We are, each of us, largely responsible for what gets put into our brains, for what, as adults, we wind up caring for and knowing about. No longer at the mercy of the reptile brain, we can change ourselves.
(Source: gifmovie, via motionsensorsoundtrack)
Electric Light Orchestra — “Don’t Bring Me Down” from Discovery
Somehow, a white dude like me, born and raised in St. Louis and now living deep in an uncool part of Brooklyn, got a latin pop/rock gig in Washington Heights, the Dominican neighborhood of NYC.
I’m learning most of these songs by looking up the YouTube video. This video is probably my favorite. It’s so subtle. You don’t have to understand Spanish to know that guy wants to do it with that girl. So bad that it’s driving him loco.
See? Did you pick up on that?
Thanks to everyone who came out Saturday night- we had a great time! Loved playing the new music for such a good audience… I think we’re getting close to having enough new material for another album…
Smiling,
Erika
For this week’s Woodshed Wednesday, we’re going to talk about the about the absolute best way to learn music: Transcription.
Transcription is the act of learning a recording note for note….
I’ve started getting my usual holiday music gigs for this year, and in one instance I’m able to use an arrangement a friend and I did a few years ago. I couldn’t remember the exact guitar part, so I isolated it for easier transcription. Can you guess what song it is before clicking here?
…and that’s how you do music correctly.
boom.
Burn LIVE #barnstormer 5 @therealdaytrotter LOVE you guys! THANK YOU!
Awesome.
I was going through my computer, looking for files that could be gotten rid of and such, and I came upon a project I did for my grandmother a couple of years ago. She had kept a stack of old homemade records that belonged to my grandfather, and she asked me to transfer them to CD for her, which I happily did. When I say “homemade,” that’s exactly what I mean: my grandfather had a phonograph recorder which he used to record things off the radio and family gatherings/conversations via microphone.
The audio I’m posting here is a radio performance of an old song, “Bell Bottom Trousers.” There wasn’t an exact date on the record, but based on what else was in the album of records, I place it somewhere around 1945. Yup, home recording existed back then.
Aside from the sentimental value, check out the talent and skill of the performers — that’s some seriously tight vocal harmonies and phrasing. That was one take, without auto-tune or other editing capabilities, performed live on the radio. Yes, people used to know how to sing and play very well together without the use of technology.
Also, if you listen through to the very end, you’ll hear my grandfather come on and talk about how pleased he is that his phonograph recorded is working better after some tinkering. And that’s my grandmother calling him to the store… I dare you to listen and not get a big smile on your face.
Tuck Andress, “Betcha By Golly Wow”
I wanted to play this song on a gig last night but the singer vetoed it, saying, “I think it’ll grow on me,” which means, “I don’t really like that song.”
If it hasn’t grown on her by next week, Tuck has inspired me to play it solo. Great tune, even if it hasn’t grown on you yet.
