2012 - The Road So Far...

Well, here we are: halfway through the Year of our Lord, Two-thousand-and-Twelve, and it has occurred to me that a quick moment of reflection is appropriate.

The other night I sat with my wife before going to sleep and it dawned on me that this year has quite possibly been the most musically adventurous and awe-inspiring of my life. In the early part of the year, music allowed me the opportunity to not only visit, but tour the European continent for the very first time. I got to see things I've been waiting most all of my life to see. I met wonderful people from other countries who knew my name before I knew theirs. I played concerts for thousands of fans with two of the dearest brothers in my life.

The late winter gave way to spring, and as Tyler took the next step in his musical journey via writing sessions and constructing the framework for his very first album, Josh Corbett, Drew Hartley, and I joined forces with another incredible talent by the name of Sean Waldron. Our efforts with Sean have led to the recording of a tasty 6-song EP, due to be finished in late July. Señor Waldron also got the call to open up for the up-and-coming band Churchill at the end of this week. Not bad for a group's very first show with full personnel.

Hornsby & The Noisemakers get it done in Boulder.

In the meantime, God saw fit to bring three of my all-time favorite artists (joined by three of my all-time favorite drummers, to boot) to the Front Range of Colorado. In the last six months, I've been blessed to get to see Sting, Toto, and Bruce Hornsby perform live (with Vinnie Colaiuta, Simon Phillips, and Sonny Emory occupying the thrones, in case you were wondering). I've seen a ton of great concerts in my time, but I think it's probably safe to say that I've never had the opportunity to see that amount of masterful, jaw-dropping talent in such a short span of time. (And to top all of this magnificent concert-going revelry off, Peter Gabriel is bringing the entire original lineup of his legendary release So to Red Rocks to perform the album start-to-finish in September. Shoot dang.)

Seeing Music - Dominique Nabakov

Jazz, New York, 1985 by Dominique Nabakov

Luther on Music

"I wish to see art, principally music, in the service of Him who gave and created them. Music is a fair and glorious gift of God. I would not for the world forego my humble share of music. Singers are never sorrowful, but are merry, and smile through their troubles in song. Music makes people kinder, gentler, more staid and reasonable. I am strongly persuaded that after theology there is no art than can be placed on a level with music. For besides theology, music is the only art capable of affording peace and joy of the heart. The devil flees before the sound of music almost as much as before the Word of God.

"A person who...does not regard music as a marvelous creation of God, must be a clodhopper indeed and does not deserve to be called a human being; he should be permitted to hear nothing but the braying of asses and the grunting of hogs."

- Martin Luther

Don't take my word for it...

In Defense of the '80s - Part III

VII. Timeless Songs
Did I mention the classic tunes yet?!?

VIII. The Birth of Superstar Careers, The Growth of Others
Loads of talented, superstar artists hit the scene for the first time in the '80s. Monikers that would quickly become household names and stay that way for decades first appeared on people's musical radars - names like Bryan Adams, Huey Lewis, Bon Jovi, Bruce Hornsby, & Stevie Ray Vaughan. Def Leppard's debut album was released in 1980, Metallica was born in 1981, and by the end of the decade, bands by the names of Guns 'n' Roses and Dream Theater would release their first recordings. The decade of the 1980's saw the birth of a plethora of classic musical acts that would remain massively successful and appreciated for decades to come.

In Defense of the '80s - Part II

III. Great Musicianship
Great, stupendous, jaw-dropping, amazing musicianship, really. The Herculean feats of rock musicality that had started in the '60s and continued through the '70s hit all kinds of new highs in the '80s: Eddie Van Halen single-handedly crafted an entire movement of pyrotechnic guitar playing on the back of his own virtuosity & the idea of the guitar hero was born anew. EVH paved the way for the likes of Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, John Petrucci, and legions of other rock guitar gods. And what Eddie did for rock Stevie Ray Vaughn was accomplishing for the blues. But guitars weren't the only instruments whose boundaries were getting expanded - drummers followed the leads of players like Neil Peart, Vinnie Colaiuta, Stewart Copeland, Manu Katche & Terry Bozzio to take the concept of what rock 'n' roll drums could be to all new places. The über-musicality of progressive rock saw itself revitalized in the continuing (and sometimes never-before-achieved) success of bands like Rush, Genesis, King Crimson, and eventually Dream Theater. The session scene was also in full-bloom, showcasing the monster talents of players like Steve Lukather, John Robinson, Mike Landau, Steve Gadd, Nathan East, and Dann Huff. And, perhaps most-notably when talking about the music of the '80s, cats could sing. In a time before digital editing and pitch correction, the lead vocalists that dominated the airwaves in the 1980's demonstrated vocal prowess on a scale that has since to be matched, by-and-large. The simple fact of the matter was that to make it back then, you had to have your crap together. And, while I don't mind conceding the fact that the over-the-top musicianship did eventually get way out of hand and become a bit ridiculous in and of itself, the level of dedication to music that was evident back then is something the music world today sorely lacks.

In Defense of the '80s - Part I

Ah, the 1980's.

It was a a time of big hair, loud clothes, snap bracelets, rubix cubes, video arcades, and cold war.

Getty Images/Andrew Spencer

It was also a time of very great music, which seems to be a fact lost on most of the general public these days.

Now, don't get me wrong. I understand what most people envision when they think, "'80s music": the ridiculous (and many times androgynous) hair metal bands, the cloyingly catchy one-hit-wonder pop groups, & the onslaught of cartoony synthesizer tracks and drum machines. But I find that this sort of gross generalization to be both hypocritical and misplaced. Hypocritical, first, because with the possible exception of the huge hair in the metal bands, most all of the aforementioned criticisms could be recited about modern day pop music, as well. (If you don't believe me, just throw on Beynoce's Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) and listen closely for the completely random and amusical Galaga sound effects firing off in the background.) I call the criticisms misplaced because despite all the rubbish released during the so-called Era of Excess, many great records, songs, and artists found their way into both the mainstream of pop culture as well as the annals of music history. Via this blog, I will seek to vindicate the great and timeless music of the '80s from amongst the mire and detritus with which it is generally (and unjustly) associated.

Seeing Music - Carrie Nuttall

Rhythm & Light by Carrie Nuttall

Stereo-untypical

Boris Penton of Dragon House crew proving that one doesn't need crappy electronic muzak to craft a jaw-dropping hip-hop dance routine. Enjoy.