Saturday, October 10, 2009
State Alcohol Agents Seize 924 Gallons of Moonshine in Wilkesboro, NC
Ace of Spades, call your office.
You'd better stay away from Copperhead Road
Roger Lee Nance, of 1117 Shew Ridge Mission Road, was charged with possession of non-tax paid liquor, possession of non-tax-paid liquor for the purpose of selling, and possession of equipment and ingredients intended for the use in the manufacture of an alcoholic beverage.
“This is one of the biggest seizures of white liquor I’ve seen come out of the mountains in my career,” ALE Director John Ledford said in statement.
The arrest follows a two-month investigation by ALE agents, assisted by the state Highway Patrol. In addition to the liquor, large amounts of sugar and other items were seized during a search of Nance's property, authorities said.
You'd better stay away from Copperhead Road
Labels: Crime, law, Music, Steve Earle
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
The Four Tops
Monday, September 21, 2009
Todoro
Just up late looking for chorale music. I remember hearing this in college for the first time in 1989 and being profoundly moved by this 1955 recording.
Labels: Music
Monday, September 07, 2009
Cool cake art
For bonus points, the music for the first three minutes is played by Curfa, made up of a bunch of my close friends down here in South Florida.
Labels: fun, Ireland, Music, personal
Saturday, August 22, 2009
For music majors:
Remember when your music composition/arranging professor told you to avoid parallel fifths?
Send him this.
Send him this.
Labels: Dolores Keane, Music, Scotland
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
The Price of Freedom
This song - as I'm apparently the last f***ing Guardsman to learn - was written by a twelve-year-old daughter of a National Guardsman and her 16-year-old sister.
I think they did a wonderful job, don't you?
P.S., The price of peace is steep. Freedom, on the other hand, costs a buck-0-five.
Splash, out
Jason
I think they did a wonderful job, don't you?
P.S., The price of peace is steep. Freedom, on the other hand, costs a buck-0-five.
Splash, out
Jason
Labels: marketing, Music, music business, National Guard, public relations, reserve issues, soldiers' issues
I love "An Phis Fliuch" in this vid.
The slip jig by the same name isn't bad either.
Splash, out
Jason
Splash, out
Jason
Labels: fiddle blogging, Ireland, Music
Thursday, August 13, 2009
The angels sing in Echoplex harmony today ...
...Because Les Paul has left the studio.
A thousand times more influential than Michael Jackson could ever be, and he won't get one one thousanth the media coverage on his passing.
Rest ye well, sir. And thanks for billions of musical memories from
A thousand times more influential than Michael Jackson could ever be, and he won't get one one thousanth the media coverage on his passing.
Rest ye well, sir. And thanks for billions of musical memories from
millionsof musicians you touched.
Labels: Arts, culture, guitar, in memoriam, Music, music business, recording
Monday, July 06, 2009
Fiddle blogging
A wonderful lesson from a master.
(Scroll down and click the video link)
(Scroll down and click the video link)
Labels: fiddle blogging, Music
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Countercolumn Trivial Music Awards
The award for best use of the major seventh interval in a pop song goes to:
Harriet Wheeler, The Sundays. Here's Where the Story Ends.
Honorable mention: The cool melodic variations in the third verse. This girl had it.
Splash, out
Jason
Harriet Wheeler, The Sundays. Here's Where the Story Ends.
Honorable mention: The cool melodic variations in the third verse. This girl had it.
Splash, out
Jason
Labels: Countercolumn Trivial Music Awards, Music, the Arts
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Guitar blogging
Before there was Stevie Ray, there was...
...WINTER!!!!!
Johnny Winter, vintage 1971
...WINTER!!!!!
Johnny Winter, vintage 1971
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Fiddle Blogging
Saturday, June 06, 2009
fiddle blogging
Niamh Ni Charra... showin' us how 6/8 time is done, before going into a couple of reels.
Notice that jig time isn't straight... it's thoroughly syncopated. She syncopates a bit more than most players, to give the tune a bit of a Scottish feel.
Lots of players play an evenly-divided three notes to the beat on these jigs. Down-da-da Down da da. Classically-trained players are the worst offenders. (Hint: Gigue = Jig, dumbasses! It's a DANCE!)
It's not Down-da-da, dumbass, unless you're playing chuck berry licks too fast. Even Chuck didn't do that. It's Down-ta-dah Down-ta-dah.
Enjoy.
Splash, out
Jason
Notice that jig time isn't straight... it's thoroughly syncopated. She syncopates a bit more than most players, to give the tune a bit of a Scottish feel.
Lots of players play an evenly-divided three notes to the beat on these jigs. Down-da-da Down da da. Classically-trained players are the worst offenders. (Hint: Gigue = Jig, dumbasses! It's a DANCE!)
It's not Down-da-da, dumbass, unless you're playing chuck berry licks too fast. Even Chuck didn't do that. It's Down-ta-dah Down-ta-dah.
Enjoy.
Splash, out
Jason
Labels: fiddle blogging, fiddles, Music
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Susan Boyle, Considered
My review, crossposted from a comment thread on Althouse:
The raw talent is extraordinary. I think there's no doubt about that. I was also impressed by the emotional range between Cry Me a River and the song she sang on BGT.
She hasn't yet tapped the talent she has. I suspect she can be much, much better.
The Le Miz song was probably not the right song to showcase her talent. As someone here mentioned, her voice vanishes in the low registers. This song has a lot of riches to be mined in those parts, and as a listener and musician, I'm always more interested in what a singer or musician does in the low registers and quiet moments than in the crescendos.
All singers crescendo alike. Especially on talent shows.
I think she could get a good deal more power out of her lower range, with some training. She uses her 'head voice' a lot, but she's not harnessing her abdominal power to push those notes through.
She tends to sing on the sharp side of the note. That's not a terrible thing in some instances. A lot of singers do it. It can help you stand out from an ensemble. Concert violinists will tune to A = 442 instead of 440 for this reason. It gives you a bit of sparkle.
But she should be aware of what she's doing.
If I were coaching her, I'd work to develop the ear just a bit to rein in her tendency to go sharp, wean her away from relying exclusively on her head voice, in order to give her some gas in the low registers. I'd look for material that better matches her range. (I think she might have some headroom left on the top. We haven't heard her full range on the topside yet.)
I'd also encourage her to depart a bit more from the usual Broadway sound. All those folks use the same vibrato, they use their head voice too much, and they all sound alike these days.
Back before contact mikes, you couldn't get away with the headvoice. You had to reach the floor mic, or no mic at all. The head voice didn't cut it. Singers had to nail it from the diaphram.
Then came the contact mics, and weaker singers could get bigger roles. In Ethel Merman's day, some of these people would still be in the chorus.
In baseball terms, she' a good AA ballplayer, with a good fastball. But a lot of kids can throw hard.
To hit the bigs, a good pitching coach needs to help her get the ball over the plate, and teach her a big league slider.
Splash, out
Jason
The raw talent is extraordinary. I think there's no doubt about that. I was also impressed by the emotional range between Cry Me a River and the song she sang on BGT.
She hasn't yet tapped the talent she has. I suspect she can be much, much better.
The Le Miz song was probably not the right song to showcase her talent. As someone here mentioned, her voice vanishes in the low registers. This song has a lot of riches to be mined in those parts, and as a listener and musician, I'm always more interested in what a singer or musician does in the low registers and quiet moments than in the crescendos.
All singers crescendo alike. Especially on talent shows.
I think she could get a good deal more power out of her lower range, with some training. She uses her 'head voice' a lot, but she's not harnessing her abdominal power to push those notes through.
She tends to sing on the sharp side of the note. That's not a terrible thing in some instances. A lot of singers do it. It can help you stand out from an ensemble. Concert violinists will tune to A = 442 instead of 440 for this reason. It gives you a bit of sparkle.
But she should be aware of what she's doing.
If I were coaching her, I'd work to develop the ear just a bit to rein in her tendency to go sharp, wean her away from relying exclusively on her head voice, in order to give her some gas in the low registers. I'd look for material that better matches her range. (I think she might have some headroom left on the top. We haven't heard her full range on the topside yet.)
I'd also encourage her to depart a bit more from the usual Broadway sound. All those folks use the same vibrato, they use their head voice too much, and they all sound alike these days.
Back before contact mikes, you couldn't get away with the headvoice. You had to reach the floor mic, or no mic at all. The head voice didn't cut it. Singers had to nail it from the diaphram.
Then came the contact mics, and weaker singers could get bigger roles. In Ethel Merman's day, some of these people would still be in the chorus.
In baseball terms, she' a good AA ballplayer, with a good fastball. But a lot of kids can throw hard.
To hit the bigs, a good pitching coach needs to help her get the ball over the plate, and teach her a big league slider.
Splash, out
Jason
I'll see your Susan Boyle
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Redemption Song
Appropos of Easter, and today's headlines.
Ua mau ka ea o ka aina i ka pono
Jason
Ua mau ka ea o ka aina i ka pono
Jason
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Guitar blogging
Pepe Romero,
Recuerdos de la Alhambra.
The sound isn't the greatest, but crank up the speakers, find a quiet place, and listen in. It's worth the effort.
Watch him wring every last drop of music from every note. Masterful. This is how it's done, kids.
Splash, out
Jason
Recuerdos de la Alhambra.
The sound isn't the greatest, but crank up the speakers, find a quiet place, and listen in. It's worth the effort.
Watch him wring every last drop of music from every note. Masterful. This is how it's done, kids.
Splash, out
Jason
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Fiddle blogging
Two reels from the great Chicago player Liz Carroll:
Also, for a more subtle beauty, don't miss this beautiful slow reel.
Also, for a more subtle beauty, don't miss this beautiful slow reel.
Labels: Arts, fiddle blogging, fiddles, Music
Monday, February 16, 2009
Fiddle Blogging
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
The music lives
