Most Incongruous Piece of Onstage Gear

 Posted by
Oct 172009
 

Mister, I’m a bigger man than you may have suspected.

These days, with digital keyboards all the practical rage, I’m sure there are countless examples of bands playing music identified with a certain era with the keyboardist playing some newfangled synth. So let’s not count those instances of incongruous pieces of onstage gear. I mean, it’s hard enough to find a solid Southern Rock band these days let alone one willing to haul a Hammond B3 from club to club. I’ll even forgive the example used to kick off this thread.

What I’m hoping to find are photos or tales of bands featuring a piece of completely incongruous gear, such as a rockabilly band with the lead guitarist playing a B.C. Rich Bitch or a garage band with a guy playing a headless bass. Feel free to take it one step further, as I nearly did with the Spanish rockabilly band pictured above, and point out incongruous accoutrements, like the swept back mullet on the guy playing the black Tele. For now, though, I’ll refrain from pointing that out. This is solely mentioned as an example of what may be identified.

You may have been one of the band members with an incongruous piece of gear at one point. We were all young and short on stage savvy at one time, right? Feel free to have a laugh at yourself if it helps moves the discussion along.

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2009 NLCS Rate-a-Record: Dodgers vs Phillies

 Posted by
Oct 162009
 

Or The Pitcher Has Two Songs!

Because this year’s National League Championship Series is a repeat of the 2008 contenders, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies, and because the core of each team returns relatively intact, we won’t rehash every detail of the walk-up music for each team’s returning participants. Key match-ups will be revisited, when necessary, but for background reading I suggest you click here, here, here, here, and here.

Not all returning Dodgers and Phillies have stuck with their 2008 walk-up tunes, but let’s start with the turnover on each roster. Most significant for the Dodgers may be what tunes they’ve deleted from their playlist, both for the better and the worse. Dodgers fans may be a little queasy with the thought of 21-year-old Clayton Kershaw starting Game 1 in LA, but at least he packs a better theme song than last year’s Game 1 starter, now enjoying tee time with his Braves teammates, Derek Lowe and the lamest intro song in the history of the game, “Everytime We Touch,” by Cascada. Instead, Kershaw brings the sing-songy Red Hot Chili Peppers single “Snow.”

Upgrade over Lowe’s candy-ass dance tune? Sure, but that’s not saying much.

Meanwhile Phillies’ Game 1 starter, “Hollywood” Hamels will crank up his trusty mp3 of AC/DC‘s “Thunderstruck.”

Advantage: Phillies.

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Raga Rock

 Posted by
Oct 162009
 


Although use of the sitar and sitar-like riffs in rock are most closely associated with George Harrison, doesn’t Ray Davies claim that The Kinks‘ use of sitar-like guitar tunings in “See My Friends” is rock’s first foray into Raga Rock? Who am I to argue? I’m sure there’s a rock nerd around here who can cite an obscure rock single from 1961 that first used a sitar. What I want to talk about is Raga Rock itself.

I thought about doing this as a Last Man Standing piece, but that could go on forever and serve no real purpose. Rather, I’d like your thoughts on some of the following issues, among others you’re sure to bring to the table:

  • Do you typically look forward, whether sincerely or in hopes of getting a laugh, to rock artists’ attempt at this style?
  • What’s your favorite Raga Rock song?
  • What band/artist – that did – would you have least expected to record a Raga Rock number?
  • What band/artist, to the best of your knowledge, would you have most expected to record in this vein – yet has not?
  • What variations on the Raga Rock approach have you found most impressive?

Continue reading »

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Stations of the Boss, 1: Bruce Is Condemned to Rock

 Posted by
Oct 162009
 

In February 2009 Rock Town Hall commissioned 14 artists from around the world to depict iconic scenes representing Bruce Springsteen’s ascendancy to the undisputed throne of rock. The Stations of the Boss initiative is an effort to shine a light on the frequently overlooked iconic projections of The Boss and His E Street Band. We know Him as a Humble Man, a Common Man, and a Man of the People, but too often the media and even his own handlers downplay the positively messianic effect His performances have on followers.

To help rectify these oversights we asked our artists to base their works on actual images from His performances. Our first Station in this series, Bruce Is Condemned to Rock, depicts the fateful 2008 Super Bowl performance, pictured above, that sealed Springsteen’s legacy.

Our artist, Toby Wetland, from Bonners Ferry, Idaho, USA, painted this scene in the style of Paul Gaugin‘s Jacob Wrestling with an Angel. “For years The Boss struggled with maintaining His identity within the group collective,” says Wetland. “Although He is clearly stunned by the ref’s judgment, I wanted the painting to hint at the comforting role His bandmates play in helping Him acccept His destiny as leader of the E Street Band and no other collection of musicians.”

The original work of art, Bruce Is Condemnned to Rock, follows the jump.
Continue reading »

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Takin’ a Tour With Barrence

 Posted by
Oct 162009
 

For my first ever post here on The Main Stage, in the hallowed halls of RTH, I would like to present someone who has a lot more experience in taking the stage, Barrence Whitfield, as he takes us all for a video tour of the used record store that he works at here in the Witch City, Salem, MA: The Record Exchange.

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