Category: Music
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Once, I swore I wouldn’t form any more rock bands. Then a bolt of lightning from Maine called me asking for guitar lessons. It was the beginning of a band and a friendship. Unfortunately, the friendship eventually dissolved into a Nigel Tufnel – David St. Higgins type of, “We shant work together again” sort of…
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I went to The Loft at City Winery in NYC to see one of my students play with his band, Mojo And The Mayhem and I was thoroughly impressed by his playing and the lively, accomplished sound of the band. Paul Lederer takes slide guitar lessons from me but he was totally polished and inspired…
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I hit the Red Lion Blues Jam on Bleecker Street on maybe the second coldest night of the year about ten days ago on Monday, January 21st aka Martin Luther King Day. Due to the weather there weren’t as many jammers as usual but the place eventually filled up with an appreciative crowd. Mike…
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While visiting my girlfriend in Budapest, we took a side trip to Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Those who are familiar with my blog must know that I’m a diehard Mozart fanatic. Have you ever cooked a Sunday pasta dinner while listening to Don Giovanni? You must try it, I say! Must!…
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The first time the violinist Maxim Vengerov came to my attention, he was pictured in the print version of the New York Times. Eyes closed and leaning back with his violin like Jimmy Page, he had a soulful, intense look on his face and was clearly caught up in a rapturous moment. This of course…
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I was lucky to have the opportunity to catch a few concerts these past few months in NYC and beyond. I’m very picky, it’s true and the venue means a lot to me. Also, I don’t have a ton of dough and I’ve seen a shitload of really outstanding concerts (Frank Zappa, Led Zeppelin, and…
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It’s a crazy world. And Saints and Sinners are here to add some reality and emotion along with a good time to the situation. With their debut album, Saints and Sinners, the blues rock band from NYC brings you five originals, a few reworked classics and more choice covers from their live set, adding warmth,…
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Have you ever tried to pursue the mythical, deified “perfect Strat”? My first real guitar was a 1975 Fender Strat with a maple fingerboard, and it cost $220, made in America, no tremolo bar aka a “Hardtail.” I thought I knew something about Strats. How much can you know? Turns out I’m still learning. With…
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Scrapper Blackwell is one of the most stylish blues guitar players to come out of the classic period of the late 1920s and early ‘30s. Yet, few modern fans even know his name, despite its romantic swagger. He was a true lead guitarist and played on over a hundred sides with Leroy Carr, one of…
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A guitar student of mine asked the question, almost to himself, “How do I know which Clapton album to buy?” The reason behind this is of course my student has a cool turntable now, but nevertheless it was music to my ears. Because I LOVE Eric Clapton. When I started listening to EC, however the…
On Practicing Guitar 