Oh, and if you can’t tell by looking at my blog design, the White Stripes are by far my favorite band! So, you know I’ll be there…

Here’s the synopsis of the film:

From the cinematic genius of Emmett Malloy is spawned this unprecedented account of The White Stripes reality- their unrivaled musicianship, and unfiltered commentaries on life and life on the road, all in the Canadian summer of 2007. Through his 16mm camera lens, Malloy brings to full exposure the essence of Jack and Meg White in his documentary “Under Great White Northern Lights.” The film was conceived from the band’s initiative to do the undone- tour each province in Canada, every reasonable (or unreasonable) nook of the landscape including bowling alleys and city buses, in order to deliver their legendary sound to unsuspecting townspeople and diehard fans alike. And as to be expected, the duo does it all. They play their longest show ever at the Savoy Theater on their 10th anniversary, only to balance it out with a subsequent one-note ensemble. And somewhere between tinkering on old pianos and firing off cannons in an empty field, the band evokes and sustains a most intimate connection with their audience. “Under Great White Northern Lights” illuminates the soul of the White Stripes, their rooted spirit for Rock ‘n Roll, and their unshakable dedication to their fans. As Jack White simplifies it in the film, “from the ocean to the permafrost” he and Meg only come to delivery some of the most unforgettable performances our generation has ever seen.

I look forward to hearing what people think about the music I feature so please put in your two-cents by commenting and also feel free to suggest stuff as well for posting.

TheSixtyOne is a free music website that a friend of mine introduced me to. It’s a great place to check out new music/artists. It’s similar to Pandora but seems to feature lesser known artists and has a type of game aspect added into the service. Here is what the people who operate the site say about their service:

thesixtyone makes music culture more democratic: artists upload their work for review, but, rather than allow a stuffy suit in a boardroom to decide what’s good, thousands of listeners do. The best music automagically bubbles up on our homepage where you can listen to the most popular songs for any genre. It’s a quick way to find new music for your iPod powered by pure excitement as opposed to some contrived marketing budget.

Think you’ve got a good ear? Aside from customizing your experience, creating an account allows you to earn reputation, level up your influence, and collect badges for discovering and recommending good music that others may enjoy. On thesixtyone, tastemaking becomes fun, competitive, and trackable.

We’re on a quest to help people fall in love with something new while giving deserving artists an efficient channel for finding their audiences.

One of the more interesting things to me was that they offer a Creative Commons section of music. This just means the artists who release their music under this license allow it to be downloaded for free and used in various capacities without needing their express written permission. Open-Source music, pretty cool!

Anyway, the more and more I watch/listen to it the more and more I relate it to my own life in a lot ways. Sure, I’m not a heroin addict but the angst he must of felt and the inability for him to help some things/people in his life I can relate to.

It’s a sad song but definitely one of the greatest I’ve ever had the pleasure to listen to…

I’ve seen SY quite a few times in the past and look forward to seeing them again this time around. But, for now it looks like there’s no Los Angeles or San Diego shows?!? The only California stop on the schedule for now is Oakland, CA. Sucks… I hope they add at least one LA show!!!

Anyway, I found this little gem of a video on YouTube and I hope you enjoy it as I did. It’s their network television debut on The Late Show with David Letterman. I’m not sure what year it was filmed (late 80s?) and the quality of the video is crappy but it’s a great performance and still worth checking out.

Anyway, below are a few pics and a short video of the show I captured using my iPhone 3G. Check them out…

They basically have 2 albums. “Glasvegas” and “A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like a Kiss)“. The 2nd album was released along with their self-titled one as a bonus disc of sorts. Not only are the songs great the albums really flow nicely from one song to the next. It’s the kind of album that is best heard from start to finish.

I would have to say their most popular song (and one of my favorites) is “Geraldine”. I also really like “Please Come Back Home” so I’ve attached that one below as a preview. Check it out…

[Audio Clip: View Full Post to Listen]

Finally, check them out via the iTunes Store if you want to grab the album.

Thanks to “YourGuitarSage” on YouTube for his video lesson. I’ll also try to tab out the guitar solo that’s played twice during the song. I’ll update this post once I finish it.

Notes: I am not an expert tab writer and this tab is no where near perfect. Also, the YouTube lesson and this tab are in standard tuning. The original recording of the song is using a non-standard tuning (not sure what it is). Finally, I use this tab as a simple chord guide to help me while I learn the song. You’ll need to listen to the song and figure out the changes and strumming on your own.

By far the best track on the album is “Olympic Airways”. But you should also check out “Red Socks Pugie”, “Cassius”, and “Tron”. All excellent songs… All in all it’s a great indie rock album that deserves more attention. You can check out a few of their songs (lo-fi audio stream) at the band’s MySpace page.

“Decode” by Paramore
“Full Moon” by The Black Ghosts
“Spotlight (Twilight Mix)” by Mutemath
“Eyes on Fire” by Blue Foundation
“Never Think” by Rob Pattinson

Again, a lot of good songs on this soundtrack and it’s definitely worth a listen. But, one track on the album really stands out from the rest in my opinion – “Eyes on Fire”. It’s a track recorded by the band Blue Foundation from Denmark. The muted/distorted guitar riffs, slow hypnotic drumming, and haunting vocals by Kirstine Stubbe Teglbjærg really make this a song (and band) worth checking out.

[Audio Clip: View Full Post to Listen]

Click the play button above to check out the song “Eyes on Fire” in its entirety.

Anyway, I was bored the other night and I went up there to check out the bands playing and I experienced something truly special. That something special was the one man band Bob Log III. His mix of blues slide guitar and shiny gold jump-suit with matching helmet / mic apparatus was mind blowing. Here are a couple of pics from the show.

Finally, here is the music video for my personal favorite Bob Log III track titled “Boob Scotch”. I couldn’t believe there was actually a music video for this song… Oh, and since the song is all about girls stirring his scotch on the rocks with their tits (lol), it’s definitely not safe for work.

There’s just something about giant guitar boats and mediocre pop songs that instantly brighten my day…

I’ve always loved music. More so than the average person I must say. But, for some reason I didn’t pick up the guitar, my favorite instrument, until my late 20s. So, about a year and a half ago I decided to finally give it a try. I had no knowledge of the guitar itself or how to play it so I went online and researched the shit out of everything. Guitars, strings, picks, amps, instructional books, you name it. I spent all that time researching because I simply wanted a decent “start-up guitar” that wouldn’t cost me a ton but wouldn’t suck either.

I also didn’t know if I should start with an acoustic or an electric. Some people say electric guitars are a bit easier to start with since it takes less pressure to fret notes on the neck and for a couple of other various reasons. But, acoustic guitars are less hassle and easier to pick up and practice with whenever which is good. I personally chose to start with an acoustic guitar. I love the natural sound of it and figured it was the least expensive way to start playing. No added crap to buy like wires, amps, etc…

Once I knew I was buying an acoustic I started learning about what makes a good sounding guitar, well, sound good. There’s the type of wood used in the construction of your guitar, if it has a solid top or not, the shape of the guitar, and a 100 other points that factor in to making a great sounding instrument. But, I found that the basic items that differentiate good/decent from crap are as follows:

• Type of wood used in the neck, body (back, sides, and top), and fret board
• If the guitar has a solid top or not
• Quality hardware (bridge pins, tuners, etc.)
• The manufacturer

If you can afford a solid top guitar of a decent brand you’ll be all set starting out. If you can’t there are options in the less than $200 range. I used these guides on about.com and justinguitar.com to figure out what I should get while staying within my budget.

I originally bought an Ibanez JamPack IJV50 Quickstart Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Pack for $100. I quickly tore off the strings and replaced them with decent ones and never touched the rest of the garbage that came in the box with the guitar. Later I also bought a cheap black and white Yamaha Pacifica electric and a small practice amp to mess around with.

Both were inexpensive and made noise. But, that was about it – they sound/feel horrible – don’t buy them. The moral of the story is that if you can spend a bit more cash on something mid-range out of the gate you’ll not only sound better but you’ll be able to learn how to play quicker as well. A crap sounding/poorly constructed instrument stunts learning by:

• Making it harder to fret notes (fingers hurt more than they should) so you physically can’t practice as long
• Making you sound a lot worse than you should because the instrument itself produces “bad sound”
• Making it hard to keep it in tune due to poor quality tuners

Again, if you can, spend a little extra money when starting out and you’ll be better off. Also, always deal with a reputable store or dealer. Guitar Center is decent or any local mom and pop music store should do. Don’t waste your money at pawn shops.

I’ve of course gotten rid of the equipment mentioned above (about 6 months into playing) and now have a Seagull Original S6 acoustic and an Epiphone Les Paul Plain-Top electric in heritage cherry sunburst (pictured below).

Both of these are decent mid-range instruments. Quality craftsmanship at a decent price and they of course sound great. Something like the above guitars would be more than enough for a person starting out.

Again, just check out the guides mentioned above for more detailed professional help. They’ll help you buy something decent and point you in the right direction in regards to getting help learning how to play. Other than that, just practice a ton! You’ll eventually get it like I did.