Guitar Musings

I have decided to start a new “series” of sorts, here at Guitar Musings.  Along with giving you my thoughts and recommendations on new CD’s that I have purchasedt, I will also grab some music from my collection and let you know what I think.  Why should all recommendations come from new releases when there is so much music to explore that has been around for years?

My first selection is Bruce Cockburn’s “Speechless.”  I chose Bruce because it was his playing that inspired me to study fingerstyle guitar  with his signature alternating bass lines with that unwavering thumb and his melodies continue to make my draw drop.  Speechless came out in 2005 and is a collection of his instrumentals throughout his almost 40 year career.  I think every song on this release is wonderful but here are some of my favorites.

• Rouler Sa Bosse: He has been performing this live quite a bit now.  Took me over a year to get that sucker down.
• Sunrise on the Mississippi: Great blues tune. A great example of how his thumb is independent from his entire body. Make you feel like you’re on the front porch down south  with some of the old greats.
• Deep Lake: Slow meditative song that reminds me of a trip I took to the English River in Canada.
• Water Into Wine and Sunwheel Dance: Both of these songs are perfect examples of his mastery of fingerstyle guitar. There is so much happening in these songs, you sometimes wonder if there is someone playing with him.
• Mistress of Storms: Another “thumb” song but he adds vibes to this for a more jazzy feel.  If you can get a hold of him doing this live, get it!  His improv is incredible.

Links of Interest:

Cockburn Project

Rounder Records

OK, so I’ve started this blog and here is one of the reasons why.  My best friend, Hercules (yes that is his real name) Castro, has recently released a CD called “Singularity.”  The thing you need to know about this is that he recorded all of this himself in his home studio. I’m talking all the drum tracks, bass, guitar, keyboards, etc…   Corey Brown provides his vocals for 2 tracks on the release but other than that, Hercules does it all and does it well.   The music on this CD covers many genres, from blues, electronica and progressive and all are at a high technical level.   One of my favorite tunes is called “Pulse Detonation.”  This song is fast, I mean really fast and the funny thing about this is that I didn’t really care for speed when we were younger. I would always say that feel is better than speed but I didn’t realize that you can have both and this song exemplifies this.

So after watching him going throught the creation process, it really inspired me to work harder at my playing and just being creative (hence this blog).  I also did the photography and artwork for the CD which helped spark my passion for creation.  It is also a great example of what independent musicians are accomplishing by themselves.   So if you like progressive rock, blues, electronica, etc… I would recommend giving “Singularity” a listen.  I know you won’t be disapointed.  

http://www.herculescastro.com   (Links to CDbaby, digstation and itunes available there)