My humble opinion on Guitar Hero and Rock Band

So Guitar Hero has been around for a year or so. Kids everywhere are glued to that plastic guitar punching combos to their favorite bands like AC-DC, A7X, Kansas etc etc...In a way, the way you play the game reminds me of an old game for Playstation called Parappa-the-Rappa...Only 82 would understand that. Nevermind.

Anyway, last X-mas brought Rock Band, a totally exciting 'new' way to jam out to bands. You could be the drummer, the singer or the bassist now. But really, are you actually "playing" these songs? First of all, the singer position: The one who chooses to sing, sings to lyrics flying across the screen. Sounds strangely familiar to the infamous karaokeeing that has been going on for decades. Whether you are in a dive on a Thursday night singing karaoke, or in your living room with your 8 year old brother playing Rock Band, More Than A Feeling still sounds the same. The only difference is that you won't get beer thrown at you from your 8 year old brother.

The position that bothers me the most is the drummer. Now I've been a drummer for 15+ years, you'd expect a guy like me to think it was a cool idea to incorporate my instrument. Wrong. The drummer gets four individual pads and a bass drum pedal, and when a drum fill comes up, the pads go from cymbals to toms. Just like in real life! wait, that's nothing like in real life. Die-hard fans of Rock Band boast that if you can play the drum parts on hard or expert or whatever the highest level is, you are talented enough to play in a band. Right, because on typical drum sets, we can click on the tom to turn it into a cymbal, and follow notes and patterns on a screen. Hardly. I like to improve on the drums no matter what the song is, so I don't think Rock Band would be for me. I hardly doubt that's a feature too.

Last year, the kids at where I worked would talk about how they can play such-and-such on expert and get 5 stars! Who really cares? Can they pick up a real guitar and play the song? doubtful. Playing Guitar Hero doesn't make you a musician. It shows that you feel safer playing  the song on a plastic guitar, then going out and learning the song on a real one, which you could probably find a good deal on at the same price Rock Band is. Playing the song in your house is nothing like playing in front of an audience on stage. So Rock Band musicians, put down your fake instruments, and head to your nearest Guitar Center. You'll thank me.

2008 is looking hopeful

So Some of my favourite bands are hitting the studios and releasing new material this year. While I'm listing them, you, the reader should pick up something by them if you have never heard of them. First of all, Hometown heros Decibully should have something out this year. Last time I talked to Ryan Weber and William Siedel, the record is practically done, with some minor tweaks left to accomplish. Weber was in Austria for a good portion of 2007, so the album was sitting on the back burner. I anticipate a release this year with many shows.

No Use For A Name just released a song entitled "Biggest Lie" which will be off their new record 'The Feel Good Album of the Year". It's fast and heavy and has sound similar to their old stuff. I'm a fan of Keep Them Confused, but this song is very cool. Their new album hits stores this year.

Alkaline Trio will be releasing their Goddammit redux reissue this year. 08 marks the 10 year anniversary of their finest album, so they rerecorded the material with a DVD. It hits stores this month. They are also in the studio working on the follow up to Crimson.

My favorite band of 2007 is hitting the studios as well. Lawrence Arms have been getting bombarded with people telling them to please release something in 2008. Looks like they will be recording again, as well as The Falcon minus Dan since he is working with the Trio. 

Flogging Molly's new record hits stores March 4th. They always have something new and exciting with every album.

that's all for now.

I cannot emphasize enough how much I completely detest KISS.

There are so many millions of reasons to hate them that I can't even list them all. Maybe it's the fact that they're marketing geniuses, since they certainly aren't musical geniuses.

In any case, try this on your bad-ass KISS army neighbor:

Guess who co-wrote their signature tune, "Rock N Roll All Night"...



That's right. Check it out.

Atreyu-singing about makeup for your teenagers & getting sponsored by Maybalene

So at my new job, I listen to iTunes radio stations. I can't handle the constant dance music they blare throughout the building. Every day at least twice a day, Atreyu come on one of the stations and everytime I hear them, I have to wonder "why are these guys so damn popular?" Their songs are hardly catchy, and the guitar solos are pretty lousy. They try to have this tough look and sound, but the songs are hardly masculine. Check out this line from the song "Bleeding Mascara"

Oh How Pretty she is, when she falls down and there's no beauty in bleeding mascara lips are quivering like a withering rose

Oh, these guys don't just write about mascara. Nope. They've got your lips covered too with the song "Lip Gloss and Black". Fantastic eh? If this isn't enough to turn you away from this band, there is a song that always comes on and it's titled "Falling Down". No biggie, but the song has a part where it rips off of a classic Green Day song. Hitchin a Ride. Not cool. What's with all these bands ripping off parts from other good or not so good bands? Atreyu rippin Green Day, Finger 11 ripping  a Skid Row song...No original material anymore among top 40 bands. They've already got the mainstream success, now they are proving how easy it is to steal from the past.

Enough ranting. Don't see Atreyu when they play Taste of Chaos. If you accidently buy tickets to that Godawful show with Avenged Sevenfold, TRY to get your money back. Or sell them to your local Middle School or scary freshmen walking down the street.

Rounding out the top 10 songs of all time

10 - Counting Down the Hours - Ted Leo & the Pharmacists
9 - Devotion - The Stereo
8 - only lovers left alive - The International Noise Conspiracy
7 - Alright - The Lost Patrol
6 - Postage - All

My top five of all time

Top five songs of all time:

5. Accident Waiting to Happen - Billy Bragg

4. The Brightest Bulb has Burned Out/Screws Fall Out - Less Than Jake

3. Me & Mia - Ted Leo & The Pharmacists

2. Berkeley Pier - Tilt

1. Save Me - Unwritten Law

So jazzed

Lately, I've been polishing off my jazz CDs and having a listen to them. I'll admit, I'm not the foremost expert on jazz, so it makes excellent background music, especially on the rainy days we've been having lately.

Let it be said that when I hear jazz, particularly hard-bop, I find myself dreaming about sitting near a rain-soaked window in a high-rise apartment in a big city.

Now, I've gone in a big circle with jazz. My high school concert band played a tune called 'Big Band Signatures' when I was a senior and I bought the Benny Goodman Story soundtrack to obtain several of the more familiar tracks like 'Sing, Sing, Sing,' 'Let's Dance' and 'One o'Clock Jump.'

When I got to my music program in college, the emphasis was on the small combo. I have vivid memories of my late drum teacher asking us what we wanted to learn that semester. I told him that I wanted to learn to play jazz. I had just bought my first drum kit and only could play rock rhythms. He asked me if I owned any jazz albums and I told him about the Benny Goodman disc. He told me - and I found myself a little offended by this at first - that he wanted me to think beyond that.

He had me buy a copy of Jimmy Smith's 'The Sermon!' and told me the key was to listen to the title track and play along with Art Blakey's consistent swing.

I never could last 20 minutes, but I got the idea and began to harbor a silly vendetta against the jazz as 'shoved down our throat' at school. I played the obligatory jazz tunes in my combo and ensemble classes while openly wanting to play some rockers.

It wasn't until my final semester at school that I began to realize how much of an impression the small-group jazz songs I played made on me.

My favourites from school were 'Line for Lyons' (Gerry Mulligan), 'Maiden Voyage' (Herbie Hancock), 'Afro Blue' (John Coltrane), 'Stolen Moments' (Oliver Nelson), 'Speak no Evil' (Wayne Shorter) and the one that introduced me to the genius of Miles Davis 'So what?'

The life-changing moment for me was while on a lunch break at the Grand Avenue Mall, I found a used vinyl copy of 'Kind of Blue'at the Music Recyclery.

I now own 95% of the Miles Davis accoustic catalog, while not being able to appreciate any of his fusion after 'In a Silent Way.'

I persuaded my in-laws to take my wife and I to the Monterey Jazz Festival in 2001 where Miles and John Coltrane's 75th birthday was celebrated with the playing of some of their standards.

The Moment for me of that entire festival was seeing Ravi Coltrane performing with so much of the energy of his father. I have yet to purchase any of his works, but have planned on doing so for years afterwards.

I have long wanted to assemble a small-group to play some of the classic jazz from the 1950s and 60s.

That said, I take issue with the 'jazz' scene in my little neck of the woods.

There are many 'jazz' groups out here and I've been invited to watch/listen and maybe 'jam' with them. My problem is they are those traditional/big-band/Dixieland jazz groups that I find antiquated and much too stodgy.

I've been asked more than once if I can play 'streetbeat.' My reply is "what the hell is that?"

So, I continue to languish, laughing at those who speak of 'trad-jazz' like it is the only jazz worth listening to, while proudly blasting 'A Love Supreme'from my stereo turntable.