Last Commented Music Blogs (1,260)

Leo Fender was an electronics repairman who teamed up with Doc Kauffman in the 1940's producing musical amplifiers. Leo split with Doc to create his first generation of amplifiers around 1946 that had a tweed covering and brown metal faced chassis attached in a combo where the amplifier and speaker were in one enclosure. Around 1950, models changed to a Tolex textured vinyl covering available in different shades of beige and brown. While this era was significant, it wasn't until the 1960's that Fender started producing larger and more powerful models and in 1963 introduced a blackface model where the amplifier (head) was detached from the speaker cabinet. This is the generation that created worldwide awareness for Fender and his Blackface amps.

In 1965 CBS bought Fender for $13 million and started producing the same products with only a cosmetic change of a silverface chassis. Soon after, there were circuitry changes making them less desirable than blackface Fenders.

Blackface Fender amplifiers became hard to find and getting one often came with a price tag 4 to 5 times the original list price. I owned a silverface purchased around 1969 and it couldn't compare to the sound of my friends blackface.

The venues I had performed at were mostly nightclubs and school dances, but I joined a well established band in 1970 and needed something more powerful for outdoor concerts and stopped using Fender.

Once in a while I'll check a sale on eBay and see that year after year, blackface Fenders always hold their value.

Blackface pre-CBS


Chromeface

For the record, every country has their own style of Country Music.
I was active on Citizens Band (CB) radio in the 1970's and listening to channel 19 that was commonly used as a call channel for truckers, someone asked "What radio station is Country Music on?"
Unlike other places in America, Miami is multi-cultural... so I just had to ask "What country?"


I see there is some confusion including cross reference between the different styles of early music in America. Not all are lumped into "Country Music"

Today, I'm blogging about Mississippi Delta Blues. That's the original folklore story where the young man met Satin at the crossroads and sold his soul for a musical talent he couldn't achieve without 20 years of practice!

That is not to be confused with American style of 'Country Music' with my ex'es from Texas or 'Fiddles from Hell' ala Charlie Daniels Band.

Steel Guitar is associated with Country Music. That instrument is played horizontally where the strings are 1/4" (or more) above the neck and uses a solid bar of polished metal (steel) played on an instrument. Due to the metal bar, all the notes played ring out clear.

Delta Blues is played on a standard guitar... at least 50 years before electric guitars came along and the 'slide' sound comes from a piece of glass. Commonly, it was a broken neck of a whiskey bottle, hence then name 'Bottlebeck Guitar'
The notes on the bottleneck aren't as sustained as a Steel Guitar and that contributes to it's unique sound and style of play.

One of the early legends to this style of music is Muddy Waters. Here is a sample of this music:

Back in 2013, the metalcore band As I Lay Dying was in the middle of a tour, when their frontman Tim Lambesis was arrested and charged with soliciting a murder on his estranged wife. He met with a, unbeknownst to Tim, an undercover cop, and agreed to pay him $20.000 to carry out a hit.

Tim was subsequently arrested and thrown in jail in 2014, where he received a 6 year jail sentence, but he was released on parole in 2016.

I swore then and there, that I would refuse to listen to any As I Lay Dying, for as long as I lived, because I would not support Tim or his band. It went pretty well, until recently when I listened to this song, by accident



It only dawned on me, after about 25 listens, that it was As I Lay Dying.

So therefore I admit: I was wrong! I WILL listen to his band again, if they churn out bangers like this one!

Tapping is a style of guitar playing where the strumming hand assists the fingering hand by tapping the fretboard and adding additional chord notes the fingering hand cannot reach or to supplement with syncopated notes to the melody. Assuming the guitarist is right handed, it's the left hand playing chords and the right hand that picks (or strums) the notes. By tapping the fretboard a note is played with the same volume as though it was plucked.

The earliest example I found using this style was Vittorio Camardese from a 1965 video...

Yes, it's somewhat common and natural.
It's not that much of an adjustment.

Granted, most players stick to one way.
But there's no law against trying something different.
It might feel good. Try it.
You know you want to.

Sure when most people think of sax,
it's with either a
alto or a tenor.
But there's baritone and soprano too.
Some people do it all.

What ?

22. Automatic 4 the ppl / R a pid ........ 70. Out of Time / eYe movement
......................................( 0.5 ) .......... 65. bee Thousand / guided by voices
17. Superunknown / soundgarden
..... d 3........................ 3. murmur / rem } rapid eYe move
Alternative Albums.......................... 2. remain in light / talking heads
digital dream door } ....................... 05. .................. [ Isa. 5
... 66. Speaking in Tongues / talking heads ... [ Acts, book of
... 61. This Nation's saving grace / the Fall
... 05.... ....... ) and so we observe; The instrument was put in play to be heard ) ) to be discovered, to bee remembered, to be repeated. Tis the nature of song & verse. The charting makes cent$ because people have been known to keep score. [ Prime reason of course } is to trump someone else's scoring.
.. 1. Nevermind / Nirvana ......................... 135. hybrid theory / L park
.. 4. ok computer / radiohead ................ 05. ) in British history......
.. 5. ) fastest selling Album ................. 130. Lo-end theory / Tribe called Quest
....... 41. Double nickels on the dime / minute men
....... 05. [ U2's 5th studio LP.................... 05. T H E
....... 36. Achtung baby / U2 ......................05. Joshua Tree
......... the Paradox is ..............................10. Ye Cure / Dis- Integration
the Chart-Masters at the Dream Door did not include
any of the 5 singles from J ... Tree in their Alternative song top 40. [ ?
... part 2. [ branch from the Tree above ] Alternative Songs, d3
92. Heart shaped box / nirvana.................... 96. You oughta know / A.M.
91. Academy fight song / .............................95. Mr. Brightside / the killers
90. Today / smashing pumpkins .................. 01......
... 110. Panic / the Smiths .................... 2. Love will tear us apart / joy division
... 109. man on the moon / R E M ........ 3. Radio free Europe / rapid eYe move
..... 01............ [ 76. Left of the dial / replacements
..........................75. bulls on parade / R A M [ rage against machine
72. True faith / new order
71. Still haven't found what I'm looking for / U2.... ) ) DNA what we were looking for was
1. Where the streets have no name .... if only for the Story Telling effect, let alone the
Tectonic force of the Intro & Edgy fret work.
.. 23. song 2 / blur ........................... 16. Just like heaven / the Cure
.. 22. personal Jesus / d mode......... 15. Wonderwall / Oasis
...... 58. Live forever / Oasis
.......57. Jesus Christ pose / soundgarden

One has to scroll deep into their song list before their top pick makes a story....
134. Ghost town / the specials
133. Lake of fire / meat puppets
..01. smells like teen spirit / nirvana..... ) standby for part 3

In music news today, drummer Ginger Baker who came on the music scene with the 1960's super group Cream has died at the age of 80.

While he became a legend with a style of his own, I'm told in his declining years he was 'more than' grumpy and difficult when asked to interview.

It didn't matter... he influenced thousands of aspiring drummers!



Ginger Baker in 2019
Jack Bruce died in 2014

That leaves Clapton to carry on the musical legend...

When Satan gave us country music, what was it exactly that we did to deserve it?

YouTube has endless selections of Japanese Popular music (J-POP for short) and most are headed up by all girl bands. I came across one group BAND-MAID, five young women wearing sexy maid costumes.
At first, I thought their instruments were props... typical of some American bands that had real musicians behind the scenes while they pranced around the stage... not to say that there aren't any like that in Japan. BAND-MAID can hold their own with real talent.

I've listened to a few of their songs and amazed how good they perform!

Typical of many Japanese bands, their music is sung in Japanese and every once in a while there is a phrase in English.

"I've gotta be on my way"

Last night at the Irish festival held in Marbella I finally got the oportunity to see Finbar Furey an Irish legend. It was a wonderful night, he is amazing on stage and off.



This is not my video so thanks to who uploaded it on youtube.