Hello everyone! My name is Beau and I'd like to welcome you to my blog. I dwell in the city of Vacavile, CA where I am the lead singer of the band The Strangelights. I imagine my blog will be mainly musically orientated but ya never know...
I think it's awesome just how much great indie rock there is out there during this very decade. Call me stuck in the past, but I've lamented as recently as 2011 over the dearth of original, moving rock n roll being created. I must say my ears simply were not open enough. Indie rock over the last 4 years has taken on a decidedly upbeat, electro-influenced vibe hearkening back to the 80's (My own band The Strangelights included), which seems like the natural say of the eternal musical pendulum. While The Smiths I hold in the highest regard because they were a sort of response to the overly synthesized, bouncy constant of early 80's Pop rock (The New Romantics and the Post-New Wavers bringing an almost fake embracing of their gender-twisted stylings to blend seamlessly with the very simulated nature of synthesized music). The Smiths' very credence was in fundamental opposition to the cheerful yet dissatisfying sound and look of the day. And thus was birth of Modern Indie Rock. The Smiths went back to the 4-piece basics of a rock n roll ensemble (obviously not the groundbreaking aspect of their importance, nevertheless it was a clear signal to the intelligent music-making masses that the old instrumentation was indeed sacred and still had much to offer the world). The groundbreaking and forever beckoning aspect of their rise was the way in which Morrissey's movingly deep, hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking lyrics coalesced with the sound so joyous and fulfilling that Johnny Marr unleashed. It was a magical partnership reminding us of the days of the Gershwin brothers, Lennon and McCartney and Leiber and Stoller, but fresh in its sudden and surprising convergence. That Morrissey brought his own far more literate spin to gender politics and sexuality, previously "flirted" with by the Durans and the Boy Georges, along with The Smiths distinct and keen cultivation of their visual presentation (Stunning 60's Movie posters as record covers, Morrissey's singular style), The Smiths ascended to their important place in the History of Rock N Roll. Many critics and musical historians agree they begot a the new era of alternative rock n roll for the world while infiltrating the British music world (whereas one could say that REM's emergence in the college rock scene of the US was of parallel importance). When I site the fact that England's equivalent to Rolling Stone - the NME once heralded the Smiths as the most important band in the history of music (even over The Beatles and Led Zeppelin), most casual rocknrollers are in immediate suspicion. But I really do believe that just as The Beatles took genres that were being honed and built up for years prior to their assimilation of them - the Beatles brought rock n roll proper, psychedelic rock, even hard rock to it's popular zenith through unequaled song writing. Well, just as they provided that gift to the world of music The Smiths have equal importance in "bringing up the rear" of rocknroll. Meaning they incorporated all that had previously been the ancestors of indie rock (The proto-punk of The Velvet Underground and Patty Smith, the glam of Bowie and T-Rex, the lush psychedelic textures of Love and Tim Buckley along with the woebegone pleadings of the less popular and more dark 60's girl groupers like Dusty Springfield and Sandy Shaw) and gave the future artistically stricken rock bands a template as to the path one could take not sacrificing their artistic vision, all the while unifying a huge and important sector of the music listening public, which would eventually be properly and somewhat ironically lumped into one group: that of Indie Rock. Thank you Smiths! On that note, rather then extol the glories of my favorite band further - if you haven't lost yourself in their startlingly brief collection of albums yet, the proper format in which to delve into their works is via their 4 proper studio albums, not on youtube. (Can you think of another group that packed so much brilliance and lasting importance into a career spanning merely four years?) I'd like to share with you a bunch of awesome new indie and alternative rock songs I've been jamming out to. Let us immerse ourselves into the glories of music's now! I'm ditching my begone-days musical snobbery in favor of a more inclusive excitement about the present and future of rock n roll!
Hi there friends! I've been discovering all kinds of amazing artists and songs lately and if you trust my taste in music I would click these youtube links. If you are into off the hook indie rock, much of it with an electronic/party feel - and all of them with amazing melodies, you will dig all of these tunes and hasten to your "nearest record store" to obtain a copy.
Hello everybody! I'm very excited to say that The Strangelights are nearing the completion of our debut album. The songs are all mixed and are now being mastered in anticipation to release it at the beginning of this summer. It's been a long and exhilarating journey getting us to this point. We started recording in February 2009 at the Guitar Heaven Studio in English Hills, CA with the support and guidance of studio owner and guitar collector extraordinaire Ned Bressler. Rick Lucas has faithfully and devotedly engineered the entire recording process over the last 2 years, as we 3 Strangelights performed and arranged the 11 songs which make up the album. Leland was blessed with the joy of getting to weave together a tapestry of guitar sounds via some incredible classic electric guitars such as the '70 Fender Stratocaster, the '78 Fender Telecaster, the '62 Gibson SG with vibrato tailpiece, the '60 Gibson SG with 3 humbucker pickups, and the Ibanez Universe 7 string. Naturally these guitars would be of little use if they weren't thrust into amplifiers of equal sonic and historic virtue. So, Leland sent his dexturous melodies flying through an Electroplex Rocket 50, a Diezel halfstack, a late 60's Vox AC30, a Mark V Mesa Boogie and a late 70's Marshall JMP. We truly did record in Guitar Heaven!! The vintage extravaganze did not end there however, as I was fortunate enough to lay down a myriad of keyboard tracks on a Korg Tritone Synthesiser, a 70s Mini Moog (for the haunting synth line in New Wave), and the singular and mighty Hammond Organ, which I piped away on for Loneliest Boy . Ned Bressler has truly created a transcendant world up in the hills North of Vacaville, where rock n roll artists can retreat and lose themselves playing peerless and elegantly crafted instruments amid the pastoral loveliness of the North Solano hills. We have been beyond blessed to actualize our album in his facility. Many more in the music world will discover Guitar Heaven Studio and we'll be able to say that we were one of the first to enjoy its magic!
For Laker fans like myself and even for basketball fans in general we have to conclude that we are very blessed to be able to behold the genius that Kobe Bryant brings to the sport. With his off-balance, last second bank shot, that won the game tonight against the Heat, he takes our breath away. While we cannot pronounce him the Greatest of All-Time yet, until he equals or surpasses Michael Jordans's 6 championship rings, I have a feeling that Kobe is on the way. This Laker team is so fun to watch. Pau Gasol is one of my favorite players and many basketball minds currently consider him the second best, if not the best (Pau has won a title, Sorry Dirk) Power Forward in the game today. Andrew Bynum is a beast in the low post and even announcer Mark Jackson proclaimed during the game that Bynum is on his way to starting as the Western Conference All-Star Center. With Yao Ming unable to play due to injury, this is a distinct possibility. I also read today (at ESPN.com) that Bynum, Bryant and Gasol are all in the Top 5 in Points in the Paint for the entire league. While many attribute this amazing statistic to the fact that the Lakers have played most of their games at home thus far (where their 15-3 record is not being respected in some quarters due to its home-heavy schedule), you still have to be astounded by the fact that 3 of the 5 players with the most points in the paint, are ON THE SAME TEAM. That's crazy. So, yes the Lakers are fucking awesome, a joy to watch. And I haven't even said a peep about two of my most favorite players dawning the purple and gold: New York City old pals Lamer Odom and Ron Artest. The two fowards' versatility and their balls-out defensive effort are what is contagiously making this squad one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. For the last 2 years, Phil Jackson's triangle offense has been the best in the NBA, and now with the array of defensive statistical categories the Lakers are #1 in, you'd have to rank them with Boston and San Antonio has being one of the top defensive teams in the entire league. Artest has brought a swagger and a toughness to the team that we've needed. I can't say enough how excited I am to have that bad boy on our team. I must say, it is a good time to be a Laker fan. And of course to close my blog out I have to bring it on back to the best closer in the game: Kobe Bryant. #24, thank you ever so for making life more exciting and a beautiful thing to behold. You are genius in motion and we are blessed to witness the magic.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
My favorite songs of all time...
Of the thousands of songs I love, I decided to compile a list of what are my most favorite and share them with you all. If you haven't heard them yet then let the beautiful music play...
Whatsup everyone! My name is Beau and I'm a 28 year old guy from Vacaville, CA. I'm an indie rock singer-songwriter working to get my music out the masses. You can check out my tunes at my homepage beaurock.net or on Myspace. I've been a performer all of my life, playing a variety of parts throughout my years - whether as a cocktail pianist at the Embassy Suites in Orange County while I majored in Musical Theatre at Cal State Fullerton, singing, dancing and acting in tons of musicals from the age 7 to 22, playing bassoon and saxophone in a myriad of orchestras, ensembles and jazz bands, singing in the California All-State Honor Choir during High School, or as the lead singer of the alternative rockabilly band Darkened Bliss a few years ago. When I graduated from school I finally made the choice to pick a specific area of performance to concentrate in, so I picked my greatest love which is songwriting and singing rock n roll. Wish me luck as I continue to strive towards making my dreams come true! My day to day existence is filled with several jobs - I'm a substitute teacher during the day (mainly middle school & high school) which I enjoy immensely. My favorite classes to cover are English, Band, Choir & History though I never hesitate to accept an assignment in any field. Sometimes even Math and Science can be fun! At night, I'm a waiter at BJ's here in Vacaville and I also moonlight as a Piano/Vocal/Sax instructor and pianist for hire. I'm currently putting together a 4 piece band so that I can get out there and perform my solo material live again so look out for upcoming dates!
