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Greetings!!!
Welcome to this Week’s E-dition of Music and Band Ezine!

Please follow the link to visit this week’s Music and Band Ezine
“LIVE ON THE NET!”

http://www.musicandband.com

Look us up on Facebook, The Music and Band Ezine Group…
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=43133328585

We’re also now on Twitter, check us out!
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ON THE COVER
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The Whole Note – from the Publisher

Plum Sutra Interview
Presented By:
Music and Band Ezine’s Publisher, Paul Heingarten

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Page 2
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History of Peavey Guitars
Submitted By: Todd Masters

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Page 3
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101 Bands You’ve Never Heard Of But Should
Written By: James Hay

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Page 4
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ANNOUNCEMENT: Send me your gigs!!!!

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THIS WEEK’S HEADLINING SPONSOR
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_________________________________________________________
DEAL OF THE WEEK
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Cover
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Plum Sutra Interview
Presented By:
Music and Band Ezine’s Publisher, Paul Heingarten

Plum Sutra from Portland Oregon answers the Music and Band
Ezine Interview this week.

Q: How did you come up with the name of your band?
A: Seth & Linton – the co founders, met at a Zen meditation group
at Lewis & Clark Campus, so we wanted a Buddhist-esque name, hence
“Sutra”. We added the word “Plum” after drinking some rum.

Q: What genre (if any) would you classify your music in?
A: Instrumental jazz/rock nature music

Q: Do you play only originals, or do you do covers?  In your
average gig, what’s the ratio of original songs to covers?
A: We play all original, instrumental music on piano, violin, &
drums, occasionally with trumpet & mandolin.

Q: Who are your musical influences?
A: Do Make Say Think, Radiohead, Tool, Claude Debussy

Q: What are your songs about?
A: A variety of emotive subjects ranging from animals, long-hair,
countries, and seasons

Q: What are your band’s goals?
A: Play live shows as often as possible, ideally at locations that
have real pianos, underneath a waterfall.

Q: Do you sell CD’s or MP3′s of your music?  If so, where could
someone find them?
A: Our debut album is available as an electronic download at
www.ivoryharp.com/downloads. You can also check out our website -
www.plumsutra.com

Q: What are your most and least favorite venues to play, and why?
A: Most Favorite – Stanford College

Q: Which songs do you perform most frequently?
A: Medley Applebutter, Happy Armed Forces Day, Cat Visions

Q: On a gig, do you play from a set list or do you just pick songs
on the spot?
A: Seth generally creates a set list which is open to revision
throughout the night

Q: Who in the band writes your songs?
A: Our first album was written half by Seth and half by Seth &
Linton. Connor has since written 2 incredible songs that will be
featured on our next album

Q: How has your music evolved since you started playing together?
A: At Plum Sutra’s inception, we were only a piano/drums duo.
Writing songs came at an extraordinarily fluid pace and we really
enjoyed creating music together at such a quick pace. Connor
joined us in the fall of 2009 and added an important multi-
instrumentalist harmonic component to the band. His arrival
enabled us to add different layers to our pieces, and it was then
that we really became true performers. We recorded our debut
album over 24 hours and then went on a quick 6 date W. Coast tour.

Q: Last thoughts?
A: Our music celebrates the euphoric spirit of life, and we look
forward to developing our musical capacities here in Portland, OR.

About the Publisher:

Paul Heingarten runs the Music and Band Ezine
http://www.musicandband.com

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THIS WEEK’S STAGE SPONSOR
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Page 2
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History of Peavey Guitars
Submitted By: Todd Masters

July 23, 2010 by Chaz

Peavey may not have the most recognizable or distinct guitar
models, but they’re still among one of the most popular amplifier
and electronics manufacturers to date. The company is native to
the state of Mississippi and has been praised by George Bush
Senior for being an U.S. only based business–although that is no
longer true, the company now has overseas factories–and their
products are distributed to over 130 different countries across
the globe.

Peavey Electronics was founded in 1964, by Hartley Peavey, who had
built an amplifier because his dad wouldn’t buy him one. The
company was jump-started a year later with $8,000 from Hartley’s
remaining college fund. Despite the investments ($8,000 was a lot
back then), the very first Peavey amplifiers were made in the
basement of Hartley’s parents.

Hartley himself said the timing of creating his company couldn’t
have been at a better time. In the mid 60s, the big guitar names
were slowly acquired by huge corporations, thus the price of good
amplifiers went up, but the quality went down. That is when
Hartley decided to make the business serious, and bought a factory
from $17,500 he borrowed. Beforehand, he had only moved from the
basement to a “bigger space” – the attic of his father’s record
store.

The business went well, and from 2 employees (Hartley himself and
a salesman) in 1966, the company soon had over 150 employees in
1973. Two years later, the company started to manufacture guitars,
albeit with mixed success. They mostly produced guitars as an
answer to the bigger companies’ latest trend; selling amplifiers
together with new guitars.

Notable models of Peavey Electronics include: The 5150 Peavey
Amplifier was originally designed for Van Halen, XXX and JSX
series are Joe Satriani Signature amplifiers, the Bandit series
(Solid State amplifier famous for replicating tube tones), the
CS800 amplifier… and many others.

Today, Peavey has yet to break-in into the guitar market; the only
significant models from Peavey were only marginally successful
like the Wolfgang series electric guitars.

However, the fact that their amplifiers are used by myriad artists
and even average guitar players does prove that Peavey knows what
he’s doing after these 37 years. Hopefully, we will see new guitar
models introduced by the company soon enough. And some prime
amplifiers too, of course. Check out Peavey High Gain Amplifiers.

###

See this original post at
http://www.gear-vault.com/history-of-peavey-guitars/

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101 Bands You’ve Never Heard Of But Should
Written By: James Hay

Darien Venture
Rocking ‘light metal’ addictive band with clever vocals and lyrics
from Ayr.

Spy Movie
Easy-going band with jangly guitar from Glasgow, with a
soothing female vocalist.

Three Blocks From The Wake
Minimalist-electro trio from Ayrshire.

Howling Bells
Upbeat-but-mellow female-led band from UK

Anna Meldrum
Individual artist with happy vocals and upbeat acoustics.

Panda Su
Feist-like female singer-songwriter

Dead City Riots
Grungy Glasgow 4-piece

Dinosaur Pile-up
UK Grunge ‘Weezer/Nirvana-style’ talented threesome

Frightened Rabbit
Scottish cult mellow band, constantly gaining in popularity

Six People Away
Lightly vocaled duo with electric drums and a good clever beat

Acrylic Iqon
Electric-rocking multi-gender band with addictive fast riffs

The Merry Poppins
Funky, jazzy, Madness-akin indie band from Austria.

65 Days of Static
Multi-instrumental band with a few vocal pieces.

Kharma45
Derry-based epic crescendo-using foursome

Miniature Tigers
Incredibly addictive nonchalant-seeming US band

Boycotts
Female fronted indie-rocky band with complex guitaring

Brother Louis Collective
Lyrically direct calming band from Glasgow. Clarinet included

We Are The Physics
Intense-vocals doubled with rapid drumming Glasgow band, currently
touring Japan.

Sky Larkin
Definite one-to-watch from Leeds. Jangly guitars coupled with
addictive beats

The Xcerts
Optimistic Aberdonian band with heartfelt vocals. On the brink of
stardom.

We Start Fires
Modest indie-rock foursome from Darlington

Popolo
Vocal-less funky band to bop along to

School of Seven Bells
Sleepy psychedelic band from New York, easy-listening

Bombay Bicycle Club
Featured in NME, Interpol-like vocals from a London band

FoxFace
Glasgow indie/folk-rock band, with Snow Patrol-sounding male
vocalist

We Are Trapped In Kansas
Clever guitaring coupled with funky pauses and prolonged singing

Friendly Fires
Already taken off, disco-house pop band. Touring all over

Soap&Skin
Female solo artist, minimal vocals varying in pitch and speed.
From Vienna

Skinflints
Airy vocals with solid beats from Scotland. Great guitaring and
song set-up

Twin Atlantic
Scottish Blink182, very talented musicians jamming with
singalongable tunes

MuteMath
From New Orleans, signed to Warner Bros in USA, incredibly
addictive indie-pop

Red Light Company
Epic-sounding band from London, backing-vocals-tastic

Young Husband
Easy-going indie band from Melbourne. Garbage-like female vocalist

Ipso Facto
Dracula-style piano-workings from London. Talented female vocalist

The Boy Least Likely To
UK intriguing whispering vocalist with a constant happy vibe

Fighting Wire
Metal(ish) band from Northern Ireland. Jumpy, fast tunes

Cinders Fall
Heavy metal duo with softer-than-usual-for-metal vocals

Dumb Instrument
‘Outstanding’ says Vic Galloway, slow and poignant band from
Ayrshire

United Fruit
Upbeat with shouty-lyrics band from Scotland

Flyleaf
American heavy rock band with female lead

Jumpers Knee
Indie-electro-rock band from Glasgow. Clever electric beat-mixes
coupled with danceable tunes

5ive
From Boston, USA, experimental rock band with heavy use of
instrumentals

Miss The Occupier
Glasgow indie-punk band, honest-sounding female lead

Rosalita
English fast-paced indie band, uses synthesizers and good
multi-vocals

The Anomalies
Hereford-based ‘new rap’ rock group. Very original and catchy

Rumspringa
Steady pop-like band from LA. Like Cold War Kids but slower.

The Bloodsugars
Quirky NY band, does clever covers with good dancy backbeat

The Fazed
“in a daze”-sounding band from Leicester, repetitive guitaring
with effortless vocals

Little Boots
One-to-watch for 2009, disco-pop mixed with dance

Porcelain and the Tramps
Hard rock swirled with industrial electronica from Detroit, USA.
Female lead with full-powered vocals

Soho Dolls
Simple electric pop with funky pauses and changes in tune.

Sufjan Stevens
Happy go lucky male from USA, easy and slow with piano
accompaniment

Uh Huh Her
Actress Leisha Harvey makes up one half of this rocking
electric-pop duo.

The Weakerthans
Indie band from USA, their track “Aside”  featured in film Wedding
Crashers

Young Love
Rocking-beat band from NY, alike to, and supported, Academy Is

Marnie Stern
Obscurely progressive indie-pop artist with influential drumming
and quirky beats

Beat Union
Punk-rock male band from Birmingham. Debut album out in Japan

Cocteau Twins
From Grangemouth, Scotland. Sometimes-Christmassy trio with
easy-listening vocals and epic-sound.

Collective Soul
Featured on the ‘Twilight’ soundtrack. Pure-of-heart
classic-rock/pop band from Atlanta, Georgia.

Giant Drag
Female artist from LA. Uses weird lyrics and usually-constant
musical backing

Camera Obscura
Upbeat classic indie band  with ingenious lyrics and warming
female vocals

Hollywood Undead
Band made of a third rock, third hip hop, and third metal.
Slightly distorted vocals, easily make a crowd rowdy. From LA,
USA.

Voluntary Butler Scheme
Lounge/house music-makers from Stourbridge. Simplistic and
seemingly-meaningless vocals

My Dying Bride
UK version of Rammstein. Gothic death metal, medium speed

Johnny Foreigner
Small, quirky, random three-some from Birmingham. Jamming sound
with very original and easily recognizable vocals.

Fastlane
Typical emo-pop-indie band, sounds like the younger brother of
New Found Glory

Midget and Giant
Acoustic duo from the UK. Low vocals with plucky guitaring and a
slow pace.

Surfact
Metal band from Denmark. Starts slow but gets faster. Think
Nickelback mixed with Switchfoot.

Ejectorseat
Electric indie band from Derby. Conjures images of manga and retro
computer games. Had radio play from Steve Lamacq and Jonathan
Ross.

Linchpin
Hotly tipped by Kerrang, kid emo band from London. Despite being
in the emo category, can be generically liked.

Your New Escape Plan
Mix of Placebo and Angels and Airwaves with a slower pace. From
England.

Janet and the Boowalks
Melodramatic acoustic pop by a group of upbeat females.

We Were Promised Jetpacks
Set for stardom Glasgow foursome. Arctic-Monkeys x Futureheads
indie band signed to FatCat Records

Sparrow and the Workshop
3-piece from Glasgow, sounds like tunes from old western movie
soundtracks or the old Bond movie themes

Attic Lights
Indie rock band signed to Island Records – so they’re getting
huge. Simple, honest, Beach Boys-ish but more modern and more
rocky.

Action Group
Fast-paced guitar riffs with minimal low vocals. Band from
Edinburgh.

The Day I Snapped
Punk rock band signed to Lockjaw record label. Kinda grungy with a
distorted sound.

How To Swim
Ten-piece pop band from Glasgow. According to their MySpace, they
sound like “A leather mask in a ball-pit, lounging”. In parts they
sound like Kings of Leon

The Dirty Hepburns
Indie-pop band that fully exploits melodies, harmonies and
multiple beats in one song. From Scotland.

Si Hayden
100% original. Poetry readings over background music of low-key
drumming, piano, and many other quirky instruments

Employee of the Month
Experimental rock/jazz group from Edinburgh. No vocal parts as of
yet.

Wooden Box Theater
Sounds like recorded fury, from Chicago, USA. Purely instrumental,
drumming and percussion-led. Think Aphex Twin but less insane.

Wake the President
Group of individuals from Glasgow with a slow pop sound.
Acoustic-like but not acoustic. Have debut album coming out 9th
March.

Gdansk
Glasgow band, sound like a postmodern Editors. Great background,
relaxing music

The Whiskey Works
Scottish post-hardcore quartet with aggressive vocals and mammoth
guitars.

Hey Vampires
Hardcore punk band that takes influence from Fugazi, Alexisonfire,
Test Icicles and others.  On Two Tick record label

These Arms are Snakes
Seattle based rock band. Uses prolonged guitar riffs with
borderline screams

Minus the Bear
Popular experimental American band. Echoed vocals with soothing
riffs and drumming. Signed to Suicide Squeeze.

French Wives
Folk pop band that incorporate violins, with influence from
Belle&Sebastien, Camera Obscura etc.

Ross Clark and the Scarves Go Missing
Country indie-pop band led by Ross Clark (surprisingly). Cult
following with a lot of gigs and support acts in the pipeline
(90)

Over The Wall
Acoustic folk slow indie group. Really catchy melodies doubled
with the clever linking of instruments. Gigging relentlessly for
months to come.

Galchen
Scottish instrumental band who experiment with percussion and
electronics. Hard to define due to the constant changing sound in
each track – sometimes like Arcade Fire, sometimes like Pixies,
sometimes borderline Radiohead.

Running with Horses
Duo originally from Australia that make honest and gritty pop
songs.  They complement each other’s voices and musical abilities.

Bad Dancer
Unsigned UK indie band. Use unusual percussion and long
instrumental parts to create an improvised-like sound.

Flood Of Red
Ambient rock band from Scotland. Couples sympathetic vocals/lyrics
with a quirky and elongated use of ‘normal’ instruments. Currently
recording their debut album.

Stopstarts
Pop semi-indie UK group. Give out a classic sound with good use of
vocal noise and changes in volume.

The Berriez
Take influence from Talking Heads, Led Zeppelin, Stone Roses etc.
Scottish accents a-go-go and gathering momentum from XFM.

The New York Fund
Ironically from London. Country rock group who sound a bit like
Green Day in places.

Jocasta Sleeps
Slow sounding, acoustic-in-part group from Glasgow. Heartfelt
lyrics with complementary guitaring alongside.

The Cinnamons
Powerpop electro group who play incredibly sweet and catchy tunes
with a gritty male lead. Based in Glasgow and unsigned.

Happy Couple Parade
Juno-soundtrack possibility, group from Hamburg, Germany.
Incredibly honest and loving music.

www.avenue61.co.uk

For more articles on upcoming bands visit www.avenue61.co.uk

Article Source:
http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/101-Bands-You’ve-Never-Heard-Of-But-
Should/757873

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Your ad can be here!!!
Email paul@musicandband.com for more information.

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Page 4
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ANNOUNCEMENT: Send Me Your Gigs!!!

Okay, here’s the deal. I have an event calendar on the Music and
Band Ezine blog page that has not gotten much use lately and I
want to start promoting your live shows. Use the following link
and submit your gigs to me so I can include them on the event
calendar. Please include street addresses of the gigs and if you
like you can also include links to your home page, Facebook page,
etc. Thanks!

http://www.prhsolutions.com/musicandband/?page_id=988

That wraps up another edition of the Music and Band Ezine. Your
questions, comments and/or concerns can always be forwarded
directly to me at Music and Band at paul@musicandband.com.

If you would like to post an article in a future edition of the
“Music and Band Ezine”, please email your submission to
paul@musicandband.com for review and consideration.

I personally thank you for your readership and interest in this
ezine. Looking forward to bringing you the next edition of Music
and Band, I am…

Paul Heingarten
Founder
Music and Band Ezine
paul@musicandband.com
http://www.musicandband.com

***The views expressed in this ezine do not necessarily reflect
the views of the publisher***

Greetings!!!
Welcome to this Week’s E-dition of Music and Band Ezine!

Please follow the link to visit this week’s Music and Band Ezine
“LIVE ON THE NET!”

http://www.musicandband.com

We’re also now on Twitter, check us out!
http://twitter.com/musicandband

_________________________________________________________
ON THE COVER
_________________________________________________________

The Whole Note – from the Publisher

Offramp Interview
Presented By:
Music and Band Ezine’s Publisher, Paul Heingarten

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Page 2
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Why Should I Learn to Read Music?
Written By: Peter Hostage
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Peter_Hostage

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Page 3
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Musician Speak
Written By: Matt Mckay
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Matt_Mckay

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Page 4
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Find a Gig / Post a Gig

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THIS WEEK’S HEADLINING SPONSOR
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DEAL OF THE WEEK
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_________________________________________________________
Cover
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Offramp Interview
Presented By:
Music and Band Ezine’s Publisher, Paul Heingarten

Mike Rasimas, drummer for Offramp, answers the Music and Band
Ezine Interview this week.

Q: What is your name / the name of your band?
A: I’m Mike Rasimas, and I play drums in a band called Offramp.

Q: How did you come up with the name of your band?
A: There’s a jazz guitarist named Pat Metheny who has an album
called “Offramp.” I thought it would be a cool name for a band, so
I mentioned it to the others. They eventually warmed up to it. We
couldn’t think of anything better.

Q: What genre (if any) would you classify your music in?
A: That’s hard to say. I won’t go the “alternative” route because
that’s what everyone is these days. Who knows what that means
anymore. Our roots are in classic rock, hard rock, blues and jazz.
What comes out when we play tends to be pretty heavy.

Q: Do you play only originals, or do you do covers?  In your
average gig, what’s the ratio of original songs to covers?
A: We play both originals and covers. Our shows are about half and
half. We love to rework a cover and do it a little differently
than the original. Its like, “Offramp’s version of The
Raconteurs’ version of Nancy Sinatra’s version of ‘Bang Bang’.”

Q: Who are your musical influences?
A: We get a lot of inspiration from Jack White’s bands The
Raconteurs and The Dead Weather. I would our consider our
style/approach to be along the same lines as them. We especially
relate to The Dead Weather because we have a female singer. Though
I will point out that we existed before The Dead Weather did.
Aside from trying to be them, we’re influenced by The Flaming
Lips, Queens Of The Stone Age, John Lennon, Bjork, and most of the
usual classic rockers. Zeppelin, etc.

Q: What are your songs about?
A: Heartbreak and lost love, the tribulations of being a tween in
the 2010′s. Just kidding. Listen to the music.

Q: What are your band’s goals?
A: We’re working on our second recording project. We released an
EP in February and we’ve started on new songs, which are going to
be really fantastic. Hopefully by the summer we’ll have it all
recorded and ready to go. We’d like to get in a studio and record
some of the tunes, and we’d like to find someone to help us
release it and get us gigs outside of CT. Our music can appeal to
a great variety of people. We just need the resources to go do it.

Q: Do you sell CD’s or MP3′s of your music?  If so, where could
someone find them?
A: We’re currently selling our first EP called “Innocent
Business.” If you have iTunes or use Amazon mp3, you can search
“Offramp – Innocent Business” and you should find it. It’s only
$5, so…

Q: What are your most and least favorite venues to play, and why?
A: We like playing pretty much anywhere. Though I’d imagine we
wouldn’t come across so well in a nursing home. But you never
know.

Q: Which songs do you perform most frequently?
A: Recently we’ve been playing our EP as well as a new song called
“No Currency (I Suck My Tongue)”, which has been fun. We’ve also
been doing one-off performances of more obscure covers of The
Flaming Lips.

Q: On a gig, do you play from a set list or do you just pick songs
on the spot?
A: That depends on the gig. If we have 30 minutes to play, we’ll
make a set list to make sure we say everything we want in that
short amount of time. If we have 2 hours with a break in between,
we’ll make up a set list but rarely will we adhere to it exactly.

Q: Who in the band writes your songs?
A: Everyone contributes. On “Innocent Business”, most of those
songs had been written by me and the guitarist, Kevin Wunderlich,
with some ideas also from Matt Diamond, who plays keyboard. Now we
work together to develop everyone’s ideas, and generally leave the
vocal melody to our singer, Alexa Barchini. For our new project,
we’ve got at least one song idea from everyone, so that’s fun.

Q: How has your music evolved since you started playing together?
A: We started as just three of us: Me, Kevin on guitar, and Matt
on keys. We would jam in my basement for hours in high school.
Eventually we realized our music was really good and decided to
start playing out. People liked it a lot, but we were playing
instrumental songs. We wanted to play songs with vocals, but none
of us could sing lead particularly well, so we enlisted Alexa,
who’s a ridiculous singer. Kevin and I had played in our high
school jazz band, and Alexa would sing in it sometimes, so we
became friends.

We still play some of those old Offramp instrumentals, too.

Q: Last thoughts?
A: I should probably go cash that check. I need a haircut.
Also, you can contact Offramp at offramptheband@gmail.com.
Thanks for reading and please support local music. Well… good
local music.

About the Publisher:

Paul Heingarten runs the Music and Band Ezine
http://www.musicandband.com

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THIS WEEK’S STAGE SPONSOR
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Why Should I Learn to Read Music?
Written By: Peter Hostage
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Peter_Hostage

Beginning adult piano students often ask me “why should I learn to
read music?” To them, note reading seems difficult, and they just
want to “play piano.” Often they say they “just want to play some
songs.”

That person who just wants to play piano without learning to read
is limiting themselves to playing just a few songs, in one or two
styles. There are millions of pieces of music in every conceivable
style and level, and with the ability to read, that person can
experience this wide world of music.

Music is a Universal Language

Learning to read music is much like learning a new language. Music
notation is a universal, standardized language that is understood
around the world. It is not only a way to communicate musical
ideas, but a way to think about and understand music. Note reading
takes sound and rhythm, and makes them into a visual medium. That
visual component helps us learn music faster and memorize more
effectively. Learning to read music properly helps us have a
better understanding of rhythm, pitch, melody, chords, dynamics
and the subtleties of music playing that make for excellent
musicianship.

Understand Music Theory

Learning to read music helps us understand music theory, the “how
and why of music.” We can more easily understand how the notes of
piece of music relate to each other, and how the melody relates
to the harmony. For example, the key signature of a piece of music
tells us what scale the piece of music is written in, and
therefore what chords will most likely relate to the melody.
Learning to read properly also involves a solid understanding of
rhythm, and how the notes relate to each other in time.

Learn New Music

Being able to read music opens up the possibility of playing
whatever you like, or some song you may not know anything about!
There are many pieces that I have found that I never had heard
before, but have grown to love after reading them. For example, I
find that I enjoy playing almost anything by Mozart, Brahms,
Beethoven and other classic composers, though I don’t regularly
listen to classical music.

An Easily Learned Skill

Learning to read music is easy if taken step by step. Many
beginners have a false assumption that they are expected to
sight-read complex pieces the first time through. Very few players
have this unusual skill. A more realistic expectation is being
able to read and understand a piece of music well enough to slowly
play through, and with practice, gradually increase tempo.
Beginners often think that they should be able to play a piece
marked “allegro” (fast) the first time they play it. Consider
tempo directions as a goal to work towards.

Anyone can learn to read music. You have to take it slowly, step
by step, starting with simple pieces and then gradually take on
more complex pieces. Practice regularly, and take your time. Learn
to count the rhythms correctly, starting with whole, half and
quarter notes, then take on eighth notes. Learn to recognize
recurring patterns like chord changes and scales.

Soon you will be able to play classics by the masters, or piano
arrangements of pop hits if you prefer. Eventually you might even
want to write down your own compositions!

Now, don’t you want to learn to read music and enjoy the wide
world of music available to you?

Copyright 2010 – Peter Hostage. You may freely republish this
article provided the text, author credit, active links and
copyright notice remain intact.

About the Author:

Peter Hostage, editor of [http://www.teach-me-piano.com]
http://www.teach-me-piano.com, is a professional jazz/blues
pianist, owner/director of a music academy and author of The Piano
Guide Book Series, a piano method developed for the busy adult
lifestyle. To learn more sign up for the free Piano Guide Ezine,
or visit teach-me-piano.com.

To hear original and standards in the jazz/blues piano tradition,
please visit [http://www.peterhostage.com]
http://www.peterhostage.com.

Article Source:
[http://EzineArticles.com/?Why-Should-I-Learn-to-Read-Music?&id=4051273]
Why Should I Learn to Read Music?

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THIS WEEK’S CREW SPONSOR
_________________________________________________________

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Page 3
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Musician Speak
Written By: Matt Mckay
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Matt_Mckay

Okay. You know I have been a musical artist for many years, and if
you didn’t, you do now. It never fails to amuse me when
non-musicians attempt to try and sound as though they are on your
level by using tired, old music words. Of course they are on your
level, probably even on a higher one because they are not in the
music business. (To my friends in the business, please note that
this article is intended as a piece of satire.)

It’s not their fault…they think we all speak this way. But the
ultimate annoyance comes when musicians start in. “Where’s
your next gig?” “I got a new axe today.” “Your rig is killer.”
“That singer has got some pipes.”

Just so you know… Axe=Instrument, Gig=Job, show or performance,
Pipes=Voice, Rig=Equipment set-up.

My responses usually start with a polite correction of the term or
phrase, by acknowledging the statement in my own words. “My next
show (or performance) is this Friday.” What kind of instrument did
you get?” “Thank you, I like my amplifier too.” “Yes, that person
has a very good voice.” Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
I prefer to gently lead and see who follows.

What vexes me, is that at what point did these folks decide they
were going to speak like this? Did they consider it a rite of
passage? An adaptation of unpublished terminology which by virtue
of a chosen profession decided they could now use legitimately? I
certainly don’t recall a point in my life when I thought it was to
my benefit to use music slang.

I did a bit of research to try and find what some of these terms
actually mean, and when or why they came into vogue. I could find
no entomology for ‘axe’ and ‘gig,’ at least not in my half-hearted
mission to find out. I guess I understand the ‘pipes’ and maybe
even ‘rig,’ but why bother? My point really wasn’t to find
justification for the terms anyway, but to discover what the point
actually was. Apparently, none exists.

Now, I’ve never been one who enjoyed being stereotyped by the way
I spoke and according to the subject matter I chose to discuss.
Once the music business end of things has been talked about, I’d
rather talk about golf, the weather, politics and current events.
“That guy has a killer golf rig. Did you see his new oversized
axe?” Please stop me now.

Even my family tries to fit in. My brother is a drummer who tours
all over the world, and the questions still comes up. “Hey Mark,
how was that festival gig in Germany last month?” Mark will
respond the same as I would, that the show in Germany went pretty
well.

One very humorous statement was made to me several years ago that
I will never forget. “My agent and CFO are at a gig this week and
will cut you a check when they get back ASAP.” Nice
corporate/musi-speak combo action there. We called this guy “the
gig man” because during any given conversation, you could count on
at least the word ‘gig’ to emerge in most every sentence.
Incidentally, his job was working for a company that manufactured
‘gig bags.’ (Soft sided, padded instrument cases.)

Now, I’ve been meaning to attack this subject for some time. There
are so many possible theories, and probable psychological reasons
why this kind of silliness still goes on, so I’ll take them on
when the time comes. For now, I’ll ask you to carefully consider
the use of music slang, and most other slang as well. Why? Does it
make you sound cooler? Would it be cooler not to use it at all? I
do like the word cool, I must say…

About the Author:

Matt McKay is a songwriter, musician and author from New England.
http://www.mattmckay.net

Article Source:
[http://EzineArticles.com/?Musician-Speak&id=1412289]
Musician Speak

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******

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Page 4
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Find a Gig / Post a Gig

4/10/10 – Vermont
*********************
Looking to play with other people interested in old school
country, alt country, blues, hard rock

I listen to stuff like: Johnny Winter, Johnny Horton, Jackshit, Bo
Diddley, lots of Rolling Stones, old Elvis, the Cramps, Alex
Chilton/Big Star, Richard Thompson, John Prine, Drive by Truckers,
ZZ Top, most classic rock like AC/DC, Aerosmith, blah blah

I’m decent, looking to jam, write some tunes

See this ad and contact info at
http://burlington.craigslist.org/muc/1684517381.html

That wraps up another edition of the Music and Band Ezine. Your
questions, comments and/or concerns can always be forwarded
directly to me at Music and Band at paul@musicandband.com.

If you would like to post an article in a future edition of the
“Music and Band Ezine”, please email your submission to
paul@musicandband.com for review and consideration.

I personally thank you for your readership and interest in this
ezine. Looking forward to bringing you the next edition of Music
and Band, I am…

Paul Heingarten
Founder
Music and Band Ezine
paul@musicandband.com
http://www.musicandband.com

***The views expressed in this ezine do not necessarily reflect
the views of the publisher***

Volume I, Edition 31
August 8, 2009

Greetings!
Welcome to this Week’s E-dition of Music and Band Ezine!

Please follow the link to visit this week’s Music and Band Ezine
“LIVE ON THE NET!”

http://www.musicandband.com

We’re also now on Twitter, check us out!
http://twitter.com/musicandband

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ON THE COVER
_________________________________________________________

The Whole Note – from the Publisher

On The Run Interview
Presented By:
Music and Band Ezine’s Publisher, Paul Heingarten

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Page 2
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Brilliant Voices: An Interview with Jeannine Hebb
Written By: Laura

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Page 3
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Vocal Power – Keys to Achieving Maximum Vocal Impact with Minimum
Vocal Strain
Written By: Judy Rodman
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Judy_Rodman

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Page 4
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Top 5 eMusic Downloads for the week of August 8, 2009

1) “My Maudlin Career” by Camera Obscura (Indie)
2) “These Four Walls” – We Were Promised Jetpacks (Alternative)
3) “Ayrton Senna (Bonus Track Version) – Delorean (Indie Pop)
4) “Got Nuffin” – Spoon (Indie)
5) “See Mystery Lights” – Yacht (Dance)

Download these and more at
http://www.musicandband.com/top5downloads

_________________________________________________________
THIS WEEK’S HEADLINING SPONSOR
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Save up to $110
at MusiciansFriend.com
through this link
http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-2652983-10570244

_________________________________________________________
LAST WEEK’S POLL RESULTS
_________________________________________________________

And now for the results from last week’s poll…

“What are your goals in music?”

Get more and better gigs 100%
Just have a good time 50%

_________________________________________________________
THIS WEEK’S POLL
_________________________________________________________

Poll Topic: How many musicians are in your band?

I’m a solo artist
2-4
5-8
9 or more
To vote in this poll, go to the Music and Band Ezine home page and
look for the poll on the right side of the page.

http://www.musicandband.com
_________________________________________________________
Cover
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On The Run Interview
Presented By:
Music and Band Ezine’s Publisher, Paul Heingarten

Ok, I must admit I’m partial to bands that feature horns. After
all, I play trumpet – of course I’m going to like hearing a band
that includes some kind of horn section. On The Run hails from
Chicago and they have a nice acoustic rock sound that has a
friendly, familiar feel to it that works a saxophone in very
nicely. I’ll say they’re Chicago’s answer to Dave Matthews Band,
and based on their influences comments I don’t think they’ll hold
that against me. It is a compliment, guys (Hey, I like Dave
Matthews Band…sue me) Look On The Run up on Myspace at
http://www.myspace.com/ontherunchicago. Here’s On The Run to answer the Music and Band Ezine interview this week.

Q: How did you come up with the name of your band?
A: Well we were originally called Liquid Courage for our first
few gigs, but we got to thinking that we’d never get famous with
such a silly name. So we came up with a huge list of potential
names. We didn’t want something pretentious, or something made up.
We narrowed the list down and eventually chose On the Run.
It’s slightly ambiguous, and begs the question “from what?” or “to
where?” And we thought that not really knowing the answer to
those questions, but still having a sense of discontent or
urgency was something a lot of people could relate to. Also, we
thought it sounded cool.

Q: What genre (if any) would you classify your music in?
A: Primarily rock. But, that’s a bit ambiguous so we tend to
describe it as acoustic-rock, jam-rock, or pop-rock.

Q: Do you play only originals, or do you do covers?  In your
average gig, what’s the ratio of original songs to covers?
A: We play primarily originals; although we have some covers that
we’ll break out on occasion. So for an average gig probably 95%
will be our stuff and then some covers. We play some of the covers
straight like you’d hear them on the radio, but others we’ve
modified to emphasize our own strengths. For instance, we do “Come
Together”, which is a relatively simple song, but we’ve modified
it to be a song that each of us can really shine in. People really
love it.

Q: Who are your musical influences?
A: It kind of depends from song to song – as we’re writing and we
come up with something that sounds like something one of us
listened to, we’ll point it out, and go with it. For example on
our latest song, “Round and Round”, we were coming up with the
chorus and our vocalist hit this falsetto note to start off the
hook, it may have even been on accident, but we were like, hey
that sounds a lot like something Maroon 5 would do, so then we
went back through the song and embraced it to give it a bit of
Maroon 5 influence in the drums and bass. We did something similar
with OAR on California, and Sister Hazel on Oblivious and
Tomorrow’s Another Day. Since we have a saxophonist, most people
say we sound like Dave Matthews Band, and yes they’re a big
influence to us as well. Our rhythm section definitely has a hint
of Red Hot Chili Peppers in them, and overall we take a few cues
from Dispatch. 

Q: What are your songs about?
A: We write about the basic elements of life – love, love lost,
death, chasing what you’re looking for, that kind of stuff. It’s
stuff people can relate to.
 
Q: What are your band’s goals?
A: We’d like to make a living out of it, play around as much as
possible and build out a big fan base. Ideally, we’d like to make
it to the point where people all over the place can make their
days a little more musical by playing our songs on their way to or
from work or while working out or something like that.
 
Q: Do you sell CD’s or MP3′s of your music?  If so, where could
someone find them?
A: We sell our EP at our shows and are working on further
distribution of the physical CD. We have the EP available to buy
digitally at On the Run – EP and you can also hear them for free
on last.fm, by playing “On the Run (Chicago)” radio. You can
stream the music free at On the Run, their website or On the Run’s
MySpace  http://www.myspace.com/ontherunchicago  http://last.fm/
http://www.ontherunmusic.com/

Q: What are your most and least favorite venues to play, and why?
A: Most favorite venue to play in Chicago was The Double Door. The
staff there was professional and friendly, the sound was
excellent, the stage and lights are awesome, and the general
atmosphere there is just really cool. In addition, we recently
played at The Bitter End in New York City, and really enjoyed that
venue as well. I don’t think we have a least favorite venue to
play – we love playing live in pretty much any circumstance!
 
Q: Which songs do you perform most frequently?
A: We’re in the process of promoting our EP so we play those five
songs at pretty much every show. “Oblivious”, “Running Dry”,
“California”, “Stage Lights”, and “Beautiful”. We’ll also play a
great blues rock song called Feelings for You just about
everywhere. Fan favorite covers that we break out a lot are “Come
Together”, and “What I Got.” http://www.ontherunmusic.com/ep
 
Q: On a gig, do you play from a set list or do you just pick songs
on the spot?
A: We try to make our shows as jam packed with music as possible,
so we pick a set list and all try to memorize it to minimize
change time between songs. Sometimes we will make game-time
switches based on how the crowd seems to be doing.
 
Q: Who in the band writes your songs?
A: It’s a pretty collaborative effort. Our guitarists will come up
with a chord progression or our bass player or sax player will
come up with a lick and then we’ll work as a band to turn that all
into something. We’ll work out the feel, the song structure, all
that stuff together.
 
Q: How has your music evolved since you started playing together?
A: At first we would basically take a song that our guitarist
wrote and just play along to the chord progressions. It wasn’t a
hugely collaborative effort. Then there was sort of this switch
when we wrote our first song together and once we really started
playing to one another’s strengths, we got some much better
sounding songs. We’ve also gotten a lot better at reading one
another’s musical intentions. Now during live performances if our
sax player or guitarist picks up an interesting lick, everyone
will start to build off of each other and build that little lick
up, and then bring it back to the original song, all nice and
tightly. It’s pretty cool for us and definitely more interesting
for our fans.
 
Q: Last thoughts?
A: We’re really happy to have the opportunity to be featured here.
We’d also like to thank our dedicated fans for all their efforts
and support – we really wouldn’t be where we are without their
support. We hope people check out our music and enjoy what we have
to offer. And for those of you who are interested in hearing us,
we’ve got a few free tracks to offer. It’s available at On the Run
– Free Music. So go ahead and check them out!

About the Publisher:

Paul Heingarten runs the Music and Band Ezine
http://www.musicandband.com

_________________________________________________________
THIS WEEK’S STAGE SPONSOR
_________________________________________________________

On August 9th at the Waiting Room on 61st and Maple street in
Omaha, GARFAN will be in a “battle of the bands”. Show starts at
4 p.m. It is an ALL ages show. As underdogs in anything it is hard
to beat the favorites but with your support we can do it. Fight for
the underdogs by buying an advance ticket from us and going to the
show.   Tickets through us are $8 but at the door they are $10.
There will be 5 bands which breaks down to just $1.60 per band in
advance, not bad for entertainment. And as it is an all ages show
those under 21 can go. So let your voice be heard. Catch us in
person, via return email, via garfan.com or www.myspace.com/garfanband
and give us your vote. Show up for the show in your t-shirts,
buttons and other GARFAN apparel. Together we can win this thing,
GARFAN- The alternative rock voice that speaks for the underdog.

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Page 2
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Brilliant Voices: An Interview with Jeannine Hebb
Written By: Laura

From the age of 11, Jeannine Hebb has been singing her own song.

An award-winning singer and songwriter, Jeannine recently debuted
her original album “Too Late to Change Me” and has performed
throughout the Northeast.

Jeannine graduated magna cum laude from Berklee College of Music
and has studied with some of the top performers in the music
world, including Gabrielle Goodman, Pat Pattison, and Livingston
Taylor.

As part of our ongoing effort to share more about the people
shaping our musical culture, I recently connected with Jeannine to
talk more about where she gets her creative ideas and inspiration.

–

Laura: Was there a particular moment you realized you wanted to be
a singer / songwriter or did it evolve over time?

Jeannine: I think there was a part of me that always knew I wanted
to be on stage. When I was a kid I was very shy, but anytime I had
the opportunity to perform or speak in front of a large audience,
I felt confident and at ease. I loved singing and started writing
as soon as I learned how to play the piano.

I’d spend hours writing millions (exaggeration) of songs and
recording them on my tape recorder – only to stuff them into a box
and put them away in the closet. Eventually they’d make it out of
the closet and onto the stage at school or a local club.

When I got a little older, I realized my hobby had become more of
an identity. Music and performing became my things, and being
involved with them made me happier than anything else.

Laura: What are some of the most satisfying aspects of songwriting
for you? The most challenging or difficult?

Jeannine: The most satisfying aspect of writing or creating
anything is that it’s entirely my own. When I write a song, it’s
my fingerprint.

The most challenging part of writing is making a song when I feel
like doing something else. To be a successful and prolific writer,
sometimes you have to sit down and create when you’re not feeling
particularly creative. That’s when it becomes more of a job than a
fun activity, and that can be difficult to swallow.

Laura: Where do you get most of your inspiration for your lyrics?

Jeannine: I don’t think they come from any one place. I’m kind of
boring, so I like to listen and learn about other people’s lives.
Reading a paper, or eaves dropping on the subway. It’s amazing
what goes on in the lives of ordinary people around you, and
sometimes their situations make for great songs.

On the other hand, if I’m experiencing any sort of strong emotions
related to my life, I love to write about them. Anytime I’m
feeling overwhelmed is a great time to write lyrics. That’s when
the songs mean the most. To me, it seems very obvious when someone
writes a song they’re completely connected to. Those songs are
always the best ones.

Laura: With all of your years of experience, what advice can you
offer other aspiring songwriters/singers – or even other writers
- as they kick off their own creative efforts?

Jeannine: Do what you want. Take advice and criticism and apply it
appropriately, but don’t ever let it be a deciding factor in what
you’re trying to do as an artist. Get to know your craft. Go to
school, take lessons, listen, watch, learn, and absorb.

Try not to get frustrated even when it seems like no one’s
listening. There’s someone out there enjoying what you’re doing,
even if you don’t realize it.
–

Huge thanks to Jeannine for spending some time with us at TJCC.
You can find out more about Jeannine, her work and her upcoming
performances on her site. You can also read what others had to say
in a recent article about Jeannine at Voices to Hear.

Editor’s note: This is a continuation of the songwriter interview
series originally launched at Laura Reviews. More songwriter and
musician interviews to come.

About the Author:

See this original post at
http://www.thejcconline.com/2009/07/brilliant-voices-interview-with.html

_________________________________________________________
THIS WEEK’S CREW SPONSOR
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Page 3
_________________________________________________________
Vocal Power – Keys to Achieving Maximum Vocal Impact with Minimum
Vocal Strain
Written By: Judy Rodman
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Judy_Rodman

Vocal power can, like any other kind of power, be either used for
the good or used for the bad. It depends on how you achieve it and
the purpose for which you use it. Steamrollers have power, but I
think it’s obvious that’s not what I have in mind when I use the
word in vocal training. Vocal power should not lead to vocal
strain, but vocal impact!

I’d like to discuss three factors that determine vocal power:

1. The balanced breath applied to vibrate the vocal cords

2. The resonance of the sound generated.

3. The communicative impact of the sounding voice.

Breath applied to the voice needs two opposing interactions:
breath support and breath control. Think of the bowing arm a
violin player: It must both press down and hold up at the same
time. Supported plus controlled air pressure creates compression
power that causes just the right amount of air to vibrate the
vocal cords without straining them. In Power, Path & Performance
(PPP) vocal training, I call this the “power of the pelvic floor”.

Resonance is created when vibration from the vocal cords transfers
to the rest of the larynx, which then transfers vibration to the
bones, cartilage and tissues of the rest of the mouth, nose
throat, sinuses, and trachea. The best resonance occurs when the
channels through these tissues are open. In PPP training, I call
this the “path to the open throat”

Communicative impact delivers the message (OR NOT!). The
psychological focus of the communicator is all-important. The
phrase “Not now!” can be communicated to mean “Don’t even try to
make me…”, “You’re going to make me do this, aren’t you?”, or
“Danger… Don’t do it at this time!”- all according to the
inflection and emphasis you give to the words. Powerful
communicative impact depends on more than the combination of
consonants, vowels and sound… it demands clarity of, and
confidence in, the message delivered TO someone. In PPP training,
I call this “performance”.

A publisher of music instruction once told me that my Power, Path
& Performance method should be re-named. He had a problem with the
word “power, which he interpreted as pushing the voice too hard,
over-blowing the vocal cords. That word makes some voice teachers
see red. I understand. It’s a paradox. Let me set the record
straight:

The reason I named my method “Power, Path & Performance” was that
I noticed how magically these three overarching concepts affected
each other. And yes, I passed on re-naming it! For information on
how you can study this method and maximize the impact of your
voice without strain, check out the links below.

Judy Rodman -singer/songwriter/producer/vocal instructor,
developer of…

Power, Path & Performance™ vocal training – Learn from a pro who’s
been where you want to go!

website, vocal training products and blog: http://judyrodman.com  
newsletter: http://judyrodman.com/newsletter-signup
About the Author:

Judy Rodman has over 30 years of professional experience as a
session singer, award-winning recording artist, stage and
television performer, a multi-genre hit songwriter, a studio
producer and vocal consultant, and a highly sought-after voice
teacher.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Judy_Rodman
http://EzineArticles.com/?Vocal-Power—Keys-to-Achieving-Maximum-Vocal-Impact-With-Minimum-Vocal-Strain&id=2195455

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CLASSIFIED ADS
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Shop for Drums at GuitarCenter.com

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******

Learn all the songs you want to learn on guitar
with this easy to follow system
http://anim8orman.jamorama.hop.clickbank.net

******

25 FREE iPod® compatible downloads from eMusic!
Choose from over 4.0 Million songs!
http://www.musicandband.com/freemusicdownload

******

Want to advertise your band gig or opportunity?
Email me at musicandband@prhsolutions.com for more details.

_________________________________________________________
Page 4
_________________________________________________________

Top 5 eMusic Downloads for the week of August 8, 2009

1) “My Maudlin Career” by Camera Obscura (Indie)
2) “These Four Walls” – We Were Promised Jetpacks (Alternative)
3) “Ayrton Senna (Bonus Track Version) – Delorean (Indie Pop)
4) “Got Nuffin” – Spoon (Indie)
5) “See Mystery Lights” – Yacht (Dance)

Download these and more at
http://www.musicandband.com/top5downloads

That wraps up another edition of the Music and Band Ezine. Your
questions, comments and/or concerns can always be forwarded
directly to me at Music and Band at paul@musicandband.com.

If you would like to post an article in a future edition of the
“Music and Band Ezine”, please email your submission to
paul@musicandband.com for review and consideration.

I personally thank you for your readership and interest in this
ezine. Looking forward to bringing you the next edition of Music
and Band, I am…

Paul Heingarten
Founder
Music and Band Ezine
paul@musicandband.com
http://www.musicandband.com

***The views expressed in this ezine do not necessarily reflect
the views of the publisher***

_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

Music and Band Ezine
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

Volume I, Edition 22
Greetings!

Welcome to this Week’s E-dition of Music and Band Ezine!

Please follow the link to visit this week’s Music and Band Ezine
“LIVE ON THE NET!”

http://www.prhsolutions.com/musicandband/?cat=131

_________________________________________________________
ON THE COVER
_________________________________________________________

The Whole Note – from the Publisher

Sheer Khan and the Space Case Interview
Presented By:
Music and Band Ezine’s Publisher, Paul Heingarten

_________________________________________________________
Page 2
_________________________________________________________

The ONE Tool Every Musician Needs
Written By: Stacey Marmolejo
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Stacey_Marmolejo

_________________________________________________________
Page 3
_________________________________________________________

Sam Butera (1927-2009) End of an Era
Written By:
Music and Band Ezine’s Publisher, Paul Heingarten

_________________________________________________________
Page 4
_________________________________________________________

iTunes FREE Download of the Week of June 6, 2009

_________________________________________________________
THIS WEEK’S HEADLINING SPONSOR
_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________
LAST WEEK’S CONTEST ANSWER
_________________________________________________________

And now for the answer to last week’s question, which was…

“Unscramble the following to form the name of a song
(Hint: answer is four words):
NUVES WAG KAIG PIN”

Answer: “Waking Up In Vegas”

Thanks to those who participated – now for this week’s question!

_________________________________________________________
THIS WEEK’S CONTEST
_________________________________________________________

Answer this trivia question correctly and get a free
ad posting in the Music and Band Ezine…

What is the name of the band and the song the following lyric
comes from:
‘If the pain goes on I’m not gonna make it’

Email your answer to paul@musicandband.com. Please put “trivia
question answer” in the subject line. One entry per email
address only. We will select the winner by random drawing
from all correct entries received!

We will announce the winner next week.

*** Drawing Deadline: Thursday, June 11, 2009 10PM CST. ***

_________________________________________________________
Cover
_________________________________________________________

Sheer Khan and the Space Case Interview
Presented By:
Music and Band Ezine’s Publisher, Paul Heingarten

This week we check in with Sheer Khan and The Space Case. Putting
a foreboding dark sound together with some funky grooves may not
seem a likely combination for some, but this band makes a nice go
of it. Their EP is forthcoming and it should be worth checking out
based on what I’ve heard so far. If you’re in the Austin area,
look them up. Either way, you can find them online at
www.myspace.com/sheerkhanandthespacecase  

Here’s Sheer Khan’s bassist Kasey to answer the Music and Band
Ezine Interview:

Q: How did you come up with the name of your band?
A: Well we needed it to be different so you could understand that
we’re different. We didn’t intend it to really describe our sound,
but to us the music sounded like something you would hear from a
band named Sheer Khan and The Space Case.

Q: What genre (if any) would you classify your music in?
A: If you took reggae, mixed it with funk and then combined it
with ambience, you could get what were trying to do. We call it
funky space rock.

Q: Do you play only originals, or do you do covers? In your
average gig, what’s the ratio of original songs to covers?
A: We play originals at every show. We wrote one song that is a
tribute to Jimi Hendrix, but it’s not a cover song in anyway. We
don’t really do covers because why copy someone else? No matter
what, we won’t ever do it the same or as well as the original
artist. We like to show our creativity rather than use someone
else’s thoughts.

Q: Who are your musical influences?
A: We all have similar and separate influences. Radiohead, 311,
Bob Marley and The Wailers, Pink Floyd, everyone in The Jimi
Hendrix Experience, The Beatles, The Zombies and Sigur Ros just
to name a few. My personal influences are P-Nut from 311, Aston
“Family Man” Barrett from The Wailers, Mitch Mitchell from Hendrix
Experience, Bob Dylan, Vampire Weekend, Johann Sebastian Bach,
Ludwig Van Beethoven and many other classical artists.

Q: What are your songs about?
A: We try to be different than whats popular. We go through a
process of just playing the song. If it feels like it needs words,
thats when we sit down and try to figure out what each one makes
us feel like. The words are always put together last and we put
them in as if were describing what that music makes us feel like.
Like on the song ‘Run Faster’ as we listened to it, we were
thinking man, this is kinda a scary lick. What would be a good way
to put the fear in the audience? We knew that too many words can
get in the way sometime so when the whole band stops during the
chorus, we all yell Run Faster! It hasn’t quite caught on yet with
everyone in the crowd, but since its simple, they’ll catch on
soon.

We try not to sing songs about loving a girl. Its been done over
and over again. It seems as too easy of a route to go when coming
up with lyrics. The melody and beats are easy, but words get
complicated sometimes because you need to say the right thing for
the song to work out. We have noticed a few bands have awesome
music, but as soon as the words hit, you want to change to the
next song. If we sounded like everyone else, it would be alot
harder to be noticed as well. You notice things that are different
so they don’t creep up on you. We’re doing alot of creeping
lately.

Q: What are your band’s goals?
A: We like to set a goal for a couple months, and a goal for a
year. The goal for the year is harder to complete, but if we hit
every smaller goal, the yearly goal should work out. Of course we
would like to jump on a label bandwagon and just make music for
your listening pleasure, but thats not all we play for. Our main
goal is to play as long as its fun. If there is no fun, it’s more
of a dead-end job than a passion.

Q: Do you sell CD’s or MP3′s of your music? If so, where could
someone find them?
A: We give free cd’s at every show of our rough demo. As of now,
we are in the process of recording our EP which will be available
for sale at the shows as well. We can also mail out our cd’s if
someone can’t make a show.

Q: What are your most and least favorite venues to play, and why?
A: We will play practically anywhere. A lot of venues in Austin
are smaller, but that brings a more intimate feeling into the
room. We really like the stage at the Red Eyed Fly. It gives
everyone a good amount of room so we don’t feel cramped. We really
enjoy playing parties because of the atmosphere around everyone.
People don’t have to pay to come and have a good time. Our least
favorite venue is the Ivy Lounge because we had a gig there during
South By Southwest and they cancelled it as soon as we were set
up. Apparently they had booked a DJ to come in for a certain time
and they wanted us off the stage before he was ready. Well as we
were setting up, the DJ said we could take as long as we needed,
his show didn’t have to start right on time. The band before us
had run over an extra twenty minutes and so we were setting up
about 20 minutes after we were supposed to be playing. Then we
finally got everyone in tune and all set up and they told us, “you
have to get off the stage, there is a DJ that is going on.” It
worked out in the end though, We threw together a party at a
friend’s house and put together a good sized crowd for such short
notice.

Q: Which songs do you perform most frequently?
A: Our set list contains a couple jams and the rest are more
structured. We have a few of both types to alternate at each show.
We try to play Jungle Case, Run Faster, Down With The Sound, and
Untitled #1 every time. If a jam comes up in between them, we jam
it at 100%.

Q: On a gig, do you play from a set list or do you just pick songs
on the spot?
A: We play a different set list every night. Sometimes we write a
list out and then stray away from it, kinda change things up. You
gotta play to the crowd you’ve got in front of you or else they
won’t get it.

Q: Who in the band writes your songs?
A: We all get together to jam at practice. Everyone throws out a
line and we all try to play with it. If it jams, we try to create
different ways to play it, see what is odd and strange. When it
flows and has the groove, we go with it. If it doesn’t flow or
were not feeling creative on an idea, we change it and try
something new. Were always trying to write little jams that we
could use at any time on stage. We all can read each other well
enough to change things up within a few measures. The more
structured songs have been mostly written by Kasey Jaime and Brice
Bowden. Once they get a couple different songs figured out and
structured, they present the ideas and then we go through the jam
process again.

Q: How has your music evolved since you started playing together?
A: It’s an ever-evolving project. Every time we play, the music
forms itself into what we are feeling at that moment. Were always
trying new ideas to push our music to another weird, different
level. The creative process has remained the same, but with every
show our music turns into something different than the last time
we played it.

Q: Last thoughts?
A: If anyone out there wants to book us or wants to listen to more
from Sheer Khan and The Space Case, look us up on
www.myspace.com/sheerkhanandthespacecase and become our friend.
Always looking for more shows and more friends! We’re getting in
the studio to record our first EP. There are a few names getting
thrown out there for the album name, but nothing as of now.

About the Publisher:

Paul Heingarten runs the Music and Band Ezine
http://www.musicandband.com

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The ONE Tool Every Musician Needs
Written By: Stacey Marmolejo
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Stacey_Marmolejo

When you step on stage or sit behind your recording equipment,
what’s the one piece of equipment that makes your job possible?
Your guitar? Your drums? Your mixing board? Wrong. Your ears. As a
musician, your hearing is one invaluable instrument that you use
every day.

Without protecting your ears, your chance of a long, prosperous
career could be ruined. Hearing is a serious issue for
professional musicians as well as hobbyists. I know, I know –
it’s not cool to wear earplugs, right? Well, unfortunately, even
exposure to an extremely loud concert can be enough to cause
lasting damage to your hearing. The cheap earplugs that you
squeeze and place in your ears are OK but, as you’ve probably
experienced, they also limit your hearing of the music.

The solution: musician’s earplugs! Musician’s earplugs are
designed very simply to allow attenuation evenly across the
frequency spectrum – reducing the volume while still allowing you
to hear relatively undistorted sound. One Paul Green School of
Rock Music teacher tells her students, “Etymotic Research invented
and manufactures the musician’s hi-fi earplug.” You can purchase
universal-fit versions of their earplugs for around $20. Another
option is custom molded musician’s earplugs. This is the best
option for professionals in the music business -a custom-molded,
soft silicone shell with the Etymotic filter in place. These will
run you around $150, plus audiologist’s fees for the ear
impressions (a quick, painless process). These will offer the best
protection and durability, but have a high start-up cost.

What I don’t understand is that parents will pay $1200 for a
guitar for their child, an expensive amp, a high end guitar case
and all the extras, but I rarely see students come in with ear
plugs.

When you buy the guitar or the bass or the drums, be sure you
spend the extra $20 for hi-fi earplugs and insist your child wear
them.

About the Author:

Stacey Marmolejo is the owner of two after school music programs
for kids 8 – 18 years old in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN. The Paul
Green School of Rock Music specializes in teaching kids how to
play guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and vocals in the rock genre.
The year round program includes individual lessons, group
rehearsals and live concert performances in real rock venues. The
school also offers summer. Several of Stacey’s past students are
currently working musicians. http://www.schoolofrock.com/stpaul

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stacey_Marmolejo  

http://EzineArticles.com/?The-ONE-Tool-Every-Musician-Needs&id=2356351

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Sam Butera (1927-2009) End of an Era
Written By: Paul Heingarten

As a jazz musician, and particularly a jazz musician from New
Orleans, I always take a special interest in any fellow jazz
musician from my hometown who manages to not only make a living
playing music, but becomes an all around entertainer known the
world over. People like Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong,
Pete Fountain, Al Hirt, Louis Prima and of course Sam Butera fit
that bill perfectly. Sadly, this week we lost Butera, a phenomenal
talent and (in my opinion) a member of the greatest act to ever
grace Las Vegas: Louis Prima and the Witnesses.

When I first became interested in and started seeking out Prima
recordings, I was more interested in Prima himself. After all, as
a trumpet player I was listening for melodic phrases that I could
emulate in my quest to improve my improvisation skills. Before
long I couldn’t help but notice the rest of his group. Anyone who
listens to Prima recordings, especially in his Vegas heyday, can’t
help but notice that powerful presence that Butera provided.
Butera’s sound was the perfect complement to Prima’s energetic and
playful stage presence. Together with Keely Smith, I feel Prima
and Butera are still one of the best acts the entertainment world
has ever seen.

Fortunately in this YouTube era, you can easily find clips of
Butera, Prima and company doing their thing. While any sound
recordings of them are great, you get an extra dimension of their
act with the video. Aside from the banter you hear is a great
amount of stage presence and shenanigans by all involved. These
guys are as fun to watch as they are to listen to. Butera’s work
with Prima as an arranger gave the group a distinctive musical
punch.

While several musical greats have left us, we do have a legacy of
others that continue on to this day. Louis Prima Jr. has proudly
carried on his father’s musical act considerably well. Harry
Connick Jr. started out with a strong big band vibe in the 90s
and still manages to keep his music going amidst his other work.
Michael Buble has made a name for himself around a more throwback
approach to big band music. Right here in my hometown, bands like
Rebirth Brass Band, the Treme Brass Band and others continue that
homegrown classic Dixieland sound first made famous by Armstrong
and Morton so many years ago.

That famous New Orleans sound was one of the basic elements in
Butera’s work with Prima and beyond. We will miss you, Sam! Thanks
for the music!

About the Author:

Paul Heingarten runs the Music and Band Ezine
http://www.musicandband.com

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iTunes FREE Download of the Week

iTunes software is required to download this song
(you can download iTunes software for free from
http://www.itunes.com):

That wraps up another edition of the Music and Band Ezine. Your
questions, comments and/or concerns can always be forwarded
directly to me at Music and Band at paul@musicandband.com.

I’m hoping to make it to some shows soon where I can start
promoting more live music than I have been lately. If you are in
the New Orleans area and would like me to come check your band
out, email me at paul@musicandband.com and I’ll try to make it to
your gig. Also, if you would like to send me a review of a band
show you saw recently, please feel free to email me at
paul@musicandband.com.

If you would like to post an article in a future edition of the
“Music and Band Ezine”, please email your submission to
paul@musicandband.com for review and consideration.

I personally thank you for your readership and interest in this
ezine. Looking forward to bringing you the next edition of Music
and Band, I am…

Paul Heingarten
Founder
Music and Band Ezine
paul@musicandband.com
http://www.musicandband.com

***The views expressed in this ezine do not necessarily reflect
the views of the publisher***

The Concert at Christmastime performed by the New Orleans Concert Band was a great success! We received many compliments from the audience, which was pretty decent in size. This concert featured music from composers like Offenbach (Galop), Kabalevsky (Overture to Colas Breugnon), Fergal Carroll (Song of Lir) among others. We rounded out the performance with our long time tradition: Leroy Anderson’s Christmas Festival and Sleigh Ride. Yours truly provided the horse sound at the end of Sleigh Ride.

Now we’re on hiatus until January, and our next concert is scheduled for March 9th. I’ll try and post some audio clips once we get the CD from this last concert.

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I’m one happy trumpet player.

My high school is hosting an alumni band this weekend and I’ll be joining in.  This band is going to consist of alumni who graduated in years from the seventies up through last year!  Quite a span, I know.  I fall somewhere towards the middle of that range.

We’re playing music spanning the years that the alumni in the band were in school.  Here’s some of the songs on the list of music:

On Broadway
Tusk
Hey Baby!
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Gimme Some Lovin

Lots of classic rockers in our set – I’m impressed that the list of music that the current band is playing contains a lot of classic rock tunes like In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida!  I guess the classics never die   Of course, it helps when the band directors of my high school’s current band grew up in that era.

I’ve never made any alumni events for my high school since graduating in 1990.  I’m really looking forward to catching up with friends at this event.  I encourage any of you former high school musicians to check out your school’s alumni band if it exists, dust off your old instruments (if necessary) and join up.  Sure, you may not play like you once did, but think of the old friends you’ll see.

http://www.brothermartin.com

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10) Ayo Technology - 50 Cent

 9) 1234 - Feist

Rockstar - Nickelback

7) The Way I Am - Ingrid Michaelson

6) No One (Radio Edit) - Alicia Keys

5) Stronger - Kayne West

4) Bubbly - Colbie Cailat

3) Apologize - Timbaland

2) Crank That - Soulja Boy Tell ’Em

1) Gimme More - Britney Spears

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The performance went well for the Brass Ensemble. We played two selections, “Be Thou My Vision” and “Amazing Grace”. “Be Thou My Vision” is a traditional Christian Hymn that is medium fast tempo and has kind of a subdued feel to it. We played this one first since it is the more somber of the two arrangements we performed that night. The audience seemed to like it, from their response.

“Amazing Grace” needs no introduction, of course. This song must be one of the oldest – or at least most famous – hymns in existence. The particular arrangement we played actually comes from the Canadian Brass songbook. The song starts with a solo trumpet playing the entire melody of “Amazing Grace” one time. Then, the entire brass ensemble (in our case, 2 trumpets, trombone, baritone and tuba) joins in for another verse of the melody. Next, the solo trumpet plays a jazzed up dixieland version of the melody one time. Finally, the entire brass ensemble plays the jazzed up “Amazing Grace” through to the end.

I played the solo trumpet part and it seemed to go well. The crowd even started clapping along when we were all playing the jazzed up version of the melody. We seem to get the best crowd response when we play hymns that have a jazz spin on them. Improvising is one of the things I enjoy most about playing music. Given a “friendly” key and a familiar song, it is really nice.

Next up for me, a few gigs with the big band, Rocky’s Hot Foxtrot Orchestra!

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I was able to perform in public an arrangement I wrote recently.  The song is called “Nearer My God To Thee”, and in case that isn’t ringing a bell it was the song several historians believe was the last played on board the Titanic before it sank.  The 1997 movie Titanic features this song in a very moving scene.  In fact, I’ve wanted to play that song ever since I saw that scene in the 1997 movie.  Call it inspiration, I guess.  It was also my first go at writing an arrangement out for performance.  I tried to write parts for the entire brass ensemble at my church, but this proved to be a challenge as I don’t have a lot of formal music education regarding composition.  I ended up writing it out as a simple trumpet duet, and it seemed to be closer to the original song heard from the movie.  The feedback I received was good, so looks like I’ll be able to do that one again in the future!

I’m excited to be participating in my high school’s (Brother Martin High School, New Orleans) Alumni Band.  I graduated high school in 1990 and haven’t seen most of the people I went to school with since that time.  I’ve been playing for the past ten years, so my chops should be up to the challenge.  I’ll let you know how it goes – we’re playing on October 27th!

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