The Disappointing Grammys, and an example of Music
Well, last night was the 51st Grammy Awards. And to be frankly honest
the whole thing was a big disappointment to me. From Coldplay winning
'Song Of The Year,' to there just being not too many good performances.
I don't think Justin Timberlake is worth his weight in salt. To see Al
Green, & Stevie Wonder was pretty cool. But Macca (Paul McCartney)
was disappointing, one song?! And one of the not so memorable Beatles
songs too...The Hip Hop collaboration was okay, I thought it would be
better. I just can't help but chuckle for a lot of different reasons,
because people within the music industry are wondering why they've been
in as much trouble as they have been. And part of their problem
is...SHITTY MUSIC.You can just listen to who their 'big' and 'new'
names are...and you can tell that they are either too controlled, or
there's too much of a lack of talent for them to establish the legacy
like our elder statesmen of Rock, Country, R&B, Blues, and Jazz
have. Music needs a Saviour, and I have some ideas about a group that
could do it. However I'll delay my ideas as to who those artists/groups
are and show you a performance by one of the great unsung Prog Rock
groups, performing what I call 'Art.' It's that good, IMO. I dare to
say this song influenced Elton John in the opening track for his most
famous album...Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Here's Procol Harum
performing "Repent Walpurgis"....enjoy.
Provision Met...and the Path is Being Prepared...a
Current mood: bored
Well everyone, It seems as though now the way is being prepared
for this year, which WILL be a fulfilling year for me...as I finally
begin the pursuit of my destiny in music. Studio time (for the purpose
of recording solo stuff) is being arranged somehow right now...as we
speak. I'm not sure how it's going to pan out, it looks like there's
two options...one of which is an old, good friend who'll give me free
studio time for free engineering/co-producer time. I worked with him
last about 3 years ago on what turned out to be the highest quality
solo recordings that I have to date. So that being said...apart from
getting a hold of a decent bass to cut bass tracks with, and figuring
out when we're gonna be doing tracking...'cause it's gonna be when it's
a convenience to him. God has been wonderful (and IS
wonderful) in providing a method for me to get things going so I can
prepare and not have to worry too much about the details...just DOING
IT really. I plan on cutting an EP over the next few months (from now
'til May). And getting a couple hundred copies of it made so I can give
some out...and sell some. And if I'm happy enough with how it turns
out, I'll release it digitally, & maybe...MAYBE get copies out to
local music stores so they can sell them as well. But, we'll cross that
bridge when we get to it...I can't see that far ahead, and have no idea
how the solo stuff is going to transpire. There's something
else looming on the horizon, something I NEVER thought I would EVER
have a chance to do (musically speaking)...that seems like as a friend
put it..."a possibility, maybe even a strong probability" of happening.
The only way I can explain it is that...I see the door that leads to
it, and I see the handle starting to turn a little bit. And now, at
this point...I'm just waiting for that door to open...or in other words
"get the green light" for me to charge through it. It is something I
dreamed of doing, and it seems as though it might actually happen. I
pray it does.
And finally...my most sincere regards to you
ma'am, you were the last woman that will burn my old-fashioned,
chivalrous ass. No hard feelings, though...I hope for what its worth
you feel better about yourself for what you did. Divine providence will
bring me my wife...cause I'm DONE looking. Bless you, you damned fool.
May grace abound & save you from yourself. I sincerely hope you
find happiness, peace and joy in this life.
Well I guess first off, congratulations would be in order for the
Steelers Nation. They are now the Yankees of Professional Football...as
in they have more World Championships than any other franchise. I
didn't really have a favourite going into it, I rooted for Arizona
because they were the underdogs and everyone said it would be a
blowout. You gotta admit though, they went out and put up one hell of a
fight. They did NOT lay down. Pittsburgh had to earn that Lombardi
trophy. It was probably the best Super Bowl I've seen, right up there
with the Giants/Patriots game.
Well
things are actually panning out and falling into place to secure studio
time...it hasn't worked out the way I thought it would, but its
actually working itself out! God is truly great & mysterious (in
his ways). I'm hoping to actually start tracking within the next month,
instruments and such. I'm really gonna try and discipline myself and
put forth my best effort for this solo thing. There is still a
possibility that I'll be joining a band later this year...but I don't
know when that will be or how that's going to happen. But I feel that
if it happens I could really contribute to what they're doing, and I
would still have the freedom and liberty to work on solo material on
the side. I'm planning on doing 7 songs. Most of which I have planned
out, but it needs to be finalized. I'll also be putting feelers out for
favors to help throw together a press kit...Also I have a friend who's
sketching a design that I'll probably end up using for merchandise and
the cover of the E.P.
R.I.P. Billy Powell. The pianist for the
Southern Rock icons Lynyrd Skynyrd was found dead in his sleep in his
Jacksonville, FL home. He was only 56 years old. IMO, he was one of the
great, under-rated rock pianists. Kind of like Nicky Hopkins, everyone
has heard 'em play...but people generally don't know who they are.
There was an article that I ended up getting in a pretty animated and heated discussion (with one user in particular), but I know I came off as an absolute prick to another user whom I thought was acting ridiculous...and in turn so did I. Even though I have ZERO respect and do not particularly care for the one user...I would like to extend a sincere apology to all whom I have personally attacked. I will not retract my arguments or stand down from my spiritual and personal convictions...However for what I've said to attack people's character, I'm sorry, I was wrong, & I was out of line; forgive me.
As a musician, it's hard for me sometimes to enjoy...and I mean really
enjoy concerts like regular people (most musicians are weird, if you
haven't noticed). Anytime I go...I end up analyzing what the performers
are doing, how they're doing it...etc. & so on. I grew up listening
to The Eagles, thanks to my Dad...in recent years I've gotten a copy of
their Eagles Farewell I Tour DVD, and have seen that...and was very
impressed...naturally I thought there was some clean-up work done to
make the concert sound better, because the DVD was just so damned
good...I also wasn't happy with how they engineered & mastered the
sound for the DVD. The guitars were not as prevalent as they should've
been...and that gave me a slight prejudice going to this concert. I
knew that these guys had a solid reputation...and in my mind they had a
lot to live up to to meet my expectations.
After grabbing a bite
to eat w/ my Old Man...we went back to his place and played some cards
and meantime I was loosening up with a couple of Screwdrivers (Vodka
& Orange Juice). We get seated and everything, and as with all
concerts I've ever been to...there's a bit of a delay in the concert
starting. Then the house lights drop out, and Joe Walsh hits the first
notes on "How Long;" following that, they played three more songs from
Long Road Out Of Eden, then they went through "I Can't Tell You Why,"
"Peaceful Easy Feeling," to "Lyin' Eyes," then to the mega-hit "Hotel
California," before a couple of solo pieces then ending the first set
with "The Long Run." The second set started with 4 (I think) more songs
from the new album, including the title track...which is an awesome
song live. Then they threw in a couple of tunes from the 'Hell Freezes
Over' period. Then back to the solo stuff.
I would venture to say
that this concert ties with Queen & Paul Rodgers as the BEST one
I've ever been to. These guys truly deliver...their vocals & vocal
harmonies are SPOT ON, and the musicianship is tight & hot (not
sexual innuendos, that's musician slang...perverts). They had a
percussionist, two keyboard players (who played other things as well),
a guitarist (a damned good one) who stands in what I would call Don
Felder's shoes, & a 4-Piece Horn section (Might've been a core of
3, but I remember seeing 4 at one point).
Bottom line...If you can
afford to see these guys, and you even remotely like The Eagles...YOU
HAVE TO GO SEE THESE GUYS. They are one of the handful of acts that
give you way, waay more then your money's worth of a gig. I will never
forget tonight...it was one of the coolest moments w/ my Dad.
**********NEWS********* There
are a couple of things coming up that I'm praying about and considering
doing, that would really provide some wonderful and MUCH NEEDED
exposure for my solo material. So if you're reading this...PRAY for
me. I hope this New Year is off to a good start for all of you. God
Bless & Peace!
Soon I'll be featured on www.musicianmatch.co m!! I
Soon, I venture to say within the next week or so...I'll be a featured artist on www. musicianmatch. com It's pretty cool, another first for me. The one thing I like about the site is that you can actually virtually collaborate with people in other parts of the world, without having to have a full-fleged studio, or protools, or any of that garbage. Thank you for your support and peace!
P.S. - If you go to the site...VOTE FOR ME as the "Best Guitarist on the Internet." Again I do appreciate your support. God Bless!
I registered on this site about 3 or 4 days ago, and today I got an e-mail from the co-owner of the site asking me to post a video of myself playing guitar so he can "feature" me on the site. Pretty badass I have to say. There's one guy on there I'd love to collaborate with, and he sounds JUST like John Entwistle from The Who, bass playing, singing voice, everything, there's also a 14 year old kid on that site who can play like Keith Moon! Very cool indeed. I entered somewhat late into the "Best Guitarist on the Internet" Contest. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to win it; I honestly don't know what to make of the competition quite yet, or yet the contestants. So we'll see how all of that turns out.
I was very dissapointed, and a little suprised to find out that my account on Blabbermouth's music news website (an independent media subsidiary of Roadrunner Records), as well as finding out that my IP address was blocked. Not a notice letter, not a warning...ZILCH. I understand and respect that they have their own rights and policies. But I still don't understand (even after sending an un-replied e-mail) what I could've done wrong.
I'm a fan of Classic Rock, & Hard Rock...it is the essence of everything that I write (but not the limit to genres I write in). I happen to have a 'love & hate' relationship with Metal. I always have, & I suppose I always will. Not that I really care. I am an open minded man and I can spot TALENT & SKILL (there is a difference, despite the confusion amongst the internet trolls and bloggers; musicians understand this). And I always have and always will respect GOOD musicianship. Many of my favourite bands are heavy metal bands: Black Sabbath, Megadeth, Iced Earth, Opeth, Metallica, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, UnderOath, Stryper, & Tourniquet (To name a few).
The 'hate' aspect of my relationship with metal, overwhelmingly retarded & flaming (GAY for those of you who don't know that slang) imagery, symbols, and ideologies that are being promoted; particularly in the Mainstream of Metal, as well as Death Metal, and Black Metal (as well as bits and pieces of other kinds of metal). Consequently it is my opinion that in the latter two sub genres (Death & Black), Black specifically, has quite a delusional, & retarded ideology...which is well mixed with a severe lack of TALENT & SKILL. That's something I observed rather QUICKLY before also realizing that I also didn't like anything they were promoting. It's absolute GARBAGE!!! I could train a 5 year old to play circles around those people! They're that bad!!!
I am an opinionated person, & frankly I don't give a damn what other people think, & every now and then I'd go there and find a news article about a group I didn't particularly care for...and I trashed 'em (it's fair...FREEDOM OF SPEECH) IF it showed them doing something I thought was stupid; & I found articles I liked about bands and gave them props. I did what I saw everyone else on that site doing, RANTING & RAVING.
Come to find out, I've been booted and blacklisted...for WHAT??!! Did I make somebody cry or something?? Did I piss of one of those douche bag "musicians (they foolishly believe that they are)" and they cried to Blabbermouth saying, "WHAAA (**cries and sniffles** I DON'T LIKE HIM!! HE WAS MEAN TO ME!!! YOU HAVE TO KICK HIM OUT, OR I'M NOT SUPPORTING YOU AGAIN..." Well weather that was it or not, I hope you fascist pigs at Blabbermouth are happy now. I could care less...
Peace!! And remember Americans...value and exercise your 1st Amendment rights!!!
"It Makes No Difference" - A cover of a song made famous by The Band, a Robbie Robertson composition that appeared on the album 'Northern Lights-Southern Cross.' The vocals and guitar are done by me, and was recorded with a digital camera, I played my Squier '51 on it.
"Stand Up" - A rough demo of an original song, the inspiration from it was to give a sort of nod to Tom Morello, one of my heroes. The song is also inspired partly from the Queen song "Dragon Attack." I played my Squier '51, ran through a DigiTech RP-200, and recorded w/ the camera.
"He is Here" - Another original tune, an instrumental mix; recorded at a friend's house. I played all of the instrumentation: a Roland V-Series, Live Zildjan cymbals (condenser mikes set up for stereo image), Casio Keyboard (Organ Model), Johnson P-Bass, Customized Ibanez, & DigiTech RP-200. The lyrics are Christian themed, it was inspired by Pink Floyd, Cream, & Queen.
"White Room" - Tribute to Clapton, & the supergroup Cream...recorded w/ the same equipment (minus keyboard) at the same location as "He Is Here." I played all of the instruments. Another instrumental mix. Songwriting Credits go to Jack Bruce & Pete Brown (Wheels of Fire, 1968)
"Let It Be" - Beatles cover, Instrumental Mix. Same equipment and location as "He Is Here." I played all of the instruments. Writing credits go to John Lennon & Paul McCartney (Let It Be, 1970).
I hope you all enjoy the music!! Peace and God Bless...
It's hard to believe that its been 17 years since Freddie Mercury's untimely death. In my opinion, he was rock's greatest showman, and rock's greatest male vocalist. Those few who actually analyze his compositions will also find out that he was a musical genius. His influences ranged from Chopin, to Aretha Franklin, to Paul Rodgers, to Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Liza Minelli, Cream, & Led Zeppelin.
His untimely death was caused by bronchial pneumonia which was brought on by the HIV/AIDS virus. Which sadly is now a pandemic, particularly in Africa. Here's a couple of videos that pay tribute to the late, great Freddie Mercury. God Bless ya Fred, rest in peace.
Rog: Heya Byron, thanks for your time, how did you end up in our little forum here?
BW: Thanks for interviewing me man. Well a year ago, I registered with
the website for a certain national guitar competition here in the
states...and I quickly became disillusioned with how they were running
the site and even judging the competition. I liked the vision they had;
however I was dissappointed with the lack of support and purity of that
vision. Through that site I met Axeshredder, BluesHonky, and a plethora
of other gifted, and humble musicians whom each had a unique passion
for music. I got the invite for going to Guitars101.com...and then from
there Axeshredder invited me to be a part of this site.
Rog: How long have you been playing and who do you consider your biggest musical influence?
BW: I've been playing off and on since my 16th Birthday, and I'll be 23
this year, so that'll equate to...going on seven years. There's an
elite group of players that are dear to me. But if I had to pick one it
would be the man who inspired me to start playing. Dr. Brian May
(Queen, solo).
Rog: What is your current set up?
BW: Well unfortunately I don't have a lot of gear at the moment. I have
two guitars, a Squier '51 (w/ D'Addario .11's). My other guitar is a
low end Ibanez version of a Fat Strat (D'Addario .10's) that I
customized by rewiring the pickups so that they were "in phase" instead
of "in series." A la Brian May. I named the Ibanez "Katie." I have an
early '80's Fender Amp that I 'did in' during a fit of rage when I
stomped on it and now there's some buzzing in the sound and the volume
control goes from 0 to 11 (pun intended) before you're halfway around
the dial. The pedals I have are the DigiTech RP-200, and the Brian May
Red Special Pedal.
Rog: What do you think of the current state of guitaring today?
BW: I think most players today are either playing metal or
instrumental/experimental rock. A lot of them want to be
virtuosos...and they're following great examples...Satch, Vai, Yngvie,
Petrucci, Gilbert, Morse. It's almost like the trends of 80's guitar
playing in a lot of ways is popular nowadays. But that combined with
metal. Basically the trend today is being able to have technique and
inhuman speed. Sweep picking is like an unspoken "you must learn it!"
Kind of spoken in the vain from The Wall, the line that says "You can't
have any pudding if you don't eat your meat!!" It's kind of unfair, for
people to assume that you aren't even a decent guitarist by today's
standards unless you can sweep pick. I think its a really sweet
technique but there's so many people doing it. And I've always had a
real hard time conforming to the mainstream and what is 'popular.'
Blues is in every genre of popular music in some form; but yet it isn't
really acknowledged...I think there are a lot of guitarists that don't
get enough exposure, I never hear about a lot of the older bluesmen. Or
even certain Classic Rock guitarists...but maybe I don't pay enough
attention. It's funny how some music stores have signs saying "No
Stairway," or "No Smoke On The Water." As far as that goes, I got $20-
that says in less than 5 years you're gonna see signs that say "No
'Surfing.'" Hahaha. Just remember, you heard it here first.
Rog: Are you in a band or have been? (Now is the time to for quick band promo lol!)
BW: Well as a guitarist I've been in 3 groups, as a drummer I've been
in 3 bands; and as a bassist I've only played in one. At this point,
I'm flying solo...and happy with it. I can do things at my pace and not
worry about other people turning into primadonnas. I hope to be in a
group again at some point. But the convenient thing about this is that
I can do it at my own pace and work on my singing voice as well as my
guitar chops, and sharpening my composer's brain.
***PLUG***(I know I'm so subtle...) I'm planning on recording a solo
record that will be done by the end of this year. So keep a look out
for it. It will be a truly independent release.
Rog: For the music I’ve heard you do, it is very colourful, like a
soundtrack, I like it a lot, and what do you use for recording and do
you purposely look for specific tones for specific parts to your songs?
BW: Well I score stuff on Guitar Pro Software. I own a cheap keyboard
that I use to accompany scratch tracks with guitar. I mix stuff w/
Audacity; and I capture my "live" guitar tracks with a digital camera
that has a mic; that essentially picks up the sound from headphones
that are being ran out of the RP. It's really cheap, but by God; it
works. I'm pretty sold out to a tone that is kinda similar to Brian
May, but I try my best to incorporate that tone into everything.
However with this "soundtrack" like stuff if you will; I want the
layered guitars that are in contrapuntal harmony (written in
counterpoint as opposed to parallel harmony). I also love the tone of
the Hammond B-3. I'm not a fan of atonal music. Especially how its been
overused in thrash, and a lot of the stuff I'm writing that is like
underscore or "soundtrack" like material is kind of my proof that you
can write really cool and scary music with tonal music, that can still
be heavy, and face melting. As far as straight up rock stuff I write,
its kind of like a blend of the best tonal qualities of psychedelic
rock, blues rock, and progressive rock.
Rog: Favourite all time riff?
BW: Well that changes a lot but if I had to pick one riff it'd probably
be "The Prophet's Song" - Brian May (Queen). That track was recorded on
one of the seminal albums in rock 'n roll (A Night At The Opera). It
was Brian's masterpiece for the album, to compliment Freddie's
"Bohemian Rhapsody." The riff I'm referring to is about the riff that
thunders out at the end of the middle section of the song where Freddie
harmonizes with himself. At like 5:50 in the song to the end. I love
the guitar work on that. That song is a hidden jem on that album.
Rog: Who would you say is the current most underrated guitarist?
BW: Ooo, that's another tough question; I really couldn't tell you that
there was just one person in my opinion. If I had to name probably one
guy out of that group, it would be Alvin Lee. That guy is
incredible...anybody who's seen Woodstock remembers him smoking the
fretboard of an ES-335 (I think). Another really great song he did is
called "The Bluest Blues." A friend of mine showed me that and it blew
me away. I think Alvin Lee is one of those guys that is grossly
overlooked.
Rog: If you could jam with anybody alive or dead, any era, who?
BW: Dude, that's like asking an alcoholic what kind of bourbon he
likes. Sorry I have a weird train of thought, kinda like Robin
Williams. I'd have to say out of the guitarists that have 'shuffled off
this mortal coil' I'd have to go with Roy Buchanan. That guy's playing
is beyond intense; its almost creepy, and kinda spiritual...He can send
chills down your spines. I believe that out of all of all my guitar
heroes that have died and gone. I think if I had a chance to play with
him, it would give me an interesting perspective as to what I was
really made of as a guitarist.
Rog: What do you think of the players at TBJR?
BW: As guitarists? I think they all have a great heart for music and
for what they do; and they all sound original to me. Which is extremely
refreshing! It's a nice blend of humility, talent, wisdom and skill
that people will find here. And when it comes to originality, don't
trade it for anything. Because very few musicians actually have the
guts to take the journey to discover what they really sound like as
musicians. It's nice to be on a site where there's no trash talking;
nobody's trying to outdo one another; and we don't have 80% of the
people competing to see who can sound the most like somebody else.
Rog: What is your closest claim to fame?
BW: I'm was held in very high regard for my guitar playing with part of
the student body at Carson Newman College, I played my last gig (up to
this point) as a guitarist for a band I recorded and toured with at on
CN's campus before like 800 people...and for the encore we covered a
Third Day (Contemporary Christian Group) song called "Consuming Fire."
That was a neat song that was kinda southern mainstream rock in 6/8,
which rolls very well for rock 'n roll. Similar (obviously) to 3/4, the
only difference being what gets the beat in the measure. Anyways...the
song climaxes with a one measure drum break and a guitar solo, I had
played my own guitar instrumental earlier that night. So I decided to
show off a little to see if I could get the crowd going, and I put the
guitar behind my head and played a minute and a half solo. People were
going nuts...I couldn't believe their reaction. My mom and sister were
there, and they were lock jawed. It was at that point that they were
convinced that I had something to work with in music.
Rog: What is it like in the area you live for a guitarist?
BW: Well, for what I do it kinda sucks. Being a Christian, I do enjoy
getting to play at church, and I do mean really "play." It's rare
though. I find that there I'm needed for other things...which is
completely cool with me. So, most of the time I'm asked to contribute
my giftings with other instruments. Which is cool with me, it will keep
the rust off my skills with the other stuff I play. And as far as my
style, which I guess one could call Blues/Progressive/Rock; I can't
seem to find people that want to commit around here. Everybody is a
hobbyist and isn't that serious about it. It's hard for me not to get
offended and put notation in front of a drummer and say "okay you
drunken metronome, when you can figure out what this is and how to play
it...then I'll come back and jam with you! By that point then you
actually won't be wasting my time!" But I just have to accept that
there's a lot of people that aren't serious about music like I am
around here, respect that people have their own lives, commitments, and
priorities (respectively), and that I just need to press on and try and
strike it out on my own.
Rog: What’s your favourite riff or scale/mode to play?
BW: I like fooling around with blending the minor modes (Aeolian,
Harmonic Minor, Minor Pentatonic, Blues, and even blending Phrygian
with all that). And I like playing it all in "D" with the guitar tuned
to Dropped D.
Rog: My last question, what advice for beginners do you have?
BW: My advice would be, don't put your potential (musically) in a box.
Be practical as to how to achieve your goals though. Always strive to
be the best that you can be; play because you love it, not because you
feel like you have to. Playing in a group will push you to grow
musically in ways you can't on your own; and jamming with that group
will do even more wonders for you. Don't be discouraged if you start
out with "cheap" or "mediocre" equipment. The fact of the matter is; a
great guitarist can make a $200- guitar sound better, than an
intermediate guitarist can make a $2000- guitar sound. There's no such
thing as wrong technique, but there is such a thing as wrong
application.
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