Pruning the extra extra minutes in my very own sauna shower (it's my version of the bubble bath especially effective in winter), I thought hard and long about the title of this post. In the back of my head I've always, always wanted to write about it, but could hardly conjure up enough vigour to stomach through hours of writing and perfecting what I find so hard in words to describe and worship. This post is about the guitar...no wait, this post is about Buckethead...no wait, this post is about the awesome Tenacious D...no wait, this post is about awesome guitar soloes... It's just hard to put my finger on it, I guess it's just about what I've been up to after my exams, and what worked me up with an excitement I hardly feel anymore.
It's been a while since I last said "It's been a while since I last played my guitar". Now with the month long break and all I've decided to get back to my guitar. I've always wanted to relive my glory days of guitar induced finger cramps, last visited when I was still learning from Mr. Ken. Sure I've tried, and how I've phailed to even get the will long enough to get fingertip callouses, that I'd always get past the line where I abandon all interest.
This time was different.
I woke up one day and started humming "Ode to My Family" by The Cranberries. So I YouTubed the song, and covers of the song. That was when I came across LickByNeck.
LickByNeck, however nasty that may sound, could probably be the best thing that's ever happened to a non-porn related website. LickByNeck is like a genius strapped on a guitar on Christmas. How often do you get something so awesome and godlike like LickByNeck, all for free? I remember saying to myself "I think I'm in love!" after seeing what I stumbled across in the website. I couldn't have said it better when I told Luck it was "...genius in less than 1mb".
Seriously, the things that would require you to pay online in order to learn good guitar can never compare to LickByNeck. They're not even in the same ballpark when the files you download are almost always as tiny as ~700kbs! Who needs guitar pro when you can have it cheap, and you don't even need to have fucking broadband? It's kinda hard to explain, but just download one of the songs and you'll understand the genius and finnesse and simplicity of it.
I challenge anyone after downloading this to not say '"what the holy fuck!", or variations of it (just unzip it, and then enable whatever the hell you are asked to).
LickByNeck provided the grounds to my guitar playing. It was what that's been missing on the pedastal in my guitar loving heart. More than anything, it was the means to achieving something awesome that when in years to come I could proudly say "Hey I can play that song!" - something I've always wanted.
Seriously, CK if you're reading this, get your ass to the site and download something (like this)...
Or anything...and you'll be tappin' on them bitches like no emo kid can ever dream ;)
Rodrigo Y Gabriela is the shits! I still remember the very first time I heard their music was in Sydney, in the underground level of Dymocks. I think it was "Tamacun", and I went straight to the cashier and asked them about the awesome thing invading my brain. And so became the very first original instrumental CD I ever own.
Rodrigo Y Gabriela (the 'Y' stands for '&') will always remind me of how much of a good guitar player I've always wanted to be able to be, but at the same time I've come to terms with the fact that I can never be like them, simply because they're just too awesome.
They are the ones who started me listening and loving Metallica. I can't say I know a lot about Metallica. What I can say, is that I know more now than I did before I heard about Rodrigo Y Gabriela. Their rendition of "One/Take 5" is what got me hooked on their music, and what prompt me into buying all their other CDs. My favourites will always be "Temple Bar", "Juan Loco", "Diablo Rojo", "Foc" and "Re-Foc" and their awesome cover of Led Zepplin's "Stairway to Heaven".
The one reason I can think of attributing to the band's awesomeness, and why I like them so much is their background in heavy metal. The lead guitarist, Rodrigo, used to play in a heavy metal band before forming the duo. Couple it with a jazz infused style of fast picking on accoustic guitars, and you'll get the epicness that is Rodrigo and Gabriela.
Since Buckethead is sorta the cornerstone to why I am writing this, it was easy to make this post not about rock, but about Buckethead alone, which I had to then rename the title. Who or what is this Buckethead character you ask?
If you haven't heard of Buckethead, then forget about including the "I like rock" or "I know guitar" part in your vain attempt to describe your interests in hopes of getting laid. In fact, forget even "I know a bit of guitar", because 'a' bit is not enough to justify what you know, if you don't know Buckethead.
No Buckethead = no getting lucky tonight... well at least in my fantasised world lol.
It's sad to say this but that pretty much described my life up to the point when I fell in love with Buckethead, and even now I still cannot call myself someone who likes rock because in all it's forms, history and glory, rock is just to much to encompass.
Buckethead is the epitome of awesome. Or to elaborate in the slightest, tiniest sense - Buckethead is the embodiment of groove, funk, rock, awesomeness, raw talent, and perfect music sense so awesome, the only word(s) to describe the magnitude of awesomeness would require another word to describe that word which currently does not exist in the dictionary of any lingual system on planet Earth. Who could shred like Buckethead on "Jordan", or build the orgasmic groove power that is "Nottingham Lace", the hypnotic licks of "Big Sur Moon", the serenity of "Padmasana", the awesome foreplay, penetration, climax and aftermath of "Soothsayer"...the list goes on and on, all that plus the theatrics Buckethead brings to all his live performances! I mean seriously...
Buckethead's famous Robot Dancing
Yes, those are Bruce Lee's nunchucks.Nunchucks and Robot Dancing...what more do you need escorting an epic live performance of awesome soloes and orgasmic riffs? And of course, all that in the good will of spreading awareness of the chicken holocaust with his signature Bucket KFC Funeral hat?
See, it's easy to make this post just about Buckethead. His eccentrics are just way off weird, but I'd still wanna be a part of it. Well, you can kinda tell from his selection of song names like "Soothsayer", "Big Sur Moon", "Waiting Hare", "In Search of Inbred Mountain", "Padmasana" etc...
Sure, awesome guitarists are dime a dozen - shredders, fast pickers, guitar gods. But what separates them is what they bring to the audiences, what their music represents, and what their legacy is. For Buckethead it's so much more.
U say Rock, I say D!
Yes, Tenacious D is seriously "the greatest band in the world", and that's not just from any of their songs (ok, maybe it was~), but from my rockhard soft spot in my rock soul. Think of Tenacious D, and I'll always think of a place between rock, and AWESOME ROCK! I find it hard for anyone who loves good rock music to not accept this band, no...check that - to not LOVE this band.
That's right, that big ass picture (well, supposed disproportionally giant picture) of The D is no exaggeration to their larger than life epicness. How could you not love this band? I mean, Jack Black's humour combined Kyle Gass' musical genius?! What more to say? The D is what modern artists should strive for, or at least lather in the glory and amazingness The D emits.
The movie was just what the fans wanted. The Pick of Destiny tells about the fictionalised biography of Tenacious D, and in the end Foo Fighter's Dave Grohl comes out to drag them into a hell of sexual slavery. HOW COOL IS THAT? Dave Grohl man! The soundtrack was as always nothing less than epic.
All stoner praises aside, Tenacious D has given me some of the most memorable and amazing tunes I've known. I was never really a lyrics kinda guy, I'm more for the music and the rhythm. Tenacious D delivers both like some awesome cosmic fuck.
What else do you want? That's some seriously good entertaining. Whoever doesn't like Tenacious D probably suffered from some form of mental and/or physical retardation due to excessive physical and/or emotional abuse and scarring of brain matter.
The soloes, the rhythm, the feel of the song...they're just really good musicians. Try "Beelzeboss", "Kickapoo", "Kielbasa", "Wonderboy", "Dude" and of course the epic "Tribute" and you'll know exactly what I mean.
If there was ever an island I were to be stuck on in perpetuality, Tenacious D and Buckethead would definitely top the 5 people I'd want to be with. I would so go to a Tenacious D or Buckethead or Rodrigo Y Gabriela concert in a heartbeat.
The guitar is so much than a mere string instrument. It is a mean that justifies the emotion of music and represents a connection that can transcend language, time and culture. Rock music will always remain my favourite genre. However much there is to say about rock, words could never justify as a working substitute to describe its awesomness, sexiness and epicness.
FUCK IT! This post is about Buckethead! I gave up! The stuffs I've been writing about is all dwarfed by Buckethead's awesome music : a truth I realised after googling some of his pictures...
Buckethead is so awesome, I would not only turn gay, but have a sex change just to have his babies.
That's right, that big ass picture (well, supposed disproportionally giant picture) of The D is no exaggeration to their larger than life epicness. How could you not love this band? I mean, Jack Black's humour combined Kyle Gass' musical genius?! What more to say? The D is what modern artists should strive for, or at least lather in the glory and amazingness The D emits.
The movie was just what the fans wanted. The Pick of Destiny tells about the fictionalised biography of Tenacious D, and in the end Foo Fighter's Dave Grohl comes out to drag them into a hell of sexual slavery. HOW COOL IS THAT? Dave Grohl man! The soundtrack was as always nothing less than epic.
What else do you want? That's some seriously good entertaining. Whoever doesn't like Tenacious D probably suffered from some form of mental and/or physical retardation due to excessive physical and/or emotional abuse and scarring of brain matter.
The soloes, the rhythm, the feel of the song...they're just really good musicians. Try "Beelzeboss", "Kickapoo", "Kielbasa", "Wonderboy", "Dude" and of course the epic "Tribute" and you'll know exactly what I mean.
If there was ever an island I were to be stuck on in perpetuality, Tenacious D and Buckethead would definitely top the 5 people I'd want to be with. I would so go to a Tenacious D or Buckethead or Rodrigo Y Gabriela concert in a heartbeat.
The guitar is so much than a mere string instrument. It is a mean that justifies the emotion of music and represents a connection that can transcend language, time and culture. Rock music will always remain my favourite genre. However much there is to say about rock, words could never justify as a working substitute to describe its awesomness, sexiness and epicness.
FUCK IT! This post is about Buckethead! I gave up! The stuffs I've been writing about is all dwarfed by Buckethead's awesome music : a truth I realised after googling some of his pictures...
Buckethead is so awesome, I would not only turn gay, but have a sex change just to have his babies.
There, I said it!