Sweet Janey Velvet

I’m far from an expert on The Velvet Underground, but I have heard a couple of the influential band’s big songs including the Lou Reed-penned tune “Sweet Jane.” To my ears, Reed’s voice sounds a lot like Bob Dylan’s on this one.

There are a few things this song brings to mind. First, I love the BIG chorus of “Sweeeet Jaaaane.” The lyrics might be described as “stream of consciousness.” You have a banker, a clerk, Reed standing on the corner, evil mothers, etc. It’s basically a three chord song. Recently I was at a jam where a drummer turned acoustic guitarist couldn’t figure out how to play this one. I’m not sure how, but I refrained from slamming my head into the wall repeatedly. Oh yeah, then we played some other garbage and l left early.

At the same jam, the host mentioned the version by The Cowboy Junkies which might be described as trippy and/or epic. I’m sure a lot of listeners prefer the lush vocals on this version.

I enjoy this version, but I miss Reed’s conversational-storyteller opening of “Standin’ on a corner.” You can find a lot of other different versions of this song out there. Just a few include covers by Brownsville Station, The Sweet, and Phish. In addition, there are plenty of audio and video recordings of Lou Reed with and without The Velvet Underground. Some are acoustic and some are electric. I also saw a good one with Reed and Soul Asylum.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Sunrise Of Blues

Eric Clapton has a pretty extensive recording catalog when you think about it. He has live recordings, his J.J. Cale influenced stuff, his time in Cream, Blind Faith, Derek and the Dominoes, and more. He’s also done duets with the likes of B.B. King and others. Two records blues purists enjoy are “the Beano album” with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and Clapton’s 1994 album “From the Cradle.” It opens with his cover of “Blues Before Sunrise.”

For blues lovers, the slide guitar style on this song screams “Elmore James.”

I must have missed the songwriting credits, but “Blues Before Sunrise” was actually written by pianist Leroy Carr and originally recorded with guitarist Scrapper Blackwell.

It’s interesting to hear how the song evolved from its original shape to the one recorded by James and then Clapton. Elmore James is probably better known for his recordings of “Dust My Broom”, “Shake Your Moneymaker”, and “The Sky is Crying”, but I like this one as well.

Guitarists might be interested to hear other versions by Leslie West and another by Gov’t Mule with Warren Haynes.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Sea Serpents & River Jaws

Maybe I have an overactive imagination, but I love a good story about the unexplained including monster mythology and cryptozoology. If you look into some of these great stories, their origins might be a way to explain something in nature. What causes thunder? Oh yeah, it’s a Thunderbird — a gigantic bird flapping its wings. That’s a fairly reasonable explanation. It’s not like meteorology is an exact science anyway, is it?

Recently, I watched a couple of interesting documentaries. The first one is called “Giant Sea Serpent, Meet the Myth.” It was written and directed by Bertrand Loyer and focuses on The Giant Oarfish as one rational explanation for “sea serpents.”

This species has several cool nicknames like “King of the Herrings” and there’s a Japanese one as well. In Japanese mythology, the appearance is supposed to announce the coming of an earthquake. I have to say seeing one of those alive or dead would freak me out.

Speaking of getting freaked the Hell out, what would you do if you saw a fish pop out of the river and onto the shore….to EAT a bird? Yikes! Another program written and directed by Bertrand Loyer is called “River Jaws: Le silure, l’ogre de nos rivières” and addresses just this phenomenon. Apparently, the Wels Catfish is this real life “River Jaws.” Take it away, Jimi.

The voiceover on this second documentary is appropriately dramatic. It would probably go over well on Halloween.

Are these scary fish the reason why pirates and fishermen drink so much? Can’t blame ’em. Wels Catfish may be found in different sections of Europe including France’s Saint-Cassien Lake. Wikipedia mentioned they can also be found in Chernobyl. That’s a sci-fi movie waiting to happen! Maybe they could do an Alien vs. Predator thing like “Giant Oarfish vs. Radioactive River Jaws.”

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

YouTube Guitar, Part 3

Are you still wondering about your guitar lesson options on YouTube? Well, you’re in the right place. I’m still using the Lyrnyrd Skynyrd song “Sweet Home Alabama” to compare your options. To start, let’s check out Erich Andreas and his channel called YourGuitarSage.

How would I describe his approach? I’d say he has a certain energy in his delivery. As you can see he normally rocks a bedhead hairdo and often wears a necktie. Free-spirited musician type. Good stuff.

Another guy I’ve started watching more regularly is Jon MacLennan, which is also the name of his YouTube channel. He’s not wearing it here, but he often rocks a wide brim hat.

The same things I said about Marty, Justin, and Carl in Part 2 could be said of these two guys. They are upbeat and enthusiastic about playing and learning guitar.

Another option for viewers is a guy named Scott Grove. His channel is called Groovy Music Lessons. Grove is probably the biggest smart ass of any of the teachers I’ve mentioned, but I have learned plenty of things by watching his channel.

In some of his lessons, you’ll see Grove standing in front of his massive collection of guitars: Strats, Flying V’s, signature models. One thing I like about him is he isn’t afraid to share his opinion on different models of guitars, etc. In one video he mentioned that he will buy one model of guitar because the resale value is great, but the guitar actually kinda sucks.

Ironically, Grove markets his stuff as “lessons that don’t suck” and also caught my attention when he mentioned he is the #1 seller of guitar lessons on ebay or something like that. He has plenty of resources on playing guitar, bass and specific genres like country or rock.

There are definitely other channels/instructors I check out from time to time, but these are ones which cover a good number of mainstream songs. I’m usually searching for classic rock songs.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

YouTube Guitar, Part 2

In case you missed Part 1, I’m providing my humble opinion on some various YouTube guitar instructors, their channels, and resources. To achieve this, I’m sharing some links on the same song. Chances are, if you’ve ever searched YouTube for a lesson on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama”, you’ve probably encountered some of these channels/instructors.

I don’t know if calling him “the king” would be appropriate, but Marty Schwartz’s channel Marty Music is an absolute guitar instruction juggernaut. He rocks a fedora hat and starts his videos with, “Hey, what’s up, you guys…”

At the last check, he has close to 4 million subscribers! Rock on, Marty.

One of the other top dogs of YouTube guitar instruction is Justin Sandercoe with his channel Justin Guitar Songs. He’s a friendly, British bloke who normally rocks a flat cap. However, it looks like Sandercoe was sans cap in this video.

I think Justin’s camera guy goes by the name of “Jedi.” Hopefully that’s true and someone didn’t just pull a Jedi Mind Trick on me. ( I actually watched a video which features both Marty and Justin together, which was pretty wild to see.) If I had to describe both Marty and Justin, I’d say they’re both user-friendly, approachable types which is helpful if you’re just getting started.

The next instructor I’ll mention is Carl Brown with his channel GuitarLessons365Song. One unique feature of his channel is the 3 different camera angles shown during the lesson: one of his fretting hand, one of his picking/strumming hand, and one of him playing the particular part.

Carl’s video lessons are detailed and he is super-focused. I would put his videos in the “underrated” category.

I think you can tell all three of these guys love playing and teaching guitar. All have free resources on their various websites. I’d say this Part 2 section is geared for players who want to learn more LEAD GUITAR in addition to the chord/rhythm progressions highlighted in Part 1.

Will there be a Part 3? Yes, I think there should be. I can think of at least a couple of other instructors I need to mention.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

YouTube Guitar, Part 1

I watch a lot of YouTube. Sometimes it’s for pure entertainment like watching Chris Elliot’s skits on the old Late Night with David Letterman show. (Conspiracy Guy is a great one!) I also have learned a lot about how to play certain songs or parts of songs on guitar while watching YouTube. I have a few thoughts on some different teachers who have free lessons and resources available for aspiring guitarists and musicians in general.

I’m going to highlight “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd as an example for a comparison of lessons and covers. If you’ve heard the expression “Time is money”, then you’ll like Eric DeLuca. He offers no “fluff” on his get-right-to-the point lessons.

DeLuca is kind of like the Cliff’s Notes of guitar lessons. If you want absolute detail on specific guitar solos or riffs there are other teachers I’ll mention at a later date. I’m a big fan of his bare bones approach.

Next, I’d like to mention a guy named Munson. I have watched and played along with tons of his acoustic covers. Munson will play through the song with the chords and lyrics on screen so you can figure out the rhythm, changes, etc.

Another thing I like about Munson is he plays several different instruments like piano, bass, and ukulele…so that gives you the option of playing guitar along with him and it doesn’t duplicate the same exact sound.

Another channel I have enjoyed watching is Kirbyscovers. What sticks with me about Kirby is his strumming/picking hand. He makes it look easy.

Another thing I will say about Kirby is he has an incredibly large repertoire of classic rock and more. I have the same guitar as Kirby (a Yamaha APX) and have never made mine sound as good as his does.

What I enjoy about all 3 of these teachers/channels is you can hear the chord changes a lot easier when it’s one guitar and one voice. Sometimes it can be hard to hear those changes on the original songs when you put together all of those instruments.

Hopefully, this offers some ideas to aspiring musicians.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Fab Thanksgiving Smithereens

It’s hard to believe Halloween has already come and gone, which puts Thanksgiving as the next major holiday on the horizon. Last year I did my Turducken Tribute to the multi-bird meal that is sweeping the nation. Someone should write a dance song about it. This year, the Fab Four song “Thank You Girl” seems appropriate.

How would you describe this song? I would say it’s fairly simple, but it seems to work. It’s a two minute tune. There’s no guitar solo in it. Rather, the drums are emphasized during the song intro and are repeated during the bridge. There’s also the smallest dash of harmonica as well. It’s basically a three chord song with two additional minor chords during that bridge. I hear The Everly Brothers’ influence in the harmony Paul McCartney sings above John Lennon.

“Thank You Girl” was originally released as a B-side. It was also covered by The Smithereens on their appropriately titled “B-Sides The Beatles“ album.

Give The Smithereens credit for this album. Lead singer Pat DiNizio also released an album of Buddy Holly covers as well. Hopefully, you have lots of movies, music, turkey, etc. to be thankful for this year.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Forest Freak Fest

I think you can make the argument that all great art…whether music, film, etc. is about transcendence. It TAKES you someplace and drops you into another world. That’s definitely the case with The Emerald Forest (1985). I remember watching this with a buddy of mine when we were teenagers and VHS rentals were the norm.

The plot goes something like this: An engineer’s work takes him to the rain forest. His young son “Tomme” is abducted by a tribe there, but the man searches for his lost son for the next 10 years. The audience sees the son growing up in the tribal tradition while the father has no idea what happened to him. The most powerful scene in the movie for me was Tomme’s vision quest where his spirit animal appears to him. This happens when he ingests peyote or something like it.

There are two tribes including The Fierce People and The Invisible People (Tomme’s peaceful tribe) in the film. Tomme’s tribe also has to deal with the civilization encroaching on their home in the rain forest.

One thing I always loved about this film was the casting of Powers Boothe as Tomme’s biological father/engineer. If Boothe wasn’t a real life badass, he sure convinced me with his performances in 80s films like “Red Dawn” and “Southern Comfort.” I think the first time I saw him was in “Philip Marlowe, Private Eye” on cable TV. I think Boothe’s character has a vision quest during The Emerald Forest as well.

Apparently, this is based on a true story. The film was directed by John Boorman. There are plenty of subtitles if that’s a factor.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Journeyman: Eric & Friends

I went through a pile of compact discs I had lying around and was pleased to find Eric Clapton’s 1989 studio album “Journeyman” in the pile. If memory serves me correctly, I might have dubbed the album from a friend back in the day or actually owned a store bought cassette. I’ve started re-listening to it and have to say I feel like I missed a few things when it was a new release.

For starters, I will say I REALLY miss liner notes whether on a CD, record, or cassette. The biggest miss I had with this album was the number of Clapton’s musical collaborators on it. For example, the song “Run So Far” was written by his pal George Harrison.

I don’t know how I missed this years ago, but there is Harrison with his signature slide guitar sound. Other notable names on the Journeyman album include percussionists Phil Collins & Jim Keltner, guitarist Robert Cray, and bassists Nathan East & Darryl Jones (now the Stones’ bass player). Some backing vocals on the album were provided by Chaka Khan and Darryl Hall. Former Foreigner/Spooky Tooth guitarist Mick Jones co-wrote “Bad Love” with Clapton.

I love the guitar riff around the 25 second mark and the pursuant bass riff. “Bad Love” is a good example of some of the more contemporary tracks on the album. It still has some fiery guitar in it but also has that ear catching synth intro.

As a whole, “Journeyman” is an interesting mix of Clapton’s bluesy covers like “Hard Times” (Ray Charles) “Hound Dog” (Leiber & Stoller) , and “Before You Accuse Me” (Bo Diddley) and then contemporary hits like “Pretending” and more. It has twelve songs and runs less than one hour. I’d say it’s a recording that got to the point. I would describe Clapton’s look at the time of this album as double breasted suits with messy long hair in the front. I think Fender may have also put out a signature Stratocaster around this time.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Surviving Disaster, Season 1, Episode 3

I normally opt for much catchier titles, but I had a hard time finding this TV show after I’d watched it. This particular episode of Surviving Disaster focuses on the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster. In my opinion, it’s a really well done show with a great combination of storytelling and production elements.

There are interviews and pics of the real folks who were involved and a timeline with reenactments that make you feel like you’re right there in the control room. The disaster happened on April 26, 1986.

The program allows viewers to put faces to workers at the plant, and does a good job of explaining some of the control room politics which seem to have directly contributed to one of the worst man made disasters in history. At least 30 people died in the initial explosion. Twice that amount is said to have died following radiation related cancer.

There are many more stories about the aftermath of this disaster, but this one focuses on the night it happened. Apparently, HBO put out a highly rated mini-series on Chernobyl. I’ll have to check it out when it comes to free TV.

The Surviving Disaster episode was written and directed by Nick Murphy. Narration was done by Bernard Hill.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon.