Last weekend I caught an episode of Austin City Limits that kicked ass. Apparently it was a replay from 2003, but it was great. Jason Mraz first, then Fountains of Wayne. Mraz has a cool freeform style and the audience was full of girls -- he really plays it up to the ladies. At first I didn't know who Fountains of Wayne was, but then they played their insanely catchy song Stacy's Mom and I instantly recognized them. The other song of theirs that was great is Great Future in Sales.
Another episode that played right after that was also from 2003 and featured John Mayer with guest appearances by Buddy Guy and Stevie Ray Vaughan's band Double Trouble. I'd seen this one before, but if you don't know about Mayer's blues roots you owe it to yourself to check him out. He plays that Stratocaster and gets a killer tone, both clean and dirty. He makes the craziest faces when he sings, but damn he sounds good. He played Empty Arms (Vaughan's song) with Double Trouble and Leave My Little Girl Alone (written by Guy, I believe) with Double Trouble and Buddy Guy and, wow, he nails those songs.
Buddy Guy is one of those legends of blues that has only recently begun to collect the acclaim he has been due. He was hugely influential, in the same league as Albert King, B.B. King and John Lee Hooker. Do a google search, find these guys' music and learn your roots, boys and girls.
Double Trouble still plays without Vaughan, most recently on record as Storyville. Storyville has a great blues style definitely influenced by Vaughan, but updated and a bit more radio-friendly. The band seems defunct unfortunately, as I can't even find a web site for them. I have two of their CDs, A Piece of Your Soul and Dog Years. Both excellent, though I've now lost the CD of A Piece of Your Soul for the second time and have to buy it again.
Ok, time to grab a beer and go play some Guitar Hero!
Related posts: Guitar Hero Madness; Gaming slumber antidote
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Again with the delays...
Alright, this is ridiculous -- a friggin' month?!
Lots has been on my mind, work has been busy, blah, blah, blah.
Waaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh, I have a job and think too much so I can't update my blog, waaaaaaahhhhhhh.
It's true I've been working three to four 12-hour days a week for about the last month, plus one day on the weekends, which isn't necessarily bad (please, argue with me on this point), but what sucks is it's a temp job, not in the field I'm trained for, and working overtime is the only thing that makes the money decent.
And by decent I mean I can get by. My bills are paid but there's no extras. Not that I need extras, but extras can be what makes things fun -- an Xbox360, playing on Live with friends, actually hanging out in the same physical space with friends, reading. Lately I've hesitated to even consider myself a gamer since I haven't been on Live in probably four or five months and hardly play other games. One of my friends on Live who lives in New York actually called me on the phone today to see what I was up to. Man, that's bad.
Hey, hey, come back -- I didn't mean to dump on you, I've just had a lot going on lately. I just needed to vent a bit. I think the worst is over. That, and it's past 10:30 and I have to go to bed so I can be up at 5 to be at my job by 7. This whole work-for-money-so-you-can-spend-it thing sucks.
On a positive gaming note, Guitar Hero has begun to pull me out of my gaming slumber. The past three nights I've been on that thing, playing those songs. That game is the most fun I've had playing videogames in years. I'm just now getting the hang of the hammer-ons and pull-offs with those fret buttons. It's very satisfying when you can make it work.
I felt I just had to post tonight to break myself out of my non-posting habit. I see that my friends edoo and C-had have been updating very nicely in my absence. E and C, if you want a fun party game, the next time we get together I can bring "GH" -- I have two guitar peripherals and we will duel. I guarantee you will be hooked.
Lots has been on my mind, work has been busy, blah, blah, blah.
Waaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh, I have a job and think too much so I can't update my blog, waaaaaaahhhhhhh.
It's true I've been working three to four 12-hour days a week for about the last month, plus one day on the weekends, which isn't necessarily bad (please, argue with me on this point), but what sucks is it's a temp job, not in the field I'm trained for, and working overtime is the only thing that makes the money decent.
And by decent I mean I can get by. My bills are paid but there's no extras. Not that I need extras, but extras can be what makes things fun -- an Xbox360, playing on Live with friends, actually hanging out in the same physical space with friends, reading. Lately I've hesitated to even consider myself a gamer since I haven't been on Live in probably four or five months and hardly play other games. One of my friends on Live who lives in New York actually called me on the phone today to see what I was up to. Man, that's bad.
Hey, hey, come back -- I didn't mean to dump on you, I've just had a lot going on lately. I just needed to vent a bit. I think the worst is over. That, and it's past 10:30 and I have to go to bed so I can be up at 5 to be at my job by 7. This whole work-for-money-so-you-can-spend-it thing sucks.
On a positive gaming note, Guitar Hero has begun to pull me out of my gaming slumber. The past three nights I've been on that thing, playing those songs. That game is the most fun I've had playing videogames in years. I'm just now getting the hang of the hammer-ons and pull-offs with those fret buttons. It's very satisfying when you can make it work.
I felt I just had to post tonight to break myself out of my non-posting habit. I see that my friends edoo and C-had have been updating very nicely in my absence. E and C, if you want a fun party game, the next time we get together I can bring "GH" -- I have two guitar peripherals and we will duel. I guarantee you will be hooked.
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