new purevolume account

I decided to open a purevolume music account today because my band and I finally recorded some demo tracks from our album project. They're rough around the edges, but the songs are not too bad. Check em out and let me know what you think: The Fishwives

Woah, long time no see, blog

Boy, I should really keep this page up. I have lots to write about, but I'll have to make time to put some articles up at some point.

First of all, I saw a great concert right after Thanksgiving (yes I know it was, what, 3 weeks ago?): The Derek Trucks Band in Danbury, CT. What a show! I've never seen anyone play a guitar like Derek Trucks--he plays with a slide on a Gibson SG without a pick! Weird combo, I know, but his tone is spectacular...I think he was playing straight into an old Fender Twin, no effects. The rest of the band was stellar also, so definitely go check them out if they're in your area anytime soon.

I love The Beatles

Has any other band made such a large contribution to popular music and culture as The Beatles? Seriously, when you consider what advancements The Beatles catalyzed in their heyday (marketing whole albums rather than singles, concept albums, innovations in recording technology, music videos, stadium concerts, and more)...it's just crazy how important they were to the shaping of what we know as popular music.

Plus, they were a group of brilliant writers, talented musicians and generally funny guys. Could you imagine The Beatles being as influential if they were a bunch of stuck-up jerks? I love watching them perform because they were so tight, energized and enthusiastic...everything you'd want in a solid band.

Now, I know that my blog is kinda starting to sound like a bunch of product plugs, but I don't mean it to be. I just want to recommend stuff I like to you. I guess I should write about what things you should avoid too.

Saying that, I think every person who enjoys music should watch The Beatles Anthology DVD set at least once in his/her lifetime. My sister and I gave it to my mom for her birthday, and we've been going through the set...it's just spectacular. Basically, the set includes 8 episodes of the TV documentary (each over an hour long) chock full of concert footage and interviews, along with 80 minutes of previously unreleased footage. Seriously, if you like the Beatles, you'll be doing yourself a favor by seeing this series.

Well, that's enough ranting and raving for now.

My new favorite song

"Superstition" by Stevie Wonder is, in most peoples' opinions, a great song. It's catchy, groovy, and lively all at once. Well, take all of that and put it under Stevie Ray Vaughan's interpretation, and you get one rocking tune. Go check it out as soon as possible (it's on the album Live Alive)...I bet you'll like it.

*Stevie Ray is quickly climbing the list of my favorite guitarists/musicians/performers. And to think that two years ago I listened to a song of his for the first time...music's a wonderful thing.

Harmony Central and Carvin

Check out Harmony Central if you're ever looking for plentiful information about anything related to guitars. It has user reviews of gear, tablature, a well-populated message board, and pretty much anything else you'd want to know about guitars in general.

Another amp has captured my interest, along with the afforementioned Peavey and Fender. My dad was telling me about this Carvin amp he heard about, and it actually looks very nice, especially for the price. They're made in California, and Carvin completely skips the middle-man; they ship directly from their warehouse to the buyer...no Sam Ash or Guitar Center in between pushing up the price. Can't complain about that, right?

While I was browsing the Carvin site, I came across this beautiful archtop guitar. Doesn't it look great? I read good reviews about it on Harmony Central, and it sure looks like a top-quality axe. And I don't understand how they could charge under two grand for it...I'm starting to warm up to this Carvin company...

Actually, I change my mind

Rather than investing in that expensive Fender tube amp I posted earlier, I've shifted my focus towards this Peavey tube amp. I haven't gotten a chance to try it out, but it's cheaper and the reviews look pretty good. Of course, I'm not going to go out and buy the amp without trying it, but that Peavey definitely seems like a posibility. My dad wants me to look into Mesa Boogie amps, but I heard they were kind of out of my price range. Well, we'll see what happens.

In a slightly related story, when I went to NYC on Tuesday I paid a visit to Manny's Music on 48th Street. Very cool. It has a better layout than the Sam Ash across the street, and the selection seems better too. I looked for that Peavey amp, but unfortunately they didn't carry it. However, I fooled around with some other amps, but I wasn't serious about buying any of them. Oh, and I tried a Strat with humbuckers for the first time; it sounded good! I thought they were junky guitars, but the one I tried had a good heavy rock tone. Well, I guess you learn something new everyday.

Saw Tommy last night

I forgot to mention in my last post that I saw The Who's "Tommy" performed as a play yesterday. It was put on by the local theater, and it wasn't too shabby. Sure, you can't really beat Roger Daltrey's voice or The Who's general greatness, but I had a good time. I've never seen the movie, so now I want to see it. I should probably buy the album, too, because "Tommy" has such great songs.