It’s a very good time to be a nonconformist. Sure, we as a society are pretty deep in the mass-manufacturing and cheap-imports phase of modern industrialization. Yet this soulless consumption has bred a wonderful counter-culture. Over the last couple of decades, an amazing small artisan scene has bloomed across many disciplines. Anyone sick of Budweiser …
Okay, I’m a bassist so I’m biased as all hell, but I am going to make a bold statement anyway. The bass is the most universally important instrument. From old-school jazz bands, to rock, funk and disco. From pop to hip hop to punk. Across all these genres, you may or may not have singers, …
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If you didn’t sleep through the 00s, you can probably sing the riff to Seven Nation Army from memory. And with good reason. This song’s impact speaks for itself. I actually think it’s the greatest rock and roll riff anyone has written since the 80s, and nothing has bested it since. In a time of …
Music is meant to be shared. As a full-time freelance musician myself, this is one of my most deeply-held beliefs. Music has a mystical ability to move and affect people. Nearly everyone has some music that they carry with them through life, that touches them in a way nothing else can. And as a result …
The most amazing thing about music, to me, is the endless possibilities it represents. Particularly in the modern era- inexpensive electronic technology has made us musical superhumans compared to just a generation or two ago. The power of music studios that used to fill rooms, cost a year’s salary, and require years of experience to …
In 1982, The Ramones had already Bopped to the Blitzkreig and fully expressed their desire to be sedated. Hell, they had already moved on to working with Phil Spector and making a movie. Loud guitars and driving drums were nothing new, and you might be forgiven to think punk rock had come and gone. And …
What’s more gorgeous than the lush tone of an acoustic guitar? How about an acoustic guitar that’s two acoustic guitars? It’s slightly more complicated than that, but that’s the basic idea of the 12-string guitar. As subtle and complex as music can be, sometimes it’s really as simple as “the same, but more!” Or in …
Welcome to the 21st century. A phone that’s smaller than a bar of soap is a more powerful computer than we relied on to get to the moon. A magnetically-levitated train in China whisks travelers along north of 250 mph. Electric cars drive themselves. And decent battery-powered bass amps exist. This last one might sound …
Best Lightweight, Battery-Powered Portable Bass Amps Read More »
When it comes to music, what exactly is it to be “soulful”? Oof, it’s simple enough to argue over the best mic for this or amp for that. But we don’t listen to music because gear moves us. We listen to music for that elusive feeling, that movement that moves something deep. Expressing things through …
Best Acoustic and Electric Guitar Strings for Bending Read More »
A warm sound. An elusive goal. But in this cold world, of course we seek warmth in the refuge of music. Vinyls are experiencing what can only be called a Renaissance, and cassettes are even getting the most love they have in decades. In music studios, a computer can accomplish any task and run circles …
