Over the top of my computer I'm watching my first hand-held Guitar Hero game across the room and it looks awesome. The Hero is deep in concentration, tapping her plastic pick against the colored screen at all the right moments. I think this is the second most important rock phenomena to come along in recent times.
The USA Air Guitar Championships (www.usairguitar.com) takes the prize as the most influential (albeit totally non-musical) rock guitar competition of the last decade. Since 1996, contestants have been judged on "airness", among other all-important characteristics.
To me, playing rock guitar can be divided into two major stylistic categories: shredding and wailing.
Shredding involves a high level of technique executed at an oftentimes high speed, made ubiquitous by dudes like Van Halen and those guys in Metallica, perfected by Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Eric Johnson. Wailing focuses less on technicality and more on feel, sometimes with an asthetic that mirrors the way a human voice sounds while singing.
My favorite players: guys like Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Derek Trucks and Trey Anastasio, all have a sense of both of these conceptions. They understand that while ultimately the sound of a voice will connect with human emotions (wailing), there is an undeniable element of showmanship and technique involved with being a guitar player (shredding).
Either Jimi Hendrix was truly a voodoo-child connecting with satan onstage by lighting his Strat on fire, or he understood the production value of the effect it would have on his audience. I think both possibilties are equally likely.
As much as I would enjoy sitting and pondering the idiosyncracies of rock legends all day long (while watching the Olympics), we are busy in Frogs Gone Fishin' promoting our upcoming Denver shows and booking Fall tour, not to mention improving the planned line-up for Mountainside Mardi Gras (brought to you by For/Sure Productions LLC). If you have even more time on your lunch break after reading this blog, please search the iTunes store for our album which just became available.
After playing two gigs last weekend (Boulder and scenic Basalt, CO) and sitting in on bass with our friends Hustle, it's time for a busy week.
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