Les Paul dies at 94

Les Paul, guitar legend and inventor, died yesterday at the age of 94 from problems with pneumonia. Paul was famous for inventing the solid body electric guitar, a famous guitar which was used by many famous guitar heroes such as Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin and Pete Townshend of the Who. He also had a hand in developing multi-track recording, which enables artists to record different instruments at different times, sing harmony with themselves, and then carefully balance the tracks in the finished recording (source).






Pictured here is the Gibson Les Paul. The sound is just amazing from this guitar. No wonder the rock stars took a liking to it. It is no cheap piece of equipment either, selling at about $3,500US. After his death, I would not be surprised if Gibson boosted that price another thousand dollars or so.


Paul was also a pioneer of guitar amplification. So all of you parents who are kicking yourselves for buying your kid that amp for his electric guitar because he keeps making that extremely loud fuzzy noise which doesn't sound like music at all, you can thank Les Paul for inventing both of those pieces of equipment.

In 2005, at the age of 90, Les Paul released a new album titled Les Paul & Friends: American Made, World Played, which was his first album with original material since 1977 and his first official rock CD. The album featured great guitarists such as Peter Frampton, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton. The album won a couple Grammys. Now hold on a minute, he put out a grammy-winning rock album at the age of 90!?! That, my friends, is an accomplishment. To top it off too, he was crippled by arthritis in his left hand many years ago so he can't play the crazy fast riffs that he used to but still - HE PUT OUT A ROCK ALBUM AT THE AGE OF 90!

All of his inventions contributed to the rise of rock n' roll starting in the 50s. So for that, Mr. Paul, I thank you. Thank you for giving Jimmy Page the tools he needed to create Stairway to Heaven. Thank you for giving musicians a new way to express themselves. Thank you for sharing your love and passion for music. You will be missed. Rest in Peace.

But since when does a guitar legend live to be 94!? Shouldn't he have died from a heroine overdose like 50 years ago!?

'Scar Tissue' to become HBO Mini Series

Hi readers!

Sorry I've been gone for so long - been super busy (preparing a massive post about my four day vacation to NYC!)

I just came across this on the interwebz:

"Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis is developing a series for HBO based on his unconventional, rock 'n' roll childhood.

Kiedis has partnered with Catapult 360 partners Marc Abrams and Michael Benson to create the series, tentatively titled 'Scar Tissue.'

Abrams and Benson are scouting for a writer to pen the script, which will center on Kiedis' relationship with his father, Spider, who sold drugs and mingled with rock stars on the Sunset Strip, all while aspiring to get into showbiz.

The show will begin with young Kiedis moving from Grand Rapids, Mich., to West Hollywood to live with his dad. But Kiedis' father, having been raised in a tyrannical household, decided to go to the other extreme." (source)

This is exciting (and apparently old) news! One thing not included in this article is that they did find a writer in John Sayles who penned scripts such as "The Spiderwick Chronicles" and "Sunshine State".

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have been one of my favorite bands since I read Kiedis' autobiography 'Scar Tissue':

This book was captivating. Not only did it let us peek into the life of a recovering drug addict, it also gave us a breakdown of what it's like coming up in the rock n' roll world. It spent time as #1 on the New York Times Bestsellers List and let's us into Keidis' life. And not just the bad boy rocker, but the man himself, who struggled with heroine for many years and shared friendships with some of the great icons of the 90s (such as Kurt Cobaine and Cher).

This miniseries sounds like it's going to be fantastic! Thank God it's on HBO where they censor less and give us a more realistic portrayal of Keidis' childhood. It will concentrate more on Keidis' years growing up with his father and less on his rock n' roll adulthood. I'm totally cool with that. Considering his father dealt drugs to The Who and Led Zeppelin, this should make for some pretty good TV!

If you haven't read the book, read it! It's just fantastic!

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EDIT: I just read on Ultimate Guitar that the Red Hot Chili Peppers are ending their two year hiatus! They plan to reconvene in October and begin work on a new album. What a great day for Chili Pepper news! Whatta yall think?

Album Review: Our Lady Peace's "Burn, Burn"

Recently, Canadian rock band Our Lady Peace released their seventh studio album titled "Burn, Burn":



So I bought the album a couple of weeks ago and I've held off writing a review because I wanted to listen to it through several times and get a real feel for the album before judging it.

Our Lady Peace has always been one of my favorite bands. So it was really tough for me seeing their last studio album ("Healthy in Paranoid Times") take such a toll on them. Without going into too much detail on why that album was so bad, let's just say that "Burn, Burn" is a step up.

In the months leading up to the album release, the band kept insisting that this album was their return to the "Clumsy" and "Naveed" days:

"We've come full circle and the music is just stripped down, full of raw energy. It feels like a proper rock record again" -Raine Maida (source)

...Ah, those were the days. The album, however, is no "Clumsy". When the band compares it to their previous albums, I feel like they are making reference to the way it was made: just five guys in a room playing music. It was self produced (Producing credits went to "Raine Maida and Our Lady Peace") and was completely recorded and mixed in Raine's personal studio in his home. Their last two albums, the most mainstream and shallow of all seven, were produced by rock producer Bob Rock who helped OLP reach mainstream status with their hit "Somewhere Out There" off of their album "Gravity". I have to say, ditching the big time producer was a good move on the band's part.

The album kicks off with the first single and the somewhat poppy "All You Did Was Save My Life". This song is not a song that would have found itself on "Clumsy". It reminds me more of their later days stuff. But even though it seems like a simple song about a relationship, something tells me there is more to it than that. It's packed full of symbolism and is actually pretty catchy. To be honest, the whole album is packed full of symbolism.

The profound "Dreamland" and the paranoid "Monkey Brains" are heavier and more OLP-ish than their last album ever was. The bass line and lyrics in "Money Brains" give the listener a tingle down their spine as the song creates an uncomfortable atmosphere. "The End is Where We Begin" and "White Flags" are upbeat, catchy, and seemingly more optimistic.

The anchor of the album, however, is the final song "Paper Moon". This is the song that reminds me the most of the "Clumsy" days. It is without a doubt my favourite song on the album, with a simple guitar riff (but complex solo), heavy drumbeat, captivating lyrics, and Raine's amazing vocals.

Overall, I like the album. I've been reading a lot of bad reviews and people calling it "mediocre". It will not be in the mainstream but when was Our Lady Peace ever in the mainstream? Especially in the new millenium? Their golden era was in the 90s when "Superman's Dead" and "Clumsy" were circulating on the airwaves.

I give it 3 out of 4 stars. The band has changed since "Clumsy". The music has changed with them. There are still hints of the old Our Lady Peace in the new music which is nice to see but I don't think we'll ever have another album out of them like "Clumsy". I'm satisfied with this though, as long as we don't get another "Healthy in Paranoid Times"!

The Trilogy Post Part Two: The Music

Check this out:




If you can read, then you know by now that that is a ticket to see 19 year old YouTube sensation Bo Burnham. The show was Friday night at The Second City in Toronto.

If you don't know who he is, here's a clip of what made him so popular:



He. Was. Hilarious! He played a nice mix of new songs and some of his YouTube hits. He's racist. He's sexist. He's rude. He's vulgar. And most of all, he's daring. At such a young age, he has skyrocketed to the top (almost) of the comedy train since he's been recruited by Just For Laughs for their tour.

What worried me a little bit was how much stand-up he did compared to music. He's making a slow transition from music to stand-up: he would stop in the middle of some songs to tell jokes and he finished maybe one song all night.

However, this does not turn me away from Bo Burnham. He takes what's popular in politics and entertainment and puts a funny and ironic spin on it. Listen to the song I posted: it's so smart! Regardless of the path he chooses, be it music or stand-up, I will remain an avid fan.

He's also a great example of someone who sat in their bedroom and just did what they loved and got rich off of it. YouTube is in. It's the new way to get your shit out there. It connects billions of people worldwide and it's what makes you popular today.

Good job Bo, and good luck in the future!