Progressive & Psychedelic Cafe...

Add a Comment

62 Comments

Comment by Bob "Stormcrow" Sanders on August 22, 2009 at 6:16pm

Pixie,
The purest instrument is, and has always been, the human voice. Every instrumental teacher worth their tuning fork tells their students, on whatever instrument: "Make it sing!"

Comment by Bob "Stormcrow" Sanders on August 22, 2009 at 6:04pm

Sue,
You are, of course, correct. Rock & Roll, in all its varieties, has matured. At one time, as jazz and blues before it, rock music was viewed as perverted and satanic by the mainstream - still is, in some minds. But, generally, it's been accepted by the mainstream as James Taylor observed in "Rock & Roll is Music Now".
You mention nuance - the mark of individuality. It's precisely that individuality that I see lacking in so much of the music that's released to the mainstream these days - regardless of genre. Nashville churns out Strait/Brooks clones daily. If you're a women, try to sound like Reba or Dolly. A tendency towards exhibitionism may be required. Heavy Metal, the grandchild of progressive rock, has devolved into self-parody. They look the same, run around the same with that furious, migraine-inducing but requisite head shaking, AND they pretty much sound the same - meth metal. Hip-Hop, Rap: lots of bling and dancing ho's. (BTW - I'm no prude - far from it - but really, why does today's industry seem to require too many of the women performers to appear as near to nekked as is legally permissible?) Alternative Rock: one of my favorite genre labels. Alternative to what, exactly?
Now, just so you don't think I'm a total curmudgeon, there is a great deal of excellent stuff out there and some of it does make it to the majors. But, if we allow filtering institutions like American Idol and others to decide what is "good" then we're in for more boring stuff on the airwaves.
Lately, I listen mostly to music I've discovered on the internet. (Check out Col Carter - a gray-bearded Australian. Nothing "new", really, but beautifully unpretentious.) But every song posted on myspace, etc. is a message in a bottle - it's a huge ocean and it's clogged with bottles. You can almost hear them clinking against one another.

Sue, octaves are really cool. They sound really sweet with a little whammy wiggle! (Wink!)
Peace.

Comment by Pixie Bavle-Nolin on August 22, 2009 at 5:25pm

I'll always throw my two cents in even when I'm lost and believe me, I'm lost.

I know very little about music the technical and techniques of music. I sing a melody and if it's jazz, I'll scat some but other than that, I don't know about riffs. I know octaves but that's about it.

My husband used to tell me, "you need to have chops to be a good singer". Huh? chops?. Well, I learned some of the terms but I still don't know much.

I played a 4 string guitar when I was growing up. My husband bought me a Yamaha acoustic but all I ever did with it was set it in the corner and admire it. Yep, all you experts got me confused but, it's never too late to learn.

Comment by Sue on August 22, 2009 at 9:23am

Bob, I re-read that May 13th post and it got me 'athinkin' (always dangerous).

I have no problem admitting I passed 62 and am looking at 63, which means I was there when Rock 'n Roll got it's "official" start. I Had already learned how to play drums - piano - trumpet and was ready to give my mom a heart attack when she sent me with one of her jazz friends to go buy a string instrument (She was expecting violin or cello) and I came home with a gretsch tennessee and Vox amp.

But back to my point.....People like Clapton, Richards, Townsend, Hendrix, etc. grew up listening to pre-rock pop music and big band music. I started learning the music of Wes Montgomery, Charlie Christian the same as all I just mentioned. When Rock came on the scene there were no 'Rock' books. We all pretty much came up with our own version of the music we heard. I use a lot of octaves when I play... I got that from wes montgomery, not Hendrix. And not that I even close to their skill level, but the learning experiences were the same. Basically because we were all sitting at home coming up with our own version of Rock we all had a certain uniqueness to our sound.

Today you have 2 or 3 generations wheened on Rock. They have learned to play Rock riffs verses us inventing our riffs. This is nothing new. Many of the late be-bop, cool jazz musicians of the early fifties learned to play jazz by copying other jazz musicians. Where a generation earlier they were the ones inventing the riffs.

As any music matures it is pretty much a given that it will seem more alike, and it is. The differences become nuances not wholesale changes.

Comment by Bob "Stormcrow" Sanders on August 22, 2009 at 8:09am

Pixie,
I did post a comment here on May 13 that discussed the origins of the terms "Progressive" & "Psychedelic" a bit. Let me know if you have any more questions. Basically, those terms came from a time when established ways of thinking about music were discarded or ignored. Personally, I would welcome a "progressive" revolution in music now. So much of today's music has become superficial, stilted and soooo boring - more about imitation than innovation, image over content, profit over poetry, and genre rigidity.

Judy,
A 9 piece band at a restaurant!? Gosh, I hope it's a big restaurant or that the musicians are very small. In my experience,unless they have a separate lounge/bar area, most restaurants are pretty bad places to present music and to try and play music - for all the obvious reasons. Frankly, I don't know why they even bother most of the time - canned music of the "elevator" variety would suffice. It's hard to boogie at the bistro.

Judy & Sue,
It would be great to visit you in N-ville. Hey, if I had the money, I'd be there tomorrow - lock the doors at the beachside condo and jump on my private jet. We could talk and play guitars and stuff. I think I might have an extra whammy bar for the one you misplaced - twangggg!!

Comment by Sue on August 22, 2009 at 5:03am

Judy, There are a gazillion places I'd love to get out to. But being a city gal most of my life I didn't need a drivers license. So my getting about is going to havbe to wait till October when I finally get a drivers license and can out and about. This is the first bus system I've had to deal with that seems to shut down at sundown (slight poetic license).

When I was 18 I had bar business explained very simply ... People come in to drink... the more they dance the thirstier they get .. the more they drink. the more they drink the more money the bar makes and the more the bar makes the more I get paid .... Roll out the dance music.

Comment by Pixie Bavle-Nolin on August 21, 2009 at 11:46pm

I'm still not sure what progressive is and to me, psychedelic is anything Woodstock.

I physically can't handle loud. Every time I walk in where there is loud music, my stomach starts burning and I have to leave and get sick.

When I was about 3 years old, we were at a parade and I was fine but then my dad told my brother to take me up to the front because I was so little I couldn't see anything. I remember when the marching band came by I let out a blood curdling scream. My dad asked my brother "what did you do?"

I remember my mom being frantic because they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. I couldn't tell them then but I finally told them when I was a teen. It was the drums.

I have no idea why that happens but that's the way I'm affected by loud music.

Comment by Judy Whiting on August 21, 2009 at 11:05pm

going out tomorrow nite to hear a rock band called THE HEARD
at Mickey Roos in Franklin Sue, come out. THere good. 9 pieces.
here is the kicker. which some of the band members fully expect. it
is also a restaurant, and leader got a 75% deposit so they fully
expect to be told to TURN DOWN!!! some cool blues being played
in and around Nashville too, it ain't all country but County is good too, it is all music and the best part is enjoying the performance and
talk in the CAR HA HA! Have a great weekend
Judy

Comment by Judy Whiting on August 21, 2009 at 11:01pm

I love this conversation between you two. loud is good, country with
a mix of blues is good. Dancing to a slow rthym is super. especially
when you are with some one special, don't have to be a dance pro.
would love to see both of you here in Nashville, what a conversation
we could have.

Comment by Bob "Stormcrow" Sanders on August 21, 2009 at 3:53pm

Well, I still like it loud - even as a soloist. Not paint-peelin', ear-bleedin' loud, but the loud that says: I want to be heard and I expect you to listen. I'm always puzzled and annoyed by these rooms that expect to offer live music AND a place for quiet conversation. Wadda yo' stoopid? If you wanna talk go someplace QUIET and have your flippin' conversation. Sheesh!
I know, restaurants and such. "Yes, sir. Yes, ma'am." Paying gigs are so hard to come by.....

The biggest rig I ever used regularly was a linked Dual Showman and Bandmaster. But that was a drunken frat band YEARS ago. In recent years I relied on an old Bassman, 2x12 Bandmaster tilt-back cab, or my trusty Princeton 1x10 - which needs an overhaul.
Now I did have an opportunity to work with a Marshall triple stack a few times at a rehearsal studio. I loved it! To me it's a matter of fidelity and enlarging the "sweet" spot where the guitar and amp react nicely together not necessarily simply for volume. If I could afford it (hahahaha) I'd like to go a little bigger - 4x12 cab and, well, Carvin's got a nice looking amp, the V3, that makes my palms sweat a little.


I was never a dancer - two left feet, both clubbed! Probably why I grabbed the guitar. So I was always attracted to bands that were interesting to listen to. Danceabilty was always just an added attraction as most of the dancers were girls. Whoo Hoo!

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7