All posts by Kev Brock

I'm a musician, singer/songwriter, blogger, writer, poet, bodybuilder, movie lover, music lover, video gamer, history/political buff, conservative/republican, etc. I like to do a lot of things.
Books

Book Review: “The Art of Asking” by Amanda Palmer…

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Today I’ve just finished reading “The Art of Asking” by Amanda Palmer and here is my review.

I have been a fan of Amanda Palmer ever since I’ve seen her inspiring TEDtalk from last year (see video below).

Amanda Palmer is known as the singer of the Dresden Dolls and she’s also most famous for being the “Queen of Kickstarter”. She was successful at Kickstarter for raising millions of dollars for her solo album, “Theater Is Evil” that was released in 2012.

This book is not just a memoir. It’s also a self-help book, the way I looked at it. I’ve read a lot of celebrity memoirs over the years and I’ll tell you. This book here was the most honest and real memoir I’ve ever read. It really was a powerful, moving and inspiring read. Amanda wrote this book as if she’s writing on a blog. She spoke from her mind. Writing all of her thoughts down.

She told interesting stories of how she made a living over the years. She didn’t want to get a regular 9 to 5 full time job like most normal people. She wanted to make money her own way… just by “asking”. Not really “begging”. She started off being a street performer. She started off as a living statue, the 8 foot bride… where she would dress up in a wedding dress and paint her face white. She would have a hat in front of her where people can put money in and when people put money in, she’ll give them a flower. She went from being a street performer to a musician. You probably remember that name Amanda Palmer of her famous band, The Dresden Dolls (I’m sure you’ve heard of them before).

This book is not just about Amanda and music. It’s not about her kickstarter success. This book is all about the art of learning how to “ask”. She just wants you to learn to not be afraid to ask for things like money, help, friendship, love, etc. Whatever. That’s what she teaches you in this book.

I couldn’t put this book down. It took me like 3 or 4 days to read. I’m glad I read it. Now that I finished it, I really want to get into Amanda Palmer’s music now and I’m planning on getting her Dresden Dolls albums and her solo albums too. She really is an inspiring woman. I started looking up to her ’cause she reminds me of myself in so many ways. She’s controversial and different. She’s trying to be understood… just like myself. She maybe the most hated woman on the internet but she’s passionate about the things that she does whether it’s her music or writing. She is somebody I would like to meet in person someday and she is somebody that I could talk to for hours and hours.

She maybe a little weird and a little crazy but who isn’t, ya know? We all are so what’s the big freakin’ deal??? I respect her for wanting to help people and she’s just an awesome woman. I’ve been following her social networking stuff since her TEDtalk last year and still follow her stuff today.

If you like inspiring and powerful reads, you should definitely check this book out. I am glad to finally have read it.

Kev

Uncategorized

More on playing fast notes vs. a few notes on guitar…

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When I talk about shred vs. playing a few notes, some mistakenly believed that I thought that playing a bunch of fast notes in a song is pretty silly. Taking out of context… like usual. I never flip flopped on shredding. I’ve always said shredding was “cool” and it’s an important part of music, all I said in the past was that you shouldn’t do too much of it. Like Al Di Meola said, you wanna have the ability to do both and that’s what I’ve been trying to explain all along. I’ve never neglected “shredding” on guitar whether on acoustic or electric. As a matter of fact, that was the whole reason I picked up the guitar in the first place so I can play like my heroes Jimmy Page, Satriani and Hendrix. To be able to play like those guys requires a little bit of “shredding” somewhat.

I’ve always liked shred guitar music. I’ve listened to guys like Joe Satch and Al Di Meola. I also listen to a lot of metal and prog rock which also has shred guitar in the songs like Dream Theater and Megadeth. Shred guitar was a big deal in the early 80’s, that’s when it all started. I think it all started with Eddie Van Halen obviously who is also one of my favorite guitarists.

Shred guitar was accepted in the early 80’s but in this day and age, nobody cares for it anymore. Whenever somebody wants to play fast notes on the guitar, people in this day and age are like, “Eh, he/she is just trying to be a show-off”.

Shred guitar music is still around… still alive and well but it’s not as popular anymore like it used to be in the old days. Only other guitarists listen to that type of music nowadays which is sad.

I appreciate any guitarist that plays fast and does it well. It takes a lot of skill and practice to get there. If you’re getting a lot of negative criticism toward your guitar playing, consider that a good sign. Take that stuff as a compliment. If too many people are shitting on your playing, it doesn’t mean they are right. If people are mad, then you’re probably pretty good. That’s the problem with the internet. If your guitar playing is creating controversy and mixed criticism, that’s gotta say something about your musicianship.

That’s the problem with the internet. Too many people who think they are “honest” and they have to shit on talented artists in such a negative and hateful direction. To many hateful pieces of shits on here, for sure. You just gotta ignore the critics, trolls and haters. Whatever you wanna call ’em.

If you wanna shred your instrument to death… go for it. People play what they want to. Play whatever makes them happy. If it sounds good to you, then that’s all it matters. You don’t play guitar to please everyone… you play the instrument to please yourself and that’s what it’s all about!!!

Kev

music

Al Di Meola on playing fast notes vs. playing a few notes…

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What’s more important: learning to play a lot of notes fast or learning how to get the most out of a few notes?

You need both abilities: to be able to sing a melody and play with space, and also to have the requisite technique to play the most intricate music. That makes you more complete, and able to play a wider variety of music. It’s a bunch of bullshit every time guitarists say, “One note says so much more than 100.” I always laugh at idiots who make that claim. Tell that to a flamenco player or a classical player and see what they say. It’s almost a defensive reaction. They take something they lack, attack it and claim they never wanted it in the first place. Sure!

http://www.guitarworld.com/inquirer-al-di-meola

Just wanted to respond to more of my thoughts against Kelly Zullo’s critics of her playing fast notes.

I agree with Al. You need to have the ability to do both, being good at playing a few notes and being good at playing fast. People will make the argument of “less is more” but when it comes to guitar playing, not always. Playing a bunch of fast notes can be pretty useful melodically. People will make claims that playing 100 fast notes is just a bunch of noodling and playing too much but not always. If you shred, as long as you’re playing melodically and playing with feeling, people won’t mind you playing a bunch of fast notes.

I’m trying my best to become that type of guitar player. Playing fast notes and shredding. How do you become that player? Well, first of all you need some finger exercises and start playing very slowly. Build speed as you practice. Secondly, use a metronome too, always. I can say that I’m a pretty quick lead guitar player but I’m not a speed demon yet. I’m no Joe Satriani or Steve Vai or Yngwie but I’m doing my best to get there.

When you want to play guitar at a professional level, gotta have the ability to do both, play slow and fast. You shouldn’t neglect, “shredding”. Sometimes I like to experiment with “shredding”.

I do want to be that kind of guitar player but it’ll take some time to get there. Being a “shredder” and “virtuoso” type doesn’t happen overnight. Being that kind of musician takes years of practice.

People shouldn’t knock guitar players wanting to play a bunch of fast notes. In my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with it. Playing fast can be pretty useful for your music and your songs. Guitar players don’t play fast just to show off and say, “Hey look at me, I can play fast”. People play fast ’cause sometimes that’s what the song needs, ya know? People play fast if the song calls for it.

Kev

Local music

Kelly Zullo, the next acoustic guitar virtuoso???

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I may have posted about this woman named Kelly Zullo in the past before but I came across another one of her live performances which was pretty phenomenal.

Guitar World magazine just gave her a shout-out (congrats to her, btw) and they just posted this video on GW’s facebook page. She’s getting a lot of criticism. People saying negative things about her playing, claiming that she’s playing too many notes and over-playing. If they truly believe that, then why don’t say that to Al Di Meola?

This is pretty impressive playing on this video. Is Kelly over-playing and playing too many notes? If so, who cares. Guitar players play what they want to play. They play from the heart and play whatever makes them happy. If they want to play fast notes and shred the guitar to death, more power to ’em. I like that kind of guitar playing on the acoustic and it takes guts to play like that.

There are so many acoustic players out there playing basic rhythm and do nothing but finger picking. A lot of acoustic players don’t wanna play with feeling and play with melody.

I remember Kelly used to play around the Capital District area in Albany quite a lot but it looks like she moved to NYC and she’s playing everywhere now which is good for her. I’ve been a fan of her music for a while.

She’s gonna be something special in the music business. How come this woman isn’t signed to a label yet when she should be???

This is pretty sick playing. To be able to play guitar like that and sing at the same time, wow. I wish I could play guitar like she does. I’m a pretty decent acoustic guitarist but I’m not even close the way she plays. Kelly’s gonna be on the cover of all the guitar magazines, someday.

Kev

movies

This Star Wars movie could have no lens-flares… I didn’t see any in the trailer…

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One thing that impressed me with the new “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” trailer is that it didn’t have any lens flares effects. A lot of us expected that the film will be full of lens flares since JJ is so obsessed with that camera effect but look like we aren’t gonna see any in Star Wars 7. Why did JJ decided to ditch the lens flares for Star Wars 7???

I would think that in order to keep the film, George Lucas styled… and for the film to be more like the original trilogy, he would have to get rid of the lens flares. He didn’t want to ruin the magic of what a true Star Wars film would be. He wanted to keep the fans happy and give them what they want so he ditched the lens flares.

There’s gonna be less CGI and less green screen in this film ’cause most of it was filmed for real… kind of like how George Lucas filmed them, ya know?

Seeing no lens flares was awesome. Hopefully there won’t be any of that at all in the film ’cause honestly, I’m with everyone else that JJ’s lens flare effects is pretty lame and silly. It’ll be nice if we didn’t see any of that in the new Star Wars movie.

Kev

movies

More thoughts on the Star Wars trailer…

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Like usual when it comes to JJ Abrams directing, there’s gonna be a lot of negative and hateful critics shitting on the trailer. A lot of fans are saying, “that’s it”? Well, for one, that’s what a teaser is supposed to do. A teaser is not supposed to show a lot but I’m sure we will see a lot more in the upcoming trailers. Reveal a little bit at a time.

I’m also seeing a lot of nasty criticism toward the lightsaber at the end, the mysterious black robed and hooded character at the end. Is that Adam Driver’s villain character or Luke Skywalker himself? We would never know. Like I said JJ is full of secrecy and there’s tons of it in this new trailer. As for the new lightstaber design, that’s just either for Luke or Adam Driver’s character. I’m sure not all lighstabers in the film are like that. This film is set 35 years after “Return of the Jedi” so obviously the lighsabers are gonna get a new design.

Why do we see John Boyega in a Stormtrooper suit and with no Stormtrooper helmet on? That’s another question that needs to be answered and I’m sure we will soon find out. Is Boyega’s character a Stormtrooper member and he escapes from them? That’s kind of what it’s looking like in that trailer to me.

Who’s the voice over??? I immediately assumed that the voice over was Luke Skywalker but if you think about it and listen to what the voice over is saying, it’s sounding like it’s coming from an evil character. I don’t think Luke would say something like, “the dark and the light”. It is probably Adam Driver, the voice over. It doesn’t sound like Mark Hamill.

This is just a teaser… I repeat, A TEASER!!! We will see a lot more in the next one, for sure. I’ve watched the trailer like 10 times straight.

I was pretty impressed with the teaser and can’t wait to see more. I’m noticing the Stormtrooper’s are looking a little different too.

Kev

movies

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” trailer is here!!! It’s freaking sick, HOLY SHIT!!!

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Maybe JJ Abrams won’t let us down after all. I’m fuckin’ impressed with the trailer. It gave me goosebumps and now I’m fuckin’ psyched for Episode 7 now. The trailer has everything Star Wars fanatics would want out of a Star Wars movie: Stormtroopers, X-Wing fighters, lightsabers, tie fighters and the Millennium Falcon!!!

The trailer showed more than I expected but still there is a lot of secrecy and mystery to it. Who’s the character with the black robe and hood with the weird looking lightsaber toward the end? Is that Adam Driver’s villain character? There is also an appearance by John Boyega in a Stormtrooper suit and Daisy Ridley is seen riding some weird looking vehicle on Abu Dhabi.

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/lucasfilm/starwarstheforceawakens/

No appearances by Luke, Han, Leia, Chewbacca and the Droids yet but I’m sure they will appear in the upcoming trailers. The trailers will reveal a little bit at a time.

This will definitely be the biggest movie of 2015, though and I will definitely be there in the theater for this one, for sure.

Kev

movies

Happy birthday, Bruce Lee…

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Today on Thanksgiving, Bruce Lee is remembered on his birthday. He would have been 74 if he was still alive today. Like most, I’m a big Bruce Lee fan too. Watched his movies over the years. I’ve been watching some Bruce Lee movies on Netflix. I’ve watched “Game of Death”, “Big Boss” and “Way of Dragon” on Netflix not too long ago. Bruce Lee was undeniably a martial arts genius. He was a great film actor too.

Happy Thanksigivng, by the way too.

Kev

Politics/war, True Crime

Civil unrest is nothing new in the United States, get over yourselves!!!

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I’m tired of seeing people in facebook acting like they’ve never seen a riot before. People destroying property and burning stuff out of a protest. These things are nothing new in America folks as “civil unrest” goes way back in the 18th Century:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_incidents_of_civil_unrest_in_the_United_States

I see people all over facebook saying bullshit like, “Oh, it’s sad that Michael Brown was killed but they shouldn’t burn the city down and destroy property, what is that gonna solve?” Boo hoo hoo, you get the idea, right?

They’re saying that like it’s the first time they’ve seen a riot.

It’s nothing new in America folks. There have been riots in America that were 10 x’s worse than Ferguson.

I know I said I was gonna be done talking about the Ferguson bullshit but just had to bring this one up.

I refuse to debate with people about Michael Brown or Trayvon Martin in facebook ’cause I know how intolerant those fuckin’ libtards are about this stuff. Predictably, I’ve seen libtards in facebook threatening to remove/block people if they said offensive things about their precious Michael Brown and they already removed a lot of people that sided with Officer Wilson. Part of why I hate facebook for a lot of reasons. They won’t let you have your opinion when you should have every right to have one.

People get into this black vs. white debate in social networking ’cause that’s how the mainstream media wants it. They eat this stuff up ’cause it helps their ratings for their news networks.

On top of all that, white kids get killed by black cops all the time for no reason and there’s never any outrage.

Whenever I have a different opinion than everyone else, I always get called “Crazy” or a “trouble maker” when I’m just expressing my opinion to a news story like everyone else is doing. This is why I believe that people on the internet is so messed up, I’m not gonna lie about that.

With all this being said, get over yourselves, people. There’s nothing to see there in Ferguson… these things happen all the time. It’s just a pretty big media frenzy, that’s all it is.

Kev

movies

Look like you won’t have to go to a theater to see “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” trailer after all!!!

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Are you dying to see that 88 second, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” trailer but there’s no theater in your hometown that has it? Not too worries!!! The 88 second teaser will be exclusively released to “Itunes Trailers” on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.

There’s a lot of claims that the trailer has been leaked online but I’m sure those leaks aren’t legitimate so I’ll wait to see the official one.

And remember, y’all… don’t expect to see so much on the trailer. You’re only gonna see very little as I said before. JJ loves his secrecy, he’s obsessed with it. I’m sure it’ll be a sick teaser and sure it will get everyone talking and debating about it.

On Friday, I’ll go to Itunes and check it out.

Kev