The Atomic Finger » roadie

Theocracy (Metal, Christian, Progressive)

Corey Bray — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 00:06:47 +0000

After listening to this band, you might want to talk your pastor into booking them to play at your next church function. Okay, that might be a little too much for the old blue haired folks who sleep in the back rows. The reality is that Theocracy truly rocks. The rhythms are powerful and tight, the singing is melodic and orchestral, and you can’t help but move to the music. Before I forget, it is about time that someone put Frosty and Rudolph in their place. You will just have to listen to their Christmas song to know what i mean. Although, I would have liked to have heard them put Santa in his place too. They sound like Dream Theater meets Savatage with richer vocals. So, I definitely recommend checking these guys out, if you are into fast heavy metal with great singing.

To check out Theocracy, please visit:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=150053352

The World of Harmonizers and Pitch Shifting

Corey Bray — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 01:16:56 +0000

Eventually, the bug is going to bite and you are going to want to enhance your guitar sound with pitch shifting and harmonizer effects. Of course, if you are a normal human being, you won’t likely be able to afford an Eventide Harmonizer. But, even if you don’t have a ton to spend on effects, you can still get your hands on a decent pedal or rack that can give you pitch shifting and harmonizer capabilities for a reasonable price. What is a harmonizer?

INTRO TO HARMONIZERS AND PITCH SHIFTERS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcXnB1MsjKI&feature=PlayList&p=8792948706480727&playnext=1&index=23

Okay, now that you know what a harmonizer is, let’s check out one that I think sounds a bit smoother than the last one we heard.
BOSS GT10 HARMONIZER DEMOS

Here are a couple more demos of the Boss GT10 unit in action.

Another Boss product that you can use to do harmonizer type of effects is the Harmonist pedal.

BOSS HARMONIST PEDAL

DigiTech has also released a number of harmonizers over the years, and this next product might be just what the doctor ordered to help your rig out.

DIGITECH HARMONY MAN

This next video demonstrates how to use pitch shifting with other effects to produce some interesting sounds.

PITCH SHIFTING WITH DELAY AND VOLUME SWELL EFFECTS

I hope this little demonstration about harmonizers and pitch shifters has been helpful. This is one of those types of effects that can dramatically change your overall sound if used properly. Also, be sure to check out many different types of harmonizers and pitch shifters before purchasing one. Although technology in this area has improved dramatically, the truth is that a lot of harmonizers on the market are simply not very good. So, you really have to watch what you get.

Larry Coryell on Jazz Minor Scales

Corey Bray — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:00:03 +0000

This is one of those lessons that will probably make your head spin a little. It is rather theory intensive. In the same breath, it is also a very useful lesson for learning to break free of the traditional grind in order to incorporate a bit more jazz style into your playing.

LARRY CORYELL: Jazz minor scales part 1

LARRY CORYELL: Jazz minor scales part 2

Spiral (Progressive rock, Alternative)

Corey Bray — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:49:09 +0000

When I first ran across the band Spiral, I half expected their music to be modeled after the Japanese anime by the same name. The dark disposition of their music would seem to suggest that they might be Blade children in disguise, but we would have to check to see if they are missing a rib to be certain. On a more serious note, this fabulous group comes to us out of Poland. Their music at times strikes me as sounding rather tribal, not what i would expect to be a huge focus of Polish culture from the homeland of my own ancestry. I would even go as far as to say that their sound verges on being a little psychedelic at times, which makes this band all the more interesting to listen too. Their songs definitely retain an alternative flavor. So, be sure to check out Spiral and let me know what you think.

To check out Spiral, please visit:
http://spiral.pl

Mastering your Local Music Industry

Corey Bray — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 10:08:22 +0000

By Corey Bray

Your band might have a creative sound and a lot of talent, but if you don’t have a solid marketing strategy, you aren’t likely going to be getting outside of your mother’s garage anytime soon. The first step to developing a sound marketing strategy is to do a little basic market research. Although it is helpful to have a manager and a team of promoters to help market your band for you, chances are you will probably have to learn to do a lot of this leg work for yourself until you can afford a team of professionals to take over the bulk of this part of the music business for your band. In the meantime, understanding your local music industry is an important step towards a more successful music career for the members of your band.
Mastering your local music industry starts with evaluating who your band is and what venues you should be playing in. So, getting your hands on a basic list of venues in your area that host live talent is a good starting point. Often there is a local area publication for most cities that makes this information publicly available. From here, you need to isolate the particular venues in your area that hire bands for gigs that play your type of music. Once you have narrowed the choices down to a list of appropriate venues, then you will want to start visiting these venues and take some notes on what it takes to get your band hired. You will also want to take notes on what goes on in each venue. Who is the owner, who works behind the counter, who are the regulars, is it a rough joint, and which nights are scheduled for live shows etc., etc., etc.. It’s helpful to keep a computer profile on each establishment you would like to play in for your personal reference. Remember, you are not just an entertainer, but you are also a business person and a representative of the venues that hire you. And if you want venues to hire your band again and again, it is a good idea to learn to interact professionally and competently with both the staff and the patrons. So, you might have a computerized listing that looks something like this.

Name:
Joe’s Night Club

Location:
3974 Spikeheart Lane
Atlanta GA, 34091

Phone:
770-335-CLUB

Owner:
Joe Prescott” JP@Joe’sclub.com

Staff:
Jack Taylor: Door man
Jimmy Joseph: Bouncer
Jeff Daily: Bar Tender

Regular Patrons:
Andrew Mills: Amills@aka.net
Kate Lemon: Katelem@riverside.com

Comments:
Joe does not advertise gigs and expects bands to do their own advertising.
He seems to be more pleasant if you return his calls promptly.
He mentioned that our pres kit didn’t look very professional (We will want to check into that).
Live bands play every Tuesday and Saturday nights.

Jack says that Joe doesn’t always pay bands what he promises.

Andrew likes it when we play Satriani covers (Remember to throw in a couple next time).

Kate is a big Rush fan (We don’t know any Rush tunes, but maybe we should learn one and add it to our third set).

As you learn more about a venue and the people who frequent it, it is useful to update your information about that establishment. Of course, you will learn through trial and error how much information you really need to keep on hand about a venue, but the more you know the easier it is to avoid problems and insure that things go smoothly when you perform. It also helps when you make the necessary improvements to your band, which both improves your professional image and often works to impress the guy responsible for hiring local talent at the venue. It’s little things like this that other bands fail to do that will give you the competitive edge. Knowing that Andrew likes Satriani covers, for example, helps you to immediately improve your image among your fans, if you give them what they want. Remember, people like Andrew and Kate are paying to see you play, so in part keeping them happy can go a long way towards improving your overall job security, if Joe sees that you keep his regulars satisfied and returning from week to week.

Beyond the bars and parties, there are also key music industry professionals who are involved in other aspects of the music industry in your area. Sound engineers, producers, radio announcers, and the like. You should make it a point to keep tabs on these individuals as well in your informational data base. You never know when you will need the services of a competent sound engineer, or when going out of your way to greet a radio announcer will have that announcer talking positively about you on their show the next time they are on the air. Building solid contacts and getting free advertising like that is all part of what is involved in mastering your local music industry.

Hour Band (Progressive, Soul, Lyrical)

Corey Bray — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:19:25 +0000

There are times when I feel it is just good to get out of my element and listen to music that really doesn’t make much sense to me. And that is why this week my blurry eye is trying to focus on Hour Band. The singing is amateurish, the feel is rather poorly done psychedelic than progressive, and the guy mastering the tracks couldn’t resist the urge to pan left and right every five seconds. The play on audio dimensionalism was a nice touch on the first song I listened to, but relying on that trick over and over again from one song to the next made it seem more like a gimic than anything else. But, this is where it is difficult to review a band like this. For all my negative criticism, one may imagine that Hour Band is using this technique to develop some sort of a signature sound. And to some extent, that may actually be a justifiable objection. However, I think this is a situation where less is more applies, which is certainly easy for me to say from the sidelines. Nevertheless, I urge my readers to check out Hour Band and judge for themselves, even though this group is not my cup of tea.

To check out Hour Band, please visit: http://www.myspace.com/hourband

Rob Kainz performs Eugene’s Trick Bag, by Steve Vai (Neoclassical)

Corey Bray — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 09:49:19 +0000

Ok, we’re going to be honest here. Our CEO came to us and told us to write a favorable review about his video of him going Macchio on everyone on YouTube by playing part of the Crossroads duel that Steve Vai actually performed.

We told him we’d give him a fair review and he told us he wants 6 mushroom clouds or we’re fired.

Here’s how the conversation went:

Rob: I want 6 mushroom clouds.

Jon: We’ve never given anybody 6 mushroom clouds before, we don’t even know if it’s technically possible to do that.

Rob: What does someone have to do to get 6 mushroom clouds?

Corey: You would have to perform something so fast that the rotation of the earth is reversed, turning back time.

Jon: Yeah, like in the Superman movie.

Corey: Seriously Rob, we’ll give you a fair review. You’ll get the mushroom clouds you deserve.

Rob: I want 6 mushroom clouds, or you’re fired.

So, we gave him 6 mushroom clouds. Please encourage him not to give up the guitar by giving his video a good rating or comment at YouTube: YouTube link to Rob’s Steve Vai’s Eugene’s AKA Ralph Macchio’s performance from Crossroads