Rockstar The Game

A while back I was playing at a resturaunt. A new waitress who had just started working there, gave me a compliment on my playing, and asked me if I had ever played the Rock Star Video game.

I had seen people trying this game at the electronics stores. You have this controller that's shaped like a guitar but it's just a controller and not a real guitar

I realized that this girl was just trying to find some way to relate to me as a musician, but for me it was like knowing how to drive a car and having someone who doesn't know how, ask you "Hey, have your ever driven a big wheel"?

I didn't say any of this to her or course, because she was only trying to be friendly (She was also terribly cute). So I just said politely "No, but I already know how to play a real guitar".

She told me that (the game) is really fun and that I should try it some time. A waiter who obviously saw the absurdity to what she was saying, jumped in and said (referring to the controller)"It's 3 buttons"!

I laughed, and she suddenly became embarrassed (I think it suddenly hit her how silly this was) and she sheepishly retreated saying "I wanna learn how to play a real one".

Just recently South Park did an episode where Kyle and Stan are playing this exact game (to the music of Kansas's Carry on a wayward sun) at Stan's house. All their neighborhood friends are there too and they are all impressed by this. Stan's father comes home and sees this. He pulls out a real Gibson guitar and amp and asks the kids if they want to see something really cool?

He plays the same Kansas song but he is really playing it.

The kids tell him that his playing the guitar is gay.

The rest of the episode follows how a record label decides to sign Stan and Kyle after they score X number of points on the game.

It was hysterical, but it made me remember that conversation with the waitress a while back and I had to wonder if South Park was that far off in their satire.

And this got me back to my previous comments on music education in schools and I have to wonder if there are kids who can't tell or appreciate the difference between a video game controller that is shaped like a guitar and a real guitar?

Is Rockstar hurting or helping?

On the one hand, it is exposing kids to lot's of great Classic Rock.

On the other hand, it feeds into the whole American Idol, instant gratification myth.

In that same episode of South Park, there was a bit of dialog where Stan's mother comments: Imagane what they might accomplish if all the time spent playing that game was spent learning how to play real instruments?

Recently at an outdoor gig, my songwriting partner overhead a young kid say to his friend (as they where watching me play a real guitar), "I can play better than him on Rockstar the game".

What Has Killed Music

There has always been a lot of talk about what has killed music, and I have done a lot of thinking on this lately. There is a lot of talk about radio, MTV, the record labels and they have all played their part in this....but and I think a deeper answer to this in our (US) culture is the cutting of music programs in our public schools.

I am not a parent, but my understanding is, is that there is little to no music education in our public schools anymore, and that there are no serious classes in even music appreciation. Even when I went to high school all there was, was the school marching band and the school choir. I was not in marching band I was in the choir and I remember we learned all our pieces by rote.

The end result is that kids have little to no appreciation for music or musicianship. They grow up with no appreciation for what it takes to become a professional or great musician. 

The parallel that I draw to this is that sports are never cut. Sport flourish in our public schools, so kids grow up with a real appreciation for what it takes to be a professional athlete. They understand it because they have spent a lot of time trying to play these sports themselves whereas (unless the parents have enrolled them in private music lessons) they have spent no time trying to play a musical instrument.

So we have a generation of kids who grow up this way. For me this is evidenced by the fact that I see and hear from people who think that music is created as if by some magical means or that all music is created in a studio with samples.

Another thing that evidences this for me is some of the talkbacks I have read on youtube musical performance videos. A good example was a video I saw of Jewell performing one of her songs solo acoustic. There where endless comments about how pretty she is and how great she sings, but nowhere was there a comment on her guitar playing, or her songwriting. They understand singing (and pretty) but they show no appreciation for songwriting or musicianship

I get a lot of young people who ask me if playing guitar is hard. I am startled that they would even ask, but then I shouldn’t be. They have no music education.

I would be curious to hear from parents on this about what kind of music classes are offered (or not offered) in their kid’s public schools.

"Look Ma, I'm on the The Single of The Day"

My song (and video) "Jesus Loves You - Everyone Else Thinks you're an a**hole", was featured on Jody Whitesides "Single of the day" Blog page. 

Here is a brief excerpt: 

"Leave it to a rockin’ blues player to come up with a fun little ditty to express what so many people can think but won’t stand up and wipe out. I think it would be wise to do multiple versions of the song. TJR could pick out specific politicians or other people or groups to pinpoint the whole thing about being an asshole". 

Read the entire post here: http://www.singleoftheday.com/2008/07/28/r-u-loved/

If you want to discover new music. The Single of the day is a must bookmark. Each day features a new song (along with Mr Whiteside's commentary on the song) with links to show your support by purchasing the song on line.  

Thanks Jody!

Music Worth Buying for the Week of 07/28/08

Los Lonely Boys / Forgiven


Album: Forgiven
Artist: Los Lonely Boys
You will be interested in buying this album if you are a fan of: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Santanna, Blues, Rock, Tejano, and Country
Worth Buying: YES, The entire album

If you’ve never heard these three brothers before, the best way I can describe them is to say Stevie Ray Vaughan meets Santanna with great vocal harmonies. Los Lonely Boys don’t really venture into any new territory with their 3rd release, (more songs about love lost, and love gained), but as long as they can keep creating songs as good as this, it doesn’t matter. I think what I most admire about this trio is how effortless they make it all sound. Amazing musicianship, great vocal harmonies, and great songwriting. Be sure you get the 14 track version and not the 12 track version (Guero in the Barrio is one of the best songs they have ever done and it’s only on the 14 track version).

Listen to samples and buy in mp3 format here

click here to buy in CD format

LP

What if I am not ready to buy the entire CD? Try Guero in the Barrio

Na na Na na Na na Na!

There's a new Batman movie in theaters, so here I am playing the Batman theme

Music Worth Buying for the Week of 07/21/08

Drive By Truckers Brighter Than Creations Dark

 Album: Brighter Than Creations Dark

Artist: Drive By Truckers

You will be interested in this music if you are a fan of: Neil Young, Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Southern Rock in general, & Old School Country Worth Buying?: YES The Entire Album.

Tell me more: The best way I can describe this band is to call them the “Thinking man’s Lynard Skynard”. This band has already received huge critical acclaim for their massive 2 CD concept album Southern Rock Opera.But I think newcomers would be better served by checking out this album first. I feel that this is their best to date and their most accessible. The songs jump between rough rockers, authentic old school country, humorous musing, and dark haunting introspection (and sometimes within the same song). Clocking in at a whopping 19 tracks on 1 CD, the album credits splits it’s songs into 4 album sides (Like the glory days of Vinyl). The CD comes beautifully packaged as a digipak with excellent artwork and a large lyric booklet too which is a good thing because you will want to sit with the lyrics and read them as you listen. 

Click here to listen and buy in mp3 format

click here to buy in CD format

What if I am not ready to buy the whole CD?: Try just downloading Bob A humorous character study performed in an old school country music style or That Man I Shot A dark rocker, about an American soldier in Iraq who ponders about the enemy he had to shoot in self defense

A WORLD WITHOUT THE BEATLES PART II

A woman (who is on my email list) wrote me and said that she enjoyed my "World without the Beatles" post. She mentioned that it seemed to beg for a screenplay or novel.

And then I remembered that back in early 90's I had this idea for a science fiction story about a time traveler in the present day who accidentally messes up recent history and then can't reverse what he's done.

His interference with time doesn't create any earth shattering catastrophes, like say the Nazi's win WWII, etc.

But one thing that does happen is the Beatles break up before they ever get big.

In the story, I envisioned this scene where he goes and visits Paul Mccartney in the present day (This is after he has changed time). Paul works on a farm, is married to a different woman and has a bunch of kids. The main character knocks on Paul's door and tells him that he used to see him play back when he was a kid.

Paul is surprised that anyone remembers his days of playing music since he gave that up long ago.

Our main character notices the little spinnet piano in Paul's living room and mentions it.

Paul smiles and says that he does still mess around a bit on the piano when he gets the chance.

He then sits down and plays a few opening bars of "Hey Jude" (with no vocal). "It's a little melody I sometimes play around with" he says. Then Paul just dismisses it as being of no real consequence.

The time travel leaves very sad at the loss that he has created, and that only he will remember the music of the Beatles.