February 2019 – Rambling in B-flat

It’s new music alert this week as I’m putting the spotlight on of Blues music brightest names these days, namingly guitar wizard Gary Clark Jr. and his new record “This Land” that came out just the other day as I’m writing this.

For those of you who are living east of the Atlantic Ocean Gary Clark Jr. may not be a familiar name but it’s a different story on the west side of the pond. As this recent piece by Rolling Stone narrates in the last better part of a decade Gary has established himself as the heir apparent of Blues music by many heavy names of yore, such as Buddy Guy and Jimmie Vaughan, and been called “the future” by former President of the United States Barack Obama, who invited him twice during his presidency to play at the White House.

The Blues man persona and “merely” stepping in the shoes of the Blues greats of yesterday is however an idea that Gary isn’t very comfortable with settling with. And “This Land” is an expression of that unconformity.

Continue reading “Ch. #7 – “From past to present to past to present”” →

One of the most touted and prolific new names in rock music in the last few years is the indie rock sensation from “Down Under“, Courtney Barnett. And I think that for good reason; she is certainly not your regular rock star.

Many of her songs are about topics and themes that is so foreign to what your otherwise “rank and file” rock songs are about. Also the mood and appearance in how she present her songs and herself is also strikingly different to also what most of us generally associate with “rock music”.

Finally, and it pain me that I actually feel it’s worth pointing this out, she is a women. If you look back at the big rock acts of the last 60-ish years or so and even compare to the active big acts of today you see a past and present that is heavily slanted toward the male side. The latter however may soon be about to change.

Continue reading “Ch. #6 – “Not your regular rock star”” →

Last Sunday, on February 3rd, it was 60 years ago to the day which has been known to as “The Day the Music Died” since Don McLean famously referred to the event of this day as such in his 1971 song epic “American Pie”. On this day a small airplane carrying many of the famous stalwarts of the early days of rock and roll crashed in a corn field near Clear Lake, Iowa. The passengers included J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, Ritchie Valens and Charles Hardin Holley. The later more commonly known as Buddy Holly.

Continue reading “Ch. #5 – “Not Fade Away”” →

This week I’m starting what I think will be a theme and a topic I will return to multiple times through out this year; namely the year 1994. And the reason; that year was an amazing year for music, at least in retrospect. A year that also happens to be quite nicely rounded to being 25 years ago this year.

Continue reading “Ch. #4 – “The music year of 1994”” →