The Empty

So I found a cool module for Drupal to display guitar chord diagrams. Here's a A minor

And a C Major7

Coolness.

I found this video of Victor Wooten playing a bass solo in which he used Amazing Grace. Very awesome. Victor is just an incredible musician. I saw him perform this year at Elgin Community College Visual and Performing Arts Center and was blown away. Check this out.

I went to the Avenged Sevenfold concert last night at the Congress Theater - what a great band. It was a great show. They played quite a few tunes from their new album (currently at the top of the Billboard rock charts), a couple older ones, and a couple from City of Evil.

The sound was a bit muddled because of the theater layout, I think. The room is big and echo-y. I had my earplugs in, of course. The guitars could have been more prominent in the mix, too. The band did a great job, though. They all sing harmony (except the bass player) and do well at it. The drummer sang a lot of the high harmonies - he could be Michael Anthony :). The guitar duo's harmony lines held up very well live, and so did M Shadows' voice.

They were also very gracious. Shadows went out of his way to say how great Chicago has been to them. After living here all my life, I hear this quite a bit and I am not sure if it is because Chicago is awesome or that is just something everyone says to fire up the crowd :). They also spent some time after the show shaking hands and signing stuff at the front of the stage. Very cool. Shadows also made the comment during the show that he didn't care whether we bough their CD or downloaded it, as long as we enjoy it. That's nice to hear. Of course, he is saying that to people who have already at least paid to see him live ;)

I'm ripping my Rush CDs today and listening to some stuff along the way that I haven't heard in a while. One of these old favorites is "The Trees" and is one of those messages that is still relevant.

It is about equality, oppression, and entitlement. Here are the lyrics:

There is unrest in the forest
There is trouble with the trees
For the maples want more sunlight
And the oaks ignore their pleas

The trouble with the maples
(And they're quite convinced they're right)
They say the oaks are just too lofty
And they grab up all the light
But the oaks can't help their feelings
If they like the way they're made
And they wonder why the maples
Can't be happy in their shade

There is trouble in the forest
And the creatures all have fled
As the maples scream 'Oppression!'
And the oaks just shake their heads

So the maples formed a union
And demanded equal rights
'The oaks are just too greedy
We will make them give us light'
Now there's no more oak oppression
For they passed a noble law
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet, axe and saw

This pretty much sums up my view that a lot of the efforts enacted by the US government end up limiting one group instead of enabling another group. Another angle to look at in this metaphor of the trees is how to come to a proper solution. The Oaks are by nature taller than the Maples. That cannot be helped unless drastic measures are taken by hatchet, axe, and saw :). Just talking about trees, one could suggest separate groves of Maples within the Oaks but that brings up the issue of segregation. Segregation is fine and dandy for trees, but people tend to frown upon it :). What's the answer? Let me know when you figure it out so we can stop all the fighting.

I recently picked up two new CD's that are rather different, but I enjoy them both for their owne reasons. They are As Daylight Dies by Killswitch Engage and You Are My Little Bird by Elizabeth Mitchell.

I'll start with You Are My Little Bird. I heard about this album from an interview on NPR with Elizabeth amd her family. She, her husband, and their daughter are on the album. It has what I call a very personal sound and is meant to be sung with and enjoyed by parents and their children. She even has a songbook on her site with lyrics and chords to help you out! I bought it to enjoy with my kids, but I listen to it at work, too :).

Now, As Daylight Dies is quite a different album as you may imagine from the title. I accidentally noticed this album at a store the day after it was released while I was picking up something else. I have two other KsE CD's that I really like, so I picked this one up when I saw it on the rack (plus it came with a free promotional T-Shirt!). One of the reasons that I like KsE is that they are a heavy Metal/Metalcore band that doesn't have the trite double bass trill constantly going in the background. Man is that annoying. They also have lyrical content that one would usually find in a Prog Rock band. They are socially concious and talk about generally positive subjects. Also, like a Prog band, they know how to play. The heart of the band, Adam Dutkiewicz, is a Berklee grad. On a humours note, their current lead singer is Howard Jones, but maybe not the Howard Jones you are thinking of :).

This particular album is good, but it does not sound as "big" as the previous two.  I'm not sure how else to describe it.  There are some spots where I would have changed the arrangement a bit, too.  Personally, I think this a pitfall that you can hit when you produce your own albums - there is no third party to voice an opinion.  I would highly recommend pick up their previous albums, Alive Or Just Breathing and The End of Heartache.

Just have to put in a plug here for my aunt, Lucy Schaufer. She is an amazing opera singer and finally got a website up to promote herself.