So as I was on my way to work this morning, I was pondering a deep question that has been troubling me recently. And this is it:

Can we see beyond the scars, and make it to the dawn? (pay no attention to the )

Fortunately, the latest song from this blogs favorite artist came on the radio and set my mind righ at ease. Daughtry’s latest song (if it can actually be dubbed this) is called What About Now?, and once again he displays his lyrical prowess with lines like the above question as well as this following bit of genius:

What if our love had never went away?

Now, if you’re musical tastes are such that you not only enjoy listening to a chorus over and over, but also one peppered with the word “baby”, then this song is definitely going to thrill you; in fact, I can confidently say that you were also a fan of “The Reason” by Hoobastank.

I don’t understand how such music continues to be proliferated among us, but there must be some people that just continue to eat it up. And for those of you that just can’t wait to listen to the new song, here’s the perfect link through which you can exit this blog…

I like to eat poop sandwiches.

If you haven’t yet heard about the reunion tour of New Kids on the Block,… consider yourself extremely lucky. The members of this band (I shouldn’t even call them a band) must really be tired of ramen noodles and need to do something to earn some money. The mind-boggling thing about it is that they actually will make money doing this. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to pay to see this concert, or try to win them from a radio station for that matter, but just in case you’re even slightly entertaining the thought, here’s a quick fix that should calm your craving:

Now, if you actually made it all the way through this video, you either quarterback the NY Giants or are struggling to “find yourself”. If the video has managed to discourage at least one person from going to this concert then this post has been worth it.

When I was back in High School, my friends and I would frequently make 80’s references and were somewhat infatuated with the craziness that is associated with that decade. When we’d run across anything that was from back then we’d always refer to it as having broke the decade barrier. For example, the movie Kull the Conqueror came out when I was in high school, and it is just filled with 80’s metal music. (As an aside, if you’re into that sort of thing, it’s definitely a movie worth watching. I actually already own it myself.)

Well, this last weekend the decade barrier was broke once again. We went out with some friends from work to a bar down in south STL called Helen Fitzgerald’s to see an 80’s cover band, the Metal Studz. It was the second time now that we’ve seen them, and they put on quite the show. They dress up with the long hair wigs and the tight leopard print pants. The lead singer also has a fan “strategically” placed on the front of the stage that he can kneel in front of to blow the hair all around.

They don’t play any original music, but no one seems to care since they’ve come to be reunited with a piece of their past. We heard music from Def Leppard, Motley Crue, the Scorpions, and a bunch of others including Guns ‘n’ Roses. It was a great time (except for the totally rad smoker chicks standing right next to our table), and one where the decade barrier was definitely broke in two.

I was driving home today, from the grocery store I believe, and a song from Daughtry came on the radio and it reminded me of how sick I am of his songs and how I’ve been meaning to write a post about it. And I guess now is as good a time as any other.

Pretty much all of his songs are formulaic and the lyrics are often just awful. All you have to do is look to the opening line of his song “Over You” to find:

Now that it’s all said and done, I can’t believe you are the one, to build me up and tear me down, like an old abandoned house.

It’s just an awful simile and I can’t take the rest of the song seriously. Aside from this, most of his other stuff is now way overplayed, especially the one song they used during American Idol last year. I really wish he would just go home like he says in the song. It’d be much better for all of us.

I should also mention that Chris Daughtry has revealed/admitted that he is balding and shaved his head completely in order to keep a pleasing appearance. So he is a proud member of the male-pattern baldness cover-up club.

For about as long as I can remember I’ve been passionate about music. Growing up I played the viola, sung in choirs (my least favorite mind you), and played the trombone (a little baritone/euphonium as well). I’ve played in orchestras, bands and jazz bands. And ever since I was introduced to the world of jazz, I’ve loved it. In my last couple of years in high school I also picked up the bass guitar and fell in love with it. I’ve been playing it ever since.

And every bass guitarist worth anything will be able to tell you about Victor Wooten. I heard a couple of CDs from friends that initially got me interested in him, but then I saw him live for the first time and was blown away. I’ve now seen him play at least five different times and he’s the only artist that I’ll never grow tired of seeing. I’ve seen him play in the Salt Lake City area as well as in Springfield, Illinois. Most recently I saw him at the House of Blues in Chicago.

The concerts I’ve seen the most are of the Victor Wooten Band. He is obviously the main part of the show, but the whole band is extremely talented. His brothers also usually play with him. Just so you have an idea what I’m talking about here’s a little battle between him and his brother Reggie. Victor’s the one on bass.

Victor also plays with a band called Bela Fleck and the Flecktones that includes Bela on banjo. Here is one of Victor’s amazing solos on their song Sinister Minister. About three minutes into the solo he breaks his top string, yet it doesn’t seem to phase him and he keeps right on going.

He has also played with the likes of DMB and you can watch him play one of his more melodic solos with them. [Disclaimer: I don’t really like the Dave Mathews Band, but I will acknowledge their talent. And I’ll give them a pass when they play with Victor.]

If you haven’t seen Victor play or haven’t ever heard of him, do yourself a favor and check him out. He’s an artist that you won’t regret seeing.

Even though I don’t even own a video game system at the moment, I’ve had the opportunity to play the new game Rock Band for the PS3. And now having played the game, it has been requested that I give my thoughts on it.

As far as the game play is concerned, it’s very similar to the Guitar Hero games except for the fact that the notes are now rectangular bars instead of circles. You won’t notice much difference in the guitar parts, but they are not nearly as difficult as what you’ll find in the Guitar Hero series. What does set Rock Band apart though is the addition of the drums and vocals.

Begin With What You Know

Even though most people interested in this game will already be familiar with fake plastic guitar, Rock Band does have something different to offer. The guitar for this game is a replica Fender Stratocaster and it is a little heavier with a more durable feel. The buttons on the neck are also a lot better integrated. They are flush with the neck allowing for easier slides and hammer-ons. There is also another set of five buttons lower on the neck to give you another feel on the solos. There is a switch that allows you to pick different effects as well. The biggest difference though is probably where you strum the guitar. The lever is curved concave in and doesn’t make a clicking sound. It takes some getting used to if you’re already used to the Guitar Hero guitars, but I think it’s a little more true to life.

It’s Time To Beat The Drums

The drum set that comes with the game is actually a lot higher quality than what I had expected. The four drum pads are durable and have a decent bounce-back when hit with the drum sticks. I don’t want to give the impression that it feels like you’re playing an actual drum set, but it is better than expected. The bass drum pedal also has a nice spring action and fluid motion as opposed to just feeling like cheap plastic.

The drum parts now are pretty difficult. It takes a lot more rhythmical coordination than it does to play the guitar. Contrary to what I’ve heard others say, I don’t think you’ll be able to play a real drum set after mastering this toy set, but it will help you develop your hand and foot coordination needed to play the drums. Regardless of the realism though, it’s a great interactive addition that will take quite a bit of time to master.

Do I Have To Sing?

As for the vocal part of the game, many people have been confused as to how it actually works. Well, the system senses the pitch of your voice as well as the presence of your voice. The words are streamed across the top of the screen as well as relative pitch lines. Your voice is represented by an arrow that tracks the pitch levels that come across the screen. It sounds pretty simple, but it’s actually a lot of fun. And as long as you’re not too self-conscious you can have a great time with the vocals.

To Sum It All Up

Overall, the game is a lot of fun to play. With all the different parts to play, it’s not something that you’d get bored of easily. I do think the guitar parts should be a little more difficult on the expert level, but the difficulty of the drums more than makes up for it. It’s also a great party game to play with a lot of friends. If you have been wondering whether or not you will like the game, it’s probably a pretty safe bet that you will.

When you think of the various forms of entertainment that are available these days, movies are near the top of the list. It’s pretty much become the norm to see a movie or two per week and perhaps more. For this reason, I thought I would periodically give you my thoughts on a movie that I’ve seen and maybe even some that I haven’t seen. After all, this is an opinion blog.

As far as movies go, School of Rock ranks right up there with the best of them. It is extremely well written and features some of the greatest rock songs of all time from some of the greatest bands of all time not the least of which being Led Zeppelin. It also helps that Jack Black is the lead actor.

Jack Black plays the down and out Dewey Finn, a wannabe rock star who got kicked out of his band. In need of some cash, he poses as his roommate Ned Schneeblyto take a substitute teaching gig at a local prep school. He discovers a musically talented group of students which he forms into a band to compete at the “Battle of the Bands”.

Joan Cusack is also quite amazing in the movie and adds a much needed dimension to the film. Others starring in the movie are Sarah Silverman and Mike White who also wrote the movie. The kids in the movie are also very talented in their roles and not just musically.

School of Rock is a movie for every musician or fan of music. You will also learn about the bees knees, face melting, and the mysterious goblet of rock. You will also be exposed to an ancient technique called the power stance.

If you know me, then you’re aware that I enjoy the Hip-Hop genre quite a bit. If you don’t know me, you’ve just been told. Either way, a friend showed me this video of Aries Spears impersonating various rap artists. If you’re not familiar with this comedian, you’re not alone. I had no idea who he was either. But he does a fantastic job so it’s worthwhile to take a look:

In my opinion the LL Cool J portion at the beginning is the weakest part of his bit. I don’t think it’s due to a lack of effort or practice on his part; it’s more that LL doesn’t have a really distinct voice and style. On the other hand, his impression of Jay-Z was quite good (if you’re familiar with his work). So, for those of you who skipped over the video, now is a good time to actually watch it.

You had to know this post was coming. Just when you think that Nickelback couldn’t sink any lower in their songwriting and other abilities, they put out a song that takes them to a new depth. Take a look and see for yourself:

Now, if you know me well you know that I pay most attention to the musical qualities of a song such as the melody, rhythmic subtleties and the like. I must state that this song has absolutely no outstanding musical qualities. It’s incredibly simple and formulaic, not unlike most of their other songs.

The lyrics to this song are also disastrous. I usually don’t even pay all that much attention to a song’s lyrics but this song just screams ridiculous and has some of the most awful lines I’ve ever heard. If you don’t believe me, just listen to the video at 1:48 and you’ll see what I mean. “I’ll have the quesadilla…” I don’t even know what to say about this. It’s that bad.

The video is also full of a bunch of “celebrities” lip syncing the song. It’s apparent that no one in the prime of their career was willing to support this song and video, further proving my point here. You’ve got Ted Nugent, Kid Rock, Wayne Gretzky, and Gene Simmons. It is basically an episode of The Surreal Life made into a musical.

Among all this negativity, I can say one good thing about this song and video. Chad Kroeger only appears for about a second at the very end of the video saving us from further pain.

An often played song on the radio these days is the Linkin Park song, Bleed It Out. In the past I have been a pretty big Linkin Park fan, and I even went to see them in concert when they came to Salt Lake. That being said, this song doesn’t really live up to what I’ve been used to in the past. It’s a pretty repetitive and formulaic song that doesn’t have much musical/acoustic variety. I’m just not all that impressed with it.

One possible reason for this though, is that they’ve apparently enlisted the services of a new front man, Will Smith. If you haven’t already, click on the above link to listen to the song and you’ll hear what I mean. He’s the first voice that you’ll hear. I’m not sure how they did it, but I wonder if Will Smith is going to go on tour with the band. That would be something.

Note: As I was writing this my wife wanted to read it, and she actually believed that Will Smith was the new front man for Linkin Park.