19 Apr 2008.  11:34pm.

The sun burns hot and heavy as I walk slowly down the densely-populated Rambla, cautiously weaving my way through the crowds to the large statue overlooking the sea.  My bangs are sweaty, clumped together and sticking to my forehead.  (I really do need a haircut - I'm shaggier than I've ever been in my life.  Plus, why is it that my brow sweats more than any other single part of my body?  I think it's the need to dissipate all that extra heat bu...

Remember when musicians actually played notes?  Remember when musicians were actually good at the instrument they played?  Remember when they even *played* instruments?  These days to be a musician, musical ability and knowledge is the LAST thing that's important.  Image is far more important.

 

Fortunately, there have been some very talented musicians in my life time.  Maybe I'm a musical snob, but I like it when musicians actually have musical talent.&n...

Years ago a little program revolutionized the music world.  Its name was Napster.

Napster wasn't the first way to find music on the internet.  Usenet and IRC had been around for years.  However, both of those solutions required a bit of tech-know-how to use and were not accessible to the mainstream user.  Enter Napster.  A clean, easy to understand interface and instant access for millions of people (many of them college students) to begin sharing and downloading music was born.

Along came Metallica and the RIAA.

Sure, they weren't the only ones, but they became the most vocal.  Lawsuits ensued, the service was shut down, the RIAA declared victory and then realized that, just like Obi-Wan Kenobi, "If you strike [it] down, [it] shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."

I had the pleasure of getting out for an evening of entertainment last nite.  Headed out to catch one of my favorite artists (musician) at a small club within driving distance.  In this case the artist was the former songstress for the TV show Ally McBeal, the lovely and talented Ms. Vonda Shepard.

Image from Viewimages.com

I became a fan of Vonda Shepard

    Tremble by MilkMan-Dan is a wonderful Creative Commons pseudo-Classical song that uses wonderful epic beat, enchanting instruments, and more to produce a soundtrack-quality epic piece running about four minutes long that is spooky, mystifiyng, and driving all in one.

    Article link goes to song, I recommend it for listening with Sins of a Solar Empire or another RTS. Maybe TA Spring, since it has no music. Download it or don't like it. Your choice. Or you c...

    I recommend two tools to beginners at making music- Fruity Loops Studio and Anvil Studio. Fruity Loops Studio is much, much more complex, but sounds very, very nice, where Anvil Studio is a MIDI music creator, which requires more work to sound real, but is much, much easier to use.

    Anvil Studio is what I use if I want a solid score, I use Fruity Loops Studio to play around with music, partly because of its realistic instrument synthesis. All in all, I don...

Demon Hunter is a Christian metalcore band. Yes, apparently metalcore is a type of music. Better than (c)rap, that's for sure.

Slow: 10- The songs have very few slow spots, but they build up perfectly.

Fast: 9- The music is incredibly fast, but it is occasionally inappropriate for the feel.

Intense: 10- If you enjoy intensity, look here.

Mellow: 8- Not their specialty, but good.

Experimental: 10- Pretty heavy, proven and tried with new elements.

Quality: 10- Awesome qual...

    You can all see my review of Jonah 33 for my music rating system. Here we go!

    Universe at War is an epic RTS, and it has a similarly epic soundtrack by Frank Klepacki, the composer for the original RTS's Dune and Command and Conquer. The Universe at War three album collection is free.

Mellow: 8- Frank Klepacki's slow, relaxing parts in the music serve to push one onwards to destruction!

Deep: 9- The deep music in Frank Klepacki's score makes a very ...

    I'm gonna start off by explaining my music scale:

    I grade over six categories, with five combining to show style, and one working to show quality.

Mellow: The relaxing parts of a song.

Deep: The exciting parts of a song.

Fast: The use of quick speed in a song.

Slow: The use of slow speed in a song.

Experimental: The use of classic patterns or new ideas in music.

Quality: The overall quality, not an average.

    I grade ...

It really is bizzare.  I ask people about the lyrics in the songs that they're listening to.... and they don't have a clue what the lyrics actually are.


And if you ask someone to listen to a song, they comment on the melody not the words.  The meaning is a song is the words, the point is the words.  The melody is the vehicle by which the meaning is delivered, but it isn't the point.


And yet, as with everything else, people are going with what makes them feel good and DOE...

Way back when, in 1978, I saw what became my favorite stage show of all time.  Now, 1800 miles away and 30 years later, I get to see them again.

30 years of the ups and downs of living have passed for Geddy, Alex, Neal and for me.  When I look back over those 30 years, I don't have to wonder where they went.  They were spent living!

Back then, I was just a too-big-for-his-britches teenager.  Concerts, midnight movies and getting into trouble were how I spent my weekends...

As previously mentioned, with the death of The Prog Geek, Progged has been reimagined, redesigned, and reinvigorated.  In order to keep that up, there is some new content over there. 

Why not stop by and check out the reviews for the latest Ayreon album, 01011001?

Arjen again proves that he has the Midas touch. Fans of metal, folk, acoustic, pop, prog and even electronica can all find something to enjoy on this album. Lyrically, the story is coherent, cohesive, and powerful. Agai...

It's like sex...with horns - My new ska playlist.  Something old and something new.  Let me know what I missed.  What you like and love. 

Who Benefits - Mustard Plug

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=2644655

Bad Manners - Special Brew

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=42236026

Keep on MOvin - The Fabulous Rudies

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewpro...

Back in the 80's, I remember being excited about the concept of The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.  Several cities were vying for the honor of having it built within their borders, and the competition was fierce.  Each city had some claim to the roots of Rock & Roll music, and made their case to the committee running the project.

Having a connection to Cleveland, OH, I was glad when it was chosen.  Now I wonder if it wasn't just another "mistake on the lake".

A "Hall of F...

Some great alternative/indie type tunes.  My enbeds didn't work probably because I suck but you can click on the links to see the videos and hear the songs.  Some feedback would be good, especially feedback of the "that song is fabulous and I never heard it until I saw your fabulous playlist" variety. 

Oh Valencia by the Decemberists ~ Romeo and Juliet for Generation Y?  Are we on Generation Y now? 

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