There is nothing like traveling on a Tuesday (02/14)

[sickbutnottired]

So I am off to Absorokee and Red Lodge MT today, to fix some software at customer sights that I can't remote too. Running late so I am taking some H20 and a little fruit. That makes lunch some fast food. Once I get East of Bozeman (home of Gibson Acoustic Factory) it gets pretty western--so I will have to take what I get for food options. My Droid says it's over 500 miles, round trip, so there might be a dinner report as well.

Of course out on the more urban coasts a 500 mile one day trip would be inconceivable. But basically today I will go 65 in the dark and just short of 85 in the daylight—and if I have to slow down to 70 to wait for a couple semi's to pass one another I will be very annoyed, for about a minute. (Units are miles/gallon for our metric friends). I take it easy in the dark, because hitting deer is a huge pain, and very common.

A lot of interesting cuts posted yesterday. It's great to get an introduction to an artist from a knowledgeable fan. Zap posted Jethro Tull, and that got me thinking. I am really not as familiar with them as I thought. I think it's because I, really, have only heard them on the radio; and you don't get much of a variety. Maybe social media is a better way to propagate music? I really don't use social media, so I wouldn't know. But on my rarely used facebook thingy I do have a link to a 'society' of local performing musicians—and if I got on and checked I would be notified of a lot of the local shows.

Question 1 and 2–
Is social media, or is it going to, promote quality music more effectively than record companies/radio/promoters? Do you use social media to promote any of your projects? Is i-tunes a help or a hindrance to good music?

This is a G&L forum, we hit non-guitar centric music yesterday, but we gotta listen to electric guitar today. I am going to throw out two performers that totally blow me back, everyone knows these guys. I lucked out and found this video of them together. I know the sound quality is miserable, but you get the idea-

Guy - Schofield - Guest
[youtube]fpfwNhhzVV8[/youtube]

Listen to Matt, but watch Buddy. He looks genuinely impressed and happy to me. And kids, learn to play rhythm guitar. You're not too talented, it's not optional.

A classic performance
[youtube]CmM3MbFhlaE[/youtube]

This is the song that turned me on to Matt, then I found out he's got a million moves that he weaves to perfection.
[youtube]vjiV_9KQiNs[/youtube]


G&L Question of the Day
It's a poll today. A legend vs. a young gun. (A young gun, by definition, is anyone younger than ME!)
Who would you rather see, live, on a G&L. Tell us what guitar you think they should use.

Bonus – Give us a cool venue local to you where the show would be the coolest/best etc. And explain why to us tourists.

[zombywoof]

Got nothing against those guys but for me the one guy who can serve up some dirt-under-your-fingernails blues on both acoustic and electric is Alvin Youngblood Hart.

http://youtu.be/edPkZ5uS2mM

A close runner up would be Kenny Brown - long-time sideman for R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough. Talk about some serious street cred.

http://youtu.be/Io_rJS_DAJI

Great Venue to see them at - the Natchez Bluff Blues Festival.

[louis cyfer]

matt schofield is the man. my favorite player currently for sure.

[kakerlak]

Ain't got a lot to add today, other than to say that BB is the King for a reason, and, that aside, this is about as good as it gets:
[youtube]_bxaCkUhzUk[/youtube]

[Muleya]

While I enjoy blues, I'm not a HUGE blues fan. And I tend more towards SRV or Joe Bonamossa stylistically. However, between these two, I'd probably opt for Schofield...he seems like an act that, while I may not buy his albums, I'd really enjoy him live.

As far as venue, one of my faves is The Birchmere in Alexandria, VA (essentially Wash DC). It's small and there's not a bad seat in the house. Plus they serve food and drinks...what more can you ask for. Just saw Eric Johnson there last month...wouldn't mind seeing him play a G&L!!

[zombywoof]

Ain't got a lot to add today, other than to say that BB is the King for a reason, and, that aside, this is about as good as it gets:
[youtube]_bxaCkUhzUk[/youtube]

Bloomfield was the best white boy blues picker to ever walk the face of the planet!

[darwinohm]

Jeremy, traveling Montana is interesting. Went through on my Gold Wing and we traveled fast. Took in Yellowstone and then the Jackson Wy area. Great memories and do not remember seeing any patrol cars. Very scenic state.

I am into blues about as much as new country. I like to listen to some blues but 20 min. is enough. I am not into social media other than the internet. I do like I-tunes and if I need to learn a new song, I load it down. My favorite guitarists are old school and I know there are some good new ones but I don't stray a lot when it comes to music. The Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed ,Albert Lee, Vince Gill guys are in a league of their own in my mind. I am not a social trendsetter. I remember seeing one of the first digital display calculators in the early seventies and that was slick stuff!-- Darwin

[blargfromouterspace]

We do a fair amount of driving here too, 500 miles is enough for one day for one guy to drive. Our next couple of gigs are 500 and 600mi round trips. Luckily the pay is good, and they provide accommodation for the night.

Buddy Guy, any day. Guitar blues is hit and miss. I can't stand the oily slickness of a lot of the younger white players. Bonamassa is my least favourite of all, and I'd put Schofield in the same boat as him stylistically. I love the three Kings, Albert Collins etc, they have play real tastefully and are great blues musicians. To follow on from yesterdays theme, a bit of non-guitar driven blues:

[youtube]OCH_n9CTTbA[/youtube]

Drive safe.

[kakerlak]

I can't stand the oily slickness of a lot of the younger white players. Bonamassa is my least favourite of all, and I'd put Schofield in the same boat as him stylistically.

You and me both, brother!

[kakerlak]

Bloomfield was the best white boy blues picker to ever walk the face of the planet!

Yep. For about a year and a half, anyway.

[zapcosongs]

Crazy here, so I don't have much time.

I just want to say that it's kind of ironic in that I suggested Tull yesterday in response to a non-guitar-driven act - mostly because everybody associates Jethro Tull with Ian Anderson and his flute. But the fact is that over the many (40!!!) years of that band's history, the music has really been driven by a guitarist by the name of Martin Barre, who is very much my favorite guitarist. Besides his deep involvement with Tull and his several solo projects, he has been involved in a multitude of projects with other artists.

Here is but one example. This guy can play one note, and I can identify his work:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm4vFDkRANc

(Edit: Da*M! If you're interested, just search Barre and Vikki - it's the first thing that comes up)

I'm not at all surprised that Louis appreciates Tull (and by extension, Martin). And not only because Mr. Barre favors the Soldano Decatone as his amplifier of choice.

Just tasty stuff. Not flashy. Content to be in the background, I have met this gent, and actually named my son after him.

Forgive me. What the h*ll was the question? Forgive me. My Dad isn't doing well.... -ed

[louis cyfer]

I can't stand the oily slickness of a lot of the younger white players. Bonamassa is my least favourite of all, and I'd put Schofield in the same boat as him stylistically.

You and me both, brother!

i don't think schofield is anything like bonamassa. bonamassa is not really a blues player, he sounds more like eric johnson. schofield is incredible. more along the lines of robben ford and carlton than bonamassa.

[Muleya]

i don't think schofield is anything like bonamassa. bonamassa is not really a blues player, he sounds more like eric johnson.

???

Johnson and Bonamossa are very different. Eric Johnson is really a distinct player, at least if you listen to him in depth. His influences range from Chet Atkins to Wes Montgomery to Jerry Reed to Jimi Hendrix to SRV...and you can hear all those influences if you listen to enough of his stuff.

Some of my favorite Eric Johnson is his Wes Montgomery styled stuff...not anywhere close to Bonamossa. In fact, I'd say that 10% of his stuff might be similar to Bonamossa. One thing I love about EJ is the eclectic nature of his albums. And I never mistake his playing for anyone else!

The dude is a little "out there" in some respects, but as a player, I really enjoy his albums!

[JagInTheBag]

Whether a blues musiciain is technically proficient or not, as long as his personality AND the emotion being conveyed is translated in his music- THAT is a successful bluesman. When I hear adjectives like "oily" and "slick" I immediately think of a person who is technically adept, but plays with little conviction. It is an intangible that separates those who have studied the blues and those that embody it.

[Muleya]

Whether a blues musiciain is technically proficient or not, as long as his personality AND the emotion being conveyed is translated in his music- THAT is a successful bluesman. When I hear adjectives like "oily" and "slick" I immediately think of a person who is technically adept, but plays with little conviction. It is an intangible that separates those who have studied the blues and those that embody it.

Well put! Makes me think of Mark Knopfler (not really blues, I know, but a case in point) While I haven't been into his recent stuff all that much, he seems to convey a lot of feeling in his playing...which is kind of ironic, because his face doesn't convey much of anything when he plays--maybe it all goes into the music!

[blargfromouterspace]

It is an intangible that separates those who have studied the blues and those that embody it.

Bingo.

[louis cyfer]

Whether a blues musiciain is technically proficient or not, as long as his personality AND the emotion being conveyed is translated in his music- THAT is a successful bluesman. When I hear adjectives like "oily" and "slick" I immediately think of a person who is technically adept, but plays with little conviction. It is an intangible that separates those who have studied the blues and those that embody it.

indeed. but just because one is technically proficient, doesn't mean they are not a great blues player. usually the people who dismiss players because of technical proficiency are the ones who themselves are lacking in that department, and want to justify not working at it.

[JagInTheBag]

Whether a blues musiciain is technically proficient or not, as long as his personality AND the emotion being conveyed is translated in his music- THAT is a successful bluesman. When I hear adjectives like "oily" and "slick" I immediately think of a person who is technically adept, but plays with little conviction. It is an intangible that separates those who have studied the blues and those that embody it.

indeed. but just because one is technically proficient, doesn't mean they are not a great blues player. usually the people who dismiss players because of technical proficiency are the ones who themselves are lacking in that department, and want to justify not working at it.

LOL! I'm the first to admit that I am no SRV. That said, I want to become more proficient in order to be more emotionally expressive, it is not an end unto itself. ~Patrick

[blargfromouterspace]

usually the people who dismiss players because of technical proficiency are the ones who themselves are lacking in that department, and want to justify not working at it.

Thing is, you have to be technically competent to play music with feeling, so it's kind of the other way around.

Here's a fun game - out of these two pictures (pretend you don't know who they are), who would be the guy you'd like to watch?

OR

[JagInTheBag]

usually the people who dismiss players because of technical proficiency are the ones who themselves are lacking in that department, and want to justify not working at it.

Thing is, you have to be technically competent to play music with feeling, so it's kind of the other way around.

My point is, Neil Young can choke the feeling out of a single note, more evokative in his playing than any shredder that comes to mind...

As for a non-guitar driven act, Nina Simone is the first that comes mind.
[youtube]aCuu5fOEB3Y[/youtube]

[Michael-GnL-Michael]

I missed yesterday's LR. There were a lot of interesting things brought up. I would like to respond to a few things. To help keep the post clear with so many quotes my words will be in bold text.

...I can't stand the oily slickness of a lot of the younger white players. ....

I disagree with regards to Bonamassa and Schofeld residing within this stylistic category of player.

...Martin Barre, who is very much my favorite guitarist....

I loved the way Barre was playing live during the period when Jethro Tull recorded the Bursting Out album in the 70's.

I can't stand the oily slickness of a lot of the younger white players. Bonamassa is my least favourite of all, and I'd put Schofield in the same boat as him stylistically.

You and me both, brother!

i don't think schofield is anything like bonamassa. bonamassa is not really a blues player, he sounds more like eric johnson. schofield is incredible. more along the lines of robben ford and carlton than bonamassa.

I can understand both views of Johnson regarding Bonamassa. Bonamassa plays the blues with a rock flavor. I also think he is only paying homage to the blues and probably would agree that he is not a blues player in the sense that he does not sing or play authentically...........plus, he comes off too happy as a performer to play the blues. In a parallel universe Johnson is too versatile to adhere to the blues or a similarly restricted structure (probably not the best choice of words). Schofeld's voice and a percentage of his note selection make me think of Lyle Lovett. Lovett has a great voice but he often includes notes in his melodies that create an uneasy feeling like stopping short of the peak of a mountain climb.

i don't think schofield is anything like bonamassa. bonamassa is not really a blues player, he sounds more like eric johnson.

???

Johnson and Bonamossa are very different. Eric Johnson is really a distinct player, at least if you listen to him in depth. His influences range from Chet Atkins to Wes Montgomery to Jerry Reed to Jimi Hendrix to SRV...and you can hear all those influences if you listen to enough of his stuff.

Some of my favorite Eric Johnson is his Wes Montgomery styled stuff...not anywhere close to Bonamossa. In fact, I'd say that 10% of his stuff might be similar to Bonamossa. One thing I love about EJ is the eclectic nature of his albums. And I never mistake his playing for anyone else!

The dude is a little "out there" in some respects, but as a player, I really enjoy his albums!

Somehow I agree with both of you.

Whether a blues musiciain is technically proficient or not, as long as his personality AND the emotion being conveyed is translated in his music- THAT is a successful bluesman. When I hear adjectives like "oily" and "slick" I immediately think of a person who is technically adept, but plays with little conviction. It is an intangible that separates those who have studied the blues and those that embody it.

It can be very clear what the difference is between going through the motions with technical knowledge and skill vs. embodying "the blues." It is really no different than noticing errors when you are familiar with a song. Some would overlook a mistake depending on its nature. A missed beat or sour note is going to catch the attention of more people and requires less knowledge. If it is using the wrong cadence then you would need a higher degree of knowledge to catch it. Music as a whole is intangible.

Whether a blues musiciain is technically proficient or not, as long as his personality AND the emotion being conveyed is translated in his music- THAT is a successful bluesman. When I hear adjectives like "oily" and "slick" I immediately think of a person who is technically adept, but plays with little conviction. It is an intangible that separates those who have studied the blues and those that embody it.

indeed. but just because one is technically proficient, doesn't mean they are not a great blues player. usually the people who dismiss players because of technical proficiency are the ones who themselves are lacking in that department, and want to justify not working at it.

That is also true in any area of life. Those that are grounded and have a handle on life generally do not make an issue of such things. It is typically said by someone struggling as they share an insight they have discovered in their quest to get beyond it. The insight means more to them as it hits home but it is often less significant when viewed without as much bias.

usually the people who dismiss players because of technical proficiency are the ones who themselves are lacking in that department, and want to justify not working at it.

Thing is, you have to be technically competent to play music with feeling, so it's kind of the other way around.

Here's a fun game - out of these two pictures (pretend you don't know who they are), who would be the guy you'd like to watch?

OR

Disagree completely with this. See Neil Young reference below. You cannot judge by appearances. Look at Prince or Michael Jackson......on the surface, two self-absorbed dudes each in their own right, yet able to demonstrate remarkable musical abilities and arguably heartfelt at that.

usually the people who dismiss players because of technical proficiency are the ones who themselves are lacking in that department, and want to justify not working at it.

Thing is, you have to be technically competent to play music with feeling, so it's kind of the other way around.

My point is, Neil Young can choke the feeling out of a single note, more evokative in his playing than any shredder that comes to mind...

I also thought of Neil Young before I read your post.

[blargfromouterspace]

Disagree completely with this. See Neil Young reference below. You cannot judge by appearances.

Nonsense, we all do it all the time, it's ingrained in our behaviour.

What I meant here :

Thing is, you have to be technically competent to play music with feeling, so it's kind of the other way around.

... was that you only have to be technically competent enough to play what YOU need to to be able to get your point across. I <censored word> love Neil Young and love a one note solo!

[Michael-GnL-Michael]

Disagree completely with this. See Neil Young reference below. You cannot judge by appearances.

Nonsense, we all do it all the time, it's ingrained in our behaviour.

What I meant here :

Thing is, you have to be technically competent to play music with feeling, so it's kind of the other way around.

... was that you only have to be technically competent enough to play what YOU need to to be able to get your point across. I <censored word> love Neil Young and love a one note solo!

I did not say we don't judge. That sentence belongs in the context it was written for. We are talking about music here and specifically whether those two images depict any ability to play it.

Neil Young debunks the theory of technical proficiency being required to convey feeling in music..........literally with one note. Not that he has none, he has demonstrated how it can be done using next to none. Your clarified statement is true. A child can convey feeling in music with no technical skill or knowledge.

[JagInTheBag]

Jakob Dylan is another- doesn't give enough credit, in my mind.