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At about 10:35am PCT the ground beneath began to oscillate. I was helpless to do anything about it and briefly wondered if it would end with me digging myself out from a pile of rubble...or just end. Lights out.

Anyway, it was a little one and only lasted a few seconds but made me want to hear this song!



Better luck next time, Maynard.

Although made (mostly) from BRASS the saxophone is in the family of woodwind instruments. Driven by a single (cane) reed the saxophone is made in 8 different sizes ranging from the smallest Sopranino to the largest Subcontrabass.

Depending on your perspective, the saxophone emits a loud sound perfect for marching bands and in jazz music. Toned down with less 'bark' the saxophone is often associated with many soundtracks of sexy/sultry parts of movies.

Smooth Jazz? If you don't like the sound of a saxophone, I suggest you avoid that style of music!

In recent years, musical instrument companies have perfected digital versions of saxophones as MIDI controllers. Without this blog getting into the 'electronic' part of the controller, MIDI is a language that allows devices to 'talk' to computers and sound modules, giving the user an unlimited palette of sounds and coloration that an analog instrument couldn't accomplish.

MIDI wind controller can be described simply as playing a device with the feel of a saxophone that gives the musician sounds never heard before... in this case a saxophone that could sound like a pipe organ, electric guitar, trumpet, synthesizer and human voice.



Thanks for listening to my blog... !!

Meshugaas, also Mishegaas or Mishegoss: Crazy or senseless activity or behavior; craziness, meshugaas, from Hebrew:, m?šugga‘ath, a form of the above; OED, AHD)

It is therefore perfect for this band I am about to introduce you to!

This is the band Meshuggah


They were formed in 1987 in Umeå, Sweden. The band consists of Jens Kidman, Fredrik Thordendal, Tomas Haake, Mårten Hagström and D ick Lövgren.

Their style of music is a mix between extreme metal, progressive metal and avant-garde metal. Other people say, that the lead guitar player, Fredrik Thordendal, is the creator of the djent genre, which is a subgenre of progressive metal, named for an onomatopoeia for the distinctive high-gain, distorted, palm-muted, low-pitch guitar sound. Fredrik has been on a hiatus from the band since 2017, and in true Swedish fashion, they broke the news like this:

"So...we had to send our interdimensional Kazoospecialist Dr Thordendal on a mission to explore some interesting stuff. He's been asking for this assignment for quite a while and it seems now is the time to realize his aspirations. This would however leave the rest of us unable to deliver our usual tonal obscenities for quite some time... and obviously we can't have that!
So we put our five blocks of wood together and came up with a brilliant plan that we thought would be productive, intelligent and artistically mature.
We took some rolls of duct tape, a black hood, a sock with a cue ball and some rope and drove north from Stockholm in a sketchy van to fetch ourselves the prey we wanted, to fill the Kazoospot for a while. We won't get into the messy details but we can now proudly present our interim Lead Kazooist for the duration of "The Thords" hiatus: PER NILSSON!!
MAN he knows how to Kazoo!! You will meet him first time on our summer run in North America with Megadeth and be all the better for it!! Honestly, we could just send Per by himself but we decided the rest of us will tag along for moral support
*End of transmission*"

I love these guys, man!

Meshuggah is one of those bands, where the drummer constantly amazes you. Tomas Haake, is the guy. They made an album called obZen, and on that album was a song called Bleed


The thing about this song in particular, is that it took Tomas SIX months to learn. He had to invent a completely new style of play, that really took dedication from him. The entire band in general is extremely talented.

Jens Kidman is the lead singer of the band, and his style of singing is extremely challenging, namely because his voice is so high when he sings. I have never had the pleasure of seeing the band live, but I have met the drummer, Tomas. He is a super down to earth guy, who loves to talk to his fans.

I know there are some out there, who are going "Raaaaaa metal is just noise and shouting and evil stuff and no talent and just strumming some instruments"

Not Meshuggah! Their music have so many layers, that you can spend a week analyzing Bleed and still find new stuff in the song.

If you want to check out Meshuggah for yourself, their music is on YouTube and Spotify, and on tour in the US and in Europe.

Up early, at 4.45 am. Not my preferred time to get up, but I made the best of it.

I was meeting up with a friend, who is also a fan. We made it to the tv studio on time, got some breakfast and then got mic'ed up. Then it was time for the 8 minute segment on the band Slipknot, who is headlining Copenhell this year. We went through what song we preferred, what mask we both liked and what the band meant to us.

I named this mask as my favourite

When I was asked why, I said it was because it just looks creepy! Like a mix between Leatherface and an axemurderer. That comment made everyone laugh, which made me feel good. But the entire thing went off without a hitch.

Well.. There was ONE thing.. Remember when I told in my previous blog, that I would try not to make a fool out of myself? Well, someone managed to screenshot this of me



..at least I look passionate about the band, which is exactly what I wanted to achieve!

Bob Seger is on his final few weeks of his farewell tour and is still playing one of his first classics 'Ramblin' Gamblin' Man'

Only Chubby Checker had a single that sold more copies. This song enabled Santana to win 3 Grammys and is now frequently played at weddings and still gets air play on the radio 20 years later.

Perhaps the most amazing part of the song, is the story behind the scenes of how it almost didn't happen and how it came together.
The original inspiration was Santana's small children who stated wonder why the only song they ever heard from their father on the radio was 'Black Magic Woman'. So, Carlos sought out an old connection in the music business to create an updated collaboration.

The music beat was written by one person not connected to the band, based on old Santana successes, and later the lyrics, while not written by Santana, were inspired by Santana being "smooth" and also by the writer's girlfriend. Naturally, Santana then improvised guitar licks.

First here's the official video of the song;



and now here's the long, but worth it story, 'Man, It's a Hot One'

*al-history-841189/

That's right. Get out of that chair and get down with your funky self tonight.

Probably 20 years ago, I took up learning to play Irish Uilleann bagpipes. It was hard for me as I had no understanding of Traditional Irish music with all the cuts, taps, and nuances that make the music so colorful. I was a member of a message board for Irish music and learned many of the techniques about the instrument and also about the music. Life led me in a different path... I sold all my pipes and put that musical interest on hold.

As an offshoot, the message board also had sections for other instruments related to Irish music and that included a tenor banjo. Pitched lower than a standard banjo, the tenor banjo has a deeper 'twang' that resonates a little longer.

Many of the people who settled in the Appalachian mountain region in America are of Irish decent. They brought over a similar style of music that's not as difficult (for me) to follow. Their gatherings are mostly of stringed instruments... including a tenor banjo.

I came across a young woman who was playing for many years and was sought out in music circles for her voice. She plays a custom made 5 string tenor banjo that blends perfectly with her voice.

She was featured in a PBS special called Transatlantic Sessions. I was surfing YouTube today and happened to remember the video.

Her name is Sarah Jarosz and she's singing a song called Annabelle Lee

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do...