Mr. Moderator

When not blogging Mr. Moderator enjoys baseball, cooking, and falconry.

RTH Confessional: Mr. Mod Admits, “I Almost Used Rock Town Hall for Blatant Self-Promotion!”

Jul 272009

I’ve got something to confess. Although I’m known for my fair-balanced impersonal moderation of Rock Town Hall, there are times in which I struggle to maintain my balance, times when I need to catch myself and say, Hey, it’s about them, not me! Last night was one of those times.

I had the following post ready to load, until a force that’s hard to explain made me think better of it. It’s not enough that I thought better of posting what I wanted to post; I feel compelled to share with you the depths to which I almost sunk…after the jump!
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All-Star Jam

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Jul 272009

Happy birthday, Mick.

Unlocking the Secrets to Jerry Garcia’s Soloing Style

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Jul 262009

This weekend the band I’m in with a few Townsman played semi-acoustic at a house concert. In 25 years (and then some) with the core of us playing together, I don’t think we ever played as acoustic as we did on Saturday night: both of our guitarists played primarily acoustic stringed instruments (our other guitarist, Jim McMahon, played 12-string acoustic, mandolin, and something called a charango) only mic’d, not using any pickups, which we thought would defeat the purpose. The two of us even sat on stools, which I don’t think I’d ever done in concert before, not even when I played in a primarily acoustic band with Townsman E. Pluribus Gergely. It was cool. I felt like one of the guys from Badfinger in Concert for Bangladesh.

There were some other firsts for our band that resulted from that gig, but perhaps the most significant one was it was the first time we ever covered a Grateful Dead song. The hosts for our show are Deadheads, and we wanted to give them a treat. The obvious choice was “Bertha,” a Dead song that hints at a Motown beat and contains no extraneous “space” breakdowns. For some reason, I was the obvious choice to take the solo. In preparing for the solo, I asked myself, What would Jerry do?

Although I didn’t have time to match his facility in moving up and down the neck in his loopy approach to the pentatonic scale, I could focus on a couple of keys that would unlock the secrets of Jerry’s soloing style:

Give all notes equal rhythmic weight, minimizing rests, syncopations, and the like.
Maintain a pleasant, easy-going facade while soloing, avoiding the urge to make any kind of Rock Faces.

These two simple keys aided my performance. I stumbled on one segment of my solo and another time I unsuccessfully fought the urge to crack a sarcastic smile, but for the most part I felt like I’d learned something. Should I have the opportunity to play this or another Dead song in the future, what other keys might I find in unlocking the secrets to Jerry’s soloing style?

Justifiable Performances

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Jul 202009

As maybe a corollary to our recent Rock Aldas and Grouchos thread, I’ve been thinking about a few instances of musical and other artistic performances and works that almost singlehandedly justified an entire genre that never previously appealed to me – and that may cause me some pause to this day.

One of my favorite Lenny Bruce bits from his Carnegie Hall Concert album begins with the self-confessed jazz afficianado talking about this relatively new genre of rock ‘n roll. He says that he doesn’t dig most of it, slipping in a mocking chorus of “Yackety Yack,” but that there’s one song out called “Spanish Harlem.” He asks his audience if they’ve ever heard it, quoting the opening verse. “It’s so pretty,” he says. This one rock ‘n roll song has clearly opened his mind to the fact that the genre may contain other gems. Dig?

Tonight, after the kids went to bed, my wife reminded that I could catch the end of the Vincente Minelli-Gene Kelly-Leslie Caron masterpiece, An American in Paris. I quickly turned it on just in time to catch the mindblowing, long fantasy sequence that ends the movie, a scene that chokes me up in recognition of its beauty just thinking about it. Sure enough the sequence got me for at least the 25th time. I’m not a big fan of dance and choreography by any means, but Gene Kelly is by far the one dancer I love seeing in action. He’s so athletic, not showy. I can appreciate him as an athlete more than an “entertainer.” Likewise, the fantasy ballet sequence that brings home An American in Paris strikes me as a work of art that fully expresses the emotional content of the film. It’s not some stitched-in talent show piece, as I find most dance sequences, even in the better musicals. The Gershwin music with the choreography and the choreographed camera work speak to me like no other dance sequence I’ve ever seen. Only Saturday Night Fever‘s big dance to “More Than a Woman” comes remotely close to speaking to me on any level.

Those of you who know me and know my complete lack of interest in dance and musicals may agree with my wife that my love for An American in Paris is the most surprising thing that I love.* I’m still shocked myself, but as I told her, that scene is so pretty and well done that, for me, it singlehandedly justifies the entire art of choreography. It’s the only thing that keeps my mind open even a sliver to the possibility that any other piece of choreography I’ll ever see might contain a shred of worthwhile storytelling and emotional content. I’m still a complete oaf when it comes to appreciating choreographed dance, but at least I’m willing to believe it has a place in the arts.
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Moon Rock!

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Jul 202009

What’s the best rock song about travel to the moon or other points in space? As Rock Town Hall marks the 40th anniversary of humankind’s first landing on the moon, I can’t help but think back to the night, as a 6-year-old boy, my family gathered around a little B&W tv at the apartment we were renting in Ocean City, New Jersey. I went to bed late that night, sleeping in the top bunk of the kids’ bedroom. I awoke on the floor the next morning, presumably having rolled out of bed, dropping 5 feet, and probably getting knocked unconscious before I had a chance to awake from my fall. The other thing I’ve been thinking about is David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.” That song always painted such a clear picture of space travel when I was a kid, and it still does today.

What’s your favorite Moon Rock song?

Bob Dylan: Admirable Two-Bit Troubadour or Yet Another Faded Legend Who Can’t Get Over the Fact That the Dream Is Over?

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Jul 192009

Today I spent another delightful evening with Townsman E. Pluribus Gergely and his family. We briefly discussed the Paul McCartney issue, raised after discussion of Paul’s recent appearance on Letterman. We agreed that Paul’s plastic surgery, Botox, and hair dye were relevant in any criticisms of his performance because he continues to try to sell us on the fact that he’s got something left in the tank when he’s had nothing for the last 25 or more years.

Then we had a little disagreement when I compared him to Bob Dylan, saying, “Dylan doesn’t resort to the Botox; he’s not trying to fool anyone.”

Plurbs said, “No, Dylan’s just as bad. He should go away too.”
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Who’s to Blame: Who Did the Most Damage to The Who – and When Did Things Turn for the Worse?

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Jul 172009

Excluding Keith Moon, who lost control of his life, let his drumming magic slip, and then died prematurely, although not necessarily before the band’s greatness was well on the decline, which member of The Who did the most to damage the band’s run of powerful music making? Furthermore, without getting into a “jump the shark”-style discussion, when did this band member’s harmful influence on the band’s direction first lead to a turn for the worse?

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