A man becomes abusive in his home, leading his wife to hold a bottle of pills in her hand as she contemplates ending her life.
A family man sits at a table, agonizing over a stack of bills, worrying about how to pay them. A gun sits nearby, and he contemplates ending his life.
How do they make it through the desperation?
Bludgeon Muffin in their "Be Alright" video
These are the storylines involved in a new music video released over the weekend by Salt Lake City-area reggae/rock band Bludgeon Muffin. It's their first "official" music video, shot and edited by Eric Eschelbach. It features Misi Touhuni on vocals, Daniel Arellano on guitar, Nicolas Snarr on electric ukulele, Bruce Kamai on drums, and Michael Bailey on drums.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following was first published in a Facebook note April 14, 2011.
I've seen and heard Jeff Beck so many times through the years
through various forms of media -- vinyl albums, cassettes, CDs, DVDs,
Internet videos -- that you'd think there's nothing he could do to
impress me anymore.
You'd be thinking wrong.
Jeff Beck
The
closest I've come to seeing Jeff Beck in concert until Wednesday night
(at The Depot in downtown Salt Lake City) had been seeing his Live At Ronnie Scott's DVD from 2008, along with a
host of videos on YouTube. But seeing him in person, with over 1,000
other diehard fans who waited in a long line for 1-2 hours just before
the doors to the sold-out music venue even opened (snaking along the
sidewalk of the historic old Union Pacific building while fans of the
Utah Jazz also made their way to the last game of the season across the
street at Energy Solutions Arena, trying to get the best spot possible
for a general admission ticket) took it to a whole new level.
Beck
isn't just a master of the electric guitar. He's a true bandleader,
coaxing the absolute most out of bandmates Narada Michael Walden on
drums and vocals, Rhonda Smith on bass and vocals, and Jason Rebello on
keys, synthesized vocals, and a small bit of rhythm guitar, and praising
them on stage for jobs well done.
There were a fair
amount of similarities to the Ronnie Scott's DVD as far as the setlist,
but also some VERY pleasant surprises as he kicked off this leg of a
U.S. tour to back his 2010 album "Emotion & Commotion" along with
one memorable nod to the late Les Paul and Beck's most recent live
tribute to his own guitar hero with his "Rock & Roll Party" CD and
DVD, released just a few weeks ago, as the band played the Les Paul/Mary
Ford standard "How High The Moon" in the middle of a three-song encore.
The
first song of the encore was just one of the surprises of the night, as
the band played the Sly & The Family Stone classic "I Want To Take
You Higher" and funked it up the way it was meant to be. The evening
ended with the soaring "Nessun Dorma."
Actually, the first
song of the night was a bit of a surprise too. They set the tone for
the night by pulling out the seldom-heard-live tune "Plan B" from the
last of his techno albums, "Jeff." From the get-go, Narada Michael
Walden was a beast on the drums, and he never let up. His playing was
muscular and precise. Rhonda Smith matched every bit of Walden's
funkiness as they held down the rhythm through every tune.
Next
up was the Billy Cobham jazz piece "Stratus, followed by the booming
power of Beck's "Led Boots." The tone softened dramatically with
"Corpus Christi Carol" from the "Emotion" album, followed immediately by
the "commotion" of the Grammy-winning "Hammerhead."
Another
surprise came up in "Mná na h-Éireann (Women of Ireland)," a song
composed by Seán Ó Riada (1931–1971). The poem, on which the music is
based, was written by Peadar Ó Dornín (?1704–1769), under the category
of Irish rebel music, or -- as Beck introduced it -- "Irish blues,"
honoring the memory of the women dedicated to Ireland, specifically the
Irish nationalist movement.
What followed was a kickin'
bass solo by Smith. Then it was on to the "gospel soul" of "People Get
Ready," minus vocals -- but with Beck on guitar, there's usually not
much need for vocals even on a song with lyrics. Beck's guitar usually
does the singing the way he plays it.
There was a blast
from the past as they went back to the 1980 album "There and Back" with
the tune "You Never Know," but then it was back to the electronica era
with the modernized blues song "Rollin' & Tumblin'" from "You Had It
Coming," and Rhonda handled those vocals very well. It was on to the
"Guitar Shop" album from there with "Big Block."
Next up
was the sweetness of Beck's take on "Somewhere Over The Rainbow," with
the band draining every ounce of emotion out of that beauty.
Then
there was one of the bigger surprises of the night, as they launched
into the Jimi Hendrix gem "Little Wing" with Narada taking vocals. It
was a joy to behold as Beck not only played in his own signature style,
but also brought to life the genius of those who've gone on to rest
who've handled that tune so brilliantly before and set the guitar
playing bar so high themselves in the past; Hendrix and the late, great
Stevie Ray Vaughn.
As usual, Beck pulled every bit of his
whammy bar tricks out from "Blast From The East. The biggest glitch of
the evening came as they barely got into "Two Rivers," with some
connection problems for Smith's bass causing a slight delay to get rid
of some loud buzzing while that was fixed (though Beck helped pass the
time, ever the showman, by launching into a bit of a countrified jam)
before picking right back up again from the beginning.
Smith
handled brief, seductive vocals again on "Dirty Mind," which featured a
blistering drum solo from Narada. And no matter how many times I hear
"Brush With The Blues," it blows me away just as it did in this show.
One
of the coolest experiences I've seen in a concert came in the finale
before the encore, with Beck's instrumental treatment of the timeless "A
Day In The Life." As soon as that song started, you could hear people
in the crowd start to sing along. And that signature final chord ...
well, they milked every bit of psychedelia out of that.
Again,
I've heard so many of these songs so many times, but they all managed
to still seem fresh and new throughout this show. The words that could
be heard coming from people's mouths -- "in the presence of greatness,"
"mark that off of my 'bucket list'" -- was a testament to the impact the
show and Beck's playing had on the enthusiastic audience. One guy I
spoke to as I stood three rows back from the middle of the stage
(somehow managing to end up five rows back without even stepping back
myself) drove from Portland just to see this show, simply because there
was no Beck show any closer to his home than the SLC opener.
Afterwards, he said the trip was definitely worth it.
You could call this "introduction week" for The Crossover Music Channel, a bit of a "getting to know you" time. I've introduced you to my musical wife, my musical college roommate/good friend/"bro," musical friends of his that I've come to know since the first of this year, even an online friend of several years from "across the pond" who'd like to make something with his musical talents.
Paul Richards of the California Guitar Trio (Photo By John G. Miller)
Now, to wrap up this "meet week," I'd like to introduce you to the person whose hands are playing the gorgeous six-string acoustic guitar that's shown in the title photo: Paul Richards of the California Guitar Trio.
My introduction to the trio (CGT for short) came early last decade with members of an online progressive rock music discussion site raving about them. They talked about CGT being "disciples" of Robert Fripp, the mastermind behind the trailblazing prog rock group King Crimson -- a favorite of mine. They talked about CGT always putting on a spellbinding live concert experience. CGT got sparkling reviews from those who'd seen and heard them, and the fact that they played with and learned under a genius like Fripp sealed it for me: I had to check them out.
So, in 2002, I went to a well-stocked and locally owned music store, found a copy of the CGT album "Yamanashi Blues," and bought it.
It was love at first listen. The sound of those three guitars together just jumped out of the speakers, thanks to the quality of the trio's playing and the quality of the recording itself. That CD has had a very regular place in the rotation of any 10-disc changer I've had ever since, and it's because the music runs the gamut of my own musical tastes. There's rock, there's classical, there's classic surf tunes, there's a jazziness to it at times ... their musical tastes are boundless. They can change it up at a split second's notice.
That's why I have Paul Richards' hands playing the guitar featured here so prominently -- it's music that crosses over so quickly and effortlessly.
I later went on to add the CGT album "Rocks The West" to my collection. Any CGT release I can get my hands on is treasured.
Hideyo Moriya (Photo By John G. Miller)
But CGT is not about three guys from California playing guitar. Richards is a Utah native, and he still keeps his home base in Salt Lake City. Hideyo Moriya is from Japan. Bert Lams is from Belgium. Each of them has a residence in the United States now, but they're scattered except for the days when they're on tour or recording together.
When you witness the awe-inspiring teamwork that goes into their playing, it makes the fact that they live so far apart even more impressive. But that kind of teamwork tends to happen when you play together for the better part of 21 years and study together with Fripp before that, as CGT has. Since studying with Fripp, they've gone on to open for King Crimson, to play in Fripp's League of Crafty Guitarists, and to play and record and become good friends with legendary Crimson and session bassist Tony Levin.
Even after about 10 years of appreciating CGT's music, I had never had the opportunity to see them play in person. Thanks to being on Richards' Facebook friends list and the fact that we live in the same area, that all changed in early August when I received an unexpected Facebook invitation to a live "private event" the group was throwing together at the "A" Gallery in Salt Lake City the evening of August 11, "thrown together" because a date at Park City that night had fallen through and CGT wanted to do a local show before setting off on a southwest leg of a U.S. tour. I was very pleasantly surprised to see the invitation to the private show at the gallery's outdoor sculpture garden. It didn't take me long at all to accept the invitation.
Bert Lams (Photo By John G. Miller)
If you've never had the chance to experience CGT live, here's a simple suggestion: Do it!
My wife Amy and I arrived early enough to get seats in the front row, just a few feet in front of the trio's effects boxes. I was spellbound for the rest of the night and days later. Questions that I'd had for a long time (for example, "How do they get those electrified sounds out of those acoustic guitars when they play something like Pink Floyd's "Echoes?") were answered just by seeing them play it, up close and personally. I was fascinated by the trio's ability to communicate with each other without them having to speak a word. I was amazed watching them play a complicated Bach piece using a technique taught to them by Fripp himself, "circulation."
If there was a particular point in the setlist that showed CGT's "crossover ability," it was when they played "Ghost Riders on the Storm" -- a flawless mix of the cowboy classic "Ghost Riders in the Sky" mashed up against The Doors' rock gem "Riders on the Storm," and it was performed flawlessly. All I could do as I sat and watched was to shake my head and laugh in amazement.
When the show was over and "Happy Trails" was played, we made our way inside the gallery to look at the paintings and sculptures, and to meet Paul's wife, Stacey Richards. We had a common love for American Eskimo dogs we could talk about with her. She served as a gracious hostess.
We then made our way back to the autograph/merchandise table, where I could meet Paul in person after having introduced ourselves to Hideyo and Bert and chatting briefly before and after the show. Each of the players are very personable, very easy to talk to, more than willing to take as much time as needed for a "fanboy" like me to grab a photo with the group.
Not all groups are that warm and welcoming. It was all part of one very memorable night.
Hideyo Moriya, myself, Amy Miller, Bert Lams, and Paul Richards.
