A Movie Review - Sound City - Dave Grohl

A bit of an indie documentary, it is the story, as told by Dave Grohl (of Nirvana and Foo Fighters fame), of a recording studio in LA that has produced some of the most famous records of all time.  (Of contemporary music anyway).  The movie was released at the 2013 Sundance festival.

The studio went bust in 2011 and Dave Grohl bought it, and the inspirational mixing desk, and has brought back a lot of the artists who recorded there, to play again.  Even Paul McCartney, or should I say Sir Paul came and jammed with the guys.

Dave Grohl - one of Rock n Rolls REALLY nice guys - has a heart of gold. 

The significance of this studio was that back in the 1970's the music being recorded was raw and real.  By the late 1980's and most of 1990's music was being recorded digitally, not by analog.  This meant a very controlled sound, one that was devoid of the human element.  The other factor that made Sound City so unique was the way drums sounded so 'fat'.

When Nirvana (Kurt Cobain fame) went to record Nevermind, they had no money and no record deal.  They went to Sound City to record because by then the studio was almost bankrupt and would take on anybody.  Nevermind the album, blew everyone out of the water as it was a throw back to the dirty sounds of the 1970's and you could hear the humans in the music.

Other pivotal artists that started at Sound City (just a few of the many)

• Fleetwood Mac 
• Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
• Reo Speedwagon
• Metalica
• Neil Young
• Rick Springfield
• Forienger
• Pat Benatar
• Grateful Dead
• Wolfmother (or as Strawb calls them - EarthMother.

If you like your music (loud), if you grew up in the 70's; 80's or 90's - you will love this doco.  

And if you like this one, check out another favorite It Might Get Loud - three of my all time, awesome, favourite guitarists - Jimmy Page (I want to marry him), The Edge and Jack White.

Beautiful Noise - Gin Wigmore

I am in the office today. It's humming with servers, buzzing with the sound of techs on phones, people talking out in the showroom - nothing at all like when I work from home (when I get squealing girls, blower vacs, angle grinders, dogs barking!).  I used to work in the office 5 days a week.  It was fine.  Now, I only come in on average once a week - and I notice all the noise and humbuzzing.  These computers and servers sure make a racket.  From my little corner of the open plan office (right next to the server rack), I am just surrounded by modern noise.

I must really be becoming a grumpy old women.  Officially I can't use this title for another 18 months when I turn 50, but I am getting into practice early. I am going to be SO good at it when I turn 50.  Once upon a time, noise did not worry me at all.  Now, I am so sensitive to it, I can hear it everywhere.

I think I might just plug my earphones in and listen to some music to stop all this noise.

Yes, that's better.  A nice deep bass, bad ass drum beat, a gravelly voice, a screaming guitar.  All that bad noise gone away.

I am listening to a very talented Kiwi singer, who I have been following for a while now.  So thrilled to see she is getting the airplay she so deserves.  I believe too she has a song on the new James Bond movie, along with another favorite female singer, Adele.

So who is she?

Gin Wigmore (and no I didn't discover her because of the Gin connection)

Gin Wigmore Website

This video is not one of her big hits but I like it a lot.

And this is another favorite.  Killer bass beat.

Hope you get to have a listen - she has an awesome voice, and I just love the mexican guitar and deep bass notes. 

The Empire strikes back

After the day off yesterday, today felt like it was Monday.  But that's OK, as it will only be 2 days and back to the weekend.

Went to watch Son #2 play in his band tonight at the new hip place to be in Perth at the moment.  Its called the Aviary - a restaurant on one level and then upstairs a very funky rooftop bar.  His band, Empire, play there every Thursday night, and at this venue he goes on at 8am.  So this old mum got a chance to see him play before she needed her bed.  Met Son #1 there and had a very nice counter meal. 

Love watching my boy play, I am always so blown away by how cool and confident he looks on stage.  And I LOVE the way he looks like he is having the best time of his life.  It must be amazing to be able to create music and be in tune with other musicians, all playing the same thing at the same time and feeding off the other band members.  These guys are exceptional at this.  They are all great and talented musicians, all WAAPA students, but they create this energy on stage that is very contagious.  This is what feeds back to the audience and why they get people so engaged.

Looking forward to seeing what these talented boys do in the future!  So glad they have found the Aviary - its was really made for them.  Here is what the Aviary are saying

Empire at The Aviary

Available: 19 of April 2012 - 25 of October 2012
Empire is comprised of five talented young men from the WA Academy of Performing Arts.

Every Thursday night from 8pm Empire will be bringing their smooth, contempory tunes to The Aviary rooftop.

Already with an extensive Perth following, Empire are definately one to watch.

Check them out here ... The Avairy

A love song

For anyone who knows me well, I am not at all a romantic.  I don't know why, my wonderful dad is an incurable romantic and he and I have talked about why I am more like my mother and shun romance.  I grew up watching my dad do lovely romantics gestures.  He listened to romantic songs.  Maybe the words of my then boyfriend, now husband of 26 years still ring in my ears 'I don't do romance, it makes me uncomfortable'.  Maybe, at the age of 17 when I met him, I knew that romance was dead.  But, no even before then I knew.  That's why when all my friends were swooning over Leif Garret and his love songs, I was being a realist and listening to the lyrics of KISS.

I cringe at cheesy love songs, Hollywood love stories make me puke, scoff at men who arrange elaborate stunts to propose to their girlfriends.  I get more excited about a wheelbarrow of compost than I do about a dozen red roses.  Give me a pair of secateurs rather than a diamond ring.  Take me out into the red dirt and big open skies with a snagger on the campfire rather than a candlelit dinner at some posh restaurant.  Play me Guns n Roses rather than Marvin Gaye.  Chris Isaak sums up love for me better than Frank Sinatra.

But there is one song that moves me.  That makes me think of what true love really is.  That ignites a tiny spark of romanticism.  It is sung by a man with a lovely voice, backed by the unique riffs of a signature electric guitar.  But if you listen carefully, there is also cello and a big beautiful double bass holding the background of a very passionate arrangement.  I don't know if its the words sung, or the stringed instruments, or the electric guitar that get to me. I do get a thrill when I hear the dulcet tones of that bass.  Its like a safe, sure caress.  I love that my son plays this instrument as its truly my favorite.


Here is one of the song writers, also the guitarist who plays the signature solo at the crescendo.  His name is Slash (there's a romantic name right there!)..

Then here is Adam Levine (Maroon 5),  the co-song writer and singer (see tats can be romantic!)

The words ....
I've been saving
these last words for
one last miracle
but now I'm not sure

and I cant save you
if you don't let me
you just get me,
like Ive never been gotten before.  

GOTTEN

Isn't that a beautiful word?  To be gotten?  Isn't that what we all want?  To be gotten?  To be understood and heard.  I think if more people were gotten the world would be a far better place.  To be gotten means our needs and desires are being understood.  It means the other person sees the real you.  They 'get' you.  Isn't that just beautiful on so many levels? 

Go have a listen and see if I am right!

Gotten

And here are a few more of my favorite non-romantic songs...

Babe I'm gonna leave you by Led Zepplin.

Dont you want me by Human League

Cum feel the noise by Slade

Youre so vain by Carly Simon

Estranged by GNR

and of course the very apt Cold Gin by KISS