La revista Rolling Stone lo cita como el séptimo mejor guitarrista de todos los tiempos.

]]> http://blogfeijoadanacional.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/apenas-um-pouco-de-blues/ Fri, 27 Nov 2009 01:26:54 +0000 feijaonacao http://blogfeijoadanacional.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/apenas-um-pouco-de-blues/

Seja para encerrar a noite ou começar muito bem o dia, ou apenas aproveitar a tarde. Nada como um pouco de blues.

Sit Back And Melt…

Puntaje del Disco: 8,5

1. Scuttle Buttin’: 8,5
2. Couldn’t Stand the Weather: 8,5
3. The Things That I Used to Do: 8
4. Voodoo Chile (Slight Return): 8
5. Cold Shot: 8,5
6. Tin Pan Alley: 8,5
7. Honey Bee: 8
8. Stang’s Swang: 7
9. SRV Speaks: -
10. Hide Away: 8
11. Look at Little Sister: 8,5
12. Give Me Back My Wig: 7,5
13. Come On (Pt. III): 9

El segundo álbum de uno de los mas grandes violeros de la historia Stevie Ray Vaughan, Couldn’t Stand the Weather (1984), hizo casi todo lo que un segundo trabajo debe hacer, confirmar los elogios de su debut y afianzarlo como artista.

A pesar de mantener este nivel también como saldo negativo se puede resaltar la falta de variantes en casi todas sus canciones ofreciendo más de lo mismo. De las trece canciones mas de la mitad son covers y dos de sus cuatro temas propios son instrumentales entre ellos se encuentran el clásico riff de “Scuttle Buttin’” para destacar, otros buenos temas que pasarían a la historia son “Come On, Pt. 3 “, “Cold Shot” y “Couldn’t Stand the Weather” y junto a la parte blusera del disco, “The Things That I Used to Do” y “Tin Pan Alley” donde lógicamente Stevie se mueve de maravillas son de lo mejor de este trabajo. Por su parte el cover del gran Jimi Hendrix “Voodo Chile (Slight Return)” tiene demasiada reminiscencia al original haciendo no tan atractivo.

Al igual que en su antecesor Texas Flood Stevie demuestra lo eximio guitarrista que fue y junto a algunas canciones interesantes y sus solos de guitarras ya justifican escucharlo aunque siempre queda la sensación de que con su talento se podría esperar algo mejor de el.

F.V.

Blues Rock Guitar Gear

Hallo liebe Bluesrockfreunde,

hier nun wie bereits versprochen, die original Amp Settings für den Fender Super Reverb vom El Mocambo gig…

A lot of people say that none of us can get that SRV tone, but guess what…, I got it and a friend of mine was at the El Mocambo gig when SRV played. He took pictures of Stevie’s amp and pedals and the settings are so clear. I copied it and man what a tone!!! I used my SRV strat, stock TX special pu’s. I set the amp (Stevie set like this too at the El Mocambo), Bright switch OFF, Input one at the vibrato channel, volume at 4-6, reverb at 2.5, treble at 4.5, bass at 3 and mids at 4. Very clean and warm! Set the TS9 DRIVE 9 o’clock, LEVEL 1 o’clock, TONE 3 o’clock.TS808 DRIVE 10 o’clock, LEVEL 2 o’clock or FULL, TONE 2 o’clock. The TS808 is the one that stays ON all the time, use the TS9 for leads and it boosts the 808 perfectly!

Viel Spaß beim ausprobieren!

Blues Rock Guitar Gear

Hallo liebe Bluesrockfreunde,

hier noch ein Beitrag zum Thema Gear, Amp Settings von Stevie Ray Vaughan.

PDF Amp Settings: SRV Amp Settings von der Seite http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SRV_amps

PDF Amp Settings: Rare SRV Interview about Settings von der Seite http://www.custom-sounds.com/

und hier noch ein paar Pic’s…. (Doppelklick um die Pic’s zu vergrößern)

Viel Spaß!

SRV Amp's und Effekte

SRV Picks

SRV Dumble's

SRV Dumble Steel Stringer

SRV Steel Stringer

Stevie Ray Vaughan: Soul To Soul

Foreword by B.B. King. Introduction by Buddy Guy.

Exploding with rare photos, personal notes and correspondence, magazine and album covers, handwritten sheet music, promo posters, and other memorabilia, this biography is a celebration of a great guitarist, Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Written by Stevie’s friend and chosen biographer Keri Leigh, “Stevie Ray: Soul to Soul” includes some of Vaughan’s final interviews and personal reflections and anecdotes from his fellow musicians.

Here’s an audiobook excerpt from “Stevie Ray: Soul To Soul,” read by the author.

Buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

After 316 entries, I like to think that we’ve gotten to know each other pretty well, you and I. You may have realized by now that I don’t give a lot of props to the decade of my earliest years, the 1980’s, because I hate most of the music that came out of that period. Really, it’s a whole period of music between the late 70’s and 80’s where music suddenly got a lot more plastic and soulless, a period that we’re (still?) in right now if you really want to look at it, but that’s all a discussion for another day. If there is one good thing to be said about the 80’s, those years were very kind to Blues music.

I realized this when I went on one of my many late-night Youtube binges and was tapping my foot with some strong performances from my favorites: John Lee Hooker with Mark Naftalin (a fine keyboardist and finer supporter of the Blues during the 80’s), Albert Collins, and some others. It seems as though The Blues went through its second revival (if you consider the 20’s-30’s era to be the original), and the legendary guitar slingers of the 60’s were getting their dues all over again. Still, it was a decade for a lot of new talent to, including one of the most famous blues stringers of them all:

Yeah, it’s hard to picture the blues nowadays without Stevie Ray Vaughan, which is really not that bad considering his (non-posthumous) recording career was about 6 years and occured entirely within the 80’s. This album is his first, and is a landmark blues album the likes of which have not been seen in this generation’s lifetime.

This is especially surprising considering that success for Stevie Ray Vaughan was one of music’s happiest accidents. I have related this story briefly while talking about his later album, but it bears repeating. While Stevie has been playing around Austin, Texas (back when they allowed music to be played at night and Blues could be heard outside of one or two clubs) with his new-found band “Double Trouble”, he had about as moderate of success as one could ask for in that town. What he didn’t have was an album to his name or any prospective labels asking for record contracts, you know, typical Austin musician.

A few lucky breaks here and there (including playing for a Rolling Stones party) eventually landed the trio in the famous Montreaux Jazz Festival, them being the first act without a label to play there (a sensible rule, I feel). The audience hated them; they were loud and fast and awesome, 3 adjectives that do not belong to anything containing the word “jazz” as a modifier. Thankfully, two people who have nothing to do with Jazz or Switzerland were in attendance that night. One was David Bowie, and the other was Jackson Browne.

Bowie was impressed with the young (and probably attractive) Vaughan, and offered him a spot as guitarist in his group, in which capacity he famously played the guitar part to “Let’s Dance”, a song about dancing the blues in which the only even tangential connection to the Blues was Stevie himself. After botched attempts to learn dancing, Stevie quit the group and went back to Double Trouble. It was at this point that Jackson Browne offered the group free studio time in which to throw out a demo. They did so, and this album is the result of those freebie sessions.

Now, I have said before that albums like Couldn’t Stand The Weather but NOT In Step are better than this one. This might technically be true, but there is something to be said about Texas Flood anyway, namely, the speed. Up until the 1980’s, a blues instrumental like “Rude Mood”, played at 264 beats per minute, was simply not done. Mind you, up until the 1980’s, cocaine wasn’t quite as fashionable either, see if you can connect the two.

Stevie’s lightning fast attack, his thick, throaty guitar sound, and his ability to actually convey emotion through his guitar playing even at 250+ bpm was entirely unique to the Blues community, though rockers had been doing it for a while (Hendrix and Blackmore come to mind, and that’s just of Fender Strat players). Stevie basically took everything that was exciting about rock guitar and melded it seamlessly into 12 bar blues.

Stevie also had a great band with Tommy Shannon and Chris Layton, his bassist and drummer respectively, those two were like the walls that held up the metaphorical house in which Stevie was hyperactively running around in circles.

Speaking of circles, that is kind of my issue with Texas Flood. It’s almost too rambunctious at times, evidenced by the the soulful, minor-keyed mid-tempo jam “Dirty Pool”, which contains lead that is basically being constantly machine-gun-strummed by Stevie, to the point where the song is kind of tiring.

Also, you’d think that they’d think to put “Pride And Joy” and “I’m Cryin’” on different albums, rather than opposite sides of the same album, because the two songs rip each other off entirely. Seriously, it’s as if Stevie wrote one song and liked it so much he decided to write it twice. Other than slight nuances in the solo and the different words, they are exactly the same song. For shame, even in The Blues, this is just wrong.

It is, in fact, the instrumentals that really shine on this particular album. “Rude Mood” is fast and technically complex, and “Testify” is just a bunch of damn fun. “Mary Had A Little Lamb” is also respectable here, but when one considers that this is a Buddy Guy song, the uncharacteristic restraint shown in the performance seems kind of ill-fitting. Indeed, Buddy Guy’s performance of this song is consistently much more pleasing.

Still, despite its flaws and blatant self-cannibalizing, Texas Flood was a landmark Blues album, and it was on the forefront of an explosion of the genre that later gave white guys everywhere the unfortunate idea that anyone with a Guitar Center credit card can be the next great blues stringer. This would lead to an unfortunate wave of dude-bro blues guys that I would prefer not to go into right now. So, despite the unfortunate legacy and range of influence that Stevie would have on some very annoying guitarists, Stevie himself was pretty great and is worth listening to. Jeeze, I just kind of made myself depressed writing all this stuff, I like this album, honest!

Join us for tomorrow’s writeup where I single-handedly discredit the Beatles or something.

1)Ry Cooder: Vigilant man

2) Aerosmith:Toys in the attic

3)Bob Dylan:Like a rolling stone

4)Outlaws:Green grass and high tides

5)Mr. Big: Daddy,brother, lover,little boy(The electric drill song)

6)The Allman Brothers Band:Jessica

7)Janis Joplin:Summertime

8)Bermuda Acoustic Trio:Riders in the sky-Sultan of swing

9)Aerosmith:Walk this way(live)

10)Jeff Buckley:Halleluja

11)Lynyrd Skynyrd:Free bird

12)Guns n’ Roses:Estranged

13)Iggy Pop:Louie Louie

14)Led Zeppelin:Bring it on home

15)Janis Joplin:Piece of my heart

16)Ozzy Osburnes:Goodbay to romance

17)Stevie Ray Vaughan:Voodoo chile(slight return)

18)Van Halen:Jump(live)

19)Motorhead:R.A.M.O.N.E.S.(live)

20)Steve  Vai:Bad horsie

21)Guns n’ Roses:Back off bitch

22)Gun n’ Roses:Welcome to the jungle

23)Aerosmith:Dream on

24)Aerosmith:Love in elevator

25)Aerosmith:I don’t want to miss a thing

26)Guns n’ Roses:Don’t cry.

La mia playlist di queste lunghe settimane.

Credo che ci sia una canzone per ogni momento della giornata, da quelli felici a quelli un pò più cupi e tristi.

Buon ascolto.

Förmodligen har väl redan alla fans av Stevie Ray Vaughan nån slags liveupptagning i sin samling. Jag vill ändå passa på att tipsa om dessa tre DVD-utgåvor:

Live At Montreux 1982 & 1985	Live At El Mocambo	Live From Austin, Texas

Första gången jag såg “Live At El Mocambo” blev jag fullständigt knockad av Stevies energi och helt briljanta gitarrspel. Han svettas, böjer strängar, grimascherar och ser bitvis ut att ha riktigt, riktigt ont när han spelar. Kan inte bli mer blues än så. Det ska göra ont att bända blå noter.

“Live At Montreux 1982 & 1985″ är en annan pärla och speciellt den första skivan med konserten från 1982 där publiken buar ut dem. Nån tyckte att det var en bra idé att bjuda in en elektrifierad bluesakt till en jazzfestival och lägga den i slutet av ett akustikt program. Så man får förstå att publiken buar när de förväntat sig nått helt annat. Men det coola är att de biter ihop och ser ut att ge sig fan på att göra sitt livs bästa spelning trots en avig publik.

Efter konserten kom David Bowie fram och erbjuder Stevie att spela sologitarr på skivan “Let’s Dance”. Även Jackson Browne var imponerad och erbjöd dem gratis tid i sin studio vilket ledde till Stevie Ray Vaughn & Double Troubles debutplatta “Texas Flood.”

Hittade smakprov från alla tre DVDer på YouTube. Så gillar du blues och i synnerhet Stevie Ray Vaughan så har dessa tre en given plats i din samling.

Stevie Ray Vaughan – “Pride And Joy” (Live At Montreux)

Stevie Ray Vaughan – “Mary Had A Little Lamb” (Live At The El Mocambo)

Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble – “Leave My Little Girl Alone” (Live From Austin, Texas)

M’encanten aquestes enquestes del facebook que et pregunten: ¿1 jugador de futbol, un artista, un pilot, un algo…? Atenció que ningú et pregunta per el millor sui generi sinó que et demana de posar-ne un de cada. M’encanta perquè va molt més a gustos, perquè et deixen posar a un paquete que, però, et diu alguna cosa i no saps què o simplement aprecies. M’ha interessat molt posar a l’Atenes 5 músics, simplement. Aquí els tenen, de més vell a més jove:

Buddy Guy, nord-americà, per mi el millor bluesman de tots els temps. No tan sols té un so i una tècnica molt personals i desbordants de talent musical sinó que té una veu potent i versàtil. Mestre de mestres, sap transmetre energia sigui en cançons molt potents així com en temes calmadíssims. La meva cançó preferida de Buddy Guy és I go crazy.

Bobby McFerrin, nord-americà, és un vocalista amb influències del jazz complet, dinàmic, és un  experimentat experimentador i improvisador. A la seva veu li ha fet fer tot el que ha pogut i més, acompanyant-se de autopercussió. A més, ha acompanyat a grans artistes com Chick Corea – un monstre, també – i l’Richard Bona, entre d’altres. La meva cançó preferida – en aquest cas una versió – de Bobby McFerrin és Blue bossa, interpretada junt amb Chick Corea.

Stevie Ray Vaughan, nord-americà, és per mi el millor guitarrista de la història per tenir l’estil més ric i potent que he sentit mai. També és el meu bluesman blanc preferit, tot i que el seu estil tingui tan a veure amb el rock. Fou una bomba imparable – morí el 1990 amb 35 anys -, gran improvisador amb la guitarra i bon cantant, amb un timbre radiant. La meva cançó preferida de STV – també versió, d’Otis Rush – és All your love (I miss loving).

Antony Hegarty, anglès, és un cantant i pianista de màxima sensibilitat emocional, característica que expressa amb la música, junt a The Johnsons, la seva banda. Les seves cançons són del més potent que es pot aconseguir amb tan pocs decibels i notes. Tot i desafinar és una gran referència per a molts cantants i músics, ja que aconsegueix transmetre una sensibilitat anormal amb un estil molt personal. La meva cançó preferida d’Antony & The Johnsons és Hope there’s someone.

I per acabar.

Jari Mäenpää, finlandès, és ex-membre d’Ensiferum i fundador de Wintersun. És per mi el major exponent del death metal melòdic, una de les branques del heavy més populars actualment. Va fer el primer treball de Wintersun, de títol homònim, només acompanyat amb un bateria i assumint els papers de dues guitares, baix i veus; amb tot, va fer un dels àlbums més aclamats en molts anys dins del panorama heavy. Els seus guturals aguts són nets, molt potents i amb molt de caràcter i intenció. El domini que té de la guitarra és anormal i és capaç de fer solos impossibles mentre canta. És un perfecte compositor i front-man, comparable amb Chuck Schuldiner, fundador i front-man de Death i pioner del death metal. La meva cançó preferida de Wintersun és Beyond the dark sun.

I doncs, quins són els teus 5 músics?

A recent survey published by Sabrix indicates that corporate tax audits are on the rise.   Eighty-three percent of companies surveyed report an increased number of audits due to state and local tax revenue shortfalls.  Survey respondents comprised 140 tax executives from the Forbes Global 2000 Index.

Ninety-six percent of the attendees said that despite the recession, transaction taxes such as sales and use taxes will continue to be an area of focus. In response to the economic downturn, 45 percent of the attendees said their companies had reduced their employee headcount, but 45 percent also increased their investment in tax technologies.

Eighty-one percent of the respondents have made sales and use tax and value-added tax a more strategic focus of their company due to the economy. A similar proportion said they have implemented new programs and processes to remain compliant.

The IRS is under pressure to enforce compliance with federal tax statutes.  The US Treasury coffers are seriously depleted given all the stimulus and economic recovery expenditures.  The IRS is mandated to assure that corporations comply with all tax laws.  The IRS has developed an Industry Focus Issue, (IFI) audit strategy that  profiles high risk corporate tax compliance statutes.   IFI guides field audit personnel through a risk based assessment of corporate tax compliance.  The IFI aggregates and ranks  Three Tiers of high risk tax compliance issues.  Examiners will conduct rigorous reviews of these issue sensitive factors.  The factors concern revenue recognition, sales tax, partnership reporting, and the repatriation of revenue derived in foreign domiciles.

Sum2 has published a product, IRS Audit Risk Program (IARP) that guides corporate tax managers and tax professionals through a risk assessment of their exposure to IFI risk factors.  The IARP helps corporate tax professionals score tax risk exposures, determine mitigation actions, estimate remediation expenses and manage tax controversy defense strategies.  The IARP is available for purchase on Amazon.com.

Sum2 also has developed the Corporate Audit Risk Program (CARP).  The CARP is IRS tax risk assessment tool for corporate tax managers.  A  single user license for CARP can be purchased on Amazon.com.

Risk: compliance, tax audit, reputation, litigation

You Tube video: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Taxman

lata 80., nieznane miejsce. Według magazynu “Rolling Stone” siódmy najlepszy gitarzysta świata. Według “Classic Rock” trzeci wśród 100 zwariowanych bohaterów gitary (oryg. 100 Wildest Guitar Heroes). Jego najbardziej cenionym utworem jest właśnie “Texas Flood”, które pochodzi z albumu o tym samym tytule wydanego w 1983 r. Fanom metalu i hard rocka zapewne słabo znany, gdyż grał bluesa i blues-rocka. Jednak w świecie gitarzystów jedna z kultowych postaci. Zginął w 1990 r. w katastrofie śmigłowca. Miał 35 lat.

Massachusettes native Albert Cummings builds custom houses.  He also plays the blues.  He is an amazing guitarist and a great songwriter.  You can see Albert Cummings and his band perform live in Cleveland at The Winchester on November 11th, 2009.  Showtime is  9:00 pm.  Admission is $12.00.  Visit www.thewinchester.net for more information and directions.

The following is from Albert Cummings’ website bio (www.albertcummings.com):

Albert Cummings

“An intense period of wood shedding resulted Albert sharing a bill with Double Trouble, the late Stevie Ray Vaughan’s rhythm section. So taken with Albert’s fire and passion were bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton that they volunteered to play on and produce his debut recording.

No less a giant of the blues than B.B. King…dubbed Cummings ‘a great guitarist.‘”

“A year later Double Trouble joined Cummings again as he signed with Blind Pig Records to create (his release) True to Yourself.  This time they brought in legendary producer Jim Gaines to control the sessions.  Tours and shows with blues legends B.B. King, Johnny Winter, Buddy Guy and others brought his music to an audience grateful for the opportunity to be rocked hard by a man possessed to play every song like his life depended on it.”

An Informative Albert Cummings Interview can be found here: http://www.modernguitars.com/archives/000796.html

A Video Of Albert Cummings performing “Working Man Blues“:

a quick review of my Danelectro Cool Cat Vibe pedal.

Gear used:

Fender Stevie Ray Vaughan strat
Swart AST amp
Dano Cool Cat Vibe pedal

The Shuffle Report: 10 songs I listened to, in order, on my iPod in shuffle mode at a given point in time. No editing, no skipping. It is what it is.

It’s Monday. Here’s hoping the week goes well for everyone.

Joining me on the subway ride this morning for a little distraction:

1. Taxman—Stevie Ray Vaughan (Greatest Hits) [Great Beatles cover from a phenonmenal bluesman.]

2. It Don’t Hurt—Sheryl Crow (The Globe Sessions) [Really nice tune.]

3. Streets of Philadelphia—Bruce Springsteen (The Essential Bruce Springsteen) [Great song from a great movie.]

4. Code of Silence (Live)—Bruce Springsteen (The Essential Bruce Springsteen) [A killer cut, co-written with the underrated Joe Grushecky].

5. Jesus In A Camper Van—Robbie Willams (The Ego Has Landed) [Throwaway but still fun pop from the Brit whose huge popularity overseas has never quite transferred to North America.]

6. I Love The Rain—Lenny Kravitz (It Is Time For A Love Revolution) [Released in 2008, it was his first decent outing in years. Worth checking out if you like his earlier stuff.]

7. Workin’ Them Angels—Rush (Snakes & Arrows) [You're in one of two camps: you either love Rush, or you don't. Ok..I don't love them, but I do like them. Make that three camps.]

8. The House That Jack Built—Aretha Franklin (30 Greatest Hits) [A must own. Period.]

9. She—Elvis Costello (The Very Best of Elvis Costello) [Originally heard in the film Notting Hill. An interesting side to the former angry young man.]

10. Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough—Michael Jackson (The Jacksons Story) [In my opinion, and it's just my opinion, this is the greatest single of his career.]

Does originality equal relevance?

A friend and I were talking about music and Kenny Wayne Shepherd came up.  Some background: in high school, when KWS first came out, I bought his first two albums as quickly as they could be found.  They were in heavy rotation as I entered my college days and I was excited when I heard that “Live On” was coming out soon.  If memory serves I bought it on release day (but my memory rarely serves, it usually line faults) and enjoyed it.  Not as much as his other albums, but still listened to it heavily.

A decade later and I have to be honest – it’s been years since I made an effort to listen to him.  Around the time of “Live On” I started researching more about the music I was hearing and so many reviews panned him as a completely unoriginal SRV clone who wears his influences on his sleeve.  This made me listen with a more critical ear and as soon as I heard what they were saying, I was turned off to his music.

As I explained this to my friend, he just kind of shrugged and said, “I dunno man, I can’t get enough Stevie Ray.  So anything that sounds close to that is alright by me.”

Which made me realize that it’s ridiculous to let the originality (or lack of it) sway my opinion of music.  After all, when you get right down to it Stevie Ray didn’t write most of his famous songs, borrowed heavily from Albert King and Lonnie Mack, and still managed (and still manages) to consistently be referred to as a benchmark for guitarists.

I’ve also been re-reading some books while I’m waiting on my new ones to arrive from Amazon.  One of those is Chuck Klosterman’s IV, and Klosterman is obsessed with dissecting how artists are perceived.  He talks about relevance quite a bit.  This, coupled with my Kenny Wayne conversation, made me wonder the question that started all this: Does originality equal relevance?

I’ve already said that Stevie Ray Vaughan wasn’t exactly original, but I would argue that he is certainly relevant.  Whereas Kenny Wayne Shepherd not only isn’t original, but also isn’t relevant.  He’s good – an amazing guitar player, and there’s been some great lyrics on his albums.  I just don’t think anyone will stand up and say that he’s relevant.

But now I’m not going to let that stop me from listening.

By Joel Francis

When the Rolling Stones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, a tuxedo-clad Mick Jagger famously announced “Tonight we’re all on our best behavior — and we’re being rewarded for 25 years of bad behavior.”

That irony is on full display throughout eight of the DVDs in a new collection of induction ceremony performances released by Time Life and the Rock Hall this month. (A ninth disc features highlights from the 1995 Concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame held in Cleveland.) Despite white tablecloth banquet tables and austere surroundings, great music frequently prevails.

The “Rock Hall Live” discs each run between 75 and 90 minutes and have a loose theme of soul, punk or ‘50s pioneers and the performances span the first ceremony in 1986 to this year’s Metallica induction. The performances tend to fall in two camps.

The early ceremonies were all-star celebrations of the inductees’ songbooks shot with on a couple video camera. Through fly-on-the-wall footage we see Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry swap verses on “Roll Over Beethoven” and Little Richard rejoice through “I Can’t Turn You Loose” as Jagger, Bob Dylan, members of the Beatles, Beach Boys and other rock royalty stand shoulder to shoulder, holding mics and strumming instruments. It’s fun to play spot the artist during these early presentations. Sometimes the results are shocking, as when Stevie Ray Vaughan appears – playing a Les Paul, no less – during “Beethoven.”

As the ceremonies grew in stature, the performances were better preserved and choreographed. The past 15 years of inductions play like one massive VH1 special, makes sense as these events have been a spring broadcast staple on that channel for better than a decade. Although the production is smoother, the spontaneity is retained when Jimmy Page casually strolls onstage to join Jeff Beck on “Beck’s Bolero” and Queen jam with the Foo Fighters on “Tie Your Mother Down.”

With are more than 100 performances across the nine discs, some unevenness is expected. Some this is because of the health of the performers. These discs capture some of the final appearances by The Band’s Rick Danko, Ruth Brown, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Billy Powell and Johnny Cash. Brown and Powell are fine, but Danko and Cash labor through their sets. Sometimes the pairings misfire, as on Bruce Springsteen and Axl Rose’s duet through “Come Together.”

These missteps are minimized by the tight pacing of each disc, which moves from artist to artist like a well-paced soundtrack, with occasional snippets of introduction and induction speeches. (Complete version of selected speeches are available as bonus features.)  Despite the loose themes, each disc boasts a variety of guitar heroes, singer/songwriters, tributes and hits.

The best moments come when the performers reach beyond the formal atmosphere, like when Patti Smith spits onstage, or two kids bum rush the stage to help Green Day commemorate the Ramones. There is an impressive display of solos from guitar heroes Beck, Page, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Joe Perry, Carlos Santana, Peter Green, and Kirk Hammett, but the greatest six-string moment is Prince’s searing tribute to George Harrison on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” Anchored by Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and Harrison’s son Dhani, the immaculately tailored Prince soars on an jaw-dropping solo that is long on both melody and style.

Each disc contains about a several bonus features, which highlight backstage moments like watching Steven Tyler and Joe Perry induct Led Zeppelin from the wings of the stage with the band (and Willie Nelson!). It’s fun to watch Robbie Robertson, Bruce Springsteen and John Fogerty work out “Green River” and to eavesdrop on Hammett and Perry talk about guitars, but one viewing is probably enough.

One downside to this set is the packaging and sequencing. Each disc is housed in its own separate, full-sized case. This takes up a lot of shelf space. It would have been nice if they all came bundled in one compact, cardboard and plastic unit like seasons of TV shows.

The greater inconvenience is the sequencing. Cream’s three-song reunion from 1993 is spread across three discs. Ditto for the Doors’ 1993 set with Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder (three songs over three discs) and Bruce Springsteen’s E Street revival from 1999 (four songs on four discs). Culling the best moments is understandable, but it would have been great to get the multi-song sets in one place. It is also puzzling that less than two hours of the six-hour Concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are included.

Oversights aside, any of these discs stand alone as a fun romp through rock history and celebration of its greatest songs and players across most genres and eras. At $120, this set isn’t cheap, but it’s a heck of a lot more affordable – and easier to come by – than the ticket that gets you a plate at one of those sterile, banquet tables. You don’t have to dress up, either.

(Full disclosure: The Daily Record received a complimentary review copy of “Rock Hall Live.”)

Keep Reading:

Rock Hall Celebrates 50 Years of Motown

Rock Hall Celebrates the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock

George Kalinsky: Painting with Light (Rock Hall photo exhibit)

Bruce Springsteen Rocks the Hall (part one)

Bruce Springsteen Rocks the Hall (part two)

Rocky Athas (kiri atas), bersama John Mayall Band dan BB King

Ya, bisakah Rocky Athas  (53 tahun) memiliki nasib seperti Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor,  Walter Trout, Coco Montoya atau Buddy Whitington yang digantikannya, yang bergabung dengan John Mayall kemudian ketika ke luar bisa menemukan karir yang lebih baik ? Sangat mungkin, sebab John Mayall sangat bisa membaca potensi orang, dan kemudian memberi ruang untuk berkembang, hingga ketika orang tersebut keluar dari grup John Mayall biasanya orang tersebut sudah siap untuk berkembang ke tahap yang lebih tinggi. Paling tidak itulah yang dilakukan oleh John Mayall pada Eric Clapton dan yang lain-lainnya.

Rocky Athas, jelas bukan pemusik yang tidak punya potensi. Ia sangat potensial, bahkan ketika ia berusia 23 tahun, ditahun 1979, ia telah diberi predikat sebagai  salah satu dari 10 gitaris terbaik di Texas, oleh majalah Buddy yang terbit di Texas. Ia disejajarkan dengan Billy Gibon (ZZ Top), Eric Johnson dan beberapa gitaris lainnya. Stevie Ray Vaughan, yang menjadi teman main sekaligus teman sekolahnya, baru meraih predikat ini tiga tahun kemudian. Tapi nasib baik rupanya, tidak beserta Rocky Athas. Walaupun telat mendapat penghargaan, Stevie Ray Vaughan ternyata lebih beruntung dalam hal karir dibandingkan Rocky Athas, Stevie Ray ditemukan oleh pencari bakat yang bernama John Hammond (yang juga menemukan Bob Dylan), melakukan rekaman pada tahun 1983, dan meraih sukses.

Berbeda dengan Stevie Ray Vaughan, yang langsung bermain blues rock. Rocky Athas sejak awal meniti karir di tahun 1974 lebih memilih bermain musik rock, yang bermain di klub-klub yang ada di Texas. Dan yang paling sering ia bermain di klub Mother Blue, di Dallas, Texas. Dan disinilah permainannya di kenal oleh pemusik luar yang berkunjung ke Texas, di antaranya grup Thin Lizzy dari Inggris yang mengaku menulis lagu “Corky Rocky” setelah melihat permainan Rocky Athas. Demikian juga Bryan May, gitaris Queen yang terkesan dengan teknik tapping yang dimainkan oleh Rocky Athas, hingga ia “memakainya” untuk permainannya di album Queen berikutnya. Itu terjadi sebelum Eddie Van Hallen mempopulerkan teknik ini. Paling tidak itulah pengakuan Bryan May.

Dirangkul oleh Glen Hughes

Ya, itulah sedikit gambaran potensi Rocky Athas. Namun waktu berjalan potensi ini tidak membuahkan gaung yang signifikan. Di akhir tahun 70 an dan awal tahun 80 an  , di Texas Rocky sangat dikenal dengan grupnya yang bernama  Lightning. Di mana pada tahun 1978 dan 1982, band ini menjadi pemenang The Battle Band Contest di Texas.  Namun Rocky  kurang beruntung dalam rekaman, hingga namanya tidak pernah membesar. Meskipun grupnya ini pernah mendampingi konser grup-grup besar seperti Ritchie Blackmore Rainbow, Ted Nugent, Pat Travers dan Peter Frampton. Rocky kemudian berjalan sendiri, ditarik menjadi lead guitaris grup Black Oak Arkansas, melahirkan satu album,  Ready As A Hell, dan melakukan tour bersama grup ini sepanjang tahun 1996-2001, dan merilis album keduanya bersama Black Oak Arkansas  The Wild Bunch (1999).  Dan di sela-sela kerjasamanya dengan BOA ia juga sempat melakukan kerjasama dengan Glen Hughes ( pemain bas ex Trappeze dan Deep Purple) melahirkan album A Tribute To Tommy Bollin ( 1997).  Sedangkan selepas dari BOA ia sempat menyelesaikan beberapa project rekaman, diantaranya THE BLUES BARRIES ,  bersama Buddy Miles dan rhythm sectionnya SRV,  Chris Layton dan Tommy Shannon.

Adalah ide dari Jim Gaines, seorang produser rekaman yang menyatakan bahwa sudah waktunya Rocky Athas mengibarkan bendera sendiri, hingga lahirlah Rocky Athas Band, dengan mengusung vokalis Larry Samford dan merilis dua album Blues Rock,  Miracle (2003) dan Voodoo Moon (2005). Yang toh tetap juga belum bisa mengangkat dirinya. Hingga sekitar dua tahun yang lalu grupnya ini menjadi pembuka The Blues Breakers. John Mayall tertarik pada permainan Rocky. Well, maka ketika awal tahun ini John Mayall membutuhkan gitaris untuk grup barunya. Orang yang diteleponnya adalah Rocky Athas. Pertanyaan berulang, Akankah Rocky bernasib baik seperti mantan-matan pemusik yang pernah bergabung dengan John Mayall ?

Dan ini lah sedikit gambaran permainan Rocky Athas, bersama grupnya :

]]> http://coto2.wordpress.com/2009/10/09/friday-jam-the-sky-is-crying-stevie-ray-vaughan/ Sat, 10 Oct 2009 02:14:35 +0000 coto2admin http://coto2.wordpress.com/2009/10/09/friday-jam-the-sky-is-crying-stevie-ray-vaughan/ http://zanybao.wordpress.com/2009/10/06/comme-balavoine/ Tue, 06 Oct 2009 06:54:30 +0000 anseaulme http://zanybao.wordpress.com/2009/10/06/comme-balavoine/

Pada masa  itu kehidupan para  pemusik blues sangat berat, bahkan  bagi tokoh sekelas Muddy Waters pun. Blues tidak mendapat tempat, di radio, di televisi dimanapun. Kami semua terkunci di ruang belakang. Dan Stevie lah yang membuka kunci itu, dan membuat kami semua bisa keluar. Stevie membukanya dengan permainan gitarnya. Dia megguncang, dan menolong kami semua.

Itulah kurang lebih kata-kata yang diungkapkan oleh Buddy Guy pada introdulsi buku  biografi  Stevie Ray Vaughan, Soul To Soul yang ditulis oleh Keri Leigh. Berlebihan ? Well tentu saja tidak, John Mayallpun dalam wawancara dengan GUITAR MAGAZINE tak segan-segan menyebut Stevie Ray Vaughan sebagai figur sentral BLUES REVIVAL II,. Sedangkan  Bruce Igllauer,  pendiri Alligator Records berkata bahwa kalau sekedar pemusik blues bagus, sekarang banyak, tapi pemusik blues yang mampu memberi inspirasi itu yang sulit di dapat. Stevie “menghidupkan kembali” musik Blues, dengan menarik penggemar musik rock, katanya.

Sekedar ilustrasi , Blues mengalami jaman keemasan yang pertama pada era tahun 50 an, terutama di awal tahun 50 an sampai sekitar pertengahan tahun 50an.  Tokoh utamanya, siapa lagi kalau bukan Muddy Waters, dengan Chicago Bluesnya.  Jaman keemasan di sini bisa kita artikan bahwa blues  bisa masuk ke dalam industri musik ( meskipun pada periode ini blues hanya menjadi musik kelas 2, yang hanya diterima oleh orang kulit hitam).  Dengan munculnya  musik rock’n’ roll, Chuck Berry, Little Richard dll, kepopuleran blues surut.  Sampai akhirnya bangkit lagi disekitar pertengahan tahun 60 an, dengan figur sentralnya JOHN MAYALL, orang Inggris, yang berkulit putih. Blues diterima dikalangan publik yang lebih luas dibandingkan tahun 50 an. Ia diterima dikalangan kulit putih dan kulit apapun, termasuk kulit sawo matang (Indonesia), menjadi mainstream, menjadi trend. Tapi  di sekitar akhir tahun 60 an, awal tahun 70 an, trend blues surut, digantikan oleh musik hard rock, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple Black Sabbath dstnya. Pemusik blues tercecer, hanya main di klub-klub kecil. Atau dengan bahasa Buddy Guy seperti yang diungkapkan di atas para  pemusik blues  terkunci di ruang belakang.

Album Texas Flood

Sampai kemudian hadir Stevie Ray Vaughan dengan album Texas Flood (1983), yang terjual lebih dari setengah juta  keping. Ia  meraih perhatian sekaligus penghargaan dari pembaca Guitar Player Magazine, mereka memilih Stevie Ray sebagai “Best New Talent” dan “Best Electric Blues Guitar Player.”  Sedangkan albumya sendiri meraih predikat “Best Guitar Album”. Ini semua menjadi awal dari suatu proses kebangkitan Blues yang ke dua ( Blues Revival II).  Stevie Ray berhasil memadukan elemen blues dan rock sedemikian rupa dengan cara yang belum pernah dilakukan oleh orang sebelumnya. Ia menyerap semua sumber blues yang dianggap baik, mulai dari  permainanAlbert King, Freddie King,  BB King, Muddie Waters, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix, hingga sosok yang kurang begitu mendapat perhatian orang, Lonie Mack. Ia juga menyimak permainan Johnny Guitar Wetson, bahkan juga musis jazz Kenny Burrel. Kemudian semua ini  diartikulasikan dalam permainannya yang khas. Lagu-lagu blues klasik seperti Marry Had A Little Lamb yang dibawakan pertama kali oleh Buddy Guy di awal tahun 60 an, atau bahkan lagu Texas Flood yang merupakan lagu milik grupnya Fenton Robbinson yang dibawakan pertama kali dipertengahan tahun 50 an, hanyalah berapa contoh  dari lagu-lagu blues klasik yang menjadi lagu-lagu “baru’ yang segar ketika dimainkan ulang oleh Stevie Ray, dan bahkan membuat banyak orang menganggap lagu tersebut sebagai lagu Stevie Ray.  Persentuhan album-album Stevie Ray berikutnya, Couldn’t Stand The Weather ( 1984) Soul To Soul (1985),  Live Allive (1986),In Step (1989), Family Style (1990) dengan ajang grammy membuat musik blues kembali dilirik orang  dan industri rekaman.

Dengan unsur rocknya, Stevie Ray Vaughan menarik generasi baru peminat blues, terutama kaum muda yang  suka dengan musik yang dinamis.  Dan  daya tarik ini makin dipertegas karena ( sayangnya) dengan kematian Stevie Ray yang tragis pada tahun 1990. Stevie Ray menjadi perhatian masyarakat yang lebih luas, karena berita- berita kematiannya, karya-karyanya dirilis ulang, bahkan karya-karya yang tersembunyi digudang perusahaan rekaman yang belum  dan bisa jadinya tadinya dianggap tidak  layak  dirilis, akhirnya dirilis.

Stevie Ray Vaughan tentu bukan satu-satunya faktor yang melahirkan era Blues Revival II ( yang dampaknya masih terus kita rasakan hingga sekarang), kalau kita cermati, besar juga peranan munculnya Compact Disc, fenomena Robert Cray, John Lee Hooker dengan fenomena album The Healler yang menerima Grammy di tahun 1989, dan mungkin juga ada faktor lain. Namun susah disangkal,bahwa Stevie Ray merupakan figur sentral era blues revival II, yang menjadi triger kebangkitan blues ini. Dan jika kita akan mengukur ketokohan orang dari seberapa besar ia mampu memberi insiprasi, Stevie Ray Vaughan telah membuktikan itu. Bahkan sampai ke Indonesia, lihatlah Rama Satria Claproth, Gugun (dari Gugun & The Blues Shelter) yang sekarang sedang ada di atas, siapa yang berani menyangkal mereka berdua tidak terinspirasi oleh Stevie Ray Vaughan ? atau Lance Lopez yang ada di luar sana, hingga sosok -sosok yang belum punya nama yang kita tidak tahu yang juga menjadi pengaggum Stevie Ray. Yang jelas Stevie Ray Vaughan memperkenalkan blues kepada banyak orang, dan secara perlahan lewat musiknya ia juga memperkenalkan Jimi Hendrix,  Albert King, Freddie King, Mudy Waters dan tokoh- tokoh blues lainnya, kepada orang banyak, kepada generasi baru pecinta blues.

]]> http://cidadeproibida.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/agenda-cultural-6/ Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:54:29 +0000 cidadeproibida http://cidadeproibida.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/agenda-cultural-6/

Éééé, uma semana sem atualizar, mas fim de faculdade é assim mesmo.
Bom, vamos pro dia 3 de outubro, hoje tem aniversariantes legais, até mais do que eu costumo colocar.

O primeiro aniversariante que vou colocar é um ator, melhor,é a lenda, José Mayer.
Não vou falar dos Zé Mayer Facts aqui, mas vou colocar sim todas as mulheres que ele pegou na televisão:
Malu Mader, Deborah Secco, Adriana Esteves, Patrícia Pillar, Regina Duarte, Vera Fischer, Mel Lisboa, Christiane Torloni, Helena Ranaldi, Carla Camurati, Luiza Thomé, Letícia Sabatella, Giulia Gam, Maria Zilda, Carolina Ferraz, Cláudia Abreu, Susana Vieira, Camila Pitanga, Natália do Vale, Danielle Winits, Juliana Paes, Taís Araújo. (fonte Feedbacknews)
Ou seja, José Mayer é um ícone.

Zé Mayer merce o “Troféu Stallone Cobra de Macho Bagarai”

Parabéns por chegar aos 60 e ainda pegar geral. Eu ia colocar uma matéria do Fantástico em que falam sobre ele e as Helenas, e o twitter, mas achei a amtéria uma droga. Próximo.

Outro aniversariante de outubro, infelizmente já faleceu, e até foi falado sobre a morte dele aqui, Stevie Ray Vaughan. Um dos melhores guitarristas que já existiu, nem vou falar muito, deixo o post em aberto caso o Juan queira acrescentar alguma coisa, mesmo por que o Juan já falou sobre ele, é só clicar AQUI.

Vou colocar um clipe engraçado dele :

Stevie Ray Vaughan – Cold Shot

Se estivesse vivo SRV faria hoje 56 anos. R.I.P. SRV

Também é aniversário do Zé Ramalho, o Bob Dylan brasileiro, fazendo 60 anos, assim como o José Mayer. Mas pro post não ficar muito grande não vou postar nada do Zé Ramalho, mas parabéns mesmo assim.
Até semana que vem.