While I was in High School, I saw something that really intrigued me. It was Rock In Rio's music festival, and internet streaming was getting some ground, so seeing this kind of events on the internet was more accesible than in the early days of the net.
The thing that intrigued me was that they announced that, Guns N' Roses was 'bout to play onstage. But, while onstage, the Guns N' Roses everyone expected wasn't up there, except for Axl Rose, and Dizzy Reed. The rest of the band was completely new. And there was this character that quite intrigued me a bit. A tall fella, really really tall fella, who wore a KFC bucket over his head. His name? Buckethead.
I felt like ''Who is that guy with that thing on the head?'' and, while I heard him playing ''Welcome to The Jungle'' I remember saying ''He's really good'' and, while he performed his solo thing with the nunchakas, I also said ''That's something you don't get to see every day''
-Heart Felt Music. Something you don't see every day -
So I started my research, and then I found, he had a ZILLION albums recorded. I wanted to get them, but I couldn't, 'till two years ago, while a friend o' mine downloaded 'em. I was amazed. The guy not only could shred, but also play as melodic as his spirit could tell...
His style ranges from Heavy Metal, Funk, Trash Metal, Jazz, sometimes flamenco, sometimes electronica, etc. What this guy couldn't play? To be honest, modern guitar players should consider this idea, of being able to play more than just one musical genre at the time, 'cause, all the guitar things we know know, were made by the greats before us, and if you have this minimal desire, of being a great as well, you should consider playing as good as you can, and learning as much as you can as well. And that means, being musically open to all the music you could hear, and appreciate, and learn.
No doubt, that Buckethead is really one of the New World Order's guitar Heroes, and a real one... Wish more guitar players as innovators as him arise on the years to come... who knows?
James Marshall Hendrix was an unique character... At the time he became one of the most amazing musicians, all people was crazy and psyched 'bout the British Invasion, you know... The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Many bands, like The Byrds, tried to let's say, ''fight'' against this thing.
But anyway, one day Jimi Hendrix takes a flight to England... and starts something here, one of the most amazing and experimental acts in rock history: The Jimi Hendrix Experience. It was a power trio, with Hendrix on Guitar, Noel Redding on bass, and Mitch Mitchell on drums.
Hendrix was one of a kind, 'cause he was damn humble. In fact, he usually paid tribute to his blues influences, such as B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, and Albert King, and also showed a lot of respect for his contemporaries, like Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, The Beatles, and Eric Clapton -In fact, Hendrix covered the famous ''Sunshine of Your Love'' once, in quite a fast fashion, but it sounded really cool. Like it was his.-
He even met another of my musical heroes, Robert Fripp, and he shook his hand with Robert's, saying that King Crimson was the best band in the world. A left handed shook... Amazing. I do insist, what a humble man Jimi was.
-''You only sacrifice what you love''-
Jimi surely could play the blues out of his guitar. In fact, you could visualize him as he is playing his music. And that is something, you don't see this days, where music is more a business than just real art in its pure state, as it was back then.
- Uncle Henry really says it all... listen to him :D -
Thanks a lot Jimi, for what you've done in music is something that really encourages a lot of guitar players to pick up a guitar... Thanks, a lot.
While I heard for the first time Metallica, back in the days I was 17 years old, I did some research 'bout how those guys crafted such an amazing sound. And among many other bands, one of the main influences they mentioned, was Black Sabbath.
Same thing happened with Soundgarden. I did some research how those guys crafted such an amazing sound. And among many other bands, one of the main influences they mentioned, was Black Sabbath.
I had a Black Sabbath ''Greatest Hits'' in my music record's bibliotheque, but I never played it much. In fact, the only song I remember I played over, and over again, was Iron Man. I couldn't get enough of that guitar riff, and the lyrics were awesome. In fact, I had to cover Iron Man for something I had to play... at college. My band -and specially myself- sucked, but boy I pulled my whole energies out playin' that song. I was 19.
At the time Sabbath really hit me, I was 21... The same year I started hearing Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains... I really was missing a lot, 'cause this band is so damn awesome... One of the first songs I heard, was Under the Sun.
An extremely low-tuned guitar, with slow riffs, and dense rhytms, to me, it was something totally new, among with grunge music. Similarities? Yeah, well in fact, Black Sabbath was a key band for the grunge music development, as well as for other styles and bands... Nirvana's frontman Kurt Cobain cited them as influences too, Henry Rollins of Black Flag and Rollins band too, so this band really cooked great rock music like really a few do.
I was like ''Jeez, what a sound''. I wasn't used to hear such slow rhytms on guitar, 'cause up to then I was only shredding, or playin' intricate tempos derived from the progressive rock thing. It was like a bummer, to hear what you could do with such an slow vibe... I felt like the whole world was 'bout to end.
-This is what I mean with ''I felt like the whole world was 'bout to end''-
And that's what Tony Iommi's riffs did to me back then. Among with Gilmour's crystaline sounds in Floyd, Robert Fripp's ambient soundscapes, and Hendrix's feedback antics, it showed me that it's not necessary to be like a damn Ferrari to be a good guitarist. Meaning, that you shouldn't play like a 10000 notes per second. How wrong was I while I thought being a good guitarist meant being a shred-so-fast. Glad I changed my mind...
Black Sabbath went through some changes as well. We all know, the classic lineup of Ozzy, Geezer, Tony and Bill. But while Ozzy left, the also great Ronnie James Dio came up to take the vocal duties, and a new drummer - Carmine Appice? I don't remember anyway, I stick to the classic Sabbath Lineup -. But they always preserved that characteristic dark and edgy sound.
My personal opinion is that the key of their sound is on their communion as a band. Just today, I was watching this DVD called ''The Last Supper'', and there was this section, where each one of the band members said their role. And Bill Ward said something really amazing: ''I try to be as intimate as possible with Tony's playing, with Geezer's playing, and I try to be like an orchestrator...'' And Tony Iommi said something even more amazing ''The main feature of us is that each one of us provides the power to the band...''
Amazing isn't it?
I think, each one of us rock and roll guys should thank this four gentleman, for what they've done for modern rock music. I specially thank Tony Iommi for teaching me that no matter what limitants you could have, you still could play the hell out of a guitar.
I don't remember exactly how I got so much into this band, to be honest. I'll be a liar if I told you that I was ''Oh my god Oh my god What an amazing band'' since day one. To be honest, I didn't liked what I heard at first, 'cause progressive rock didn't make much sense to me, odd meters and all that? Were insanity for me, but anyway I got used to it later on.
Maybe it was their instrumental ''Ytse Jam'' that caught me. I think that was the reason, 'cause that particular tune was really, really cool. It has a lot of flamenco elements in it, mixed with shredding guitar, go figure.
Anyway, Dream Theater, I was 19 -almost 20- while I heard that band, I mean heard it seriously. As I was used to, I started to dig all their material, and there were two particular albums that interested me a lot: A Change of Seasons, with the 23-min. song of the same name *One of the best they've come up with* and Scenes from a Memory... a concept album.
Later on, I got in my hands the ''Octavarium'' album. It was really cool, and the last piece, which was quite long also, was really cool as well. It was a weird mix of Frank Zappa-meets-Pink Floyd. In fact, the intro reminisces a lot from ''Shine on You Crazy Diamond'' from Pink Floyd... but the tune was really cool anyway.
This guys aren't regular rock and roll guys. In fact, they're the reason a lot of people are going to study in the infamous Berklee College of Music, because everyone wants to be as good as Petrucci, Myung, and Portnoy -The three of 'em met there while being students-. So, not surprise to hear a lot of Dream-Theater replicas a lot this days, not to say there aren't other kind of replicas as well 'round the world.
- This is what I mean with ''While they want, they do play'' -
It's kinda cool, that one band could influence people in such a way, but kinda sad at the same time, because they influenced a lot of people to ''want to be like them''. As I said on an early post, one thing is to be ''as good as like'' or even, ''better than'' your musical heroes... But who am I to say anything, after all.
I was among the countless guitar players studying guitar riffs from John Petrucci, I even watched his hands while he played so I could play as good as he did, but later on I realised that music isn't bout that at all...
So I started to distance myself from the ''fastuous'' progressive rock acts, like this particular one... but I still hear 'em from time to time, I cannot deny where I come from folks, as I used to do 'till a few months ago.
But one thing is for sure. This guys are technically proficient, and while they want, they're proficient songwriters as well.
What can I say? Thanks, well... maybe for showing me that a lot of perseverance in the road is finally paid off. Yes, that one. I've seen all of the documentals they've made, and they tell you such an amazing story. They started like zero, like everyone, and with patience and all that... they become who they are right now. One of the most influential bands of this time.
Nirvana means a lot of things. In the buddhist tradition, Nirvana is the state of being free from both suffering and the cycle of rebirth. Its original word, "Nibbāna" is a Pāli word that means "blowing out" — that is, blowing out the fires of greed, hatred, and delusion.
On the other hand, in the Janaism tradition, Nirvāna is meant specifically - as pertains gnosis - that which ends the identity of the mind (citta) with empirical phenomena.
In other words, it's a state of total awareness, where you became one with the whole, or the cosmos, and your spirit is finally free... -It's how I see it, but anyway.-
And finally, Nirvana is the name of one of the most popular bands in the history of rock music. It was created in the late eighties by two guys, basically, while the other guy joined later on. These two guys were Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic, who met in their hometown of Aberdeen.
I bet a lot of you know the stories 'bout this band, so I'd not write 'bout that...
The first time I heard Nirvana was by accident, actually. And in fact, it wasn't Nirvana, it was a cover made by them, in their Unplugged series. The song I'm referring to is ''The Man Who Sold The World''... But until later on, I thought it was theirs, 'cause they made that cover on their way... If you know what I mean.
I was 10. At the time it was 1994... It was the second time I went to a guitar course, 'cause the first one I took was the previous year. And I've learned the most basic guitar chords, but I was happy I went my way with those chords. A Major, A Minor, E major, E minor, D major, D minor, and the infamous F Major.
-Guitar players who read this know what I'm talking 'bout...-
In the course I was in there were a lot of different characters. There were the ''pop-driven'' guys, there were the ''ballad'' guys, there was also a ''mellow/sweet'' girl, and there was a guy with the old ''rock n' roll'' attitude. The guy was the older one in my class, 'cause he was 16, then followed the girl who was 13, and then the lemmings of my age, who were 10 and minus.
I didn't liked the way my fellow lemmings behaved, 'cause they were sort of ''Oh I'm cool and you're not'' and, they even made some kind of, let's say, mean jokes, specially the ones who were a little bit younger -I mean, the fellas who were 8, or 7-. So I stayed far of them, to be damn honest I prefered to stay near to the younger kids, and talk or even helping them to learn some chords, 'cause of obvious reasons, while you're 8 and start to play the guitar, at first, it could be a severe pain in the ass.
I also talked with the other fellas, the sweet girl and the rock n' roll guy, who seemed to have a crush on the girl he he... I couldn't blame him 'cause, the girl was really cute, and genuinely sweet.
I'm serious folks... A short story. I remember while I was learning how to tune the guitar... my teacher taught us that usually, while guitars are brand new, they're detuned. My surprise is, that, my guitar was already tuned. I have an uncle who is a guitar player -a really good one, a shame that he doesn't compose- and, while buying me my first guitar, he tuned it.
So anyway I detuned my guitar and I wanted to learn how to tune it. My friends, that was the first mistake *Of many of course* I made as a guitar player. While I was tunning it back, the low E string came out, and almost hit me in the face. I started to cry, and the sweet girl came down and said that it was ok, and the rock n' roll guy said the same also, saying that true guitar players break their strings from time to time. And even my guitar teacher, came down and said that he was gonna replace my guitar string. He did the day after...
Note from the author: Yes, I am extremely careful and sensitive when it comes to musical instruments and music in general. I've been depressed since the day my electric guitar wrecked. And I'll be 'till I buy myself a new one.
So anyway, the day after, while my guitar was properly tuned again, and I was shown how to do it and how to prevent that accidents in the future... and also, my teacher told the whole class that we had to play something for the final day.
I was curious, so I asked my teacher ''What to play?'' and, he said that a song that we choose to play. And I said also ''Could we play something I create by myself?'' and the teacher said that it was even better.
While I wrote that folky-driven tune -It was, in fact the lyrics were 'bout the way earth was dying because of ambiental trouble, go figure he he...- I heard the rhytm section of ''The Man who sold the world'', and made an attempt to play it. Somehow, after I played my folky tune, I managed myself to play a bit of that song in the end, and my rock n' roll friend and the sweet girl were like ''Wow, the kid knows how to play''...
So, by accident, I met Nirvana... and again in the most, conflictive of all times in mankind history: the mid-teens.
-Angry music, for angry youngsters like I was back then :D.-
The first tune, I properly learned from them, was ''Smells like teen spirit''. Looking back then, I had bits of Johnny Ramone's approach to play the guitar: Play it with all your damn energies, power chords straight up and take no shit. And that's the way I played that song, which made me look like some sort of psycho boy.
But what the heck, I was psyched 'bout what I've learned... and what I've found, together with Korn, Nirvana was somehow another cathartic music I found and played, to leave all my demons away... It's Nirvana.
Maybe that's the intention behind Kurt's music and compositions, to let you leave all your demons away... All I could say is, thanks. For showing me and thousands of people 'round the world the real spirit of rock and roll, the no-compromises attitude, and determination.
