Haven’t had much time to play this past week because I decided to paint the room I practice in. I needed change. The nice thing about tooling around the house is that I turn on the iPod and jam on some tunes. I’ve had Colin Hay’s “Man at Work” CD on my mind a lot lately, so it’s my next in my “what’s in my CD collection” recommendation list. If you are a fan of the 80’s, you are probably familiar with Colin Hay and his band Men at Work. With songs like “Overkill,” “Down Under” and “Who Could it be Now,” I remember watching them on MTV back in the day when MTV actually played music videos. The 80’s were over and Colin Hay seemed to have disappeared. Maybe Not… A couple of years ago, I was watching an episode of Scrubs and Hay played an acoustic version of “Overkill” and it was amazing and much better than the 80’s version. Which leads to the “Man at Work” release which such acoustic versions of some of the 80’s Men at Work classics like “Overkill” (my favorite) and “Down Under”. He also has some new stuff that is reflective and …
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If you are like me, you probably own quite a few guitars. With all of those guitars in your arsenal, do you own your dream guitar yet? The one that you long for and would buy it if you had the money and the chance. My dream guitar is a made by Canadian Luthier, Linda Manzer and I’m afraid that it will remain just that…. a dream. I first discovered Manzer guitars about five years ago I saw Bruce Cockburn in Boulder, Colorado. I have heard many times that when it comes to guitars, we listen with our eyes. Let’s just say that with a Manzer guitar your eyes won’t be disappointed. They are beautiful! The tone is exquisite and a joy to listen to. I also helps that Bruce really knows how to make it sing. Other notable Manzer lovers are Pat Methany and Carlos Santana. Methany owns the famous Pikasso(Pictured right), which is an intimidating instrument to look at it, let alone play it. As you can see, the craftsmanship on these guitars are first rate and with such high quality of guitars made, the popularity and demand increases. When I first dreamt about owning a Manzer, there …
The Internet has become a wealth of information for any subject and I am so grateful for what I’ve learned from its contents. I have found gear, books, and lessons for a decent price, delivered right to my home. This convenience is wonderful but with budgets tightening a bit, buying a book or services on the Internet may not always be an option. It would also be nice to get out of the house every once in a while. I would like to remind everyone of a resource that is free, full of information and is usually within minutes of your home. I’m talking about your local public library, a wonderful resource that many in the Internet age forget. I had the day off and found my way to our local branch that is only a few blocks away, with the goal of finding some books to help me with my playing and broaden my musical knowledge. When I arrived at my branch, I was pleasantly surprised by how many were waiting to get in. A scene that contradicts my earlier, “Internet age has forgotten libraries” statement. Lots of moms and their kids and people like me looking for little …
In 2001, I stumbled upon a CD that changed my musical life. The CD was called “Drum, Hat, Buddha” by Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer. My first experience was a 30 second clip, “Disappearing Man,” where the pure, piercing voice of Tracy Grammer captured my attention. I was instantly a fan and got the CD. Upon further listening, I began to take notice of the songwriting of Dave Carter and it truly moved me. His lyrics and honest voice will conjure images in your mind that are so vivid, it feels as if you are experiencing the story personally. I was excited with my new discovery and hoped for a day to experience their music live. To my dismay, Dave Carter left this world six years ago today and only months after I was lucky enough to discover this treasure. I was disappointed and saddened that I would never see him live or hear any new music. Thankfully, Tracy and a strong community of Dave Carter fans have faithfully kept his music alive for all to hear. So today, like many Dave Carter fans, it is with a heavy heart that I will listen to all my Dave Carter and …
In past posts, you have read my recommendations on Pandora Radio offerings. I love listening to the diverse music online and the musicology podcast is the one of the best out there. There was something missing, however. I couldn’t listen to Pandora on the iPhone, until now. I recently updated my iPhone to the new version 2.0 software and with that we got the new “App Store.” Pandora has written a sweet app that will let you listen to you’re selections on your phone. I know, I know! I have an iPhone with a ton of music on it, why would I need to stream music now? I like it because I hear new music that would otherwise be unknown. Pandora gets me to listen outside the box. Anyway, if you have the new 3G iPhone or upgraded the older one, give it a shot. You would be disappointed. Note: I did this on the original iPhone so I didn’t need the high speeds of the 3G network to stream the music effectively. Links: www.pandora.com
