Hello! Rock Band Academy will hold an orientation to discuss all things RBA next week. There will be one held at each store. Wexford RBA orientation will be on Friday, August 20th from 5:00 PM-7:00 PM. Lawrenceville RBA orientation will be on Thursday, August 19th from 6:00-7:00.
The meeting isn’t mandatory. However, the idea behind the orientation is to provide important information and to give all parents and students a chance to ask questions and sign up for the session. Check out the RBA Calendar for other important dates in the Fall session. If you have questions about the orientation or anything else, contact Carey Davenport, RBA Manager, at carey@backstageguitars.com or try catching him by phone at either store. Lawrenceville: 412-235-7765; Wexford: 724-799-8630.
So you are sitting around thinking, “Man I need some epic music to roll 20 sided dice to.” Well, Rhapsody of Fire delivers where many other fantasy metal bands fail. If you think that Dragonforce is amazing then this isn’t the band for you. Rhapsody of Fire is doing it right with enough flash mixed with great concepts. They don’t go overboard with guitar wanking so it keeps you interested unlike the previously mentioned band. Also, this isn’t 8-bit music influenced music it’s music about slaying dragons, overcoming evil wizards and just straight up taking your mind and ears to a far and distant land.. Crystal Moonlight is one of my favorites off this album.
“”just because we’re not 21, is that supposed to mean, we can’t have any fun?, so go out and let yer fist’s fly, stage dive, dance the night away.”"
This lyrics is from the Kid Dynamite song Cheap Shot Youth Anthem, and pretty much sums up everything I love about that band. When I was in highschool and just discovering punk rock and hardcore shows with my friends Jason and Christian in Christian’s car named moses this song and record was a constant to me. In the times when we lived for friday nights to go to Millvale Industrial Theatre without knowing what bands were playing. The grimiest venue ever! The place later got shut down for being uninhabitable by humans or some nonsense. There were broken toilets, more broken vending machines, and a jet engine to heat the room in the winter. Kid Dynamite is a band I never saw play live and regret that very much. They seemed to be a band that were always having fun but still made sure they did it at DIY all ages venues. That to me will always stick with me even now at 25.
From wikipedia: Kid Dynamite was a Philadelphia-based melodic hardcore band consisting of drummer Dave Wagenschutz, guitarist Dan Yemin, and vocalist Jason Shevchuk, as well as original bassist Steve Farrell and eventual replacement Michael “Spider” Cotterman. The band put out two full-lengths before lead singer Jason Shevchuk left the band in order to finish film/editing school; the act subsequently disbanded. They also featured former members of highly influential New Jersey melodic hardcore outfit Lifetime, and future members of a number of acts including None More Black, Armalite, Paint It Black, Higher Giant, and The Loved Ones.
It’s inevitable working in a guitar shop that we end up having heated conversations about music. So we decided to take it to the web with Music Mondays. Every Monday someone from our staff is going to write a blog about music – specifically one particular album, artist or song. We’ll be covering anything, from the first albums that inspired us to become musicians to great hidden gems that we feel never got the recognition they deserved. Anyways, enjoy, and be sure to leave your comments and continue the discussion.
It’s just another bombtrack…
My iPod is littered with a lot of crap I listened to in high school and will never listen to again. But in that mess are a few albums that I know I can always go back to and get the same response. Rage Against the Machine’s first release, self-titled, is one of those albums. I was only 7 when it was released in 1992, but when I caught up to it I couldn’t let it go.
Explicit Lyrics
Rage went on to put out two more studio albums of originals — Evil Empire and The Battle of Los Angeles. To me, the message and the quality were present for the most part, but it didn’t stand up to the self-titled release. Both albums had hits, but neither were a front-to-back success. Shortly after they broke up in 2007 the band released Renegades, which was a cover album. Meh. A few songs are catchy. I like “In My Eyes” and “Pistol Grip Pump.” I don’t think they made videos for those songs, but you can listen to them on Youtube.
Apparently the band started playing shows again with the original lineup in 2007 when they realized the Chris Cornell-led Audioslave was God-awful. The band is currently playing in Europe and says they might do a new studio album. Given the current political events, I think it could be awesome.
It’s inevitable working in a guitar shop that we end up having heated conversations about music. So we decided to take it to the web with Music Mondays. Every Monday someone from our staff is going to write a blog about music – specifically one particular album, artist or song. We’ll be covering anything, from the first albums that inspired us to become musicians to great hidden gems that we feel never got the recognition they deserved. Anyways, enjoy, and be sure to leave your comments and continue the discussion.
Deftones- Diamond Eyes
Deftones were one of the first handful of “heavy” bands that really inspired me to play guitar. Steph Carpenter on their second record ” Around the Fur” was the first time I heard a guitar sound and became inspired or obsessed with achieving a similar sound. I started really paying attention to amps and pickups. I first heard Deftones when I was thirteen. At that time they had just released a single from that record called “My Own Summer”. At the time when really cruddy heavy bands ruled the charts like Limp Bizkit and Korn, Deftones forged their own ground, playing uniquely heavy riffs with a perfect groove. Whenever I start playing or jamming with new drummers and I try to explain certain grooves I’m looking for I constantly note Abe from Deftones.
Deftones then released what I consider their best record — White Pony. They took a new direction getting very atmospheric and a bit less polished. If you haven’t heard this record go pick it up immediately. They have recently released a new record entitled “Diamond Eyes.” I think this record is right under White Pony as my favorite Deftones record. It’s much heavier and still very groove- and atmosphere-oriented. A perfect “turn it up loud and roll your windows down at night for a long drive” record. They have a new bassist on this record because Chi Cheng,the bassist from their previous records, was in a terrible car accident and is currently in a coma. They have the bass player from Quicksand, which is another band if you haven’t heard you should definitely check out. Quicksand features members of Gorilla Biscuits — one of the most influential hardcore bands ever. Many bands that were around when the Deftones started playing have faded and disappeared while they continue to release amazingly solid records with perfect guitar tone and amazing drumming. This is a band I always look forward to new releases from, always play great live, and are not afraid to experiment with new sounds and ideas. Truly inspiring. It’s amazing to see a bigger band write solid heavy music and stay entirely gimmick-free.
From wikipedia : Deftones is an American rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 1988 consisting of Chino Moreno (lead vocals and guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Chi Cheng (bass), Frank Delgado (keyboards and turntables), and Abe Cunningham (drums and percussion). They have released six albums to date, with their most recent Diamond Eyes in spring of 2010.
It’s inevitable working in a guitar shop that we end up having heated conversations about music.So we decided to take it to the web with Music Mondays. Every Monday someone from our staff is going to write a blog about music – specifically one particular album, artist or song. We’ll be covering anything, from the first albums that inspired us to become musicians to great hidden gems that we feel never got the recognition they deserved. Anyways, enjoy, and be sure to leave your comments and continue the discussion.
NIL LARA
One evening in 1996 while channel surfing through my insomnia I came upon a live studio performance of Nil Lara. Entering into the viewing audience half way through the set, I was so impressed by the level of musicianship and writing that I immediately purchased the album the following morning. It’s a tad dated now but I still think it’s a great listen. The two songs that I continually come back to on this album are “Crawl” and “Money makes the monkey dance”. Enjoy!
Biography
Lara was born in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Cuban immigrants, but much of his childhood was spent in Venezuela, moving to Caracas at the age of 7. At 8, he had mastered cuatro – a four-string Venezuelan instrument from which he graduated to the guitar. He moved with his family to Miami when he was in junior high. While studying electrical engineering at the University of Miami in Florida, he rediscovered his Cuban roots in guajiro, the Cuban equivalent of country, and “son” – Cuban music’s answer to the blues. This led him to the tres, a Cuban instrument with a unique sound and with the status of a grassroots instrument in Cuba.
Backstage Guitars invites you to our 2nd Annual RBA Invitational. Last year’s event was a huge success and we have some great bands lined up for you this year. The RBA Invitational is a great way for people new to the program to see how it’s done!
It’s inevitable working in a guitar shop that we end up having heated conversations about music.So we decided to take it to the web with Music Mondays. Every Monday someone from our staff is going to write a blog about music – specifically one particular album, artist or song. We’ll be covering anything, from the first albums that inspired us to become musicians to great hidden gems that we feel never got the recognition they deserved. Anyways, enjoy, and be sure to leave your comments and continue the discussion.
So, I was sitting here thinking what band should I pick for Music Monday? Then it hits me that it is my first Music Monday. Why not the first music that really took hold of my heart? Sick of it All was honestly one of the first bands that I had heard who really spoke volumes to me. The music was hard hitting and the lyrics were typically about something positive. They were a straight forward band and you didn’t need the special decoder tool to figure out what they were all about. “Drink your ovaltine! Son of a…”
They are living legends amongst the hardcore punk crowd. I think they have earned it by staying together for 2 and a half decades. Not to mention they have stuck to their sound which to me is an important thing. If I am buying a Sick of it All album then I want Sick of it All not some transformed band that sounds nothing like the original. Anyway, I could go on for a wall of text about this band but I’ll let you check them out for yourself if you haven’t encountered them yet.
Oh yeah, here’s that song that grabbed hold of my heart and guided me down my musical path about 14 years ago.
They just had a new album come out in April 2010 so check that out too and they still rock as hard or even harder than that first album I encountered so long ago.
It’s inevitable working in a guitar shop that we end up having heated conversations about music.So we decided to take it to the web with Music Mondays. Every Monday someone from our staff is going to write a blog about music – specifically one particular album, artist or song. We’ll be covering anything, from the first albums that inspired us to become musicians to great hidden gems that we feel never got the recognition they deserved. Anyways, enjoy, and be sure to leave your comments and continue the discussion.
IN MEMORY OF RONNIE JAMES DIO
When there’s lightning – it always bring me down
Cause it’s free and I see that it’s me
Who’s lost and never found
I cry for magic – I feel it dancing in the light
But it was cold – I lost my hold
To the shadows of the night
There’s no sign of the morning coming
You’ve been left on your own
Like a Rainbow in the Dark
Ronnie James Dio, more commonly known as just “Dio” passed away Sunday morning at 7:45 A.M. after battling stomach cancer. Dio was the frontman of many bands, including Rainbow, Heaven and Hell, Black Sabbath, and, of course, Dio. He was probably most famous for inventing the “Devil Horns” metal sign.
Jason C. and I had the pleasure of seeing Dio last summer when Heaven and Hell was on tour with Testament, Motorhead, and Judas Priest. Even though Testament was the best band of the night, Dio himself killed it. You would’ve never thought a dude with a voice so powerful had stomach cancer.
One of my favorite and only Dio memories comes from an album entitled “Heaven and Hell” by Black Sabbath. After Ozzy left, a lot of people probably thought Sabbath was dead, but they did release a monster of a record with Dio singing on it. This record was given to me by my grandmother who had cleaned out her attic of her son’s records. I also was given some Kiss and Van Halen records. For a kid just entering high school, having some classics on vinyl was pretty damn cool.
My favorite track on this record was actually side A track 1, entitled Neon Knights. In the movie High Fidelity when they are giving their lists of best Side 1 Track 1 songs, this would definitely make my list.
From Wikipedia: Ronnie James Dio (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010) was an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser Hear ‘n Aid. He was widely hailed as one of the most powerful singers in heavy metal,[1] renowned for his consistently powerful voice and for popularizing the “devil’s horns” hand gesture in metal culture. He was collaborating on a project with former Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Vinny Appice, under the moniker Heaven & Hell, whose first and only studio album, The Devil You Know, was released on April 28, 2009.[2] He died of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010.[3][4]
It’s inevitable working in a guitar shop that we end up having heated conversations about music.So we decided to take it to the web with Music Mondays. Every Monday someone from our staff is going to write a blog about music – specifically one particular album, artist or song. We’ll be covering anything, from the first albums that inspired us to become musicians to great hidden gems that we feel never got the recognition they deserved. Anyways, enjoy, and be sure to leave your comments and continue the discussion.
ARSIS – A Celebration Of Guilt
I don’t remember when I first discovered Arsis, but from the second I heard the drum intro and sweep-picking riff from “Face of my Innocence” on “A Celebration of Guilt,” I was hooked. The thing about Arsis that I loved (and love) is that they bring the darkness and heavy riffage of Death Metal and throw in catchy-yet-intricate leads and solos that make it completely listenable. Don’t get me wrong – I love me some traditional death metal. But something about front man James Malone’s musicality really stuck out for me in Arsis’ music compared to all other bands doing the “death metal” thing. But Arsis’ musicality isn’t surprising when you consider Malone and original drummer Mike Van Dyne met at Berklee College of Music in Boston.
And the unique blend of styles isn’t surprising, either, when you consider Malone’s influences…
Something I was really impressed with the first time I saw Arsis – something I guess I hadn’t thought about just listening to the record – was that Malone plays lead and sings throughout every song. And he does it flawlessly. In ’05 I had the opportunity to play a show in Indiana, PA, with Arsis, but unfortunately flooding caused their van to get stuck and they were forced to turn around. A few months later they came back and they definitely lived up to the precision laid down on the recordings.
James Malone is obviously the heart and soul of this band, being the only constant member in their history, using session musicians and fill-ins for the majority of the time. It seems, though, that they have finally gotten their act together and came out with a new release in February of this year titled, “Starve for the Devil.”
Unfortunately, I don’t like their new album or much of their music released since A Celebration of Guilt. The image of the band has changed for the worse, becoming sort of glam-oriented, and the music seems watered down to suit the masses. You still hear Malone’s skilled licks, riffs, and structures, but something’s lacking. I don’t want to call him a sellout, because everyone deserves to make a dime. It’s just too bad the new stuff isn’t really worth my 2 cents. Here’s the first single from the new record:
Maybe it’s satirical and I’ll eat my words. They have a chance to prove me wrong. Arsis is playing The Smiling Moose on June 5th.
