Levon Helm: this one's for You

Yes, I am fully aware Levon was a drummer

But because he was exceptional in his contribution, this is my way of paying him homage.

The curtain now had fallen

The spotlight had gone dim

I saw an orb come floating down

I wondered if it’s him.

It hovered over a microphone

Where a drum kit once had rest

I closed my eyes ,I heard that voice

he quietly whispered “Test”

Then he launched into Ophelia

The Weight, the songs swirled round

the Circle that had broken

Its’ pieces on the ground.

Then silence filled the venue.

The orb rose slowly up.

It dipped as though it bowed its head

Then I heard the room erupt

cheering, whistles, laughter

the welcome had begun

For Levon Helm was in the realm

His time on earth was done

MLS 4/19/12

Ritchie : so much More meets the (Black) eye

Today is Ritchie Blackmore's birthday.

as a treat, enjoy this gem: a live sensational acoustic improv.

as sensual as it gets....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHlTGVi4lgY&feature=related


I've watched Ritchie through the different phases of Deep Purple and then into his Rainbow days, back into DP and beyond.

The signature chords now played by every band in every high school and college across the land were Blackmore's opening lead on Smoke on the Water.  It is instantly recognized, and I can hear the
"da da da, da da dada, da da da ,da da" in my head.  Cover bands at school dances were required to know that song...or they weren't allowed to play.  At least that's the way I remember it. 

Other than "Louie Louie" its probaby the most familiar, and most likely the one thing every aspiring guitar player wants to learn to play.

If you don't know the tune, you have lived under a rock for a very long time, or are deaf.  Those are the only excuse.  heck, even my mother knows the tune (although I can honestly say  I think she believes its the melody to a high school cheer)

It is a part of the American landscape.  Ritchie Blackmore created something that morphed.  I find some comforting humor in that. 

And then there is this Ritchie Blackmore.

The clip above is Ritchie digging deep and drawing on all of his classical, jazz and spanish influences to create something beautiful and timeless and: acoustic.

It is romantic and moving.  The trills are especially lovely, and the quiet between the notes are just as emotional as the quick vibrato. I strain to listen for every note.  None are thrown away.  There is  movement, like an ocean wave where it finally crashes and releases.

like I said, as sensual as it gets,,,

Steve Morse: Keep Dreg-ing my Heart Around

So, it was a Sunday night, DirecTV has HDNet, which features music and other things, and the info says "Deep Purple, They All Come Down to Montreux" 2009

Now Deep Purple is part of the triumvirate of hard rock bands, joining Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath.
DP has gone through many lineup changes, vocally and with lead guitar.  Those stories later...

It was Ritchie Blackmore who created the distinctive and most recognized riff of all time :Smoke on the Water on Machine Head...(which he said he stole from Beethoven's Fifth-who is the original heavy metal writer by the way, more on that another day)

The love/hate relationship with Blackmore and DP was on again, off again, and by the early '90's, it was permanently over, and that meant only one thing: STEVE MORSE would be in my living room.

"Click"   The surround sound is adjusted to rock concert & I have front row seats.

Ian Gillan's vocals and the heartbeat of Roger Glover & Ian Paice were there, (for a real treat check out Gillan/Glover's album "Accidentally on Purpose" 1988)

Be still my heart. Steve still remains one of the most versatile of all guitarists.  Rock, funk, jazz, fusion, classical, a hint of country: its all there.  From the days of the Dixie Dregs (now playing in the background FYI) Steve was an enigma.  The Dregs were jazz/fusion and purely Morse.

He is a virtuoso.  Clearly, there is no better word for it.

It was demonstrated once again as I watched him move to the center of the stage and play with pure abandon.  I think what makes my heart sing with him, is watching him smile throughout...its as though the music is effervescent: it fizzes up inside and he sparkles... there is this joy that connects man and instrument and he begins a medley of instrumentals from the Page/Hendrix/Howe/Blackmore notebooks.  Clearly Steve is now a step above even these (apologies to the aforementioned, but it is what it is) They opened the doors, Morse waltzed through and created something completely his own: and more.

The harmonics send shock waves down the spine and make the toes curl.

He is a man without pretense, and should rightfully be one of the most egotistical of them all...but he is not.
Having met him years ago, that was the one thing that stood out most in my mind as we talked.  (hey, I was in radio and I was fortunate enough to interview an array of artists in those days. I know now I was the luckiest woman on earth)

We talked about him as a musician, but he seemed to take great pleasure in talking about flying, being a pilot...and I remember thinking that that same ability to glide above the earth, through the expanse of space and clouds was where his music and his playing were born, and when I hear him, I soar along beside.

Steve Morse: gives music wings.

Jimi Hendrix: we owe you Everything

Jimi Hendrix's Red House live in Stockholm 1969.

I found it on YouTube last week while searching for some Jimi to listen to while I worked.
I was too lazy to walk downstairs and go through my vinyl or CD collections, and decided it was easier to just "Beam it up Scotty" from cyberspace.
I've heard Red House many times, It was always a favorite of mine.
I know you've probably run across as many covers of this as I have, only the greats would attempt it.
But only Jimi had this quiet power. and the "Live in Stockholm" version had me hypnotized.
What was going to be background to my work, became a lesson in greatness.

Perhaps it was because the bass and the drums were so simply understated, or maybe its because Jimi just extended his arm, and he the guitar became one.

His playing was effortless, no theatrics, no pyro just a stack of amps and headamps and some feedback as needed.
Playing lefthanded was not  a distraction or of consequence.
He had magic in his soul and it extended into his fingers.
They danced up and down the neck of the guitar and moved as quickly as the wings of a hummingbird: and the beauty was just as startling.

As I listened to him, there were so many moments when I was forced to say "How does he DO that?!"

The question echoes across the room and is held there : unanswered.

The date of the video was 1969.

I never saw him live. His life ended much too soon.

I wish I could have spoken with him about where the magic came from, how he found that sweet something that we all immediately recognize and are drawn to. The pure energy. Like the drawstring on a bow, you know the release is something that makes you catch your breath.

I would like to just hold his hand, to feel the power that you know must reside within.  Perhaps that connection would give me some of the magic to create a little of my own.....

but alas, that shall never come to pass.

Jimi: we owe you such a debt of gratitude.

There is not a guitarist alive; young or old, that does not wish they had a morsel of the secret ingredient that has made you immortal in our minds and hearts.

The greats all pay homage to you as we hear them on  Red House, VooDoo Child, every electric version of the Star Spangled Banner ever played.

But the simple, or maybe NOT so simple joy in watching and listening to you has always been knowing that you are the Picasso, the Rembrandt, the Michelangelo of the rock world.

You took the guitar and you painted our world with color and visions.  Your legacy is not  a Purple Haze, but a clearly defined rainbow that dances in the sun.

To Love the Guitar

OK, the first thing you need to know: I do not talk about the technical aspects of how a guitar is built.
I talk about the sound, the way it makes me feel and how it has a magic that is totally, uniquely its own.
To Love the Guitar is simply to learn to listen to it.
In the hands of a master it is orgasmic
In the hands of a beginner, it is frightening with potential

The power of the universe is vibrated through the strings


The men and women that play well are my heroes.
There is nothing sexier than a man with a guitar. 
It is a relationship that we mere mortals are permitted to be a part of in an aural voyeuristic moment.

I fall a little bit in love with each of them as they manage to bring to life something made of wood and metal. 
On many occasions, the sound makes me weep. 

David Gilmour comes quickly to mind as I type that.

I will talk about musicians, they way they play and move me.
Whether I see them live, or listen to their music from vinyl or digital (preferably vinyl) I will be sharing with you my thoughts as my eyes close and my heart soars along the frets with their fingers.

I love it all: Electric, acoustic, Slide, Dobro, 6 string, 12 string and beyond
If it moves me, I will write about it.



I hope you find something here that makes your heart beat faster, your breath come a little more quickly, and make you feel just a little more alive than before your visit.

Welcome