Had a marvelous night playing to friends who were celebrating Diwali, eating Indian dishes with a Fijian flavor, with a blessing done by a christian, playing classic rock and roll to a captive audience of young and old, and enjoying a mix of Kiwi's from around the world.
In a time of religious intolerance, strained and ever widening family relationships and polarised musical attitudes - this was a welcome moment in our life to celebrate being one.
I love this country - may it continue to grow and prosper.
Thursday, 23 October 2014
Monday, 14 July 2014
The Winter Blues...
Well - it's July, which means wet and windy weather as winter kicks in. Not exactly snowing but, because I'm an Aucklander, I reserve the right to grumble - why wouldn't I moan.
We completed our last gig a few weeks back, playing for a private organisation. It started off quite a mute affair, but overall it went well - I have never been pestered by such polite company... small Asian man wanting a waltz-inflected song - how could we refuse? Not exactly a bogan in a Led Zep shirt spilling beer on our gear.
Next stop - Kaitaia at the end of August... just before Spring opens her doors to let us in.
I can't wait.
We completed our last gig a few weeks back, playing for a private organisation. It started off quite a mute affair, but overall it went well - I have never been pestered by such polite company... small Asian man wanting a waltz-inflected song - how could we refuse? Not exactly a bogan in a Led Zep shirt spilling beer on our gear.
Next stop - Kaitaia at the end of August... just before Spring opens her doors to let us in.
I can't wait.
Sunday, 1 June 2014
An Uneducated Educator Of Musical Laziness
I am not a polished musician - since I first picked up the guitar at the age of 15, I have always struggled beyond the basics.
I had timing and finger co-ordination - I understood chord structure and notes... but where my friends adopted a powerful love affair for Stevie Ray Vaughan (I remember you weren't really a guitarist until you could play "Mary Had A Little Lamb") - a guitarist whose instrument of choice was simply an extension of the man himself - I knew straight away that I was in trouble.
It wasn't because I wouldn't be able to get to grips with the mans mastery of music - but simply because, deep down in my heart, I was just lazy. At some point in my development I figured I had enough under my belt to cope, and never bothered to reach beyond that.
I guess that is why I gravitate to country music - not that I am calling country musicians lazy - but I love the fact that all I have to deal with for the better part is three chords, sometimes showing off my skills by throwing in a fourth - but only if I have to - and possessing nothing but a voice to carry a story from the heartland.
Now, some people might suggest that that kind of simplistic attitude is a bad thing, but wasn't punk (of the 70's) the same reaction that led to the charge against the flashiness of the then-current self-confessed musical champions whom had driven the simple joy of creating simple music out of mainstream rock and roll? It was an emotionally-charged whirlwind of raw, primal musical muscle that proved that you did not need to be a virtuoso to play rock and roll.
After all - good music could be just three chords and attitude.
Again, I do appreciate talented musicians - people whom have developed their love of music to show true expression of their inner soul - people like Stevie Ray Vaughan - but for me, it all seems like hard work.
Rock and Roll is best served with a dash of sweat and swagger, determination and a tune everyone can hum.
Perhaps that is why I am where I am - but, then again...
I had timing and finger co-ordination - I understood chord structure and notes... but where my friends adopted a powerful love affair for Stevie Ray Vaughan (I remember you weren't really a guitarist until you could play "Mary Had A Little Lamb") - a guitarist whose instrument of choice was simply an extension of the man himself - I knew straight away that I was in trouble.
It wasn't because I wouldn't be able to get to grips with the mans mastery of music - but simply because, deep down in my heart, I was just lazy. At some point in my development I figured I had enough under my belt to cope, and never bothered to reach beyond that.
I guess that is why I gravitate to country music - not that I am calling country musicians lazy - but I love the fact that all I have to deal with for the better part is three chords, sometimes showing off my skills by throwing in a fourth - but only if I have to - and possessing nothing but a voice to carry a story from the heartland.
Now, some people might suggest that that kind of simplistic attitude is a bad thing, but wasn't punk (of the 70's) the same reaction that led to the charge against the flashiness of the then-current self-confessed musical champions whom had driven the simple joy of creating simple music out of mainstream rock and roll? It was an emotionally-charged whirlwind of raw, primal musical muscle that proved that you did not need to be a virtuoso to play rock and roll.
After all - good music could be just three chords and attitude.
Again, I do appreciate talented musicians - people whom have developed their love of music to show true expression of their inner soul - people like Stevie Ray Vaughan - but for me, it all seems like hard work.
Rock and Roll is best served with a dash of sweat and swagger, determination and a tune everyone can hum.
Perhaps that is why I am where I am - but, then again...
Tuesday, 20 May 2014
The Winds Of Change
My musical tastes have developed and broadened over the years - age can either free you or blind you.
Take for example, the mid-to-late 90's - a time of musical disruption that has not been seen since.
I am referring to the advent of what was to become grunge and gansta rap... two evolutions (devolution?) that had to occur, in the same vein that punk charged through the rock dinosaurs of the 70's - the younger generation displacing their ageing parents.
When I travelled in the car with my father I use to cringe at his love of country music - he would play Jim Reeves, Charley Pride, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash - over and over - wearing out those cassettes in a big way. (Little did I know that those infectious melodies were creating a blue-print in my brain, but that would surface at a later date.)
When I was growing up my music differed and reflected my older siblings, as well as the music of the day - I can clearly recall the Star Wars (disco) theme, the Nolan Sisters and Paul McCartney and the Wings and 'Mull Of Kintyre.'
My musical punch for my (local) generation was Rap music - Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel, Afrika Bambaataa and company, followed by Break Dancing - yes, I use to do back spins and dolphin dives...
But like most things, it got watered down to become more accessible, and for our sins we got MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice - but things took a different turn as time advanced... Gangsta Rap. For me, living in Glen Innes/ Panmure/ Pt England and a whole world away from the American Ghettos, I responded in an unexpected manner. Where my original heroes of Rap gave me an insight to their way of life and strife through clever social commentary, the new breed embraced and advocated this lifestyle - something that never sat comfortably with me.
This was also closely followed by the sudden earthquake that was Nirvana - blowing aside the stale safe rock of the 80's and bringing a grittier nuance to our generation. But where Kurt Cobain, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and the others that followed were aware of the musical vacuum left by the Beatles, Hendrix and Dylan - those that carried the torch on to today missed what made their music so unique - the hook. Much of the music that has followed is just as digitally/ sonically bloated as the musicians they had displaced.
My son listens to a lot of modern music - the love affair and dreams that carried the musical revolution of the 80's and 90's bravely to the forefront of popular culture has again been watered down, with no acknowledgement of past achievements of how they got where they are now.
I am wondering what type of musical revolution (are there any left to explore?) is waiting in the wings to kick-start a new love of music for what it really is - pure expression that makes you and moves you - and not some wet dream of Simon Cowell...
Take for example, the mid-to-late 90's - a time of musical disruption that has not been seen since.
I am referring to the advent of what was to become grunge and gansta rap... two evolutions (devolution?) that had to occur, in the same vein that punk charged through the rock dinosaurs of the 70's - the younger generation displacing their ageing parents.
When I travelled in the car with my father I use to cringe at his love of country music - he would play Jim Reeves, Charley Pride, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash - over and over - wearing out those cassettes in a big way. (Little did I know that those infectious melodies were creating a blue-print in my brain, but that would surface at a later date.)
When I was growing up my music differed and reflected my older siblings, as well as the music of the day - I can clearly recall the Star Wars (disco) theme, the Nolan Sisters and Paul McCartney and the Wings and 'Mull Of Kintyre.'
My musical punch for my (local) generation was Rap music - Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel, Afrika Bambaataa and company, followed by Break Dancing - yes, I use to do back spins and dolphin dives...
But like most things, it got watered down to become more accessible, and for our sins we got MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice - but things took a different turn as time advanced... Gangsta Rap. For me, living in Glen Innes/ Panmure/ Pt England and a whole world away from the American Ghettos, I responded in an unexpected manner. Where my original heroes of Rap gave me an insight to their way of life and strife through clever social commentary, the new breed embraced and advocated this lifestyle - something that never sat comfortably with me.
This was also closely followed by the sudden earthquake that was Nirvana - blowing aside the stale safe rock of the 80's and bringing a grittier nuance to our generation. But where Kurt Cobain, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and the others that followed were aware of the musical vacuum left by the Beatles, Hendrix and Dylan - those that carried the torch on to today missed what made their music so unique - the hook. Much of the music that has followed is just as digitally/ sonically bloated as the musicians they had displaced.
My son listens to a lot of modern music - the love affair and dreams that carried the musical revolution of the 80's and 90's bravely to the forefront of popular culture has again been watered down, with no acknowledgement of past achievements of how they got where they are now.
I am wondering what type of musical revolution (are there any left to explore?) is waiting in the wings to kick-start a new love of music for what it really is - pure expression that makes you and moves you - and not some wet dream of Simon Cowell...
Saturday, 17 May 2014
Sibling (Musical) Rivalry
When I was growing up in Glen Innes I was living in a family home with three older siblings - an older sister and two brothers.
Each member brought their own musical preference - and each preference based on the musical changes of the 70's.
The oldest was my sister - and she loved disco and reggae, where my love of Bob Marley started - in fact, I was with her and her boyfriend when the news broke on the radio (no internet here, folks) of his untimely passing.
The next youngest brother loved Heavy Metal - classic British bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath.
The next brother was into New Wave and Punk - and though much of the material I re-discovered in my later years - his musical difference was noted in my youth, such as the Jam, XTC and the Buzzcocks.
Throw into the mix an even older brother (nine siblings in total) who played guitar and had a love of early sixties (inspiring us all to pick up a guitar), and my father and his country music, and you produce my skewed vision of tasteful music.
Of course, when I was growing up my musical tastes were early hip hop - an influence I rarely cite when writing music (probably just as well as I rap pretty poorly), but I still have a soft spot (and deep appreciation) for Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five.
The battles around the household in my fomative years was heated and unresolvable - but it was a love affair none-the-less - each with their own desired affiliation that carries through to today. In a strange way, you could say music brings us together to pull out the worst in us.
But rivalry is a dynamic that keeps my creativity charged - no difference between the Beach Boys, Everly Brothers, Oasis, Black Crowes etc.
Family and music does not always mix, and when it doesn't - it's magic...
Each member brought their own musical preference - and each preference based on the musical changes of the 70's.
The oldest was my sister - and she loved disco and reggae, where my love of Bob Marley started - in fact, I was with her and her boyfriend when the news broke on the radio (no internet here, folks) of his untimely passing.
The next youngest brother loved Heavy Metal - classic British bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath.
The next brother was into New Wave and Punk - and though much of the material I re-discovered in my later years - his musical difference was noted in my youth, such as the Jam, XTC and the Buzzcocks.
Throw into the mix an even older brother (nine siblings in total) who played guitar and had a love of early sixties (inspiring us all to pick up a guitar), and my father and his country music, and you produce my skewed vision of tasteful music.
Of course, when I was growing up my musical tastes were early hip hop - an influence I rarely cite when writing music (probably just as well as I rap pretty poorly), but I still have a soft spot (and deep appreciation) for Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five.
The battles around the household in my fomative years was heated and unresolvable - but it was a love affair none-the-less - each with their own desired affiliation that carries through to today. In a strange way, you could say music brings us together to pull out the worst in us.
But rivalry is a dynamic that keeps my creativity charged - no difference between the Beach Boys, Everly Brothers, Oasis, Black Crowes etc.
Family and music does not always mix, and when it doesn't - it's magic...
Friday, 16 May 2014
Like My Mama Always Says... (May 2014)
Like My Mama Always Says...
'Son... how can you claim such deep and profound insight - when you're as blind as a bat...'
'Son... how can you claim such deep and profound insight - when you're as blind as a bat...'
The Fine Art Of Aging Without Grace
I was out the other night, at a Fender Guitar Import Presentation at the Tuning Fork in Auckland, and having a wonderful time.
Before the show commenced, my wife and I were enjoying a cold beer and soaking up the atmosphere - when over the venue speakers came the magic sound of Bryan Adams singing "Run To You."
I watched with some mild amusement at an aged man - definitely in his mid-to-late 60's - lost in his own world and without concern for appearance, rocking back in forth in his seat and mouthing the words to the song in perfect unison.
I was about to turn to my wife and say - 'Look at the old fella... rocking out' - not in a demeaning way but in a 'possum in my headlights' kind of way - when a terrible realisation suddenly dawned on me.
When this song was released back in the 80's, he was my age now...
Isn't life damned depressing? Well, the beer was nice...
Before the show commenced, my wife and I were enjoying a cold beer and soaking up the atmosphere - when over the venue speakers came the magic sound of Bryan Adams singing "Run To You."
I watched with some mild amusement at an aged man - definitely in his mid-to-late 60's - lost in his own world and without concern for appearance, rocking back in forth in his seat and mouthing the words to the song in perfect unison.
I was about to turn to my wife and say - 'Look at the old fella... rocking out' - not in a demeaning way but in a 'possum in my headlights' kind of way - when a terrible realisation suddenly dawned on me.
When this song was released back in the 80's, he was my age now...
Isn't life damned depressing? Well, the beer was nice...
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