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Alexi Murdoch Haunts Allen Room; Drive-By Truckers Hit the Road

March 14th, 2011
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Alexi Murdoch. After almost five years since the release of his debut album, “Time Without Consequences,” he has finally set the date for his follow up. “Towards the Sun,” comes out on March 8 on his own zero Summer Records. the album was recorded mostly in Vancouver in a single night while on tour in 2009. Photographer: Jessica Shokrian/Sacks & co. via Bloomberg

Drive-By Truckers from left, Shonna Tucker, Mike Cooley, Patterson Hood, Jay Gonzalez, John Neff, and Brad Morgan. For nearly 15 years, the Drive by Truckers have been making some of the South’s finest rock n’ roll. on the band’s latest album, “Go-Go Boots,” they continue their affinity for guitar rock but adopt a country and soul sound on this go around. They will be on the road in the US for much of March and April before heading to Europe in may. Photographer: Danny Clinch/Drive-by Truckers via Bloomberg

Alexi Murdoch’s deep, smoky vocalshad a grand backdrop in the view from the Time Warner Center’sAllen Room: Manhattan’s nightscape lights and Central Park onthe near horizon.

The Scotsman’s Feb. 17 show, part of Lincoln Center’sAmerican Songbook season, marked one of his rare performances inthe last two years, indeed since the release of his 2006 debutalbum, “Time Without Consequences.”

Jitters would have been understandable, and Murdochconfessed as much, saying he felt like “an insect with a pinstuck in it.” His playing, smooth and flawless, said otherwise.

As he began with “Through the dark,” humming as his fingersplucked an acoustic guitar, we were hypnotized. he followed withthe rackety “Dream About Flying.” the pristine sound of the roomlent itself to the strings that joined him for “Song for you.”

A horn section came in for the title track from his newalbum, “Towards the Sun,” which is scheduled for March 8 release.it was a simple acoustic tune that had subtle wind and stringpresence. on “At your Door,” the pace picked up, the horns tookover.

Murdoch then took up a shruti box, a droning windinstrument, for another new song, “The Light (Her Hands WereLeaves).” the combination of the odd instrument and Murdoch’smellow voice created a raw, powerful moment.

Another glimpse of Murdoch is possible on March 24 at theMusic Hall of Williamsburg.

Marking the Feb. 15 release of their 11th album, “Go-GoBoots,” the Drive-By Truckers showed the sold-out BoweryBallroom that night how Southern rock is done.

The six-piece band from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, took to theinstrument-cluttered stage to lead with “I Do believe,” the newrecord’s opening number. Jay Gonzalez’s keys then led into “Go-Go Boots” and lead singer Patterson Hood’s craft of storytellingtook over. Slide guitar over a steady beat carried the darktune.

For the new record, the band has taken on a differentstyle, adding soulful country to their brash guitar-fused rock.the move explores the players’ influences and translates intoone of the band’s most promising releases.

While new material made plenty of appearances over the 30-song show, the back catalog was amply explored. Guitarist MikeCooley led one of the many sing-it-out-loud moments with “WomenWithout Whiskey” — the band was swigging tequila this night –and Hood brought on the foot stompers of “Lookout Mountain” and“Sink Hole.”

The group, through various personnel changes, has beenbrewing this musical mash of consistent albums and powerful liveshows since the mid-1990s, and it remains not just one of theSouth’s, but one of the country’s finest rock ‘n’ roll outfits.

As March wraps up, so does the new York City dance-rock band LCDSoundsystem. Lead singer James Murphy has notified fans thattheir final show ever will be at Madison Square Garden on April2. After that quickly sold out, the band responded with fourshows at Terminal 5 from March 28-31. those too are now soldout, but there’s usually something to be found.

Bear in mind, though, that no physical tickets were soldfor the Terminal 5 shows. All tickets will be held at “willcall.”

Here’s a selection of new York-area shows in March. Pleasenote that opening bands aren’t always listed. Shows marked (SO)are sold out, although online services such as Craigslist oftenhave tickets:

March 1Young Magic/Wise Blood/Emil & Friends/Machu Picchu at GlasslandsMarch 2Summer Camp at Mercury LoungeMarch 3Smith Westerns at Mercury Lounge (SO)Tennis/La Sera/Holiday Shores at Bell HouseMarch 4Dum Dum Girls/Frankie Rose & the Outs/Minks/Dirty Beaches atBowery BallroomMarch 5Akron/Family at Bowery BallroomWild Flag (Early & Late Show) at Rock Shop (SO)March 6Middle Brother/Dawes/Deer Tick at Bowery BallroomMarch 7Say Hi/Yellow Ostrich/Blair at Bowery BallroomMarch 8Anna Calvi (Early Show) at Joe’s PubTy Segall at Mercury LoungeMarch 9Bright Eyes/Superchunk/Wild Flag at Radio City Music Hall (SO)March 10The Jim Jones Revue at Knitting Factory (Brookyln)March 11Fang Island at Bowery BallroomMarch 12Lucinda Williams at Webster HallThe Rural Alberta Advantage/Pepper Rabbit at Knitting Factory(Brooklyn)March 13Arbouretum/Endless Boogie/The Megaphonic Thrift at MercuryLoungeMarch 14James Blake at Music Hall of Williamsburg (SO)Godspeed you! Black Emperor at Terminal 5 (SO)March 15WhoMadeWho at Mercury LoungeMarch 16The Pogues/So So Glos at Terminal 5March 17JJ Grey at City WineryMarch 18Young Galaxy/Winter Gloves at Mercury LoungeMarch 19Simian Mobile Disco Live at Terminal 5March 20Royksopp/Jon at Music Hall of WilliamsburgMarch 21British Sea Power/A Classic Education at Maxwell’sMarch 22Jamie Woon at GlasslandsMarch 23Surprise me Mr. Davis at Bell HouseRichard Ashcroft at Bowery Ballroom (SO)March 24Bag Raiders at Santos Party HouseMarch 25J Mascis/Kurt Vile at Music Hall of WilliamsburgMarch 26Papercuts/Still Corners at Mercury LoungeMarch 27The Felice Brothers at Maxwell’s (SO)March 28Lil’ Wayne at Nassau ColiseumMarch 29The Dears at Music Hall of WilliamsburgMarch 30The Mountain Goats/Megafaun at Bowery BallroomMarch 31Diamond Rings/PS I love you at GlasslandsWarpaint/PVT/Family Band at Bowery Ballroom (SO)

(Jaime Widder works in sales for Bloomberg News. Anyopinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer on this story:Jaime Widder in New York at ;

To contact the editor responsible for this story:Manuela Hoelterhoff in new York at .

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Love, Listen, Loathe 04.14.10: Fear Factory, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails

May 7th, 2010
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Love, Listen, Loathe 04.14.10: Fear Factory, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails Posted by Chris Crowing on 04.14.2010

Its a battle of the titans of Industrial rock, as Burton C Bell, Al Jourgensen and Trent Reznor lead their ensemble cast of band-mates into battle in this weeks 3Ls.

The Column ConceptFor those of you unfamiliar with the concept of the column, here it is. Each week I’ll pick three bands/artists with some sort of connection (however tenuous) either from suggestions in the comments or whichever idea occurs to me at the time of writing. I’ll discuss my experiences with and opinions on the artists concerned and at the end decide which goes into each category, Love, Listen of Loathe.

The split is based on the old game of Snog, Marry or Avoid / Fuck, Marry or Kill (depending on your cultural heritage and level of decency) and the catch is this, each week has to have one act placed in each category. So even if it’s three bands I LOVE, then one has to be Listened to and one HAS to be Loathed. Likewise even if it’s three artists I have little time for, one has to be Loved etc. You get the idea, and quite often the choice comes down to emotional attachment rather than any concept of relative quality. Hence, the full list (at the bottom of the column) of acts which have been Loved, or Loathed is not necessarily a reflection of my whole musical taste, merely on the balance of emotional attachment or critical appeal I hold for the acts in any given week.

First up, I seemed to annoy some folks with my thoughts on Elvis Presley

 

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Country Music Guitar Chords Aren't Difficult

April 25th, 2010
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There are many great styles of music available and everyone will have their favorite genre or artist. One of the most popular styles of music is country music and this means that many new guitarists would like to learn how to play in the style of all the great country records. It is possible to play guitar in a number of different ways and of course, a person can learn acoustic or electric guitar.

Knowing how to play acoustic guitar allows people to get a head start when it comes to making country music as so many great country artists of the past have played an acoustic six string. If this sounds good to you, makes sure you get beginner guitar lessons that are suited to the style of music you wish to play. This will help you feel more comfortable with the music and ensure that you are happier playing along to it. If you hated blues music, you wouldn’t enjoy learning how to play blues style music on your guitar so it is best to stick to the sounds you like when you are starting out.

Study what you like

It may sound a simple philosophy but new musicians will learn a lot faster if they play the type of music that they really enjoy. This means that if you are a fan of country music, your first few lessons should revolve around country music guitar chords in order to help you learn about your instrument. Being able to play the music that you listen to at home or with your friends will give you the best chance of becoming a good guitarist. It will also let your replicate and mimic the songs you hear a lot and this will boost your confidence and can help you have fun. Learning how to play acoustic guitar can let you and your friends play along with the songs you love.

All of this means that after just a few beginner guitar lessons you should be able to put some words and music together and hopefully construct a song or two. It may not initially sound as polished or as pretty as the songs that are played on the radio or on CDs of your favorite artists but everyone had to start somewhere. Getting the basics right and moving on from there will allow you to develop at your own pace, hopefully whilst having fun with your new instrument. Music doesn’t have to be difficult and a great number of people get a lot of enjoyment from the simple styles and basic chords that are associated with music such as country or folk.

Learn country music guitar chords

A common question from people who are new to an instrument is how hard it to learn is and will they be able to play along to the songs they really love. Music is really inspiring and people want to be able to replicate their favorite tracks or be able to write songs that inspire others. It doesn’t take a lot to learn how to play acoustic guitar and once a person has mastered the basics of the instrument they can hopefully take their new skills to a lot of places bringing them a lot of fun along the way. A few beginner guitar lessons is the first stop on what could be a journey that takes you to many place or it may just help you have some fun.

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How to Play Guitar Books

April 8th, 2010
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There are so many tools for learning how to play guitar that you can get on the internet, it makes you wonder whether how to play guitar books have a place in the world of technology. When you used to have to learn to play guitar from a teacher you always had to have a book that you learnt out of. It was a way of making sure you and your teacher understood where you were in your guitar playing. And if you did not have a teacher you possibly learnt to play guitar by copying what you heard on the radio or on records. Even then you probably had to go out and buy a guitar tutor or at least a chord book.

The advantage of books is that the printed page is a record of information that you might learn today but need to refresh your memory at some time in the future. Video guitar lessons are a fantastic way to learn to play the guitar but the written word has its own way of expressing thoughts or helping you with your approach to music, and you do not have to go through the laborious process of quick forwarding through countless videos to remind yourself of something the teacher said. Also a book can be read when the power is down and you have to practice on an acoustic guitar by candlelight!

So let us look at a few really brilliant how to books for guitar. An example of concise, simple to know, useful guitar info is “The Guitar Book” by Chris Lopez. This book not only contains all the solid information you need to start your life as a guitar player, you will find it is an inspiration to share in the author’s obvious passion for the guitar. This book has everything for the beginner guitar player: basic chords, changing from major chords to minor, chord progressions, playing blues guitar through to slightly more advanced but extremely useful stuff like transposing a chord progression if the original key is not right for your voice. If you are sticking with playing chords to accompany your singing or if you want to get into solo guitar, this book should be by your bedside.

“The Everything Guitar Book” by Ernie Jackson promises to have you playing like a pro in no time. It certainly contains all the basic information like some history of the guitar and the names of all the parts of the instrument, and all the basic chords. This is the kind of stuff you would expect to find in a how to play guitar book. You also have a reference guide for the information you will need to keep in your head as you learn how to play guitar. The circle of fifths is covered,as are scales and arpeggios. You are introduced to playing songs by getting to know what you can play on the treble strings first, then you are introduced to bass patterns.

“The Everything Guitar Book” also introduces you to guitar players you should know about in whatever musical genre you are interested in whether it is classical, jazz, blues, flamenco or whatever is in between. The book then gives you an intro to playing electric guitar, buying an instrument and finding a teacher. Like any book that covers everything, there are some spots that you will need to explore elsewhere but this is a excellent first book for a beginner guitarist.

Frederick Noad is a classical guitar player and teacher who wrote a well-known classical guitar tutor called “Solo Guitar Playing”. He also wrote a book aimed at the wider world of guitar players called “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Playing the Guitar”. This book carries a heavy classical guitar orientation but it also gives a excellent start for playing blues and flamenco. So it is a book for acoustic guitar players, but it is by a guy who know how to get the best from his instrument without causing severe injury to his hands and back and without using amplification. If you are a rock guitarist, do not skip past this book. There is a bunch of stuff in here that will help you become a fantastic guitarist, and you probably will not find this kind of material anywhere else. Get it.

Do you want to learn to play the guitar? Learn How To Play A Guitar For Free is a constantly updated blog which contains all the resources you need for: learning to play solo guitar, how to learn guitar chords, how to learn to read and play simple acoustic guitar tabs, finding a free online guitar tuner, looking for free guitar lessons online, and how to learn guitar scales.

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