Black Country Communion

I would like to start by apologising for the length of time since it has been since i last posted a blog.

This post is about a fantastic new band i have discovered, called Black Country Communion.
A few weeks ago when reading 'Guitarist' magazine . I came across an interview with the legend himself, Glen Hughes. At first i thought it would simply be an interview explaining his legacy, however in deeper reading, i saw that it was an introduction to his new band (which will inevitiblely be classed as a 'Supergroup') Black Country Communion. This band consists of Glen Hughes on Bass, Joe Bonnamassa on Guitar, Derek Sherinain on Keyboard and Jason Bonham keeping the beats on drums.
To be perfectly honest, when i first read about the band, i was very sceptical as to whether they would be good or not (because so many supergroups have gone before and failed). However, after i heard th first few songs on the album, i was in no doubt the whole CD would be a treat. And i was right, the fantastic mix of blues/rock riffs and strong drum beats make for fantastic listening. The wealth of experience between these musicians is obvious and shines through in the music, Bonnamassa's solos are things to be admired, with melodic scales incorporated everywhere making it a true joy to listen to. Glen Hughes's classic rock voice is at the centre of this bands sound, his excellent vocal range and the rich tones in his voice is distinctive and argubly one of the best in the buisness. With Jason Bonham on drums, it makes it very hard not to air drum along to every song on the album, his heavy and rock inspired drum beats are immaculate through all the songs and are things of great simplicity.
I am very excited to say that i am seeing Black Country Communion on the December 30th at a local venue, so look out for a review on this blog shortly after.

Posted by Rory Gooderick

FORGET ALL THE PREVIOUS MESSAGES OF ANOTHER BLOG BECAUSE IM STICKING WITH THIS ONE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATCIENCE!! x

My First Gig!

A few days ago on Friday, my band had our first proper gig. The name of my band is 'Find Me By Tomorrow', we had played a school a few times but this was the first gig that we played outside of school and its the first step to getting recognized on a bigger basis (we hope!) We only got told about the gig 9 days before we performed at it, so in that time we had to write a song and perfect all 4 of our covers, very stressful! On the day of the gig, we had to get there about 1hr 30mins early to rehearse and have a sound check. We were then first to play, i was so nervous as i walked onto the stage, but as soon as i saw everyone i lost pretty much all of my nerves. I found it a lot easier to really go for it in front of complete strangers than in front of all my friends at school; i guess no one really knew me so i couldn't really embarrass myself. Anyway, our set list went like this:

Homecoming - Hey Monday

Thats What You Get - Paramore

Waiting - (our own song)

Shinobi - Lostprophets

If I Were In You Shoes - You Me At Six

My band is called 'Find Me By Tomorrow', it would be amazing if you could check out our Myspace page:

www.myspace.com/findmebytomorrow

We are mainly based in the rock/metal genre, however we have a girl singer which gives our music a very distinctive and unique sound. On our Myspace we have 2 covers but our own song 'Waiting' will be on their anytime after the 14th September as that is when we will be recording it.

Aerosmith at the O2

It started of as what i thought was just going to be another average day, come back from school, relax in front of the TV, do some homework maybe. But my sister had had an exam that day and wasn't feeling to great about how she had done so my parents decided to treat us to going out for a meal. While we were there i got a phone call from a good friend of mine and he asked if i wanted to see Aerosmith live at the O2 Arena tonight, amazed and slightly confused I, of course, said i would love to. I came of the phone to some confused looks from my parents i explained what he said, then came the obvious question; Where, When, How and of course. how much? After explaining all of that a few phone calls later to my friend, my Dad drove me upto the nearest train station and i took the first train to the O2 arena. I met my friend halfway and after getting the tickets, we walked into the O2 Arena and looked around for abit before going into the concert hall.

When it was time, we walked into the arena, I was instantly taken aback by the sheer size of it, i hadn't been there since the Millennium back in 2000 and i couldn't remember much of it. We took our seats in the stands and waited for the show to begin. The band Airbourne were supporting Aerosmith but unfortunately we were too late to see them play.

A few minutes later a long chord and cymbal crescendo sounded around the whole arena. The show had began. They opened with the fantastic tune 'Love in an Elevator' which got all the crowd in a great mood and prepared us for a fantastic show. They played some of their greatest songs such as 'Living on the Edge', 'Dream On' and 'Sweet Emotion' as well as Joe Perry playing a blues song and singing as well which was a great addition to the show. Steve Tyler then introduced the pianist who then played an impressive solo before going into the introduction of 'Don't Wanna Miss a Thing'. As soon as he did so it was instantly recognized and the crow went crazy. I was so impressed by the beautiful and rich tone to Steve Tyler's voice. Even after year of performing his voice is still as good as ever. As the song gradually progressed into the chorus, Steve Tyler and Joe Perry both interacted with each other perfectly, the years of experience defiantly paying of in that field of performing.

After 'Sweet Emotion', Aerosmith had finished, much to the disappointed of the crowd, they thanked us and went of stage. I was getting ready to leave, however my friend insisted that they would come back on stage and play an encore. A few minutes later, after constant cheers from the crowd and chants of 'Encore!' i was getting sceptical, but sure enough they came back on to greet thousands of delighted spectators and play some of their finest and finished with the great tune 'Walk this Way'. After that they truly were finished. Everyone left and after a long journey home on the train, i got home and told my family all about it, then of course told he next day at school, every single one of my friends, after all, you don't see a legendary band like Aerosmith everyday, do you?

Me Covering Makes Me Wanna Die - The Pretty Reckless

This is a video of me covering the fantastic song: Makes Me Wanna Die - The Pretty Reckless.

The band was formed by the 16 year old Taylor Momsen in 2009 who is probably best known for her role as Jenny Humphrey in the TV series 'Gossip Girl'. The album fits very well into the post-grunge/alternative rock genre which contrasts her role as the innocent character in Gossip Girl massively. In an interview with MTV, Taylor stated that the albums sound influences mainly come from bands such as The Beatles, Audioslave and Nivarna. The song that im covering in the video; Makes Me Wanna Die, was featured in the soundtrack of the recent movie Kick-Ass and will also be included in the album which comes out this summer.

It is a very easy song to play and i didnt encounter many problems while trying to play this song, however it is in drop D tuning which is one of the most basic down tunes to master; simply down tune the low E string until it is in the same key as the D string. If you need any tabs for this song then please ask and i will either write out the chords i used or do a 'how to' video.

I apologise for the bad quality of this video, it wouldnt let me upload the HD

version onto Blogger which is much better quality, however you can find this HD

version on my youtube channel; MrGuitarKid1

Thanks

My Top 3 Guitar Makers

1) Fender

Founded way back in 1946 in California by Leo Fender, Fender have been making some of the finest electric and acoustic guitars for almost 65 years.
Being the creator of the Fender Stratocaster is one of their most noticeable achievements, with some of the finest guitarist of all time such as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and John Mayer adopting this as their main instrument. They also have the Telecaster and Jaguar as well as their exceptional range of basses including the Precision Bass and Jazz Bass. The Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster are famous for their clean and bluesy tones, mainly because of the wood they are made from which is typically alder or ash.
Fender have been making some of the finest guitars and basses for many years now, and will continue to do so for years to come. More and more guitarists everyday are choosing Fender over others for their classic and vintage tones, this company's famous legacy still has many years to live.

2) PRS



With this year year being the company's 25th birthday, Paul Reed Smith has founded a company which makes some of the best instruments in the world, with world famous guitarists such as Carlos Santana and Mark Tremonti both using PRS guitars and even having a signature model dedicated to them.
The Custom is probably Paul Smith's most famous guitar as it showcases everything that PRS guitars are about: The original body shape which resembles both a Les Paul and a Stratocaster; The bird inlays on the fretboard which is a classic detail on the PRS rage of guitars and beautiful craftsmanship which set PRS from the rest.
For their 25th anniversary they have released a limited range of 50 of the McCarty Violin Guitar which is made of Pernambuco wood, it is a truly breathtaking guitar, however, you would have to fork out a hefty £9,999 for the privilege of owning one. PRS guitars boast the wonderful clean tones of a Stratocaster with the thick crunch of a Les Paul, almost a hybrid of the the two guitars, if you like. After 25 years of making some of the finest guitars in the world, Paul Reed Smith shows no signs of stopping the wonderful art he has mastered.

3) Gibson



Gibson make some of the most sought after guitars in the world, their vast range of guitars have been embraced by some of the finest guitarists ever. Slash, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck all choosing a Les Paul, Edge going for an Explorer and BB King adopting a ES-335 to name a few.
Gibson's are usually made from mahogany with a maple top, the mahogany is mainly where the thick and heavy sound derives from-put a pair of humbuckers on that and you've got a guitar which will give you all the rock and heavy tones you could ask for.
Although it has been argued that Gibson should release a cheaper, more affordable range of guitars like Fender with its Squier range and PRS with its SE range, it is undeniable that Gibson produces some of the best guitars in the world.

How will the UK's major political parties improve music education?

With the UK currently in a hung parliament, the nation seems undecided as to which political party they favor, with the possibility of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats teaming up to make the majority and thus coming into government or the possibility of another election being called. However, the policies that are commonly overlooked are that of music and how music education will be made better for children, music is such an important part of life and can inspire and influence people to endless limits.
After a bit of researching I've found out what the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Labour are planning to do to make music better for children at school.


First up; Labour:

Labour claim that they believe music is a fundamental core need for all children and that everyone should have the right to a music education. They continue by saying that 'The establishment of the Music Manifesto in 2004 by Labour was a major step forwards in our commitment to improving this country’s music offer, bringing together people and organisations from across the diverse music sector behind a common aim of achieving access and excellence for every child'. Labour are currently half way through a 3 year, £332 million commitment to improve the opportunities that young people will receive in England. They affirm that this commitment has meant that many new opportunities that otherwise would not have been available for youngsters are now accessible.
They remind us of the Wider Opportunities programme which they say has been a huge success, the Wider Opportunities programme is a promise that every primary school student will be able to have free instrument lessons for a whole year and then be able to carry on with affordable lessons if they want to. And true, it has been a success, with a large proportion of children wishing to carry on after their 1 year trial and by 2011, a predicted 80% of schools will be signed up to the programme.
In 2007 Labour funded the national programme - Sing Up, aiming to make every primary school a 'singing school' by 2011. Currently 87% of primary schools are signed up to the agreement and thousands of teachers have been trained to be confident in singing in their lessons.
Labour ends by saying that it is important that they reach their target of getting every child learning an instrument and to "continue to promote their belief that music has the power to change lives."


Next up; The Conservatives:

The Conservative's main policy regarding music and music education is the implementation of the annual 'National Music Week' which they say will involve teachers, students, community groups, the music industry and broadcasters.

The Conservatives 'National Music Week' will be a week long festival which will focus on music in schools and by involving students in events which they hope will inspire and encourage them. The Conservatives say the festival could culminate in a televised national competition to find the finest school orchestra.

This proposal will also include visits by famous UK artists to schools, performances in schools by local music groups and Links to the BBC’s youth music competitions including Young Musician of the Year and Radio 3’s Choir of the Year.


Finally, The Liberal Democrats:

Similar to its rival parties, the Liberal Democrats also believe that music is a large and fundamental aspect of education. They say they want to free music education of targets and quotas, instead they want to encourage creativity and state that they want to 'rip up' the 600 page National Curriculum and instead have a scaled down Minimum Curiculum Enlitilement.

Why shouldn't music play a part in other lessons aswell?" The Liberal Democrats ask. They say that they will improve teacher training to make this kind of flexability possible and they also want to encourage music graduates to enter teaching.

They also hope to get much more artists and musicians visiting schools to inspire and support childrens learning, children look up to many musicians and meeting them face to face in a social enviroment would influence them massivley.

The Liberal Democrats want to help amauter performers to be able to perform in smaller and informal venues to increase their freedom and develop their skills in playing and performing. However, they claim that the current Labour licensing laws make it very difficult to stage smaller performances by increasing beaurocracy to very high levels.

The Lib Dems end by stating that they believe that access to music for students would be much better guaretenteed through their Minimum Curiculum Entitlement as apposed to the current funding from the Labour party.