Author Archives: Alex

Future rockstar!

Remember my ‘Young kids and instrument’ bits where I raised my self-esteem by making fun of kids who played instruments badly even though I couldn’t play them at all when I was their age? No? Well maybe this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this and this will refresh your memory.

You might ask why I stopped doing it though. Well, I frankly got bored of searching for children videos on YouTube, plus it made me feel like a creep…

But the video above is of a kid I personally think is going places… Now, the music industry is kind of like a lottery, if by playing the lottery you needed to know someone in the business and maybe suck a dick or two… So I can’t guarantee that this kid will make it big anytime soon, nor can I gauge his writing talent. But he’s a performer. Watch him nail that RATM song. The solo is sloppy but hey, I’ll let it slide this time.

He’s so good people actually think the video is fake. There’s another video of him playing Crazy Train and unlike this kid, he actually doesn’t butcher it completely. Watch it after the jump.

You need more Sabbra Cadabra in your life…

I love this cover, it’s probably my favorite Garage, Inc. song next to Whiskey In The Jar. There’s something about Metallica’s guitar tone playing Sabbath riffs that just does it for me. It’s like Megan Fox licking sour cream off a 20 year old Pamela Anderson. Just a match made in heaven.

Many people might disapprove of the ‘interlude’ of ‘A National Acrobat’ in the mix but I honestly like it, especially as that interlude ends and the main Sabbra riffs kicks in.

This is a great track so it’s exactly what you need this Sunday. Bitches.

Slash won the Beastly Ball (what?)

The title is misleading, I know, but it’s just too good of a story to not go crazy with the title. Kidding, the story stinks, I don’t even know why I’m posting it, but it’s Saturday, news is slow, half the crew is missing and I’m lonely in my cold apartment *sniff*

“Rock icon Slash is set to receive a leadership award from the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Assn. at its 41st Annual Beastly Ball this June, the group said Wednesday.

The Guns N’ Roses guitarist will be given the inaugural Tom F. Mankiewicz Leadership Award, which recognizes his longtime contributions to establishing environmental welfare programs. He’s also a trustee on GLAZA’s board and has supported the L.A. Zoo and zoos around the world.

‘The biggest compliment for me is that it’s Tom’s award,’ Slash said. ‘I really adored that man. I miss him very much, and that aspect is very special and resonates deeply. Additionally, I profoundly appreciate the implications of the award itself. It’s a fantastic honor.’“

Read full article here.

I don’t know what’s funnier… That they said ‘Guns N’ Roses guitarist’ like he’s still in the band or that they referred to him as a ‘rock icon.’ Either way, I’m actually a big animal lover in spite of my hypocritical meat eating so kudos to Slash for this.

Buy the Jaymz pickups, fools!

James Hetfield may be one of the most underrated guitarists in metal. Some of you may disagree since Metallica gets a lot of credit as a band but, think about it, most people think of James as the vocalist. It’s Kirk who made all the ‘Top Guitarists’ lists and few people realize James wrote most of the guitar riffs in this band.

Therefore I think he really is underrated as an axeman since whenever I say he’s one of my favorite guitarists, people chuckle and answer back “LOL, he is teh singer!!111”

So when I said you could also play guitar like him, I lied. But I did mention his pickups before, so make the jump to watch a two-part interview with him about his guitar playing.

I reviewed his signature picks and kinda saw them as kinda useless since they’re expensive (but nice), but his EMG pickups are responsible for the signature Metallica sound so I’d definitely get them. Although I’d probably just get his classic 81/60 setup.

No more albums from Tommy Lee

Apparently Tommy Lee (of Mötley Crüe, Methods of Mayhem and the Pam and Tommy sex tape) will not be releasing any full albums from now on. Like you, reading that line made me jump up and down in innocent happiness. Unfortunately I read the rest of his quote and realized he’ll still release new music, just one at a time:

“To tell you the truth, I think the days of making a record, for me personally, are over. After this last [Methods of Mayhem] record I did I’ll never make another full record, I think. It’s a waste of time, ’cause people can only ingest a song at a time, so why not make bitching songs at a time and release them? If you want to call them singles, great, whatever; or at its maximum, an EP, four songs, done, boom. I just really feel like the days of the entire record are long gone.“

Read full interview here.

I could keep making fun of Tommy Lee and his bands but you know, he may have something there. Wouldn’t it be cool if bands, instead of releasing an album every few years, released a few songs per year? This way they’d get instant feedback and know where to go with the next track, and maybe after 2 years they can compile those songs with artwork and sell them as albums for the fans.

It wouldn’t be half bad in this era of music sales going down the drain. I’d honestly embrace it, although I was born in the 80s so to me, the joy of buying a full album will always be something special.

Plus it’d be much easier reviewing one song instead of 12. I’m lazy.