Guitar Licks and Tips

This song, Battle Scar, is a melding of Canada’s greatest rock bands from this or any other era. Through a musical alchemy, two totally different rock styles, together blend this into a classic, colossal Canadian Rock anthem.

This song was on Max Webster’s Universal Juveniles album. This album was the one that made the US take notice of this iconic Canadian band. The British critics even anointed this album a Heavy Metal Classic! I wonder if Ozzie ever heard this one?

Battle Scar was written by Pye Dubois and Kim Mitchell with the sole intention for both bands to use, to play live. Both bands used to play on tour together in their early careers so it only seemed a natural progression for them to play a song that was created specifically for both bands to perform while on tour. It was recorded at the prestigious Phase One Studios in Toronto.

As a young guitarist, I use to listen to this song for hours on end on my turntable at my parents home. I let my imagination run wild on what it would be like to see these two goliaths of Canadian Rock play this tune together, live at a huge historic venue like the old Maple Leafs Garden during the song’s hey days! Oh the glory, oh the electricity in the air … oh another concert missed and lost forever except in my mind.

Max Webster, RIP

Keep on Jammin’

Leon Redbone is a guitar player from another time. He’s a guitar player like no other. He is … Leon Redbone!

Just a quote from a fabulously gifted guitar player.

Raitt went on to tell her tale of being unable to get past the Redbone persona. “I spent an afternoon with him in a hotel room,” Raitt said, “and I was wondering when he was going to become normal. He never did.” Bonnie Raitt

A walking caricature, Redbone shuffled through folk festivals in his rumpled three-piece suits from the Twenties, a wide-brim hat, sunglasses, and thick mustache. The only thing widely known about him was that he was a gifted singer and guitarist with a thorough knowledge of blues, urban folk, jazz, and ragtime. Mr. Redbone doesn’t just dig up the past, he embodies it! But, he does look like Frank Zappa on valium.

While listening to this master, and if you’ll let him, he’ll bring you into his unique world. A world where Blind Blake roamed the South and the Depression was all around you. He is like a old time traveling minstrel/vaudeville performer. This gruff voiced crooner was the real McCoy!

This guy just suddenly appeared as part of the Toronto folk scene in 1970. After the 1971 Mariposa Folk Festival outside of Toronto, all the musical greats from all musical genres wanted to soak in his vibes. Bonnie Raitt, John Prine, Maria Muldaur, and Bob Dylan, to name a few, was not going to miss this hidden treasure at the 1972 show.

Dylan said that if he actually owned a music label, I think he does now though, Leon would be the first person he’d sign. The only chart topper this musician had was called Double Time, 1977 I think. The single most memorable moment was when he played of SNL, when it was worth watching!

He did some great add’s for Bud, and Cracker Barrel. His Mr. Belvedere Opening and Closing Themes, and his appearence on Alf and The Tonight show with the late great Johnny Carson, was just a thing of beauty ! The funniest song that he did, that was really obscure, was with Ringo Starr, you gotta listen to it!

So have any of you heard of this long forgotten musical relic? If not, then with all these great examples of the master, what do you think of him now?

BTW, Jon, do you know where that old Leon Redbone record/popcorn holder went to?

Keep on Jammin’

This song is not about an actual restaurant, but there is an Alice in the song,but it is very near to where Alice lives. This song is one of the many memorable anthems of the 60′ & 70’s, that most people of that ear remember if they still can, that was from the creative mind of Arlo Guthrie!

This song was also turned into a movie by Arlo and here you can see my favorite part!

If your a guitar player this song will send shivers up and down your spine! “Oh my God”, is what you would say if you HAD to play this song because it’s 19 plus minutes long!!! AND, to add insult to injury, it is played in a picking style of drone, or blue grass style.

I play this song, but NOT in it’s entire length, in a readers digest format. The picking is SO MUCH FUN if you can play this picking technique but I will guarantee you you fingers will desperately need a massive break if you play it! I highly recommend that this be the last song, or the only one, in your set if you play this one live!

I have set up a couple of ways in which to play this song, because I love having many different ways in which to play it so as to keep it interesting not only to you but your audience. BTW, these are the versions that I use, together throughout the song, good luck and get back to me on how it is going! REMEMBER, play these sections SLOWLY to be able to master them, thus making it enjoyable for everyone!

Version
(1)
(2)
(3)

This post is dedicated to great Jon and Scotty(mighty) Myro!

Keep on Jammin’

East York in Toronto where we live, has another claim to musical fame by means of a guitarist named Kevin Laliberte. A Flamenco style guitarist is set to release his 3rd CD entitled Sundance. The most famous guitarist was Dominic Triano who lived at 356 Sammon Ave.

I came across this gem of a story from our local newsletter called The Mirror. The story was about this 40 something musician that lives quite close to us, but is originally from the Stratford Ontario area near Kitchen Waterloo. He also happens to live in the general area right behind my favorite music store The 12th Fret, lucky bugger;)

He has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno with Jesse Cook, backing up Charlotte Church as well as toured Japan and Canada with Jesse Cook and The Chieftains. Not a bad musician for the neighbourhood now is it!

While listening to some of his own creations that are on his site, he seems to have nailed his Nouveau Flamenco style. I love how this style makes you want to get up and dance (if you see me getting up then, hide the kidz and close your eyes!)

I’ve played some flamenco style guitar for a short period of time. Mainly it was just a introduction to this unique approach to guitar playing that my guru Chris P thought that would make me a better all round guitarist.

I found this style just fascinating to listen to, and when playing it correctly, it would allow you to let your mind wonder off to a different world. Playing classical guitar was like that for me. I love how you were forced to perfect all the fine subtle nuances, thus making your mind focus completely on the piece. After perfecting it, that is when the music will take you away.

You had to play this genre of music, in my mind, at a fast pace to get the utmost out of it. It was something that I was not familiar with at that point in my playing career. My respect for these type of players are genuine. The dedication that it takes to play it and the finger dexterity that comes with it boggled my mind. I was and still am, not a speed freak. My true love of playing guitar is in the form of chord progressions. I find that this is what will really move a person.

Here is a video of him with the Sultans of String. It’s called Luna and it’s a tribute to the First Nation Indian tribe and a famous killer whale in Nootka Sound near Vancouver B.C., enjoy! I love the violinist, it reminds me of the band FM.

Sultans of String - Luna

Keep on Jammin’ neighbour!

Surf music/rock is fun to listen to, and that’s putting it very lightly, but I haven’t been really exposed to it properly until now!

Our new neighbour’s husband is in the band called the von Drats. They are a surf/garage band that, and I’ve only seen them through their site/youtube, make you want to get up and dance (except me because I am VERY BAD at it, just ask my wife or any family member). The only other exposure to surf/garage band music of course is from the legendary surg/garage band Big Kahuna! They were my college buddies who were just way too entertaining to watch live, that’s why I video taped them for all to see them in their glorious live rituals! They just had FUN, that was their secret!

A fine example of surf/garage band music by the von Drats!

This type of music is truly fun for the whole family! My mom, dad and even aunt Helen can listen to it and dance. Hell even I, the rhythmically challenged, can dance to it. You know the more I listen to this music I can’t help but feel myself getting pulling into it’s unique trance!

I just thought that some of you may not have heard of this style so I wanted to expose this life altering experience! I know that there are some new converts to this newer form of religion, as we can recently see!

Surf music, Keep on Jammin’