Category: Music

Other than the refreshing summer drink to which it lends its name, the lemon has to be among the most disrespected fruits. Cars that frequently break down or do not run at all are called lemons, instead of tangerines or plums. An unhappy facial expression is often described as lemon-faced, based on the sourness it indicates.

Given its unappealing tradition, it is surprising to learn that popular bands have chosen that particular fruit for their names over more desirable ones such as bananas or pears. For example, the late Sixties and Seventies gave us the Lemon Pipers, who hit the charts with the single “Green Tambourine.”

A decade later fans of New Wave music took pleasure in a group that called themselves the Mighty Lemon Drops, whose sound was often compared to Echo and the Bunnymen. Then in the Nineties singer-songwriter Evan Dando fronted a post grunge band named the Lemon Heads, who attracted fans of Nirvana and the late Kurt Cobain.

Although the lemon has overwhelmingly beaten the rest of its juicy genus, other fruits have managed to appear in some popular band names. Here are ten of the best.

The Raspberries

Eric Carmen and his three young buddies made quite an impression in the early Seventies, scoring the huge hits “Go All the Way” and “I Wanna Be With You.”

Wild Cherry

One hit was all it took to jolt this group, a quintet of white boys who wanted to play funky music, into immortality.

Apples In Stereo

Among the pioneers of the genre called indie rock, this eclectic band has outlasted most of its early peers.

The Electric Prunes

Psychedelic rock combined with a clever play on words helped make these guys a household name for a while, as “I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)” climbed the charts back in 1966.

Moby Grape

Former members of Jefferson Airplane formed this band that fused rock with country and jazz, drawing comparisons to Buffalo Springfield mainly because of its three guitar player lineup.

The Raisins

National success for the most part eluded this talented late Seventies group who had a minor hit with “Fear Is Never Boring”, but they remain much revered in their hometown of Cincinnati.

Strawberry Alarm Clock

By mixing incense with some peppermints back in 1967 these guys could smell, and taste, a Top Ten single.

Blind Melon

“No Rain” became the group’s smash hit, partly because of its infectious melody and partly due to its bee-themed video.

The Cranberries

No Need To Argue was the 1994 album that allowed the Irish alt band to break through, mainly due to strong singles like “Zombies” and “Ode To My Family.”

Smashing Pumpkins

Billy Corgan led this Nineties alternative rock ensemble, who in addition to dozens of hits earned an appearance on an episode of The Simpsons.

Many amateur composers fall victim to a badly drafted licensing agreement that totally stomps on their right over their royalties and possible million dollar career. This scenario does not only affect songwriters but also musical composers for movies and televisions. They write songs and produce music. The record company or the movie and television company just buys the composer’s rights over the song or the music and have the latter sign a waiver of their copyright.

Young struggling music artists, for example, are often forced to sign record contracts that are not favorable to their future career. It is understandable that they feel compelled to sign such contracts. Their careers at that early stage is in their infancy. The problem only arises if and when they meet with some success. Such early stage contracts often lay claim to future, post success and celebrity, records. Musicians often either don’t understand or merely gloss over these provisions. The consequence, however, can result is millions in lost revenues to the artists years after these contracts are signed.

Thus, it is important for amateur songwriters and composers to draft a licensing agreement to protect their future million dollar career. In order to make the agreement valid and good, the following stipulations must be inserted:

1. There must be a copyright protection over derivative works.

Some music, film and television companies give royalties to the owner of the music but limited only to the particular projects. Such as, if it is a music album, the composer will only receive his royalty depending on the sale of the music album. However, the music, film and television companies holds the right to sell the music for other derivative works, e.g., using the song as a musical score.

If the composer will have no right over the derivative use of his creation, the music or film company can make millions even when the sales of the music album have already declined. Take for example the song, “Feels like home” or “Somewhere over the rainbow”, it has been used in countless movies and soap operas all over the world. Every time these songs are used, the production company pays the record label royalties. Thus, if the composer will have a right over the derivative use of his creation, he will have additional potential earnings. Also, the composer or the songwriter will be protected from abusive record companies.

2. There must be a protection from unauthorized use.

Many composers lose a lot of potential income due to music piracy and unauthorized music downloading internet sites because most of the royalties are based on the sales of the album. Thus, for composers, they should include in their agreement stipulations that protect them from the unauthorized use of their music. The stipulation should require the licensee, or the record company to compensate him an additional amount for their failure to protect his creation from unauthorized use.

Bang Your Head: The Rise and Fall of Heavy Metal, David Konow, Three Rivers Press, 2002.

I always have been fascinated with both music and history and a book about the history of a particular music is just like killing two birds with one stone. I have read a few books about the history of heavy metal and Bang Your Head is the least elevating one. Of course it was a fun read, but all Rock n Roll books are fun to read. The only thing that made me bought this book is the fact that I have yet to find a book about the rise and fall of the 80’s Cock Rock scene, and this book, although not as comprehensive and thorough as I hoped it should be, contained some murky information about the craze, the 80’s world wide fad, which helped launch MTV to a gainful and profitable broadcast.

Towering hairs and cans of hair sprays, fishnets and spandex, groupies and backstage passes and the unforgettable Power Ballads and yes, the bands. Bands in the likes of Motley Crue, Guns N Roses, Quiet Riot and Poison took the world by storm. It made its way to the Malaysian shores and before you know it, Search, Wings, Lefthanded and May, just to name a few, became Sunset strip’s little ambassadors.

The book is 496 page thick and the front cover depicts the dullest book cover I have ever seen. Being a person who normally judges a book by its cover (literally), it would have been better if the publisher opted to coat the front cover black and print the title somewhere in the middle white, I would have bought the book right there and then. The cover was sort of a cut and pastes assemble, with xerox quality coloration that I believe for the purpose of going after the old school fanzine feel.

The story telling was light; it gave a good bird’s eye view of the cock rock scene back in the early 80’s; the book was a fun read nonetheless but it could have been better though. Besides the lack of depth, the book was also in short of photos. You do not write a book about Rock N Roll, describe the glorious vista of the legendary Sunset Strip, illustrate hundreds of crazy ass bands and have just a couple of photos in it!

Hailing from Dublin, Ireland, the members of U2 came together in 1976 while they were still attending high school.

Most mainstream fans probably don’t know the band went through several name changes in its infancy, having originally been called “The Larry Mullen Band” (for less than a day) then immediately changing to “Feedback” due to the coolness factor this technical term brought them. They later changed the name again in March 1977, choosing to go with “The Hype” as their band’s new call sign. They finally settled on the name “U2” a full year later because of its ambiguous nature and that it was a name that didn’t sound as bad as all the other options they could think of.

Although originally having very little proficiency in music, they were able to sign on to Island Records for the release of their debut album, Boy. They became a class-act by the mid-1980s, with smash hit albums like “The Joshua Tree”, “Live Aid”, and the totally unforgettable success, “Rattle and Hum”.

Originally influenced by punk rockers like The Jam, The Clash, and The Sex Pistols, U2 went through a series of major changes throughout its lifetime. Their 1981 “October” album contained blatant spiritual overtones, while their “War” album, released in 1983, demonstrated their anti-war sentiment and deep commitment to pacifism, especially through its politically controversial “Sunday Bloody Sunday” song. It was this album’s first single, “New Year’s Day” that became the band’s first hit outside of Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Yet it was their 1984 album release, “The Unforgettable Fire” that marked the band’s most significant shift in direction. Unlike previous albums, this album was notable ambient and abstract, making a complete departure from their previous punk rock style. This change was mostly due to the band’s fear of becoming too generic and lost in the sea of mainstream, commercial drivel that was so common at the time.

July of 1985 saw another major milestone in the band’s career, when its members participated in the Live Aid concert for Ethiopian famine relief at Wembley Stadium. It was this concert that showed their main vocalist, Bono, was capable of making personal connections with the crowd, as demonstrated by his ability to embrace and dance with fans during live performances.

Not about to stop with musical experimentation, U2 began to explore American blues, folk and even gospel music with their next album, “The Joshua Tree”. Released in March 1987, this album tried to give the band a sense of tradition as it explored what it really is like to be American. October of the following year saw the release of their documentary, “Rattle and Hum”.

Although highly praised by Rolling Stone magazine as possibly the best band of the 1980s, U2 remained successful through the 1990s and equally to present day. Having been named one of eight “Artists of the Decade” by Rolling Stone in 2009, this served as a positive momentum for the bands 360° Tour, which began in June 2009 and is scheduled to continue in Europe through the year and in North America in 2011.

Not everybody in the world subscribes to the same idea of God. Even Christians themselves have sometimes differing beliefs on the same God they worship. But one thing that never fails to bring people together from different religious beliefs is music. Gospel music is known for moving its listeners, regardless of their belief systems. So what is the secret healing power of gospel music that it manages to unite people from all over?  

First, here’s a bit of history on modern day. Gospel music was originally called “negro spirituals” during its initial phase of development. American slavers brought scores of Africans to the US to work as laborers, particularly in the South area. As the slave trade flourished, the demand and need for more African laborers increased as well. One method the slavers utilized in keeping the enslaved Africans in check was through the use of religion wherein slaves were required to attend worship service with their masters. The newly converted slaves then started to adapt the normally somber church hymns for themselves by incorporating their native African music into the hymn. It was inevitable that they would do so, considering the Africans considered their tribal music as a means to connect to the sacred.

Most of the music produced that time focused on overcoming adversities and obstacles in life through God. To a believer, the healing power of  music lies in the reinforcement of the idea that God is looking out for them and all will be well.  But if you take out the religious context of gospel music, to a non-believer, the lyrics could also talk of simple emotional uplifting and transcending the obstacles. Gospel music is a potent carrier of not just religious ideas but political ideology as well. There are some who believe that the African slaves back then secretly communicated their messages for one another via gospel songs.

An evidence of the healing power of music is the rise of the African-American culture in the US amidst the hardships and trials they had to face before and after they were emancipated. Gospel music was continuously propagated among the slaves because of their situation; with nobody to turn to at their time of need, they could only rely on God and themselves, and they achieved this seemingly elusive connection with the spiritual through gospel music. Psychologically speaking, this would also make sense since verbal affirmation plays a key role in helping a person define the goals he is pursuing.

The healing power of music tells people that they can overcome the trials life throws at them. This idea, more than anything else, was a running theme in gospel music especially for the enslaved African-Americans. Ideas are a very powerful thing because once it is planted in the minds of people and the moment it takes root, it can be very hard to disregard its influence on the person. People face obstacles everyday and overcoming these obstacles is a task everyone knows all too well, regardless of their religious beliefs.

Some feel dancing is reciprocation of being alive, while some dance for enjoyment. But it is something that shows great energy on the part of the dancer. Dancing is nothing but moving the human body or any part of the body along with the music.

Among many dance forms which varies greatly in music selection to tempo of the music, the Swing Dancing is unique in its own way. It gets its name from dance developed during the swing era i.e. 1920-1940, with the popularity of the Big Band and its jazz music. Though, there are many forms and classes of swing dance which are known by different names, the name swing dance commonly refers to any of them. One of the most popular forms is known as Lindy Hop, originating in Harlem in 1930s.

The Lindy Hop dancers were initially known as Jitterbugs, getting their name from the twitchy movement that the dancers make. There are other forms such as Balboa, Collegiate Shag, etc., and more styles are getting developed every year. The dance became immensely popular with fast and intricate movements and dance moves. Charles Lindbergh was a revelation in this case and thus the name Lindy Hop came into being to honor his style of dancing.

Over the years, many other dance for began to develop like Boogie woogie, Rock n Roll and disco dancing which were only the derivatives of the original swing dancing. They grew in popularity and more people were attracted to the newer dance style.

The original swing dancing almost was reduced to a handful of dancers and by the 1960s, the culture almost vanished. Moreover the musical tracks were made more in favor of the other alternative styles of dancing. It remained out of any major stage until 1980s when it was introduced again by the French with a new name of French Jibe or Modern Jibe.

Eventually they started to get good appreciation and recognition all over the world. Slowly it emerged as one of the leading dance forms and became quite popular all over the world. It slowly made its way back to the UK in the early 1990s, and is danced to contemporary jazz music and modern music. There is a considerable variation and development taking place even in the recent times and can be found distinct to each other in different parts of the world.

The dance format skewed its way through many dance styles and classes since the early 20th century. In 1940s it grew popular as East Coast Swing and most commonly referred to as Six Step Swing. It also had a variation name West Coast swing which was more stylistic and lively. Imperial Swing, Washington Hand Dancing and push are its other form and variation which saw growing popularities in the 1950s.

Swing dance has rightfully found its place in modern art and culture with increasing popularity among dancers as well as common people. Many dance competitions are being developed where the subtleties of swing dance is judged based on timing, teamwork and technique among the dancing couples to select the winners, though the original Lindy Hop competitions only looks to select the most impressive dancer to be the winner without any of these criteria. There are many modern day dance groups who are keeping the tradition alive and taking it forward.

At this point consumers are starting to wake up to the fact that the cable & dish network industry is changing. The birth of Netflix, Apple TV & Amazon Prime allowed viewers to watch their shows on demand and at a lower cost than traditional cable or dish services. Many people still subscribe to cable or dish and will add a service like Netflix to compliment their cable package. This is all about to change. Enter Kodi™.

This article will discuss the explosive growth of Kodi™ (formerly known as XBMC). We will review the main features of the service which include music, movies, photos & more. If you are curious about utilizing Kodi™ we will explore some of the top devices that run the software. And finally we will cover the future of Kodi™ and how it is at the forefront of the ever changing in-home entertainment industry.

Kodi™ is an award winning free and open source (GPL) software media center. It conveniently runs on Linux, OS X, Windows, iOS, and Adroid. More importantly it has a 10 foot user interface for use with your living room televisions and remote controls. So basically you can run Kodi from the comfort of your own couch! Kodi™ does not provide any media itself. The user must own content or manually point Kodi™ to 3rd party online services. The initial release was in 2002. It was originally produced as a independently developed media player application named Xbox Media Center for the very popular Xbox game console. Currently, Kodi™ is being used in many digital streaming players and has a simple to use interface for the non-techie consumer.

The main features the open source software provides are music, movies, TV shows, pictures & games. Kodi™ can play all of your music inluding AAC, MP3 and more. It has a cue sheet, tagging support, and smart playlists for ultimate control of your music collection. It can stream movies too! It supports all of the major video formats and sources. It can import these movies with full posters, trailers and more. Kodi™ offers the same features for your favorite TV shows as it does with movies. You can import your pictures into a data library and sort and filter them for a slideshow. You can even play and record live TV from the GUI interface. The Kodi™ software is packed with incredible features!

In order to access Kodi™ you will need a fast internet connection and a good quality streaming device. Here are 3 of the top devices that don’t have restrictions like Roku 3 or Apple TV:

The Dragon Box – The Dragon Box Quad Core Media Streaming Device has a sports emphasis focus and offers 8 GB of NAND flash memory.

The SkyStreamX – The SkyStreamX 4 Quad Core Android Smart TV Box comes with preloaded add ons an is an excellent Streaming Internet Media Player.

The DigiXStream – The DigiXStream DX4 Quad Core XBMC Android Media Box is also a great device that is very easy to use.


Its highly recommended to invest in a keyboard for these devices. They all come with remotes but if you are searching for a movie or show your thumb will get tired moving the cursor around!

The cable companies and dish networks do not want the average consumer to understand Kodi™. The software offers the consumer an incredible opportunity to save money. Once hooked up to your living room television it has the ability to eliminate the need for cable or your dish network. Kodi™ is the future and the growth of the company will explode as more and more people learn of it’s amazing features!

Karaoke is a very common form of interactive entertainment where people are able to follow the lyrics and music of a song and they can sing along with a microphone. It is considered to be a very good way of fusing music and fun and it is normally done utilizing local popular songs. The popularity of Karaoke entertainment is well known all over the world and people enjoy singing along with their favorite songs while attending parties, celebrations and at their local clubs as well.

Players

Most players come as a package which combines a multi format player, an instrument mixer, recording function, SD card reader with amplifier. You will not need too many cables to install this player to your TV and you will be ready and set to go whenever you want to start your party. It is better to look for something which compliments your existing stereo, sound system or microphones. You can find CDG Karaoke Players, VCD Karaoke players and DVD multiformat karaoke players as well. Looking for a branded player may be the best choice or if you already have a branded stereo system then perhaps choosing the same brand may be the best option.

Systems

While choosing the system you may want to have, please make sure to understand which kind of system is good for which kind of environment. If you are looking to making this special entertainment feature a very private one only for home use of for very small gatherings, then you can easily go for something which is light and handy, not too complex and expensive. On the other hand, if you are looking at something big like opening your own Karaoke club or something similar, then you will have to study the market a bit more.

The price ranges from $500 to $5,000 and more and it is therefore important to understand the features required. A Karaoke System will usually have Digital key control mixing amplifier, a pair of speakers, and a remote control facility. You can also find a karaoke system with video monitors and which combines Professional karaoke, DJ and VJ control in one professional system.

Stands and Hardware

You can find a vast range of stands for your microphones available in many karaoke stores on line and otherwise as well. It is important to know the proper purpose of the stand and what its features are to be able to find the best which is most appropriate for your kind of system. You can also find some very handy and sturdy bags with handles and wheels for bravo players to transport their karaoke instruments.

There are many more accessories that you can look for when you are trying to get your whole set up together like wall mounting devices for your player or speakers, special covers for your player and TV monitor, and adaptable cables and remote control units. Karaoke music can be a lot of fun, and the range of products is vast and complex. It is therefore very important to be able to study and research the market properly before giving this kind of electronic devices a try.

As a small player who is looking for private entertainment with your friends and family, it is good to go for something simple which will fit in with your existing set up, however if you are a club owner looking for a more permanent feature, then it is perhaps a very good idea for you to consult a knowledgeable person who will be able to give you proper advice on what is the best for your needs.

Swing is a very energetic and unique dance. It can be simple or complex, but you can be assured it’s always fun. There are many different styles or versions of it, each with distinct characteristics. As its name implies, it is known for its swings, lifts and spins that can sometimes be quite complicated. It’s a quick dance that requires a considerable degree of physical fitness. In this article we’ll take a quick look at its history.

The history of swing begins with the history of Lindy hop. Lindy hop originated in the late 1920s in New York and reached huge popularity in the 30s and 40s. It has its roots in the Charleston and Foxtrot and was danced to what was at a time called jazz music. Jazz music was also known as swing music and the dances danced to it became known as swing dances. Lindy hop got its name after Charles Lindbergh, the famous aviator. It is still danced today.

In general, the term swing refers to a group of dances that were developed in the 20s, 30s and 40s of the last century. With the rising popularity of jazz music many different forms of dances like Lindy hop evolved: Jitterbug, Balboa, East coast and West coast swing, Boogie-woogie, Collegiate Shag, St. Louis Shag, and Imperial Swing, just to name a few.

Although originally danced to the swing style of jazz music, you can dance to a wide variety of music styles, from country and pop to rock and roll. As music changed from the 1920s so did the dances. Rock and roll music brought, well, rock and roll. Rhythm & Blues music brought Imperial Swing, Carolina shag, and so on.

Like jazz, swing grew out of the African American communities. With the help of American soldiers during the WWII, it spread all around the world. Today, it is one of the most popular dances enjoyed worldwide.

You do not have to read music to play basic guitar. This article explains how to interpret chord diagrams on sheet music and play them on the guitar.

One of the things you encounter immediately when reading sheet music is the chord symbol. This is the musical symbol that describes the harmony at a particular point in a piece of music. An example is Gmi7. This tells you that the chord is a G minor seven chord. But, what notes do you use to play a Gmi7 on the guitar?

Sheet music for popular songs very often has guitar chord diagrams above each staff showing you how to play the chords. These diagrams make it possible for you to play a chord without knowing what the chord symbol means, or what notes are in the chord. The diagrams simply show where to put your fingers on the strings on the fretboard.

Of course, you as continue to study guitar and music, you will probably want to learn music theory to understand chord structure and the notes used for all the important chords in all twelve keys. But to get started making music, this is not necessary thanks to chord diagrams. They are far simpler than interpreting complex chord symbols.

A guitar chord diagram consists of a grid of five horizontal lines and six vertical lines representing the guitar fretboard. The diagram is a miniature picture of the fretboard as if you were holding the guitar up in front of you and looking at the upper part of the neck.

The vertical lines represent the guitar strings. From left to right (low to high pitch), the lines represent the strings E, A, D, G, B, and E.

The frets are represented by the horizontal lines. The thick line at the top represents the nut of the guitar at the end of the fretboard. Hold your guitar out in front of you and look at it, and all this will make sense.

The dots on the vertical string lines show where to put your fingers, the notes you fret with your left hand when playing a chord.

The numbers below the string lines at the bottom of the diagram indicate the finger of you left hand to use to fret the note. 1=index finger; 2=middle finger; 3=ring finger; and 4=little finger. Normally, the thumb is not used to fret.

The X or O above a string line means that string is open, or unfretted. An X means you do not play the string with the right hand, and an O means you play the open string.

In cases where a chord begins on a fret other than the first fret, a number on the right side of the diagram tells what the starting fret is, such as 2fr, 5fr, etc. Chords that use the first four frets often use open strings and are simpler to play. Thus, they are more common in chord diagrams.

That is about all there is to it to get started. When you look for sheet music or music books, just make sure they have guitar chord diagrams, and you can start playing basic guitar right away.