How To Download Yahoo Music Video?

Yahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming. Needless to say, Yahoo music is one the world's most popular music sites. A perfect place to go for those music fans.
So, do you have an idea to download Yahoo music video? Or to record Yahoo music video and save Yahoo music video?Then what is the choice to download Yahoo music video? Think about that? Well, This Streaming Video Recorder is an ideal tool to download Yahoo music video, record Yahoo music video and save Yahoo music video.
Part1: How to download, record yahoo music video?Step 1: Download Wondershare Streaming Video Recorder from its official site for free:It's one of the best to download online music videos and streaming videos. No matter what protocol the music video site is, RTMP, HTTP, RTSP, MMS, etc. all could be downloaded. And it provides you a seven days free trial with full function.Step 2: Run the software, and then go http://new.music.yahoo.com/ to play Yahoo music videos.And make sure the sniffer is running.
Usually, the sniffer is running by default. But you'd better check it to make sure it's working, or streaming video recorder cannot detect the Yahoo video automatically and there will be pop-up window to ask you either to record or skip the detected video. Want to keep it, click Record. Then the software will start to download Yahoo music videos right away.
Step3: Click "Record" to download yahoo music video.The downloading task will show on download list in middle. You can open several videos in browser and download them together.Part2: How to setting output formats to improve the output Video quality (Advanced Function Optional)Output Formats: choose the format you want, so you can convert yahoo music video to AVI, MP4, WMV, MOV, MPG, etc.
Sample Rate: In developing an audio sound for computers or telecommunication, the sample rate is the number of samples of a sound that are taken per second to represent the event digitally.Channel: Set the number of output channels. A value of 1 indicates monophonic sound, 2 stereophonic. Some devices may have more than 2 channels, and some high-end devices may not support mono. Returns the number of channels the device was set to.
Bit rate: Bit rate is generally measured as the number of "bits per second" (bps) at which the data in an audio is being delivered. A higher bit rate means that the audio has more information.
Tips:Batches record streaming videos, up to 20 at one timeWith this Streaming Video Recorder, you can download nearly 20 streaming videos, mtv, yahoo music video synchronously. Launch Streaming Video Recorder, open your favorite web video, as many as you like, and you can record streaming video to your hard disk all together.

Music Is One Of The Best Thing That We Have Got In Our Life

Music is one of the best thing that we have got in our life. This is one of the best way to express your thoughts, emotions, activities and memories. Music has many forms like sad music, romantic music, rock music, fun music etc. The best music that I feel is the fun music, because a fun music will always helps to overcome from problems, sad situations and will let you to live life happily. Therefore we always have a feel of music in our life.
A best music production comprised of professional singers, musicians, producers, songwriters and other professionals. After all this combination we enjoy the feel of music. Music production houses play one of the important role in making music and producing in such a manner that people could enjoy it. Music production companies offer a number of services like organic music, audio branding campaigns, commercials, radio commercial production/jingles, TV title music, TV sound effects, website music/sounds, corporate videos, creation of 3 feature-length films, making memorable wedding and family DVDs, digital video and audio and many more services.
These days there a number of music production companies who are providing best music in form of audio, video, digital music, music for film and TV commercials, commercial ads and many more. To get the best you should choose the best music company by keeping in mind all the services provided by the company, cost of services, whether the company has good testimonials or not, who are company's major clients and so on.

Rap Music

It may seem to be a daunting task to trace back the history of rap music and history of bossa nova, though you can see one similarity—informal music associated with highly informal dance style. As far as origin of rap music is concerned most people agree that it is Afro-American and Latino Street culture of New York City. Not only this city but the surrounding areas as well that have influence of African people and their culture. 
If we see it carefully, then we will definitely notice that rap music rhyming poetry combined with heavy drum beats and music usually sung at higher pitches. Most of the time rap music is associated with chorus sung by another performer in their original traditional pop, rhythm and blues. Though, rap music was primarily an American music style with African influence over music and lyrics, but recently it has been spread evenly to almost entire world.
There is hardly any country or nation, where rap music can not be seen in some form or other. Perhaps this is one of the most sought after music styles amongst the youngsters. However, when it comes to trace back the history then it is believed that hip hop and rap music started in the early 70s and during the late 70s and early 80s it gained much popularity not in America but throughout the world.
The history of rap music and hip hop music is full of controversies and bans, as the lyrics revolve around sex, drugs and crime; even the most famous pop stars and hip hop musicians and singers were found to be associated with several controversies in their life. For that reason, no matter how popular this music style was or still is, but it has always had a bad reputation in the eyes of mainstream society and its people around the world. Sometimes it gang culture is also criticized along withy it dirty lyrics. Unfortunately or coincidently one of the members of the Last Poet was sentenced to prison and  he wasn't able to perform for their second album later within a year.

Rock Music In Itself Has Many Styles

Rock music in itself has many styles that were incorporated by musicians who loved this music. One can come across rock music where instruments like synthesizers, piano and organ is also used. Rock music began in the early fifties in United States and the United Kingdom and like all popular music has it own loyal fan following. Rock music was subsequently mixed with many other elements of music to give their own touch to rock music. Rock song subsequently over the years had many new genres added in its fold. The term rock music is an extremely popular genre of music which has its roots, deeply embedded in rock and roll, country music and blues music. Centered on the guitar, it has many subgenres like the ones mentioned below to name a few.

Normally, the rock band consists of 2 to 5 members that include the main vocalist, lead guitarist, guitarist to play the rhythm, the bass guitarist, the drummer and sometimes another person to play any other instrument. The lyrics of the rock form of music deal with varied issues unlike the Blues music which revolves around melancholy and sadness. In fact, it is difficult to define rock music as it has a tendency to absorb a lot from the other form of music and hence does not have a rigid definition to it. This rebellion is not only against the social scene but also the ongoing political scenario during those. Perhaps this was the reason why the rock scene was perceived as a medium to divert youth and encourage non cooperation and disobedience of the prevalent societal norms. This form of music is also associated with the rising awareness of gender bias prompting equality. This was a major source of ideas especially for the world of fashion and cinema where one could clearly see the outright influence of the rock revolution.

Today we have different categories under rock music and some of the popular ones are heavy metal rock, progressive rock, blues rock, soft rock, punk rock and techno rock among others. In the 1980's and 1990's many new additional genres of rock music such as Brit pop rock, Indie rock, alternative rock, hard rock and grunge style rock were introduced. The United Kingdom is another country where rock country flourished and British rock is also as famous as American rock music all over the world. The kind of rock music that Pink Floyd was sang was known as psychedelic rock. The folk scene combined with rock gave the new term folk rock. Here all the traditional songs were combined with the instruments that were traditionally associated with rock music. This genre of music was pioneered by Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie. Some of the other popular rock folk rock music artists include Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and The Band. When Rock n Roll scaled popularity charts, record companies began promoting singers.

The Hip Hop Music

So many people write so many things and talk so much about the hip hop culture. Often, it is the negative that is highlighted， the "ill-effects" are mentioned. But it all isn't as bad as it looks. I am very impressed with motivational rapper Marcus Parker's words when he explained that rap music is about everything that happens out in the streets. It portrays the life outside one's comfort zone. Many of the artists face prison-time and indulge in abuses because they aren't from the well-kept, well-educated and 'fortunate' backgrounds like all those of reading this article. Yes, it is a fact that most of the rappers still live the hard life. In fact, we can understand this from the very origin of this genre; it stemmed from ghetto and gang communities of youngsters in the troubled streets of Africa, in the 1980s. Rap lyrics have content derived from people who face these circumstances and the things that are important to them. These themes may, hence, seem inappropriate to the sophisticated mind. But when you analyze this music from the writer's point of view and the listener's perception you will understand the 'connection'.

When a rapper raps about sexuality, it is perhaps something that the youngster can understand. Certainly the explicit content isn't the best flavor but we must wake up to the fact that physicality is an integral part of our social being. Beside, trying to apprehend what your son or daughter appreciates will help you connect with them better. There are also songs that I like although they may not represent me as a person. I like hip hop rap songs for their beats; I may not agree with the lyric but I can certainly enjoy the music. Dissimulate b let loose's communicate with started with the "Judgement Rapper" Common. I wish we didn't be struck by to function that notable terminology to rank the rapper because all rappers should be conscience. It is basically the acutance of hip-hop.

Even Underground hip-hop is finding a greater audience with platforms offered by the World Wide Web today. So, why should we be intimidated or apprehensive? Music does inspire, and when it does not; it merely entertains. Negative does not influence as strongly as the positive. As adults, it is important to be aware of what our children are going through as well as give them the space to explore their worlds. We have all passed through that phase and grown to be who we are. In the end, a healthy upbringing will always overpower any superficial influence. Let the music play because it is only music and not an instruction for life! There are many award shows that feature hip hop artists. Some of these shows are specific to the genre, while others are dedicated to music in general. Many of the best artists perform at these shows. Even if fans cannot attend these in person, they can likely watch some of them on television. If all else fails, they can go to a concert or two in their home city.

How To Compose A Beautiful Symphony ?

As the name suggests, modern lifestyle which is the demand of today time is integrated with the project. Second thing is that it provides you a luxury and luxury-economic flats. In name of facilities that boasts the comforts like Wi-Fi connectivity, business lounge along with that swimming pool, gym, spa health club etc. As far possession with the Symphony is concerned, company is giving possession in 3 years and 3 months bonus period. So you need to rush for booking your apartment. There are two kind of apartment are there like two-bed room apartment and three-bed room apartment. Learning to write a symphony will teach you the goal of form is to give you a vehicle for harmonic and rhythmic development. You don't just figure out the harmony of a theme or musical sentence, but how will that harmony develop, veer off, and return to home. Rhythm is truly the heartbeat of humanity and will drive your symphony along, don't neglect it.

The symphony gives you all of the tools that you will need in order to learn how to compose music. It requires a knowledge of form, harmony, melody, rhythm, variation, theme, orchestration and instrumentation. The answer to this question may be yes and no at the same time. It all depends on how you approach it. If you approach it methodically step by step you will be fine, and you can learn a great deal as you go along. Sometimes it is better to bite off more than you can chew, as it makes you grow as a person. You want to understand the overall structure of the Symphony and its movements. For instance, the first movement is usually in the Sonata-Allegro form. This requires you to understand that form, and the way it develops harmonically. But even further down the line, you have to understand how to make a musical sentence, phrase and motive. Structure and form are where the Symphony is truly made and becomes logical and coherent. You must never allow your experimentation to make the music illogical.

While Liszt had a total command of the piano, he knew little about orchestration and instrumentation. He learned quickly, and became a master of the orchestra as well as the piano. He hired musicians that knew how to orchestrate and would have them orchestrate his piano versions of works. He would then use them as examples and then re-orchestrate the piece himself, using what the had learned. A Faust Symphony was the first work the Liszt orchestrated without any help, and even felt well versed enough to write out the 'Gretchen' movement of the work straight out into full score without a piano sketch. He completed the score in 1854. The very opening notes of the movement is the first Faust theme, stated in cellos and violas. The theme itself is tonally ambiguous as it uses all 12 notes of the chromatic scale. This ambiguity lends a great amount of flexibility to this theme within the movement, within the Gretchen movement where the love and purity of Gretchen transforms the themes into warm and tender music, and also in the Mephistopheles movement where Liszt turns the themes into the sarcastic, sardonic themes of Mephistopheles himself.

The Piano Concerto

A piano sonata is usually composed of three or four movements which include the intro, body, and the third and fourth parts, which are known for their fast tempos. Shortly after the piano was invented, piano sonatas were written by famous composers such as Franz Joseph Haydn (Sonata in D Major) and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Piano Sonata No. 11). Other composers also created timeless sonatas that are usually included in many classical piano repertoires. If you’re trying to master the basics of piano sonata, listen to Chopin’s "Piano Sonata No. 3", Beethoven’s beloved "Moonlight Sonata", and Franz Liszt’s "Sonata in B Minor." In this genre, pieces are composed of a soloist and an ensemble or orchestra. The main focus is on the piano and the orchestra serves as an accompaniment. This style usually has three completely different movements. Probably one of the most recognized composers because of his amazing piano concertos is Amadeus Mozart.

Evgeny Kissin began to play the piano at the age of two years old. He was born in October 1971 in Moscow. At an age where many children are still mastering talking in complete sentences, Kissin was playing the piano by ear as well as improvising. He began attending the Moscow Gnessin School of Music studying under his teacher, Anna Pavlovna Kantor, at the age of six years old. This was a special school for gifted children and Anna Pavlovna Kantor was his sole teacher during his stint there. He played with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic and at the Salzburg Easter Festival. The Salzburg Festival, founded in the late 1960's, is said to be an exclusive event with brilliant talents participating each year. During the 1990's, Evgeny Kissin performed in North America, as well, with the New York Philharmonic and at Carnegie Hall. He wowed the United States with his amazing piano talent while playing Chopin.

The Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major, by French composer Maurice Ravel, is a testament not only to Ravel's brilliance, but also to the indomitable will of the man who commissioned it. Sadly, he lost his right arm during the fighting. After the war, Wittgenstein was not willing to admit that his dream of a concert piano career was over. Determined to succeed, he began practicing with his remaining hand to improve his left-handed technique. He tried to arrange two-handed works to accommodate his one-handed state. In the late 1920's Wittgenstein decided to approach leading piano composers of his day and commission works written intentionally for the left hand alone. He found something to complain about in almost every concerto offered to him by his all-star line-up of composers. With Wagner's work, Wittgenstein complained that the orchestration was too powerful to accompany a single-handed pianist, and would overpower the soloist. With Prokofiev's work, Wittgenstein declared that he simply would not play it.

Do You Love Jazz ?

If you are not the creative type of person, listed below are some amazing ideas to jazz up your marketing with the use of bookmarks. Whatever the occasion is, your bookmark will surely turn into something special and extraordinary. If you have an upcoming occasion, say a wedding or anniversary, you can consider giving bookmarks as souvenir. Personalize the design so it would be a great memory of the special day. Put your picture in the design and put a special message on it to make it memorable. After you are done with the design, have them laminated so you they will last a long time. You can put a ribbon or other embellishments to them so they will look eye-catching. Make sure the colors you use goes with your motif so they complement with the occasion. Make sure to create a unique and interesting design of your bookmark templates so they will be encourage to keep the invitation and at the same time attend the event. You can be as creative as you want in the invitation as long as you are able to deliver your message clearly and effectively.

Jazz Scales have been a really crucial part of our music today and can be found throughout many genre just like Blues, Jazz, Country and Rock. Even Heavy Metal groundbreakers Black Sabbath wouldn't have sounded like they do if it wasn't for jazz scales. Playing jazz scales might appear difficult for a rock guitarist. But if you need to broaden your horizons and bring in some new influences to your playing jazz guitar scales are the perfect way to accomplish that. A great many well known guitarist have embraced jazz in their playing, e.g. Alex Skolnick. Alex Skolnick started out as the guitar player of Thrash Metal veterans "Testament" but founded the Alex Skolnick Trio many years ago. With the Alex Skolnick Trio he plays purely and mainly jazz songs. And the combination of his metal background with jazz is just outstanding.

Jazz guitar scales will comprise Bebop scales, Whole tone scale, Pentatonic scales, Blues scale. All of which are super melodic. By adding together these scales to your playing you will go through a whole new world on your electric guitar. If you want to hand out giveaways after an event, whether it is a personal or business event, bookmarks are great giveaways. Treat your guest with a unique material they can take home with them. You can even include something special in the bookmark, perhaps a special gift or a discount and sample of your product, if you use them for marketing purpose. Think of anything that will make the material special and worth keeping, and you can be sure to make the recipients want to keep it. You can try other ideas to make your plain looking bookmark look different. If done beautifully, you can be sure that your guests will never forget you. Whatever the event or occasion is, give out custom designed bookmarks as souvenirs with a twist.

The Sound of Silence

As you can probably imagine, trains can be loud and noisy. My solution is to carry noise canceling headphones with me. Let me make something clear -- they dramatically reduce the amount of noise you hear, but, it's not like they can drown out EVERY sound that's out there. What I like is how any sounds you DO hear appear more distant. It's easier to keep your concentration and focus if the noise you hear seems far away. If so, you might be the perfect candidate for a pair of noise canceling headphones. Let me share a story with you that I think will really make it clear just how useful these devices can be.

All this noise can make a car journey very stressful for driver and passengers and often stops them from enjoying their music as they cruise along the road - after all, music interrupted by clinks and clatter is not that soothing. The solution to this problem is sound deadening sheets, which dull down and block out sounds outside your car. The light weight sheets, made by Dynamat, are to be placed in the interior of the car, including the roof, floor, doors and boot to create a lining on the inside of the car. The sound deadening sheets not only make your ride more relaxing, they make your car feel more solid due to the flexible but strong aluminum and specialist materials used which enable you to mould the sheets easily to the parameter as well as converts energy more effectively and rapidly.

It is further recommended a roller is used to press down the material on large areas. Once in place, the sheet should last a great number of years. he ride is long, and I like to read while traveling to-and-from work everyday. As you can probably imagine, trains can be loud and noisy. My solution is to carry noise canceling headphones with me. Let me make something clear -- they dramatically reduce the amount of noise you hear, but, it's not like they can drown out EVERY sound that's out there. What I like is how any sounds you Do hear appear more distant. It's easier to keep your concentration and focus if the noise you hear seems far away. These are not Catholic dogma; rather, they resonate with the deep wisdom mined by every spiritual path that has discovered the power of silence - which is most of them. Walking the path and internalising these reflections created a sense of deep peace and wellbeing, and of being fully present in the moment - which is probably saying the same thing in two ways.

Enjoy Popular Music Online

Vinyl albums are still popular for a number of different reasons. Things like nostalgia, sound quality, and the tangibility of a product are just a few reasons. No matter how fast music technology seems to get, vinyl albums seem to have a staying power that lasts. With Amazon and other huge retailers selling vinyl LP's, there is no sign that this is a fad that will go away. Despite their prosperity, the band received much criticism by the media because of Jim Morrison's often strange behavior both on and off the stage. However, despite Morrison's behavior, the band managed to witness worldwide success, releasing nine vinyl records during their eight-year existence. Even after Morrison's tragic death in 1971, the band managed to live on, but the success of the band was short lived because Morrison was such an important member to the band's success.
The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and countless other bands and artists site rockabilly music and rockabilly musicians as the most influential force in their development as musicians. Once you become familiar with the sound of rockabilly, you will hear it in many popular songs that you've known and loved for years never realizing from where the roots sprung.they don't really understand their rockabilly roots. For example, Elvis Presley is, as everyone knows, the King of rock and roll. But most people don't really understand where Elvis started: with rockabilly music. In fact, he's considered one of--if not the--inventor of the genre.

Carl never had another big hit and is sometimes shrugged off as a "one-hit wonder" because of the fact. However, what most people miss when they dismiss him like this is the incredible influence Perkins has had on modern rock and roll music. The Beatles' George Harrison idolized Perkins and studied his music intensely. And he was by far not the only one who cites Perkins as a major influence. Perkins' guitar playing has served as the basis of education for countless young guitarists throughout the years.It's unrestrained music created by brash, young musicians who were inventing the rules as they were going along. It's no-holds-barred fun. It makes you dance. It makes you smile. And it makes you want to hear more. To millions of fans throughout the world, it's the perfect form of rock and roll music! At YouTube and other areas online, millions of visitors including producers and other musicians visit the site to watch videos. By adding videos to social network sites, you can increase your chance of being noticed.

The future of music

If you can see a bandwagon, then the chances are that you have already missed it. This applies very much to music, and yet there are many different musical styles that go against the grain and have an enduring appeal. Therefore, when it comes to understanding the future of music, it can be simultaneously very easy and very hard to know what the next big thing will be.

Whilst certain sub genres will come and go from a collective musical preference with astonishing regularity, other forms of music will very much have a firm hold over the majority of people and continue to be successful for many years or even decades. Good quality pop music is something that will almost never seem to go out of fashion, and simply adding a slightly different beat or sound will be all that it takes to turn any such pop song into something that easily fits the current mould.

Rock and acoustic music is harder to judge. The addition or even absence of certain traditional or modern hooks can make a massive difference in style and sub-genres of this type of music will be coming and going in popularity all the time.

The current outlook for music is very much one lead by samples and loops. Hip hop samples and dubstep loops are starting to crop up in almost all genres of music and this crossing of genres is likely to only get more popular over the coming year. Therefore, for those looking to make it as the next big thing in music, it might well be worth considering how such dubstep loops and hip hop samples might help to flavour the music you create in the right way.

The Magic of Music

   A glimpse of a bodybuilder pushing out heavy weights during an arduous workout brings to mind the old rock group Black Sabbath's eerie intro to one of their classic songs. I remember the very first time I walked into the local gym, Black Sabbath's 'Ironman' was blasting forth a hair short of the pain threshold. I also remember that the song seemed to be the force that drove the bodybuilders on and on.
In every gym we hear 'the beat'. It makes you wonder why we are so preoccupied with music. Suggests one national caliber bodybuilder: 'It's the magic of music. Music will give you strength, when nothing else will.'
   A review of musical folklore certainly indicates that the sound of music can significantly enhance and/or impress human performance. Music theory was also an integral part of primitive medicine. Let us not forget the impact that the singing of the sirens had upon seamen, as described by Homer in the Odyssey. Or the Pied Piper of Hamlin, who lured away all the children of the town with his enticing music.
  Of course, the widespread use of music in athletics supports the commonly held belief that music enhances human performance. Is such a belief founded? Is music a true ergogenic aid or is it a myth?
Music Therapy
  In recent years considerable research has been conducted to determine the effects of music therapy - the systematic application of rhythm, melody, harmony, tone and pitch to treat a physical or mental disorder. Many therapists believe that music has a great potential to influence and benefit the mind, and in turn, the body. Music therapy has already been shown to be a viable treatment for treating addictions such as alcoholism and psychiatric disorders such as psychosis. Music can also have a very calming and comforting effect.
  Soothing music seems to lower the levels of the body's catecholamines (stimulatory chemicals such as adrenalin). This soothing action can lower heart rate, blood pressure and the amount of free fatty acids in the blood, leading to reduced risks of migraines, hypertension, and coronary heart disease. It only makes sense that if soothing music can slow your heart and pulse, then stimulation music can speed them up. Most researches feel that music affects the pleasure centers of the limbic system. The limbic system is the part of your body said to govern emotional experiences. It is through these channels that the right type of music can be used to generate feelings of excitement and agitation.
  Neurological studies have shown that rhythmic drumming when presented at certain frequencies can synchronize the brain's rhythms, when measured by an EEG, to those frequencies. In short, an upbeat rhythm may result in upbeat brain rhythm, which in turn can result in feelings of excitement. And, as you know rhythmic drumming is certainly not hard to find these days.

The Music of Say Yes

The new Yellowcard CD, “When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes,” can be viewed as a fresh start for the group’s career.

The CD arrives nearly four years after the group’s previous release, “Paper Walls.” It’s on a new label, as Yellowcard has moved from major label Capitol Records to indy label Hopeless Records. And the new CD follows a hiatus of roughly two years that seemingly has rejuvenated the group.

But it’s not as if the guys in Yellowcard planned to step away from the band or have the group’s career take such a pause. Instead, the band’s career was essentially forced down that path.

“It was kind of unfortunate circumstance with the label,” guitarist Ryan Mendez explained during a recent phone interview. “It got bought and they had to freeze spending and it (“Paper Walls”) kind of got shelved. Unfortunately we had no choice in the matter. We were kind of just getting started, and it kind of went downhill. Like I said, it was kind of not really something we had control over.”

Once promotion for “Paper Walls” ended, Yellowcard – which includes Mendez, singer/guitarist Ryan Key, violinist Sean Mackin, drummer Longineu Parsons III and bassist/keyboardist Sean O’Donnell – faced basically two choices. One was to go right back into making a new CD. The other was to put the band on hold and step away from music for a time.

Making a new CD at the time really wasn’t really an option, Mendez said.

“There’s only so much you can do as band when you’ve just spent months and months and months making a record, and someone says OK well you can try working on another record right now,” he said. “Well, you’re creatively spent. Making a record is quite a process and it takes a lot out of you.

“You can’t just kind of make yourself feel musical and go do that again,” he said.

So Yellowcard decided it was a good time to go on hiatus.

“It came out to be the perfect thing to do at the time, just to take a step back and just kind of breathe and analyze what was happening and move on,” Mendez said.

The setback with “Paper Walls” put the brakes on a career that had seen some considerable high points over a fairly short period.

The band, which had formed in 1999 in Jacksonville, Florida, had started its career by releasing a full-length CD, “One For The Kids,” in 2001 and an EP, “The Underdog EP,” in 2002 on independent labels before signing with major label Capitol Records.

The band’s first release on Capitol, “Ocean Avenue,” put Yellowcard on a whole new level. That 2003 album sold about two million copies, while spawning radio hits with the title track and “Only One.”

Yellowcard responded to “Ocean Avenue” with “Lights And Sounds,” a 2006 CD that shifted away from the punkier elements of the band’s earlier albums toward more of a traditional power pop sound. It was a solid album, but it didn’t catch on as well at radio and stalled out at about 400,000 units shifted.

Then came “Paper Walls” a CD that brought back a bit of the punk element, while also retaining the more straight-forward pop of  “Lights And Sounds,” followed by the decision to go on hiatus.

It wasn’t until toward the end of 2009 that the members of Yellowcard began feeling the itch to make music with each other again. The group spent much of 2010 writing and demoing, a span of time that Mendez said allowed the group to fully develop its new songs.

The music that emerged on the new CD is fits well within the musical template of “Paper Walls.” Yellowcard lets its punk influences show on songs like “The Sound Of You And Me” (an especially caffeinated track), “For You, And Your Denial (which features Mackin’s violin adding extra melody to the hard-hitting song), but goes more for a classic power pop sound on “Soundtrack,” “With You Around” and “Life Of Leaving Home.” The group also found room for a pair of ballads, “Hang You Up” and “Sing For Me.”

Mendez agreed that “When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes” sticks within Yellowcard’s established musical range.

“I think the reasons why the people were originally excited about the band are still evident in the new record,” Mendez said. “But I think it (the sound) is a little more refined. I think it’s edgy, but not in a forced way.”

Mendez also likes the way the new songs translate live. For now, though, the group isn’t getting to play much of “When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes” in concert. As opening act for Good Charlotte, the band only has a brief set, much of which is devoted to fan favorites.

“It’s kind of a fast and furious set, just trying to get the crowd pumped up and give some of the fans that haven’t seen us for awhile a few songs,” he said. “It’s been going really well.”

There's not a strong music vibe

Jonah Hill has some advice for filming sex scenes: It's best to do it with a friend. Otherwise, it's going to get awkward.

When it came time to film the sex scene briefly shown in the red-band trailer for Hill's upcoming film "The Sitter," he was lucky enough to be working with a friend. "Ari Graynor plays my girlfriend, and she's great. We're really good friends, so it was not weird or anything," he told us during "MTV First." "It was actually really funny, and we laughed about it. She was so committed and cool."


In "The Sitter," Hill plays Noah Jaybird, arguably the world's worst babysitter. Noah has more than a healthy sexual appetite, and when Graynor's character promises to go all the way with him if he makes it to a party, he has little choice but to take the kids along for the ride.

For Hill, the key to surviving a sex scene is to make sure you're friends with your partner beforehand. "If you're friends with the person, it's funny," he explained. "If you're not, it's just awkward."

But "funny" is the best you're going to do, Hill said. "It's never sexy. You know what I mean? It's never like, 'Aw, man, that was really sexy,'" Hill said. "It's like 8 a.m., and they've been drinking coffee. It's very mechanical, and there are 800 burly crew dudes around. There's not a strong vibe."

Then again, that's not too different from Hill's own sex life. "It's like when I have sex in real life: 8 a.m., coffee, mechanical crew members," he joked.

"The Sitter" hits theaters on December 9.

Check out everything we've got on "The Sitter."

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The High Expectation of Music

Owl City’s Adam Young hopes to strike gold again with ‘Fireflies’ followup

“Fireflies” wasn’t just a hit song for Adam Young, the singer/songwriter who records under the group name Owl City. It was a phenomenon, going No. 1 in 24 countries and topping three major charts in the United States alone.

To this day, Young, who has just released a new Owl City CD, “All Things Bright and Beautiful,” remains a bit mystified about why “Fireflies” struck such a chord. To him, it wasn’t even a standout song as he was recording his major label debut CD, “Ocean Eyes.”

“It really kind of does continue to escape me, more or less,” Young said, when asked if he understands the appeal of the song now. “Looking back, that song was really just one of the songs on the record, and it never really stood out to me or to any of the record label folks or anything like that. It was just a song that kind of wrote itself in a way, and it was just kind of one of a crowd of those songs on the record. Thus, when it started to gain momentum and really started to connect with people, it was that much more surprising, to me most of all.”

Of course, Young has heard what fans have had to say about “Fireflies,” and that has helped him gain some insight into the popularity of the song, even if he doesn’t boast about the song or his success.

“I think more than anything, a lot of folks say that they feel kind of connected to a certain sense of innocence with the song,” Young said. “I think there’s a kind of pure innocence to it, and I think that sort of fueled the fire and really made people feel uplifted or inspired or kind of just optimistic about things.”

Analysis aside, one thing can’t be debated. The success of “Fireflies” and the “Ocean Eyes” CD as a whole threw Young into the public eye in a big way and created pressures he couldn’t have anticipated.

It all happened fast for Young, who started Owl City in 2007 as a bedroom recording project in the basement of his parents’ home in the small Minnesota town of Owatonna – while still working a day job loading delivery trucks at a Coca-Cola warehouse.

He began uploading songs early on to internet sites such as Myspace, and they caught on. He racked up 5 million page views and 150,000 song downloads, at one point selling about 2,000 downloaded tracks a week.

That caught the attention of Universal Republic Records, which signed Young and helped shepherd the very green musician through his transition to being a touring major label artist.

Now comes the new challenge of following up his hit album.

In doing the self-released EP, “Of June” (2007) and full-length CD “Maybe I’m Dreaming” (2008) that preceded his move to Universal Republic – as well as “Ocean Eyes” – Young had enjoyed the luxury of creating music pretty much in a bubble. So how did he deal with the reality that he was now a hit-making artist facing genuine expectations from the public? Young pretended none of the whirlwind had happened.

“A lot of folks are saying ‘Can you do it again,’ more or less,” Young said. “And so ultimately I tried to really shut those thoughts out and really imagine myself as if I was writing the first record I’d ever done and really just kind of blocking out the first three records I’d released and sitting down and saying what do I want to say with this new album, as if the others didn’t exist? I wanted to make sure that I was writing from the heart, more or less.”

The music Young created for “All Things Bright and Beautiful” will sound familiar to fans of “Ocean Eyes.”

The melodies to songs like “The Real World,” “Honey and the Bee” and “Hospital Flowers” are still as sweet as pop gets. But overall, Young creates a bigger and more dynamic sound this time out. “Deer in the Headlights” is a track that features an ear-grabbing buzzing synth line and a heavier rhythm track, while “Angels,” packs a punch by shifting from understated verses into a full-bodied section driven by fairly beefy beats.

Now Young and his touring band are hitting the road, while he waits to see if “All Things Bright and Beautiful” comes even close to matching the million-selling success of “Ocean Eyes.” Young is feeling good about how the new songs are translating to live band performances.

“The way this music is put together, by nature, has so much to do with, obviously on the record, a lot of different tracks,” Young said. “So a lot of it has to do with divvying out different string parts or different guitar parts or different synth parts, or getting our drummer to re-create some of these sampled drum loops or what have you. It’s kind of a puzzle I have to put together. But as it stands right now, things are looking pretty good.”

You Should Have Been There

This past Sunday, accomplished hip-hop artist and producer DJ Quik performed at Sokol Hall. I saw posters for the show in various places, it was mentioned in publications here in town, and there was even a You Tube video promoting this show. Less than 200 people attended the performance, and I am not sure the reason for the low attendance. What I do know is that this was one of the best hip-hop shows that I have seen, and the actions and performances on stage would serve as a lesson to many other artists.

DJ Quik has gold and platinum records under his name. He has also produced tracks for 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, Will Smith, the Gap Band, Jay-Z, Nate Dogg and many more. Sokol Hall on Sunday looked empty, and in my experience many artists with a similar resume and length of time in the business would have either phoned in a show or complained about the turn-out the entire time. A lot of lesser-known bands, and even local artists have done the same many times when they felt a turnout was less than they deserve. The low turnout was never mentioned on stage at all by the local acts or the nationals. Instead, Omaha hip-hop artists Shannon Marie and ASO along with nationals Killer Mike, Big Pooh, and DJ Quik performed as if they were playing to a sellout crowd.

Quik, looking 15 years younger than his current age of 41, was all over the stage, down front with the audience, and eventually rapping in the middle of the auditorium on the floor with the crowd circled around him dancing. He performed many songs off of 1991’s “Quik Is The Name.” his most widely known work. At one point he stopped and asked the audience, “What was yesterday?” Quik’s DJ then switched the music to Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and Quik danced in honor of the second anniversary of Jackson’s death.

Quik spent a good amount of time behind the turntables towards the end of the set, and at this point it felt like a house party. He then paid tribute to the vocalist Nate Dogg, who passed away earlier this past year. He started the tribute by singing along to Warren G and Nate Dogg’s “Regulate” before doing a full-on cover of Snoop Dogg’s  “Ain’t No Fun,” which originally featured Nate Dogg on vocals. The only downside to the show was that he didn’t perform much material off his past two albums: 2010’s “Book Of David” and 2009’s collaborative effort with Karupt entitled “BlaQKout.” These two albums are amongst the best of his career and Quik is arguably putting out better material now than at his height of popularity. Those albums are not full of party anthems, though, and the crowd that did show up at Sokol was definitely there for a fun time and DJ Quik delivered just that

The final main stage act for the MAHA Festival has been announced. Des Moines-based, Envy Corps, will round of the main stage line up. I have written many times here that they are one of my favorite regional acts, so it’s no surprise that I am excited that they are on the line up. The band draws well at its club shows, but hopefully this will expose them to a whole new audience here in Omaha. The MAHA Festival has not announced a new location for this year’s festival at this time.

MarQ Manner has been involved with music in Omaha his entire adult life – from managing and booking bands to a 15-year run as manager at Homer’s Records to writing a local music column for the past 10 years. Currently, Marq is the Music Nominating Chair for the Omaha Arts & Entertainment Awards.

As Seen On TV

Music’s original made-for-TV act, the Monkees, celebrates its 45th anniversary this summer with a reunion tour. And unlike some other times when Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, Davey Jones (and on rare occasion, Mike Nesmith) have regrouped, there hasn’t been a release of a greatest hits set, an album or some other companion event to enhance the occasion.

But make no mistake, in an era when music is more omnipresent in television than ever, the Monkees’ impact is being felt as strongly – maybe more strongly – than at any time since the group’s original heyday.
Look no further than “Glee,” the hit Fox television series, according to Monkees singer/drummer Dolenz.

“‘The Monkees’ was initially, it was a television show about this imaginary group that lived in an imaginary beach house and had these imaginary adventures,” Dolenz said in a mid-June phone interview. “But all the members of the cast, as it were, could actually sing and play and dance and act. And ‘Glee’ is very similar. It’s a television show about an imaginary glee club that doesn’t really exist. But now I understand they’re on the road. And they all can actually do it. They can all sing and dance and act. So I would say that’s the closest thing that has happened since ‘The Monkees.’”

But of course, it’s not the only current only show that has had parallels to the Monkees TV show, which was a huge hit during its run from 1966 to 1968.
Disney, as Dolenz noted, has “flat out came out and just said publicly” that the original Monkees television series had a major influence on the music-themed shows that have helped launch the careers of Miley Cyrus (in “Hannah Montana”), Demi Lovato, the Jonas Brothers and Selena Gomez.
Still, no other television show has ever quite captured the mix of madcap humor and quality pop music that came together on the original “The Monkees” television show.

Dolenz, who was a seasoned actor by the time of “The Monkees” – he starred as a young boy in the popular television series, “Circus Boy” under the name of Mickey Braddock – recalls having a special feeling about “The Monkees” project after auditioning for the pilot.

“I remember that year (1965), I was up for two or three different pilots that year that were musically oriented,” Dolenz said. “Because of the British invasion and also because of the folk music phenomenon, just because of music in general, there were a few shows that were being piloted that year that had some sort of musical theme.

“But I do remember when I went to the Monkee audition after my first audition, I do remember thinking to myself – and I remember telling my agent at the time – ‘You know, I think this is really going to be a good one. I really would like to get this part,’” he said.
Once “The Monkees” started airing, the show took off. During the show’s three-year run, the Monkees were truly a triple-media threat, drawing huge television audiences, reeling off hit songs such as “Pleasant Valley Sunshine,” “Daydream Believer,” “Last Train To Clarksville” and “I’m a Believer,” and filling venues as a touring act.
The group worked relentlessly, often putting in long hours Mondays through Friday and working weekends as well.

“It was a couple of years of very, very intense work, 10, 12 hours a day doing the TV show,” Dolenz said. “Then I would end up going into the studio at night to record sometimes two or three lead vocals a night. Then we started rehearsing on the weekends for the tour. But I had also had a series when I was a kid, so I was familiar with the filming, the TV process. So that part was kind of easy for me. I was comfortable and very familiar with it. The recording and playing part of it was a little more of a challenge for me.”
The show only lasted until 1968, but the Monkees continued recording until 1970. (They made a film, “Head,” in 1968 – complete with a soundtrack – after the show was canceled; it was co-written and co-produced by Rafelson and Nicholson.)

There have been occasional reunion tours over the years since – including a 1996 outing in support of a new studio CD, “Justus,” that was written and recorded entirely by Dolenz, Nesmith, Tork and Jones.
This time out, it’s just Dolenz, Tork and Jones (Nesmith, who Dolenz said does not like to tour, declined to participate). Fans, Dolenz said, can expect to hear all of the group’s hits, plus a couple of new twists in the shows this summer, compared to past reunion tours.

“This time, we’re doing the entire soundtrack to the movie (“Head”), which we did as a pure cult movie. But it has some wonderful songs,” Dolenz said. “And then we also did a poll. We took a poll on the internet about what songs the fans want to hear that we have not done before in concert. They came back with some very interesting choices. So we’re doing a few of those, too.”

The More Shows Coming

The final act for the MAHA Festival was picked this past weekend during the Omaha Entertainment & Arts Awards Summer Showcase.  Around 60 bands and artists performed at five venues in Benson during the event. The band that ended up with the most public votes was the Big Deep. The Big Deep is a newer band with an Americana influence. They have performed at most of the usual spots around Omaha and will now start off the day that will also see Cursive, Reverend Horton Heat, Matisyahu, Guided By Voices, J. Mascis, Envy Corps, Noah’s Ark Was A Spaceship, Machete Archive, So-So Sailors, and Somasphere on stage. The MAHA Festival takes place on Saturday August 13 at Stinson Park at Aksarben Village.

The Second Annual Farnam Festival has announced its lineup for 2011. The festival, which celebrates and promotes the businesses and neighborhoods in the 40th and Farnam streets corridor, has announced that it will feature Little Brazil, All Young Girls Are Machine Guns, Blue Bird, Kyle Harvery, and So So Sailors. The outdoor festival last year also featured a lot of solid raffle items, a large beer garden, and multiple food options. The area is home to Sullivan’s Bar, Black Squirrel tattoo, Oxide Design Co. and ICON Studio for Hair.

The big festival this week is of course Playing With Fire happening this Saturday, July 16 at Stinson Park located at Aksarben Village. This is one of the most anticipated and talked about shows of the year, as it features Sharon Jones & the Dap–Kings who is one of the most pure current soul and funk singers around today. Also on the bill is Malford Milligan, a Texas blues and soul singer whom was once a member of Atlantic Records recording artists Storyville. Opening the show will be Blues ED band Crimson Dawn followed by Omaha’s own soul singer Brad Cordle who will be performing with his band. Gates for this event open at 4 p.m. and the entire show is free of charge.

A slew of shows for late summer and fall have started to come out.  The Cold War Kids will return to the Slowdown for a show on Halloween. EDM artist Pretty Lights will take their big production to Pershing Auditorium on Oct. 27. Tickets for this show will go on sale on Friday and should sell out well before the show date. Wisconsin duo Peter Wolf Crier is headed to the Waiting Room on Oct. 25.  The indie pop band is out on tour for their second album “Garden of Arms.”
Premier jam band Widespread Panic will be playing “Omaha City” on Oct. 18 at the Orpheum Theater. Experimental Japanese band Boris, who blew the crowd away at their last show in Omaha, will return to the Waiting Room on Oct. 16 with Tera Melos & Coliseum.
Fresh off her first new album in eight years, “The Harrow & The Harvest”, Gillian Welch with David Rawlings comes to Lincoln on Oct. 13 for a show at the Rococo Theater.  Another experimental Japanese band, Melt Banana, will be at the Waiting Room on Oct. 10.
After opening for the sold out Iron & Wine show earlier this year, the Head and the Heart are coming back on Oct. 9. This time they will be headlining a show at the Waiting Room that includes Thao with the Get Down Stay Down & The Devil Whale.
The Album Leaf will be performing on the big stage at The Bourbon Theater on Oct. 4. On Sept. 29, New Orleans band the Iguanas will take the stage at the 21st Saloon (aka Murphy’s Lounge).
UK rock band, and one of ex-Mayor Mike Fahey’s hipster concerts in the park choices, Gomez, will be playing the Waiting Room on Sept. 21. Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers make a stop at the Waiting Room on Sept. 11.

Texas-based Cinemark Target of Antitrust Lawsuit

Categorized Under: Architecture/Urban Planning, Arts Funding or Budgets, Books, Culture, Dallas Arts District, General, Local Events, Music, Theater, Visual Arts

SUCCESSFULLY BORING NORTH TEXANS FOR YEARS! In D magazine, Front Row editor Peter Simek asks the question that has long bewildered and depressed  local arts lovers: For a city that has embraced some truly adventuresome architecture, why is much of Dallas’ public art so dull? Better still, online at Front Row, Simek suggests practical changes in the city’s public arts policies — most intriguingly, he suggests pooling the Percent for Art ordinance money so it could finance more substantial works instead of smaller, more individual, project-oriented, site-specific losers.

FLUXUS FLEXING ITS MUSCLES: You may recall our profile of Cecil Touchon, the Fort Worth collage artist who runs several dementedly inventive art museums out of his house and who has been creating Fluxus exhibitions for several years. Fluxus is junk with a sense of humor; a ’60s-era style of art that’s like a playful, low-rent form of Dada. Now, the NYTimes reviews a major show, “Fluxus and the Essential Questions of Life,” at New York University’s Grey Art Gallery. By the way, Fluxfest Texas was earlier this year, while Touchon’s Fluxhibition #5 (“Fifty Years of Fluxing Around“), is, I believe, still accepting submitted works.

WE LOVES YOU PORGY. YOU, TOO, JEAN PAUL – In contrast to some of the lukewarm reviews that greeted The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess — the new Broadway-bound revival which features former Dallas performer Cedric Neal — Hilton Als has written an impassioned defense in The New Yorker. While you’re there, you can check out Susan Orlean’s profile of Jean-Paul Gaultier whose kinky-fancy duds are headed to the Dallas Museum of Art soon. The exhibition’s extravagant reception in Montreal leads to the question often heard around town: When do we get our city-wide Jean Paul parade — the one with the giant balloon cone bra?

ON THE WEST SIDE: Country star Randy Travis, 52, collapsed during the Crystal Heart Gala fundraiser at the Renaissance Worthington Hotel in downtown Fort Worth Saturday night. He was not taken to the hospital and his manager says he’s fine … A commissioned Ed Ruscha photograph of a keyboard will be the signature image for the 14th Van Cliburn Competition in 2013, the Star-Telegram reports. The Oklahoma-born-painter-turned-LA pop art master had a major exhibition earlier this year at the Modern in Fort Worth.

You Should Have Been There

Earlier this Weekend, achieved hip-hop designer as well as maker DJ Quik carried out from Sokol Corridor. We noticed paper prints for that display in a variety of locations, it had been pointed out within magazines within city, as well as there is a A person Pipe movie advertising this particular display. Under two hundred individuals went to the actual overall performance, as well as I'm unsure the reason behind the reduced work. Exactly what I know is actually this had been among the best hip-hop implies that I've observed, and also the measures as well as shows upon phase might function like a training to a lot of additional designers.

DJ Quik offers precious metal as well as platinum eagle information below their title. He's additionally created monitors with regard to 2Pac, Spy Dogg, May Cruz, the actual Space Music group, Jay-Z, Nate Dogg and much more. Sokol Corridor upon Weekend appeared bare, as well as in my opinion numerous designers having a comparable cv as well as period of time in the commercial might have possibly called inside a display or even lamented concerning the turn-out the whole period. Lots of lesser-known rings, as well as nearby designers did exactly the same often once they experienced the turnout had been under these people should have. The reduced turnout had been in no way pointed out upon phase whatsoever through the nearby functions or even the actual nationals. Rather, Omaha hip-hop designers Shannon Jessica as well as ASO together with nationals Monster Paul, Large Pooh, as well as DJ Quik carried out as though these were actively playing to some sellout group.

Quik, searching 15 many years more youthful compared to their present grow older associated with 41, had been all around the phase, lower entrance using the target audience, and finally rapping in the center of the actual auditorium on the ground using the group circled close to him or her dance. He or she carried out numerous tunes from 1991’s “Quik May be the Title. ” their most common function. From 1 stage he or she halted as well as requested the actual target audience, “What had been the other day? ” Quik’s DJ after that changed the actual songs in order to Erina Jackson’s “Billie Jean” as well as Quik danced honoring the 2nd wedding anniversary associated with Jackson’s passing away.

Quik invested enough period at the rear of the actual turntables for the finish from the arranged, as well as at this time this experienced just like a home celebration. Then compensated homage towards the singer Nate Dogg, that died previously recently. He or she began the actual homage through performing together in order to Warren Grams as well as Nate Dogg’s “Regulate” prior to carrying out a full-on include associated with Spy Dogg’s “Ain’t Absolutely no Enjoyable, ” that initially showcased Nate Dogg upon words. The only real drawback towards the display had been he didn’t carry out a lot materials away their previous 2 photos: 2010’s “Book Associated with David” as well as 2009’s collaborative work along with Karupt titled “BlaQKout. ” Both of these photos tend to be between the greatest associated with their profession as well as Quik is actually perhaps placing away much better materials right now compared to from their elevation associated with recognition. Individuals photos aren't filled with celebration anthems, although, and also the group which do appear from Sokol had been certainly presently there for any enjoyable period as well as DJ Quik shipped that

The ultimate primary phase behave for that MAHA Event may be introduced. Des Moines-based, Jealousy Corps, may circular from the primary phase fall into line. I've created often right here that they're among my personal favorite local functions, therefore it’s no real surprise which i 'm fired up that they're at risk upward. The actual music group pulls nicely from it's membership exhibits, however ideally this can reveal these phones an entire brand new target audience within Omaha. The actual MAHA Event hasn't introduced a brand new area with this year’s event at the moment.

MarQ Method may be associated with songs within Omaha their whole grownup existence – through controlling as well as reserving rings to some 15-year operate because supervisor from Homer’s Information in order to composing an area songs line for that previous ten years. Presently, Marq may be the Songs Nominating Seat for that Omaha Disciplines & Amusement Honours.

From manchester With Love

David Gray says he sees every album he makes as a new beginning.

“You can’t be resting on your laurels, on anything you’ve done before,” Gray said in a recent phone interview. “It’s a completely clean slate each time.”

That may be true, but after his 2005 CD, “Life In Slow Motion,” Gray gave the slate a much more thorough cleaning than he had heading into any of his previous albums. He jettisoned his long-time backing band and put together a new group of musicians.

“I don’t make hasty changes, but things accrue over time, and you take note and you feel the hunger is a little bit lacking in people, and yet, you need to follow things through,” Gray said. “I knew I needed to change stuff because it had gone a bit stale and formulaic really.”

The shakeup had its desired effect, and perhaps may have exceeded Gray’s expectations.

“It gave me a huge boost,” he said. “I’ve never had a more fertile writing period. I think the words just came back to me. There was a new sound, and a toughness and a simplicity to what people were playing, and I found a voice that I had been looking for for a long time.”

Gray had such a burst of songwriting that he not only re-emerged in 2009 with the CD, “Draw The Line,” but also a second CD, “Foundling,” with songs from the same period, was released last August.

A native of Manchester, England, Gray came to fame with his fourth CD, “White Ladder.” Spurred on by the single “Babylon,” it topped one million copies sold in the United States alone.

Gray continued to ride the wave of success, releasing two more studio CDs, “A New Day at Midnight” in 2002, “Life In Slow Motion,” as well as a greatest hits album in 2007 – reaching career sales of more than 12 million albums along the way.

Then he realized he wasn’t feeling so successful artistically and decided to find a new groove with a new band.

As Gray began working with his new band (which includes drummer Keith Prior, bassist Rob Malone, guitarist Neil MacColl and keyboardist James Hallawell), the songs started flowing.

The band’s influence was fully felt on “Draw The Line,” which had a bigger, bolder and more organic sound than Gray’s recent albums. But those weren’t the only type of songs he was writing.

Gray is now doing a full band tour, but is featuring acoustic instrumentation, which should suit the new material nicely. And while he has no great expectations for “Foundling” on a commercial level, he thinks the music he put on the CD is built to last.

“I don’t think it’s going anywhere. It’s not one for ‘the man,’ you know,” Gray said. “I don’t see it as a chart maker for very long, but I think this will just stand up and it’s an important thing for me.”

Having a handbangers ball

Difficult rock and roll as well as locks steel centered the actual airwaves which were not really succumbing in order to polished take or even Brand new Influx within the ‘80s. MTV accepted the actual style upon exhibits for example Headbangers Golf ball, as well as dedicated lots of it's day time as well as primetime slot machines towards the styles. There have been numerous expensive within the skillet rings, after which a few that could continue being “Monsters associated with Rock and roll. ” In the centre had been Kix, the music group which survived the whole 10 years as well as experienced main strikes along with tunes for example “Midnight Dynamite, ” “Cold Blood” as well as “Don’t Near Your own Eye. ” The actual music group in no way truly arrived at which industry degree standing aside from whenever starting with regard to rings for example Ratt. The actual music group had been in the cutting edge from the “hair metal” motion appearing out of Hagerstown, Maryland., within 1981 using their self-titled debut recording. The actual band’s greatest photos, “Midnight Dynamite” as well as “Blow My personal Blend, ” arrived on the scene within 1985 as well as 1988, respectively, in the beginning as well as elevation from the glam steel period.

Kix offers were able to re-group along with all their unique people within tow line, without bassist as well as main song-writer Donnie Purnell. Kix may be carrying out in particular retro-rock celebrations for example Rocklahoma and therefore are additionally performing travel within membership times worldwide. Viewing current video footage on the internet associated with Kix reside shows, it's possible to inform which this isn't the actual rock and roll n’ move misfortune that lots of rings of this period have grown to be. The actual music group appears match, singer Dorrie Whiteman does their “metal Mick Jagger having a youthful man’s swagger” upon phase, and also the words as well as licks seem because powerful as well as strong because actually. The actual music group doesn't have brand new materials, neither any kind of programs in order to report any kind of, therefore enthusiasts from the music group will not end up halfheartedly moving their own fists awkwardly towards the “now we now have a few brand new tunes in order to perform for you personally. ” We spoken along with unique guitarist John “Damage” Forsythe earlier this 7 days concerning the rings forthcoming display in the Rum Roadhouse from Horseshoe On line casino upon Fri. This summer twenty two.

Yell! – Lately, the actual music group offers re-recorded a few tunes using their back again list. A few history rings for example Toad The actual Moist Sprocket as well as Knight in shining armor did this particular to allow them to safe charges whenever their own tunes can be purchased. Do a person report all of them easy or even alter all of them upward?
John “Damage” Forsythe-We virtually made it happen the same as the initial materials.

Shout-Were a person enticed in order to fool around using the tunes following a lot of many years?
Forsythe- Absolutely no. All of us made it happen therefore in the event that somebody really wants to make use of some thing inside a film or perhaps a Television show it might seem fairly similar to the unique.

Shout-This may be the unique selection without largemouth bass participant as well as main songwriter Donnie Purnell. Have you got programs in order to report a good recording without having him or her, because he's remaining the actual team?
Forsythe- It had been a lot more like the actual team split up as well as all of us reformed without having him or her. We now have absolutely no programs within the instant long term. We now have kind of discussed this. All of us haven’t attempted actively playing any kind of tune suggestions or even something. The majority of my personal tune suggestions visit Rhino Pail (well-liked subterranean difficult rock-band in the earlier ‘90s in order to present which additionally functions Forsythe).

Shout-Rhino Pail continues to be visiting, proper?
Forsythe-Yeah, all of us perform lots of visiting within European countries at this time. We're heading out this particular July and we'll end up being coming over the Ough. Utes. in those days.

Shout-Kix had been labeled like a hair-metal music group, as well as I believe rightfully therefore inside your center many years, however I believe you'd an enormous blues impact inside your songs. Exactly what had been a number of your own earlier affects?
Forsythe-I 'm an enormous blues enthusiast. We reside in order to perform acoustic guitar. I really like The southern area of rock and roll such as Lynyrd Skynyd and also the Allman Siblings. I like ZZ Best. Certainly I'm in to Eric Clapton and also the Gemstones. The actual music group in general found myself in AC/DC. Particularly their own earlier many years once they had been really blues dependent.

Shout-“Don’t Near Your own Eyes” is usually looked at as a good anti-suicide tune. At that time how the tune arrived on the scene, difficult rock and roll songs had been underneath the microscope because not really wholesome for all those hearing this. I'm asking yourself should you had been actually acknowledged for that good information for the reason that tune at that time.
Forsythe-I am certain that all of us do. All of us obtained lots of enthusiast postal mail due to which tune, the ones to thank all of us for your tune as well as stating it preserved their own life. It had been a very awesome sensation that people assisted an individual. Donnie authored the actual tune, as well as I'm unsure exactly what influenced this, however it was among their female friends.

Shout- “Cold Blood” offers a few insane modifications within the tune. Directly blues rock and roll introduction, in order to anathematic passage, to some celebration groove. I'm interested regarding the tale at the rear of exactly how which tune had been created?
Forsythe-That 1, Chilly Bloodstream, had been compiled by Donnie as well as Taylor Flower. Donnie caused a number of outdoors songwriters as well as all of us simply place the small rewrite onto it. Donnie had been incredible like this. He'd possess these types of items laying close to for a long time. He'd after that develop these types of excellent tunes.

Shout-You men obtained tossed to the “funk rock” class prior to numerous rings of this period which dabbled in to which exact same seem. I'm asking yourself exactly where which impact, seem, or even the concept to visit which path originated from.
Forsythe-I don’t understand in the event that all of us do proceed which path. In the event that something it had been much more of the Aerosmith “funk” kind of point. Like a guitarist, We was raised within the mid-’60s. We paid attention to Memphis Spirit and also the funk from the ‘70s. Prior to We is at Kix We is at the include music group therefore my personal affects originate from numerous locations.

Shout-What will the music group such as Kix or even a person your self which has resided thirty in addition many years with this business think about possibly the actual songs business or even songs these days?
Forsythe-It’s altering as well as changing. It’s type of unusual. It's nothing beats this was previously. You will find just a few report businesses as well as every one of individuals just possess a small number the rings. The music group such as Rhino Pail would not obtain authorized these days. We don’t pay attention to a great deal associated with brand new things. I love rings such as Airborne however they seem like AC/DC therefore that's the reason. Many of the contemporary rock and roll rings, all of them melody lower, therefore that isn't fascinating in my experience. There's nevertheless great songs happening constantly although. Basically listen to some thing great I'll pay attention to this.

Shout-In viewing a few current reside movies you Pipe it would appear that Kix, perhaps much more compared to another rings which experienced enter into recognition simultaneously, possess kept collectively their own seem as well as phase display. Exactly what can you credit score which in order to?
Forsythe-We tend to be virtually the initial music group, aside from Donnie, therefore all of us nevertheless possess which biochemistry. Many of the additional rings just possess a few the initial people so that they tend to be lacking which biochemistry. Not one people actually halted actively playing, all of us proceeded to go the individual methods, however held actively playing in various tasks. All of us additionally didn’t appear to consume around many people. I will nevertheless operate close to as well as leap close to such as all of us do within our perfect. Dorrie appears much better than actually. Whenever we returned collectively, We hadn’t observed this option within ten years, as well as We had been such as what exactly are these people likely to seem like? Dorrie appeared match, he or she retains themself fit. All of us perform.

Shout- So what can individuals anticipate out of your reside display this particular Fri.
Forsythe-If these people noticed all of us previously, it will likely be such as heading back in its history. When they haven't observed all of us prior to it will likely be a goody. All of us provide this 100 % regardless of the number of individuals are presently there. We now have performed much more out of stock exhibits compared to not really because fixing your relationship. All of us do 1 display, as well as We don’t understand what occurred, however it had been the very first scaled-down group we'd performed with regard to because the reunion. All of us nevertheless went presently there as well as blew all of them aside. This doesn’t issue in the event that anyone can there be; we will provide them with the very best display we now have.

Shout-Looking at the routine this appears like you do lots of fly-in gigs. Will which assist you to men maintain this clean as well as allow it to be simpler that you should provide your very best display each time a person perform?
Forsythe-Normally it's 2 or 3 exhibits at most. That's simply kind of the way in which that people get it done. Dorrie includes a loved ones as well as they…well these people prefer to spend some time in your own home. I'm just a little various and can stop for 2 several weeks directly inside a coach visiting European countries along with Rhino Pail. We had been designed for the street.

Weird in a good way

With a changed lineup, Tampa’s Underoath’s sound is still heavy By Alan Sculley

Spencer Chamberlain, vocalist for the band Underoath, feels his group is sometimes the wild card on multi-band tours and can sometimes be, as he put it, the “weirdest” band on its tours.

Chamberlain isn’t uncomfortable in coming to that realization. In fact, it may well be a sign that Underoath is beginning to achieve something that has been a long-running goal for the group – to be a band that changes music in some way.

“We want to be something new and original, even if it’s not for everybody,” Chamberlain said. “We don’t expect to be the next Linkin Park size wise or to be accepted by the masses. But we want to be bringing something completely different to the table…At least this record, I don’t feel like there’s another band that you can say ‘Oh, it sounds like this.’ I really don’t think you can.”

That new record, called “Disambiguation,” is the fifth for the Tampa-based group, and it was released in November. It marks an evolution for Underoath in some very tangible ways.

On a simple level, “Disambiguation” begins a new stage in the group’s career after the departure of drummer Aaron Gillespie, a founding member and songwriting contributor to the group over the course of its four previous CDs. Gillespie, who was replaced by former Norma Jean drummer Daniel Davison, has gone on to start the group the Almost.

“I think it was kind of a long time coming thing, a lot of musical style differences,” Chamberlain said of the split. “I think he didn’t really like the music we were writing. He just wanted to do his own thing.”

Without Gillespie in the band, Chamberlain said, Underoath was stronger and more unified as a unit than ever – good news for a group that is now widely considered one of the leading bands on the scene.

“Disambiguation” retains many of the group’s musical signatures. As always, there are plenty of songs built around roiling guitars and lots of Chamberlain’s throaty screams (“In Division,” “A Divine Eradication” and “Illluminator”). But the group varies the intensity from time to time, mixing in ghostly tones and lead guitar lines to create a more ambient spin on its heavy sound on “Paper Lung,” while “Driftwood” dabbles in some pitter-patting rhythms and droning sonics to create its murky feel.

“I think it’s just where we’ve been trying to go for awhile,” Chamberlain said of the new CD. “It’s way more mature. It’s got like a darker feel to it and it’s really heavy, but I feel like at the same time it’s more melodic than the last two records as well. Yeah, I just feel like it’s where we wanted to be.”

Evolving the sound of the band – which also includes guitarists Tim McTague, and James Smith, keyboardist Christopher Dudley and bassist Grant Brandell  – meant tackling some specific goals for “Disambiguation,” beginning with the songwriting.

On the earlier albums, Gillespie had generally handled the singing parts of songs, while Chamberlain was the screaming vocalist. For “Disambiguation,” Chamberlain did both styles of the vocals.

“It made it way more open and free, for sure,” Chamberlain said of his songwriting approach. “I could take any song and dress it ay way I wanted to. If I wanted to sing the whole song, I could pretty much sing the whole song. It was cool to just be able to do whatever made the most sense for the song.”

The writing of the songs shifted in another way as well, as the band – while still showing its sonically adventurous spirit, put those elements in more conventional song settings.

“It (“Disambiguation”) is more experimental and chaotic, but it’s structured,” Chamberlain said. “‘Lost In The Sound Of Separation’ (the group’s 2008 CD) was just kind of riffs…There was never really verse-chorus (structures) where you go ‘Oh yeah, this part is happening again.’

“I think with this album, we were more trying to write songs and less (thinking) ‘Let’s just write some riffs and keep going and take it in all these different directions,’” he said. “We focused more on songwriting than just like awesome riffs.”

Now Underoath is back on tour with its new lineup and its redefined sound. For Chamberlain, he’s had little trouble adjusting to his new role of handling sung vocals as well as screaming.

“It’s great for me,” he said. “I wrote this record for one person. There’s no overlapping, and I was very conscious of is it going to be realistic or not. It’s fine. I’ve been singing in bands longer than I’ve been screaming in bands, so I was really looking forward to it. Yeah, I enjoy it.”

The Going Indoors

After months of festival talk I want to hit some local indoor events coming up in the next week or so. We will cover the Hullabaloo Festival this coming week, and then MAHA 2011 the week after. I am going to start off with an event of mine. Myself and David Leibowitz (host of indie rock show New Day Rising on 89.7 The River-Sundays from 2:30 to 5:00PM) will be hosting a monthly Music Quiz at The Waiting Room Lounge. The first quiz will be on Wednesday August 3 at 8 p.m. and will be a 21 and over free event. The format will be standard pub quiz style with forty questions laid out for teams of four or less.  These questions will include audio, visual, and video questions and the winning team will win some prizes from behind The Waiting Room’s bar along with bragging rights.


If you want to preview main stage MAHA Festival band Envy Corps before the big event then Friday July 29 will be your chance. The Des Moines-based group will be performing will be performing with much talked about Omaha band Conduits. These two groups are going to get to know each other well as they are both opening for Bright Eyes at the Val Air Ballroom in Des Moines on August 8. Also on the Waiting Room lineup is Tangent Arc from Lawrence Kansas making this a true regional show.
On Tuesday August 8 at the Waiting Room a benefit to help rebuild Joplin, Missouri will take place. Joplin was of course devastated by an EF-5 tornado on May 22 of this year. The Waiting Room benefit will raise funds for the Joplin Habitat for Humanity. Bands performing on this night include Black On High, Moscow Mule, Knife Fight Justice, Clock Ticks Late, and the Minnahoonies.

Thursday July 28, has quite a few local events happening. The final MAHA Festival showcase will take place at The Slowdown on Thursday. This showcase is curated and features The So-So Sailors. Who did the band pick to play with them? A solid lineup that includes Millions Of Boys, Digital Leather, and Fortnight. That show is free of charge. Also on Thursday is a show at West Omaha bar Shamrock’s that will feature an all local lineup of Two Drag Club, The Seen, and Moses Prey. Kobrakyle and DJ Spence will be hosting another GUNK dance party at The Waiting Room on Thursday. The theme for this GUNK will be Garbage Pail Kids, and the DJ’s are asking that people come dressed as the Garbage Pail Kid that shares there name. So hopefully your name is not Malika or something like that, because you will not be finding a character that shares your name.

O’Leavers Pub has a couple of good local shows this weekend.  On Friday July 29 metal band Cloven Path return to the venue where it all started. They will be playing alongside like minded bands Blyeth and Flesh Eating Disease. The following night Talking Mountain, who this past weekend out smoke machined every band that has played at the Waiting Room, will be at O’Leavers with Mammoth Life.

The Barley Street Tavern also has a packed weekend of music with Omaha bands Blue Rosa and Lonely Estates performing on Friday and the Nebraska Pop Festival Rally on Saturday. The Nebraska Pop Festival Rally lineup will include Disateradio from New Zealand, Faster Than Sane from Wisconsin, The Pooches from New York, and area bands Anniversaire, Strawberry Burns, Whadawookie, and Mint Wad Willy.

MarQ Manner has been involved with music in Omaha his entire adult life – from managing and booking bands to a 15-year run as manager at Homer’s Records to writing a local music column for the past 11 years. Currently, Marq is the Music Nominating Chair for the Omaha Arts & Entertainment Awards.

Worth the wait

When the release date for Marc Broussard’s new self-titled CD was pushed back from last fall all the way to this June, he admits he was originally not a happy camper.
“Quite frankly, I was pretty furious,” Broussard said in a recent phone interview. “It’s not easy to stay off of the road for as long as I did and maintain not only the same fans, but maintain the standard of living, because when I’m not on the road, I’m not making any money…And I’ve got four kids, so it’s very important for me to make money. I know it’s not always pretty to put it that way, but this is what I do for a living.”
Now he’s seeing several reasons why having to wait to release the “Marc Broussard” CD might work to his advantage.
Part of his anger dissipated early on when executives at his label, Atlantic Records, explained why they wanted to delay the CD.
“They were actually kind of priming the well, if you will, because they loved what they heard,” Broussard said. “Then I felt much better about the situation and the timeline that they had. Basically they just said ‘You know, we want to make sure this thing gets the right look. We want to make sure everybody in the building is going to be focused on it when it does come out.’”
The extra time also gave Broussard and his producer, Jamie Kenney, time to tweak the songs and improve the CD.
“Basically at that point you realize you’ve still got some money left in the budget, and obviously you’ve got the time, so why not try to make it the best that we can?” Broussard said. “We were still tweaking this record up until January of this year.”
And what might work out as the biggest advantage to the June 2011 release date is the music market itself. Soul is enjoying a resurgence, first with artists like Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings and Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears that play music that is directly rooted in ‘60s soul, but more significantly, 2011 is shaping up as a big year for another singer songwriter – Adele – whose soul-inflected sound isn’t that different from Broussard’s.
“I’ve definitely always felt like we were just behind the curve. It (a breakthrough) was just around the corner,” Broussard said. “I came onto the scene shortly after John Mayer made a huge splash and Jason Mraz was making his way up the charts. And then I just always felt like it was just on the outside, just out of reach. But with this album and with what’s going on, especially with Adele, I’m hoping we can ride this wave. I really do feel like this album is really strong, and I’m fully confident that it has the ability to reach the masses.”
This isn’t the first time Broussard has entertained thoughts of attaining stardom. His first major label CD, “Carencro” (named after his home town in Louisiana), was given a major promotional push, and produced a couple of minor hit singles, “Home” and “Where You Are” – enough to have Broussard thinking a mainstream breakthrough could be around the corner.
Instead, Broussard ended up leaving Island after a shake-up in the company’s top management, and signed with Vanguard Records to release a CD of soul cover songs, “Save Our Soul,” in 2007 before moving to Atlantic for a pair of 2008 releases, the EP, “Must Be The Water,” followed by a full-length CD, “Keep Coming Back.”
Now comes the self-titled CD, which is arguably Broussard’s best effort to date. As always, soul is a strong ingredient, on what otherwise is a fairly diverse record. “Only Everything (Appletree)” is a brisk but tuneful rocker, while “Eye On The Prize” mixes funk and gritty rock. “Cruel” has a bit of a Motown bounce in its poppy sound, while “Lucky” evokes a little ‘70s Philly soul. On “Bleeding Heart,” some offbeat percussion and a simple descending melody hook are used to great effect. And songs like “Let It All Out” and “Our Big Mistake” give the new CD the kind of soul-laced ballads that Broussard has always done well.
Broussard hopes he’ll be able to play most, if not all, of the songs from the “Marc Broussard” CD on tour this summer. But how fully – and how soon — fans embrace to the new CD will also factor into the live shows going forward.
“From the feedback that I’ve gotten, it definitely takes a few listens,” Broussard said of the CD. “You might get people who like it on first listen. But to fall in love with it, obviously with anything it takes a few listens. So we’ll see how the audience reacts.
“But if I had to guess, I’d like to play the entire record,” he said.

The Much ado about Hullabaloo

I'm getting excited about this particular weekend’s Hullabaloo Event, that is becoming kept from Water Western Recreation area from 233rd Road as well as Western Walnut Street upon Fri, July 7 via Weekend, July 9. The actual event may function a lot more than thirty nearby as well as local rings as well as designers. Hullabaloo is actually routine in order to start from 1 g. michael. upon Fri and also the songs goes till 6 g. michael. upon Weekend. The actual event is actually spearheaded through Brandon Burns and also the Kris Beer Music group, which he's fellow member.

Among the points I love regarding Hullabaloo in writing may be the DO-IT-YOURSELF facet of this particular. This particular event is actually individuals within the songs neighborhood as well as music artists which are assembling 3 times associated with songs about the water along with hiking in order to simply have fun. We additionally such as the variety they have taking a event which steers for the quickly pull music group group. The actual coordinators experienced the great feeling to include rings such as All of us End up being Elephants, Vago, Advantage associated with Arbor, Tara Vaughn, as well as Rock and roll Document Dynamite to combine points upward. We additionally believe the actual event is going to be prosperous along with Azure Martian Group, Funk Journey, as well as Satchel Grande on a single expenses.

Toss within additional rings for example Moscow Mule, Lil Trim Blues Music group, Son's Associated with seventy six, Midland Music group, Shiny Cox, Orion Walsh, Mitch Gettman Music group, Stonebelly, Foundation Dub, Kris Beer Music group, Banjo Loco, Weeping Figs, Vinyl fabric Haze, Zed Speed along with a reunited Polydispsia as well as you've got a strong basis for any nearby songs event that individuals will be able to obtain at the rear of.

This particular isn’t only a nearby event, although. The actual Kris Beer Music group is really a music group which has invested considerable time visiting through the years. They've fulfilled lots of rings on the way and also have asked a number of them in order to perform from Hullabaloo. These types of rings range from the Supernauts through Kansas Town, Ian Hilmer’s Stagefright through Mn, Mooseknuckle through Des Moines, as well as well-liked Tx music group Spoonfed Group.

This particular event had been initially intended to occur in the Point Motel, however such as numerous celebrations this season this needed to proceed from the actual overloaded Missouri Water. The actual Water Western region appears like an extremely good room along with plenty of trees and shrubs as well as eco-friendly room. There's also option actions in the location that not really consist of songs for example lines, tanking, canoeing, not to mention floating around as well as angling. The actual Hullabaloo Event may have ale landscapes setup, meals suppliers along with other kinds of suppliers too. There's restricted RECREATIONAL VEHICLE car parking for any minimal charge, however other hiking is actually detailed because free of charge. You will see early morning occasions for example hooping courses as well as yoga exercise with regard to possibly the ones that escape presently there earlier or even people with remained immediately. Seats for this occasion tend to be $20 with regard to day goes by upon Fri as well as Sunday as well as $10 upon Weekend. It's possible to obtain a 3 day time move with regard to $40 or perhaps a Sunday as well as Weekend move with regard to $25.

If you're an area songs enthusiast or simply the enthusiast associated with songs generally, I really hope that you'll assistance this particular occasion. DO-IT-YOURSELF occasions such as this within the very first 12 months possess difficulty obtaining sponsorships, therefore for this to keep as well as for this to develop, individuals should emerge as well as go to the big event. Home elevators once the rings tend to be actively playing together with hiking info as well as progress seats could be circular from hullabaloomusicfestival.com. For information on the venue, directions, and more in-depth camping instructions you can visit riverwestpark.net.

MarQ Method may be associated with songs within Omaha their whole grownup existence – through controlling as well as reserving rings to some 15-year operate because supervisor from Homer’s Information in order to composing an area songs line for that previous 11 many years. Presently, Marq may be the Songs Nominating Seat for that Omaha Disciplines & Amusement Honours.

He goes fine

For the first time in his career, Kenny Wayne Shepherd enjoyed the opportunity to take a “finish no record before its time” approach to making his new studio CD, “How I Go.”
That’s one reason the gap between his studio albums grew to seven years.
Of course, Shepherd hadn’t spent those years loafing. In 2006, he released “10 Days Out,” a combination DC/DVD that involved Shepherd (along with drummer Chris Layton and bassist Tommy Shannon, from Stevie Ray Vaughan’s old band, Double Trouble) traveling to locations around the United States to record and film collaborations with a host of veteran blues artists, including Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Etta Baker, Pinetop Perkins (Muddy Waters’ pianist) and Hubert Sumlin (Howlin’ Wolf’s guitarist).
Then last year, he released his first concert CD, “Live In Chicago.”
Considering the gap that had developed since Shepherd released his last studio CD, 2004’s, “The Place You’re In,” one might have expected him to feel a sense of urgency to finish and release his new studio CD, “How I Go.”
Instead, Shepherd took his time. Some of it was a necessity.
With the gap between studio albums, he had accumulated roughly 300-400 guitar riffs, rhythm tracks and song ideas, and turning those into fully realized songs took a series of writing sessions with the likes of Mark Selby, Tia Sellers and Zac Maloy that spanned 18 months.
Shepherd then decided not to rush the recording process, either.
“I was able to do it at somewhat of a leisurely pace,” he said. “We went in the studio over the course of the past year and made this record. So we went in and would record for two weeks and then we’d go home and we’d be out of the studio for a couple of months. It enabled me to live with the material for long periods of time and really analyze it and listen to it. And that way I was very sure when I went back in the studio what needed to be done to make it better.”
This was a nice change from how Shepherd made his first three CDs — 1995 ‘s “Ledbetter Heights,” 1997’s “Trouble Is…” and 1999’s “Live On.”
Since then, though, Shepherd’s recorded output has slowed. But until now, that was more a function of the nature of his recording projects and changes in his lifestyle.
One reason “The Place You’re In,” took five years to arrive after “Live On” was so Shepherd could deal with a drinking and drug habit that, as he said in a 2004 interview with this writer, had become a “routine for me, like a daily affair.”
In addition, doing the “10 Days Out” project took considerable time to complete, and even “Live In Chicago,” while recorded in one night, took a couple of months to mix and master.
In addition, Shepherd gained other priorities in his life besides recording and touring. In 2006, he married Hannah Gibson (daughter of famous and controversial actor/director Mel Gibson), and over the past four years, they have had three children.
This, of course, has changed Shepherd’s life immensely.
“Having kids has probably been the single most profound experience of my entire life,” he said.
And Shepherd is making time to be a father and husband.
“My goal is to be as present for them as possible,” he said. ”So definitely striking the right balance is part of my daily concern.”
But Shepherd also noted that he feels a strong obligation to his music and his fans, so he’s excited to have “How I Go” in stores and a tour starting.
With “How I Go,” Shepherd – who feels he re-established that blues is the foundation of his sound with “10 Days Out” and “Live In Chicago” – was eager to re-assert the rock facet of his sound.
“I wanted there to be a nice mix between blues and blues-based rock, or contemporary blues or whatever you want to call it, just getting back to that middle road between the rock and the blues, which I think is what people have come to expect from me and my band,” he said.
He does that nicely on “How I Go,” as first-rate rockers like “Never Lookin’ Back” and “The Wire” share space with bluesier tunes like “Dark Side Of Love” and a cover of the Beatles’ “Yer Blues,” which features some standout soloing from Shepherd.
Despite being proud of “How I Go,” Shepherd said he won’t over-emphasize his new songs on tour – at least for now.
“Right now if we went out and played the whole new album, people would be completely unfamiliar with it,” he said. “So as the album is released and people get it in their heads and they start listening to it and they become familiar with the material, then we’ll start adding more and more of the material to the live show. We’ve worked up just about every song that was on the record for the live show. So it’s just a matter of time before most of it is in the set list.”