Guest post: Treadmarkz is my brother-in-law, a Human Beatles Encyclopedia and the author of the weblog Treadmarkz.wordpress.com.

Some Country music purists would probably say that anything that warrants the name “Alternative Country” is not really Country. But ultimately it is the domain of the fan to judge what an artist is or is not, to them.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Jennifer Dixon.

A little country sensibility with a style that hovers along the cusp of blues, pop, jazz owing to a stint on Memphis’ legendary Beale Street, and nearly a decade in Nashville, her new CD, “2 Years” is the fruit of experience. She did not come out of nowhere.

Which makes it all the more uncanny that she has been labeled “un-Nashville.” Read the rest of this entry

Guest post: Susan Kemman resides in South Park (no kidding), is a Prog music nut and is the Assistant Director of  - and talent scout for – the The Highest Independent Music Tour in the World, The South Park Music Tour. Take it away Susan!

The Summer will be brimming with competitions, festivals, tours and holiday bashes;  many opportunities for getting your Band a gig or a little name recognition.   Talent Searches, Tours and Battle of the Bands  pay out prize money or comps equal to what you would earn at a gig, ALL for just a one hour performance.   Networking with the Bands and Industry people at these Events can offer tremendous earning potential by breaking you into new Venues. 

Here are some simple tips to get an edge over your competitors: Read the rest of this entry

Guest post: Treadmarkz is my brother-in-law, a Human Beatles Encyclopedia and the author of the weblog Treadmarkz.wordpress.com.

Regarding why the Beatles broke up, for years, I was a member of the “Yoko Is Evil” sect. Then for a while I converted to Paul-is-an-Egomaniac-ism. I took it for granted that the truth lay somewhere within these two camps. Eventually I realized the many other factors: John Lennon’s addiction to heroin; the death of the Beatles manager Brian Epstein; their music and individual talents getting too big to be contained within one album; George Harrison’s waning interest in traditional western pop music. Read the rest of this entry

Guest post: Treadmarkz is my brother-in-law, a Human Beatles Encyclopedia and the author of the weblog Treadmarkz.wordpress.com.

Well, clearly the beef between Apple Corps and Apple Computers that started a while back is still bitter as ever, and unfortunately this will deny listeners who live and die by the iPod access to the Beatles music. But, lo! Here it is! The Beatles Rock Band arrives in stores on September 9th!

The upcoming release of the Fabs’ foray into the gamer world is exciting for me. Because it is yet another confirmation of what I have been telling the Musicgoat for years: the Beatles, as a cultural phenomenon, will never – yes I said Never – die.

If I had an Xbox, Playstation or Wii, I would definitely shell out the $99.99 to get myself an imitation McCartney violin bass, or a Harrison twelve-string Rickenbacker which is included for use with the game. I would have liked more information on what specifically is included in the Special Edition. For $249, you want to know, and you want time to save up for it if it is what you want. I am sure it is not worth it unless you get an imitation Beatles sitar, Moog synthesizer, harmonium, tape loop machine, wind machine, and calliope, so I can play the Beatles’ studio-era music to the full effect.

But even if not, wow, music in video games has come a helluva long way since the Mario Bros theme song, huh?

Guest post: Treadmarkz is my brother-in-law, a Human Beatles Encyclopedia and the author of the weblog Treadmarkz.wordpress.com.

I am sure you have heard all the hubbub, but maybe you never quite knew what it was all about, this thing, this MANIA called the Beatles. If you have been thinking of getting into the Beatles (and I mean really into the Beatles, not just buying their latest Greatest hits compilation) this is not the Beatles’ Top 12 Best Albums, and I am not reviewing each album. This is just the order you need to buy them in, in order to feel the full effect of what they did.

The chronological order in which they were originally released seems like the most sensible way to do it. But this isn’t sensible. If you get into the Beatles you have to be prepared for a little disjointedness and things that come out of left field. You don’t have to follow this guide exactly, and as you will see, I give you opportunities to make your own choice. Also, this is just the original Beatles Music we are talking about here, not Let It Be…Naked, or the Love Album. Having said that, I give you…The List: Read the rest of this entry

Guest post: Treadmarkz is a Human Beatles Encyclopedia and author of the weblog Treadmarkz.wordpress.com

Buddy Holly wrote his own songs. Chuck Berry wrote his own songs. Little Richard wrote his own songs. Paul McCartney and John Lennon, being devoted followers of all three, began writing their own songs early, and often. McCartney wrote rough versions of “I’ll Follow the Sun” and “When I’m Sixty-Four” in about 1957. And many of the originals from the Beatles first album were written by John and Paul around that same time. They knew that it set them apart from the other up-and-coming bands.

But rock n’ roll had changed drastically by 1960. Holly was dead, Berry was in jail, Little Richard had become a preacher, and Read the rest of this entry

I recently received a question from a musician who is having more than her fair share of problems obtaining print media coverage in areas where her band is touring.

Hopefully, my advice and ideas that I gave her can benefit you and your band as well should you experience similar difficulties with obtaining print media support for your gigs/tours. Read the rest of this entry

Guest post: Treadmarkz is a Human Beatles Encyclopedia and author of the weblog treadmarkz.wordpress.com

The Beatles competed to be the best ever since their days as the Quarrymen in Liverpool in the late 1950’s, and during their stints as a bar band in Hamburg, Germany from 1960-62. This desire to be the best did not stop in February 1964 when they were seen by 73 million people on the Ed Sullivan Show, or in April ‘64 when all of the top five singles in the U.S. belonged to them. It didn’t stop when they were the first rock band to sell out a Major League Baseball stadium, when they rocked Shea Stadium in the summer of ‘65. Desire, some might say ego, is what pushed them beyond teen idols to legend status.

In December 1965, the Beatles released the album Rubber Soul. The Beach Boys’ leader Brian Wilson would later say Read the rest of this entry

Guest post: Treadmarkz is a Human Beatles Encyclopedia and author of the weblog treadmarkz.wordpress.com

Jeff Healey, the blues/rock/jazz guitarist who gained fame in the late-80’s with the song “Angel Eyes” passed away Sunday from cancer. He was 41.

The Canadian-born singer-guitarist had retinoblastoma, a form of ocular cancer which first developed when he was one year old, leaving him blind for life.

He began playing guitar when he was three, developing an idiosyncratic style of playing, with the guitar`laying on his lap, which, ironically (as his disability was surely seen as an impediment) allowed him more freedom in chord structure. In recent years, Read the rest of this entry

If you are a fan of metal music, classical music or even both, then today is your lucky day. I was surfing around and came across this video by a band called Apocalyptica doing a cover of Metallica’s “Fight Fire With Fire.”

Now this isn’t your everyday local cover band version either. These dudes put a whole new spin on it. First, as you watch the video, you’ll notice that Read the rest of this entry