Experienced guitarist looking for bands, gigs, recording projects, session work and collaborators. I write songs and I’m good at collaborating. I teach guitar. I like to rehearse as long as the ratio of gigs to rehearsal is good. Also looking to join/form a rehearsal band. People say I play really good solos, the main reasons probably being that they're structured, melodic and not endless and totally dependent on flash. I also play very good slide guitar. Read this review from Blues Blast Magazine for details. I have a new self-produced album out and you can listen to it here.
Blues, blues-rock, R&B and psychedelia are my favorite genres to play. I also have a lot of experience with classic rock, alt-rock, country-rock and Americana.These are some of the situations/people I'm looking for: Songwriting partner, bands that perform live/record/rehearse, rhythm guitarist, demo singers, Christine McVie, Nicky Hopkins aka keyboardists, especially who can sing. Great singers, period. Also looking for a singing acoustic player to form a duo to do gigs. I have a good amount of experience in the studio including analog and digital recording.
Video
I'm Leaving You - Otis Spann w/ the Anodyne Blues Band
That's Why I'm Crying - Magic Sam/Koko Taylor w/ The Fountain of Blues
The Stumble - Freddie King with Fountain of Blues
Clouds/I Wanna Be Adored - Original/Stone Roses w/ Cargo Culte
A Little Jimi For Ya
Wild Horses performed by Sleepless Nights
Influences
Some influences include Lowell George, Curtis Mayfield, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, Duane Allman, Jimi, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Amy Winehouse, John McLaughlin, Hot Tuna, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, David Bowie, Gram Parsons, Bob Dylan, Mississippi John Hurt, Grateful Dead, Freddie King, Jimmy Reed, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Otis Rush, Chuck Berry, Miles Davis, The Clash, Jane’s Addiction…
Equipment
I use all analog equipment and classic Gibson, Fender and Martin guitars. Lately, I've been favoring Gibson SGs and Strats. I always use a '76 Hardtail Strat for slide. I use a selection of small Fender tube amps including Pro Junior, Princeton 68 Custom and Fender Deluxe. I have Marshall 50 Watt head and 2-12 cab. I use mainly vintage style pedals and never more than six at a time, sometimes as few as two.
Chemistry is the elusive facet of any band that truly succeeds. Even at the simplest level, this is what people want to see and hear. With chemistry, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. This came into play when I formed The Anodyne Blues Band with a childhood friend and a blues rocker from across the river. In between the first recording sessions and the second ones, a master musician from Bremen joined and the Riverman headed for the greener pastures. But the music lived on for quite some time. More details may be forthcoming but for now, as Chuck Berry once said to me, “Listen to the music.” Or a little less poetically, click on the song titles to listen.
The big number, written by drummer extraordinaire Chris Trotta, who played on all the songs. A raging harmonica solo and back-up vocals frame the nifty production.
A traditional classic, we took the arrangement from Otis Spann and did our thing with it. Christof played a spectacular, go for broke harp solo. The slide got a little notice, too.
The first song that I brought in and still one of my favorites. Aaron "Chess" Chesler on bass and through to the end of the album. Jimmy Reed crossed with Stealer’s Wheel? It just might work.
More true stories. And by the way, the main lick can be heard in Roxy Music's "Mother of Pearl," not just on Jimi's version of "Come On." Dig the bass.
This arrangement of one of Keith Richards’ signature songs with Ron Wood on acoustic slide guitar presents a quirky part of the Rolling Stones’ history – the sideman as star. The Stones have often employed top notch talent in their band onstage and in the studio, think Nicky Hopkins, Billy Preston, Bobby Keyes. Here, Mick Jagger has left the stage, turning it over to Keith. And then, Keith turns the spotlight over to Ron Wood for a tasty slide solo. Woody has been an official member of the Stones since the 1970s and he fit right in from the beginning. But he has always been a role player. In this version of “You Got The Silver,” he nearly steals the show.
The song is a shuffle in the key of E, with a tempo of about 94 bpm. The tempo picks up a little bit or slows down slightly at various points. The slide part is played in open E and Ron uses a metal slide on his middle finger. RW plays with a flatpick in his right hand and uses a lot of upstrokes, especially on the high strings.
The guitar lines are phrased around the 12/8 shuffle feel, with the long-short-long-short-long pulse dominating, except when Woody goes against the beat with syncopated phrases. This happens a lot, often in the even bars with nice resolutions in the odd bars. The solo begins and ends on the main guitar lick of the song and Ron uses some of Keith’s fills from the original version as the main material for the slide solo. The lick that is used the most is a “sus-4” kind of motion on one string as in measure three, going A – G# – E with a slide from E to G# and then a pull-off from G# to the open E. Woody does it later on the D string (tuned to E, of course) in measure six and at the end.
Woody with The Stones - Late '70s?
The original song features an acoustic guitar for the main lick but also an electric slide guitar as well, with a backwards tape effect. Ron Wood strikes a nice balance with an almost ‘clean electric’ tone from his Gibson Jumbo 200.One of the aspects to listen for is Wood’s extremely bluesy and subtle vibrato. It can be difficult to master the vibrato technique in slide, but it’s essential to the style. It can be advantageous to try and copy the vibrato of an accomplished player when you’re starting out. Does Ron Wood sound a bit like Mick Taylor or vice versa? Do you hear a little Earl Hooker in there? What do you hear? Think about it. It’s a damned good vibrato. Subtle, sly, but with an edge of weary emotion.
Before Ron Wood was a Stone he made his mark as a member of the Faces, one of the all-time champs of rock and roll. L-R: Rod Stewart, Kenney Jones, Ron Wood, Ian McLagan and Ronnie Lane. They're shown here in a rather demure state, a Beano-like pose, if you will. This version of their first album must be a very early one as you can see by the band name.
Here's the inside, gatefold picture from the album. Just had to share that. You can see better where the name is coming from - dig those threads!
How I came to so passionate about classical music is not completely clear to me. It may have started in my teens when a friend played an LP from Toscanini’s set of Beethoven Symphonies over a powerful stereo system. Or maybe my obsession had roots in Clockwork Orange, which features the music of the classical masters. Soon enough, I found records in my own home and listened to them. Eventually, I started buying them, going to concerts, and studying classical guitar. This article is meant to give a budding classical music lover direction. Some composers, artists and ideas are all you need.
It can beneficial to focus on a single artist, instrument, composer, style or orchestra. As an example, one of the best orchestras that I’ve ever seen perform is the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra. They’re known for their warm, precise string sound and dedicated work ethic. You could do worse than simply listening to anything that they’ve recorded, studying the composers and conductors a little bit. Seeing them in concert is one of the musical treats of a lifetime. With this in mind, read on and see if you get some ideas.
My Favorite Composers
Mozart
Did you know that Keith Richards listens to Mozart? It doesn’t surprise me at all. But with over six hundred works, where do you start? Mozart has the most awesome piano concertos. Here are some of my favorites: No. 19 in F Major, K.459 – it has a pretty main theme and is sweet and easy to listen to; No. 21 in C, K. 467 – this one is the most famous because of the inclusion of the slow middle movement in a romantic movie from the ‘60s called the Elvira Madigan; No. 20 in D minor, K 466 – Mozart wrote only two minor piano concertos and this is one of them. Beethoven loved it and would play it in concert. Imagine Beethoven playing Mozart? No. 23 in A, K. 488 – this is another one of my favorites and has a melancholic, reflective middle movement. The overall form of a large scale classical piece is, fast – slow – fast. No. 24 in C minor, K.491 – the other minor concerto. Definitely a great one. A pretty good string of hits, right? But that’s just a tiny fraction of Mozart’s output.
You may have heard the great G minor Symphony, No. 40, and you think you’ve heard it all. But whatever you do, do not fail to listen to the “Little G minor” Symphony, No. 25 of Mozart, and his final romp through the genre, No. 41 in C major, known as the “Jupiter Symphony.” The Finale of the Jupiter Symphony is the culmination of perhaps the greatest career that ever happened on this mortal coil.
Kochel Numbers – I never understood what the “K” meant before all of Mozart’s works. I thought, “does that apply to all composers?” It wasn’t until I went as far as becoming a musicologist that I found out that this designation was brought to us by an individual. Ludwig von Kochel (1800-1877) was a musicologist who catalogued all of Mozart’s works. His system was established in 1862 but of course, the work goes on. Speaking of which, Mozart’s piano trio, K. 502 is one of my favorite pieces and one of the best examples of classical chamber music that you will ever hear. Don’t forget Mozart’s operas – a little opera is always good, especially when cooking! Mozart’s Don Giovanni is definitely cooking worthy, especially if you’re cooking Italian.
Haydn
Joseph Haydn was another Austrian composer who was an influence on and a friend of Mozart. He outlived him by quite a bit, born earlier and died afterwards. He’s famous for his many symphonies and also his string quartets. His is a much drier style. He lacks the infectious melody of Mozart but he’s worth a listen to hear classical music that is similar but different. I have some Haydn Symphonies on vinyl that I bought for only a couple of dollars each and they’re delightful.
Franz Schubert
Franz Schubert was a precocious genius. He died young but managed to create lasting music that forms somewhat of a bridge between Mozart and Beethoven. He composed a lot of song settings which are worth checking out, whether or not you understand German. The “Erlkonig” is one of them, the most famous of all. OK, so it’s sung in German. Give it a chance. Look up the translation. Pour yourself a glass of wine. You won’t be disappointed. He also wrote symphonies, solo piano music, and chamber pieces. He worshiped Beethoven, as did all of the romantic composers who came after him.
The great baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau cranks up some Der Erlkonig for you...
Beethoven
When I was in the conservatory, we used to have these “orchestra parties.” How I relished them! There were too few of them, unfortunately. However, one time I was lucky enough to see a performance by a young woman, a senior. That would be a graduating female pianist, all of about 22 years old. She performed the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor. It starts with an imposing minor key movement which gives way to an ethereal slow movement in E major, not exactly the most common key for a middle movement in a C minor composition. The finale is a demonic exercise in pure, catchy, minor key bliss. My heroine was very involved, swinging to and fro on the piano stool, perhaps presaging the violin and piano babes of today but a little more modestly dressed. I was spellbound and I will never forget it. One of the great classical pieces. Beethoven has loads more music, and his string quartets, piano sonatas and of course his symphonies are highly recommended, if almost inescapable.
Frederick Chopin
Chopin was from Poland and the airport in Warsaw is named after him. He was very sensitive and had an awesome girlfriend named George Sand, a writer and preternaturally cool chick. Chopin was a “romantic” composer who is famous for his piano music almost exclusively. If you’ve ever seen the Peanuts cartoon, you know that Schroeder, the kid who always played the piano, was into him. The G minor Ballade is a popular favorite and may be familiar to you, but there are many more large and small gems where that came from. His talent, style and sound are truly unique.
I had heard of Martha Argerich (above) recently and become interested in exploring her playing. A brilliant performer, she has had her share of ups and downs, it seems, like many a talented artist. Last night I came upon this video and watched the whole performance. The encores are terrific and it's difficult to describe the gamut of emotions that come throughout the entire concert. Isn't it cool when you are looking for something, expecting greatness, and voila! It's there for you? Classical music can do that.
Richard Wagner
Wagner is mainly famous for his operas. They are very long, slow and sad for the most part, although they can be quite uplifting in a stoic kind of way. However, they all have instrumental music in them. I have a CD of all the famous preludes and overtures, and The Tristan Prelude is a great place to start. I finally managed to see one of his operas, Seigfried at the gorgeous Hungarian National Opera House in Budapest a few years ago. It took Wagner years to finish it and there is a fascinating progression in style as it goes along. It ain’t over until the full-figured lady gets up off her slab and sings. Worth the wait!
Tchaikovsky
When Chuck Berry sang, “Roll over Beethoven, tell Tchaikovsky the news,” he knew what he was talking about. Tchaikovsky is one of the most popular, regularly performed composers in the classical repertoire. His Symphonies, piano and violin concertos, ballet music and operas are all concert house staples. I personally listen most often to his Symphonies and numbers one and four are my favorites. I wrote a paper on the first movement of No. 4 in grad school. His Nutcracker Suite is a must for Christmas music, and he also wrote a violin concerto and a piano concerto that are reknowned concert pieces. The Russian repertory starts with Tchaikovsky, and there is a saying that the best ‘insert instrumentalist here’ are always Russian – do you need any more reason to investigate?
Debussy
I listen to tons of solo piano music. I find it relaxing and there’s an endless repertoire of beautiful pieces to get hooked on. Claude Debussy’s solo piano works are almost a genre unto themselves. I often start my day with a Debussy piano CD and there are others out there who do the same, looking for something soothing, sexy and transcendent to ease them into their day.
These pieces include his Images, Estampes, Preludes and Etudes. They are generally short but have long, fancy French names and even the translations will make you want to hear them. One of the most famous is called, “The Sunken Cathedral” – need I say more? You can find it on the CD that I have probably listened to the most, Debussy: Images, Etudes by Pierre-Laurent Aimard, 2001, Warner Classics. One of the first Debussy albums that I ever heard was with pianist Paul Jacobs. He recorded much of Debussy’s work and also a great record of Schoenberg, all for Nonesuch in the ‘70s. I collect Nonesuch LPs.
It’s also essential to check out Debussy’s orchestral works, which are very popular if not performed as constantly as some works, possibly because they’ve already been performed so much. Three great pieces are La Mer, Prelude a l’pres-midi d’un Faune, and the symphonic arrangement of Clair de Lune.
Maurice Ravel
Ravel has some great music, including a beautiful string quartet, often paired on disc with Debussy’s quite complementary offering. Ravel’s solo piano music is also watery, rhythmic and mesmerizing. His “Gaspard de la Nuit” is a perfect example.
A Nonesuch LP from my collection.
Favorite Performers
Violin music is the province of that most exalted of musicians, the violin virtuoso. You can’t go wrong with a cool violin concerto or sonata and a great player, of which there are many. One artist that I really love is Maxim Vengerov. I’ve never been able to find any of his recordings to buy but you can certainly check him out online. I saw him play at Carnegie hall and he lit the place up like you can’t imagine. He plays a Stradivarius, of course. The sound was to die for.
Nathan Milstein is another brilliant violinist. For some reason, you hear a little less about him than the other great virtuosos of the 20th Century. He plays dry but very penetrating, intellectual Bach.
Mitsuko Uchida is a superb Japanese pianist. A revered pianist of today, she’s nearing her golden years but will certainly play to the end of her days. A terrific musician, I saw her play once. She is famous for Mozart and Beethoven but can play anything and does most of the major concertos. Some recordings of hers that I own: Shubert Impromtus Op. 90 & 142, Mozart sonatas and the spectacular Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor.
Nadja Salerno Sonnenberg is a violinist who came of age around the time I was in the conservatory. She’s famed for her extremely expressive playing and physical movement on stage, plus flaunting her substantial physical charms and more or less inventing the ‘classical babe’ persona as it were. She plays beautifully and one of the first albums I bought by her features the Brahms Sonata for Violin and Piano in A and the Franck Sonata for Violin and Piano in A. The cover is priceless.
It can be hard to choose between Khatia Buniatishvili videos, here playing Schumann.
Arthur Rubinstein – my impression of Rubinstein is like this: “The piano very BIG, the orchestra, very small.” He is one of the great pianists of the Twentieth Century. I have a double album of him playing Chopin Piano Concertos that I found on the street of all places. He does all the great piano repertoire, although I have to say I don’t always get all of his recordings, the sound or the mood. I think he may have missed out a bit on the high fidelity period. He lived 1887-1982.
Daniel Barenboim – An Isreali-born pianist and conductor. Some of my favorite recordings include him either playing or conducting or both. He conducts and plays terrific Mozart and plays Chopin beautifully.
The Latvian conducter Mariss Jansons recorded two of my two favorite Tchaikovsky Symphonies and he’s one of the most charismatic conductors that I’ve ever seen. He recently retired. Jansons mainly conducted the big warhorses but did them very well. He was the director and conductor of the Concertgebouw, the historic concert hall in Amsterdam. I saw him perform there once and again at Carnegie Hall. His father was a conductor and died of a heart attack on stage. Jansons has the same bad heart and that’s why he retired.
A Few More Records and Pieces That I Love
Brahms Hungarian Dances – one could do worse than to listen to these highly romantic and idiosyncratic pieces. Grab some Palinka and look up the history of the work and Brahms himself and you’re off on a transcendental excursion. The above Piano Quintet Opus 34 is also a favorite, a long, engaging piece filled with fiery passion. I guess the piano quintet is a favorite set up for me - a pianist in solo mode joined by a string quartet as backing and foil. Bliss I say!
Antonin Dvorak - Piano Quintet Opus 81. I saw this piece performed at Town Hall in NYC and fell in love with it. The recording I have of it, played by the world famous Takacs Quartet, never gets boring. In fact, I'm always looking for that new, gorgeous chamber piece to dive into but I keep coming back to this and several others.
Arnold Schoenberg, The Transfigured Night. This is dark, spooky, deep and unforgettable. Schoenberg is famous for his twelve-tone compositions and other groundbreaking works. But The Transfigured Night transcends all labels. Somewhat challenging but ultimately rewarding, try listening to it with the lights out. A modern masterpiece.
Thus Spake Zarathustra – by the modern Strauss, Richard – aka 2001 A Space Odyssey. A piece that makes vivid use of a large orchestra. Don’t miss a chance to see it live! In the performance above, at the Bartok National Concert Hall in Budapest, this must before the Strauss, because the orchestra was about double the size.
Leos Janacek – I have an “Anthology of Czech Piano Music” from Janacek. I bought it in Prague at a tiny little CD store next to a bar and a pizza place – everything you need right on one block. It reminds me of silent movie music a lot of the time, in a really good way. It’s watery and melodic like Debussy and Ravel.
The hallways alone are reason to visit the Bartok National Concert Hall in Budapest.
Venue
Ooops! Almost forgot one of my favorite ways of thinking about the music experience: Venue. Many people will strongly disagree, but living in NYC, I find the venue question a bit difficult. I love Avery Fisher Hall in terms of its aesthetics, but it doesn’t really sound good. Carnegie Hall is way better, but terribly expensive and a bit uncomfortable in ways (ever try to use the bathroom if you are sitting in the back of the orchestra, stage right? The loo is waaaay down stage left, basically behind the stage, etc.
No, I like other countries, cities, etc venues and I seek them out any chance I can. Some favorites include the many wonderful options in Budapest, including the Bartok National Concert Hall (above). Berlin has a wonderful modern complex where I visited the small hall, and it was tres modern with lovely acoustics. The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam sounds incredible and has a terrific vibe. Well, let’s just say, if you find a venue that you like and it’s nearby, count your blessings and get ye to some concerts. -Christian Botta
Mixing the individual musical tracks of a record can be one of the most difficult phases of the production process. But I managed to get a little bit more of a handle on it when I finished my current album, Saints and Sinners. I was stuck, I admit. But as the jazzbos sometimes say, “You just have to listen.” So, that’s what I did. I made a huge list of songs – all of them hits of some kind, and most of them favorites of mine – and I methodically listened and took notes. I used mainly headphones, a pair of Beyerdynamic DT770s, top flight cans, in conjunction with my respectable stereo system which includes Epos speakers, a Marantz CD player, a Rega turntable, plus my iPhone with its earbuds.
I listened in quick bursts of three or four songs, usually rotating from one medium to another, ie LP, CD, iPhone. Very infrequently, I listened with the earbuds on YouTube.
Many engineers and producers these days try to play it safe and do what I would call a kind of “modified mono” mix. There are some stereo effects and the drums will have a stereo image to an extent, but most of the music is coming up the middle. I didn't want that on my record. Another conservative trend is to use effects very sparingly. So, I paid attention to that in my listening, as well.
Unsurprisingly, some of my favorite records are on the “mono-ish” side and they’re not exactly spring chickens. One of the theories is that if one speaker is shot in a club or in a car, you don’t lose crucial parts of the song. Or, just think about those kids on the subway or a park bench with one headphone in one kid’s ear and another in their friend’s ear.
Well, as Frank Zappa once said, “I don’t make records to be played on cheesy stereos” or something to that effect. I wholeheartedly agree. Panning rocks! Stereo rocks! And many of the famous records of the ‘60s have highly adventurous panning.They took chances. Maybe the singles were mixed for mono AM Radio. I don’t care. I love to hear Jimi’s guitar whooshing all over the place, taking flight across the galaxy and beyond. And I love to hear a part that whispers to you from the far right or left. In any event, I highly recommend trying this exercise if you’re in the mixing phase or just a recording musician.
Get on with it!
Sex Pistols – Never Mind The Bullocks, “No Feelings,” LP. Guitars up the middle for the intro. Everything is up the middle to start. Some stuff a little to the left and right, accent guitars. A centered mix. Opens up in the choruses, but not far. The outer guitars are maybe 10:30/1:30. Guitar solo centered with some slashing stuff from the near left accenting. Bass and kick straight up. Snare, too. Some cymbals are in the outer sphere. Relatively dry sounding and monochromatic. Maybe some room sounds on the guitars and drums. Compressed? Invites you to turn it up.
Killing Joke – Brighter Than A Million Suns, original 1987 LP, “Adorations.” A big stereo mix. Lots of drums and keys up the middle with the vocals. More keys and distant guitar noises to the sides. During the big climbing riff, more stereo clarity is discernable. I don’t hear much to the left at 9 o’clock. More on the right all the way over and at 3 o’clock. Synths come in and out complementing the vocal during the chorus. Many stereo effects.
The good ol' days in L.A.
Steely Dan – “Show Biz Kids.” LP. 770s. Slide guitar starts it off, way off to the right. Some drums come in next but they are on the left, not typical drums. Back-up vocals are definitely not centered. The lead vocal is. The main part of the drum kit is off to the left. The bass is in the center. Main part of the girl’s vocals are on the right, way on the right. When the other Dan guy comes in with his “harmony,” (not really sure if there’s a harmony) it’s in the center. Rick’s slide guitar solo licks are still on the right, about 1:30. Some weird xylophone comes in way on the left. Hard to place the piano. Hand claps way on the left. Slide guitar dominates the right. Piano becomes clear eventually as being on the left. A complex and awesome mix and song. Big slide guitar solo never goes center. Piano moves over towards the center (but not in the center) as the song builds. A sick harmonica finally comes in as the song builds to a climax. It is well to the left and you can hardly tell it from the weird scream that comes in the center before it. But you still can tell if you listen closely, which may be hazardous to your health.
The Who – Tommy, 1969. Reissue LP. “Pinball Wizard” The opening acoustic chords (two guitars) are way right and the echoes are on the left. The electric power chords come in on the left, well left. Roger is in the middle. Moonie is in the center with The Ox. The huge power chords are left, the acoustic stays right, where you can hear it really nicely. Townshend’s backing vocals are a bit to the left. A very rhythmic, staccato lead guitar is also on the left. Roger’s vocals seem to echo off to the left with a beautiful reverb as well. The next track is totally different
Cream – “White Room” It says “STEREO” right on the label of the original 1968 LP, Wheels of Fire. The intro is full of interesting panning. The drums are definitely somewhat left, along with a weird falsetto vocal from Jack Bruce. The lead vocal when it comes in is in the center, bless his heart. The raunchy rhythm guitar is on the right. The bass is on the left. The burbling wah-wah guitar of the refrain is centered. The killer wah-wah guitar that will eventually become the solo is very much centered. The hi-hat is on the right! The timpani is on the… A very panoramic display of psychedelic colours… It almost lines up horizontally. No background vocals although you expect them. Yes, Jack Bruce is singing something during the “intro” that returns – it’s panned left. Eventually Clapton’s wah-wah guitar takes over, front and center. The bass still on the left, the drums start to kick up a little all over the place. Very creative! Felix! LSD!
Jimi Hendrix – “Red House” Smash Hits CD. The one guitar of the intro fills the whole stereo spectrum, tons of echo, whatever. But the focus is off at 1 o’clock. The vocal, bizarrely, is way off to the left, although there’s an echo to the right somewhere. The drums are centered. The guitar that is standing in for the bass is centered. Eventually, the lead guitar takes up stage right in direct opposition to the vocals which are well left, although they start to get bigger. When the huge lead comes in, it is still around 1 o’clock, 1:30. You could hear it from fifty miles away. It has a huge amount of echo. Who knew that Mitch could play such a killer blues? A few weird panning effects are thrown in towards the end, as expected… It should be noted that the guitar is so massive it could carry any song by itself. The vocal is pretty spirited, too. The mixing console in Electric Lady Studios is pictured at top. However, "Red House" was recorded at CBS Studios in London with addition work done at DeLane and Olympic.
A sea of dails and knobs confronts St. Vincent.
St. Vincent – Masseduction. CD 2017, “Hang On Me.” First song. Big electronic drum and whispering voice up the middle. EDM. Leans to the left like many mixes. I wish I could understand that strategy. Maybe a guitar solo comes in that sounds like a keyboard, Ebow or something like that. Whammy pedal. Lots of beautiful keyboards shimmering. It goes down easy in 2:44. A bit alien to my ears.
The Cure – Pornography, LP. “In The Hanging Garden” Guitars pan to the left and right. A tribal drum is in stereo. Smith’s vocals are mainly in the center but do move around quite a bit at times. The center is reserved mostly for the lead vocal and bass. Non-traditional drums. Various sounds will pop up far to the right or left at times. Keys are more or less centered but also move around, as does the crazed, tribal drum which eventually becomes more centered, yet less prominent. Phased, flanged lead guitars swirl ala Hendrix. Great stuff! The next song is completely different, instrumentally as well as the mix.
The KinksSomething Else, LP. “David Watts.” Piano all the way off to the right. Lead guitar way left. Lead vocal is middle. Background vocals are right. Drums are left. There is a second vocal or echo of the vocal on the right. There are lots of backgrounds and they move around. The lead vocal actually moves around and now it’s on the right. Nicky Hopkins moves and grooves – on the outro, the piano comes up and starts to move around. Couldn’t really hear the rhythm guitar. An incredible mix, and an incredible song.
Nirvana – “Smells Like Teen Spirit” The initial rhythm guitar is right in the middle and then the drums come in and then a bunch of other guitars, right and left. The bass is centered with the drums/snare and bass. The little e-b string lick is just a hair to the right. The back-up vocal “Hello, hello” etc is on the left. The lead vocal is centered. Very well recorded. The awesome guitar solo is on the left but has a partner that dances on the right a little bit. A boiling stew of anger and sonic aggression. There is a stereo guitar that just seems to accent the clicks or chunkas in the main riff.
Mark Ronson wrestles with some old school gear...
Amy Winehouse, “Back To Black.” Itunes purchased track. “Rehab.” Electric guitar or piano all the way to the left. Amy in the center, of course. Ray is somewhere nearby.. unfortunately. Huge bass drum and all drums centered. Bass is in the center. Bells and other stuff, strings off to the left. A complex mix. Right side a little less active. Horns are basically center. Some piano comes in at 1 o’clock halfway or more through. Punchy sounding to the extreme.
Alabama Shakes – “Sound and Color,” from Sound and Color, CD 2015. Keys up the middle make the intro. Some pedal-y stuff on the right. A Gospel vibe. Synth strings come in over the top. Drums up the middle. Bass, too. Vocals, too. A xylophone or something is on the left, well over. Maybe a stereo image on the right with some of these percussion/vibes things. A beautiful reverb on the voice. More keys come in to fill in the right hand side. Very full and loud. Backing/second vocal a touch to the left. Other than ‘sound and color,’ most of the words are unintelligible. A very Around the World in a Day vibe, on some level. -Christian Botta
Saints and Sinners will bring some rocking blues and bluesy rock and soul to The Bitter End this Friday, July 12th at 8pm. We last played the venue in February and we're raring to get back in action in Greenwich Village's most historic club. We've been playing an ongoing residency at The Shrine in Harlem, every other Tuesday night at 10pm, and we're getting sharper, funkier and looser all at the same time. We hope you can join us!
Here's a video from the February show, "Good Time Girl," a song from out first album.
Please bring your dancing shoes and/or high heeled sneakers!
This is possibly the first Gibson Les Paul Sunburt from the late 1950s to find its way to England. Keith Richards brought it over after one of the Stones' early U.S. tours. You can see him playing it in the T.A.M.I. Show, a landmark rock and roll movie.
I finally got out to see Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll at the Metropolitan Museum. It was fabulous, no surprise, and I will be returning as soon as I can. I came away with a feeling that a musical instrument is not fully complete without the player. But no matter, this exhibition rocks in a big way. I’m a huge fan of the Met and I go as much as I can. They did a great job here.
This show was somewhat small on a physical scale. Really, how much space does it take to house a hundred or so guitars and a couple of keyboards and drum sets? But the feeling is very intimate. There are also some video displays and they add a lot. One clip shows The Beatles playing at Shea Stadium in one of their last concerts. They were definitely rocking it and they made me want to see the entire show.
I was delighted when I saw Sister Rosetta Tharpe's Gibson SG Custom. I have a great SG and part of the reason I bought it was because it reminded me of the sound of this guitar. You can see SRT tearing it up with this golden guitar in the video below. On the left is Jimmy Page's main axe that he used as a session player. Again, mind-blowing - because it was stolen in the late '60s and just returned in 2015. I couldn't believe it when I saw it!
Jimmy Page is a central figure in Play It Loud. Most of his legendary axes are here, including his ’59 Les Paul Sunburst, his Gibson Doubleneck, and a Telecaster that he played with the Yardbirds. His other amazing Tele may be present as well! I lost count. Clapton is well represented, too. The “Fool” SG is here, along with “Blackie,” the ‘50s Stratocaster that he used for many years.
This gear survived some performances by The Who. Look closely at the guitar and you can see a huge crack along the upper bout. I once played a mint example of this guitar, and it was so beautiful it made me wonder what it would take emotionally or artistically to smash it to pieces. They don't make bands like The Who anymore.
The Who figure prominently as well, with one of John Entwistle’s trademark Gibson Thunderbird basses (not original, I think – of course he smashed that one!), a pieced together Gibson SG Special smashed by Townshend (you can see the cracks!) and one of Moonie’s drumsets, nicknamed Pictures of Lily after, well – you’ll see. This set doesn’t include the original bass drums, as Moon had a penchant for explosives and would put them in the bass drum and detonate them. It’s amazing he lived as long as he did!
Jimi Hendrix, the Who’s chief rival, was also present, with his hand-painted Gibson Flying V and a piece of the guitar that he burned and smashed at Monterey. But the guitar that really touched my soul was Jimi’s white Stratocaster, the one he played at Woodstock. Yep, he cranked out “The Star Spangled Banner” on this unassuming white Fender with a maple neck, no – not one of the fabled “Pre-CBS” models that go for huge sums, but an off-the-rack, contemporary model. The guitar is surprisingly clean. It looks like it hasn’t been played that much. But it was played by Jim Hendrix himself, at perhaps the most historic rock concert ever.
Jimi Hendrix's white Fender Stratocaster that he played at Woodstock. It's remarkably new looking, as if he barely got a chance to play it or perhaps he took very good care of it. Somebody did. In the Isle of Wight film, you can see him toss his guitar to the ground in frustration at the end of the set. Not this one.
I visited the Woodstock site once and although I missed the ‘60s scene (too young!), I was touched much in the same way when I saw the bucolic grounds. Time stood still for a moment and I got this little rush of delight. Time will surely stand still for you too if you love rock music when you see this excellent and timely exhibition. -Christian Botta
We all have neighbors. For years, I had the worst – complaining all the time, and even threatening violence. It was insane! Then finally, they both died. Joy! Their son took over the apartment, and he was a Saint. He never complained. Well, times change and now I’ve got terrible neighbors again. Hence, the acquisition of my nifty new Electro-Harmonix Headphone amp. Yeah!
Beforehand, I used the headphone out jack in my old Vox Pathfinder, a wonderful transistor practice amp. But the distortion sounds, whether the amp’s overdrive or my pedals, were horrendous. I set about looking for a headphone amp and one of the first that I read about was the EH. I wanted to try it. A guy at Guitar Center told me that they didn’t stock it. I asked why. He said “hardly anyone ever asks for it.” He was a talented salesperson. I’m not kidding. I used to sell wine door to door, uhm I mean business to business. This kid had me thinking maybe the EH wasn’t any good. Sharp. But wrong.
So, as all the American companies want you to do nowadays, I just went ahead and bought it online. $45 and I tell you, it’s wonderful. I love it. It’s quite clean with a little warmth. It puts you in a world of your own with your guitar and your pedals, if you want them. No options coming from the EH, just clean. You must supply your own headphones. The more high quality, the better your experience will be. Plug in an EH Small Stone or Bad Stone – Heaven! With a Boss OD-3 and an SG with P90s – Hell! And I mean that in the best possible way. And don’t listen to the naysayers online who complain about the batteries and whatnot. The beautiful little blue light will dispel all worries.
You have to be ready to accept your guitar sounding very up close and personal. But this is great for practicing. And your neighbors will think that you’ve gone on vacation. Then you can crank up some Alice Cooper on your stereo and let them know that you’re still there. But they won’t get on your nerves when you’re trying to practice at 12:30am, or any other time.
Spring is in the air and Saints and Sinners will be making our first appearance at The Groove in Greenwich Village on Tuesday, April 23rd at 7:30 pm. We’ve been working hard uptown at The Shrine and we’re excited to bring the music downtown to all our fans in the area. We’ve got some new songs to play for you and we’re psyched for some warm weather and good times.
Now, let me tell you why Tuesday night is the perfect night to go out. Friday night is a must of course, a kind of workingman’s let off the steam sort of thing. Saturday night is strictly amateur night, but alas, it’s on the calendar. Sunday is of course a great day to get a little indulgent but really – try to keep it in check. Maybe a home cooked meal with some fine wine. Monday night on the other hand is strictly staying in time – get a life! But by Tuesday, you’re raring to go. Chomping at the bit. This is the night that the professional celebrants let it loose.
Why, when I was in the music conservatory, we used to have orchestra concerts every so often. And they were, you guessed it – on Tuesday night. There would always be a party afterwards, which I relished. One time, there was this quite popular kid, a violinist, and he showed up for ear training class the next day still in his tuxedo from the night before! I was impressed. I mean, it’s nothing to stay out all night on a Tuesday, but to do it in a tuxedo? Come on! And ear training class was hard – the teacher was a sadist. This kid had a great ear though, I must admit. But so do you!
And that’s why you’re coming to The Groove Club on April 23rd! The Groove Club is located at 125 West MacDougal Street at the corner of West 3rd Street. There is a $5 cover and a two item minimum. Food, drinks, and funk are served.
Saints and Sinners: Christian Botta - Guitar/Vocals, Mike Rodbard - Drums/Vocals, Dave Gerstein - Bass
We want to thank everybody who came to The Bitter End on February 15th. It was a great night and we have a return engagement there on July 12th at 8pm. See below some video from the performance.
In other news we will be hitting American Trash on Saturday night, June 22nd playing from 9:30pm to well after midnight. We also have a couple of shows lined up at The Shrine on April 30th and May 14th, both at 10pm. See ya soon! -A Sinner
If your pull-offs aren’t working, the first place to look is in the term: “Pull-Off,” accent on the “off” part of the movement or technique. Perhaps they should be called, ‘pull-downs,’ but that would probably be confusing. And it wouldn’t make matchy-matchy with the Hammer-On, would it?
The idea is that you’re creating two notes from one picking hand motion. The left or fretting hand does the extra work. But if you simply pull your finger away from the first note, you won’t get much of a second note. You have to consciously squeeze off the string with your finger, creating the second note by actually plucking it with your fretting hand. So instead of a motion away from the fretboard, you’re actually sliding or squeezing over in a downward and then circular motion. Your fretting finger will actually end up touching the fretboard before circling up and back into position for another note. Take a look at the video. It hurts a little at first. Some exercises and licks are included below to make it hurt even more.
You should be able to get a note with this technique even without the picking motion of the right hand. So, first you need to have two notes set up – the first one, a higher note, which will be picked with the right hand and then pulled off, and the second note which must be either open or fretted. If it’s a fretted note on the high E string, you have to hold onto it, not allowing the pull-off finger to pull the whole string out of line and therefore killing the second note and probably the first as well. But any fretted note that you're pull off to must be held on to.
Note that in tab or traditional musical notation, there are no terms like “pull-off” or “hammer-on” written into the music. When you see the slur sign, (see above) you’ll usually have two notes, with the slur sign on top of them (as in the examples). If the first note is higher than the second note, it’s a pull-off. If the second note is higher, it’s a hammer-on. Good luck and have fun!-Christian Botta