!
21. Rock Band reaches 1001 song catalog.  Take that Creed!
22. This is as close as I will ever come to watching a Lifetime movie.
23. At long last, Angelina Jolie weighs in on POTUS.  America can sleep better tonight.
24. The Most Brutal Martial Arts Training…EVER.
25. I fail to see the problem.
26. But who will correct and/or hack the entries?
27. And finally, David’s Iraq deployment blog.

Joystiq reports that the much awaited Rock Band Network (a set of tools which will allow rockers to make their own music and then distribute it on Xbox Live) will roll out in early 2010.

Although, you can now get a bit of a head start by working with the toolset right now.

(Originally written on September 9, 2009)

.

Today is nine-nine-nine, the day that the remastered collection of all of The Beatles’ albums and The Beatles:  Rock Band are being released for purchase.  Most people probably just assume that today, of all days, was selected for these releases simply because it’s cool that all three digits of today’s date are one in the same.  However, in all actuality, today was most likely chosen because the number nine had a very distinct significance to John Lennon.  He believed in numerology, as have many other rock stars (Jimi Hendrix and the number seven, for example), and was obsessed with the number nine – it literally controlled his life (think Jim Carrey in The Number 23).  I’m not going to go into detail about that; I just wanted to point it out.  If you’re interested in learning more, I would highly recommend reading Take a Walk on the Dark Side:  Rock and Roll Myths, Legends, and Curses by R. Gary Patterson – it is one of my absolute favorites, very intriguing and entertaining.

So – Happy Beatles Day!

Well, while everyone else was having fun today enjoying The Beatles’ remastered classics and Rock Band, I was sitting through forecast training in Connecticut.  It was a

three-and-a-half hour drive away one way, I had to be there and at the ready at 9am, and I didn’t get to leave until 3:30pm.  Yea, I got caught in rush hour both ways.  Let’s just say that today was definitely a very long day for me.  And the training was incredibly painful – as in having-your-toenails-pulled-out-with-pliers painful.  I mean, even after telling the guy doing the presenting that I have a Bachelor’s in Statistics, he still went through all of the basics (I was the only trainee).  It’s comparable to having someone today sit you down and insist on teaching you how to multiply, step by step, regardless of the fact that you told them that you already know how…for six-and-a-half hours.

Oh well, at least it’s over.

Wave Machines are a great little scouse ‘rock’ band who have had a string of strong releases this year. The first song I heard was ‘Punk Spirit’, which is a rousing, tongue in cheek call to arms that tackles many of lifes issues by just questioning – ‘Where is my punk spirit when I need it?’. Shit man, if we all thought this whenever something bad happened to us we’d never moan about a thing! In fact – when I’ve been in that kind of situation, I’ve even used that thought – and it worked! (Kind of). Seriously, give it a go – it gives you a different outlook on moaning.

ANYWAYS – My fave tune that they’ve done has got to be ‘I go I go I go’. Originally released in 2008, they went back in the studio to re-record it and then re-released it earlier this year. It’s a quirky, cheeky, happy little tune. I reckon these guys could do big things and have certainly caused a stir this year when they released their debut album ‘Wave if you’re really there’.

So anyway, here are the tracks – see what you think!

Wave Machines - I go I go I go

Wave Machines - Punk Spirit

HazMat

MORE ON WAVE MACHINES:

MYSPACE :: OFFICIAL SITE :: BUY TUNES

Region free, stealth, y multi idioma. Sólo se puede jugar con los instrumentos del Rock band… Nisiquiera el micrófono incluido con la 360 se puede usar para cantar… Eso en mi caso particular le baja muchos puntos, aunque el juego pinta muy bueno. Excelente apartado visual.

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La contraseña es: dexcargas.wordpress.com

Ever since I was a young boy, I’ve always had an interest in video games to the extent that it’s my hobby second only to eating, breathing, moving my legs in specific motions to walk forward and the like. I’ve always read videogames reviews ad articles. Not being an overly rich or spoilt child, doing so allowed me to make more informed decisions with regard to which ones I wanted to spend my parents hard earned cash on(which in many respects I’m still doing today); and so, over the years I have come to know and understand the Gaming industry as well as the journalism that surrounds it. Someone once said: “write about what you know”, and so, after many years of experience sitting on the out field of the videogames industry, I felt an attempt at a videogame review would be a perfect place to start my independent journalism career.

When writing my reviews, I drew inspiration from a number of well known reviewers and critics in the industry including: ‘Zero Punctuation’ aka, Yahtzee Croshaw. The bad mouthed critic of the ‘Escapist Magazine online’. As well as better known personality Charlie Brooker. Regular contributor and columnist to the Guardian Newspaper, and creator and host of his own BBC series ‘Screenswipe’, ‘Newswipe’, and ‘Gameswipe’.

Both men, whilst fairly serious about the video games industry as an actual industry, take a light hearted approach to reviewing, and I wanted to achieve the same feeling of being informed whilst entertained, in my reviews. I did however, find it rather difficult to retain my sense originality and humour, whilst at the same time still arguing the actual pros and cons of the game in a structured and easy to understand manor.; something of a necessity in reviews.

Whilst I pride myself on generally being a good speaker, and a fair ability to get my point across to people in verbal debate; writing, and basic sentence structure is not something I find comes naturally to me. When speaking, I need not worry about grammar and people possibly misinterpreting what I really mean. However, when I write, I often try to emulate the effect of my speech and what I am left with is just one long continuous sentence which you can probably see in front of you now. I could blame the influence of fast talking critic ‘Yahtzee’, and at some points in writing my first review I did question whether or not the piece would be better appreciated listened on video with visual aides. In the end, I decided against it and pressed onward. It’s a issue that’s been with me ever since High School and whilst praised as a youngster for my creativity, and articulate style; in the later years I was told it wasn’t effective at getting my often grey and boring point across, and that is exactly how I felt when writing my first review.

Keeping the use of videogame jargon down and ensuring the artcle is accessible to those without a diverse knowledge of video games I also found to be a challenge. Most of the reviews I read are published in specialist magazines or online sites such as Edge, Kotaku.com or Computer and Video Games; as well as the afore mentioned site and television programs. These are sources know the vast majority of their audience will be well informed and able to differentiate between an fps (a game in which you play through a First Person Perspective, commonly used in shooting games), and an mmorpg (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game- an online game in which multiple players exist within the same universe, level up their character, and can influence other players games with the actions made in theirs). These are just two genres of videogame and not something I have to look up. I just know what they are as a welder or welding enthusiast might understand the jargon of the welding industry.

My audience I wanted to be more widespread. Something that although videogamers could relate to and find entertaining and informative, the review would still be accessible for people less familiar with the industry. Something that could perhaps be found in either a videogames website or independent magazine aimed at 15 to 30 year olds. In order to achieve this, after I had finished writing, I handed it to my flatmate. A man who knows relatively little about the games industry, as well as to a number of friends with a sound knowledge of the industry, to look my work over in order to ensure wide spread appeal. After handing it back to me, my flat mate informed me that he did not understand what the letters ‘ea’ meant, or what it could possibly be referring to. Of course, I understood that ‘ea’ stands for ‘Electronic Arts’- a large video game publisher with several developments teams such as Ea Sport and Ea Big working under it and lay claim to such well known titles as the ‘Fifa’ games series, ‘Need For Speed’ and what it was relative to my review: the ‘Rock Band’ series. After editing I fixed it by ensuring the reader knew that ea referred to the games publisher and wasn’t just a random typing error.

Handing over my work to someone else is also something I found particularly difficult. I really have a distaste for being judged. I guess it probably stems from something buried deep in my mentality, but every criticism of me or my work hits me surprisingly harder the I let on. Really, I’d much rather the world just come to a general understanding that the work I produce, and I myself are amazing; and then leave it at that, but I identified that it was a necessary move if I am to improve upon my work in any considerable way. A necessary sacrifice you could say.

In both reviews, I attempted to inform the reader of the videogames good and bad features allowing them to make a balanced and informed opinion of their own. As well as doing so, I also hoped to entertain them with wit and humour. Some people may question my decision not to conform to industry consensus, and grade the videogame with a number out of ten at the end of the review. My answer is simply that I don’t believe a complex opinion such as that you would in a review can be expressed numerically. To do so offers people a lazy option and I don’t agree with that. Was I successful? You can make that decision for yourself.

If I were asked to sum my experience writing the reviews in one word, I’d probably tell you to ‘buzz off’ in a less polite manner; but if forced I guess I would use the term ‘refreshing’. Although I struggled at first with the ‘Modern Warfare 2′ review; the wording and descriptions for ‘The Beatles’ required much less effort, I simply wrote about my feelings for the band, how they reflected in the game, and pretty soon an all round review came quite naturally. Looking back I think that feeling is reflected in the both pieces.

Animations and visuals really are strikingly brilliant.

The Beatles music for me represents shining beacon of excellence in musical achievement. Having grown up in the 90s, I was subjected to the swarming plagues of boy bands and numerous forms of the same spice girls; as well as the expansion out into the absurd metal and trance/dance music in more recent times. For years, I just went with the idea that I didn’t really like any music. But then I heard the Beatles and, it was revealed to me that truly, the music of our fathers was the greatest. Beatles music to me isn’t simply good, they are the single band I keep going back to remind myself that for every crazy frog anthem that hits number one, or generic rock single released by ‘Kings of Leon’; at least one point in time music truly was great, and is still worthy of defence even with today scene. As a band, you could say the Beatles are the corner stone of my musical sanity.

If there is one brand of music I can bear through the clattering of plastic guitars, missed notes and drunken singing, it’s the Beatles. So with all that slavouring in the first paragraph, it won’t come as a surprise to hear I had to buy new jeans when ‘The Beatles: Rock Band’ was announced.

Even those unfamiliar with the video gaming world would probably heard of the ‘rhythm’ genre or the recent boom of video games which incorporate it, most popular of which are the ‘Guitar Hero’ series, or my personal favourite, the ‘Rock Band’ series. Rhythm Games involve the player or players hitting buttons in time with the music, usually on controllers shaped like guitars or drums or pick up the microphone and attempt to match the pitch of the note in singing, and with regards to that, The Beatles Rock Band is no exception. Proving popular among hardcore gamers and casual alike, the genre of game is most well known for their heavy advertisement, and appeal, mostly as party games.

With overall feel and presentation of the game, it would be fair to say that like it’s title; ‘The Beatles Rock Band’ truly is a Beatles Game first, Rock Band game second. Up to four can choose to pick up either guitar, bass, drums, or vocals and follow the Beatles through their musical career. All the way from their first appearances in the infamous ‘Cavern’ rock and rock and roll club in their home town of Liverpool, to the windy rooftops of Apple studios. All the great music minus the women, lsd, and annoying Asian artists. Actually, Yoko was apparently very helpful in the creative process of the game as well was McCartney and Ringo which just demonstrates my point of how dedicated the game really is.

All though this game structure is effective for staying true to the Beatles career, because the career mode follows the band in chronological order rather then the traditional method of following difficulty; the curve with regard to difficulty can become a bit eratic at times with game demanding that at one minute you be hastily strumming away to the tune of ‘Boys’ in the beginning only to encounter the calm, and relaxing notes of ‘I am the Walrus’ nearer the end. Of course, it gets to difficult to complete there are multiple difficulties to play on and even a quickplay mode with all songs minus one, unlocked.

However, Fans and veterans of the genre won’t find much challenge in most of the songs. The Beatles were never known for their rocking, metallic guitar solos or inane drum beats and so I went through the game swiftly 5- staring the vast majority of the song list on expert like a true nerd.

The Beatles Rock Band also isn’t much in the way of a party game. Although it features all songs in ‘quickplay’ mode right from the start a feature much missed in previous titles; at today’s ‘banging’ parties you’ll find there to be multiple ranges of people, all of different ages, ethnicities and the most relative difference- musical tastes. So you are bound to find there are people who don’t want to play The Beatles music, no matter how genre spanning and all round amazing their musical career really was. These of course will be the people drinking beer out of the toilets and wearing pants on their heads.

For Beatles fans out there though, and there’s bound to be a lot of them still, The Beatles Rock Band is an absolute treat simply for the fact that it’s the closest you’ll ever come to being one of the Beatles, or touching Lennon. The level of detail truly is astounding. The menus are vibrant and colourful and the presentation in the introduction and outro cinematics are truly astounding and successfully capture the epic effect of the Beatles and the very essence of their musical career. Though previous negative comments of the game still apply it shouldn’t be thought of as a videogame in the traditional sense of the term, but an extension of the Beatles music- a way to enjoy it on a new plane of experience.

Sgt Peppers whimsical Dreamscape

When actually playing tracks, video cinematics act as the background ranging from small, packed cavern, to the bustling and overflowing stadiums of their global tours. They are a crafted with superb attention to detail unseen in a rock band game which adds to all round quality feel of the game; and I feel, successfully encapsulate the essence of the Beatles music to the extent that I may just break down in tears in the middle of ‘Dear Prudence’. The ‘dreamscapes’ in the later levels are to be given special commemoration for creativity. As the walls of the Abbey Road studio( the place in which the band spent most of their later years after they stopped touring) melt away, the player, is transported to a surreal and psychedelic plane of pure beauty which changes with the music crescendos and tones. If this is what the Beatles saw in their minds eye when writing this music I may just pass out in disbelief.

A treasure trove of rarely seen or heard Beatles material can be unlocked throughout the game from photos of the band with captions detailing their significance in the Beatles Career to videos such as shorts from documentaries and interviews. From a fans point of view, the dedication truly is a treat. The game even makes headway, small, in terms of gameplay itself. Though admittedly small players of the previous Rock Band games will certainly appreciate the introduction of a countdown after pausing the game mid track- a missing feature it’s rival Guitar Hero have flaunted since the very first release of world tour.

In terms of the track list, it’s all Beatles and so there’s not much issue with what’s there. What is a bit of a kick in the teeth is the criminally short stature of the track list and the fact that genuiely good tracks; tracks that could be said to be more symbolic of the Beatles career are not in included and are in was neglected. From a discography spanning 12 studio recorded albums, 13 Eps, and 22 singles to include only 45 tracks in the game is a bit of an insult, and fans will be disappointed to learn there’s no ‘Help’, no ‘Eleanor Rigby’; not even ‘Hey Jude’ (a song now admittedly ruined for me by ‘Pink’ and that T mobile television advert).

Publisher Ea have promised three albums as downloadable content for the game including the rest of the Abbey Road album, Sgt Peppers and Rubber soul; but such a move I feel to be hollow and is unappreciated by me. Again in terms of quality, it’s the Beatles and I can’t really complain. What I can dispute is the price of them. Songs prices are 160 Microsoft points, or in plain English, around £2 each; and since half of each album is already included in the game, as much as I love ‘A Day in the Life’ I can’t help but get the sense that I’m being ripped off.

I’d urge everyone to buy the Beatles Rock Band, but then again being a fan I would. I’d also urge everyone to cast off those ridiculous skinny jeans I’ve seen them wearing and just listen to the Beatles. In the End, the love you take is equal to the love you make; and also The Beatles Rock Band is necessary only for the fans of The Beatles music. Those used to regular Rock Band or Guitar Hero may find the difficulty perhaps a bit too easy going and mildly repetitive, and it’s a shame because in terms of quality and presentation, regardless of the level of your Beatles fandom, The Beatles Rock Band really has to be respected for it’s effort and dedication. It’s to be thought of as video game per say, but as a new way of enjoying the Beatles music: As something to be enjoyed among a select group of friends with similar tastes in music just as the Beatles themselves were.

Chitarristi, bassisti, chitarristi e cantanti videoludici unitevi! Sta arrivando un qualcosa che nessuno di voi avrebbe mai immaginato. La Harmonix sta per presentare in tutti i negozi Lego Rock Band, che possiamo considerare come una parodia del genere videludico che sta facendo impazzire il mondo. Premettiamo, che il gioco in sè non è nulla di innovativo, anzi è tutta roba già vista e ri-vista. Però c’è da dare atto ai programmatori che questa nuova veste semi-comica potrebbe dare  nuova linfa ad un titolo che comunque rimane sempre inferiore a Guitar Hero. Nell’attesa potete intanto vedervi il simpatico trailer e cominciare a studiarvi la tracklist completa del gioco.

Data di uscita:  27 novembre

Tracklist completa per Playstation 3 – Xbox 360 – Nintendo Wii

All American Rejects, “Swing, Swing”
The Automatic, “Monster”
Blink-182, “Aliens Exist”
Blur, “Song 2”
Bon Jovi, “You Give Love a Bad Name”
Boys like Girls, “Thunder”
Bryan Adams, “Summer of 69”
Carl Douglas, “Kung Fu Fighting”
The Coral, “Dreaming of You”
Counting Crows, “Accidentally in Love”
David Bowie, “Let’s Dance”
Elton John, “Crocodile Rock”
Europe, “The Final Countdown”
Everlife, “Real Wild Child”
Foo Fighters, “Breakout”
Good Charlotte, “Girls & Boys”
The Hives, “Tick Tick Boom!”
Iggy Pop, “The Passenger”
Incubus, “Dig”
Jackson 5, “I Want You Back”
Jimi Hendrix, “Fire”
Kaiser Chiefs, “Ruby”
Katrina & The Waves, “Walking on Sunshine”
The Kooks, “Naïve”
KoRn, “Word Up!”
KT Tunstall, “Suddenly I See”
Lostprophets, “Rooftops”
P!NK, “So What”
The Police, “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”
The Primitives, “Crash”
Queen, “We Are The Champions”
Queen, “We Will Rock You”
Rascal Flatts, “Life is a Highway”
Ray Parker Jr., “Ghostbusters”
Razorlight, “Stumble and Fall”
Spin Doctors, “Two Princes”
Spinal Tap, “Short & Sweet”
Steve Harly, “Make Me Smile”
Sum 41, “In Too Deep”
Supergrass, “Grace”
Tom Petty, “Free Fallin”
T-Rex, “Ride a White Swan”
Vampire Weekend, “A-Punk”
We the Kings, “Check Yes Juliet”
The Zutons, “Valerie”

Tracklist per Nintendo DS/DSi

All American Rejects, “Swing, Swing”
The Automatic, “Monster”
Blur, “Song 2”
Carl Douglas, “Kung Fu Fighting”
Counting Crows, “Accidentally in Love”
David Bowie, “Let’s Dance”
Europe, “The Final Countdown”
Good Charlotte, “Girls & Boys”
Iggy Pop, “The Passenger”
Jackson 5, “I Want You Back”
Kaiser Chiefs, “Ruby”
Katrina & the Waves, “Walking on Sunshine”
KT Tunstall, “Suddenly I See”
P!NK, “So What”
The Primitives, “Crash”
Queen, “We Are The Champions”
Queen, “We Will Rock You”
Rascal Flatts, “Life is a Highway”
Ray Parker Jr., “Ghostbusters”
Spin Doctors, “Two Princes”
Sum 41, “In Too Deep”
Supergrass, “Grace”
Tom Petty, “Free Fallin’”
Vampire Weekend, “A-Punk”
We the Kings, “Check Yes Juliet”

… my eldest son’s propensity for building things he has seen out of Lego. This is his take on Lego Rock Band:

Guitar Hero, Rock Band, DJ Hero and now Tony Hawk Ride; if you are anything like me, you are running out of room for all of these plastic peripherals.  I already have a hall closet devoted to video game controllers, but now a separate bedroom closet has to be used to hold my Rock Band and Guitar Hero instruments.  I made a rule to not buy anymore colossal controllers, but now DJ Hero and Tony Hawk Ride have been released, and their price tags are almost as big as the boxes they come in.

I wasn’t really interested in the two games until I was watching some off-screen game play for Tony Hawk Ride.  Half-way through the video I realized the Ride controller was what I always wanted; an arcade machine in my own home.  Think about it, what were the arcade machines you always played in the arcade?  You played that X-men beat’em up sure, but also Time Crisis, Cruisin’ World and all those others that you had to pay more than a dollar for.  Now with games like Tony Hawk Ride and DJ Hero, we can get that arcade experience at home without waiting in line or worrying about the bratty kid in front of you breaking the controller.

Honestly, this wave of home arcade experiences is long overdue.  Unless you live in Japan, you probably haven’t been to an arcade that doesn’t have an overgrown rodent problem in a long time.  The classic arcades of my generation have all but died out now.  I shudder to think about younger generations that have never felt the rush of anticipation from waiting in line to play Mortal Kombat 2. (ed. Note: Or Street Fighter II) Sadly, those days are long gone, but perhaps with services like Xbox live and these plastic peripherals, we will be able to preserve a small taste of the arcade experience in our homes.

The special controllers aren’t anything new either.  Think back to some of the early home consoles.  The Atari 5200 had a track ball controller, the Sega Master System had a pair of 3D glasses and the NES had the Zapper, you could fill a garage with these old school controllers.  Some people do.  Now that video games are one of the major players in the entertainment market, we are starting to see a new influx of these controllers spring up on stores shelves.   The question is, will it last?

I worry that games like Rock Band and Tony Hawk Ride will follow in the footsteps of their older arcade brethren and become all but extinct.  Hopefully miniscule issues like storage space won’t cripple this new home arcade experience before it has an opportunity to show its potential.  Like I said before, I only have so many closets.  So the next time I am shocked by the price tag on a Tony Hawk Ride or a Guitar Hero bundle, I am going to remind myself that it is cheaper than the room full of arcade machines I wanted as a kid.

For all of you who are big Rock Band fans and are looking for more songs to jam to, there are two new track packs that are going to be available for you to download. The two track packs consist of songs from Nirvana and Night Ranger and these will be available next week in order for you to try and complete. These track packs will be available for Rock Band on the consoles of PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii. One thing that may possibly upset people is that one song, “Sister Christian”, is not including in either of the track packs. So if you are at all interested in these songs, make sure to check out these two track packs.

Here are the two new track packs followed by their prices:

Nirvana Pack 2

• “Come as You Are (Live from MTV Unplugged)”
• “Lithium (Live at Reading)”
• “Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Night Ranger Pack 1

• “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me”
• “(You Can Still) Rock in America”
• “You’re Gonna Hear It From Me”

Price: $5.49/440 Microsoft Points per pack, or $1.99/160 MP/200 Wii Points per track

So Phinn and I got a package today! (if you’ve ever seen leagaly blonde, there’s this part that I always think of whenever someone says they have a package) It was from our shop; thank you, Bock, for sending it! Phinn picked it up from the mail room and when i went to see him (to ensure that he was still breathing and had left his room at least once during the day) he said it: “I .. have a package.” (I giggled a little at that point) So he let me into his room and sure enough, he was still in sleeping type attire so I was glad that i went to visit him.

He had already opened the box and said that there were little boxes of Hickory Farms (man food fa sho!) and calenders. He showed me his calender. I got a little worried when it was a Hooters calender that had his name on it. My first thought was, “Great. I may have a PlayGirl calender or something in there.” They love to play jokes like that. As we both had the same thought, Phinn assured me that this was not the case because he had already checked. We both got very nice Hooters Girls Calenders. Oi vay. The photography is stunning.  Really. Top notch photo compositions throughout.

So then on my way back to my B-Hut, i thought, “Why were our names on them if they’re the same calender?” The question nagged me a bit but I put the thought out of my mind because tonight was my favorite night of the week: Rock Band Night. My band, Chocolate Broccoli, effing rocked as per usual. And as a special treat to all our fans, we did a fantastic cover of Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls”. A song that is one of my all time favorites because of it’s unequivocal awesomeness.

At any rate, when I returned to my humble abode, I unpacked “… the package” and, after drooling a little … over the Hickory Farms, I began to flip through the calender. By flip through, I mean I casually perused each and every square inch of that beautiful piece of glossy goodness. After a few minutes alone (ahem) moments, i reached that month that had been included in this years calender especially for me. March 2010. And the gorgeous Lauren from Grapevine, TX was there to greet me. She was showing how much she cared for the environment by hugging a palm tree. The best part (and the reason for the names) was that somehow, those crazy bastards from my shop had gotten Lauren from Grapevine, TX to sign on that month which was reserved for her honor with a nice message .. just for me!

Now, a gift from my shop would not be complete without the clever message she wrote. “XOXO Lauren. 2: Molly Wish you weren’t gay!!! jk. Come see me sexy!!” Obviously, they showed her my picture. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have requested my presence all the way in Grapevine, TX. And obviously, they told her how amazing I was with the ladies. Or she wouldn’t have said the whole gay thing. Oh, Lauren from Grapevine, TX. One day, I may have to let you down gently. But for now, XOXO right back at ya!

Lauren from Grapeville, TX

Por: Lourdes Maldonado (Lulusoy)

Saludos amigos rockeros! Como de costumbre, Harmonix lanzará este jueves más DLC para Rock Band y yo les recomiendo lo que basado en mi experiencia son las mejores opciones.

¿Qué hay nuevo en Rock Band para esta semana?

Un paquete de 6 canciones en vivo de Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers titulado “Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live Anthology Pack 01” por $9.99 ó $1.99 cada canción individual. Las canciones son las siguientes:

• A Thing About You (live)
• American Girl (live)
• Even the Losers (live)
• Here Comes My Girl (live)
• Mary Jane’s Last Dance (live)
• Refugee (live)

En adición, tenemos un grupo de canciones de féminas que han representado lo mejor del Pop Rock en sus respectivas épocas. Estas canciones son por $1.99 cada una:

• Miss Independent* – Kelly Clarkson
• Who Knew* -P!nk
• Our Lips Are Sealed* – The Go-Go’s

(*) Significa que también la puedes tocar en Lego Rock Band (LRB)

Recuerda que si tienes LRB sabes que puedes exportar las 45 canciones del juego a tu PS3 para poder jugarlas en tu plataforma de Rock Band favorita (RB1 o RB2) comprando la llave de exportación por $9.99. Pero si estas en el juego de LRB, no todas las canciones que tengas en tu playlist de RB1 o RB2 salen disponibles debido a que en LRB sólo puedes tocar las que se consideran “family friendly”.

¿Sabes qué? Como dato curioso, con los releases de esta semana Rock Band se apunta un total de 1,000 canciones. Esto sin contar las canciones de The Beatles. ¿Impresionante, verdad?

Qué recomendamos para esta semana? La imagen del post lo dice todo. La canción de P!nk- “Who Knew” me encanta! Fácil en batería, guitarra y bajo. La mayor dificultad está en la voz, por supuesto porque es P¡nk. ¿Qué puedes esperar? En cuanto a las demás yo paso, pero si eres fan de Tom Petty y las canciones y sus canciones que ya están disponible en el Music Store no te satisfacen, este paquete te va a hacer la semana. ¡Hasta la próxima amigos!

Forbes provides helpful articles for aspiring musicians entitled:

Business Plan: Become a Rock Star

Digital Toolkit for Rockers

I speak often of the need to build  – or rather, rebuild – a participatory culture in classical music. It’s a reflection, or rather a reaction to what I perceive to be the current passive culture of “we play, you listen.”   Before Bell, Berliner and Edison started recording sound to wax cylinders or discs, music was something that had to produced live to be enjoyed. Composers frequently made piano reductions or chamber versions of their symphonic music to ensure the greatest number could experience it and enjoy it. Music making as a whole was predominantly an amateur activity, that is to say, something conducted by individuals out of love, as the etymology of the word amateur suggests, and most often in a social setting. People came together to share the experience of making music: in that era, only music surpassed letters (which in turn surpassed kisses) in the mingling of souls.

I’m not going to dwell on the social, industrial and technological changes (I forbear to describe them all as advances) that have brought us to the present. Suffice to say that at some point, music was wrest from the hands of the majority into the care and control of a monopolistic minority. I’m speaking now primarily about classical music, because the situation in terms of popular music has witnessed a remarkable regression. The recording industry as a whole tried and ultimately failed to impose a valuation on digital sound, defeated by the admittedly criminal but also socialist attitude that music should be a public property. As for the participatory element, the rapidity with which Guitar Hero and Rock Band were embraced suggests that the greatest fulfillment found in music is still through the active contribution to the experience, at whatever level is reasonably available. We want to be a part of something greater than ourselves, and these games allow us that chance, even if in illusory or fantasy form. It’s just further proof, if any were needed, that no man is an island.

Guitar Hero and Rock Band place a person in the heart of a musical ensemble for a relatively modest one-time expenditure, and offer a modifiable learning curve (i.e.: the difficulty setting). Consider this in comparison to the cost of a classical instrument plus the years of training it requires to develop proficiency. It’s expensive and time-consuming to become a good musician, which is why classical music has become the domain of the financially advantaged. That being said, I don’t believe for a minute that the relative ease with which you can join the Guitar Hero experience represents a competitive advantage for the game over art.  When all is said and done, it’s still just a game, it’s just a fantasy. The real experience of performing in an orchestra or choir, crossing nations or oceans on tour, bonding with friends and colleagues, remains much more accessible than being lead guitarist for an internationally successful rock band. The barriers are primarily financial, and to a lesser extent, attitudinal. El Sistema is a way to reduce, if not eliminate the barriers to these experiences, which at least in my own life are some of the richest and most profound I’ve enjoyed.

I don’t expect people to put down their iPods or game controllers. These are pleasant diversions, ersatz experiences for when we can’t have the real thing. But as the world is starting to realize, the “real thing” isn’t passive and solitary, but active and shared – and much easier to have than before. We’re going to try to make it easier still, so everyone can choose to participate in what is a source of the greatest joy to us Abreu Fellows. Pleasure is none, if not diversified.