The Japanese Connection

  By Corey Bray

  It’s evening in the city and the light dims through your apartment
window.  Kicking back in your computer chair, you decide to enjoy a few
music videos on the web.  Who can blame you, it’s murder to have to put
up with the daily grind and sometimes you just need something loud and
rock’n to help your nerves regain their composure.  That’s when you run
across this video featuring Paul Gilbert and Freddie Nelson.

WASTE OF TIME: PAUL GILBERT & FREDDIE NELSON

  Okay, that was a good primer, but let’s check out Paul in Japan.

PAUL GILBERT & TJ HELMERICH IN JAPAN

  When you think of Japan, you don’t usually think of their being this
big Rock & Roll scene around.  But, the more you ponder the idea, you
begin to imagine more than hanging gardens and compact cars.  In fact,
it strikes you a little odd that so many virtuoso level guitar players
seem to gravitate over to Japan.  That is, players like Marty Friedman,
who has become a guitar icon on Japanese television.  But, how did Marty
pick up Japanese in the first place?

MARTY FRIEDMAN: TEACH YOURSELF JAPANESE

  Before you know it, you run across a video of Gilbert and Friedman
in Japan working together.  Is this a conspiracy?

PAUL GILBERT & MARTY FRIEDMAN

  So, does this mean that the U. S. is slowly losing its virtuoso
guitarists to Japan?  Or, is this just a passing phase?  Though the
thought of the guitarists you grew up with all migrating over to Japan
is a little disturbing, you wonder if there isn’t more to this story
than initially meets the eye.

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Finding the Right Distortion Pedal

       By Corey Bray

       Choosing the right distortion pedal for your rig can make the difference between a mediocre and an absolutely fabulous playing experience.  But, with hundreds of distortion pedals out on the market, where do you begin?  If you are into older rock, a classic distortion pedal to check out is the Electro Harmonix Big Muff pedal.

THE ELECTRO-HARMONIX BIG MUFF

       Though I love EH pedals, I was not as impressed with the Big Muff as I had imagined I would be.  But, if you just want a basic pedal to get you started in working on defining your distorted sound, the Big Muff is not a bad pedal to start out with.

If you just need a decent distortion pedal that gives you a lot of flexibility, the Boss MT2 Metal Zone might be right up your alley.

THE BOSS MT2 METAL ZONE

       You really can dial in a lot of different distortion sounds with this pedal.  I sometimes use an MT2 through a Lexicon PCM-81 effects rack to get an almost violin sound.  Which is kind of ironic, because the cost of the MT2 is around $90 and the cost of a Lexicon PCM-81 is close to $2000 new.  So, sometimes the best sounds come from mixing cheap and expensive gear together.  You never know what is going to give you precisely what you need.

       Now, if you are really into the sound of players like Joe Satriani, you can begin to approach his signature sound with the new Vox Saturator pedal.

THE VOX SATURATOR

       Though I think the Saturator pedal is likely going to find its way into my pedal chain in the near future, the Ibanez Jemini distortion pedal seems to give more of the control I’m personally looking for in my own playing.

       
THE IBANEZ JAMINI

       Of course, you should really go out and check out a lot of different distortion pedals before deciding which one belongs in your rig.  When trying out distortion pedals in the music store, I recommend running a distortion pedal through an Equalizer Pedal as well as a decent sounding reverb pedal.  Often, pedal demos online tend to present a pedals raw sound, but in reality, that sort of demo is really pretty useless. Knowing how a pedal is going to work along with other effects is typically a far better way to gage its performance and whether or not it is right for your rig.  So, don’t be shy and make those sales reps down at the music store really work their butts off to prove to you that they have helped you to find the right distortion pedal for the job.

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Dealing with Allergies

By Corey Bray

  So many of us deal with allergies.  It’s like a plague that comes back over and over again.  Get too close to plants,, the wrong food, or your pets and the itchy sneezy feeling emerges followed up by the annoying drip drip of mucus in the back of the throat.  For many people this causes even worse health problems such as  unrelenting stomach problems, muscle pain, and undesirable spells of fatigue.  For some folks, something as simple as a bee sting, eating a peanut, or even having sex can bring about deadly allergic reactions.  But, why do some people have such harsh reactions to allergens, while others have little to no reaction at all?

  The underlying problem appears to be a hypersensitive immune response.   When your body comes in contact with certain protein antigens, your immune system can’t tell if they are friendly or not.  And as the immune system over reacts to the foreign protein antigen, the immune response triggers a plethora of unpleasant symptoms.  It is then that you find yourself fishing around the drug cabinet for something to help bring the problem under control.  And for a musician this can lead to a number of performance nightmares.  Imagine trying to sing with the post nasal drip constantly flowing.  Or, worse, you are trying to run a cool riff when your whole body breaks out into a spasmodic itch fest because the venue you are in is a breeding ground for dust-mites or other factors that contribute to triggering your immune system to over react?

  Is it possible to bring the hypersensitivity of the immune system under control?  Obviously, it must be possible, if some people don’t suffer from serious allergic reactions at all.  One of the first areas to focus on is stress.  It seems that more and more medical science is finding that stress effects nearly every aspect of the body’s ability to function properly.   Is there a link between a hypersensitive nervous response and a hypersensitive immune response?  Very likely.  So, it is probably a smart idea to start dealing with the problem of both by reducing stress and taking vitamin B supplements to help manage stress.  Something else I believe is a means to helping the immune system get back on track is to use probiotics and proteolytic enzyme supplements.  Probiotics help to replenish the digestive system with good bacteria necessary for keeping the immune system strong.  Proteolytic enzymes are a companion that helps the immune system to dissolve allergy causing protein antigens, as well as, providing other useful health benefits.  But, for those who are looking to take a more aggressive approach to controlling allergic reactions, liver cleansing might be just what the doctor ordered.  Many people report an amazing transformation after doing a thorough liver cleanse.  One of the common benefits reported is the elimination of allergies.  Could it be that an over toxic liver is what drives most allergy sufferers to be stuck with a hypersensitive immune system?  While most treatment options only address the allergy symptoms, the goal of liver cleansing is to address the underlying toxicity problem that keeps the liver from functioning properly.   And hey, you clean the outside of your body, right?  Why not clean the inside too?
 Disclaimer: Corey is a quack and his statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, AMA, Harper Valley PTA, or any other organization that has appointed itself to policing the free speech rights of common Americans.  So, anything Corey says in any of his health articles is to be taken with a grain of salt.  In fact, call your doctor and ask them if you are even allowed to read Corey’s articles.

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GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome)

By Corey Bray

  Have you had a GAS attack lately?  Gear acquisition syndrome is an insidious disease that infects most musicians–especially those of us who play guitar.  It sneaks up on you slowly and just takes you over.  Before you know it you are slamming your credit card down on the counter, at the local music store, to purchase some insanely expensive new piece of gear for your rig.   Never mind that the interest rates are twenty-three percent and you will be forced to survive on nothing but corn chips and ramen noodles for months to come.  The important thing is that you got your grubby little hands on that new Eventide harmonizer rack that pumps out heavenly sounds to the four amps you bought last year that you are probably still paying off.

  If you suffer from GAS, it is important to make some adjustments to your overall lifestyle–especially when visiting the music store.  The following is my list of recommended techniques for handling a Gas attack.

1.   Leave your wallet and credit card at home.

  If you have to visit a music store, remember it is just to browse and drool, not to buy.  Leave your wallet back at the apartment to avoid jerking it out of your pocket during a GAS attack.

2.   Just say, “No!”

  The sales rep at the store will likely remind you that you can put up to a gazillion dollars worth of equipment on the new store credit card and finance the payments out for twelve months interest free.  There might even be another sales rep behind you whispering “You can do it.” or “Yes, you want it.” in your ear.  But, no matter how great the temptation, you can always just say, “No!” and walk away.

3.   The buddy system.

  Never go to the music store alone.  Always take someone with you that is big and strong enough to knock you out cold the moment they sense that you are about to buy another piece of gear to clutter up your room with.

4.    Dial a friend.

  Before you buy a new guitar, amp, keyboard, or whatever, make sure to call your friend and start panting heavily over the phone.  When they ask what is wrong, let them know that you are going through a GAS attack and that you would like to borrow their gear for about two or three months until the GAS attack passes.  If they are truly a friend, you know they will comply with your request.  Hopefully, they are not a musician that suffers from GAS attacks themselves.

5.    Locks and chains.

  Okay, this is not some new fetish.  But, in extreme cases, you just have to chain yourself to your bed and toss the key across the room and wait for someone to come home to set you free.  Hopefully you don’t live alone and won’t be stuck feeling really stupid for chaining yourself to the bed and tossing the key across the room.

  If all else fails, then it is simply time to seek professional help.  So, I hope this information helps you out the next time you have a GAS attack.  Now, I think it is time for me to duck out and go buy a new guitar, I’m feeling a GAS attack coming on.

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Megaphone (Rock)


  Maybe this is a sign.  The second band from Florida I’m reviewing in a row.  Actually, I had never heard of them before, but someone sent me an email and told me to check Megaphone out.  I always take my talent scout’s requests seriously, and so I dropped on to their MySpace page for a quick listen.  It’s the kind of rock that goes well with driving to the beach on a hot summer’s day.  The rhythm is steady and the lead guitarist isn’t afraid to kick on the wah/wah from time to time to bring in a little of that old school talent missing in much of modern rock.   I can kind of hear a little Foo Fighters influence in their work, and enjoy when they kick off the juice and let the acoustic artistry come out and play.  It’s rock with a good vibe that your friends will enjoy too.  So, I hope my readers will give Megaphone a listen.  They are certainly a great sounding band.  And don’t forget to vote for them.
To find out more about Megaphone, visit:
www.megaphonemusic.net

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Matador (Indie Alternative Rock)


I was having a really rough morning the other day, wading through a ton of audio crap and otherwise mediocre bands, when I stumbled upon the music of Matador. As usual, myspace was slow to respond and acted like it didn’t want to serve their music up. I was almost ready to bolt off the page, when finally the sound started pouring into my ears. Pulling my hands off the keys, I leaned back in my chair to have a listen. And then it hit me. Here is a band that really gets it.

What I really like about this band is that you can actually feel the distance because of how the lyrics were brought down in the mix to blend more closely with the instruments than usual on some of their tracks. Their songs sound like dark waves of depression mingled with a teasing glimpse of hope that could fade and die out at any moment. It’s like music I look forward to listening to when cuddling with my ex-girlfriend after she said it was over for the last time. It just has that sort of intimate quality to it, like you are supposed to share the listening experience with someone you know on a deeper level.

It will be interesting to see how this band chooses to grow artistically as it continues to write and release tunes. So, I highly recommend that my readers check out Matador and share the listening experience with someone close.

To find out more about Matador, please visit:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=17796657

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