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.
music

This Day In Music: 3/14/12

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– In 1955: CBS talent scout Arthur Godfrey turned down the chance to sign Elvis Presley, instead at the same audition he signed singer Pat Boone.

– In 1968: The promotional film for ‘Lady Madonna’ was broadcast in black and white on Top of the Pops on UK television. The video portion of the film clip was shot while The Beatles were performing the song ‘Hey Bulldog’, but the ‘Lady Madonna’ audio track was paired with the video for the promo release.

– In 1969: The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded a live concert for ‘Fan Club’, the Dutch TV show in Amsterdam, Holland.

– In 1973: Elton John was at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Crocodile Rock.’

– In 1981: Eric Clapton was hospitalised with bleeding ulcers causing a US tour to be cancelled. He was back in hospital five weeks later after being involved in a car crash.

– In 1982: Metallica made their live debut when they appeared at Radio City in Anaheim, California.

– In 1983: Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Alec John Such formed Bon Jovi. Their fourth album, New Jersey, released in 1988, is notable for producing five Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 singles, the most top ten hits to date from a hard rock album.

– In 1984: Rainbow played their last ever gig as a band when they performed in Japan.

– In 1990: Flea and Chad Smith from The Red Hot Chili Peppers were arrested for sexually harassing a woman on Daytona Beach, Florida. They were each fined $1,000 (£588).

– In 1998: Will Smith started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It’.

– In 2005: Michael Jackson was blasted by British Army veterans for wearing military badges while on trail for child abuse. The singer had appeared in court on most days with either an Army motif on his breast pocket or a cap badge tied around his neck.

 

Kev Brock music

Timing and rhythm of my songs…

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I know I should have learned this stuff years ago, but the thing is, I’ve always played whatever sounded good to me, I’ll admit that I never cared about timing songs. I just played whatever I heard in my head. I really should time my songs better so it can be helpful for other musicians in a band or recording in a studio or whatever. If I want to make a full band demo CD, I need to learn this. I want to make full band rock music sometime down the road.

I’ve read somewhere on the internet through musicians sites that you don’t always have to play in perfect timing ’cause it’s good to be experimental and different, but it helps to learn the timing for the drummer.

As I said before, it’s okay to not play with a metronome doing acoustic solo ’cause not many people notice about the timing of music anyway, so it’s okay to get away with.

I’m planning on going back to some of my older songs, and try to figure out the timing and write them down on paper. Then practice along with a metronome. Start off slow, then build up speed to figure out the right tempo for the song.

If I want to get respected as an actual musician, I need to start getting good with timing of music.

Kev

music

Why metal is my favorite genre of music…

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There are some people out there who don’t see me being a metal head. Why is metal my favorite genre of music? Not only that it’s inspiring and helps make you feel like a better person, I enjoy metal ’cause that genre has the best guitar playing. I’ve been listening to this genre ever since I was a child and I think it was Twisted Sister’s, “Stay Hungry “, album that introduced me to the genre. Then later, I got into Sabbath, AC/DC, Metallica, Motley Crue, etc. All those bands from the 80’s. I did listen to all the 90’s grunge metal. Yes, I did listen to a little bit of death & black metal as well.

A lot of my own songwriting is metal inspired. I get a lot of my own song ideas, by borrowing a little bit from other bands. Metal continues to inspire my songwriting. I can not sing like a metal singer and can’t growl like one, that’s why I just play regular hard rock, get what I’m saying? I get all my inspiration from Led Zep, they’re my no. 1. I’ll never get tired of being a huge Led Zep fan and will never get tired of listening to their stuff. I also love Slayer & Iron Maiden. I also like Lamb of God, the Sword, and Megadeth.

I have been to metal concerts before and seen some local metal bands as well.

I know it’s hard for people to tell what genre of music I listen to. People thought I listened to country & folk just because I play an acoustic guitar. I do listen to country & folk, but not that much. I mostly listen to metal. I enjoy regular rock n’ roll too.

Anything with great guitar playing, it’s most likely I’ll be a fan of.

Kev

Kev Brock music

Timing and rhythm is not that hard…

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…it’s actually a piece of cake. The only time when practicing with a metronome that gets tough is when you play fast with higher bpm. I really need to get my timing down. If I can understand timing, I would become a much better rhythm guitar player too. Plus, my originals could get more respect if they’re played in time. So next time I record with computer software, I’ll use a click track. If I want to have band backup behind my recordings, I need to make the timing of my songs, right. I have been practicing with a metronome lately. This is one way of becoming a better musician.

Kev

Local music

Thought: Are you a professional musician? Let the world decide that, don’t call yourself a pro…

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There are too many musicians on the internet, calling themselves, “professional musicians”, these days. If you’re calling yourself a professional musician, then you probably aren’t one, in reality. Think about it. Other people would know whether or not you’re a professional musician. Other people are pretty honest about musicians and they’re usually are not afraid to tell whether or not you’re a “pro” or an “amateur”. So you should really let other people do the talking. Leave your ego at the door and let the music speak for itself.

When you get so many people telling you that you play like a pro, then that means you probably are one. If you’re calling yourself a pro, and not many people think you are, what’s wrong with that picture.

I never called myself a pro. I just shut my mouth and let the people do the judging. A lot of people have called me an amateur but I’m okay with that. You see this, “Amateur” vs. “Pros” argument online everywhere with musicians. Fighting over who’s great and who’s a hobbyist. The pros would attack the amateurs saying they are better than them.

I don’t think I’m a pro. I don’t think I’m an amateur/hobbyist. I’m just a guy that loves to play music, that’s it!!!! Whatever people want to call me, I’m cool with it. It’s just that whatever people say about you, it’s entitled to their own opinion. Just like it’s their opinion when they call themselves, a “pro”.

Everyone wants to feel like a pro just because they play in a band, playing gigs all over, and getting lots of fans. In my eyes, a true professional musician is somebody who doesn’t get stuck playing music in Albany, plays shithole bars and crap venues. A true professional is someone who does music as a real career, touring all over the place, being in an actual label and making money off of music. Also, having lots of contacts with people in the music business is considered being a professional as well.

If you’re still stuck in Albany and calling yourself a “pro”, what’s wrong with that? A real pro doesn’t hang in a small town, working day jobs and playing a few gigs a month. A real pro is somebody actually working for the music industry. Sorry, but this is truth. It needed to be said.

Kev

 

Local music

Loren Weisman on trying to get fans to vote for bands & musicians…

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Another cool blog post by Loren Weisman.

He gives some good insight on bands trying to get fans to vote for them on different type of contests that they get themselves entered into. I’ve seen plenty of bands doing these type of contests as well, it’s in facebook all the time. Bands & solo artists trying to get people to vote for them on various things.

Some of them do it right and some of them don’t. A lot of bands have a big problem of being way too spammy with their voting requests.

If you want to get people to actually care about voting for you, read this post.

Kev

movies, TV

Report: Ron Howard’s “Dark Tower”, on it’s way to HBO???

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Since Universal Studios dropped, “The Dark Tower” by Ron Howard and Stephen King, Warner Bros. is close to a deal with HBO. HBO may release the three “Dark Tower” films to theaters and they will also air the TV series on their station as well.

I’ve always thought HBO would be a great home for them. This would be good competition against, “Game of Thrones” and “Boardwalk Empire”.

I’m looking forward to the Dark Tower series coming to the big screen and the small screen. I’m a huge fan of the books. Lets hope Ron does justice with them.

Deadline, reports.

Kev

music

This Day In Music: 3/13/12

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Musician Birthdays: Adam Clayton (bassist of U2. Born in 1960)

– In 1956: RCA Records issued the first album and extended play releases by Elvis Presley.

– In 1958: The Recording Industry Association of America introduced its awards for record sales, (RIAA). The Beatles hold the record for being awarded the most with 76 platinum certifications.

– In 1964: Billboard reported that sales of Beatles singles currently accounted for 60 percent of the US singles market and The Beatles album Meet the Beatles had reached a record 3.5 million copies sold.

– In 1965: Eric Clapton quit The Yardbirds due to musical differences with the other band members. Clapton wanted to continue in a blues type vein, while the rest of the band preferred the more commercial style of their first hit, ‘For Your Love’.

– In 1965: The Beatles started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Eight Days A Week’, the group’s 7th US No.1.

– In 1966: Rod Stewart left Steampacket to work as a solo artist.

– In 1966: Pink Floyd appeared for the first time at The Marquee in Wardour Street, London, England. The Marquee became the most important venue for the emerging British scene and witnessed the rise of some of the most important artists in the 1960s and 1970s, such as Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Manfred Mann, The Who, Yes, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, King Crimson and Genesis.

– In 1967: Working at Abbey Road studios in London, six members of Sounds, Inc. recorded the horn parts for The Beatles song ‘Good Morning Good Morning’ (three saxophones, two trombones, and one french horn).

– In 1976: The Four Seasons started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘December 1963, (Oh What A Night)’, the group’s 5th US No.1, also their only UK No.1.

– In 1977: Iggy Pop and David Bowie kicked off a North American tour at Le Plateau Theatre, Montreal, Canada with Blondie as the opening act.

– In 1987: Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

– In 1993: Canadian rapper Snow, (Darrin O’Brien), started a 7-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Informer’, a No.2 hit in the UK.

– In 1993: Eric Clapton started a three-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Unplugged.’

– In 1993: Lenny Kravitz started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Are You Gonna Go My Way.’

– In 1999: Cher started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Believe’, making Cher the oldest woman to top the Hot 100 at the age of 53.

– In 2006: The Sex Pistols refused to attend their own induction into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. . Blondie, Herb Alpert and Black Sabbath were all inducted but the Pistols posted a handwritten note on their website, calling the institution “urine in wine”, adding “We’re not your monkeys, we’re not coming. You’re not paying attention”.

– In 2006: The Kinks came out the top earners for music used in TV adverts in the US, earning them £6m a year. The sixties group were enjoying a resurgence with their music being used to sell washing powder, computers and medicines. Led Zeppelin came in second place with £4m and The Rolling Stones third with £2.3m.

– In 2007: Coffee house Starbucks announced the launch of its own music label, saying it would sign both established and new artists. The chain, which had 13,000 stores worldwide, had already released albums under its Hear Music brand, licensing songs from other companies. Starbucks bosses said the label would now become more independent and that music fitted with the firm’s identity.

– In 2008: Michael Jackson refinanced his Neverland ranch to save it from being auctioned off, after being told that if he failed to pay $25m (£12.5m) he owed on the California property, it would be auctioned within a week. Jackson bought Neverland in 1987 intending to create a fantasy land for children naming it after an island in the story Peter Pan, where children never grow up.

Random/off topic posts

Understanding timing & rhythm is important, if I want to play in a band someday…

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One thing I’ve been concentrating a lot is studying timing. Learning how to play along with a metronome. Mastering rhythm with whole notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, triplets, etc.

When you play acoustic solo, it is okay to play songs without a metronome, but when you want to play in a band, you need to learn this stuff. This stuff is simple to learn, but the tough part is practicing with the metronome.

I’m getting the hang of this stuff too. I want to get better at timing music.

This is one thing that a lot of musicians fail to learn, especially some bands out there. I’ve seen plenty of bands that don’t play in time at all. If you want to play tight and aggressive in a band, timing is key to a killer performance.

Kev

music, Uncategorized

This Day In Music: 3/12/12

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Musician Birthdays: Liza Minelli, (singer/actress, famous for hit, “Losing My Mind”. Born in 1946), James Taylor (US singer/songwriter, famous for hit, “You’ve Got a Friend”. Born in 1948), Pete Doherty (singer/songwriter/guitarist, known for playing for the Libertines and Babyshambles. Born in 1986)

– In 1958: A Philadelphia court sentenced jazz singer Billie Holiday to a year’s probation after being found guilty of narcotics possession.

– In 1963: The Beatles played at the Granada Cinema in Bedford. Also on the bill, Chris Montez and Tommy Roe. John Lennon, suffering from a heavy cold, was unable to perform, so The Beatles set was rearranged so that George and Paul could sing the parts that John usually sang.

– In 1968: The Rolling Stones started recording their next single ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’ with new producer Jimmy Miller at Olympic studios in London. Keith Richards has stated that he and Jagger wrote the lyrics while staying at Richards’ country house, where they were awakened one morning by the sound of gardener Jack Dyer walking past the window. When Jagger asked what the noise was, Richards responded, “Oh, that’s Jack – that’s jumpin’ Jack.”

– In 1971: The Allman Brothers Band played the first of two nights at the Fillmore East, New York. Both show’s were recorded and released as The Allman Brothers live double album, which became the groups breakthrough album.

– In 1974: John Lennon made the headlines after an incident at the Troubadour Club, LA. Out on a drinking binge with Harry Nilsson, Lennon hurled insults at the performing Smothers Brothers and punched their manager before being forcibly removed.

– In 1977: The Sex Pistols were involved in a fight at London’s Speakeasy Club with Bob Harris, presenter of BBC 2’s The Old Grey Whistle Test resulting in one of the shows engineers needing 14 stitches in his head. Two days later Harris’s solicitors contact Derek Green at A&M the bands record label. Harris’s management also managed Peter Frampton, one of the label’s top acts at A&M. Green discussed the matter with the company’s two founders, Jerry Moss and Herb Alpert and the decision is made to cancel the Pistols contract and halt production of the bands first single, ‘God Save The Queen’.

– In 1983: U2 scored their first UK No.1 album with ‘War’, which went on to spend a total of 147 weeks on the chart. The album featured the singles ‘New Years Day’ and ‘Two Hearts Beat As One’.

– In 1990: Nirvana and Tad appeared at the Town Pump in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

– In 1995: The Spin Doctors played a gig at singer Chris Barron’s old School in Princeton and raised $10,000 (£5,882) towards a trip to France and the UK for the school choir.

– In 2001: Judy Garland’s ‘Over The Rainbow’ was voted the Song Of The Century in a poll published in America. Musicians, critics and fans compiled the list by the RIA. The highest placed UK act was The Rolling Stones ‘Satisfaction’ in 16th place. The Beatles had ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ at No. 28.

– In 2006: Former Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour went to No.1 on the UK album chart with his third solo album ‘On An Island.’ In 2009 UK radio station Planet Rock held a poll asking listeners to name the ‘Greatest Solo Album Written By A Former Band Member’. David Gilmour was voted into first place with ‘On An Island.’

– In 2009: Hundreds of fans queued at the O2 arena in London as Michael Jackson tickets went on sale to the public. The 50-year-old pop veteran had confirmed he would be playing a 50-date residency at the venue, beginning on 8 July 2009. Some 360,000 pre-sale tickets had already sold. Organisers said the This Is It tour had become the fastest-selling in history, with 33 seats sold each minute. Prices ranged from £170 to £10,000, but tickets bought directly from the singer’s website cost up to £75. Jackson had said this would be the last time he would perform in the UK.

– In 2010: A 16-year-old was arrested and charged in connection with a break-in at singer Susan Boyle’s home in West Lothian, Scotland. Boyle disturbed the intruder as she returned home from London after recording a charity single for the victims of the Haiti earthquake.

– In 2012: Country star Taylor Swift beat Adele and Lady Gaga to be named the highest-earning pop artist of 2011. The 22-year-old earned $35,719,902 (£22.7m) in 2011 from a combination of music sales, royalties and touring. U2 took second place with $32m (£20m) thanks to their 360 tour, seen by more than seven million people while Adele came 10th.