We as humans are always ever revolving. Our minds cannot be in control, but only our inner being and spirit must be in control. The ego can be a detrimental thing if it’s not understood. In order to stay committed to uplifting our lives, we must know who we are. No confusions or uncertainty. We must stay positive and keep looking onward. It’s hard to escape from the past when those choices you made affect you today. There is so much to look forward to, and there are many things that we want to accomplish. We really should put ourselves out there and do all the things we have dreamed of. There is no reason for us not to. It’s time, people. There is a life that most of us have envisioned for ourselves ever since we were little, and it will come to pass. Do less of looking to materialistic things and more digging into yourselves. I am learning that life comes from the inside. Look inside for health, creativity, confidence, and just for life. Take that step now, because you will begin to glow inside from knowledge, from living each day. Read the rest of this entry →

I’m hanging out with some friends:  They are all musicians and we’re philosophizing about the future of music.  This may have something to do with the various substances that are being passed around.  They’re all talking about the artists who influenced them and the rock stars they would like to be like when it hits me.  That’s impossible.  We have come to the end of the rock star era.  There will never be one again.

This past summer, when all the celebrities were dying, everyone was writing about the end of the “monoculture.”  The monoculture is the pop culture that everyone has a shared consciousness of, whether or not they are fans of it.  I don’t agree that is necessarily true.  In twenty years, I think everyone is going to remember being obsessed with LOST and their iPhone apps.  I do believe that it’s true about music though.  I think in 20 years, when people are talking about the music they liked now, they are more likely to get blank stares in return.  And you can already see this happening, now.  I have to admit, until this past summer, I had no idea who Lady Gaga was, which was way later than anyone else.  How did this happen, though? Read the rest of this entry →

Can cause Murder?

Many musicians and rock songs have made mention of recreational pharmaceuticals. Whether it be an overt declaration or a discreet revelation, these substances have made their way into the lyrics of songs of most every genre for many, many years. But one recreational substance is mentioned very frequently. Can you guess which one it is? From bammy to zambi and ganja to weed; cannabis by any other name is still cannabis. And it is the old faithful of recreational drugs…at least according to music.

From the time Stephen Tyler declared he’d be “…sleepin’ late and smokin’ tea!”, MJ has been referred to hundreds, if not thousands, of times in musical compositions all around the world. Although, some songs I find more entertaining in their use and description than others. Read the rest of this entry →

Image is a huge factor in rock music.  For lack of a more articulate term, I typically observe musicians and performers constantly attempting to appear “cool.”  Why bother?  It seems like being a talented musician and performer should be effortless once the musician is confident in his or her career.  Why are people not just comfortable being themselves?

Rock musicians are only suffering on a bigger scale from what we all face.  When we talk to other people, are we constantly thinking to ourselves, “what does this new person think of me?”  The image we project becomes the part of our personality that will be the first impression.  So we try to perfect this impression, and end up sometimes agonizing over it.  We are control freaks who want absolute control over our image.  Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing or controlling what others’ impressions of us will be.  So instead of dropping the whole idea, we hyper analyze and obsess. Read the rest of this entry →

Awesome place for chili!

Living in DC has many perks: The White House, Smithsonian Museums, Georgetown, and most of all, the Music.  Jazz, R&B, Go-Go, Hip Hop, Latin, Classical, it’s all in Washington DC. There are so many good places to go and hear live music, especially on U St. It does not matter what day of the week it is, you will always find a broad selection on this side of town. U Street is the center of Washington’s music scene, with the Lincoln Theatre, Howard Theatre, Bohemian Caverns, and other clubs and historic jazz venues.

U Street has a collection of shops, restaurants, nightclubs, galleries, and residences located along a nine-block stretch of U Street in NW Washington DC. It extends from 9th Street on to 18^th Street and Florida Ave. On Mondays through Thursdays you can visit Club Pure, Jo Jo’s Restaurant and Bar, or HR 57, and listen to a variety of music.  On Friday thru Sunday, you can check out Café Nema, Twins Jazz Lounge, Indulge, Station 9, Bohemian Caverns, Utopia Bar and Grill and if you don’t mind traveling further than U Street, visit the 18^th Street Lounge. There are also specific groups that perform on certain nights. On Thursdays, The Young Lions give a great show at Café Nema. On Fridays you have the Collector’s Edition at Utopia Bar and Grill, Saturdays are the Twins Jazz Lounge to hear local and national touring jazz greats, and if you want to hear some Go-Go, visit Indulge on Sundays.  It really does not matter when or where you go because there will always be an artist performing there.

A wonderful view of U St.

Source

If you would like to check out these places visit the links below:

http://dc.about.com/od/washingtondcnightclubs/tp/UStreetNightclubs.htm

http://www.dcjazz.com

When Vodes posted his Desert Island list last week, Joey and I thought it was a good list and a great idea.  Joey immediately commanded me to write up my own list for this week’s article and since I had begun thinking up my list immediately after reading Vodes’ post, I thought, “Woohoo easy article!”

Unfortunately, this article was not as easy as I thought it would be.  It turns out deciding on only five songs that I will listen to for the rest of my life (as in as long as the supplies on the plane last cause I’m not much of a survivalist) was not that easy.  My first list mostly represented music from the late 90’s and early 00’s but then I realized I would eventually get tired of all that angst.  I needed to diversify my list and include some more toe-tapping numbers.

My new list is better.  It includes music from more time periods.  It includes some singable songs (for when I get tired of simply talking to my volleyball) and is more of a broad sampling of Rock and Roll.  So here’s my list in no particular order and without any references to LOST.

Come On Lets Go – Ritchie Valens
Its singable, danceable, and gets bonus points for being sung by a Mexican.

Read the rest of this entry →

Artist: Radiohead
Album: Kid A (Collector’s Edition)
Label : Capitol
Release Date: August 25, 2009
Decision: 5/5 Amazing
Favorite Tunes: All of them.

1. Background:

It’s been a big year for reissues.  Along with the Beatles’ reissues last week, Radiohead has been staggering reissues of their entire discography all year.  These special edition reissues have been double-sized affairs with the remastered original album and extra discs with live performance, b-sides, and a DVD with video performances.

When it comes to film, I’m not a fan of collector’s edition DVDs with extra material that wasn’t included with the first release so that fans have to buy their favorite movies twice.  But when it comes to music, it actually makes sense.  Remastering technology helps give listeners a new appreciation of the music they thought they were familiar with.  And the extra material wasn’t really available when the albums were released since performances and music videos don’t often happen before an album is released.  Still, I was skeptical about the Kid A collector’s edition CDs. Read the rest of this entry →

A few years ago, there was a local radio station that had a nightly feature called ‘The Desert Island’. The idea behind this segment of the show was this: if you were trapped on a desert island and you could only bring five songs with you; what songs would you bring? I always enjoyed this segment of the show and listened to it often. I even sent in my five songs, but unfortunately, my entry was never chosen. But I enjoyed listening to it nonetheless. With this thought in mind, I have proposed the following five songs as my choices of music to be marooned with.

Life by the Drop by Stevie Ray Vaughan. This song is from the album entitled ‘The Sky is Crying’. It is the last track on the album. It’s a very simple song, seemingly sung from the heart. It is just Stevie Ray and a twelve string acoustic guitar. I have to guess that it’s a song that reflects his struggle with substance abuse and how he finally overcame all the addictions and realized what was really important in life. Put this song on, turn it up, close your eyes and lean back and enjoy. I get goose bumps every time I hear this song…no lie. Read the rest of this entry →

“Sing me a song, you’re a singer…”; the opening line from Black Sabbath’s song ‘Heaven and Hell’. I remember seeing Black Sabbath with Ronnie James Dio doing the vocal duties. He was impressive, but pretty far down on the list of what I would consider great singers. I’ve always thought that singing for a band is one of the most difficult jobs because unlike other instruments in the band, it doesn’t require physical dexterity to execute it well. It requires very strong vocal chords…just two little strands of muscle to either sound great or just be another average singer. So, who are the best singers in rock today? Read on and allow me to award medals to the best of the best!

Gold Medal: Geoff Tate. For those of you who may not recognize the name, Geoff Tate is the amazing voice, and backbone, of the group Queensryche. The first time I heard this guy sing, I was blown away. His range is absolutely astounding. And he sounds just as good in concert as he does on the recordings. I was lucky enough to catch Queensryche on the Operation Mindcrime tour. Are you freaking kidding me?!?! My jaw was on the floor the whole show. For some classic Geoff Tate high notes, check out the early stuff like ‘The Warning’ and ‘Rage for Order’. The newest release, entitled ‘American Soldier’, is very good stuff also (and will be a future album review). If you have ever wondered how high the male vocal range can get and still sound as powerful as ever; listen to some Queensryche! Read the rest of this entry →

Marc Armstead

I have had the honor to meet Marc while I was in LA. He is a true aspiring music who can put you in a state of wonder. His voice is very tender and soft and his words completely make you think about life. Marc’s connection to the guitar is simply amazing, because his skills and chord playing are smooth and emotional. I took some time to ask him a few questions and get his view on things in his life. I love his music, and I know you will too. This is my ARTIST OF THE WEEK!

1. Where are you from? What is your age?

I am from Redlands, California. I am 25.

2. When did you begin your music career?

I began to sing at the age of 2 in church. I have been singing since I can remember, and I play the guitar. Read the rest of this entry →