What songs on your album do you most like to play live?

There are 3 main songs that I enjoy playing for different reasons. With “XtraOrdinary”, I begin by beat-boxing and then loop that beatbox beat in my pedal while the band slowly build around it thru the song, it’s great to start something so small and end so big and the crowd always gets engaged in the process

I must have played “Human Race” over 150 times live and the guitar riff always gets people moving, that can only be a good thing. This song also works well acoustically, as well as with a full rockin band grooving behind me, and it’s also easy to do a live reggae version when the mood calls for it.

Finally, “Hey You” is a blast because by the final chorus most people are singing along and that’s when I really feel like “mission accomplished”.

What is your biggest inspiration behind your writing?

To offer something that is inspiring and insightful and may help fill a hole in the lives of people, who like me, feel something is missing sometimes. I wasn’t always turned on by everything around me growing up and loved the escape music provided and another way of seeing the world offered by the writers.

You are a producer, songwriter, multi instrumentalist, and a performer, which of these roles do you like the best?

The different roles move in waves. I do really like them all equally if in balance. Songwriting is a specific moment in time where I like to focus my existence on absorbing and reflecting. Then I hit a limit and want to bring them to life and playing the different instruments is a blast and allows me the chance to become a better player. Producing can be for myself or for another artist and often involves more of a ‘science’ in getting the best sound or arrangement. This is also when you can do the ‘editing’ that I wouldn’t do in the early writing stages. If I am producing for another artist it is also nice to take a break from my own thing and be more objective. Plus, you always learn so much working with other people. Performing is a whole other rush, whatever nerves there may be initially, are quickly transformed into bliss—channeling all the different emotions thru my voice onstage feels like the purest form of expression I have ever known.

If you were broke and had to dress up like a character and stand outside Mann’s Chinese Theatre, who would you dress up as and why?

Ha! That’s funny  I was walking by there yesterday. Off the top of my head—Ace Ventura .  I think any Jim Carrey character gives you a huge license to just be a total whack job in public and get away with it ;-P

What was your favorite album growing up?

Acchhh, do I have to pick only one!! Ok, I need to pick 3.

Blood Sugar Sex Magic by Red Hot Chili Peppers. Wow, blew my mind, total pinnacle of all their talents blending perfectly: creative, fun, deep. I can still listen to that and feel the same rip of energy as the day it came out. This was essential pubescent listening!

Euphoria Morning by Chris Cornell. Although this kinda flopped at the time, I was enraptured by the very musical and soulful musings of Soundgarden’s frontman. This album plays like a friend by your side, you can tell he had been waiting a while to show this other face of his talents. Every song is perfection, there isn’t a single wasted note here and of course, that VOICE!

Songs In The Key Of Life As a child I found an old unmarked cassette copy left in an abandoned cupboard and I started listening to it and never looked back. I didn’t know who it was for years, but Stevie Wonder taught me most of what I needed to know.

Have you ever thought of writing rap songs under the pseudonym D-Lux?

Ha, another great question, I think I’ll spare the world my rapping. Any attempts at ‘freestyling’ usually slide into potty mouth pretty quickly – although Eminiem made a whole career of that….

Find Darius on MySpace, Facebook and Twitter

-Sheena

Related posts:

1. Musician Interview with a songstress with a lot of heart, Kristy Hanson
2. Musician Interview with full-time touring musician Betty Navas
3. Musician Interview with Julian Shah-Tayler, musician extraordinaire, DJ, producer, sought-after songwriter…

How did you guys all meet?

Jason: We’re from all over, so this is one of those complex stories, not one of your “childhood friend” deals. Foster and I played in a band called The Halogens, and when that wasn’t fun anymore I formed The Luxury with him and three other great musicians who decided they didn’t want to tour, forcing us to look for new players. We found Daanen through the band he was in at the time, Justin through an internet message board, and Borek… now that I think of it we found Borek through Craigslist, of all places.

Justin: I had kind of been keeping my ear to the ground for a year or so, and waiting for one of the bands I respected to be suddenly without a bass player. The second I saw an ad out for the Luxury, I pounced on it.

Daanen: I played guitar for the Ultra Sonic Rock Orchestra here in Boston four years ago. Our singer’s girlfriend was one of the performers in the show and told me that her boyfriend was auditioning guitarist for his newly forming band. She got me a demo, I learned the tunes and the rest is history baby!!

What is the best part of the Boston music scene?

Justin: Definitely the sense of community that’s all over the scene lately. Whenever I go out in town, I know I’m going to see a million of my friends. And so many of them are in bands that I was already a huge fan of, before I ever knew them personally. Dudes who were like huge celebrities to me, and now they want to buy me a beer.

You were recently invited to open for Coldplay, how did that occur?

Jason: Well, Coldplay decided to showcase a bunch of bands from markets they were playing in on their North American tour, so they contacted radio stations in each area looking for submissions. I think about 500 videos were submitted in Boston, and WFNX whittled it down to 15. That must have been fun. The public voted on the 15 entries, which included our friends in the amazing bands Township, Aloud and The Motion Sick, and the top three were sent to Coldplay to pick their favorite. They chose little old us, and the show was awesome.

Justin: I’ll just add the fact that everybody in the Coldplay camp were ridiculously cool to us. Chris Martin himself even popped in to make sure we had everything we needed.

In your video for “Malcontent” King Puppethead sings the vocals, was he a difficult person to work with?

Jason: You know, I try not to be rude or dismissive in interviews, but that guy’s an unbelievable pain in the ass. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen a sock puppet demand a trailer and a personal assistant. Originally I was hoping for a Boglin, but when the auditions were all done he was the only one that could lip-sync in time while playing the piano. We didn’t talk for about a year after that video shoot, and he occasionally posted rude blog comments about me which I tried to ignore. Lately he’s mellowed out a bit, especially after starring in his own video, “Happy In My Misery”, which you can find on YouTube. I can’t begrudge him his talent, no matter how abusive he can be on-set.

Daanen: Very demanding with his wants and needs at some points. He got payed in the end whatever…. I’m not calling him to go out for a beer anytime soon though, that’s for sure.

Justin: I wouldn’t know. He stayed in his trailer the whole time, and wouldn’t associate with any of us. Between you & me, I think he’s maybe got a blow problem.

The Luxury is a great band name, how did you come up with it?

Jason: Oddly enough I offered it to my friend Moose when he was forming a new project. We were on the phone together trying to come up with something for him and I picked up a Marillion CD from ‘94 that included the song “Alone Again in the Lap of Luxury”, and suggested The Luxury to him. He loved it, but so did I; eventually, I kind of asked for it back. He’s about the nicest guy ever, so he had no problem with that. I have no idea what else we’d call ourselves, though. Sonically it makes perfect sense, the music being as big and full as we can make it… and if you look at how we actually live it’s both ironic, on a societal level, and completely true on a global level. The concept of luxury changes a lot depending on your perspective.

Visit The Luxury on MySpace or Facebook.

-Sheena

Related posts:

1. Musician Interview with Hip Hop group Rhyme and Rhythm (RnR) who have opened for Snoop Dogg, LL Cool J, Ice Cube, MYA, T.I., Jurassic 5, Three Six Mafia, Bone Thugs N Harmony, Flobots, Ghostface Killah, and Fishbone
2. Musician Interview with full-time touring musician Betty Navas
3. Musician Interview with Country sensation Jess McGuire and Cherokee St.

What is the origin of the band name Edison Sunrise?

I came up with the name “Edison Sunrise” after hanging out in a friend’s basement. His father had an old Thomas Edison record player, that played some of the first ever recorded music.  I was very impressed by the antique record player because it doesn’t need electricity to play. You simply wind it up and it plays the music on the record. Someone mentioned that The Edisons would be a good band name. I had never been interested in being a “The” band so I used my wits and put together Edison Sunrise.

Who are some of your greatest musical influences?

Some of my favorite artists are Blind Melon, Bob Dylan and Oasis. They all have their unique style and sound and they all genius songwriters. I rely heavily on my songwriting to get me ahead and open up doors.

You are about to release a new EP, what song are you most excited to play live?

The third song on my EP called “Life Forms” is always fun to play whether in practice or in a show. The song is short, catchy and packed full of energy. It is the perfect song to play if you want to leave the audience wanting more.

What is the Edison Sunrise songwriting process like?

It tends to not take that long at all for me to write a full song. I tend to drop a song if I am struggling to write it. I have always felt my best work flow through me with ease when I am “in the zone.” I have stuck with this formula and I have managed to write over 40 originals thus far.

What are the main themes or topics that influence your songs?

Society and equality is a big one for me. I am a free spirit and I try to encourage people to think outside of the box and not judge people.

I like to sing about the dangers and shadiness in the world. The world isn’t all butterflies and beautiful flowers you know! There is evil at work.

I write about friends and memories. I can’t forget about all the good times and friends I have made along the way. Everyone needs a song to remind them of the people in their life.

How has your music evolved since you first started playing?

Being able to write lots of songs in a short amount of time has given me an edge. I have written everything from country roots to heavy rock and hip hop. I am constantly changing. One of the most compliments I get it that all my songs are different from one another and I have a unique sound.

What’s the best part about being a musician in Canada?

I currently live in a beautiful mountain town, Banff AB.It is vast and inspiring and people their really dig their music.

What are you looking forward to in 2010?

Having an EP for sale worldwide through digital download and having a much more experienced mindset. I have been learning and working hard at getting better at my craft. I feel that in 2010 I will finally start getting the recognition I have been working toward.

Related posts:

1. Musician Interview with Julian Shah-Tayler, musician extraordinaire, DJ, producer, sought-after songwriter…
2. Musician Interview with full-time touring musician Betty Navas
3. Musician Interview: Ribkat and Josy B. Chat About Working With Dr Dre And More

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:

1. Play original songs.  You’re allowed only one cover song and it’s got to be perfect.
2. Your song should have basic structure.  Like in writing; intro, body and conclusion.
3. Songs shouldn’t be longer than 5 minutes.
4. Play for your allotted time or less, but never more.
5. Move. Everyone in the Band needs to be active at the same time.
6. Your timing needs to be impeccable. It proves a Band is well rehearsed.
7. Spend very little time with sound checks; one song only with minor quick adjustments if absolutely  required.
8. Get the audience moving.  Play your hottest beats and most gut punching riffs from song one and don’t stop.
9. Demonstrate your instrument or vocal talent with a solo.  Have a focus song.  45 seconds of fame.
10. Try to go last in the line-up, leaving a lasting impression.

These competitions not only put cash in your hand but promote your Band.  You will need to register early or go through an acceptance process with small fees to be a performer.  They’re usually sponsored by radio stations, sound companies or huge corporations.  Seek out Talent Searchs, Tours and Battle of the Bands to compete and “be seen” in your area.  No matter how small the Venue;  if you come out as the winner, it’s a feather in your cap so toot your own horn and post that big win on your message boards.

Related posts:

1. Musician Interview with Edison Sunrise
2. How To Succeed In Getting Gig/Tour Press Coverage
3. Uncensored and Raw: Witness Life on the Road with the Band Jetboy

Grab a beer, glass of wine or mixer and press play now!

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Songs heard on this podcast:

Say something…

Related posts:

1. Music Podcast 037 – Acoustic Americana Triple Double Featuring Chris Knight, Willy Porter and Rob Anthony
2. Music Podcast 038 – Rock The Phuk Out With Some Hard Rock
3. Music Podcast 036 – Finger Lickin Blues, BBQ and Beer II

Guest post:

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.

Part of the reason for Harrison’s change of direction was his growing passion for Indian music, philosophy and eventually religion. Recently I have myself become immersed in a faith which relies heavily on the Hindu worldview regarding reincarnation, karma, “Hell” as distance from God rather than a literal lake of fire. I feel my years of Beatles fandom was just a way to get me across that spiritual bridge.

Whenever I meditate on a worldly desire and make a vow to do, or not do any given thing, if I later fall back on that vow, I find that I do face consequences of my action. It’s Karma, its Natural Law, the Law of Truth, whatever you want to call it. A dharma (religious duty) of Hinduism, Christianity and all major religions really is “Do not bear false witness” with an implied “or else…” involved. Mohandas Gandhi wrote of this concept in depth in his “Autobiography.”

In 1967, the rest of the Beatles willingly accompanied Harrison to Wales for a weekend seminar on Transcendental Meditation, and to India the following spring for an extended course. Though the course did not make religious faith a priority, there is always an aspect of spirituality with meditation, and where there is spirituality, there is a connection with God on one level or another. Whether one accepts it or not, that door is opened at that time. The importance of the Law of Truth is, hence, heightened.

Before the Wales seminar, the Beatles were on top of the world having just released Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and the single “All You Need Is Love” that summer. They were the voice of the youth movement. What happened?

Two of the Beatles’ best-known songs are “Can’t Buy Me Love” and “All You Need Is Love”. Could the Beatles have written, recorded and performed these songs for profit, all the while living the lavish and, lets face it, decadent lifestyles they did without Karma rearing its ugly head?

While they were at the Wales seminar, their manager died. But things still seemed good six months later when they left for India. While in India, John Lennon flirted with the idea that their next move as a band should be to become “spiritual leaders.” For the course, they were to give up all non-prescription drugs for mental clarity. But none of them gave up smoking pot and once they got back from India John went back to LSD and soon started using heroin. Even George never gave up his rock star lifestyle while scolding other rich people in a song called “Piggies.”

Even though they wrote about 40 songs in India the following spring and seemed to be very together, as soon as they got back from India, everything seemed to fall apart rapidly. From the beginning of the White Album sessions in May 1968 there were bitter arguments. This was followed by Yoko entering the picture, a bitter struggle for power in the band, and a very bitter court battle which eventually tore the band asunder.

Was Yoko’s presence a catalyst to bring on the negative Karma the Beatles collected through their non-adherence to the law of Truth? What about the death of Brian Epstein? Another example of Karmic retribution on the band? Surely not as their Karma should not have dragged Brian and his very life into it. It may have been Karma from past incarnations that caused them to have to go through such a tragedy together, but that is a different story. The disaster of Apple Corps., and the resulting lawsuits over money which ended the Beatles, however, seem like fitting Karmic retribution for years of singing about love being more important than money, all the while making money and lifestyle the most important thing in reality.  And Lennon must have known it, as one of his first solo singles was “Instant Karma, where he sang  “Instant Karma’s gonna get you” and “we all shine on”, meaning “we all have to live with the consequences of our actions, so be careful.” Indeed, his band had fallen mightily from grace.

Related posts:

1. The Beatles’ Studio Revolution of 1962
2. Beatles Rock Band Set To Go British Invasion on Your Video Game Console in September!
3. The Beatles and the Beach Boys Race to the Toppermost of the Poppermost

The Label

Based out of Detroit, Small Stone – for the most part – represent bands that are of the stoner rock ilk, but, they aren’t afraid to mix it up – one of my favorite finds, happens to be country.

They have stood the test of time and have been putting out their brand of music since 1995. In an April 2008 article on Metromix,  the founder Scott Hamilton explained that he wanted to model the label after Sub Pop. He also defined stoner rock as being “just a really amped up version of classic rock” with “a bunch of fat guys with beards in the crowd.” You gotta love the honesty.

The Bands

Here  are some of the bands that caught my attention. And, to give you sort of a jumping off point, I’ve listed a tune or two from each (which by the way have made it into heavy rotation on my iPod).

Oh and just so you know, you can buy the cd’s on Small Stones site and if you are the mp3 type, everyone of these artists – and the tunes listed – are available for immediate download on emusic (which means you can get them for free if you don’t have an emusic account).

Anyway, check these bands out;

Roadsaw - If you are fan of early Soundgarden circa “Louder Than Love” – or just grunge in general – you need to check these guys out. I love vocals and the smooth grind that is present throughout.

I think your best bet to get a feel for what these guys can do is to get started with “Up To You” and “It’s Your Move”.

Whitey Morgan and the 78’s –  WARNING: When combined with good weather, good booze and good friends, the music of Whitey Ford could leave you with a splitting headache and a pissed off boss.

This band takes a well needed and refreshing approach to old school country. They easily slip into all of the elements of 70’s era outlaw and all of their tunes will make Waylon, Wille and Bosephus fans very, very happy (and a little jagged).

I recommend that you download the whole album but if you are only going to stick your toe in the water, make sure you check out “Crazy” and “If It Ain’t Broke”.

Mos Generator –  The riff heavy tunes that these guys are laying down are immediately addictive. The tune “Acapulco Gold” – which could easily be the love child of Steely Dan and Monster Magnet – documents a love affair of the smokin kind. And “Wizards of the Prophecy Pen” is a well produced tune that could very easily be an early Sabbath tune. Grab them!

There, now you have some stuff too listen to as we all wait for summer. Remember, all of this stuff is on eMusic for immediate download and if you are still doin the CD thang, check out the Small Stone online store.

Related posts:

1. Music Review: Metal ala Deflagration and Acoustic Rock ala Rob Anthony
2. Music Podcast 035 – Acoustic Rock & Country Blues Blender
3. Music Review: Jennifer Dixon, the Face of Alternative Country’s Uncompromising Future

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?

Related posts:

1. The Beatles’ Studio Revolution of 1962
2. The Beatles: A Case Study in the Law of Truth and Karma
3. The Beatles and the Beach Boys Race to the Toppermost of the Poppermost

I was flipping through eMusic the other day when I noticed a new release by an old favorite of mine, Extreme. I was a little apprehensive at first but figured what the hell, I’ll download it. Boy am I glad I did. Here is a quick review.

The title of the release is “Saudades De Rock“. In the opening line on the track “Slide” Gary Cherone sings “Find a groove and then drop the hammer.” That pretty much sums up most of the tunes on the release.

One of the reason i was a fan of Extemes music was because I am a sucker for good guitar. I always loved Nuno’s guitar work and this release did not do anything to change that. He is one of a seemingly dieing breed of guitarists who can dance over the fretboard, navigating a path of tasty grooves throughout every song.

The whole CD is about what you would expect from Extreme if you were a fan of some of the their popular stuff like “Pornograffitti” and/or “Three Sides to Every Story” but they do venture into new territory and pull it off well.

Bottom line, if you love active guitar, meaty grooves and solid songwriting, this is a no-brainer.

FEED YOUR POD! If you are interested in downloading any music – including the stuff discussed in this post – while at the same time supporting Musicgoat.com, click on the image above or use either of the following Musicgoat-friendly links: eMusic, Amazon.
THANKS and YOU ROCK!

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2. Music Review: Metal ala Deflagration and Acoustic Rock ala Rob Anthony
3. Music Review: The Prog Metal Sounds of the Daughters of Fission

Press play and listen as we explore some newer metal music ranging from Hard Rock to Thrash.

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Here are the songs heard on this podcast and the links to each artists website;
Robot Lords of Tokyo - “Mergatroid” (get it free on eMusic)
Robot Lords of Tokyo – “Belly Full of Greed”
DC4 - “Candy Caine” (get it free on eMusic)
SNEW - “Got Love” (get it free on eMusic)
SNEW – “She’s A Real Gunslinger” (get it free on eMusic)
American Angel – “Turns to Grey” (get it free on eMusic)
Top Johnny – “X-Tasy”
Exodus – “Children of a Worthless God” (get it free on eMusic)

Websites Mentioned on this podcast;
SNEW frontman interview on the Classic Metal Show

Most of these and a ton of other great artists can be found on the Pod Safe Music Network.

Related posts:

1. Some Great New Heavy Metal and a Very Metal Observation
2. MMP003 – Heavy Metal Addiction Featuring Prong
3. MMP028 – Meaty Metal Crunch With A Hint of Hard Rock Featuring Sevendust

Also, I figured it would be an great opportunity for you and I to sit down and have a holiday beverage together.

Lets do it. Grab something to drink, press play and have yourself a merry Christmas.

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Here are the songs heard on this podcast and the links to each artists website;
Geoff Smith – “Some Christmas Higgin and Kissin”
Winzenreid aka Hollywood Drunks – “Here Comes Santa Claus”
Skid Row – “Jingle Bells” (Monster Ballads Christmas)
Tom Kiefer of Cinderella – “Blue Christmas” (Monster Ballads Christmas)
My. Vegas – “Hey Santa”
Rockosaurus Rex – “Auld Lang Syne”

Most of these and a ton of other great artists can be found on the Pod Safe Music Network.

Related posts:

1. MMP030 – The Stress is a Four Letter Word Music Podcast
2. Music Podcast 035 – Acoustic Rock & Country Blues Blender
3. MMP032 – Are These Artists Worthy of a 2009 Grammy Nomination?

See if you agree by pressing play now.

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Here are the songs heard on this podcast and the links to each artists website;
Hype – “Push Me” (Available at CDBaby and iTunes)
Kelly Richey Band – “I Want You” (get it free on eMusic)
John Taglieri – “Booty Call” (get his older stuff free on eMusic)
Pauline Pisano – “Don’t Forget” (get it free on eMusic)
G Tom Mac – “Wish You Well” (get their older stuff free on eMusic)
Daydream On Autopilot – “Better Off Alone” (get it free on eMusic)
Daydream on Autopilot – “Call Me” (Blondie Cover)

Websites Mentioned on this podcast;
Mike Cameo’s Indie Top 10
Social Blend
Mixx.com

Most of these and a ton of other great artists can be found on the Pod Safe Music Network.

Related posts:

1. Music Podcast 035 – Acoustic Rock & Country Blues Blender
2. MMP027 – Blue Moon Mellow featuring Collective Soul
3. MMP034 – A Hard, Heavy and Very Metal Resolution

Check out the wave of energetic goodness that these bands are offering up.

Press play NOW!

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Here are the songs heard on this podcast and the links to each artists website;

The Maine – “Everything I Ask For” (get it free on eMusic)
Second Dan – “Running Out of Feelings” (get it free on eMusic)
Career Club – “Old Fashioned” (get it free on eMusic)
Wake of the Titan – “Maybe Tomorrow”
Dawn Delete – “June 21″
ISM – “Sacred Cows”

Most of these and a ton of other great artists can be found on the Pod Safe Music Network.

Related posts:

1. MMP006 – Rock and Roll Pick Me Up
2. MMP011 – Indie Rock Feels Good Featuring Sister Hazel and Ryan Shupe
3. MMP021 – Just Press Play for Indie, Pop, Soul and Blues Music

For best results, grabs some good Headphones.

Find yourself a nice, relaxing place and press play now.

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Here are the songs heard on this podcast and the links to each artists website;
Supersuckers – “I Don’t Wanna Know”
Darrin James Band – “Thrones of Gold” (get it free on eMusic)
Hello Dave – “Mountains”
James Dunn – “Oak Tree”
Bill Johnston – “Devil on My Shoulder”
Ethan Stone – “Ain’t That the Way”
Jon Nicholas – “Grandmas Getting High”
Great Big Sea – “Straight to Hell” (get it free on eMusic)
Fabulous Hats – “Lets Go to Vegas”
Stuckey and Murray – “Taking A Dump at Work”(get it free on eMusic)

Most of these and a ton of other great artists can be found on the Pod Safe Music Network.

Related posts:

1. Music Podcast 035 – Acoustic Rock & Country Blues Blender
2. Music Podcast 037 – Acoustic Americana Triple Double Featuring Chris Knight, Willy Porter and Rob Anthony
3. MMP027 – Blue Moon Mellow featuring Collective Soul

Press play now and enjoy. Simple as that.

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Here are the songs heard on this podcast and the links to each artists website;
Stripwired – “Another Shot” (get it free on eMusic)
Lauren Harris – “Steal Your Fire” (get it free on eMusic)
Crash Kelly – “Ride the Wire”
Moonstone Project – “Slave of Time”

Other sites and podcasts mentioned in this show;
Sneak peak of the new Metallica “Death Magnetic” Rock and Roll Geek Show style

BRAIN FART ALERT: My apologies to Lauren Harris. I said your name correctly the first time but then – right before the song – I mentioned some other Lauren.

Most of these and a ton of other great artists can be found on the Pod Safe Music Network.

Related posts:

1. MMP027 – Blue Moon Mellow featuring Collective Soul
2. MMP028 – Meaty Metal Crunch With A Hint of Hard Rock Featuring Sevendust
3. MMP034 – A Hard, Heavy and Very Metal Resolution

You are about to listen to what could possibly be my best metal podcast yet!

Press play and brighten your f#$@%n day.

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Here are the songs heard on this podcast and the links to each artists website;
Dream Evil – “Fire Battle in Metal” (get it free on eMusic)
FEFF – “I’ll Tell You”
Sevendust – “Deathstar”
Warrel Dane – “When We Pray” (get it free on eMusic)
Ground Mower – “Down”
Pride Tiger – “The Lucky Ones”
Supagroup – “Born in Exile”
Paradise – “Lady Luck”

Other sites and podcasts mentioned in this show;
Live Metallica with King Diamond ..very cool
Heavy metal christmas album on the way (yep you read that right)
Mike Cameo’s Indie Top 10 Rock Podcast

Most of these and a ton of other great artists can be found on the Pod Safe Music Network.

Related posts:

1. MMP015 – Hard Rock and Metal Block featuring EndeverafteR, Tantric and OTEP
2. MMP018 – Hard Rock Hell Yeah featuring Fu Manchu
3. MMP024 – Somewhere Between Rock and Country Featuring Merle Haggard and Drive-By Truckers

Yep, we are going to the beach or the bar or wherever and we are gonna have couple….and just chill!

Hold that thought, press play and check out my latest offering…

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Here are the songs heard on this podcast and the links to each artists website;
Bag of Toys – “Smile So Wide” (get it free on eMusic)
Ruby Rendrag – “Meditation”
Kelly Zullo – “Where You’re Hiding”
Old Crow Medicine – “Caroline” (get it free on eMusic)
Hello Dave – “Perfect Day”
Jacob Gehret – “Won’t Remember Me”
Collective Soul – “All That I Know”
Rob Anthony – “You’re the One”

Stop by my iTunes page now, tell me what you think by posting a comment and then subscribe.

Other sites mentioned in this show;
Rolling Stones “Top Ten Fictional Bands”

BRAIN FART ALERT – I said Bag of Toys music was going to be on the Fox show “House”, I was wrong. The show they will be on is “Bones.” Sorry guys!

Most of these and a ton of other great artists can be found on the Pod Safe Music Network.

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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 Elvis, the King of Rock and Roll himself, had become a balladeer, more interested in making movies than creating a movement. Rock n’ Roll was in trouble. Balladeers singing already-proven hit songs were running the charts. Nothing new was happening!

Fast-forward to September 1962. The Beatles had just been brought in to record their first professional single at Abbey Road Studio. In June of that year, during their audition, they had brought in a number of original songs that they intended to show off. After playing them all, producer George Martin did not think any of them were strong enough to be a single. He also did not like their drummer, Pete Best.

When the Beatles came back in September with Ringo Starr on the skins, Martin suggested a song called “How Do You Do It?” written by Mitch Murray, a professional songwriter. So the Beatles came in and recorded the song. But they knew it did not suit them. They insisted on having another go at a song they had submitted in June, “Love Me Do”, and they continued to argue for it until they got their way.

Their first single, “Love Me Do” was their own song, as was it’s b-side “P.S. I Love You”. Gerry and the Pacemakers went on to success of their own with “How Do You Do It?” but not as much success as the Beatles. The Beatles version of the song can be heard on the Beatles Anthology 1 CD, disc one.

The version of “Love Me Do” recorded on Sept. 4 would become the Beatles first single, but another version would be recorded for the Beatles first album, Please Please Me a week later. It seems that Martin did not like Ringo’s drumming either, at this point, and brought in a professional session drummer, Andy White.
Many fans now point out how painfully simple and repetitive “Love Me Do” is. This may be true, but the Beatles had taken creative control from day one, and went on to inspire generations of musicians to sing their own songs, and do your own thing. September 4, 1962 is certainly the day “The Sixties” began, at least for rock n’ roll.

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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 it was the first album he’d heard where every song “went together like no album ever made before.” It would greatly influence most of the recording of the Beach Boys’ own album, Pet Sounds, released in May 1966.

Pet Sounds was still very pop-rock, but in it, Wilson and the boys utilized extensive outside instrumentation normally not heard in rock n’ roll recordings. But it was the Beatles who had set that ball rolling with the strings in “Yesterday” and the sitar on “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” both in 1965.

Pet Sounds came out just as the Beatles’ work on their next album, Revolver really started to take off. On Revolver, songs like “Good Day Sunshine” and others emulated the Beach Boys vocal style, and “For No One” was in some ways indebted to the baroque musical stylings of Pet Sounds.

Well, with Revolver, the Beach Boys knew that the Beatles had taken it to another level. Pet Sounds may have been a very tight, unified album, but the Beatles managed to work endless styles of music into the mixture and still end up with an album that felt like it really fit together.

Wilson quickly set to work, earnestly trying to up the anty. He enlisted even more outside musicians, and more outside songwriters to help create a soundscape that had never been heard before. The album was to be called Smile, and was to be less of a collection of songs than an album-long sound collage. Then came February 17, 1967, the day the Beatles released the double A-side single “Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane”.

Brian Wilson was driving in his car one day when “Strawberry Fields Forever” came on the radio. He immediately pulled over to the side of the road to just listen.
After the song ended, he went to tell his bandmates and his other collaborators, “you know what, guys, let’s just forget it.” The Smile project was shelved, and a watered down version of it, called Smiley Smile was later released. Meanwhile, the Beatles released the iconic Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and, for the second time in their careers, became the new voice of their generation.

The Beatles themselves seem to have lost the spirit of competition after that. They released the double-EP “Magical Mystery Tour” and three more great albums before breaking up. Many argue that either Rubber Soul or Revolver were greater albums than Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was. But it was in 1967 when they truly reached the pinnacle, having shaken off all competition creatively.

Further reading on John Lennon

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You and I both have our ideas about what life must be like for rock bands on the road. Whether it the penthouse suites and first class treatment of superstars like Bon Jovi or the lonely outsider depiction outlined in Bob Seger’s melancholy classic “Turn the Page.” Today you get a chance to see – and hear – for yourself what it’s like for lesser known, harder working bands to be on the road.

For a few weeks now, I have been following a guy named Micheal Butler around the Midwest. Micheal Butler is the host of one of my favorite podcasts called the Rock and Roll Geek Show. Since he is also the hired gun on bass for the band Jetboy – who is on tour with Ratt frontman Stephen Pearcy – he is documenting snippets of the tour on video and audio for all to see.

Unlike much of the scripted reality stuff on TV, this is about as legit as it gets. You get to see (and hear) first hand what its like to be in a band on the road.

For anyone, the series is solid online entertainment. Its interesting, addictive and good for an occasional laugh. For the real rock and roll fan it is must see.

Watch as these California rockers travel though the midwest while human nature and old man winter throw everything they can at them. Check out the Rock and Roll Geek Show Jetboy tour updates starting with day one now, follow along and be glad you did.

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I think he needs a few more cigarettes stuck under the strings on the headstock.. hehe…Nice find keep ‘em coming…

I too appreciate the trade mark cigarette on the headstock and since Keith wants more, he gets it. Here’s a video I found of Eddie putting on some sort of exhibition. This isn’t one of his best performances but he has the cigarette and, what I think is, one hell of a buzz.

Check out the video and see if you can guess what his blood alcohol level is.

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