I’ve been playing acoustic guitar for so long that I think I’ve finally grown kind of bored of it and sick of it. I’ve been picking up my electric guitar a lot more. Ya know, I think I’m capable of playing heavy rock music ’cause that’s what I’ve been messing around with a lot lately. Trying to come up with some pretty cool riffs and hard rock songs. Yes, the hard rock stuff that you could probably head bang to and even mosh to. I think I’m capable of playing that kind of music.

Although, I love metal like thrash metal, prog rock and death/black metal… I won’t be able to perform that kind of music ’cause I’m not a screamer or a growler. I’m not that kind of singer. I will still play hard rock & metal, I’ll just sing regularly… kind of like how Ozzy and Glen Danzig sings, ya know?

I think I can make some pretty good hard rock songs and that’s the kind of record I wanna make someday. In order for me to play that kind of music, I might just have to get my own band together and I’ve been thinking about that for a pretty long time… however, I don’t think my P.A. System is loud enough to sing in a full band with. The P.A. System I have was meant for acoustic performances. Someday I will buy a better and louder P.A. System so I can perform in a band with but I’ll still try to get a band when recording an album, though.

I’ve always wanted to make a hard rock & metal kind of record ’cause I’ve always liked heavy music. I think some of you know that. I’ve always been into bands like Sabbath, Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Maiden, Scorpions, etc.

I really wanna make a full blown guitar rock album. I’m just trying to improve my lead guitar chops and my music theory knowledge first. Don’t wanna rush and get too ahead of myself.

Kev

It seems that in this day and age, I have to watch what I say every time I open my mouth or type on the computer. If somebody finds some of the things I say is offensive, people will let me know about it by yelling at me and getting all over me. I deal with this crap with people for years and I’m sure you’ve put up with it too.

However, though… not everyone will find what you say is offensive. Some will have a spine and won’t take what you say seriously & personally. So if you wanna swear and cuss, say a bunch of sexual & perverted things and they aren’t getting mad, that’s when you know you’re hanging with the right people. When you want to have negative thoughts and opinions that are sometimes that are way out of line no matter the topic like in politics, sports, dating & relationships, whatever… when people don’t get offended and they join in on the discussion with you… that’s when you know they like you and find you interesting.

I mean, if you’re gonna be that type of person where I have to watch what I say all the time, then you’re not worth my time. I can’t stand being around people like that. I don’t like the easily offended, ya know?

I like the kind of people who let others talk about whatever you want and not get offended. There are people like that out there… who don’t get offended at everything you say. Those are the kind of people who I would rather be friends with… the ones who don’t make you feel like you have to watch your mouth all the time.

I’ve been having people make me feel like I have to watch my mouth for many years. I just ignore ’em ’cause I’m not gonna let people think it’s okay to control me. You shouldn’t either. When people control your thoughts and your mind, they weren’t worth your time. Find people who won’t make you feel like you have to watch what you say. I’m just an open minded guy who is not afraid to speak my mind. That’s how I’ve always been and always will be.

It is funny though, how other people think they can say what they want but when I open my mouth, I’m always the bad guy. It’s interesting how that is.

This isn’t just about me, though… I’m just trying to help others who feel the same way.

Kev

This is pretty damn cool! I’m a big fan of Wayne Allyn Root’s work and even have his book “Murder of the Middle Class” which is recommended reading by the way. It’s pretty awesome that he gave me a big shoutout since I’m a fan so that makes me proud! I’ve been following this guy’s work for a pretty long while now.

Yeah, I really am praying for him and believing in him that this is the guy that can bring down Obama. I wish him well and good luck!

See how my politics can do good and positive things? I thought this was pretty cool and thought I’d share this with you too! This got me pretty psyched!

Kev

Pretty much the only reason I’m trying to improve my ear as a guitar player is just so I can learn how to play what I hear in my head. I’m always hearing music and songs in my head everywhere I go and I’m trying my best to get better at improvisation so I can learn how to write songs better that way. I also wanna be able to jam with other bands and musicians without any fear.

When you master the art of improvisation, you’ll be able to play pretty much anything and everything. That’s the kind of guitar player I wanna be and I’m getting there too.

Here’s an interesting article explaining the whole thing:

https://www.guitartricks.com/blog/index.php?p=Tips-for-Developing-Your-Ear

I wanna be the type of guitarist you hear in jam bands like Phish or the Allman Brothers and those progressive rock bands. I want to be an improvising kind of guitarist.

I just wanna learn how to be able to play anything and I’ve been trying to figure out how to get there for years ever since I picked it up 20 years ago.

The only way to master improvisation is memorizing the sounds of the notes and the keys. Improvising is not that hard… you just gotta practice at it. Although, music theory is your choice to learn… music theory would help too and I’ve been learning a lot of that as well.

Kev

I’ve noticed I’ve been buying a lot of music from progressive rock bands such as Dream Theater, Queensryche, Yes and others. That’s probably because I’ve always been a big fan of prog rock music. I’m also big fan of prog rock bands such as Rush and Jethro Tull.

Why do I like prog? It’s because I like experimental songwriting.

If you’ve noticed with my own original songwriting, a lot of it’s prog rock influenced. If I ever form a band that’s the kind of music I plan on playing… That experimental prog rock. Songs that can go on for as long as 9 – 10 minutes or longer.

I love prog rock more than anything ’cause that’s where all the great guitar playing and musicianship is.

When I make a full band rock album, this is the kind of music that will be on it. I just love prog rock, man. That’s where all the real talent is.

That’s why I’m trying to improve my own guitar playing and musicianship so I can play this kind of experimental music on my own.

While I listen to all sorts of music and try to listen to everything else, I prefer to listen to prog rock and metal than anything, though. It’s just who I am. I’m a rock n’ roll kind of guy.

People would look at me and assume that I am into country or folk but then they would be shocked that I am actually into rock & metal. I’ve always been into rock & metal ever since I was a kid. Twisted Sister was one of the first metal bands that I fell in love with when I was a kid. My love for metal never stopped.

I was late picking up the guitar though. I started when I was 18. My very first guitar was a piece of shit classical guitar that I bought off a bookstore owner who I took lessons with.

I’ve been mostly an acoustic player my whole life but I really wanna focus on mostly electric so I can rock.

I’ve always dug heavy music. I just love good guitar playing.

Kev

So I got some new albums from Itunes over the weekend. Haven’t got new albums from Itunes in a while so I decided to pick up six of them from Itunes…

This time I got:

• Cherie Currie “Reverie” – She’s the former lead singer of the Runaways who just put out a new solo album. I already listened to it earlier today and it’s really good. Pretty rockin’ and tight album really.
• Ensiferum “One Man Army” – They are a Finnish folk metal band from Helsinki. They are better known as “Viking Metal”. I’ve been a fan of this band for a while and got their newest album that they just put out. Didn’t listen to it yet but I’m sure it’s good.
• Smashing Pumpkins “Siamese Dream” – This is obviously a classic album and a masterpiece. It’s the Pumpkins best record for sure. I used to have this album on physical CD but don’t know what happened to it so I bought the album again from Itunes. It’s still an incredible album after listening to it again.
• Dream Theater “Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence – I’m a really big Dream Theater fan. I have most of their records now. The only ones I need left now are “Metropolis Pt. 2” and “Falling Into infinity”. Their very first album, “When Dream and Day Unite” is not available anywhere probably because that album wasn’t received very well critically so the band probably decided not to sell it. I’m a huge Dream Theater fan, though, I can’t stop listening to them.
• Queensryche “(2013) self titled” and “Promised Land”:  I wanna get into more Queensryche. After hearing their album “Empire” really makes me wanna get into them more so I picked up two albums from them. I read great things about “Promised Land” so I decided to grab that one since it was $5.99.  I read somewhere that this band is recording a new album so I’ll be looking forward to that one as well. Queensryche is a pretty sick band, though.

That’s pretty much it for now. I like getting albums from Itunes ’cause you’re never gonna find ’em in record stores anymore. Did I just say “record stores”? “Record stores” are a thing of the past now. Really sad too!

Kev

In the guitar community, instructors would try to teach you how to play like your favorite guitar heroes. They would release books, DVDs and even youtube videos to try to teach how to play guitar in the style of Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Joe Satriani, Eric Clapton, BB King, etc. I think you get my point now right? The truth is this is just a silly myth going around in guitar playing. I know how you wanted to pick up the guitar to trying to sound like your guitar hero but you have to learn to accept the fact that you’re never going to sound like your guitar hero. Whether you wanna sound like Hendrix and Page or whoever, you’re never gonna sound like them. You can try to copy their licks note for note all you want to but you’re never gonna get their tone and style.

Some instructors would try to give you the advice that if you wanna improve your playing, they’ll tell you to try to copy the style of your favorite guitar player. Sorry but I disagree. I would suggest to try to stay away from copying your favorite guitarists. If you want your own style in lead guitar and soloing, don’t copy from others. It’s okay to steal and borrow a lick here and there… I do that too but don’t play their solos note for note. Even if you play their solos note for note, you’re not gonna get their style and tone. You’re still gonna get your own.

If you wanna be a better guitar player, don’t play other people’s guitar solos. Always play your own spontaneously. Learn improvisation and practice ear training. That’s what I’m most focused on right now. My ear training skills is getting better and improving greatly. I’m starting to understand the sound of some the keys. Not all of them but getting there. If you wanna be a great lead guitarist and really want it… gotta stay focused. Learning from others will keep you distracted, in my opinion. This is why I always preferred to be a self-taught player and always will be.

Learning from other styles is the wrong way to go. You want your own style and your own guitar tone. While I do like to do cover songs once in a while, I’ll never learn the guitar solos note for note ’cause that’s not what I want to do. I wanna come up with my own licks and phrases.

So don’t believe all that shit when instructors try to teach you how to learn a style of a certain guitar player. It’s all a crock of shit and it’s all a marketing ploy to promote their products.

The truth is, you can start a Led Zeppelin or a Hendrix tribute band all you want to but you’re never gonna sound exactly like ’em. Never. Each guitar player has their own sound. Jimmy Page and Hendrix will always sound like themselves and nobody else can sound like ’em even though they try.

So really, enough with the “Learn guitar in the style of (name guitar player here)” crap ’cause it just doesn’t work. It’s just a stupid myth going around in the guitar community.

Kev

Yes, so now I have finally upgraded to an even better home recording setup. Got a better computer, better audio interface, studio monitors and now I’m finally able to use my phantom powered condenser mic. I still gotta add a few more things to my new and improved home recording setup.

I’m also planning on buying some kind of drum machine. I would like to get a drum machine to hook up to the audio interface so I can create my own drum tracks for my original songs. I’m planning on getting one of those soon.

I would also like to get some kind of MIDI controller. I’ve been trying to learn how to play keyboards a little bit so I can learn the basics and I can play synthesizers for my songs. That way I can add orchestration, strings and all kinds of other instruments to my songs.

I’ve debated on getting an audio mixer but I don’t really need those ’cause most DAW’s have built-in audio mixers anyways. You don’t really need an audio mixer for home recording. Only when you have an “actual” studio, it maybe good to have an audio mixer.

I should get a pop filter so I can record clean vocals to avoid breathing and popping sounds. I will also need a music stand so I can have something to hold notebooks on for lyrics and stuff.

I’ll start saving for all this stuff sometime in the near future. I’m proud of what I have so far, though.

Kev

In my life, I get way too many people trying to tell me I’m a dislikable person but I’m okay with that. Let ’em hate. Once again, haters are gonna hate, ya know?

Yeah, you’re gonna get a lot of assholes in your life. A lot of hateful and negative people whether online or in person but you just gotta learn to ignore ’em completely and just keep being you. I’m sure you even get members of your own family trying to tell you that you’re a dislikeable person.

Some people will try their best to point out each and everything they don’t like about you but the last thing you wanna do is care what they think about you.

Live life the way you want to and be who you want.

I don’t deal with assholes. I only wanna surround myself with positive, happy and joyful people and you don’t find much of those these days.

I don’t have to be how other people want me to be and people thought they could change me for years. Never happening.

I’ll continue to speak my mind no matter the consequences. I’ll  continue to tell it like it is. I’ll continue to tell the truth about Obama, Hillary and the US Government. People don’t like me for my “right-wing” politics but that’s fine too. I’m proud of my conservatism. If people don’t like it, here’s a big middle finger to all of them.

If I want to bash the local music scene and tell the truth about that, I’ll continue to do that too.

I’ll be who I want to be. With all this being said, just ignore all negativity, bullshit and stay out of drama. I’ve tried to please other people the best I can but I’m all done with that.

Kev