So, we got 2nd place & Ernie won a special award: A double number two! | Ernie and the Berts.
This is awesome. That’s all. Not sure if this is the original source, seems to be everywhere. You may have seen it already. At any rate, I dig it, and I was compelled to share. You can find some of these at a higher resolution, but I haven’t found all of the close-ups. If you have more, please share!
GUITAR LESSONS - Master Class
Don’t know what started it all, but I saw this…
https://twitter.com/#!/AlexSkolnick/status/156224594599100416
And decided to say this…
https://twitter.com/#!/AiXeLsyD13/status/156224888410083328
So, he actually replied:
https://twitter.com/#!/AlexSkolnick/status/156472531954569216
Heh. Alex seems like a cool cat. I’ve read countless guitar magazine articles that he’s written, and saw him perform once with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Damn, he’s good.
Some other stuff has ensued…
https://twitter.com/#!/MattPaneth/status/156473254100467713
https://twitter.com/#!/TheFree_Lance/status/156475576440463361
https://twitter.com/#!/AiXeLsyD13/status/156477372344971264
https://twitter.com/#!/AiXeLsyD13/status/156477960814198784
At any rate, Twitter is fun, and it’s cool to get a nod & from some of your heroes & maybe start a conversation.
Ah, here’s what stared it…
https://twitter.com/#!/AlexSkolnick/status/156222078641651713
https://twitter.com/#!/AlexSkolnick/status/156223005872226304
https://twitter.com/#!/AlexSkolnick/status/156224161059053569
https://twitter.com/#!/AlexSkolnick/status/156224594599100416
Watch it. Enjoy it. Share it. Buy their album(s).
Reposted from ErnieAndTheBerts.com – A punk rock show to melt your face:
Insanity. Chaos. Deafening yet hooky melodies. Beer. If these all seem like good things to you, you need to be at this show. Add this to your Google calendar, Yahoo! Calendar, Facebook Events, or whatever you do with Google+ or AOL or MSN or Compuserve or Outlook or whatever you’re using. Tweet about it. Get a car full of idiots and find a non-idiot DD.
Ernie would like to remind you to drink responsibly, tip your bartender, buy some of the various bands’ merchandise, and to wash your hands before returning to work or play.
Get the flyer below tattooed on someone’s ass that you see frequently, so you don’t forget.
The Bands:
The Place:
The Details:
“Top however many of whatever” lists are designed to generate ire & promote discussion. This one undoubtedly has in many circles. Spreading around the internet like herpes, here’s the latest from some radio station somewhere:
What are The Top 10 Greatest Guitar Intros in rock? Well, someone compiled a list and put it on the Internet.
All the songs were released between 1967 and 1990.
Here’s the list:
10.) “School’s Out”, Alice Cooper (1972)
9.) “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love”, Van Halen (1978)
8.) “Thunderstruck”, AC⚡DC (1990)
7.) “Sweet Home Alabama”, Lynyrd Skynyrd (1974)
6.) “Heartbreaker”, Led Zeppelin (1969)
5.) “Working Man”, Rush (1974)
4.) “Layla”, Derek and the Dominos (1970)
3.) “Suffragette City”, David Bowie (1976)
2.) “Purple Haze”, The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)
1.) “Eruption / You Really Got Me”, Van Halen (1978)
Source: Wise Brother Media/ Radio 96.1
What? ☘ Shenanigans ☘ I say! I bet you say it too. I mean, there are some stellar songs on that list, but also glaring omissions. Some other yahoos are taking a poll. Gibson made a list a while ago that grabs some more timeless tracks & grabs “Sweet Child O’ Mine” which would be close to or at the top of my list & really, who could forget “Crazy Train”? And neither list makes note of the banes of guitar stores’ existence “Enter Sandman” or “Smells Like Teen Spirit“. And where the hell is Black Sabbath? “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” has to be one of the coolest intros ever, among so many more. What about “Welcome to the Jungle”?
If you’re gonna include “Sweet Home Alabama”, why not “Stairway to Heaven”, or even that one Pearl Jam song that’s all jangly and has that sweet tone where Vedder mumbles incoherently. Hendrix’s version or “Hey Joe” or “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)”?
“Eruption”? Clearly awesome, but it’s its own song, isn’t it, not an intro? I mean, what are the rules here? Why not just throw in some bass like “Bassically“/”N.I.B.” or “Anesthesia [Pulling Teeth]”/”Whiplash”? A bass is arguably a guitar, right?
Nothing by Heart? “Sunshine of Your Love” anyone? “Start Me Up”? “Hair of the Dog?” No ZZ Top? Nothing by Aerosmith? No “Talk Dirty to Me?” Ha ha. Just making sure you’re paying attention. What about some more metal stuff? No Pantera? No Slayer? No Metalli-freakin’-ca? No punk rock? Well, I guess not a bunch of punk has blazing riff like intros.
What is rock? Can rap or funk be included? What about some crazy stuff by guys like Carl Perkins or Willie Nelson?
It’s clear my friends that we need to make our own list. I dig Velvet Revolver’s “Set Me Free”, but I may be in the minority there. Remember, this is guitar intros, not riffs. I’m guessing we should aim for guitar-only intros, or we would all have to concede to “Rock You Like a Hurricane” for being the most powerful. There’s also that one Avenged Sevenfold song… it’s got a killer riff at the beginning, but I think there’s some drums right at the beginning. If these are OK, is there room for “No Sleep till Brooklyn” or “Fight For Your Right”?
Start naming songs. We’ll figure out some ground rules, set a number, set up some brackets & some votes. We’ll even name it something classy like “The Actual Best Rock Guitar Intros of All Time (Not Chosen by Idoits)”. Then, we’ll spark more idiots to have more useless arguments discussions.
♫♪ ☠ ♬♩
Last night Ernie and the Berts had the opportunity to share the stage with D.I.Y. wizards, Locksley. First off, these cats exude cool. They look like they just walked out of the studio at Sun Records, or belonged on the Chess Records roster in the late 50’s. In full confidence of all my manhood, I can say that if I were a woman, and into dudes, my panties would have been thrown onto the stage last night. The best part is that they lack the pretentiousness sometimes associated with such a look.
Locksley is self-described as “doo-wop punk”, but it sure sounds like straight-up super poppy rock n’ roll to me. Part 50’s ballads, part garage rock, part “Beatles just slashed the speakers” kind of vibe…. I even picked up a little Who and maybe even Pinhead Gunpowder.
These dudes explode on stage. After their roadies got them all set up, drummer Sam Bair took nonchalantly to the stage, sat down, and started pounding like a madman. As everyone in the room was spinning their head to see what was going on… the rest of the guys hopped up on stage, picked up their instruments, and joined in with a catchy number. Bass player Jordan Laz called us all to action, Eastwood Airline bass slung to the side; No feet were to be still, no hands were to be left idle.
They actually implored us to go downstairs during the second song, and try to bring up Smiling Moose bar patrons from downstairs. Not even the incredible fans that drove in from Ohio donning homemade letter jackets and poodle skirts emblazoned with Locksley logos went downstairs as we was requested. No one wanted to miss whatever happened next!
Hooky melodies with a beat meant to keep your feet tapping is Locksley’s thing, and they do it well. Their self-titled record comes across as a little softer, more polite, and gentle than the live show… but make no mistakes, these guys are mean on stage.
Guitarist Kai Kennedy was channeling Johnny Cash in all black with his well-worn cream colored Stratocaster wailing crazy poppy licks, and sweating bullets from the get-go. Lead vocalist Jesse Laz let bass player & brother Jordan handle most of the inter-song banter, then would step in to croon and make jangly chord changes with his Epiphone Wilshire… A commanding presence that reminded me of Morris Day in Purple Rain.
These guys have crazy stage presence. Any inter-song banter was backed by soft rocking that ramped up just in time to jump into the next tune. Moves that had to be choreographed but looked like they may have had an organic origin peppered the set. Microphone sharing with killer vocal harmonies was all over the place. Everyone who wasn’t tied to a drum kit was in the audience at one point, dancing, rocking, and singing away. Kai and Jesse locked into this weird grappling maneuver where they played each others’ guitars while spinning around looking like someone trying to get out of a straightjacket.
After the set, handlebar-moustached drummer Sam wouldn’t let me purchase a CD. Instead, he gave me a stack to pass along. We gave some out to those who had attended the show, but I still have 2 unclaimed. Let me know if you’re interested. The 1st 2 to claim the disc in the comments below, it’s all yours.
Erin “Ernie” Payne & Dave “Bert” (or “the other Bert”) Warren went to a Fountains of Wayne show in Philly a while back, and Locksley was the opener. Erin really dug what they were all about, and set out on a personal mission to bring them to the ‘Burgh. I’m glad he did. I had a great time last night, and I know the whole shebang was a big deal to Erin. From what I can tell, all of the guys in Locksley and their friends/crew are all-around nice guys who have a genuine love for the music, the stage-show, and the adventure of being a rock n’ roll band.
Stay tuned to Ernie and the Berts’ Facebook page to see photos of the show!
http://twitter.com/#!/LocksleyMusic/status/136883071373942785
I found this rather amusing:
We're famous!
We have some shows coming up. You ought to attend. We’re a good time. I promise.
The Punk Rock Sock Hop Invades Pittsburgh! Sat.11/05/2011
This is going to be one crazy show… bands, magic, a DJ spinning 50’s tunes, zombies, contests, prizes, and probably even drunk chicks. You can get free admission and some other goodies from Pittsburgh Punk Rock with very minimal effort (if he extends the contest). This benefits Free Ride Pittsburgh, and is a Pittsburgh City Paper Critic’s Pick for this weekend! Click the flyer for details, links to all the other bands & entertainment!
Locksley, Ernie and the Berts, & The Mondze! 11/15/2011 @ The Smiling Moose!
Click the flyer for details, to see videos from all 3 bands, the link to buy tickets, and check the comments for the link to a free EP called Ghosts from Locksley with a fun Halloween theme! Erin saw these guys in concert, and wanted to bring ’em here to the ‘Burgh. You’ve heard the song “The Whip”. Lets show them some love! Help spread the word.
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Solid advice. Dave is my personal guitar Guru, most likely to his chagrin. Read & learn, fellow axe-slingers:
Dig?
From now on, let’s call this “The 12 O’Clock Rule” so you can remember it easily. Next time you’re at a show, running sound, or setting up with your band… a friendly “Dude, ’12 O’Clock Rule'” should suffice to any knob tweaker getting out of hand.
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I think the bass & treble cranked with the mids to zero was a Metallica thing, wasn’t it? I seem to remember that being in a Guitar World or Guitar for the Practicing Musician article in the mid 90’s. Everyone must have read that one.
On turning the gain back and still rocking hard, I give you Warp Riders by the Sword. Case closed. You just found the droids you didn’t know you were looking for. Move along.
World (and Lunar) Domination 