Been Dizzy
Feb 042011
Feb 032011
Larry Coryell, looking EXACTLY how an Ovation Roundback player was meant to look.
Mad props! to Townsman misterioso for sharing a link to the obituary for Charles H. Kaman, a pioneer in helicopter design and an all-around interesting man who also happened to invent one of the most dreaded pieces of musical gear, the Ovation Roundback acoustic guitar. Just thinking of that guitar makes me cringe.
My old guitar partner, Mike, used to have one of those things. Back in those days none of us had even a half-decent acoustic guitar, so when we needed an acoustic overdub on a 4-track demo, one of us would suck it up and play the Roundback. I hated the feel of that rounded, synthetic back against my inevitably sweaty belly. I hated the way the bottom of that guitar slid out, as if I was trying to play slide guitar or serve appetizers off the top of it. Seriously, if you click on no other link in this piece, check out this one! If that’s not going to alert the Rock Crimes Commission to the depth of this guitar’s societal ills I don’t know what will. Continue reading »
Feb 032011
For those of you who may have lost track of the rock calendar today is The Day the Music Died, a rock-oliday in which we commemorate and celebrate the legacies of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and especially the Big Bopper.
Continue reading »
Feb 022011
We all know Townsman Hrrundivbakshi‘s most-coveted, would-be “signature” piece of gear is the “harlequin” Gibson Firebird played by Adrian Gurvitz, of Baker-Gurvitz Army fame. (See video.) What piece of musical gear that you own or covet could be (or would be) considered your “signature” piece of gear?
It’s not something I could carry around and impress folks with, but mine is my “Coltrane box,” a Maestro Parametric Filter. If I had the energy to buy a signature axe and really learn to play the way I wish I could play I think I’d get a Fender Jazzmaster, like Tom Verlaine‘s.
Take it from me, you don’t have to be much of a musician (or a musician at all) to have an entry in this thread!
Feb 022011
Color me anything but red and white!
The fact that this is new today is news to me: The White Stripes have broken up.
Beside making appearances on Conan I thought The White Stripes broke up a year or two ago. I mean, wasn’t that pretentious film of their tour of Canada supposed to be their swan song, or was that just increasingly wishful thinking the more I watched of that turd?
The band left the following touching statement on their website:
The White Stripes do not belong to Meg and Jack anymore. The White Stripes belong to you now and you can do with it whatever you want. The beauty of art and music is that it can last forever if people want it to. Thank you for sharing this experience. Your involvement will never be lost on us and we are truly grateful.
To celebrate our inheritance of their Jack and Meg’s legacy, I invite you to do any of the following—and whatever else appropriate strikes your fancy:
- Please send me your favorite track(s) by the band. You can burn them for me or upload them to the Hall if you have Back Office privileges. I only have 2 songs by them on my iPod, and now that the band belongs to me, I’d like to see if more of their songs are worth my giving repeated listens. The key is, since they’ve turned over the keys to us, I don’t feel like paying.
- I don’t know about you, but I was getting tired of the red & white thing. It’s time to rebrand. Please scan or download The White Stripes photo of your choice and use a graphics program of your choice to propose a new color scheme/branding for our band. Submit your designs (jpg, gif, png, pdf) to mrmoderator [at] rocktownhall [dot] com by Friday, February 11. Be creative. The winner will be awarded a really snazzy prize!
Thank you, Jack and Meg, for providing a surefire hot-button focal point for old, bass-obsessed farts and relatively younger, hipper Townspeople; some great guitar sounds; the confidence to learn the drums; the opportunity for some to giggle over terms like “rack toms”; and so much more.
Feb 022011
Sweet!
Musicians and music lovers, is there a “sweet spot” you can identify on an instrument you play? For instance, I love the G chord in barre position on the third fret. I spend a lot of time there. If I come over to your house and check out your guitar I’ll be sure to settle in on that fret. I love the third fret on a guitar, but better yet is the eighth fret on a guitar neck, a position I don’t get as many opportunities to play around as I should, but when I do it’s sweeeeeeeeet!
I am betting that drummers have a sweet spot on their kit, keyboardists have a sweet spot on a keyboard, etc. Let’s hear from you—and if talk of your instrument’s sweet spot gets a little steamy…heh, so it goes.
Feb 012011
Who says female-fronted bands can’t tap into the Power & Glory? As one of the YouTube commentators wrote:
how can you listen to todays fucked up shit after watching this clip…
