There has been no updates or blog posts for a while. Sorry to those who have continued to drop by. Just to let everyone know that there will not be any posts for the next ten days or so.

In the hope of becoming a better person for myself and those that have to live and deal with me, I will be going for a vipassana meditation retreat run in the S.N. Goenka tradition from today till 26th Aug 07. No contact with the outside world is allowed and silence (among other things) is to be observed for the ten days of the retreat. I will have to live and deal with myself and God knows what hidden complexes in me. Unleashing myself on myself, so as to speak. I hope I can complete the course despite the strict code of discipline and daily routine.

Last moments before I leave for the retreat: Theolonius Monk’s Ruby My Dear and one cup of coffee.

More details here.

Related articles and other people’s experience here, here, here, here and here.

Helmed by King Diamond, Mercyful Fate is also one of my favourite metal bands.
The Bell Witch

Egypt

Two great guitarists having fun, oblivious to the cameras rolling.

Cannon Ball Rag

Junior Brown is more than a demon country guitarist. He also invented the Guit-Steel, an electric cum acoustic steel guitar.

This is the story behind the unique instrument that he calls the Guit-Steel:

“I was playing both the steel and guitar, switching back and forth a lot while I sang, and it was kind of awkward. But then I had this dream where they just kind of melted together. When I woke up, I thought ‘You know, that thing would work!’ They made double-neck guitars and double-neck steels,so why not one of each?”

A guitar maker Michael Stevens made his dream a reality, and around 1985 the guit-steel was born.

Check out Junior Brown’s myspace page here. More about Junior Brown here. And a Washington Post article here.

Sugarfoot Rag (Hank Garland cover)

Surf Music

Junior Brown & The Beach Boys 409

In video above, the Beach Boys do the backup vocals while Brown does the lead vocals.

Zack Wiesinger will be joining Steve Vai’s new band for the tour in support of his soon to be released (26 Jun 07) album Sound Theories Vol I & II.

On Steve Vai’s site, the album is described as:

“a double-live CD capturing legendary guitarist Steve Vai’s electrifying collaboration with the Netherlands Metropole Orchestra. The two-disc set spotlights rare material culled from five European performances, a studio session and a soundcheck rehearsal recording, all of which took place between mid-2004 and 2005.

Volume I features Vai playing guitar with the Orchestra, which has earned worldwide acclaim backing artists ranging from Mike Keneally, Terry Bozzio, Tony Bennett and Natalie Cole to Nancy Wilson and the Yellowjackets. Together they bring new life to both existing and never-before-heard Steve Vai songs, including “For the Love of God,” “Liberty,” “The Murder” and “Attitude Song,” among others.

Volume II features the Orchestra performing compositions penned by Vai, including “Shadows and Sparks” and “Bledsoe Bluvd.” “

See Steve Vai’s comments here, where he talks about the new band and here, where he dispels rumours of his bad relationship with Billy Sheenan.

Regarding the new band, this is what Steve Vai has to say of Zack Wiesinger:

“Zack Weisinger is a 20-year-old prodigy. I met him at a Grammy camp 4 years ago when he was 16 and he started to send me some of his music and art. Whatever “it” is, he has it. He just does his thing without any concern as to why he shouldn’t or can’t. He is oblivious to compromise and that’s a sign of greatness. Most importantly he does what he does because he enjoys it and it gives him a kick.

At the time that I am writing this Zack is going to the national finals of the Guitar Center competition, and rightfully so. For a good part of what he does his inner ear is steeped in the blues but he is capable of adding his own quirky sense of brilliance without any excuses.

We were planning on making this tour an “Evening with” which denotes that there would be no opening act but I wanted to bring Zack on tour to open the show by standing in front of you with nothing but a guitar for 20 minutes or so and just entertain you with his unique blend of…. Hmmm, what is he a unique blend of??? He’s just Zack. You’ll have to see him and decide for yourself.

He may also be joining us on stage to add yet more threatening frequencies to the mix. I have not figured it out yet. ”

For those who are curious, check out the videos of Zack Wiesinger playing below.

Red House (Jimi Hendrix cover)

Deep Water (Jimmy Bryant cover)

Samba Pa Ti

I was just going through some cds that I wanted to sell when I decided to listen to Twisted Sister one more time. According to the sleeve, the unofficial motto of the Twisted Sisters is “look like women, talk like men, play like motherfuckers.”

The sleeve went on to say:

“Twisted made it onto Blackwell’s list of the world’s 10 worst dressed women; the US Sentate used Twisted Sister as an example of how heavy metal was ruining the youth of America. Overnight, Twisted Sister became the generic term for sick heavy metal.

A year following the group’s disbanding, Time Magazine in a cover story on the first non-stop transglobal airplace flight, described the sound of the engines in the cockpit as the equivalent of being in the front row at a Twisted Sister concert. In 1988, attempting to oust Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega from the Vatican Embassy where he had taken cover, the U.S. Government proudly announced that they blasted Twisted Sister music at him. How ironic that three years after the Senate attacks on the band, Twisted Sister became a U.S. Government offensive weapon!”

Twisted Sister’s music is adolescent, feel-good, mindless and very funny. Turns out to my surprise that Twisted Sister is still around despite what I read from the sleeve. Amuse yourself, have a laugh, check out their youtube videos below.

O Come All Ye Faithful

The first is a music video. The second is a video of a live performance.

We’re Not Gonna Take It (Full)

I wanna Rock

Young Guitar Magazine Slides Blues Demonstrations

I received an email from Nobumasa Takada, who lives in Japan. He wrote to say that he plays the guitar, mandolin, tenor banjo, ukulele and likes music from the 20’s and 30’s. I don’t know how he learnt of me or this website but I was very pleased to receive his email.

I don’t normally check out (much less post on my blog) unsolicited videos but I’m glad I did. I knew I was listening to something special during the first few seconds of the following videos.

SWEET HOLLYWAIIANS / Milenberg Joys

Tom Marion and His Sweet Hollywaiians “Idolizing”

Sweet Hollywaiians play Jazz,Hawaiian,Blues,Calypso and Italian music. They went to Los Angels last year and played with Janet Klein and Tom Marion(Cheap Suite Serenaders). They have also recorded with Tom. Sweet Hollywaiians are currently making another video and will release their first CD in July. This will be followed by a trip to Los Angels and San Francisco in October.

Check out their websites here (in Japanese). See also this website that posted about the Sweet Hollywaiians.

I’m back.

I’ve been corresponding with Amy Garland, Hank Garland’s sister-in-law. I learnt from her that Steve Vai, other than being the Executive Produce of the move “Crazy”, will also be playing Hank Williams Snr. I wrote about the movie here. The post has a comment from Amy Garland! Also see this post on the movie from the The Practice Room.

Another interesting piece of trivia I learnt from Amy Garland: Steve Vai was born on 6th June and Amy on 7th June, which is the same day as Tal Farlow. Happy belated birthdays to all!

Hank Garland’s life is tragic. I’ve linked to this article before and am doing it again because it really deserves to be read. It’s a long article. The following paragraph gives a quick summary.

Hank was a well respected musician that much in demand in Nashville. He wrote music (e.g. Jingle Bell Rock) but never received any royalty for it. He received death threats after he started a music publishing company with country singer Eddy Arnold (who, according to Amy, also ripped off Hank). Hank did this as he believed record company executives ripped him off and refused to sign long-term contracts with any of the Nashville labels. Billy Garland, Hank’s brother, believes that record company executives feared Garland’s company would lure away from them the best in the business and thus targeted him. Hank later got involved in an automobile accident that his family believe was a result of foul play by the music industry. The accident resulted in Hank going into a coma for three weeks. Less than two weeks after his recovery from coma, Hank Garland was dropped off into a sanitarium and received insulin treatments, chemotherapy and 77 shock treatments that damaged his brain. When released, he was like a two-year old who was unable to tie his shoe laces.

In Amy’s words (and with some editing from me):

“That is when my husband took him out of there and hid him for over twenty years. The local Publishing end of the Music Biz “Acuff Rose” owned the sanitarium. Hank wrote a song about the place called “The Hut”. They also forced Don Gibson and Tommy Jackson(fiddle player on Sugarfoor Rag”) into the sanitarium to CONTROL these guys.

It is undoubtedly the most unjust cruelty put on a human being. I also have full documentation of the sanitarium reports as well as an affidavit from a young boy that was sent there for acting up in school….he was Hank’s roommate there and told how they dragged Hank screaming down the hall and tortured him. The record execs brought in a turn table and play his song and ask Hank, “Do you remember this?” They let him go after they finished him off.

My husband worked with him every night when he would get home from being a Government contractor at Cape Kennedy Space Center, Titus ville Florida. Billy retaught Hank guitar where he gained back control of his ability to play guitar. This movie is the story about the love between two brothers. Billy lived in Nashville while Hank was there and Hank tried to get Billy to be his manager and open their own publishing Company but after the death threats were made against them, Billy left. After a fight with Billy, Hank told him he would never see him alive! Two weeks later Billy ended up by Hank’s bed side after Hank’s car was shot up and Hank left for dead!That was a nightmare for the mob biz as there were two witness’s of the gun shots. ”

Amy Garland, also told me that Sugarfoot Rag was recorded and written by Hank when his was only 17 years old, his first million dollar hit. She informed me that Hank was taken advantage of by Decca,which did not pay Hank a penny for any of his written music as well as “Jingle Bell Rock” which he wrote and they stole it from him and added two dead mens’ SSN’s. The Garlands have fought against Warner Chappell Music in Federal Court in Jacksonville , Florida. A lawyer had turned up at their home offering assistance after Billy Garland filed a 2 billlion dollar lawsuit against the company for fraud. Amy believes that this lawyer took a pay off and Hank was awarded three years of royalty instead of the forty seven years Amy and Billy believed were due Hank. According to Amy, this meant that the Garlands only received $20.00 royalty.

I learnt that Hank passed away as the lst motion was filed in Fed. Court in Jacksonville. Hank’s parting request to Bill was “Bill, go get them and make them pay for what they have done”. The Garlands are still fighting. And from what I gather, it’s been eleven years.