Tag Archives: play guitar

Drums and Music for the Under-Resourced (with Joe Hamm of El Sistema) Ep038

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:10:43 — 48.8MB)

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Drummer and music educator, Joe Hamm, joins the conversation as we learn about the El Sistema philosophy of providing music programs to under-resourced kids, the social value of music, the role of the drums within the context of a band, and touring.

Joe Hamm gives us his musical and educational background, and we talk about melodic drumming, ear training, and the deprivation of sounds and colors.
The philosophy of El Sistema was created in Venezuela in 1975.  It focused on the idea that an orchestra is a community and thus models the larger society.  Organizations that adhere to the El Sistema philosophy provide under-resourced students with consistent access to intensive music education.  Joe Hamm tells us about his program, Soundscapes, with which he and ~9 other teachers work with students in Newport News, Virginia.
We talk about Joe Hamm’s former rock band, Chasing Arrows, their tour schedule, and the impact of the financial crash of 2008 on the music industry.
More information about Joe Hamm can be found at https://www.joehamm.com/
More information about El Sistema can be found at https://elsistemausa.org/
More information about Soundscapes can be found at https://soundscapes.org/

Hosting FM Radio (with Guest Host Steve Black)

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:13:12 — 67.2MB)

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Steve Black may have conducted over 1500 interviews of famous musicians and bands over the past 30 years, but Aaron and Joe use the opportunity to get Steve’s story of what it’s like to be a rock radio host. Steve tells us about how his incredible journey started back in 1989 at a radio station in Detroit, Michigan, and how a blizzard gave him the chance to run his first radio program. We dig into Steve’s take on what makes a good radio personality, how he runs his own show, and how he sets up interviews and then prepares for them.

Steve tells us about interviewing Ted Nugent, Bob Ezra (producer for Pink Floyd), and Paul O’Neil (producer for Trans Siberian Orchestra). He tells us about his friendship with Steve Vai. He even tells us about the time he went to a birthday party with Guns ‘N Roses.

We discuss the changing music industry and how to get your music onto the radio. We also get the story behind Steve’s book, “From Black to Light.”

Steve has his own show called the Chop Shop, which is centered around the guitar, but includes many different styles of music.

Also check out Steve’s podcast:

The Sound Of
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sound-of/id1272892687?mt=2

Gigging, Military Bands Part 2 of 2 (with Guest Host, Jason Cale) Ep036

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:23 — 52.2MB)

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We dig into the experiences of Jason Cale, an incredible guitarist out of Southeastern Virginia. Jason gives us insight into playing in military bands, cultivating an original sound and leading a professional band. With formal training in classical and jazz music, Jason is very influenced by blues and fusion guitarists like Allen Holdsworth, Greg Howe, Ritchie Kotzen, Robben Ford, Jimmy Herring, Frank Gambale, Eric Gales, and Joe Bonamassa. He is also keen on blending blues, funk, and gospel into his music.

The guys discuss gigging bands, the impact of horn and piano players, professional rehearsals, and how to play to audiences.

Jason tells us about his career as a military musician primarily with the United States Air Force, including performances in the Middle East for the US troops, backing up John Popper of Blues Traveler, performing on Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

We can’t help but to talk about gear. Jason tells us about his rig, complete with details about his Fender tube amps, analog pedals, and multiple guitars.

Aside from Jason’s guitar playing, we talk about singing, production and studio work.

Check out Jason and his band, the Jason Cale Band, at www.jasoncalemusic.com

Gigging, Military Bands Part 1 of 2 (with Guest Host, Jason Cale) Ep035

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 47:19 — 54.4MB)

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We dig into the experiences of Jason Cale, an incredible guitarist out of Southeastern Virginia. Jason gives us insight into playing in military bands, cultivating an original sound and leading a professional band. With formal training in classical and jazz music, Jason is very influenced by blues and fusion guitarists like Allen Holdsworth, Greg Howe, Ritchie Kotzen, Robben Ford, Jimmy Herring, Frank Gambale, Eric Gales, and Joe Bonamassa. He is also keen on blending blues, funk, and gospel into his music.

The guys discuss gigging bands, the impact of horn and piano players, professional rehearsals, and how to play to audiences.

Jason tells us about his career as a military musician primarily with the United States Air Force, including performances in the Middle East for the US troops, backing up John Popper of Blues Traveler, performing on Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

We can’t help but to talk about gear. Jason tells us about his rig, complete with details about his Fender tube amps, analog pedals, and multiple guitars.

Aside from Jason’s guitar playing, we talk about singing, production and studio work.

Check out Jason and his band, the Jason Cale Band, at www.jasoncalemusic.com

Synthesizers and Sampling part 2 of 2 (w/ Guest Host, Paul Gaeta) Ep034

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 44:19 — 50.9MB)

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We explore synths, drum machines, samplers, LoFi music, studio monitors and so much more with the help of Mr. Paul Gaeta, an electronic music producer and manager at the Moog Factory in Asheville, NC.

Paul explains how he came to work at Moog, and then tells us about his electronic music project, which utilizes a Juno 60 synth. He also tells us about his lofi project and the copyright problems that arise from sampling songs.

We delve into Paul’s musical writing process, and Joe explains chord theory by comparing chords to cookies. No matter what instrument you play, a synthesizer could be a great way to spur some creativity in your music.

Paul talks about how to generally use synths – don’t try to recreate a sound in your head (like a “saxophone” sound), but try to explore the sounds that you can pull out of the synth by way of filters, LFOs, oscillators, and different waveforms (saw tooth, square, triangle, etc). He explains the differences between mono synths and poly synths, between analogue and digital synths, and places to start if you want to get into synths but have no prior experience.

From there we move into the world of drum machines and samplers. Paul tells us about different pieces of equipment and generally how to use them.

The conversation gets into the music of Stranger Things (from the synth-oriented electronic band Survive) and Michael Jackson, the evolution of MTV and VH1, and GarageBand and the modern era of instant gratification.

Check out some of Paul’s projects:
Paul Abdul (lofi beat stuff) https://paulabdul.bandcamp.com/album/promises-to-keep

Panther God (synthy stuff) https://panthergod.bandcamp.com/album/golden-changes

Xero God (rap project) https://xerogod.bandcamp.com/album/bandidos

Synthesizers and Sampling (with Guest Host, Paul Gaeta) Ep033

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:04:42 — 44.7MB)

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We explore synths, drum machines, samplers, LoFi music, studio monitors and so much more with the help of Mr. Paul Gaeta, an electronic music producer and manager at the Moog Factory in Asheville, NC.

Paul explains how he came to work at Moog, and then tells us about his electronic music project, which utilizes a Juno 60 synth. He also tells us about his lofi project and the copyright problems that arise from sampling songs.

We delve into Paul’s musical writing process, and Joe explains chord theory by comparing chords to cookies. No matter what instrument you play, a synthesizer could be a great way to spur some creativity in your music.

Paul talks about how to generally use synths – don’t try to recreate a sound in your head (like a “saxophone” sound), but try to explore the sounds that you can pull out of the synth by way of filters, LFOs, oscillators, and different waveforms (saw tooth, square, triangle, etc). He explains the differences between mono synths and poly synths, between analogue and digital synths, and places to start if you want to get into synths but have no prior experience.

From there we move into the world of drum machines and samplers. Paul tells us about different pieces of equipment and generally how to use them.

The conversation gets into the music of Stranger Things (from the synth-oriented electronic band Survive) and Michael Jackson, the evolution of MTV and VH1, and GarageBand and the modern era of instant gratification.

Check out some of Paul’s projects:
Paul Abdul (lofi beat stuff) https://paulabdul.bandcamp.com/album/promises-to-keep

Panther God (synthy stuff) https://panthergod.bandcamp.com/album/golden-changes

Xero God (rap project) https://xerogod.bandcamp.com/album/bandidos

Concerts and Music Festivals Ep032

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:12:38 — 50.1MB)

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Aaron and Joe delve deep into their memory banks as they share tales from the many concerts and music festivals they have experienced. As a musician it is incredibly important that you attend live shows: it fuels your passion for making your own music, it helps you learn how to build set-lists to hold an audience, it’s FUN, and so much more.

The guys talk about seeing bands like Rush, Big Something, Dave Matthews, Tom Petty, the Black Crowes, Metallica, Megadeath, Blink 182, Tedeschi Trucks, Pat Metheny, the Yellowjackets, Tito Puente, Mark Whitfield, Mike Stern, Bon Jovi, Jeff Healey, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Hootie & The Blowfish, Billy Joel, Aerosmith, Phish, Umphrey’s McGee, Jack White, Kanye West, Elton John, the Black Keys, Joe Bonamassa, Paul McCartney, Tori Amos, Iced Tea, Snoop Dog, Weezer, Stevie Nicks, Tool, Meshuggah, Yes, Gov’t Mule, Prince, Danzig, Suicidal Tendencies, Flaming Lips, Skrillix, John Butler Trio, Green Sky Bluegrass, Ween, Sublime, Incubus, Cake, and many more!!

When you see a live show you should keep in mind that the venue is going to dictate your experience. Often smaller venues provide a more intimate experience with the chance to really interact with the performers. Large arena concerts can be fun, but often the experience is dependent on your seats (pit vs. lawn, etc.) and the people you went with. The guys talk about specific venues from jazz clubs to warehouses to theaters to arenas.

Aaron talks about his experience at the Milwaukee Metal Fest. Joe talks about the differences between the music festivals he has attended, from Bonnaroo, Firefly, Lockn, All Points West, and many local festivals. Different vibes, different lineups, different camping situations, different experiences.

With so many different live music options available to us, there is no excuse to not get out there and see a show! Support your local musicians, experience a new genre of music, try camping out at a festival, or crowd surf for the first time (make sure your phone is in a secure pocket).

Mods for Guitar, Amps, Pedals and Gear Part 2 of 2 (with Guest Host, Miles Harshman) Ep031

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 47:24 — 43.6MB)

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In part 2 of our discussion with Miles Harshman, Miles continues telling us about being a student at Berklee College of Music: his famous roommate, the ensembles available to students, etc.

Then we really dig into the details of modding guitars, amps, and pedals. Modding is a way to get new sounds out of the equipment that you already have by changing physical components of that equipment. Miles shares a wealth of information on how to change/improve your gear by changing out capacitors, rectifier tubes, pre-amp tubes, and power-amp tubes, speakers, etc. Did you know that changing out a rectifier tube in your amp can cause it to naturally break up sooner (for more natural overdrive at more reasonable volumes) or later (for more clean headroom).

Miles also helps to clear up the mystery revolving around biasing tube amps. Please keep in mind that any work involving the internal components of a tube amp can be very dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing, even if the amp is off and unplugged.

The more you learn about your equipment, the more you can get the most out of it. Even things as simple as knowing when your amp’s tubes are going bad can make a huge difference to your sound on stage or in the practice room.

Mods for Guitar, Amps, Pedals and Gear Part 1 of 2 (with Guest Host, Miles Harshman) Ep030

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:06:19 — 45.8MB)

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Who doesn’t love to talk about guitar tone?? Aside from the obvious fact that much of your tone comes from your fingers, it is also greatly affected by your beloved gear: your instruments, amps, effects pedals, etc. Lots of the gear that you purchase off the shelf can actually be improved or changed through mods / modifications to the internal circuitry – some of which you can do yourself. We bring in guitarist, amp technician, music teacher, and Berklee graduate, Miles Harshman, to give us the ins and outs of musical equipment.

In Part 1 of this conversation we dig into guitar tone, ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Stevie Ray Vaughan to Robin Trower. Miles talks about his love of different types of fuzz pedals, an effect that Joe rarely uses. While Joe uses several types of overdrive and natural small amp distortion, he commits to giving fuzz another try. Miles presents an overview of how tube amps work – their different gains stages, how the tubes break up, the feeling of a tube amp due to the sag/sponginess in the rectifier tube.

Miles tells us about his journey to becoming a gear technician, including building his first stratocaster in high school and his more recent telecaster with unusual switches.

We talk about clean guitar tones, and how hollow, semi-hollow, and chambered bodies affect the your sound.

Miles begins telling us about his experiences at Berklee College of Music, including the many ensemble choices, the enormous practice room amps, and the general atmosphere. Check out next week’s episode to discover who was Miles’ freshman year roommate!

Fingerstyle Guitar Part 2 of 2 (with Guest Host, Dustin Furlow) Ep029

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 57:27 — 39.7MB)

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In part 2 of Fingerstyle Guitar, Dustin gets into his process of arranging his compositions and how he goes about coming up with his melodies. The guys also discuss one of his original songs, “Elder Tree”, the role of an audience, how Dustin was approached by booking agents, the process of booking shows/tours, concertsinyourhome.org, Dustin’s connection to fingerstyle and his solo show, his practice routine and resources that he recommends.

 

dustinfurlow.com for more information

 

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