Guitar lover and player. "I am he as you are he as you are me and we are altogether."

Guitar lover and player. "I am he as you are he as you are me and we are altogether."

RANDY “TEX” HILL AND THE OREGON VALLEY BOYS

GOODTIMES WITH RANDY “TEX” HILL AND THE OREGON VALLEY BOYS

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This article has been a long, long, time comin’. Yep, life has been movin’ at a gallop even this ol’ horse hasn’t been able to keep up with…neeeiiigh(nay)

Originally this post was going to be just about Randy “Tex” Hill and the cool guitar art assemblage projects that he has done.

The man, Randy “Tex” Hill, is quite talented. He’s been a fine drummer & singer – forever… and has traveled the globe entertaining for just about as long as that.

This just in via Facebook:  Randy “Tex” Hill…”I got a call on Thursday. It’s confirmed. I’ll be inducted into the Northwest Western Swing Hall of Fame on August 10th in Auburn, Washington. Wow. Blows my mind. I am extremely honored.”  Words from a humble talented guy.

He’s also a graphic designer, artist, has his own radio program, and even runs his own magazine. How he finds time to do all of this, I’ll never know. He makes me tired, he does so much.

Recently, (in the scheme of things), I had the opportunity of getting out to hear his band The Oregon Valley Boys perform at Ringlers, right here in Portland, so I figured I’d just tell you a bit about the band also. These guys are the best Western Swing Band that I’ve heard in a long time. They have it down and they have it down good.  Talk about a bunch of Swingers…(Western style that is).

Continue reading RANDY “TEX” HILL AND THE OREGON VALLEY BOYS

SOME WAY COOL GUITARS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FROM STEVE SOEST

SOME WAY COOL GUITARS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FROM STEVE SOEST

THAT’S RIGHT! Some WAY COOL GUITARS are now available from STEVE SOEST(Soest Guitar)! Get ’em while they’re hot before somebody else does… because STUFF THIS COOL WON’T LAST LONG…

Steve-MustangSteve Soest with more than a carload of COOL and DROOL!

I may have to sell my SPECIAL PEDIGREE ALBINO MILKING CHICKENS and “MUSEUM QUALITY” CHIA PET COLLECTION to get in on this action and getting one of these babies for myself!

FOR SALE: 6.5 milking chickens-WELL TRAINED -THAT’S RIGHT – 1/2 a milking chicken too! (NON SHEDDING VARIETY!!!)

FOR SALE: 13 CHIA PETS -they don’t eat much and come from a VERY CLEAN CHIA FAMILY!!!

My apologies.  These guitars are just SO WAY COOL I got a little caught up and carried away about how I was going to bag something here for myself.  Back to the guitars…

Check out this list of WAY COOLNESS:

1. 1920 Gibson Style “O” Artist $3850

2. 1959 Martin OO-18G (he said he has this one sold, so it might be going back to him)

3. T. Haruo Fancy Martin Style Model 80 $450

4. 1942 Epiphone Century Electric $1100

5. 1930’s Washburn (Tonk Bros.) Model 5200 $1200

6. 1960’s Ampeg by Burns of London “Wild Dog” $1200

7. Hamer Parallelogram Solid Body? MILLER BEER Promo  (Graphics covered with sparkle sticky paper) $350

8. 1960’s Yamaha SG-2 Red Solid Body, Tremolo, Weird Cool Link Wray Model $1400

9. 1960’s Crucianelli (Italy) “Panoramic” Solid Body $485

10. 1968 (?) Fender Mustang Bass C.A. Red/Racing Stripe $1400

11. 1930’s S.S. Stewart Carved Top Archtop Model 7008 $850

12. 1972 Fender Strat Sunburst, Maple Neck Staggered Pole Pickups $2600

13. 1978 Gibson Les Paul Custom Artisan 3 Pickups, Walnut, Fancy $2600 SOLD

14. 1968 Fender Telecaster Bass, Blonde (Keeper)

15. 1960’s Mosrite Sunburst Ventures Style $2600

16. Silvertone/Danelectro Model 1457 2 Pickup Guitar Red Burst with Amp-In-Case. VERY NICE $785

17. VERY RARE Hallmark Mark IV Solid Body, Gold Sparkle With Matching Headstock, 2 Pickup, Tremolo Mosrite Influence , Made in Bakersfield by Former

TOMMY TEDESCO AND FRIENDS ON THE GOLDEN AGE OF STUDIO GUITAR BY JAS OBRECHT

One song comes to mind that takes me back to a time when I was fortunate enough to play guitar in a very cool, very authentic ’60’s cover band called Route 66 – (This band was hatched from The Tangents and Eddie & The Trays. Great memories.)  The song I’m referring to that was really fun to play now feels like it has really become the anthem of my life. It was by Booker T. and The MG’s and is called “Time Is Tight”.  Boy is it and that’s all I’ve got…

I was hoping to do so much with the site this year and I can’t believe that’s it’s already summertime.  I’m hoping “the living is easy” for you but I’m beginning to have my doubts even about that for myself as work has been plentiful and when one freelances, one must go for it while the gettin’ is good.

In the mean time I’m going to move a GREAT guitarist story to the top again that was run mid February as we now have some cool add ons that are put after the story (so as to not interfere directly with the pictures and flow of the story as it was originally presented by Jas Obrecht.)

The story, “Tommy Tedesco and Friends On The Age of Studio Guitar by Jas Obrecht” caught the eye of one of Tommy Tedesco’s sons, Wrecking Crew Filmmaker, Denny Tedesco.  After Denny saw the article, he shot me an email saying that he remembered the party and that he could get me some pictures to add to the story if I could use them.  I thought to myself that this was way cool.  (Thanks so much Denny and my sincerest apologies for it taking so long to get the photos up.)

I’m going to call this my disclaimer just in case there were any mistakes made in identifying some of the greats in the pictures.  Even though I had help in trying to figure out just who everyone was in the photos, it wasn’t an easy task by any means.  So here goes: My apologies to any persons, living or no longer with us, who might have a wrong name attached to the photo that was thought to be you.  It was purely accidental if it happened and if there were any mistakes, please contact me through the site and we’ll get things all sorted out.

Special thanks to Denny Tedesco and his mother Carmie Tedesco for use of the photographs, and the help of Denny, Mitch Holder, and Bobby Fury (aka Bob Mytkowicz) for their help in confirming the identities of those in the photos.  The b&w digital images used were taken from scans of 34 year old color snapshots which had faded and lost out to time, standard color processing, etc., etc., etc.,. As mentioned in the story, “The occasion was a sendoff for longtime session guitarists Al Hendrickson and Michael Anthony.”  Enjoy!      Jack

One really way cool thing about having this “fun little guitar site” has to do with the people that I have had the privilege to have contact with.  Jas Obrecht is one of these people.

Jas was an editor at Guitar Player Magazine for some twenty years and has interviewed so many great guitarists it would make your head spin.  Not only is he a noteworthy author and a fine guitarist in his own right, but he is also a founding editor of Pure Guitar Magazine.  Jas has an immense amount of  music knowledge.

Be sure to check out his way cool blog at Jas Obrecht.com.  It’s truly a GREAT site!  Please enjoy this really cool article that Jas has so graciously shared with all of us through Jackaboutguitars.      –   Jack

TOMMY TEDESCO AND FRIENDS ON THE GOLDEN AGE OF STUDIO GUITAR BY JAS OBRECHT

Tommy Tedesco, the most recorded guitarist in history, was also one of the most beloved characters to ever work the Los Angeles music scene. And work it he did: After arriving from Niagara Falls in 1953, Tommy spent four decades playing sessions for countless films, TV shows, record albums, commercial jingles – you name it. A ferociously good sight-reader, this wonderful, big-hearted Italian maestro of the strings became the town’s “first call” guitarist, meaning he was the first person to call for sessions.

Beyond being a brilliant player, Tommy was renowned for his mischievous sense of humor and willingness to help talented newcomers navigate the studio system. He was a much-loved character, and everyone who as part of that scene has choice Tedesco stories to share. I too have many fond memories him, and one stands above the rest. First, some background.

 

Before arriving at Guitar Player magazine in May ’78, I’d never heard of Tommy Tedesco. That all changed my first day on the job, when I was handed my regular monthly assignments. Among them were editing columns by Jeff Baxter, Barney Kessel, and Tommy Tedesco. Baxter, I learned, liked to dictate his over the phone. Kessel carefully hand-wrote his on a yellow legal pad. Tommy’s “Studio Log” column showed up in the mail, neatly typed and with an attached page of music from a recent session. These columns provided unsurpassed insight into studio life at the time, as Tommy detailed who each session was for, what gear he played, how he modified the music, and what he was paid. He’d always call to ask if the column was okay. I found him to be a wonderful guy through and through, and I ended up editing his column for fourteen years. I always enjoyed being around him at seminars, trade shows, studio dates, and when he’d visit our office.

 

My fondest memory of the man dates to May 18, 1980. That night Tommy and his wife Carmie threw a party at their spacious home in Northridge, California. The occasion was a sendoff for longtime session guitarists Al Hendrickson and Michael Anthony. By early evening, cars of all shapes and sizes had pulled up in front of the house. The signatures in the guest book included Bob Bain, Dennis Budimir, Larry Carlton, Steve Carnelli, David Cohen, Joe DiBlasi, Herb Ellis, Ron Eschete, Robben Ford, Grant Geissman, Jay Graydon, Al Hendrickson, Mitch Holder, Carol Kaye, Pat Martino, Tim May, Greg Poree, Lee Ritenour, Alan Reuss, Tony Rizzi, Thom Rotella, George M. Smith, and Barry Zweiss. In retrospect, this party proved to be a once-in-a-lifetime gathering of Los Angeles’ top studio guitarists.

 

As I reported in the April 1981 issue of Guitar Player, “The tenor of the evening was laid-back and polite, with no sign of inflated egos. Over clinking glasses and infectious laughter, most conversations centered on families, girlfriends, memories of old pals and times gone, humorous events in the studio, scams at the golf course, and friendly wagers. Although several instruments were inconspicuously stacked in a corner of the living room, none of these sharpshooters opened a case all night.” Several times that evening, I heard the quip, “If someone dropped a bomb on this party, L.A. would be a wide-open town for guitarists!”

Continue reading TOMMY TEDESCO AND FRIENDS ON THE GOLDEN AGE OF STUDIO GUITAR BY JAS OBRECHT

THE BEATLES ON THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW BY EDDIE DEEZEN

FIFTY YEARS SINCE THE BEATLES CONQUERED AMERICA AND CHANGED ROCK MUSIC FOREVER

Who can believe that this week marks the fiftieth anniversary of The Beatles arriving in America?  That’s an event that doesn’t really mean too much to those who weren’t born at the time or were too young to even know that it was going on.  To those who were around at the time and old enough to remember, it was an event of huge significance.  It was music history in the making.  I’m thankful I have a couple of great older brothers who knew exactly what was happening or I would have probably missed it.  Thanks Al & Ger!

Just as people remember where they were when JFK was shot, or what they might have been doing when the horror of 911 revealed itself, The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show was one of those few moments that really made that same sort of impression on a person’s memory.

The great thing about this event was that it was a pleasant entertaining spot of time with no sadness whatsoever as wasn’t the case concerning the other two events mentioned.  I even remember reading that criminal activity in New York City had come to a halt during this first broadcast of The Beatles performing on The Ed Sullivan Show as some 73 million people tuned in.

In honor of this fiftieth anniversary of the beginning of the British Invasion, Jackaboutguitars is pleased to present another GREAT article from one of the biggest Beatles fans on the planet!

Now, here’s another cool Beatles story from actor, voice over artist, and writer, Eddie Deezen.

As time and space permit, Jackaboutguitars will continue to share some very cool articles on The Beatles during this fiftieth anniversary celebration year of The Beatles conquering America that Eddie has written for www.eddiedeezen.com – “The Official Eddie Deezen Website” and for neatorama.com where Eddie has done many way cool guest posts on The Beatles and a variety of other people and subjects.

Eddie_Deezen Eddie Deezen is a character actor who is best known for his acting roles in Grease, Grease 2, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, Surf II: The End of The Trilogy, 1941, Zapped!, WarGames, Disney’s Midnight Madness, and Punky Brewster, to name a few, as well as the voice of characters Lenny The Know It All in The Polar Express, Mandark in Dexter’s Laboratory on The Cartoon Network, Ned in Kim Possible, and Snipes The Magpie in Rock-A-Doodle.

Besides all of his Hollywood credits from being a talented character and voice actor, Eddie Deezen is a HUGE BEATLES FAN! His Beatles knowledge is nothing short of amazing.

Be sure to check out more from Eddie at www.eddiedeezen.com, neatorama.com, and give him a like on Facebook.

Once again, Eddie, a very sincere big THANK YOU!      –   Jack

THE BEATLES ON THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW BY EDDIE DEEZEN

On February 9, 1964, The Beatles made their American television debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. (For those of you unfamiliar, The Ed Sullivan Show was a hugely popular, legendary variety show which ran in America from 1948 to 1973.  If you can imagine American Idol or Dancing with the Stars, and multiply it times 20, that was how popular The Ed Sullivan Show was in the 1960s. Pretty much everyone watched the show.

The Beatles had been seen in clips and recorded interviews before this, but this was their actual performance debut on U.S. television.  The show was watched by an all-time record (at the time) of 73,000,000 people.  The show remains a landmark in television history and is an indelible memory to any of us who watched the historic performance.
The show is, quite possibly, the single most important moment in the history of rock and roll.  Like September 11, 2001 or the day President Kennedy was assassinated, no one who witnessed this show will ever forget where he or she was at the time.

Continue reading THE BEATLES ON THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW BY EDDIE DEEZEN

INDEPENDENT MUSICIANS RISE AGAINST CORPORATE GIANTS: THE STORY…

INDEPENDENT MUSICIANS RISE AGAINST CORPORATE GIANTS: THE STORY

 

EVER FELT TOTALLY HELPLESS AND RIPPED OFF?

Have you ever felt totally helpless after being ripped off by a big corporation?  Maybe it only had to do with the ultra ridiculous charges inflicted upon you by a MEGA GIANT CABLE COMPANY just to be able to enjoy a little T.V. watching and have internet service.  They get you to sign up for what seems like a fairly reasonable fee, give you all of the “EXTRAS”, only to stick it to you for the next couple of years until the contract expires (who has time to read, let alone understand everything on those 3 pages of fine print that happens to be in a language which only resembles English!)

 

 

Maybe it’s only the high out of pocket expenses that you work so hard for to pay for your $5000 deductible insurance only to find by year’s end you put out only $4950 towards medical expenses besides the extremely high premiums you’ve paid all year long just to try to protect your family.

 

Imaging inventing a way cool product and people seeming to work with you under the guise of helping you to bring that invention to market!  Big corporations pretending to help you out but really behaving like THIEVES and stealing and marketing the product that YOU INVENTED! Would you like the opportunity to feel a little bit better about some of the wrong doing that goes on in this world that seems to rain on you and I (the little guy)?

 

I know that just presenting this article to you for my friends Michelle & Steve helps me to feel quite a bit better about the unfortunate unfair things that most of us have to endure on an almost daily basis by the “big boys” who reign it all over us.

Continue reading INDEPENDENT MUSICIANS RISE AGAINST CORPORATE GIANTS: THE STORY…

A GREAT EVENING WITH DEKE DICKERSON AT FIVE STAR GUITARS

It’s crazy how busy life can get especially around the time of the holidays.  As most of you know, I don’t bother wasting my time with anything on Jackaboutguitars unless I consider it fun, at least somewhat worthwhile, feel it’s way cool, or even all three.  After all, the tagline for the site is “just a fun little guitar site”.  I guess that’s my disclaimer too – (fun for me.)

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I’m now going to make mention of a pretty cool evening I spent several weeks back at the local guitar shop that had all three of the above mentioned qualifications.

I walked in one Saturday afternoon and was greeted warmly (as is the usual scenario) when I walked into the way cool guitar shop, Five Star Guitars.

My agenda that day was to inquire about placing some 4×6 cards up on their bulletin board concerning The Wrecking Crew Film Article and Interview with Filmmaker Denny Tedesco which at the time was the latest Feature Post on Jackaboutguitars.com.

Filmmaker Denny Tedesco, (son of the late, great, guitarist, Tommy Tedesco – who was one of the members of The Wrecking Crew), had just got the Kickstarter going to raise the final $250,000 needed to get The Wrecking Crew Film up onto the big screen…and it was a HUGE success when the Kickstarter ended at $313,157 with 4,245 backers!

Jeep Simonet, one of the three owners of Five Star Guitars, said sure (that it was okay to post the cards) and asked me if I knew about the event happening at the store that evening, to which I replied a simple no.  After Jeep told me, I did remember a short simple post that I had done some months before concerning the Special Guest of the Evening (See:http://www.jackaboutguitars.com/namm-danelectro)

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT FIVE STAR GUITARS

Let me tell you about Five Star Guitars…Five Star Guitars is a really way cool guitar store that has been in business since 1998.

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It’s located at 2303 N.W. 185th Ave. in Tanasbourne (officially Hillsboro, Oregon 97124 – 503.439.9500).  If you aren’t familiar with where Tanabourne is, it’s right at the point where far, far, north, and even farther west than north, N.W. Portland meets N.E. Hillsboro meets N.W. Beaverton where N.E. Aloha creeps in.  Talk about being centrally located to all of these different areas!

Five Star Guitars has everything in their store that a guitar player could want in a local guitar shop.  Even if you have seen an item elsewhere at a price that’s even lower than the great and competitive prices that they already offer, Five Star will match that price!  They will even match internet pricing too.  You can even check out Five Star Guitars Inventory online.

5 Star GretschsUmmm…..Gretschs!

Continue reading A GREAT EVENING WITH DEKE DICKERSON AT FIVE STAR GUITARS

THE FIRST BEATLE TO VISIT AMERICA BY EDDIE DEEZEN

TIME FOR A BEATLE STORY THAT YOU MAY NOT HAVE HEARD ABOUT

Here’s a story that’s pretty cool from actor, voice over artist, and writer, Eddie Deezen.  It’s about George Harrison, the first Beatle to visit America.

Jackaboutguitars will be sharing some very cool articles that Eddie has written for www.eddiedeezen.com – “The Official Eddie Deezen Website”.  Many of these articles have also appeared at neatorama.com where Eddie has done many guest posts on a variety of themes.

Eddie_Deezen Eddie Deezen is a character actor who is best known for his acting roles in Grease, Grease 2, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, Surf II: The End of The Trilogy, 1941, Zapped!, WarGames, Disney’s Midnight Madness, and Punky Brewster, to name a few, as well as the voice of characters Lenny The Know It All in The Polar Express, Mandark in Dexter’s Laboratory on The Cartoon Network, Ned in Kim Possible, and Snipes The Magpie in Rock-A-Doodle.

Besides all of his Hollywood credits from being a talented character and voice actor, Eddie Deezen is a HUGE BEATLES FAN!  His Beatles knowledge is nothing short of amazing.

Myself, having been bit by the guitar/Beatle bug way back when(see: A LITTLE BIT ABOUT…how the guitar bug bit me BIG TIME) thought I knew a few things about The Beatles.  Compared to Eddie, I know “just a few things” about The Beatles.

As we have just landed into 2014, I find it almost unbelievable that this is the year that celebrates the 50th Anniversary of The Beatles setting foot on the shores of America, along with Beatlemania and the first three appearances of The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show – the venue where most of us caught our first glimpse of The Beatles performing.

Jackaboutguitars.com will also continue to present some of these way cool articles by HUGE BEATLES FAN, Mr. Eddie Deezen in the near future.

Be sure to check out more from Eddie at www.eddiedeezen.com, neatorama.com, and give him a like on FaceBook.

Eddie, a sincere big THANK YOU to you!         –   Jack

 

THE FIRST BEATLE TO VISIT AMERICA BY   EDDIE DEEZEN

1380037470-0 It was mid-September of 1963, fifty years ago.  The Beatles were already the biggest stars in the history of Great Britain and had a number one song with “She Loves You,” as well as having had a #1 album, their debut album Please Please Me.

But after over a full year of steady recording, playing gigs, and touring, the band finally had a few weeks off for a holiday.  John went to Paris with his then-wife Cynthia.  Paul and Ringo took off with their respective girlfriends for a vacation in Greece.  That left George, who went with his older brother Peter to visit their sister Louise in America.  Thus, George Harrison became the first Beatle to visit the U.S. (Ringo had originally planned to go with George, but changed his mind and went on the Greek trip with Paul instead.)

Continue reading THE FIRST BEATLE TO VISIT AMERICA BY EDDIE DEEZEN

NOW THAT THE SMOKE HAS CLEARED, IT’S TIME FOR SOME KEEPIN’ IT REAL

FORGOT YOUR MEDICINE? TIME FOR A DOSE OF KEEPIN’ IT REAL BY STEVE SOEST

That’s right, the GOOD DOCTOR is in!Even-Steven

…and I thought I was busy. Steve Soest is playing gigs all over Southern California, fixing EVERYBODY’S GUITARS, living life large, and he still has time for us here at Jackaboutguitars.com What a great guy!

 

Woops! Two Steve’s…

I’ll have to send him out one of these new extremely way cool Jackaboutguitars.com tee shirts when they become available in the very near future! They’ll look something like this:Jag Shirt240-3

This is only a mock up. Of course the real shirts will look way much cooler than anyone can even begin to imagine or anticipate!!!

Prices aren’t set in stone yet but the way it’s looking I’m guessing they’ll probably be somewhere around $25 which will include shipping within the continental U.S. and for any of you other readers in the other 102 countries where we have been seen, we’ll have to calculate that extra shipping cost (sorry Paul M., Eric C., Jeff B., Jimmy P., Peter F., and Pete T.) (Besides, if you guys mentioned here request a shirt, I may just send ’em with no extra shipping charge if you promise to give ’em plenty of exposure.)

As we get this all figured out (depending on demand and feedback – please drop us a line at [email protected] and if there’s enough response, we’ll probably put up an order form in the right hand column to make it easy to get one of these cool tee-shirts that boast a logo design by the same artist who designed the famous AC/DC logo, my talented brother, Gerry Huerta.

Continue reading NOW THAT THE SMOKE HAS CLEARED, IT’S TIME FOR SOME KEEPIN’ IT REAL

THE WRECKING CREW FILM: ONE OF THE COOLEST MUSIC FILMS TO COME ALONG…EVER

MY DINNER WITH DENNY TEDESCO (WELL, NOT REALLY…JUST PICKING THE MIND OF THE MAN BEHIND ONE OF THE COOLEST MUSIC FILMS TO COME ALONG EVER…THE FILM “THE WRECKING CREW”) by ED HUERTA

WreckingCrewLogo

WELL, THE TIME IS AT HAND, AND THE WAY COOL MUCH ANTICIPATED WRECKING CREW FILM IS ALMOST HERE…

KICKSTARTER IS IN PLACE AND NOW IT’S TIME FOR EVERYONE OUT THERE TO DO WHAT EACH OF US CAN

 

That’s right.  It’s  finally almost here.  Getting close to the release of THE WRECKING CREW FILM.  Many of you have heard the buzz.  Filmmaker Denny Tedesco, son of the late, great guitarist, Tommy Tedesco, is getting very close to releasing his “labor of love“, The Wrecking Crew Film.  Talk about excitement building…

This is the story that has needed to be told and it’s time for the final push for funds to get this amazing film up on the BIG SCREEN for all to see and enjoy, to be WOWED and AMAZEDAnd what a story it is…

Let’s all help Denny Tedesco to get this story out to the masses.  Kent Hartmanthank you so much for writing “The Wrecking Crew” Book (“The Inside Story of Rock and Roll’s Best Kept Secret)!  I just wish that I would have discovered it before writing this article as I would have certainly asked your permission to draw from it.  What a GREAT read!

To date, many dollars have been raised as the film contains over a hundred songs of which the music rights and licensing had to be worked out and paid for.  The process is almost complete which will allow the film to be released.

Read on and find out how you can become a part of all this through the Kickstarter ProgramYou can actually help in a very modest (or generous) way to get this fantastic film launched onto the big screen!!!  There are so many ways to help out from attending screenings, giving a small or large donation, and even getting an actual dedication that will appear on the DVD.

You can even contribute to the effort by purchasing way cool Wrecking Crew merchandise like Bowling shirts, Tee-shirts and tank tops, baseball caps, coffee mugs, posters, and even special bottles of red wine, all with The Wrecking Crew Logo on them.  Great memorabilia to own, wear, and display in your home or music room.  See: Wrecking Crew Merchandise.

For those guitarists, musicians, and readers out there who aren’t too familiar with or don’t know much about all of this Wrecking Crew business in the air, relax.  It’s okay.  Really.

Continue reading THE WRECKING CREW FILM: ONE OF THE COOLEST MUSIC FILMS TO COME ALONG…EVER

THE WRECKING CREW FILM INTERVIEW WITH FILMMAKER DENNY TEDESCO IS ALMOST HERE!

UNTIL THEN, HERE’S SOMETHING STRAIGHT FROM THE WRECKING CREW SITE 

A BIG THANK YOU TO FILMMAKER DENNY TEDESCO!WreckingCrewLogoWHAT IS THE WRECKING CREW ALL ABOUT?

Watch this…

 

YOU’RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME – ONLY TWO DAYS LEFT FOR THE WRECKING CREW COVER CONTEST!!!

If you haven’t heard about “The Wrecking Crew Cover Contest”, READ ON as here’s what it’s all about:

STRAIGHT FROM THE WRECKING CREW SITE: 

One More Time… Since our last Wrecking Crew Cover Contest was such a huge success, we have decided to run it once again. We have chosen 19 songs (listed below) that are featured in The Wrecking Crew film. Choose your song, and give us your best cover version on video. it can be a solo, duo, trio, quartet, band, whatever. All we ask is that your submission is original, no Karaoke please, and no parodies, or obscenities. Be as creative as you want!! In our last contest one of the winners was a Ukulele group doing a version of “Be My Baby”! Here are some rules and other info: -Video submission will be accepted for the entire month of October ending 12:00 Midnight PST October 31, 2013 -Voting will begin on the Wrecking Crew Film website on November 1, 2013 and end on November 15, 2013. The winners

ABOUT BLUES GUITARIST HENRY CARVAJAL

(Editor’s note: Life has been so jammed packed that time has been at a premium for Jackaboutguitars…My sincerest thanks to Henry Carvajal and apologies for taking so long to get this interview out there to his public.  Thanks for you’re patience and understanding, Henry!            –    Jack

Photos by Ed Huerta unless otherwise noted.)

HENRY “THE HAMMER” CARVAJAL…(NICKNAME PENDING) by ED HUERTA

Let me just tell you people, Henry Carvajal has his act together.  I am not sure how much interaction you all have with musicians. but punctuality isn’t usually high on most musician’s list of things to deal with.

Dig.  Henry and I set up an interview appointment at 3 o’clock-ish at the World Famous DiPiazza’s Restaurant in Long Beach, California on a Monday, and no sooner did I show up, when Hammerin’ Henry strolls through the door.  I wasn’t even set up yet!  He has got to be the most prompt musician I have ever met.

Henry made a great first impression, Peeps, and if I was an employer, I would have given him the job right on the spot along with a company car (just for being a musician showing up on time)!  This is how impressive of a feat this is, Ladies and Gents.

Needless to say, I blame the Hammer (I learned Henry doesn’t have a nickname so I made this up, maybe it will catch on) for my mistake in missing the first part of our interview!

Just kidding, but I didn’t want to call Henry and try to recreate the magic that we encountered on our encounter or to check on what kind of condition our condition was in either, so relax, put the problems of the day behind you and take a trip with Henry Carvajal and his life in the blues…

Continue reading ABOUT BLUES GUITARIST HENRY CARVAJAL

A BIT ON THE NEW DANELECTRO COMPANY

HERE’S A LITTLE MORE DANELECTRO FOR THOSE WHO JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH

Dano Headstock

A BIT ON THE NEW DANELECTRO COMPANY

As a follow up to the reprinting of “The Danelectro Story” by Jim Washburn & Steve Soest which first appeared in Guitar World Magazine some years back, Steve Soest was kind enough to fill us in on his involvement with the new Danelectro Company that came about in the latter part of the 90’s – the time when all of those way cool re-issue Danelectro guitars got our hearts pounding faster and harder.  Here what Steve had to say about all that coolness that filled the air…

Dano Convertible

JAG:  The idea of a new Danelectro company seems like it must have been a pretty exciting adventure from day one.  How did your involvement with the new company come about?

SOEST:  After they attended the first NAMM show with a few new pedals, everyone asked them,”Where are the guitars?”  After asking around, they contacted me to see if I would be interested in the guitar project.  They hadn’t originally considered making guitars after acquiring the Danelectro name but said the interest from dealers at the trade show was encouraging.

JAG:   Just the idea of somebody wanting to reissue these cool instruments of the past is enough to get any guitarist’s blood going.  Did they pretty much have a plan on how they wanted to execute things?

SOEST:  No, not at all.  By the time they contacted me, they were just planning a re-issue of the classic U-2 model.

U2

JAG:  Did your expertise and know how play a big part in how any particular plan for an undertaking this huge was to come about?

SOEST:  I suppose so.  They put me in charge of historical research and reverse engineering, and supplied me with several great examples to spec-out and come up with the best features for modern production.

Continue reading A BIT ON THE NEW DANELECTRO COMPANY

THE DANELECTRO STORY

Dano HeadstockIMG_6159

 

Here’s a great story written by a couple truly knowledgeable writers, guitar guys, guitarists, etc., etc., etc…the list could fill a page about these two.

Special thanks to Jim Washburn, Steve Soest, and Guitar World Magazine, via Bob Mytkowicz for this Fab Dano Tale.

Jim and Steve’s story ran in Guitar World Magazine some years ago and Jackaboutguitars has received permission from both the authors, as well as Guitar World Magazine, to run this GREAT story about DANELECTRO.

Jackaboutguitars has also been given permission to excerpt a fabulous tribute by Howard E. Daniel, to his father, Nathan “Nat” Daniel, Founder of THE DANELECTRO CORPORATION.  For a great read be sure to check out the complete tribute by Howard E. Daniel on his blog at: Pen4Rent.com

 

Dano Convertible

THE DANELECTRO STORY…GUITAR WEIRDNESS AT A PRICE by JIM WASHBURN and STEVE SOEST

Dano main title shot

Jimi-Danelectro

HOW INNOVATIVE ELECTRONICS AND QUALITY-AT-A BUDGET PRODUCED A LINE OF AXES COLLECTORS GO GA-GA OVER TODAY.

A  gangly, young Jimi  Hendrix strikes a rock star pose on his front  lawn with his first electric guitar.  ln a London studio John Entwistle records a bass solo on the Who’s “My Generation” that explodes in a twanging  bluster.  Tommy Tedesco  drones through a soundtrack session on electric  sitar.  ln a solo spotlight, Jimmy Page takes an arena full of fans on a twenty-minute modal excursion with “Black  Mountain Side.”  In a West Coast bar David Lindley plays chunk chords on a department store guitar and somewhere behind all that hair, he’s smiling.

Continue reading THE DANELECTRO STORY

ROCKFORD…MORE TO COME…SOON!!!

BACK FROM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

We’ll, it’s great to back in the Pacific Northwest again.  I never fully realize just how cool it is here until I return from travels beyond.  People are just chill here and when they mention traffic here, I laugh.

I had a GREAT trip down to Southern California where I had the honor of attending the wedding of drummer, Jeff Miller, and his lovely bride Cherry.  Congratulations and BEST WISHES to you both for a wonderful life together!

While away, I was able to see family and friends and it was all and all a really great time, except for lost time on the highways.  I just don’t know how you guys handle day to day life on those super-sized freeways that have 6 to 8 lanes of traffic on each side that don’t seem to move very quickly at all.  Rush Hour is truly a joke – nothing rush about it.  Oh well…you guys do seem to manage it there and I have to hand it to you for that.

ROCKFORD…MORE TO COME…SOON on Jackaboutguitars

While in Southern California I had the cool opportunity of seeing a “great

DAVID GWYNN: ONE GUITAR GREAT

DAVID GWYNN: ONE GUITAR GREAT

This is the third, and final interview and article, in the series about three guys that taught me more about guitar and guitars, than they will ever know.

The first of these interviews was with Steve Soest, “famous guitar guy”, musician, and author, as well as a contributor to Jackaboutguitars with his “Keepin’ It Real” column where he fields your guitar questions.

The second was with guitarist Larry Hanson, another “famous guitar guy” and musician who has played with a lot of the greats.  If you need more info on Larry, check out the article.  It’s worth your time.

The third and final interview is with David Gwynn, the guitarist I have known the longest of the three mentioned, and the lead guitarist of the first band I ever had the opportunity to be a part of, that actually made money playing for people, when I was just sixteen years old.

A GUITAR PLAYER LIKE NO OTHER

David Gwynn (originally David Guynes) was born December 4, 1952 in San Francisco, California into a family with a deep musical tradition.  His father was a country songwriter, and his grandmother would critically listen to his attempts at playing the blues while she sang old Bessie Smith and Billy Holiday tunes.  The sound of country, blues, and rock and roll was a constant companion during his youth.

At ten years of age he was playing guitar instrumentals with his first band.  After that was the strong influence of the “British Invasion” of the sixties.  A little later David was going out to see The Butterfield Blues Band, other unique west coast groups such as Spirit, and great guitarists such as Roy Buchanan at every possible opportunity. He became interested in Indian classical music, attending numerous concerts of the renowned masters around the San Francisco Bay area.

David worked professionally on the west coast as a guitarist throughout the 70’s, including with some legends of country music history.  In 1984, David lands in Madrid, Spain and has since worked as a producer, composer, and studio musician – recording and touring with many Spanish artists and groups.

He has two solo albums: “David Gwynn” 1996 and  “Last of the Buffalo” 2001. His music is a mixture of ancestral tradition, blues feeling, and cultivated psychedelic soul.

David Gwynn

Unfortunately I didn’t have the luxury of traveling to Madrid to get this interview in person with David.  We both put in a bunch of computer time getting the interview together.  It was a fun process, however, as all of these interviews have been.  Here’s what David had to say.

Continue reading DAVID GWYNN: ONE GUITAR GREAT

SURF GUITAR LEGEND EDDIE BERTRAND’S PERSONAL GUITARS, AMPS, & EFFECTS FOR SALE

SURF GUITAR LEGEND EDDIE BERTRAND’S PERSONAL GUITARS, AMPS, & EFFECTS FOR SALE

As many of you probably heard, 1960’s surf guitar legend and pioneer, Eddie Bertrand of “The Belairs “ and “Eddie and the Showmen” fame, passed away last fall after a battle with cancer.  Surf guitar legend Eddie Bretrand’s personal guitars, amps, & effects are for sale.

His family has enlisted the help of Steve Soest , of Soest Guitar in Orange County, California (who played

“KEEPIN’ IT REAL” by STEVE SOEST

FORGOT YOUR MEDICINE? TIME FOR A DOSE OF KEEPIN’ IT REAL BY STEVE SOEST

That’s right, the GOOD DOCTOR is in!Even-Steven

…and I thought I was busy. Steve Soest is playing gigs all over Southern California, fixing EVERYBODY’S GUITARS, living life large, and he still has time for us here at Jackaboutguitars.com What a great guy!

 

Woops! Two Steve’s…

I’ll have to send him out one of these new extremely way cool Jackaboutguitars.com tee shirts when they become available in the very near future! They’ll look something like this:

Jag Shirt240This is only a mock up. Of course the real shirts will look way much cooler than anyone can even begin to imagine or anticipate!!!

Prices aren’t set in stone yet but the way it’s looking I’m guessing they’ll probably be somewhere around $25 which will include shipping within the continental U.S. and for any of you other readers in the other 102 countries where we have been seen, we’ll have to calculate that extra shipping cost (sorry Paul M., Eric C., Jeff B., Jimmy P., Peter F., and Pete T.) (Besides, if you guys mentioned here request a shirt, I may just send ’em with no extra shipping charge if you promise to give ’em plenty of exposure.)

As we get this all figured out (depending on demand and feedback – please drop us a line at [email protected] and if there’s enough response, we’ll probably put up an order form in the right hand column to make it easy to get one of these cool tee-shirts that boast a logo design by the same artist who designed the famous AC/DC logo, my talented brother, Gerry Huerta.

Now for some Keepin” It Real.

FORGOT YOUR MEDICINE? TIME FOR A DOSE OF KEEPIN’ IT REAL BY STEVE SOEST

Yep, It’s time for a public service announcement: Forgot your medicine? Time for a dose of Keepin’ It Real by Steve Soest. This will fix you right up for whatever’s ailin’ you and your guitar.

Here’s some questions…

Steve, I’m lookin to get a bass amp and thought you’d be able to give a heads up on a good new amp for club work. what would you recommend as far as used amps? thanks, Billy Metz

Thanks for the question, Billy. Times are good for small club –sized bass amps! Without getting into specific models, all the major manufacturers now offer smaller combo (amp and speaker in single cabinet) amps with plenty of power and loaded with features (EQ, XLR line out, compression, etc.).

Players no longer need to have monster stacks on stage to carry the fat bottom end. These amps are quite versatile, since most larger venues will have a sound system capable of reproducing great bass tones, all you have to do is line out into the mixing board, and use your amp as a stage monitor! Pack up your bass and head over to your local retailer and try out as many as you can to see what suits you personally. Good luck, Steve Soest

 

Steve, I have a Fender Stratocaster. What would you say is the way to set up the tension springs in the back? Some people cross ‘em over instead of keeping them in a straight line. How many springs do you recommend that I use to help keep the guitar in tune when I use the whammy bar? Thanx. Jim Johnson

Hello Jim – I get asked this question a lot in my repair business. The answer is based on your playing style and your preferred string gauge. My first question to you would be, “How are you going to use your tremolo/vibrato in your playing style? Are you into Jeff Beck, dive bombing, pulling up, flutters, etc.? Will you use it minimally, maybe just a little wiggle at the end of a phrase?

Or, will you NEVER use it, preferring to avoid tuning problems relating to constant pitch changes and the resulting friction?……. Next, I’ll ask you what gauge strings you’ll be using. When the Strat was designed back in the early 1950s, a standard string set was a .012” through a .054”, with a wound 3rd (G) string. As written history tells us, the bridge/vibrato system on the guitar was the most difficult feature on the model to design for suitable performance, and the design was developed to work with the available string sets.

If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, and want to try a “scientific” experiment, set up your guitar with a .012” string set, float the bridge slightly in the back with all five springs, and guess what?

By the time the Stratocaster’s second wave of popularity came around in the late 1960s, string bending and light gauge string sets were all the rage, so players started removing some of the original 5-springs to try to get the bridge to operate properly with the newly decreased sting tension. This brings us back to you original questions…..IF you’re using .009 gauge strings……don’t do it!

IF you really have to (and you’re in standard tuning), use three springs, either straight, or angled (the whole tension thing is going to be adjusted by the spring claw in the end) and use the newer “hybrid” sets that incorporate the three treble strings from the .009 set (.009, .011, .016 ) and the three bass strings from a .010 set (wound .026, .036, .046 ). You can still bend the three plain strings, and you can enjoy less-floppy wound strings.

If you’re going to use .010 or .011 sets, use four springs (leaving the center spot on the claw and bridge block open). Keeping all this in mind, if you’re going to do the wild Jeff Beck thing, I would float the rear edge of the bridge plate about .075 “ to .080” off the surface of the body. If the second option appeals to you (slight

LARRY HANSON: A GUITARIST AND MUSICIAN NOTABILIS (MOST REMARKABLE)

AGE QUOD AGIS

That’s right.  ‘Age quod agis’.  Do what you are doing.  I just had to get that out.  Even in Latin, Larry Hanson is a remarkable guitarist and musician – just doing what he’s always been doing.

Hanson-Medley

LARRY HANSON: A GUITARIST AND MUSICIAN NOTABILIS (MOST REMARKABLE)

I’ve been fortunate enough to know Larry Hanson for many years and was aware of him and his guitar playing for even longer than that.  Larry is one of the few whose reputation precedes him.

There’s good reason to suspect that if you know Larry personally, you probably did hear of him way before you met him. I was in high school when I had first heard of what a remarkable guitar player he is.  It was several years later that I finally had the opportunity to hear him play and finally meet him.  He is one amazing talent.

2011 Corona, CAOn top of all this, Larry is very modest about his abilities.  I do believe that Larry Hanson is probably the most humble guitarist that I have ever met and I would even step out as far as to say he’s the most humble guitar player on the planet concerning his abilities.

Continue reading LARRY HANSON: A GUITARIST AND MUSICIAN NOTABILIS (MOST REMARKABLE)

THE WRECKING CREW

HERE’S ONE THAT YOU REALLY NEED TO CHECK OUT!

WreckingCrewLogo

THE WRECKING CREW FILM – SCREENING

If you are one of the fortunate ones who will be able to get to the final day of Winter NAMM 2013 on Sunday, January 27th – Anaheim, California…you probably already know about the free screening of The Wrecking Crew Film.

If you don’t, it’s happening in Room 204-B @ 11:00 a.m. on Sunday morning.

Here’s a trailer just to give you a little bit of information about this fantastic movie by award winning film maker Denny Tedesco, son of the late, great guitarist, Tommy Tedesco, who was a member of The Wrecking Crew.

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?

Well, if the trailer didn’t spell it out for you…

This looks to be one really cool movie.  The rights to purchase all of this great music so that this wonderful film can be released are a bit on the $$$Spendy side.  Hopefully soon though, enough money will be raised to get this great film released.

Denny Tedesco let me know that there will also be a special screening on February 9, 2013 @ 8:00 p.m. honoring drummer Hal Blaine.  He also mentioned that “Nancy Sinatra will be joining us as well as a couple of other

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KEEPIN’ IT REAL’S STEVE SOEST AND ‘ART ‘N’ SOUL’S ED HUERTA

YOU GUYS MAKE IT HAPPEN!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KEEPIN’ IT REAL’S STEVE SOEST AND ‘ART ‘N’ SOUL’S ED HUERTA

Jackaboutguitars wishes Steve Soest & Ed Huerta ‘THE BEST’ all year long! Your hard work is appreciated here at Jackaboutguitars.

Happy Birthday to Keepin’ It Real’s Steve Soest and ‘Art ‘N’ Soul’s Ed Huerta.

Here are a couple of tunes hot off the press

TIME FOR ANOTHER BIT OF FAB FOUR NOSTALGIA THAT I HADN’T EVEN SEEN BEFORE

THE BEATLES AT THE LIVERPOOL EMPIRE THEATRE 07.12.1963…

TIME FOR ANOTHER BIT OF FAB FOUR NOSTALGIA THAT I HADN’T EVEN SEEN BEFORE

AND A NOTE ABOUT: THE BEATLES ROCK BONHAMS ENTERTAINMENT MEMORABILIA SALE

 

These days, especially around the holidays, it seems so difficult to get much accomplished with all of the work to be done, shopping, holiday parties, cooking & cleaning, washing, mowing the cats, milking the chickens, and especially, guitar playing going on at all hours of the night into the wee hours of the mornin’!

 

So it’s really looking like time for a little something nostalgic and kind of fun that was actually even new to me to help me take a few moments to catch my breath.

 

It’s a fun little video sent in by the infamous (or should I say famous) Bobby Fury – a man who is – and I quote “thee ‘Beatles Authority’ on this side of The Pond”, who makes the trip twice a year back to the ‘Homeland’ as ‘Fab Findings & Concerns’ beckon his consciousness.  Bobby Fury is also known here in the ‘new world’- America(“America is kind of like Britain with buttons”) as Bob Mytkowicz – see https://www.jackaboutguitars.com/gear-instruments-beatles-mytkowicz)

 

I had a pleasant conversation just yesterday evening with Mr. Fury in which ‘The Furious One’ told me of his latest escapades in the land of the Fab Four.    (You see, I have lived a secret ‘Beatle Life’ vicariously through Mr. Fury and his trips to the Motherland for many years now and hope that someday ‘The Storm’ will be able to make the trip just once before the long lasting condition of ‘worm food’ sets in for good(or in this

KEEPIN’ IT REAL by STEVE SOEST

KEEPIN’ IT REAL by STEVE SOEST is HERE!

Hopefully you have kept an eye out (or two) for the announcement of the launch of STEVE SOEST’S section of the blog called “KEEPIN IT REAL” which will have all kinds of GREAT “REAL LIFE” GUITAR INFO that YOU CAN PUT TO USE.

Well, the day has arrived!  The stars and the planets have aligned and the only thing found written in the works of Nostradamus is that he said,”Keepin’ It Real” will be VERY COOL.” Thanks, Nostry!!!

I have always thought in the back of my mind (“cheese and onions“) that if I had ever had the darkening of the horizon soaked up by the spherical bodies within my orbits (the viewing sockets of my facial melon), I could always play the blues under the moniker “Blind Lemon Jackson” or even more pertinent to the situation, “Blind Melon Jackson”, especially at the rate the hair continues to fall off the top of my noggin. Fortunately the day has arrived without me having to keep any eyes out for it. “KEEPIN’ IT REAL” IS HERE AND ALL IS GOOD.

Welcome to KEEPIN’ IT REAL. This area of the blog will deal with just that, the art of keepin’ it real like the title says in Jacktalk. Some HOW TO VIDEOS will also be a part of this section as well as resources for you to check out later.

Jackaboutguitars is extremely pleased to announce The PREMIER ISSUE by the (wait for it) “LEGENDARY STEVE SOEST” who will be fielding your questions about guitars in his new column “KEEPIN’ IT REAL” right here on Jackaboutguitars.

Your questions can be emailed to Steve via: [email protected]

Continue reading KEEPIN’ IT REAL by STEVE SOEST

SOEST GUITAR CELEBRATING 40 YEARS AT THE TOP OF THE GUITAR INDUSTRY

SOEST GUITAR CELEBRATING 40 YEARS AT THE TOP OF THE GUITAR INDUSTRY

FROM THE BARN TO THE BARN

Anyone who knows anything guitar, especially down Southern California way, either has heard the name Steve Soest, heard the stories of Steve Soest, has had an instrument repaired by Steve Soest, has bought a guitar or amp from Steve Soest, knows Steve Soest, has seen Steve Soest play, or has been in a band with Steve Soest. Whew!!! I just realized I have done all of the above. It’s no wonder I’m so tired all of the time (heh, heh). The name Steve Soest is pretty much synonymous with the word guitar – period!

 

 

This year Steve Soest is celebrating 40 years in business. His business started out in a barn 40 years ago and now he’s back with his latest shop set up in a barn. 40 years in the guitar business combined with being right up there at the top is quite an accomplishment.

Continue reading SOEST GUITAR CELEBRATING 40 YEARS AT THE TOP OF THE GUITAR INDUSTRY

KID RAMOS SHOUT-OUTS @ NICK’S TASTE OF TEXAS 10-07-2012

HERE’S A NEAT LITTLE VIDEO THAT SHOWS SOME OF THE LOVE THAT’S OUT THERE FOR OUR WONDERFUL FRIEND, GUITARIST KID RAMOS WHO IS CURRENTLY BUSY SHUTTIN’ DOWN CANCER AND PUTTING IT IN IT’S PLACE

 KID RAMOS SHOUT-OUTS @ NICK’S TASTE OF TEXAS 10-07-2012

David “Kid” Ramos is not only one of the finest blues guitarists out there, he’s also one of the busiest right now as he’s puttin’ the Kid Mojo on cancer’s @$$ (behind).  GO KID GO!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kid, if you get a chance to read

A CALL TO HELP A GREAT FELLOW GUITARIST – KID RAMOS

“WE ARE OUR BROTHERS KEEPERS” – A BENEFIT CONCERT FOR BLUES GUITARIST DAVID “KID” RAMOS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo courtesy Rand Chortkoff & Delta Groove Productions.com

A CALL TO HELP A GREAT FELLOW GUITARIST – KID RAMOS

When you think of all the great guitar playing that Kid Ramos has given us over the years, it’s just mind boggling.  It’s time for us to give back to Kid as we all can, whether it be by donations to his medical fund or even just some kind encouraging words to Kid, his wife Linda, and their family.

 

Without getting too deeply into any specifics, Kid is in a fight with cancer which he’s going to battle right out of his body.  It would be great if we all rally around him and cheer him and his family on through this tough ordeal.  TOGETHER WE WILL WIN!!!  This is a call to help a great fellow guitarist – KID RAMOS.

Continue reading A CALL TO HELP A GREAT FELLOW GUITARIST – KID RAMOS

CAPO 2 FOR MAC FROM SUPER MEGA ULTRA GROOVY

WHAT A WAY TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY GUITAR – YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO READ MUSIC…MY KIND OF LEARNING TOOL

Chris Liscio has come up with a great software program that is just PURE GENIUS.  No, it’s not brand new as it’s been out for a little while, but I’ve got the latest version, Capo 2 for Mac, and have heard more than just a few times how cool it really is.  Capo can actually help musicians to learn how to play by ear.  Without a doubt, I believe CAPO could be called a guitarist’s best friend.

 

This is so cool that I had to borrow this from the CAPO website: “Along the way, we’ve received many accolades, including two Apple Design Awards for our products Capo and FuzzMeasure. Our software is recognized as some of the best in the industry, and we strive to maintain that reputation.”  That says plenty.

 

Most players, even if they have never played with a physical capo, pretty much know how one works.  The idea is that one can raise the key of a song by simply moving the capo up the neck.

 

For those who are just starting out and don’t know what a physical capo does, it’s kind of like this: playing a song in the key of G is a pretty basic kind of deal.  If one wants to play that same song in the key of A without going through all of the hassle of transposing the chords to make the song work in the key of A, it’s as simple as putting the capo on at the second fret, and playing the song the same way as if one were playing in the key of G.  However, the song is now in the key of A as the capo has done all of the work for you and made everything that much easier.

 

With CAPO from SUPER ULTRA MEGA GROOVY, Chris Liscio has in a sense, managed to do the same type of thing with software, but it really kind of isn’t the same thing at all, and, oh yeah, and did I mention it’s only about a thousand times better!  This program is unbelievable.  Before I get into the meat of it, (or even better, certified organic, non GMO, Vegan great stuff – much healthier for you than the meat with what they feed the animals these days – unless your talking free range, but that’s another story altogether) about CAPO, I’m going to run you back a few decades when I was coming up on guitar to help put things a little more in perspective for people who may be coming from a different place & time, like I did.  You see, not everyone who is a guitar player came up with the internet.

Continue reading CAPO 2 FOR MAC FROM SUPER MEGA ULTRA GROOVY

TRIO NOUVEAU NEEDS OUR HELP!

A REMINDER TO HAVE RENTER’S INSURANCE

FROM THE ISLAND:

This one just hot off the press from our good friend Carol Douthitt (with 3 – t’s).  Thanks Carol & Julie Hadden.

 

 

Last Saturday night as they were performing at Djangofest in Langley, Keith Bowers and Kristi O’Donnell, were burglarized at their Greenbank home. The thieves took a lifetime collection of music effects, all of Keith’s guitars, electrical recording equipment, musical instruments, amplifiers, road cases, tools, recordings and computer drives. They even took an urn containing Kristi’s mother’s ashes.

TRIO   NOUVEAU   NEEDS   OUR   HELP!

Here’s a link with some descriptions and photos of the missing valuables:

http://www.kristio.com/todays-post-stolen-items-list.html

Many of us are outraged at this violation of our friends who are so well-known, admired and loved on Whidbey Island. They are a vital thread in the fabric of artists, writers and musicians that bring cultural greatness to our small island paradise.  TRIO NOUVEAU needs our help!

Keith and Kristi did not have insurance to cover their critically important

ANOTHER BEATLE POST? JUST A QUICK ONE BECAUSE… IT WAS THERE

ANOTHER BEATLE POST?  JUST A QUICK ONE BECAUSE… IT WAS THERE

I know, I know.  There are so many almost completed interviews to run, product reviews waiting, sections of the blog needing more material, sections of the blog waiting to become sections as they sit idly by wanting & needing attention so they can just BE – telling of content to come, which will actually be pretty darn cool – when it finally gets finished and posted,  and even a load of hidden gems just waiting to be published once they are secretly placed within the blog where they will only become discovered by accident WHEW!  These things do take time.  Enough.  But another Beatle post?  Just a quick one because … it was there. Now on to the quick post.

 

 IT’S ALL GUITAR RELATED

What’s with all of The Beatles stuff lately?  Well, I did cut my teeth on this music so it’s pretty engrained in my guitar roots.  Please bear with me and keep sending in the ideas and comments and I’ll try to get them posted.  Thanks!

THE BEATLES FREE AS A BIRD – UNRELEASED

THE CONTENTS OF JOHN LENNON’S JUKEBOX

THE CONTENTS OF JOHN LENNON’S JUKEBOX

Here’s a very cool video sent in by Gerard Huerta which is one that I hadn’t seen before and have really enjoyed watching it more than once since I received it.  The main reason that I feel that it’s worth sharing here on the blog is the awesome value that the contents of the jukebox have played in music. Talk about some real rock and roll history!

SOME OF THE INFLUENCES BEHIND THE MUSIC THAT REVOLUTIONIZED POPULAR MUSIC

The contents of John Lennon’s Jukebox video is a 48 minute documentary about a  jukebox that was owned by Beatle John Lennon in the 1960’s.  This jukebox was a “portable traveling companion” of Lennon, used in much the same way we would use an iPod today, except for the fact that an electrical outlet was needed to operate the jukebox.  It certainly wasn’t portable compared to today’s standards.  Thank goodness for technology.  I’m sure John Lennon would have loved the iPod.

 

The contents of the jukebox are 40 records, labels written in Lennon’s hand writing, which are a mix of soul, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll, some that few people had ever heard of, and some classics, all of which helped to shape Lennon’s musical education and played a huge part in his songwriting.

Continue reading THE CONTENTS OF JOHN LENNON’S JUKEBOX