Category Archives: Uncategorized

Are you wondering when you’ll be able to play the piano with ease?

Posted on by
Reply

Are you wondering when you’ll be able to play the piano with ease?

Do you wish you could improve your piano playing more quickly? Are you struggling to stay motivated to practice each day?

Is so, read on…..

There’s a lot of talk these days about setting goals. Unfortunately, even if you do set a goal, you may not achieve it.

Perhaps it’s because your reason for accomplishing the goal isn’t important enough to you.

Have you ever prepared to perform at your spring piano recital and put everything else aside during the few days before? Perhaps this is because you wanted to play well. Or you may simply have been motivated by the fear of embarrassment.

In his famous book, Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill said “The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat.”

Think about the day before you go on vacation. Won’t you work like crazy to accomplish all of your tasks so that you can pack your suitcase, change into your casual clothes and get going?

If you want to stay motivated, improve your piano playing more rapidly and get to the point where you can play the piano with ease, you will need to discover your deepest reasons for accomplishing these goals. In other words, you will need a very strong desire to achieve your piano playing success.

Desire is the powerful fuel in your goal setting process.

But how can you access desire and use it to succeed? You need to keep asking yourself WHY?

Why? The Key Question to Ask and Answer for Your Keyboard Success

? Ask yourself WHY you chose to play the piano in the first place.

o Were you inspired after watching Horowitz performing on television? o Do you remember hearing your grandmother tinkling the ivories? o Did you become energized after experiencing the excitement of a Billy Joel concert? o Is it because you inherited a piano, and it’s now sitting in your living room? o Were you forced to take piano lessons as a child? (Hardly your choice)

? Ask yourself WHY you now want to play the piano-this is your long term goal.

o Do you want to play for relaxation? o Do you want to be able to entertain friends at parties? o Do you want to play in a band? o Do you want to play piano on a cruise ship or in a piano bar? o Do you want to compose and record your own music?

? Ask yourself WHY you are making your piano playing a priority at this time of your life- this is your medium term goal.

o Are you anxious to finally focus on playing the piano now that your children have grown up and moved out? o Do you really want to be able to play the Moonlight Sonata or memorize five Gershwin tunes? o Are you eager to learn to improvise or play the blues? o Do you want to open a fake book and play any song you choose? o Are you anxious to develop your technique, sight-reading skills or knowledge of music theory?

? Ask yourself WHY you want to practice the piano today-this is your short term goal.

o Do want to have a good lesson on Thursday? o Have you had a stressful day today and need to unwind? o Do you want to feel the satisfaction of playing 4 measures of Misty from memory? o Are you excited about jamming with your Band-in-a-Box computer music program? o Do you wish you could master the last 8 measures of Chopin’s Nocturne in Eb?

Action Exercises

Here are three things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, ask yourself WHY you really want to play the piano, WHY you want to reach a certain musical level, WHY you want to achieve your specific goals and WHY you want to practice today.

Second, answer each of your WHY questions and write these responses on index cards, in your notebook or in a computer program. The act of writing will reinforce your reasons for staying motivated and focused.

Third, remember that the way to keep fueling your desire to persevere on your keyboard success journey is to continue to ask WHY and then regularly answer your specific questions. The more consistent you become with this process, the more motivated you will feel.

If you want to get great results from all of your piano playing and really achieve your keyboard success, keep asking the key question: WHY?

You’ll be amazed at how quickly your piano playing will sound super!

Before you know it, you’ll have fueled your desire to succeed because you asked and answered the Key Question for Your Keyboard Success: WHY?

© 2007 by Ed Mascari All Rights Reserved. ed@edmascari.com

The Police are back on the road this year for the first time in two decades, in one of the most eagerly anticipated tours of recent years.

Posted on by
Reply

The Police are back on the road this year for the first time in two decades, in one of the most eagerly anticipated tours of recent years.

As one of the most definitive post-punk/early new-wave bands, The Police made their name in the late seventies with their distinctive punk-meets-pop-meets-reggae sound, while showing off a carefully contrived peroxide blonde look. The mix served them well as they produced a series of five successful albums before breaking up in 1984.

Comprising Sting (a.k.a. Gordon Sumner) on lead vocals and bass guitar, drummer Stewart Copeland, and lead guitarist Andy Summers, the trio took advantage of the growing medium of new musical videos and a general public weariness with punk and pop music. They began with a raw, punk-inspired power-pop sound, but evolved quickly into producing much more complex material, both musically and lyrically, allowing reggae and jazz influences to become increasingly apparent in their music.

In their seven years, they amassed five U.K. number 1 singles, four U.K. number 1 albums, with sales of Synchronicity going platinum eight times in the U.S., as well as hitting number 1 on both sides of the Atlantic. They are the recipients of two Brit awards and six Grammy’s.

Discography (original studio albums only):

Outlandos d’Amour – Nov 1978, UK #6 Reggatta de Blanc – Oct 1979, UK #1 Zenyatta Mondatta – Oct 1980, UK #1 Ghost in the Machine – Oct 1981, UK #1 Synchronicity – Jun 1983, UK #1

While the band enjoyed both critical and commercial success, they fought incessantly and often violently (to the point that Stewart Copeland reportedly broke one of Sting’s ribs during a scuffle). The tumultuous relationship among band members was documented by Copeland who recently compiled personal archived footage and released it as a film. Everyone Stares: The Police Inside and Out premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006, an event that many credit as the being the main spur behind the band deciding on a come-back tour.

Sting’s son Joe Sumner and his band, Fiction Plane, are currently supporting The Police on the North American leg of their world tour, which is continuing through the summer and then again in November. In October the band are set to come to the UK for several dates in England, Wales and Ireland.

Fans can expect a straightforward set with a black amphitheater design and several video screens suspended discretely overhead to show close-ups of the band members. They are touring with no back-up singers or accompanying musicians, special effects or gimmicks, which is bound to keep the purists happy.

The set list is a straight-up, no apologies “best of”, but most people attending these gigs will be wanting precisely that; a trip down memory lane and to hear some of the best musical tracks ever written and performed.

Forthcoming UK Dates:

6 October – Croke Park, Dublin, Eire 15 October – M.E.N. Arena Manchester 16 October – M.E.N. Arena Manchester 19 October – Cardiff Millennium Stadium, Wales 20 October – Wembley Arena, London

Certainly, one of the most eagerly anticipated tours of recent years.

I’m sure there have been times where you feel like you just can’t write ANYTHING. It’s like, the more you force it out the less you seem to create. And then when you DO finally write something — ANYTHING (a chord, a lyric, a melody or even just a sc

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve had those days …in fact I still do.

I call it ‘lack of inspiration’.

But, I do a few things on a weekly basis which totally rejuvenates my creative thinking. And these things are only a few incredibly simple (and often fun) tasks which to be honest, everybody does on a weekly (or DAILY) basis. But, they totally work.

Here I’ll list three of my TOP ways on how I get inspired to write songs again and again.

These may be simple, but doing them will surely re-charge your creativity again and again.

Go To the MOVIES Once a Week

The drudgery ways of everyday life can take it’s toll almost on a monthly basis. This is why I like to get away for a a few hours every week to a place where it’s almost out of touch with the daily reality I go through.

I’m of course talking about the movie theater …or the Cinema. And it doesn’t matter what movie it is … that’s irrelevant.

Going to see a movie is incredibly inspiring. It’s not just the movie itself, it’s the atmosphere. It’s the experience. Grabbing a pack of nachos and a bag of popcorn along with a soft drink, the posters all around you promoting the next ‘big movie’, and then of course there’s the movie itself — which quite often takes me into ANOTHER WORLD.

And this is my point exactly. GOING to the movies IS like going to another world. It’s a place that’s almost out of touch with reality because of all the stuff I mentioned above. Remember, everyday life is the ‘norm’. There’s nothing made-up or surreal. It can get extremely boring and mundane.

But the movies is different. Without you even knowing, you’re getting inspiration pushed in your brain …just like a beautiful sun setting into the night without notice. You don’t realize it until the day (or two) after, but the inspiration is there just waiting to be used.

Getting away into a DIFFERENT world means that you’re totally unplugged from the REAL world. Remember, when you’re creating, you’re using up bags of energy …this generally means that you are GIVING OUT to create. Going into a SURREAL world means that you are just taking things IN. It’s like subconsciously re-charging your internal batteries.

Talk To Somebody NEW Once a Week

This isn’t as easy as it sounds for most people (unless it’s in your line of work to meet new people every week) but this is where you gain the MOST ‘real’ insight from ‘real people’.

You can meet new people everywhere. For me, there’s always somebody new at the gym, library, bar/club or music gig.

This is almost like the opposite of going to the movies. It’s the hardcore reality that people share with you that you’re after. But it’s not so much ‘what they say’ but more ‘how they say it’.

As you have probably noticed, in general people love to tell anecdotes and talk about themselves. As somebody who writes songs, you can use these mannerisms to your advantage. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes when they’re talking to you. Take mental notes of any repetitive statements they might make.

What do you remember most about the person? What stands out? What impression are you left with? Make a mental note of these things. You can then either fictionalize, exaggerate or minimize this information to write your own lyrics. It’s powerful stuff.

Listen to AT LEAST ONE New Artist/Band Every Week

Now what I mean by that is, listen to ONE song from ONE new artist or band each week.

The idea is to hear something fresh and to stay on top of the songwriting scene.

I love artists/bands like Sting, Elton John, Beatles, Prince, Coldplay, Nirvana, and many, many others …( I love ALL sorts of music) BUT, my point here is that these people are not releasing records every week.

So as much as we’d love to hear music that we already like, we must embrace the music scene on a weekly basis — otherwise we’ll easily become out of touch with how certain things are shifting and shaping up.

So when we listen to new material from a brand new artist, we want to listen out for how THEY are creating their songs. Listen to the way they structure their words, their melodies and their chords. Listen to how their songs are produced and arranged. What’s different? What’s new? Do you hear something you’d like to incorporate in your own songwriting?

If so, then grab these idea’s with both ears and start including them into your songwriting arsenal. The idea here is NOT to copy what they’re doing …but rather integrate the idea’s you find interesting into your own creativity :-)

Shamir

In the olden days, the sun and gold and god and prosperity were all tied up together. They were also mostly considered to be the domain of men and many amongst us who are not of that gender still carry a residual notion that this might not be for “ou

Posted on by
Reply

Fact is though that the sun is a powerful prosperity and wealth symbol, perhaps the most powerful of them all – and it shines on EVERYONE.

This prosperity sunrise is a shamanic healing meditation designed to bring you closer to the aspects of wealth and power inherent in the symbolism of the sun; it is easy to do and quite wonderful.

If you are of a mind, you could put on some suitable music and move or dance this meditation – this will give you 360′ of physical movement which strengthens the experience and makes it far more profound than if it is entirely autogenic.

So in a moment, close your eyes and find yourself on a wide, sweeping plane, cool and dark it is still but there is a banding on the far horizon that tells you the sun is about to rise.

This is YOUR personal prosperity sunrise.

Feel the power and radiance of the sun increasing as the sky fills with living light, as it gets brighter and brighter, all around, you feel the light and then the sun rises majestically over the horizon and floods the plane with light, bathes you in light, powerful energy, powerful charge and powerful wealth.

Accept this blessing with open arms.

Open your heart, your mind and all your being to the golden rays of sun.

Turn around slowly on the spot and bathe in this blessing of wealth and brilliant power.

When you are filled to overflowing and beyond, return and …

Continue with your day!

If you look all over the internet you will find that many sites offer free sheet music for just about every instrument. When looking for sheet music especially piano sheet music there are many different genres to choose from and this makes finding th

Posted on by
Reply

Sometimes it is hard to read sheet music, this is not because it is hard in general it just takes practice, the more you practice reading the sheet music the better you will becomes at it. When learning any instrument and you want to learn like a pro you need to learn the sheet music, understand it and process it.

Music directors and other musicians use sheet music for different songs and it covers many different vocal ranges and instruments. It will only teach you how to play songs and compositions by rote. Nonetheless, not everyone is blessed with the ability to play songs by ear. Musicians back then publish their songs in these unbound sheets of paper. Going back to the 19th century most of the songs in the USA became popular by sheet music. In the past not all songs were written down so most of the popular might have been lost.

If you are looking to improve your musical talents a create resource is the internet, you can download free sheet music and this will benefit you in many ways because it allows you to play other pieces of music. Musicians that are struggling musicians find it much easier to find sheet music, most of the time they can download it from the internet for free. Today, sheet music is found on many music sites on the Internet with some giving an option of free downloads.

The Internet has brought forth many resources for musicians, from one-click access to research of songs, pieces and bands, to easy access to catalogues full of thousands of instruments and other products that can be ordered and shipped directly to them with a few simple clicks. As pieces of music get complicated for the person playing it the notation of the music becomes more complicated and the difficulty to the compose the music becomes harder, because of all this you will learn how to write the music as you go along. There are literally thousands, if not millions of musical pieces for violinists to play.

To have a good grasp of the notes for a guitar a good suggestion is that you learn them slowly and with concentration. Most violin music is written in the middle C so when producing notes they are written on the treble clef. When you learn a piece of music with traditional sheet music you are not just learning the notes you are also learning another language.

One of Canada’s most successful musical exports, Rush, are currently touring to support the release of their latest Snakes and Arrows album. Having amassed hugely impressive sales over four successive decades, earning nearly 40 Gold and Platinum reco

Posted on by
Reply

With Geddy Lee (lead vocals, bass and keyboards), Alex Lifeson (lead guitar), and Neal Peart (drums), Rush have been as constant a success in the worldwide record industry as they have been a solid rock band since the release of their debut album in 1974.

With a lengthy discography behind them, Rush have always been about the album, not the single. An emphasis on instrumental skills combined with chief lyricist Neal Peart’s fondness for science fiction and fantasy-inspired lyrics, hasn’t always been especially pop or radio friendly.

Despite this, they have managed to score a number of hit singles through the years, including Limelight, Fly By Night, Tom Sawyer, Closer To The Heart, Spirit of Radio, New World Man, and Subdivisions.

Their music has proved popular as cover material for bands as diverse as Catherine Wheel and Audioslave, and Rush are frequently listed on other artist’s lists of musical influences. If you want a good introduction to the band and some of their more accessible material, their 1990 double-CD best-of release, Chronicles, is a very worthwhile purchase.

Discography (original studio albums only):

Rush – Mar 1974, #105 (US only) Gold Fly by Night – Feb 1975, #148 (US only) Platinum Caress Of Steel – Sep 1975, #113 (US only) Gold 2112 – Apr 1976, #61 (US), #1 (Canada) 3x Platinum A Farewell To Kings – Sep 1977, #33 (US), #2 (Canada), #22 (UK) Platinum Hemispheres – Oct 1978, #47 (US), #4 (Canada), #14 (UK) Platinum Permanent Waves – Jan 1980, #4 (US), #1 (Canada), #3 (UK) Platinum Moving Pictures – Jan 1981, #3 (US), #1 (Canada), #3 (UK) 4x Platinum Signals – Sep 1982, #10 (US), #3 (Canada), #3 (UK) Platinum Grace Under Pressure – Apr 1984, #10 (US), #1 (Canada), #5 (UK) Platinum Power Windows – Oct 1985, #10 (US), #2 (Canada), #9 (UK) Platinum Hold Your Fire – Sep 1987, #13 (US), #9 (Canada), #10 (UK) Platinum Presto – Nov 1989, #16 (US), #11 (Canada), #27 (UK) Gold Roll The Bones – Sep 1991, #3 (US), #1 (Canada), #10 (UK) Platinum Counterparts – Oct 1993, #2 (US), #1 (Canada), #14 (UK) Platinum Test For Echo – Sep 1996, #5 (US), #1 (Canada), #25 (UK) Gold Vapor Trails – May 2002, #6 (US), #3 (Canada), #38 (UK) Feedback – Jun 2004, #19 (US), #5 (Canada) Snakes & Arrows – May 2007, #3 (US), #3 (Canada), #13 (UK)

Over the years Rush have become Canadian cultural icons, even crossing boundaries to become involved in the most unlikely of mediums for a serious band, such as spoofs and TV comedy.

Geddy Lee with Bob & Doug McKenzie (the infamous Canadian SCTV brothers), scored a 1982 hit with their anthem Take Off, and the Canadian comedy series Trailer Park Boys features a character with a Rush fixation. A 2004 episode of the show was based around an appearance by Alex Lifeson, who was kidnapped from his hotel prior to a concert and forced to perform a private concert in the trailer park.

Rush have built a solid reputation for incredible live performances and the band have released half a dozen live album recordings to support this. Currently on tour throughout Canada, this October sees the band injecting their special brand of rock to a European audience, kicking off with several dates around the UK.

3 Oct – Glasgow, Scotland – SECC 5 Oct – Newcastle, England – Metro Radio Arena 6 Oct – Sheffield, England – Hallam FM Arena 9 Oct – London, England – Wembley Arena 10 Oct – London, England – Wembley Arena 12 Oct – Birmingham, England – NEC Arena 14 Oct – Manchester, England – MEN Arena 16 Oct – Rotterdam, Netherlands – Ahoy 17 Oct – Rotterdam, Netherlands – Ahoy 19 Oct – Oberhausen, Germany – Arena 21 Oct – Mannheim, Germany – SAP Arena 23rd – Milan, Italy – Forum Arena 26th – Oslo, Norway – Spektrum 27th – Stockholm, Sweden – Globe Arena 29th – Helsinki, Finland – Hartwell Arena

The use of web pages built around entertainers has developed multiple facets. What began as amateurs building web sites to gush over their favorite entertainer has developed into sophisticated use of the world’s newest and biggest communications devi

Posted on by
Reply

Official Sites vs. Unofficial Sites

Take for instance, your Justin Timberlake. His record company has at least two sites: justintimnberlake.com and justintimberlake/uk.com. Those sites promote his latest record and provide the opportunity to download tunes to your iPod. The record company has also created an official justintimberlake site on MySpace, which is basically a copy of their web page. This is an example of a mainstream artist following the highly successful track established by independent bands who posted their music on MySpace as an outreach tool, an alternative to the broadcast radio outlets that ignored them.

Then there is the “official” site, not surprisingly named officialjustintimberlake.com. This site provides news; photos and video clips; a store selling DVDs, CDs, posters and the like; and a fan “forum” where Justin followers are invited to post comments and engage in discussion.

That button, however, takes you to a site called “Safe Searching – the Official Celebrity Network.” There’s not much about Justin there, and there’s a menu that will take you to other “official” celebrity forum pages complete with photographs that accompany the commentary.

That’s an example of a relatively benign attempt at “official” use of the Internet. Of course, the star in question also has a stack of other unofficial web sites dedicated to his career, and many of those have heavy inventories of photos and video clips, mostly from TV appearances. As an example of the value of these sites, MTV has positioned itself high in the Google search list as “the ultimate destination for content on Justin Timberlake, including music videos, live performances, interviews, etc…”

True Fan Sites

With this guy, it’s tough to get to the true fan sites. The first six pages of a Google search are all commercial sites like “celebrity.org” and “hollywood.com” along with poster companies, Amazon and other commercial outlets. Hollywood.com covers all bases: it’s a general site for the entertainment industry, an index for fan sites, and a host company for individual fan sites – that are sure to end up in their index. The commercial applications for the Internet in the entertainment biz can make one’s head spin.

Topix.net hosts forums for entertainment personalities, among other topics. Some of the posts there are highly critical of Mr. Timberlake. Those are not discussion points you’ll find in the more entertainment oriented commercial sites, but you’ll find many more postings on sites like Topix than on the media-heavy promotional sites.

A final example of Internet utilization with impact is the personal diary-type postings that you’ll find on the official sites maintained by many public figures. These posts connect the artist to the fan in an effective, personal fashion. NASCAR drivers do it, many musicians do it, and almost all of the teen stars use this outreach technique. To many impressionable teenagers, the entertainer is no longer an unreachable idol but a “friend.”

In the 1970s and 1980s, the fastest way to transport lots of data between information devices was often to carry it down the hall on a magnetic tape or floppy disk–a method that computer scientists jokingly referred to as “Sneakernet.”

Posted on by
Reply

At my house, Sneakernet still rules, at least when it comes to multimedia networking. If I want to download a movie or TV show from an online service such as iTunes, for example, I attach my laptop to the 10-megabit-per-second cable modem in my office; if I then want to watch that same show in my living room, I have to lug the laptop downstairs.

But consumer-electronics makers have a different vision in mind, and they’ll be marketing it to thousands.The vision: consumers could simply point a remote control at their entertainment center and access video, music, or photos stored on their PC using a home broadband network based on old-fashioned Ethernet or Wi-Fi connections or newer technologies, such as powerline networking and ultra-wideband (UWB) wireless.

The gadgets that allow this integration are called “media adapters.” The category hasn’t yet attracted much attention among the electronics-shopping crowds at Best Buy or Circuit City. But at CES, where part of the massive exhibit area will be devoted to home networking, a number of companies will show off new or recently released models that they hope will appeal to entertainment junkies who want to get the most bang for the thousands of bucks they’ve already spent on the newest sound systems, high-definition (HD) LCD or plasma displays, and home computers.

For example, Netgear, already a leading maker of wireless routers for home Wi-Fi networks, will be promoting its Digital Entertainer system, introduced four months ago. The $280 device looks like a set-top cable TV box steamrollered to about 1.5 centimeters in thickness. It resides next to your TV and stereo system, where it communicates with your PC using a conventional wired network–if you’re lucky enough to have Ethernet cables built into your walls–or an 802.11g Wi-Fi wireless connection.

Using a remote control and a simple graphical interface displayed on your TV, you can call up digital movies, videos, photos, or nonencrypted music stored on any PC or hard drive attached to your home network. Your computer will compress the files and send them to the Digital Entertainer in streaming form as fast as your network can handle them. That means up to 100 megabits per second for a wired Ethernet connection and 54 megabits per second for an 802.11g connection. Both are enough to stream HD video, if that’s what you’ve got stored.

Netgear’s competitors offer similar boxes in the same price range; D-Link’s Media Lounge DSM 320, for example, goes for $200. Buffalo Technology’s LinkTheatre wireless HD media player lists at $490 but goes for $283 on Amazon. But for people who don’t already have 802.11g routers for their computers or Ethernet connections in their living rooms, a few companies are offering media adapters based on newer technologies, notably UWB and powerline networking.

UWB chip sets from Hauppauge, NY-based semiconductor maker Tzero, for example, are finding their way into media devices from Audiovox, Siemens, ViewSonic, and other consumer-electronics companies. UWB devices send data over a large range of frequencies, rather than over specific channels, as Wi-Fi routers and most other wireless devices do. This protects signals against interference and allows time-based rather than frequency- or amplitude-based signal modulation, meaning UWB signals can carry up to 480 megabits of data per second over short distances (10 meters or less), according to Tzero. At CES, Tzero and Audiovox plan to introduce a UWB media adapter, to be marketed under Audiovox’s Terk brand name, that can connect PCs, set-top boxes, HD DVD players and DVRs, and big-screen displays without the usual tangle of cables.

And there’s one more way to link entertainment devices without adding new wires: plug straight into your home’s electrical outlets. Electronics vendors have been talking up powerline networking in the home for ages, but interference problems and bandwidth limitations have kept the idea from catching on (see “Are Powerline Networks Finally Ready?” June 2001). Arkados is one of the companies that will argue at CES that the technology is now ready for consumers. It’s working with GigaFast and other manufacturers to put its chips and software into small “bridge” devices that can connect a PC to any television in a home. The devices can transmit data at up to 100 megabits per second–more than enough for HD-quality video. (For $250, Netgear will sell you a powerline adapter for the Digital Entertainer.)

Apple may actually make the biggest home-networking splash at CES, even though Steve Jobs and crew will be 400 miles away at San Francisco’s MacWorld convention, slated for January 8 through 12. The company is expected to preview–or at least talk about–a set-top device dubbed “iTV” that wirelessly streams iTunes music, videos, or movies from any computer in the home to a TV set. Given consumers’ familiarity with Apple digital media products like the iPod, an Apple entry in the media-adapter market could severely limit the opportunities for competitors like Netgear or D-Link.

Despite all these newfangled networking technologies, Sneakernet may not be dead yet. Think of it this way: if you carry a 4.7-gigabyte DVD down a ten-meter-long hallway at one meter per second, you’ve effectively “transmitted” the data on that disc at more than 3,700 megabits per second–a speed home networks won’t be reaching for a long time.

Rascal Flatts tickets are a chance to see a duo that seemingly came from nowhere to take the country music scene by storm. Their rise has been meteoric, but their advancement has not been without controversy. However, controversy or not, this is a ba

Posted on by
Reply

Early Beginnings

The band’s members are Jay DeMarcus, who was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1971. DeMarcus got his start with a Christian band named East to West in the early 1990’s while he was a student at Lee University in Tennessee. DeMarcus plays the piano, guitar, drums, and bass, and he is known to have the ability to do just about anything with a musical instrument.

The other band member is Gary LeVox, and he is DeMarcus’ second cousin. LeVox was born in 1970, also in Columbus, and he grew up a fan of all types of music. Earl Thomas Connelly, Stevie Wonder, Randy Travis, Merle Haggard and George Jones are all considered influences on LeVox and his style, and he does most of the writing for the duo.

After DeMarcus got his start with East to West, he decided to team up with LeVox to see where their collective talents could take them. They started playing the club scene in Ohio and Tennessee, and the Rascal Flatts were soon a big hit within these smaller scenes.

Discovery and Rise

The band was soon discovered after record executives had a hard time securing Rascal Flatts tickets, but once they were seen, they were soon signed. They released their debut full-length album in 2000, and it was a huge hit. Rascal Flatts went double-platinum and rose to number three on the country charts, but that was only the beginning. Their next three releases all rose to number one on the country charts and all went multiple-platinum. 22 of their singles from these albums have hit the country charts, and an amazing five number one hits.

Controversy

Like many bands, Rascal Flatts has been through its share of controversy. Their 2003 video for “I Melt” was met with harsh criticism based on the fact that it contained brief nudity. This surprised many long-time fans given the fact that DeMarcus got his start with a Christian band. Several groups and individuals clamored to have the video removed from CMT.

However, the band reached a compromise by putting together an edited version of the video that ran during the day. Even though the video incident was controversial, it did raise the profile of the band and remove any assumptive label that they were a country/Christian hybrid band.

Overall, Rascal Flatts has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the industry, and Rascal Flatts tickets will show you why this band will be topping the charts for years to come.

It’s a mystery why certain venues become more synonymous with great gigs than others. Much of the time it depends on what one may be looking to get for the price of their ticket; great acoustics, fun lighting, an exciting atmosphere – but one thing f

Posted on by
Reply

Here, five top UK venues are put under the microscope in an attempts to explain why this phenomenon might happen, so the next time you buy your concert tickets, you might consider improving on the experience by attending it at one of these top locations.

Top of most people’s list, certainly if you ask the acts that have ever played it, is the Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow (www.glasgow-barrowland.com/ballroom.htm).

Recently voted the second best small venue in Europe (it has a capacity of 1900); it is located at the bottom end of the Gallowgate, resplendent with a large rainbow façade. It has seen almost every band in recent history gracing its famous stage, from the Arctic Monkeys to All About Eve, and The Who to Robbie Williams. All of them have come away from gigs at ‘The Barras’ raving about the atmosphere it generates.

But what is it that makes this wooden-floored, sweaty 60’s throwback so appealing?

The answer is simplicity; the stage is the perfect height and distance from the crowd (in your face all the time), and the sound is condensed within the four walls creating a totally awesome live music experience that sweeps everyone into a frenzy.

Glasgow audiences are amongst the toughest to please but the most rewarding when you do, and when this happens in The Barrowland the result is electric.

At number two there is no doubt the Brixton Academy (www.brixton-academy.co.uk) is as good a venue for a gig as you will get anywhere in the world. A favourite for Ian Dury and more recently, Madonna, this jewel in London’s crown creates an explosive and urban atmosphere, so that people continue to snap tickets up for gigs there faster than Linford Christie does 100m.

The venue, run by Carling, has spread into other cities too, with replicas of the interior being constructed to capitalise on the successful layout the building affords. It’s a simple philosophy; create a classic look but with modern facilities, and slope the crowd as far as they can go towards the stage.

In third place is a pub backroom that tops all small venues, purely because of its history and openness to introduce new acts to the music scene: The Dublin Castle (www.bugbearbookings.com/pages/dc.htm).

Found in Camden Town’s Parkway, this pub is perhaps most famous for being the home of Madness, but it has also been the heart of a Camden musical enterprise that has seen the likes of Oasis and Blur stake a claim.

The Dublin Castle stage is small, but its impact on the British music scene proves it has punched over its weight for many years. Catch a gig there if you can some night – a single ticket will get you at least three bands for under a tenner, and the beer is half bad either.

From the smallest to the largest now, and the title of best arena venue in the UK goes to the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle (www.metroradioarena.co.uk). Highly adaptable and with superb facilities, this arena is a must-play venue to the hottest live music acts on the go, as well as sporting occasions and stand-up comedy acts.

It always guarantees an energetic and enthusiastic crowd of up to 10,000 people, with superb views and sound quality, whether standing, seated, in the expensive boxes, or the rear balcony. It’s as good a venue on this scale for performing acts as it is for the paying public.

Last but not least on the list of top five best UK concert venues goes to a much forgotten centre of musical and artistic excellence – another Camden classic – The Roundhouse (www.roundhouse.org.uk).

Built in 1846, this legendary and recently refurbished Grade II listed building is as steeped in British music history as you can get. Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley have all graced its famous stage, and it’s a pleasure to see it revitalize its fortunes as a going concern. Since a period of degeneration and regeneration, it now plays host to some of the best top and wide-ranging acts the music and theatre scenes have to offer.