Archive for April, 2010
Morning Becomes Electric: Guitars
Since the first solid-body lap steel guitar was amplified in the early 1930s, the electric guitar has been a sheer force of nature in the world of sound. It has influenced practically every aspect of popular music, and entire genres of music have been built solely on its shoulders. For our Country Issue, we thought [...]
Peavey Power Slide
PEAVEY POWER SLIDE Peavey has really done something unique with the Power Slide. Here’s a lap-steel guitar that can be played in virtually any position: sitting, standing, lap or bottleneck. The included Y-Strap allows for complete access to the playing surface while keeping the Power Slide’s innovative shape in a stable position against your body. [...]
Carry On: Paul Weller
Of all the rock stars from Britain’s Class of ‘77, Paul Weller alone has retained his incandescence. Johnny Rotten rouses himself for an occasional Sex Pistols tour, Billy Idol does the oldies circuit, and only Joe Strummer has a decent excuse for not coming up with new material. Then there’s Weller. From his days leading [...]
Sounding Off: You Can Take The Boy Out of the Country…
When I wrote in a previous column that I didn’t listen to country, I got a few comments from concerned country music-listening citizens. “For the love of God,” they said, “at least listen to Dierks Bentley.” Which got me thinking about what was going on: I loved music, so why not country? In upstate New [...]
DEVON SPROULE > Don’t Hurry For Heaven!
DEVON SPROULE Don’t Hurry for Heaven! (BLACK HEN MUSIC) Rating: On her opening track, “Ain’t That the Way,” Virginia-based Devon Sproule laments: “I asked God for a good job/He put me on a plane/All the people that I love, the people that I’m from, are far away”—an obvious nod to the extended period of time [...]
On Record: Martin Sexton
Martin Sexton knows how to stay true to his own vision. For more than 10 years, that’s all the soulful singer/songwriter with the acrobatic voice has focused on. His new album, Sugarcoating, finds him at the peak of his powers. There are a million talented singer/songwriters out there, but only a few of them can [...]
Richmond Dorchester Bigsby
RICHMOND DORCHESTER BIGSBY A nice complement to the style and tone of the Gretsch Power Jet is found in the Richmond Dorchester. Made in Canada, it has a cool look that’s just unique enough and not too retro for its own good. The double cutaway has a good cut from the bridge pickup and the [...]
The Good Listeners’ Amazing Journey
Here’s the plan. It’s simple. You’re going to load up a R.V. and drive across the country from Los Angeles to New York, along the way recording a song with a collaborator in the zaniest location you can find in each new town you stop in. You’ll play with a musician named Bingo and record [...]
ASCAP’s I Create Music Expo 2010
“Continue continue continue,” was John Mayer’s most vehement advice, when interviewed onstage by ASCAP Playback editor Erik Philbook at the ASCAP “I Create Music” Expo 2010, held again this April at the Hollywood Renaissance hotel. “Any of you could be the next big thing,” Mayer said to a crowd of about 1500. He went on [...]
“Lua”
I know that it is freezing but I think we’ll have to walk Keep waving to the taxis they keep turning their lights off But julie knows a party at some actor’s west-side loft Supplies are endless in the evening By the morning they’ll be gone When everything is lonely I can be my own [...]
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