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Musical Interests

Forums New posts
Last night I responded to the thread regarding Scott Corrales. And in my posting I brought up guitars and, as the thread then started to digress into a guitar-orientated one, I thought I had better post this here!

I use:
  • 1964 Fender Strat r/w board - all original except for the heads and saddles, definitely the best Strat I have ever played.
  • 1979 Fender Strat maple board - currently residing on Ebay (I've got the hots for an old Superchamp).
  • ESP Series 400 maple-neck Strat - great little workhorse, with a very V'd neck.
  • Custom-built Strat-configured Tele - built for me by Richard Pendell: if you're interested, go to www.medicinehat.co.uk follow the link to the Pendell Guitar Project and on that page click for 'photos'.
  • Maple-neck, ash-bodied bound front and back Tele, built by myself at the London College of Furniture, whilst I was doing a modern-fretted course.
  • Taylor Big Baby steel-string acoustic.
  • 1950s Hoffner Congress - all original.
  • 1940s Martin Colletti parlour guitar.
  • Early 80s Ibanez Blazer bass.
Amps:
  • 1961 Fender Bassman piggyback rig - all original - awesome amp!
  • Mesa Boogie Mk IIB with EV speaker.
  • 1953 tweed Fender Princeton.
  • 1970s Fender Champ.
  • And I can't leave out my dear little USA-made Pignose!
Great to know there's so many guitar players here - long may you rock!

Love, peace and little amps,

Mark
 
Oh, boy! I love this kind of thread. Music has been a passion of mine forever, and I've played for more than two decades now!


I have and play:
  • Fender Telecaster
  • Fender Dobro
  • Fender Twelve String Acoustic
  • Carlos Acoustic
  • Ovation Acoustic
  • Morell 6 string lap steel
  • Peavy Bass
  • Pump organ
  • Keyboards
  • 3 Ukuleles
  • Medieval bowed citern
  • Medieval plucked citern
  • Banjolele
  • cheap classical guitar
  • A bunch of other instruments I can't remember
I'm mostly a guitar player, but I can play pretty much anything with string and frets.

As far as musicians, I am most influenced, in order, by:

  • Neil Young
  • Eric Clapton
  • Stevie Ray Vaughn
  • Johnny Cash (his American recordings)
  • The Who
  • The Rolling Stones
  • Tom Petty
  • Tons of other great stuff, mostly from the late 60's and early 70's

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There is a big correlation between music lovers and people who are into the paranormal I think! Maybe it's the creative out of the box type that like both.

Music is a big passion of mine as well. I've played in several bands and currently play and gig in an original band I put together in the DC area. Like most musicians though I also gots the day job!

I like a ton of random stuff from radio cheese to indie rock to gansta rap to some of the Factory records scene that Brandon likes (mostly just the Monday's) and much more.... Because of the nature of internet music distribution, I tend to buy the 'song' anymore instead of the investment in an album, which makes music selection even more all over the place. I also find the older I get the more lazy I am in seeking out new music, although the ITUNES store is slowly changing that!

I tend to like stuff that is simple which has real grooves and has attitude. But I also appreciate most forms of rock music even those I don't really listen to, hence I just bought Guitar World's recent "Iron Maiden" guitar legends mag (I think I've heard too many Rittzman interviews!) . My collection of rock biographies at home is very big and I watch VH1 clasic whenever my wife isn't watching the Soap Opera network.

Some of my favorite artists are:

Jimi Hendrix
Oasis
Guns and Roses
Pixies
Fugazi
Bad Brains
Isley Brothers
Tupac
Run DMC
Outcast
Drive By Truckers
Lynard Skynard
Gap Band
and many others I can't think of right now!

My favorite guitarists which is kind of my playing style are a combo of classic rock/funk/indie.

So my main influences are probably:

-Hendrix
-Eddie Hazel (early funkadelic, check old clips on him on youtube, he's badbass)
- Ernie Isely ('who's that lady' solo is nasty!)
- Joey Santiago (simple melodic cool guitar leads for the Pixies)
- Ian Mackaye (Fugazi guitarist, "the" classic indie dc band)
- Slash (from GnR)
- Allan Collins and Gary Rossington

If I ever play in a band that does anything, I promise I will make the promotion of the UFO topic the big issue! I wish a few really big bands would put together a UFO festival and hand out leaflets etc.... to educate kids about this topic and get some press. You know Greer would find a way to take credit though :)

One day I will get the balls to post my bands myspace on here! But I dont feel like hearing constructive criticism's just yet :)

I am currently a Gibson man but also play a Samick which is like an epiphone copy. I own a bunch of gear but for live shows I use a Vox Wah, an Ibanez Tube Screamer with Analog Man's mod, a Boss DS-1(for solos), a Daneletro compressor and a random Boss chorus/delay pedal all through a Hotrod Deluxe amp (I want to get a Marshall but gotta pay the new mortgage!)

I agree, the Logic music program makes no sense. It's very anti tuitive, I find myself just using garageband for quick demos to send to people, but I prefer a real recording studio when I have the money!

My oldest brother is actually a studio engineering up in NYC, he works with a lot of big time guys and he is a Pro Tools master!
 
Well, all I can say is that I started playing the guitar in 1961. My first guitar was a Gibson ES-125, and it had that wonderful old thumpy Gibson sound. I bought a chord book, and taught myself a bunch of chords, and pestered my brother to teach me everything he knew about the guitar. Two years later, I took all my savings and bought a 1963 Fender Stratocaster and a Super Reverb amp. I wish I still had that rig! I've played the guitar almost everyday since then, and I've had a wonderful time doing so. It's been a major part of my life, and I wouldn't take for the experience. It's always been FUN!

My current instruments are:

1968 Martin D-28 (Brazilian Rosewood, I bought new in Beaumont, Texas. It cost me $440 then, which was more money than I'd ever seen.)

National Steel Type O

Parker Fly Deluxe (about 4 pounds! all fiber. NEAT instrument.)

Pavane Flamenco Classical

CA (Composite Acoustic's I think) Narrow body, all fiber, cut away acoustic/electric guitar. I don't have to worry about carting it around in my car when it's hot, and it sounds great.)

SS Stewart Special Thoroughbred (Special Presentation!) 5 string banjo (My Grandfather's)

Goose Acres 5 string banjo made for me by Pete Smakula

Chanterelle 5 string banjo made for me by Mike Ramsey

Fretless 5 string banjo made for me by Doc's Banjos (Pat Huff), a really wonderful instrument, gut strings with a brass inlaid neck

A couple of memorable musical exeriences I've had:

It was 1965. I was playing in a band in Beaumont, Tx. (Jimmie Wheat and the Night Crawlers, yep I was a Night Crawler). I went to a concert which was to star Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs, of Little Red Riding Hood fame. The warm up band for that concert was The Yardbirds. An amazing show. They started out with Over Under Sideways Down. I'd never heard anything like that before. Amazing.......

And..... On August 17, 1965 I was fortunate enough to see The Beatles live in Houston, Texas. Very memorable concert.

I love music, all types. Always have, always will.:exclamation:

 
I can't imagine a world without music. I am not sure if I could drive without the music going. I would say that I am talented in this area but never became a musician. I started playing the piano by ear at around two. Since my ear was so good I didn't like learnig how to read music so I would just cheat if I could.

I dabbled but never lived up to my potential in a few different instruments from piano, clarinet, trumpet and french horn. Not learning how to read music made it difficult in school bands at times.

I love all kinds of music except real hicky country or blue grass music.

Time anomalies happen almost most of the time when I am engaed with the music and movement. I didn't mean that everytime I listen to music and walk or drive that this happens. It was something I began to notice awhile back.
 
one place to take this thread is your very top concert experiences (try to limit it since we could all probably go on for a long time)......

It's impossible to top someone who saw the beatles of course!

Probably the best performance I've ever seen strange as this sounds since I'm not even a big fan, is the Beastie Boys at Lolla Pollusa many years ago. Those guys made the headliners (Smashing Pumkins) look like a bunch of boring whiney self righteous nerds and I'm actually a fan of Smashing Pumpkins. The Beastie were amazing and strangely I"ve never made an effort to see them again. Those guys bring the energy like an atom bomb and just so in sync it's awesome.

The first Oasis show I saw actually changed my life. I never really liked Oasis and then I randomly saw them way after they were popular in the US when they played with the Black Crowes and it was a total cheesy Spinal Tap epiphonie for me. During the show I had this over whelming feeling that I needed to get off my ass and start my own band immediately. Most people think of them as a light poppy band, but my favorites are their songs with really heavy guitar and attitude (Definately Maybe is one of my top albums), just nasty stuff.

My cousin got to see the Jimi Hendrix band of Gypsies shows that are immortalized on the Band of Gypsies CD's, I can't believe that lucky bastard since that is one of my all time favs.
 
Concerts that changed my life?

My first choice would be Stevie Ray Vaughn. He was co-headlining with Joe Cocker, and I wasn't much of an SRV fan, really, I went to see Cocker. I was absolutely blown away by SRV! I instantly became a blues fanatic and semi-purist for about a decade. Three weeks later, after I saw him play, SRV was dead, and he became sort of cemented in my memory as a musical icon and highlight.

One of the times I saw Neil Young in concert, I got this otherworldly vision of light pouring into him and travelling out of him to the audience. Was this a brain/chemical thing? Umm, who knows. Surely not.
 
Graphimancer said:
Concerts that changed my life?

My first choice would be Stevie Ray Vaughn. He was co-headlining with Joe Cocker, and I wasn't much of an SRV fan, really, I went to see Cocker. I was absolutely blown away by SRV! I instantly became a blues fanatic and semi-purist for about a decade. Three weeks later, after I saw him play, SRV was dead, and he became sort of cemented in my memory as a musical icon and highlight.

One of the times I saw Neil Young in concert, I got this otherworldly vision of light pouring into him and travelling out of him to the audience. Was this a brain/chemical thing? Umm, who knows. Surely not.
Click to expand...

Those are great stories! I read Neil's bio 'Shakey' and he has had some strange brain/semi-paranormal experiences so that doesn't surprise me.

He talks about during epileptic seizures how he would wake up surrounded by people in a different land calling him by a name that wasn't Neil that he recognized but was different. Sounded almost like these seizures sometimes made him switch dimensions or something. It's funny, my wife never lets me listen to Neil when she is around because she went to Farm Aid once and instead of playing music he got on his soapbox and gave a speech and then walked off the stage, dissappointing and confusing everyone.

SRV perfected the blues guitar playing style at such a high clean level it's crazy. Personally, I would get bored playing within the blues framework all the time, but he certainly mastered it and his tone is one that many tone fanatics all strive to achieve, that type of real natural feedback that is effected by how hard you play.

Both great artists. Some of the best shows I"ve seen were when I expected nothing and then the show was great. I was forced to go to a concert for my wife's friend for an R&B singer named Zapp Mamma a couple years ago, I thought it was gonna suck but it ended up being one of the best shows I've seen. Some people just put on a great show even if you don't particularly dig their style normally.
 
Here's a video of a great guitarist named Eddie Hazel who played with Funkedelic, who unfortunately got way into drugs and kind of faded away (he's now dead), many thought he was gonna be Hendrix heir apparent based on the classic song "Maggot Brain", if you've never heard that tune, go to ITUNES immediately! You won't regret it.

check him out in a rare live clip, nasty stuff!!:

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I have a vast variety of music I listen to , but to name some favorites:

Medeski Martin and Wood - please give them a listen
John Scofield
Charlie Hunter
Culb D'Elf
Robert Walter
Gomez
The Gourds
Bobby Previte
Greyboy Allstars
Bela Fleck
Among the more ubiquitous Greatful Dead, Zeppelin, Floyd, String Cheese, Moe, The beatie boys, Jimi Hendrix, Allman Brothers, Morphine, Santana, G-Love, and many many others. Too much to list.
Music is so pervasive across every culture. Ever wonder what evolutionary benefit it may have had?? Perhaps it was just a consequence of consciousness somehow. BTW I play guitar, ...sort of.
 
Holy Crap, Rocketsauce, that is so freakin' sweet! Oh yeah, I know Eddie's music, but I had not seen these. I was born too late for a lot of these guys, and I'm sorry for it. Wonderful stuff.

Neil Young does have occassional infuriating moments, but he well makes up for it. I once saw him in a 'cross' attitude on stage during his "This Notes For You" tour, but I'm a forgiving sort.
 
Graphimancer said:
Holy Crap, Rocketsauce, that is so freakin' sweet! Oh yeah, I know Eddie's music, but I had not seen these. I was born too late for a lot of these guys, and I'm sorry for it. Wonderful stuff.

Neil Young does have occassional infuriating moments, but he well makes up for it. I once saw him in a 'cross' attitude on stage during his "This Notes For You" tour, but I'm a forgiving sort.
Click to expand...


Funny, every time I watch those videos I feel like quiting my job and hitchhiking across the country with a guitar.

I'm with you, I was only just born around the time that Eddie was in his peak, but my brother got me the funkedelic album 'Maggot Brain' when I was kid where I learned about Eddie. Check out that album on ITUNES, it's got a couple killer tracks (Super Stupid, Maggot Brain, Hit and Quit It are my favs) :)

Yeah the same thing that makes people like Neil Young so great is the same thing that make them sometimes disappoint and erratic, they are beholden to their muse and do exactly what they want on their timetable.

I think we can put Lou Reed, Axl Rose, and Prince and other like artists into these categories too. I must say thought, it's probably a lot easier to fit this mold once you can financially afford it or else your just crazy homeless guy on the corner. Although if that's your thing I can't knock that either :)
 
Hey all. I'm new to posting on this forum but ive been listening to the show and reading the forum regularly for about a year now. this thread got me all excited so i had to chime in. Im a 23 year old guitar player and i was glad to see people mention Judas Priest as they are one of my favorite rock bands. David, Allan Holdsworth along with Pat Metheny are the 2 main reasons I started playing jazz. Anyone here listen to Buckethead?? I'm mildly obsessed with him. Mike patton has worked with him on occasion and i know some of you said you were into that kind of stuff. anyways... peace! :cool:
 
Hell yeah, Rocketsauce that's the shit right there.

Man that boy could play. Not been aware of him till now.
Real shame he burned out.

When I watched the vid it got me thinking about a conversation I once had with our other guitar player in the band.
He's a very science minded guy and has little or no interest in anything paranormal or spiritual. I find science just as fascinating and inspiring but probably like most of the people here I obviously have a great interest in the above.
Our differences of opinion has many times been the trigger for many great conversations, one of which you folks might find interesting.

It was all about the place you go when you are really and truly in the zone, if you will.
I am talking about what one experiences when performing at those rare times David alluded to in the show with Dr Bernard Haisch recently.
What we both sort of agreed on was that the whole experience has some sort of relationship to fractals. It's difficult for me to explain, but for instance.

When you sit in front of a real fire, the flames themselves have not only a rather hypnotic effect but also have a more soothing effect than would be felt from a gas fire. Listening to the ocean would be the same, a beautiful sunset and so on.
Ultimately ever changing chaotic patterns.
Likewise when you are really on form and playing beyond yourself, you have let go and
it's like you are being played. It's the flow of conciousness thing I guess, that really turns me on anyway, and maybe very like what dear The Clueless One experiences during his "physical jazz" shall we say.

Now I got that off my mind, some of the kind of bands/artists I like are:

  • Little Feat
  • Los Lobos
  • Hendrix
  • Zappa
  • Jeff Beck
  • Sex Pistols
  • Led Zeppelin
  • Jah Wobble
  • Talk Talk
  • Lee Scrach Perry
  • Django Rheindhart
  • Ron Miles
  • Crass
  • Mountain
  • Steely Dan
  • Roy Buchanan
Blah,blah,blah, I'd better leave it there before I disappear down the whole in the middle of the record.

Peace,

Mark
 
Must agree great thread! Like others have stated Music is my true obsession! UFO's and spooky shit is what I do while listening to while I'm not writing and recording my own.

I'm back and forth a lot on Favorites. I go through phases. Currently my phase is "METAL", new metal.
Slipknot
Meshugga
Testement ( new shit )
Children of Bodom
As I lay dying

All Time Faves:
Iron Maiden
Dream Theater
Megadeth
Testament
Slayer
Queensryche ( old shit )
Marilyn Manson
Stone Sour
Danzig
Misfits
Anthrax
Dio
Death Angel
Metal church
Black Sabbath ( up to we sold our souls )


Instrumental:
Steve Vai
John Petrucci
Joe Satriani
Jason Becker
Marty Friedman
Paul Gilbert
Michael Angelo Batio ( social retard, but amazing technique )
Alan Holdsworth
Enigma
John 5
Rusty Cooley
Vinnie Moore
Yngwie Malmsteen ( old shit )

This is the short list.

~A
 
As most musicians are aware, you can certainly go into an altered state of concsiousnous while playing music--it's like a drug in its own right! I've had it happen several times, and it's truly an elevating experience. I wouldn't call it a paranormal experience, yet I think all altered states of consciousnous are varying degrees of the same thing.

Some other examples would by runner's high, or 'being filled with the Holy Spirit,' or extreme prayer states, or whirling dervishes. I think music is one more gate to the mystical experiences that all humans need and crave, whether they realize it or not. Again, I'm not saying it's paranormal in nature, but part of our chemistry and consciousnous. I've seen guys like Clapton, or Young, or (on film) Hendrix all 'go to another' place with their music, it's like magic. I saw SRV do it on the song "Lenny," for example.
 
The times I get that feeling the most and it's totally addictive and probably the main reason I will always play in a band until i die, is definitely when just jamming with other people and out of nowhere everything gets totally in sync and you hit a ridiculous tasty groove. It usually just comes out of nowhere jamming and everyone in the room just totally locks in. Doesn't happen every time but when it really happens I just can't help but start laughing with a big ol permagrin on my face. It's almost like, that's what is supposed to happen all the time and is the natural state of things. I guess that is the closest i ever get to that state of spirit aside from the usual 8 hour weekly orgy I moderate (kidding of course!)

Django Rheindhart was pretty ridiculous playing with 2 fingers, my God man! I got all 5 fingers workin and he blows me away.

Children of Bodom? I'm not a big metal guy but my friend made me see them with another metal band ' Trivium', at the 9:30 club here in DC a couple years ago and I must admit I had a great time rockin out. Great show, 5 beers in to the show I was pumping both fists in the air! Of course my wife chose to say home that night, too much testosterone I guess :)

If you guys want to see check out another band that puts on a crazy show, check this band out, I've seen them a couple times, it's almost performance art more than music, but it's still great! Watch the power slide the guitarist pulls near the end of the clip and the beer belly balding singer on speed! They are really nice guys too.

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