The Atomic Finger

Gintautas Abarius (Jazz / Classical / Fusion)

Corey Bray — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 18:35:04 +0000

Gintautas Abarius

To write truly good music, you must understand the language of sound in all its dimensions. There is hearing, feeling, and eventually, there is that unique connection that a really great musician learns to build with their audience over time. In rare cases, as with the late internationally accomplished pianist, Gintas Abarius, the son of famous Lithuanian conductor and composer Lionginas Abarius, the connection is downright infectious. I met Gintas more than a year ago when I was contacted via telephone to do some promotional work for the band Baltic Avenue. At the time Gintas was in good spirits, despite his ongoing battle with a severe form of throat cancer. I don’t know if it is the hardship of experiences like that or if it was simply in the way he embraced life in general, but as I began to hear more and more of his work, I realized that I had come to know an artist who truly understood what it meant to put meaning to music.

When I first heard the album, “Quietness and Trust”, I was deeply impressed by the way the intimate melodic phrasing invites the listener to catch a glimpse into the soul of Gintas himself. Especially during the pieces “Cloud of Praise”, “Adoration”, and my personal favorite track “Gratitude”, it was quite an experience to be able to intuitively understand and share in the delicate emotion and love Gintas expresses through the keys of his piano. I haven’t enjoyed a collection of solo piano pieces like this since I was introduced to the album “Nocturnal Afternoon” by the legendary pianist Joseph Rojo, nearly two decades ago.

Gintas was born in Lithuania in 1959 and began playing piano at age 5. The following are a list of a few of his major accomplishments throughout his tenure as a world-renowned jazz musician.

(1980) Winner of Grand Prix at national Birstonas jazz festival in Lithuania.
(1987) Winner of Grand Prix at international music contest in Moscow. Concerts on national TV of USSR in Moscow.
(1988) Grand Prix at national Birstonas jazz festival. Gintas Abarius is announced as the best jazz pianist in Lithuania. “Abarius Jazz Trio” received international award of jazz critics as a Discovery of the Year of USSR.
From 1987, Gintas toured and played with much success in Germany, Poland, Finland, Russia, Denmark, England, Latvia, Bulgaria, Holland, Estonia, Spain, Iceland, Slovakia, Israel, and the USA.
Gintas composed two national anthems for Lithuania – “Saukiu as Tauta” (“I Am Calling the Nation”) and “Dieve, Laimink Lietuva” (“God, Bless Lithuania”) which are always heard during Lithuania’s national holidays and celebrations.

Though Gintas will be sorely missed for his musical talents, uplifting Christian message, and eccentric cosmopolitan sense of humor, we will neither forget him nor the gift of music he gave to the world.

You can buy or listen to Gintas’ albums “Gates of Joy” and “Quietness and Trust” by visiting any of the following links.

Buy “Quietness and Trust” from Amazon.com

Rhapsody subscribers can listen to Quietness And Trust here.

Buy from Amazon.com

Rhapsody subscribers can listen to Gates of Joy here

Armen Martirosian (Fusion / Pop / Jazz)

Corey Bray — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:24:00 +0000

For some strange reason, when I listen to Armen Martirosian I am drawn back to the first time I heard the band Enigma. It’s not that the music is the same, except that it has a nice cultural divergence that Enigma was always able to deliver. The difference is that this band is from Armenia and the tribal elements that emerge in the compositions are nicely woven into the landscape of the music. It’s a nice break from the traditional samples you get from other bands who just focus on the beat and leave out the fine art inherent in delivering a rich cultural experience.
I think I am going to get me a copy of this band’s CD to pop in my car and play at full blast while driving through the ghetto on a Sunday afternoon. It is my mission to bring some culture back to the American music scene. It’s not always about the screaming guitars. It’s not always about the lame lyrics. Sometimes, it’s simply about giving you the feeling that you are there that makes all the difference. And it can be hard to capture that feeling if all you listen to are bands who share your cultural perspective because they live in your small corner of the cosmos. So, check this band out and enjoy a change of pace for a while. You’ve earned it.

To check out Armen Martirosian, please visit,

http://www.myspace.com/martirosyan

It’s Time for Another Music Revolution

Corey Bray — Fri, 22 May 2009 04:01:39 +0000

I wasn’t alive to see the civil rights movement or even the first British Invasion. I even missed out on Woodstock: an event that some call the crowning act of the 1960′s. To make matters worse, the extent of my knowledge on interesting cultural figures of the time, such as Wavy Gravy, is limited to the historical record and what little exposure I’ve had to Ben & Jerry’s Ice-cream. I want to relate, darn it, but the lack of direct experience is a barrier to the nostalgic self-gratification brought about by memorials of thought revisited by others around me. What is worse is that to folks who lived through the glory days of that generation, the temptation is always there to say, “Man, you missed it. You should have been there.” But, what exactly did I miss out on? And how do I even know I’m missing out, when I live in a time that is filled with technological advancements that were not around back in the 60′s. It reminds me a little of an old Bruce Dickonson song where he talks about black and white television being up to date. To the children of today, that would probably seem more like a punishment than a joyous time to reflect on.

In the absence of direct experience, should I pretend to relate to a generation that really had nothing to do with me at all? The cultural connection just isn’t there. It isn’t that I’m not interested in learning about that time in our history. I actually possess quite an interest in some of the music of that generation, even if I was never overly familiar with all the significant events that took place back then. But, if you were to ask me about the MTV music revolution of the 1980′s, that is something I can certainly relate to. The “I was there” factor makes the experience real, if only in faded memory today. But, faded memories or not, it was a significant part of the culture in which I had grown up. However, to the kids born in 1991 and later, the music revolution of the 1980′s is as removed from their culture as the music revolution of the 1960′s and early 70′s was removed from mine.

So, is there anything useful later generations can learn from the experience of former generations, concerning what truly drives the music industry to the point of an industry revolution, that would be relevant in modern times? Absolutely! For example, what radio could never do for the music industry, VJ’s and music videos certainly did. For the first time, you not only had music to listen to, you could also see your favorite bands hamming it up every day on MTV. As a teenager I could hardly wait to get home from school. You never knew what new band was going to drop the latest hit music video on the world stage. What a powerful cultural connection that created in its own right. The music industry had finally given us something we didn’t even know we couldn’t live without. And although much of the glory of the 1980′s has drifted off into obscurity, being lost to a new generation that was simply not there to experience it, it was certainly a time to live to those of us who still carry the torch and refuse to let the flames die. Another point to consider is that we understood what it meant to have lived before 1981, when you didn’t have this cultural connection that was brought about by the music video revolution. So, there is some sense of cultural pride in being able to say that we were the first generation to experience VJ’s and music videos as a mainstream form of entertainment. Unfortunately, it seems today that the music industry has lost sight of how much fans need a revolution with a real direction and real leaders in order to keep the industry alive and kicking.

Now, almost two decades beyond the closing moments of the 1980′s, we are on the brink of yet another music revolution. We can feel it in the air, like the way the weather changes in autumn, even if we aren’t exactly certain how it will manifest itself. We are just looking for a leader in the industry to provide us with that special something that we didn’t know we couldn’t live without once again. The atmosphere is ripe for change. The economy sucks and the music industry as we know it is all but dead, but the technology is here to forge a new revolution that may simply turn out to be the flower child of the pirate generation. All of the piracy going on today is really nothing more than the fans trying to get the fires burning, but the industry refuses to take the bull by the horns and figure out a sound strategy to properly brand the new revolution and make money off of it in the process. But, with or without the industry executives getting on board, the revolution is coming. And maybe someday you will be able to tell your kids, “You should have been there.”

Eternal Essence (Progressive, Instrumental, Rock/Metal)

Corey Bray — Sun, 03 May 2009 20:21:07 +0000

Let me start out by saying that Eternal Essence absolutely rocks. This is so good, I have to grab my pair of Sennhiser headphones for another listen while I write. My initial impression of this band was that it was heavily influenced by Dream Theater. You can just feel it in the mix–especially if you focus on EJ’s machine like tight drum work, which is just all around superb. The use of piano and synth throughout, which provides a backdrop to work with, helped to give each piece a lot of genuine atmosphere and character. Even the bassist brings something to the table, interjecting subtle details of noted intricacy that add a nice touch when needed. The guitar work, which is oddly well tempered for a band of this genre of music, keeps with the spirit of the overall thematic approach that this band has crafted so well from one song to the next. And if I had to hazard to go out on a limb, I would risk saying that this band is going to continue to put out more awesome sounding tracks. In fact, I look forward to it. But, don’t take my word for it. I urge you to have a listen for yourself. And be sure to drop me a message to let me know what you think about Eternal Essence.

To check out Eternal Essence, please visit:
http://www.myspace.com/eternalessence

Quantum Soul (Dub / Electronica / Drum & Bass)

Corey Bray — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:37:50 +0000

This one man band, namely Guy chambers, from the UK is too much. The sound effects are eerie, the beat is hypnotic, and the overall feel is like being drug underground and left in a dark cement walled tunnel with the echoes still bouncing around in your head to prove it. In other words, it’s a little like the last meeting I had with my shrink. But, I had the volume on my headset as high as it would go in order to catch the full experience. I might not recover from that for a couple of days. Fortunately, I had enough ear wax build up to prevent me from receiving permanent inner ear damage.

At times the drum and bass parts verged on feeling a little repetitive, but the ear candy produced from the nicely layered sounds kept the tracks from getting stale, as can often happen with music in this genre. I think the trick to keeping that from being a problem–especially if you want to maintain a repetitive feel for dance purposes–is to introduce some high pitched sounds in various counter timed segments to gently lead the audience’s attention away on a tangent. It’s like, you almost expect to hear a plot builder in the background, such as a bit of subtle piano work walking about, to give the sense that there is something lurking in the shadows. But, I digress. The work of Quantum Soul is definitely something I would urge my readers to check out.

To check out Quantum Soul, please visit:
http://www.myspace.com/quantumsoul

Thyateira (Metal)

Corey Bray — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 01:20:29 +0000

This week I stumbled across a group named Thyateira, a curious band from Crystal Lake, Illinois. I’m going to be honest with you right up front. I have rather mixed feelings about this band (whose name I assume comes from the fourth church of the book of Revelation chapter 2). I think this band has a lot of artistic potential that it should bring to the surface. I was on their myspace page listening to their tracks, and in the first song that came up, there was a brief passage where they kicked the growlers out of the room and actually tried to sing normally. For that brief moment, I started to feel as if this band had some sense of a purpose and maybe even something meaningful to say with their music. But, that connection was short lived, because the growling and shouting returned throughout the rest of my listening experience. Now, I will admit, when I was much younger, this sort of disconnect would not have struck me as being so odd. That is to say, given my rather detached anti-social outlook on life at that time. And let’s face it, the message that a band intends to send with their music is not always conveyed through the words themselves, even if you can actually make out what the singer is saying. But, here is what strikes me so funny about this band. And it is worthy of noting, for its musical value, if for nothing else. As I tuned out the shouting and growling to get beyond the surface of the music, it surprised me that there was this layer of nicely orchestrated lead guitar playing, over a tonally crafted driven rhythm. At times the feel of the lead was somewhat neoclassical in form. Which I truly think was a brilliant touch. There were also a few nicely used studio sound tricks in the mix from time to time that grabs the hearer and let’s go in a way that makes you pause, if you take the time to notice them. But, this dramatic difference between what you get on the surface and what you find when you explore what is going on beneath was something of a paradox to me as a listener. I mean, was that intentionally planned to turn out that way, or did it just turn out that way? Where I think it is difficult to create music in this genre is that as a band you have to decide what is more important. Is it the sheer force of raw power that you are trying to convey to your audience, or is your goal to be artistically inclined musicians first? I don’t think there is any right or wrong answer to that question, but I do find that the bands who back off the raw power and approach the creative process from a more musically appealing perspective, learn to get a far better balance in their final product than those bands which don’t. But, then again, I am speaking from personal preference. So, be sure to check out Thyateira this week and drop me an email to let me know what you think.

To check out Thyateira, please visit:
http://www.myspace.com/thyateira

Jonas Tamas (Progressive/Instrumental Rock)

Corey Bray — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 03:04:51 +0000

It is time for all my loyal readers to join me inside the fall out shelter for a special announcement. It is my pleasure to present to you the axe master from Budapest Hungary, Jonas Tamas. In the short time I’ve known about Jonas, I’ve just been amazed by his ability to handle a guitar. Normally, I tend to be quite critical of instrumental guitarists. Many who go down the instrumental path tend to spend too much time focusing on extreme lead playing and forget that the goal is to actually bring a balance to the music that aims to be appealing to the audience. What makes Jonas different is that he has a very deep sense of how to develop the landscape he intends to play against from one song to the next. When he brings up the lead, you can really hear him deliver a flawless performance as he dazzles you with engaging musical phrases and a superior picking technique that will leave you speechless.

On the occasions that I have had the pleasure to speak with Jonas over email, I have found him to be a person who truly appreciates his fans. And it is because he exhibits this quality, along with being a superb musician, that I believe he is deserving of your support. Recently, Jonas has released a new album called, “Sharp Guitars From A Flat Planet.” It’s a project that I know Jonas has put a lot of hard work and effort into, as I followed his updates on the various stages of the recording project over the last few months, reading the many comments he left for his fans on Facebook along the way. The somewhat haunting lead on Mosquito Bite and the emotional energy in the track Tight Squeeze, really stand out as works that demonstrate that Jonas has a dynamically melodic side as well as an ability to shred with the best instrumental guitarists around. So, be sure to pick up the album from CDBaby by following the link on our main page.

Unexpect

Corey Bray — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:14:27 +0000

Have you ever been surfing online, just looking for something a little, uhm’–out of the ordinary to take a gander at, and you accidentally find it? Well, that is what happened when I ran across the band Unexpect. Okay, let’s start with the disclaimer. Personally, this isn’t exactly my type of music per say, because it sounds a little like fantasy role playing put to a musical score. And for some reason, I think that is a little over the top for my taste. I mean, it felt more like what you might expect to catch at some fancy theatre, complete with costumes, fog generators, and a wicked cool light show spitting red and purple rays about the gathering of cult followers in the first row. Although, I like to sample music in the complete dark so I am undistracted by visuals, so that may have colored my perception of this band just a little here. But, I found myself reaching for the small bag of crystal dice on my shelf and rolling the two ten sided die to make sure that one of the growlers didn’t get an injury from straining his throat singing. He’s lucky, all my rolls were spot on, but I digress. I’ve often wondered how some singers train to keep that up–especially those who do regular performance for death metal acts. I mean, do they have high cost medical insurance to cover that sort of thing in case you strain your vocal chords? And is it just me or does everyone else have a problem understanding what is being barked out by people who sing like that? Under normal circumstances, when I run across a band that does that, I’m not certain exactly what the appeal is. But, this is one of the few bands that actually works it in quite smoothly into their act.

The performance is superb, tight, and amazingly different from anything I’ve ever heard before. I mean, you will be hard pressed to find a band that takes you as far out on a limb as Unexpect will do. When they ask you to borrow your head for the evening, they aren’t kidding. Just be sure to ask for it back when the evening is over. As I was listening along, I was greatly impressed with the vast array of instruments and voices utilized to engage the mind. The somewhat orchestral voicings and classical theme were a nice blend, but the guitar work and what sounded to me to be a violin at times really stole the show. Especially that guitar effect that sounded something like plugging an analog pedal in backwards into an old stereo, overloading the circuits, and running that sound through a Mooger Fooger ring modulator. Okay, the guitar players will know what i’m talking about when they hear it. *chuckle* So, check out this band and be sure to write me and let me know your thoughts about Unexpect. Oh, and my lawyers inform me that I have to say that you’ve been warned, Rock On!

To experience Unexpect for yourself, visit:
http://www.myspace.com/unexpect

Corey loves to hear from new fans of the site and even some old fans that have been reading his reviews for a while. Be sure to pop in to the Contact Us section of the site and send him a quick note to let him know what you think of the site, what band he should review next, or to ask some deep nagging question that keeps you up late nights surfing the web in search of an answer.

A Few Interesting Ideas from Michael Angelo Batio

Corey Bray — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:53:46 +0000

MICHAEL ANGELO BATIO:

In this three part lesson, Michael Angelo Batio takes us through how to harmonize the A harmonic minor scale, applying the Phrygian and Aolean Modes, and some thoughts on his approach to writing songs.

MICHAEL ANGELO BATIO: Harmonizing the A harmonic scale

MICHAEL ANGELO BATIO: Interesting Mode Study

MICHAEL ANGELO BATIO: GUITAR WORLD LESSON

To find out more about Michael Angelo Batio, please visit:
http://www.angelo.com/

A Closer Look at Michael Angel Batio

Corey Bray — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:47:50 +0000

We all dream of it: a two car garage, a job we absolutely hate, and even looking forward to coming home at night to flop down in front of the boob tube to waste what remains of those few precious moments we refer to as life. If we are lucky, we’ve even got a nagging mother-in-law and a couple of obnoxious screaming brats to keep us further entertained. And if we are really lucky, we might have a decent amp, a nice guitar, and a few effects pedals to enjoy behind closed doors. You know, that special place you go to crank it to 11 so that you can’t even hear the ringing in your own ears anymore? But, if you are Michael Angelo Batio, your home studio and rig is likely a little more over the top than the average player’s.

MICHAEL ANGELO BATIO’S HOME STUDIO

Let’s face it, you don’t get to be one of the world’s most famous shredders by being normal. No, you throw out the whole 9 to 5 desk and/or cement mixing job and put most of your time and effort into trying to figure out what properly harmonizes with some crazy mode of the major something scale in 5/4 time, while kicking your bass player around to help keep focus during band practice. Okay, I don’t actually advocate picking on your bass player, but bassists know it’s part of the job if they have been around the industry long enough.

Now, being a world class shredder gives Michael Angelo the right to use a little creative license when–uhm’ well, Interpreting! Yeah, that’s it, Interpreting the work of a late legendary guitarist like Randy Rhodes.

MICHAEL ANGELO BATIO’S INTERPRETATION OF RANDY RHODES WORK

That was perhaps a little over the top in spots, but amazing nevertheless. So, while you are stuck at work trying to figure out how to stick it to the man, just remember that Michael Angelo is somewhere out there rocking hard.

Would you like to be a world class shredder, but just don’t have the desire to practice day in and day out? Now you can pawn your old guitar for good this time, because the iAirGuitar is finally here. Get your hands on a copy for your iPhone and iPod Touch today. Visit: