Sunday writings

Heya, comrades! 

  Well, it's been a totally rockin' weekend, what with the Farm Fest and Funk Fest and mega broom guitar jams!   To top it off, I was hanging out with my mom and two brothers today, and driving home, was struck with a "Sunday feeling." Maybe it'll make it into a song, maybe it won't...(wouldn't a 7 track concept album for each day of the week be nifty?) But, wanted to share some writing with you. Any song you hear is usually VERY processed and edited - here's an early draft of some "destination writing" that's nowhere close to music, but might get there someday.

"The waves exchanged
goodbyes floating through the late afternoon air
and laughter fades in my rear view mirror

The sunlight igniting a lime green blaze of the
beech leaves

I can almost feel the cycle ready to trip
like the black and white numbers through the dusty dash
on the odometer of that old car I used to try to drive around

The wheels harmonize with the wind
as my hand sculpts it
rushing past my arm
resting on the windowsill of the car

not clenching the steering wheel
that's for the deals and hustles of the Wednesdays

Timeless, ageless, yet always of a slightly worn chronology

sturdy, resting, able, yet expecting the heavy lifting to begin again soon

But quiet for now

just a few bird songs in the approaching twilight

and the questions gather like the dusk

"where will this all lead?"

Intentional Listening

Happy #ThrowbackThursday, comrades!


  Just went up the street to drop some stuff off at the thrift store....annnd wound up getting some cool jazz records.

  As is human nature, I've been justifying my obsession with collecting music, and I've stumbled onto a cool idea that I'd like to share with you.  I think it can improve both your musicianship and your life (and at the very least, make me feel OK about all the crazy records.)

  What if you looked at music the way nutritionists look at food?  You know the food pyramid, with the recommended daily servings of the different food groups?  What if you did that with music?

  I've been telling this idea to a few comrades this week, and wanted to share it with you.  What if you tried to listen to at least five styles of music each day?  (So far, I'm on track.  I woke up to the classical radio station, blasted some Franz Ferdinand, was studying and building a Run DMC beat in my studio, put on a Motown record, listened to Poets of the Fall - pop rock from Finland - and now have Billy Taylor spinning on the classroom turntable.  He's jazz, and I've never heard him before.  Wow, what an album!)

  I'm intrigued with this idea of intentional, or active listening. One of the first questions I ask my guitar students is "what have you been listening to?"  Most people, myself included, listen to what's there, be it on the radio, the iPhone, or whatever we put on our playlist a few months ago.

  I'd encourage you to go beyond, and watch your musical diet.  Listen to what you like, and keep adding stuff.  I hope that I'm right when I say "you are what you hear."  Of course, this wouldn't explain why I can't play Mozart, but I like to think that, deep in my musical mind, there's a bit of everything that I listen to.

  Our intention can be to hit a balance, like the five styles a day, it can be a research, as in "I'm going to add some gypsy jazz elements to my playing, so first I'll add it to my listening", or it can be an all-consuming study, as it was with most of my family when we discovered Stevie Ray Vaughan...and got a ton of his bootleg recordings.


  The point is - try paying attention to how you listen to music, and see what happens.

  As I was visiting with my father, and we discussed 1960's tunes as a Beatles record played, he made the point of how lucky we are to have access to recordings.  Imagine being a composer before you could listen to music on the radio or any sort of recording.  Here we have a shelf of priceless knowledge that we can access any time we like.  Want to know how Beethoven would put some chords together?  Go ask him!  (listen.)  Wondering about cool snare drum sounds and how they evolved over the years?  Listen to Elvis, The Temptations, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, and Pharrell Williams.  They're all there, and we can learn from them anytime we like.

So...have fun listening!  I always learn a lot when I do.  And try that 5-style a day experiment and see how it works.  If you haven't already, download a free Spotify account to access pretty much any song ever.


- Josh

         (My living room, being taken over by my record collection!)

The 2015 Rail Tour!

Comrades!

  Happy #MusicMonday!

  Boy oh boy, I've got some exciting news for you today!  I'm proud to announce....The 2015 Rail Tour!  That's right, backed by my newly-formed label, 5th Grade Records, I'll be embarking on a 10 city tour on September 4th, and of course, playing a lot of online events, too.  (I'm also excited to see if the new live-streaming apps like Periscope and Meerkat will help bring the tour to everyone!)

  Now, now, big news for me, but let's face it, it wouldn't appear to influence you at all.  "Bah, good for him" you might be growling into your fifth cup of coffee, trying to catch up on a mountain of paperwork.  "Musicians...."


  Yes, I realize that, at first glance, this might be another "Hey, I'm going to travel half a day by dragonfly to a Spanish castle, with your help on kickstarter!" type of deal.  (Bonus points if anyone gets the Hendrix reference.)

  But nope, this is a bit different.  There will be a cool social/world bettering element announced soon, and as with previous projects, it's very interactive.  So, basically, I get the hassle of checking into distant hotels in the middle of the night, and you get the fun of a being part of a big social and music project.  Plus, there's no money or fundraising involved from individuals, so you don't have to worry about that.  I can't wait, and the planning phase is kicking off in a big way!

  Just off the top of my head, at this part in the logistical journey, I'm especially looking to talk to musicians to collaborate in the cities listed, venues/performance opportunities, business sponsors, media connections and outlets, and anyone enthusiastic about the idea!

  Happy #MusicMonday, and WOW this is going to be fun!

All Aboaaaaaarrrrd!


- Josh

The Rockchemist

Happy Earth Day, comrades!

  Have you heard the story The Alchemist?  To sum it up in the bluntest of terms, a dude goes looking for a treasure, travels far and wide, and in a distant land, figures out it's under his stove.  At home.

Or something like that.


  I was just working on some songwriting, and I was "taking inventory."  It's a new thing I do when I write.  I see what's going on in my mind, and what I'd like to write about.  I was sitting hunched over my desk, inside, on the most beautiful earth day I can remember.  Suddenly, in a corner of my mind, I discovered a much younger version of myself, sitting there in a dusty corner with 80's toys.  I had forgotten about him, and he wanted to forget all of this boring adult work, and go outside.  So, I finished up the writing, and wandered out into the light from our nearest star.

  Immediately I was drawn to the flowers under the dogwood tree.  I really need to mow the lawn, but an unexpected benefit from my procrastination is the miniature meadow of wildflowers under the tree.  I crouched down, and watched the bees tend their garden.   They looked like flying puzzles, ones which I could spend lifetimes studying.  Some of the plants flickered into recognition.  "Creeping Charlie...Dandelion...Indian Strawberry...Violet.."

  I remembered how I would get the same sense of delight witnessing nature as a child.  I wanted to be part of it.  So, I begin to study it.  I was this close to becoming a naturalist instead of musician.  But, studying something brings a different sort of joy, and in a way, only further removes one from the initial awe of the situation.  Perhaps my way is just to sit with the delight and magic, just watching.  (Don't get me wrong, I have the greatest respect for the study of nature, and believe it essential to the planet's well-being.)

  I wondered if I was doing the same thing with music, dissecting the mystical roar of the electric guitar into specifications of amplifier circuits, music theory, and techniques.

  I realized that it was a bit of an Alchemist moment for me...studying nature so thoroughly, wanting to be part of it.  Studying music so thoroughly, that it seemed tired sometimes.  And now, in a home I had purchased with the money I made from music, across from a forest I had helped save with my involvement in grassroots organizing....the answer I had been looking for was just to sit and look at the weeds blooming so stunningly in an unkempt lawn...to simply sit with the magic, not to do anything with it.  Sort of like what psychologist Erich Fromm would say..."To have, or to be?"


So, I just lay in the grass with my eyes closed, feeling the sun on my face as the windchimes sang and the bees tended their garden.


(Unlike The Alchemist, there's no way I'm looking under the stove, though.)



Happy Earth Day.  May you find what you're looking for.

- Josh 

Metal with a Message

Happy Music Monday, comrades!

  It seems to be human nature to seek similarities in others, and I'm no exception...probably to the chagrin of those I claim to be like me!

  One of the great joys in my life is teaching guitar, and recently, two younger comrades were in their lesson, and the conversation turned to metal.  These brothers are upstanding citizens, actively working even at a young age to steer their lives in accordance with their principles.  They've discovered the roar of metal, and I suggested that I put a list together of some of my favorite metal songs with a good message.  I remember being in their shoes, and it can be tricky to find music that is good on all accounts.  So, here's four cool tunes with power, roar, and good ideas behind them.  They represent a variety of styles, and are a cool starting point in the world of metal.  I know for a fact that I'm overlooking many great songs, so feel free to add them in the comments!


Metallica - The Unforgiven  

A thought-provoking song about authority, rules, and a life wasted.



Iron Maiden - Flight of Icarus  

Mythology provides the material for this tune.  If only Zeus had a boombox.



Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train

A classic metal tune, and I never even knew all the words.  Turns out it's lamenting the division of humanity, and saying "Maybe it's not too late."



System of a Down - Aerials

Bizarre, deep, profound, and crazy..."Life is a waterfall, we're one in the river, and one again after the fall."  You can headbang to S.O.A.D, and ask the important questions, too.




There's a quick sampling of a rockin' genre...Four songs is hardly an overview, but fellas, I hope this gets you started.  These are some of my favorite jams.

Metallically yours,

- Josh


  

Free Guitar in 2015

Happy New Year, Comrades!

  Man oh man, I'm super excited for 2015.  There's going to be big doings in the Revolution:  more tours, new albums, an epic live show, etc etc....but the thing I'd like to talk about today is...FREE GUITAR LESSONS!

  OK, here's what's up.  For the past ten years, I've been fortunate enough to make my living teaching guitar.  I'm looking forward to the next decade of teaching, and I'm making a slight change to lessons.

  No, no, they still cost money (I still have to eat, and this is how I put food on the table), BUT:  I always say to people "when I'm a rich rock star, I'll do this for free."

  I'm still working on all parts of the "rich rock star" title (plan to get it, though!), but in the meantime, I realized something:  Although busy, I have a few extra minutes here and there.  I can't make every lesson free, but I'm going to offer some free lessons in the meantime.  I'll be starting a bit of a series at my studio.  I already think of it as a tree house, it being on the second floor, and it's decorated festively.  So, come party in the tree house!

  The first in the series will be on Wednesday, January  14th, from 7-9 pm EST.  I'll be hanging out at my Waldorf studio, and also hosting this on a Google + hangout, so no matter where you are in the world, you can join in the fun.  We can go over any topic at all, but I'll be spinning some rootsy music, and have the cigar box guitar in the studio.  I think January is a good time to start at beginnings of things, and American roots music has been capturing my attention recently.  So, let's talk about it, listen to it, and learn some cool stuff.  Bring your guitar, and bring your friends.  This is going to be fun.

  See you there!  You can call me Professor Redhair.  (Unless I've cut out all the seasonal neon dye!)

Rock on, and Happy New Year!

- Josh

PS.  Here's a video I just did talking about rhythm guitar:


 

Grandpa's Lesson

Hey rockers,

  Today is a bit of a sad day over here.  It's the 8th anniversary of my Grandfather's passing.  I was barely 21 when he died, and I wish I got a chance to know him better as an adult.  His death came rather unexpectedly, adhering to his humorous maxim of people never die on schedule.  Unlike the movies, it feels to me that there wasn't a tidy conclusion to his life, no completed arc.  There was much business left unfinished, and in a strange way, the most important thing he ever taught me was this:

  Things don't always work themselves out.  

  Needless to say, this still rattles my cage.  We don't figure it out just because we're adults.  I thought that, as a younger man, that with age comes wisdom.  It can, but the choice of how to apply that wisdom is up to us.  What will we do with it? We're at the controls of a mighty engine, and it will obey our commands.  How shall we steer?


  So, as I lean back in my chair, a few streaks of gray appearing among the neon red/pink hair, and the clouds drift high in the sky, I miss him.  I think of the man who placed such value on logic, precision, and rational thinking, and although I'm so very sad that he left before things got tied up, I like to think that it's a fitting last lesson he gave. I can almost picture him, in his scratchy flannel shirt and his black loafer slippers.  He would shuffle across the reasonably-priced carpet, over to his bookshelf, peering through his glasses, selecting some dry tome to read a lesson from to a rather teasingly unwilling audience in me.  "Oh man..." I'd grumble playfully...His finger would scan the pages, and he'd say "ah yes, here it is.  The probability of situations and challenges resolving themselves with little or no input from the engineer is statistically improbable."

I reply..."So, in other words, get it together, right?"


"Right."


And then he'd laugh that lovable, hissing laugh that I used to imitate as a little boy.


Thanks, Grandpa.

- Josh