Category: Music (Page 2 of 2)

Wishbone Ash: The Best Band You’ve Never Heard Of

June 6, 2014 / Kyle A. Massa

Image courtesy sam-musiclovers.blogspot.com.

Don’t ask me why, but I’ve recently developed the strange habit of logging into YouTube and searching for obscure rock bands from the 60’s and 70’s–the weirder the name, the better. Some of the best I’ve discovered so far include “Gandalf,” “Lucifer’s Friend,” and “Bulbous Creation” (what the hell a bulbous creation is, I have no idea). Okay, I admit, some of these sound really weird. But, as they say, don’t judge a book by its cover. In fact, it seems to me that even the bands that never made it in the 60’s are still better than most of the acts around today. But that’s just my opinion…

One of the better groups I found with this method is a four-piece by the name of “Wishbone Ash.” Two random nouns smushed together to make a band name? Sounds good to me.

A British rock band founded in 1970, Wishbone Ash originated as a power trio named “Tanglewood.” Their lineup featured Martin Turner on bass, Steve Upton on drums, and Martin’s brother Glenn Turner on guitar. After Glenn quit, manager Miles Copeland III put out an ad for a replacement guitarist. Instead of one, they found two: Andy Powell and Ted Turner. After extensive auditioning, the band decided to keep both. As members of Wishbone Ash, Powell and Turner became a seminal twin-lead guitar pair, pioneering the style made famous by such bands as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Thin Lizzy.

I chose 1972’s Argus to be my introduction to the band, partly because it’s their most commercially successful album and partly because it’s the only complete album of theirs on YouTube.

Forty-five minutes later, I was blown away. These guys absolutely rock.

Right from the opening track, I got a sense of a professional, tight group. The nine minute rock odyssey “Time Was” starts things off with some soft acoustic picking. Then we get some surprisingly tender vocal harmonies from Martin and Ted Turner (no relation there, by the way). Just when you wonder where the electric guitars are, both blast in and take things to a new level. It’s a solid track, and it showcases the band’s versatility.

Next comes the sombre “Sometime World,” followed by the cheery “Blowin’ Free.” This was a concert favorite of the band, and for good reason–the bouncy riff is instantly recognizable, and it gets stuck in your head.

I consider the next track to be a high point of the album: the seven-minute epic “The King Will Come.” Andy Powell’s guitar tone during the intro sounds almost like pipes, and Upton’s marching snare matches the feel nicely. After about a minute, the song explodes into a killer riff by Ted Turner. Equally impressive solos from both guitarists fill the song out. After listening to most of their catalogue, I remain convinced that “The King Will Come” is Ash’s best.

Afterward comes the reserved “Leaf and Stream;” a nice song, but probably the weakest track on the album when compared to the others. “Warrior” features even more impressive guitar work (notice a pattern here?), but the song that solidifies Powell and Turner as true guitar legends is the closing track, entitled “Throw Down the Sword.”

Priest and Maiden might have made the twin-lead style famous, but I argue that Wishbone Ash did it better than anyone. The solo at the end of this song proves it. For the final two minutes, we’re taken on a musical journey by two outstanding guitarists. It’s amazing how the solos entwine, then diverge, then rejoin one another, almost like threads of silk woven into one. The combination of emotive phrasing and impressive fretwork is what makes this dual-solo really shine. But if you truly want to get a sense of just how good it is, you’ll have to listen to it yourself.

Argus vaulted Wishbone Ash into my upper echelon of all-time favorite artists with just one listen. The band produced some other strong efforts throughout its career (check out Pilgrimage, There’s the Rub, and New England), but, in my opinion, none of them quite matched the brilliance of this album.

So do yourself a favor. Buy Argus and take a listen. You won’t regret it.

Mapex Voyager Drum Set

April 26, 2012 / Kyle A. Massa

I bought a Mapex Voyager drum set, and I must say, I love it. Maybe it’s just my inner-thug talking here, but there’s something really fun about whaling away on something with wooden sticks. And what’s better, I can call it music.

The drums came at $500, a pretty good price for a beginner set, and especially one of high quality. Disclaimer: I bought from a local store, and I’m pretty sure that the owner was nice enough to give me the set at a discounted price. At any rate, I think they go for $600 normally. Still not too bad.

The drums are very nice. Solidly built, strong, and I’m sure they’ll last a long time. The hardware is great too. My one complaint is probably the cymbals. Mine are already beginning to warp, and I’ve only had the set for about a month. Of course, they aren’t exactly name brand, so I probably should’ve expected that. Anyway, I can buy new ones.

Setup was easy, and took less than an hour. They came with an instructional DVD that was quite helpful, and I had them up in no time. My only complaint was that you need to tune the drums, and I found the DVD rather unhelpful with that. I think I’m going to need a drummer to come in and help me get it right…

After setup, I went to work. Like any skill, it’s actually a lot harder than it looks. Guys in bands play like it’s second nature, but it takes a lot of practice. I played three or four hours a day for about a week straight, and it took me that long just to master a basic beat. I wonder how long it’ll take me to play my first drum solo…

Music these days…

April 26, 2012 / Kyle A. Massa

I was watching the channel “Palladia” the other day, and it is quickly becoming my favorite station. They show old and new concerts pretty much all day, each one in high definition. It’s like stepping back in time to watch some of the greats. I’m talking Led Zeppelin, The Who, Pink Floyd, all of those rock and roll legends. Afterward, they showed footage from some modern concerts, and I must say, something struck me. When did computers start playing music?

Now I know I had a very similar post go up just a few days ago, but I feel like it’s something worth talking about. I’m sure I must not be the first person to notice this. How could we not? Most popular modern artists today have their music generated electronically rather than with instruments. There are even some who don’t really sing, but only appear to sing through the use of auto-tuning.

Does this mean that modern artists are less talented? Of course not. Many artists are excellent singers, songwriters and dancers. But think about this: how many modern mainstream artists can you name who can rip off a good guitar solo? Granted, there are still old bands out there with guys who could always do that, like Metallica and The Rolling Stones. But I’m not talking about them. I’m talking 21st century century bands. Do any modern guitarists from those bands measure up to their 20th century counterparts? The truth is, they do not.

So what’s become of popular artists playing real instruments? It may be that music itself has changed. Rock was certainly always a spectacle. Shows were just as much about the onstage antics as they were about the music. But today, it’s a different sort of show. Today it seems like the music takes a backseat to the performance. We have choreographed dancing to go with the singing, and crazy costumes to boot. Of course, we had that before, but never to the same degree.

I realize I must sound like a crotchety old man right now, but gosh darrnit, kids these days just don’t know good music when they hear it!

The Old Folks Effect

April 24, 2012 / Kyle A. Massa

I want to get a copyright on this phrase. It’s something I’ve noticed ever since the Superbowl halftime show four years ago. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were the band that year, and though I personally enjoyed them, it seemed to everyone else at the party that they weren’t especially good. Okay, I get it. They aren’t exactly Heartbreakers anymore. But the music should speak for itself.

In fact, there seemed to be a similar reaction to The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springstein, The Who, and most recently, Madonna. I call this the “Old Folks Effect.”

It seems to me that people get turned off by old people playing music. I suppose it’s a young person’s game and all, but honestly, nowadays, old people are much better at it than young people. Remember the Black Eyed Peas? No instruments, and Fergie was the only person actually singing without the aid of autotune. When did we start using computers instead of instruments?

Look, I’m not trying to knock modern music. Obviously, most modern musicians are very talented. But I think that there is something to be said for old music. Personally, I find it to be far more appealing, but that’s not the point. The point is that modern music wouldn’t exist without the old folks.

So next time you see an old person rocking out to “Born To Be Wild,” try to repress the Old Folks Effect. Someday, that’ll be you. Only, you’ll probably be listening to something like “Moves Like Jagger.”