Monthly Archives: January 2012

Sonic Youth tickets, amazingly, have been available for more than 25 years already. It seems like just yesterday that this innovative band was doing its part in redefining the genre of rock and roll as we know it. The legion of loyal Sonic Youth fa

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Early Beginnings

The original members of the band all spent their early lives performing in any of several post-punk bands that were prevalent on the local music scene at the time. Given that many of these bands performed together and in the same venues, they got to know each other, and two of the members, Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon, dated for a time before the band was formed, and they would eventually marry and have a child.

Moore and Gordon also discovered that they had common musical tastes, and they began to perform together. They eventually recruited the other members and “officially” formed Sonic Youth in 1981. Their first gig was at a 10-day “Noise Festival” in the New York neighborhood of SoHo, and their performance was a resounding success. It wasn’t long before Sonic Youth tickets were difficult to find, as they built a loyal local following that would soon get them noticed by the music industry.

Unique Sound

The band is credited with a new sound that became the foundation for “alternative” rock and roll, and the biggest variable that contributed to this sound was the band’s alternate guitar tunings. A little-known fact is that these guitars were tuned in a non-traditional way because they were extremely cheap, as the band could not afford top-notch equipment.

These tunings led to additional innovations, as their approach to music was never what many would consider “scientific.” The band was independent in their approach, and would often formulate melodies and beats based solely on how they felt at the time they were playing.

Results

This purely artistic approach to music led to a wide following for their live shows, but it also led to a career with success that would be considered more “underground” in nature, as they never had a huge commercial success with their albums. None of their albums ever got any higher than #34 on the US album charts, but their following did continue to grow.

If you want to see a band that’s all about artistic expression and freedom with their sound, Sonic Youth tickets are just what you need.

As the music industry continues to change and new musical acts surface that are reflective of the styles of trend-setting youth, we have come to embrace bands of every variety. One such band reaching a recent pinnacle of popularity is My Chemical Rom

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Formed in the United States, the group assembled in New Jersey shortly after the September 11th terrorist attacks of 2001. Inspired to write by the events of 9/11, Gerard Way put his feelings to paper and enlisted the help of drummer, Matt Pelissier in organizing a fledgling band. Recruited into the band shortly thereafter was lead guitar player, Ray Toro and bass player, Mikey Way – younger brother of Gerard. It was Mikey who named the band My Chemical Romance – derived from the title of a book that caught his attention.

After being signed by Eyeball Records, the band brought on its newest member – rhythm guitar player, Frank Lero in time to record their first album. The album, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love was released in 2002 to a moderate reception. The next two years brought a series of changes for the band as they dropped their label to sign with Reprise Records.

They began a whirlwind tour following the release of their second album, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge in 2004 – an album that quickly went platinum and prompted the release of popular singles, Helena and The Ghost of You – rocketing the band to popularity through the airwaves. Around this time, the original drummer, Matt Pelissier, was replaced by Bob Bryar, who continues to hold the position to this day.

The year 2005 was a year of touring as the band headed out on a Taste of Chaos tour – a compilation of alternative bands – and as the opening act for Green Day’s American Idiot tour. But by the end of the year, the group had toured throughout the United States in support of their own album. They kicked off 2006 by beginning to record their third album – Welcome to the Black Parade which was first aired on the radio on September 11th of that year and released in stores by the end of 2006.

My Chemical Romance fans are a dedicated group who carried the band to stardom amidst a grassroots movement, and remain dedicated to the band’s laidback alternative style and horror genre inspired music videos. Also adding to its popularity among fans, the band was also heralded for being among the first to offer free downloads of their songs through MySpace and other online resources.

My Chemical Romance continues to tour this year in support of their album with a legion of loyal fans behind them and packed arenas around the country. Since the band’s beginning they have stayed true to the music and their own personal style – and in so doing have attracted another generation of music lovers coming up in the world.

Recently, the South by Southwest music, film, and interactive festival wrapped up after another successful year in Austin. Because it falls during spring break week, it has become my tradition to take a break from my teaching job to work for the fest

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The SXSW music festival draws over 1400 bands and more than 5000 music industry professionals to Austin, and that number doesn’t even take into account those thousands attending the film and interactive festivals which run concurrently under the SXSW banner, and Austin welcomes them all with open arms. After all, the festival pumps a hefty $30 million into the local economy, and every year, the crowds grow. At least at this time of year, Austin rightfully deserves, and proves its status as “The Live Music Capital of the World.”

Austin boasts more live music venues per capita than any other city in the U.S., and clubs of all sizes, including a church, play host to bands from all over the world during the four-night music festival. The party officially kicks off on Wednesday night with Austin’s own version of the Grammys, The Austin Music Awards. Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel, was a big winner, and Pete Townshend formerly of The Who, took the stage with fellow Brit, Ian McLagan, now a beloved Austin performer.

At my club on 6th Street, we showcased bands from New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Amsterdam, and celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with “Irish Music Night” on Saturday. Without exception, the members of the bands and their entourages were excited about playing Austin and having the opportunity to be “discovered” by a producer or promoter, or picked up by a record label. One band member excitedly informed me that after their show, they were approached to collaborate on a major motion picture soundtrack! At least during SXSW, Austin is the city where dreams really can come true.

Up and down the 6th Street entertainment district and beyond, record executives checked their schedules and hurried from club to club, munching chopped barbeque sandwiches and checking out the artists, who ranged from acoustic singer/songwriters to outrageously-dressed and spikey-coiffed punks and heavy metal screamers clad in their inevitable black garb.

Early one night, a nicely dressed middle-aged couple approached me to ask if they could buy a ticket for the show. “You must have a son or daughter performing,” I smiled, because they were definitely not your typical club hopper. Naturally, their son was playing, and the proud parents had followed him to Austin for the show and a mini-vacation all the way from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. That day had been beautiful, with the temperature hovering near 80, and we chatted for a while about their visit, and what they had seen and done while in Austin. The couple was exuberant in their praise and promised that next year they would be back for a longer vacation and would definitely be bringing friends.

Later that evening, a woman from the UK dropped in to thank me for recommending Maria’s Taco Express, one of my favorite haunts, and invited me to an after-hours private party in a hotel penthouse nearby. I thanked her, but had to decline, because this golden carriage that is SXSW has to turn back into a pumpkin by Monday morning, and I had some lesson plans to write.

work and huddled around to watch excitedly as the wrapping was torn off and we opened the box to review it!The Atom Life enters the Indian market as part of 02′s new strategy to divide its five main product segments: performance, lifestyle, messaging

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Packed with Features

The 02 XDA Atom Life is a tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 phone with GPRS and EDGE capabilities. The built-in Wi-Fi functionality makes it an excellent device to check e-mail on the go. GPS (Global Positioning System) navigation is not built in, but it’s possible to add an external receiver. The Atom Life is 3G capable—the front-mounted VGA camera makes video calling simplistic In-call voice reception is nice and dean.

The Atom Life runs on Windows Mobile 5, so mobile versions of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel are included. These applications ens that your work won’t suffer no matter where you are. Other preinstalled applications include 02 AutoConfig, 02 Autolnstall, 02 Connect, 02 MediaPlus. 02 SMSPIus, and 02 PhonePlus, which make the phone economically strong. 02 Connect offers access to software updates via a GPRS connection, while 02 MediaPlus allows you to access all your stored music, videos, and photos from a single interface. You can use PocketMSN to access your Hotmail account and chat with your contacts through MSN Messenger. The Internet Explorer makes browsing the web a breeze. There’s also a mobile version of Windows Media Player 10. And to round off the package, there is Microsoft ActiveSync to connect the Atom Life to your PC.The Atom Life is powered by an Irte XScale PXA 270 processor running at a mind-blowing 624 MHz. We were impressed by the capabilities of this processor, which was able to multita sk and run heavy applications without am hiccups. It features 64 MB RAM and 1GB of internal flash memory. A MiniSD card slot for expanding the memory is located on the top of the phone.

Camera

The 2 megapixel camera takes decent pictures with resolutions ranging from 80×60 to 1600×1200. An LED strobe flash and a self-portrait mirror are also built in.

Shaping the Masterpiece

At first glance, the Atom Life looks like any other 02 model, but look closely and you’ll see a few subtle differences. The device’s glossy black plastic screen is the in-call speaker grille, which also houses status lights—green for standby, red for charging, and blue to show that Bluetooth is switched on. Volume controls are on the left, and the camera and record buttons are on the right. Keys on the front panel include call accept and reject controls, two soft and media player shortcut keys.

The Atom Life weighs 145 grams which is quite light for a PDA. Its slick form makes it a true style statement.

Chinks in the Shining Armour

02 markets the Atom Life as a PDA that doubles up as a multimedia device. Even though it has SRS-WOW surround speakers, the volume levels could have been higher. The glossy black plastic finish is prone to fingerprints and smudges, and the chrome plating— especially around the stylus holder slot—wears out easily with heavy use. The 2.7-inch LCD screen might look good at first, but it isn’t the clearest we have seen. Team this up with terrible viewing angles and you have real disappointment on your hands. The quality of still and video photography is also below average.

Verdict

The 02 Xda Atom Life is a brilliant device, and a great solution for all your business and multimedia needs. There’s a chance that you might find it a little confusing to handle initially but once you get the hang of it, organizing your daily schedules and carrying out vital daily tasks will become very convenient. Also, the enhanced multimedia functions make the Atom Life a pleasure to work with. The elegant shape ensures that you are carrying a guaranteed style statement in your pocket. As the maufacturers said—the Xda Atom Life surely does power you at work and play!

You need a manual to operate a new appliance. You need to read the rules before you play a new board game. Learning to play the bass guitar is no different. You’ll have a manual like no other – the tablature.

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You need a manual to operate a new appliance. You need to read the rules before you play a new board game. Learning to play the bass guitar is no different. You’ll have a manual like no other – the tablature.

Guitar Tablature

Learning to play the bass guitar is made easy with guitar tablature. Anybody who has a guitar and is willing to spend some time learning the rudiments can get along fine. If you are new to guitar lessons, do not be confused about tabs and tablature. They mean the exact, same thing in guitar lingo.

Bass guitar tabs or other guitar tablature provide visual interpretation of the guitar’s fret board so formal training is not necessary to understand guitar tabs. Bass guitar tabs are also easy to read and interpret; hence, application is faster and easier. Bass guitar tabs are musical notations that look like a written music document. Instead of the usual dots spread on a 5 line stave to show a specific note, the frets are numbered on a six line stave. The line represents a guitar’s string. Therefore, the six lines are the six strings of the guitar. Bass guitar tabs are also read from left to right.

If you have a four-stringed bass guitar, the bass guitar tabs will show four horizontal lines representing the four strings. The topmost string is the G string, followed by the D string, the A string, and lastly, the E string. If you see two numbers (one above the other) on one string, it indicates that the string is to be played simultaneously.

Wake up those fingers

If you are reading bass guitar tabs, you will notice that you won’t be determining the position of the fret board where you have to play the note. The bass guitar notes can be played in various left hand positions and on diverse strings. Bass guitar tabs are also easy to understand because the notations are clear. Instead of learning how to study the pitch, you are learning where to place your fingers.

Playing the bass guitar is taxing. It requires speed, and with all the slapping and sliding, the fingers should be exercised regularly to perform well. In addition, your fingers should be able to take the impossible chords and switch chords with ease and agility. Practicing the hand is basic in bass guitar playing. You have to achieve speed without losing accuracy with each pluck. You also have to get used to the sensation of holding the guitar without using your left hand. As you go along, you will discover that you won’t be depending on your left hand to prop the guitar. Master this, and play all bass guitar tabs with ease.

Apart from the bass guitar tabs and acquiring fingering speed, bass guitarists have to learn the tapping, slapping, and popping techniques. These techniques support the song context, making the notes more appealing and distinctive.

Get those bass guitar tabs

The Internet has made it possible for almost everyone to get guitar tabs. They can choose the songs they want to play, or even entire albums of their favorite rock bands. Bass guitar tabs can be downloaded anytime. E-books and CDs on all guitar tabs and playing styles are also available for a minimal fee. Joining guitar forums can also boost your knowledge about bass guitars – tabs and all. Indeed, master the manual and you’ll master the instrument.