Richie Havens “Freedom” song…

For the past few days ever since Richie’s death, I have been messing around with Richie’s “Freedom” song on the guitar and singing it too. I am using the song in an alternate tuning that he used it in and trying to make the chords similar to what he played. I’ll never be able to copy his rhythm style exactly but I can make it pretty similar. Close enough. The song isn’t really all that hard to perform as most people mistakenly think. Peace of cake really! Just a few chords, that’s it! If you can figure out his rhythm patterns and counts by carefully listening to what he’s doing, you can play his rhythm parts almost perfectly. Just learn the counts and use a metronome. When I record myself playing the song on video, I’ll play along with a metronome… just so that I can prove I can play and know what I’m doing. It’ll take me several more days of practice, but I’ll do it. I think I am going to cover this song for youtube.

I want to get my youtube account going again with cover songs and originals.

Kev

Report: Metallica’s 3D movie, “Through The Never” to hit Imax theaters…

Metallica’s 3D live-concert movie, “Through The Never”, will be hitting Imax theaters all across North America, during the week of September 27th. The regular release of the film will be hitting theaters nationwide, Oct. 4th. The concert filmed in the movie was the three day concert in Vancouver, last August. The concert will feature: pyrotechnics, floating coffins, and planned malfunctions. Of course, I’m sure the concert will feature all kinds of unique stage lights and smoke machines to help give the 3D effects. Maybe the movie will even show backstage footage and interviews with the band, who knows.

More on the story, here.

As a die-hard Metallica myself, I’m really looking forward to this.The band is probably getting a lot of haters accusing the band of doing this for a quick cash-grab or being sell-outs, but angry fans call the band sell-outs on pretty much everything they do. After a 30 long year career, releasing 9 successful studio albums — yes, St. Anger, Load, and Re-load were very successful albums — , and being the biggest live-selling band in the history of music; the band deserves this film.

I’ve always stayed loyal to Metallica. Even stood by them for the “St. Anger”, “Load”, and “Re-load” stuff. I don’t feel ashamed of enjoying those albums ’cause they are good albums, if you give them a chance. Metallica is just like every other band, ya know? They just want to change and evolve. Bands don’t like staying in the same style of music so they need to be diverse and versatile. “St. Anger” may have been the band’s most hated album, but I’m probably one of the very few who actually loved it. It’s a pretty sick album if you actually listen to it. The album has some of James’s best rhythm playing and singing.

Love Metallica or hate them… they are the kings of metal, no matter what you think of them. I too am hoping they will start working on their 10th album if they’ll ever get to it. This band is not about pleasing everyone for sure. They’re not afraid to do what they want to do, not giving a shit about what anyone else thinks. That’s why Metallica still has my respect.

I’m looking forward to this movie and will be there to see it if it’s playing in my local mall.

Kev

Netflix Pick (streaming): Bully

Last night on Netflix, I watched the Lee Hirsch directed documentary titled, “Bully”, which was also produced by the Weinstein Co. Ever since this movie came out in theaters a few years ago, I avoided this movie for a few reasons: 1) This was going to bring back bad memories to my own childhood school days 2) It would be too painful and uncomfortable to watch. Now that the film is finally available for Netflix streaming, I decided to check it out. While it was a really great documentary as expected, it really was a bit too painful and uncomfortable to watch but I’m glad I did watch it finally.

This is a pretty important film that everyone needs to see. Especially, those who are parents and have kids. This film does a good job giving people a wake up call on bullying. This film is not just about gay kids being bullied in school, it is directed at kids of all types. The movie tells different stories of kids being bullied in school. It tells the story of Alex Libby, Ja’Meya Jackson, Kelby Johnson and others. The stories of Alex, Ja’Meya and Kelby were the main parts of the documentary. Alex was a young kid who is a loner and was being picked on because of his looks. Ja’Meya is a young black girl who pulled a loaded gun at a bunch of students on the bus and that earned her a bunch of charges by the police which were later dropped because she defended herself. Kelby is a young lesbian girl who is being picked on because of her orientation and she’s the type when you can’t tell whether she’s a boy or a girl.

I’m actually glad I watched this documentary ’cause it was pretty inspiring to me. The film kind of moved me. Pretty powerful flick. I hate most documentaries but this is a pretty good one.

Yes, I was a victim of bullying throughout my school years so I know what it is like. So, I had similar experiences with the kids in this film. People in school made fun of me ’cause of my appearance; my scoliosis and other insecurities I have. Other kids made fun of me ’cause they mistakenly viewed me as a mentally retarded person which is far from the truth. I’ve always believed that’s not what I am, I assure you of it. I may have physical disabilities yes, indeed, but not mental disabilities. Big difference between the two. Yep, I dealt with all of it. Getting picked on in class and on the bus. Gotten punched and kicked, sure. Even was threatened to get into fights with other kids after school. All that stuff.

Make no mistake though, I’ve had my share of bullying other kids myself!

Bullying has gotten out of hand in America, whether in school or out. Online and offline. I even still get bullied by people to this very day; online and offline, but you know what? I just learn to ignore what people have to say about me and learn to be tough. People can campaign to stop bullying all they want to — that’ll help — but they need to do more. Putting an end against bullying also requires great parenting skills. Training your kids not to be violent and hateful. Training your kids to stand up for yourself. Keep kids away from violent movies and video games. All that stuff. If I ever get kids of my own, I’ll keep all of this in mind so they don’t become victims of bullying.

This is a pretty important documentary that’s worth a viewing. If you have Netflix, please do check it out.

Kev

Report: Dwayne Johnson has abdomen surgery since after getting injured in match with John Cena at WM-29…

Professional wrestling maybe fake and scripted, yes, but not all of it. You can still get injuries for real and this is proof. During the match with John Cena at Wrestlemania 29, The Rock, tore off his abdomen and abduction muscles. Tore them right off the bone. So he just had a successful surgery today.

Read more on the story, here.

The Rock is already done with the surgery as he just posted a pic of himself in the hospital, see it here

Keep in mind that professional wrestling is a very physical job. Even though it’s fake wrestling, and you can’t really hurt each other, you can still get injuries by accident. You can still get injured in professional wrestling just like you can get injured in any sport or on any job. Yes, professional wrestling is fake and scripted but still can be very dangerous.

Dwayne is a cool guy though, I’ve always looked after him. I wonder if the surgery will hold back his movie career a little bit? He’s gonna have to do a lot of resting and healing so he may have to take a break from acting in movies for a while.

He is a beast, though. He’s gotten even more ripped and jacked than ever before. People will probably blame his physique on steroids but again, all bodybuilders get accused of using ‘roids. It’s just old and tiresome — I just ignore the steroid accusations. It is idiotic and unfair how bodybuilders get blamed for steroids — I can tell you that right now.

Kev

Cool Video: Michael Shannon reads the Insane Delta Gamma Sorority letter…

Hollywood actor, Michael Shannon, is seen here reading Rebecca Martinson’s crazy & insane letter to the Delta Gamma. I don’t know much about this Rebecca Martinson story, since I haven’t been following it, but I just had to post this video ’cause of Michael Shannon alone. Michael Shannon is such a great actor. This video he made proves it too. Almost every movie role Michael Shannon plays, he almost always plays a menacing asshole type of character that you want to hate. This guy has a temper that makes you want to get scared of him while he screams at you and he does a very good job of it. So if you ever got to meet Michael Shannon in person, better not mess with him. You wouldn’t like it when he’s angry! HA!

I love this video Michael did. I’ve been watching Michael’s movies for years. He is an extremely talented actor, and I can’t wait to see him as General Zod in “Man of Steel”. I haven’t been watching “Boardwalk Empire” but I’m planning on checking it out soon.

I’m sure Michael is a nice and down to earth guy in real life though. His short tempers are just part of his acting for characters in film. It does seem like he can be that kind of person in real life, though, that’s what makes him an awesome actor!

Check out the video here.

Kev

Positivity vs. negativity rant…

Why am I a good guy and a nice person? ’cause that’s who I want to be, it’s just as simple as that. I’m trying my best to become a better person online by becoming more positive and less-controversial. Try to treat “everybody” good as best as possible. I’m even trying not to be so negative in my thoughts about politics, entertainment news and all that stuff. Once in a while I’ll be negative on something if I have something to vent about — which is what I’m doing now, venting. Thing is, I don’t need drama and negativity in my life. Whether online or offline. I’ll try my best to eliminate it all.

When a heated argument happens online or if I’m having drama with people, I’ll do my best to make things positive so we can kiss and make up at the end. I try my best to turn heated arguments/feuds into a positive direction and try to play the peacemaker. If people just want to keep being negative no matter what; they’re done with me for good. I’ll act like that person is dead to me and don’t even exist. I’ve treated people like that before. It’s no secret to me.

Yes I know; I get a lot of haters and trolls who just want to piss me off for fun because they simply find it funny and amusing to them. I’m strict on moderating comments as a way to help keep them all out.

If I post a news story even if it’s something positive; people will still write hateful things. Whether I post about Sarah Palin, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Metallica, WWE, and other famous people that everyone hates; they’ll just write their negative thoughts about that stuff. They can be so hateful and vile. When I have a negative opinion on something, it’ll bother everybody and will get a backlash for it. That’s the internet I guess. All kinds of hypocrisy, drama, and soap opera bullshit everywhere. People are just weird.

I try my best to keep everything civilized — that’s how I want all of my internet discussions to be. Friendly, joyful, and happy. There are some kind people who’ll get into friendly discussions but not many. I’ve always believed that people like to be negative online is because that’s how they are in person. They’re the same way off the computer. If you see them not being nice online; chances are, that’s how they are in the real world. Assholes.

If you see me being “negative” and calling people out, then you’re just giving me a reason to. We got people online who are adults, probably, somewhere around their 30’s – 50’s. A lot of them act like children online. I’ll admit I used to be a bully and a troll in the past but I’m trying to change for the better and leave the past behind. I regret how I was before.

Sure enough, there are still gonna be people who are not gonna like me no matter how positive I am but I can’t please everybody. That’s not how this world works.

Kev

RIP: Richie Havens 1941 – 2013

I wasn’t even born yet when Woodstock ’69 happened. The world’s most famous 3 Day rock festival that happened here in Upstate, New York. The festival featured some famous acts such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Who, Grateful Dead, CCR, Joan Baez and the list goes on. Richie Havens was also booked for the lineup. He wasn’t just part of the lineup, he was the festival’s opener. He was the first performer to hit the stage there. It was his iconic performance at Woodstock ’69 which launched him into fame.

Even though, I wasn’t around when Woodstock happened — I did watch the Woodstock movie, however. The first performer was some dude on stage with an acoustic guitar and conga players, screaming, “Freedom, Freedom” through the microphone at the top of his lungs with his aggressive acoustic guitar playing. In my eyes, Richie was the best part of the Woodstock ’69 movie. It was him that made me want to watch his performance over and over again.

His aggressive and percussive like guitar playing is a huge inspiration for my own playing. You notice how I play my acoustic aggressively on stage? Well, most of that came from him. I love playing acoustic guitar aggressively and hard. Pounding on the strings and playing fast rhythm. I can play like that too.

Even though, “Freedom”, is a simple song — it’s still powerful. It sends a clear message about world freedom, and peace. You shouldn’t really look at him just for his “Freedom” song though — his other music is great too. Before Richie’s death, he continued to perform live and release studio albums. He never gave up what he did. He played music until the day he died, and that’s exactly what he did. This really sucks. I’m kind of devastated about his passing ’cause he has been a favorite of mine for years.

In honor of Richie Havens, I’m planning on learning his song, “Freedom”, and I’ll cover it myself for a tribute video. Richie Havens was 72 years old.

Kev

Why bands & artists are willing to give out free albums to bloggers/critics… just an observation…

It seems that most unsigned/indie talent are willing to give out free albums to bloggers & music critics over the web. Why? For a couple of reasons: 1) They’re willing to do whatever it takes to get noticed, they want their music heard and get the word out 2) They want to know how good their material is (they usually can’t tell how good it is) 3) Their way of entertaining their fanbase with positive feedback of their album. So you may ask, why would unsigned/indie bands give out free albums and not ask for payment? Well, there is a payment. Not exactly money you see. The payment is listening to the album and reviewing it. Like a “I help you, you help me” kind of thing. You know what I mean?

Most bands & artists are nice enough to send me free albums to get reviewed for these reasons.

If somehow bands & artists wouldn’t send me their music or if they prefer actual money — then they must have an ego problem and they have this self importance attitude.

I find it awesome that bands & artists are willing to mail me free albums, even their latest work or an upcoming album they haven’t released yet. I hope I get that a lot more. Bands/artists don’t just come to me, sometimes I’ll even reach out to them and they’ll be willing to send me their stuff.

This is awesome, though. I’m having a blast with this. Getting albums from bands around this area and from other states/countries. It’s letting me know that there are talented people out there. I love making bands & musicians happy and respecting them. If you respect them, they will respect you in return. There should be more albums coming in the mail next week, not sure if they’ll actually send them but who knows.

I would like to go to the movies for free and get free Blu Rays in the mail to review movies, but I’m not that far yet — I still have a lot of work to do to go that far to get recognized by the movie industry. I did get free stuff from the movie industry before though. I remember companies from the movie industry sent me a Family Guy DVD boxset and a “Memento” Blu Ray disc asking me to help promote those things on my site. Those were the only times I heard from the movie industry, but would like that to happen a lot more too.

I love reviewing material whether it will be for movies and music. It’s just fun to do.

Kev

Thinking about changing the requirements & rules around for local bands/artists reviews…

I think from this point on, I’m only going to review stuff by local bands/artists around this area and the world who have professional albums or professional videos made with great quality. I don’t mean to be an ass but I seem to review those better than the bootleg and amateur stuff  — aka, stuff with bad quality. No offense to you musicians out there who sent stuff or planning to send me stuff. Professional quality material only that’s on a CD or vinyl. Music videos must be professional quality as well.

Kev

One last thing about the Boston lockdown…

Even if it turned out that the two suspects had nothing to do with the bombing of the Boston Marathon, the 2nd suspect is still going to get harsh punishment anyway. 1) Resisting arrest 2) having explosives 3) firing at officers and killing one of them 4) hiding from the law and maybe other charges. Just because he was trying to escape and get away with it, doesn’t mean he was responsible for the bombings. The bombings could have been responsible by anyone. Yet, people who are young and who are from a different country always get the blame. Why would this kid resist and try to hide when he could have just turned himself in to prove his innocence? Well, he could possibly have an Islamic/Muslim background and those are the type of people who could be dangerous. Still doesn’t mean he could be responsible for the bombing, though.

Law enforcement would need hard evidence to prove that these two would be responsible. They’ll need to look at the evidence around that crime scene, DNA samples, and other things. I’m not saying he was framed, and not defending him but trying to prove the fact that criminals are “innocent until proven guilty” in the court of law — unfortunately, the media has made it the other way around. I remember when there was a time where a trial and jury decides who’s innocent or guilty. Not the people like us or the damn news media.

Kev

The Official Music Website of Kevin Brock – Brocking N' Rolling