What are you listening to right now?

[Rayblewit]

Mighty Powerful! Awesome!
Ray

 

[Jeremykeys]

And I just discovered this!
Wow!

 

[Jeremykeys]

I've never heard this one before but Deep Purple has always been a favorite!

 

[Becky]

I've been listening to a bit of VV Brown today Went to see her perform live a few years back and it was fantastic!

 

[Biggles]

Now this Lady can sing.

Seen her perform many times.

 

[happyrat1]

I've been following these artists for a few years now.

Gary

 

[Biggles]

One of the greatest bands there is is a group of Scottish folk rockers called Runrig, thier lead singer is Bruce Guthro who is a Canadian from Cape Breton.

Bruce is also a solo performer who teams up with others. Here he has full orchestra backing singing one of the popular Runrig songs.

 

[Biggles]

Now the Runrig version, but not with Bruce Guthro singing here Donnie Munro sings, Donnie was lead singer who left the band twenty years ago to pursue a Political career.

There is continual hot debate who is the best, I love both their voices.

Runrig the Band will end at a concert in front if 25,000 under Stirling Castle in the Summer and we will be there.

 

[Biggles]

We Brits are easily pleased, give us a great Band and a cheesy song from the Sixties and we will raise the roof.

We have seen The Manfreds every year for the last twenty five years and each time is always a fantastic feel good concert.

Paul Jones on lead is superb and one of the best harmonica players in the world

Rob Townson on drums can go on forever.

Simon Currie on Sax is awesome.

Marcus Cliffe on Bass is one of the best there is

Tom McGuinness (also McGuinness Flint) a great guitarist and one of the best there is

Mike Hugg is a Keyboards god, totally awesome, this guy can play anything.

 

[Becky]

I'm quite enjoying the new music from the Manic Street Preachers

 

[happyrat1]

Another artist I've been following for a few years. Beth Ditto, formerly of the punk band Gossip. This lady has a HELL of a set of pipes.

Crank up the volume for these and enjoy

Gary

 

[happyrat1]

Another great punk band from the 80's.

Romeo Void...

Enjoy

Gary

 

[Jeremykeys]

Thought I'd check back in Ray. Here's my review of "what I've been listening to lately" - Roger Waters in concert.

Overall the concert was excellent - my lads were suitably impressed. They're amongst the limited number of teenage Floyd aficionados on the planet so their opinion definitely counts. My youngest was so pleased with Welcome To The Machine he became slightly emotional. As young people do he was interacting with the concert heavily via his phone.

Visually the experience was in equal measures spectacular and intense. I don't think I've seen anything as visually impressive at an indoor concert as the presentation of Dogs.

Those who know Roger would be aware he doesn't hold back on confrontational political messaging, and some of these points were made in quite a stark and challenging fashion.

Sound wise, the mix was very swampy, which worked well for the DSOTM tracks but less so for the Animals tracks. As expected the band were excellent players. A couple of small mistakes here and there but as I always say, that's live music!

Lots of backing tracks and other audio trickery going on - which comes as no surprise as Pink Floyd were pioneers of such behaviour.

Roger has always had a tendency to tinker with the arrangements of some of the Floyd tracks - which is cool as it gives a different and fresh perspective after hearing them so many times. I know some people find this to be disconcerting. But to me...well, he wrote the songs, he can do what he likes with them as far as I'm concerned. It's also something the original Pink Floyd did, so shouldn't shock or disappoint hardcore fans.

Unfortunately I was on the wrong side of the stage to properly check out the keys rig, but there was a mountain of equipment there. Two keyboard players and at one point one of the guitarists joined in to make it three keys players! I thought I was able to identify an ARP Solina String Machine, a Wurli and a Hammond B3 - but there was plenty of other gear there too. Couldn't ascertain the digital piano nor the synths being used.

A thoroughly enjoyable experience - I'm very pleased I made the last minute decision to attend, and even more pleased I took my kids - their eyes were like dinner plates the whole night!

 

[Jeremykeys]

Thought I'd check back in Ray. Here's my review of "what I've been listening to lately" - Roger Waters in concert.

Lots of backing tracks and other audio trickery going on - which comes as no surprise as Pink Floyd were pioneers of such behaviour.

Roger has always had a tendency to tinker with the arrangements of some of the Floyd tracks - which is cool as it gives a different and fresh perspective after hearing them so many times. I know some people find this to be disconcerting. But to me...well, he wrote the songs, he can do what he likes with them as far as I'm concerned. It's also something the original Pink Floyd did, so shouldn't shock or disappoint hardcore fans.

Unfortunately I was on the wrong side of the stage to properly check out the keys rig, but there was a mountain of equipment there. Two keyboard players and at one point one of the guitarists joined in to make it three keys players! I thought I was able to identify an ARP Solina String Machine, a Wurli and a Hammond B3 - but there was plenty of other gear there too. Couldn't ascertain the digital piano nor the synths being used.

A thoroughly enjoyable experience - I'm very pleased I made the last minute decision to attend, and even more pleased I took my kids - their eyes were like dinner plates the whole night!

One of my favorite things about live shows is that they ARE live! No rules! I very much prefer to hear the band do a live version rather than an exact duplicate of the album version. In one of my bands they are adamant about replicating the recording. It's a bit of a bone of contention because that's not at all the way I play. I'm a "flying by the seat of my pants" player.

With my other band, Wednesday, we pretty much run a tightly loose show if that makes any sense at all. Our songs run mostly one right after another with not much space in between and not very much verbal nonsensical banter. If I'm starting the song I sometimes just start right after the final last hit of the previous song. However, we often do the big concert ending of a song. Because, well, we generally only play big concerts and we like the big concert endings! Solos can be extended if the soloist wants to and the solos are often variations of the records.

I just love doing it that way.As far as I'm concerned, the recording was merely a capture of the way the band felt that exact day. Tomorrow is another day. The Who never really ever played a song the same way twice so why should we?

 

[CowboyNQ]

One of my favorite things about live shows is that they ARE live! No rules! I very much prefer to hear the band do a live version rather than an exact duplicate of the album version. In one of my bands they are adamant about replicating the recording. It's a bit of a bone of contention because that's not at all the way I play. I'm a "flying by the seat of my pants" player.

Hey Jeremy,

I kind of agree and disagree with you on this one.

I agree an original artist can do whatever they like to a song. They wrote the thing, after all. And like you, I like it when the live versions are different, it's part of the fun of going to a live show - provided they don't ruin a good song!

And when playing covers, it's also fun to put your own spin on things too. Sometimes you can even improve original song arrangements.

However I also play in a tribute act, and we charge punters to sit down and listen to us with the inherent promise that we're going to transport them back in time and access their favourite musical memories. Implicit in that contract is that they'll be able to recognise what they're hearing as authentic and accurate to what they remember from the album, within reason. For example, our lead guitarist would never dream of improvising his own solo during Comfortably Numb, and would probably be booed off stage if he did!

 

[happyrat1]

Actually Paul, and I mean no offence and have the greatest respect for what you do, but if I pay my $70 or $100 for a ticket to a show, I actually WANT there to be some variation in the program.

I mean otherwise I can sit at home and watch the concert DVD or listen to a CD if I want to hear it note for note.

While I respect the abilities of artists who can perform a note for note rendition every time, I really don't think that the pinnacle of the art form is to become a mechanical transcriber of sheet music.

While that may be what made classical music popular back in the days before recording devices, today's music is much more alive and I'd much rather hear the artist breathe life into a piece than simply follow the dots with his fingers.

Again, no disrespect intended, but I would probably never be an audience member in a typical tribute show.

Just my $0.02

Gary

 

[CowboyNQ]

Actually Paul, and I mean no offence and have the greatest respect for what you do, but if I pay my $70 or $100 for a ticket to a show, I actually WANT there to be some variation in the program.

No offence taken Gary, you're absolutely entitled to your view. What you like is what you like. Tribute acts are not for everyone, and I respect anyone's right to not turn up to our gigs if it's not their thing.

The only place where I'll disagree with your post is the suggestion that what we do is "mechanical". There is love, respect and passion behind everything we do. I have an emotional connection with our music, as do the other guys in the band. If we didn't, there's no way we'd invest the time and energy into this project. I can promise you it is very hard work.

People cry during our shows. They bring their kids to share the passion for the music. They come up to us afterwards and are bursting to share stories from their childhood, and thank us for helping them relive something beautiful from their past.

Part of being in any tribute act, is we sometimes have to deal with some very rude keyboard warriors who accuse us of all sorts of things via social media. We handle those people with humility, humour and grace in the first instance, and if they continue an aggressive stance, we leave them to their own devices.

I certainly don't put you in that category!

Over my nearly four years on this forum Gary, I've learned that you and I are musicians of a quite different nature, but we both believe in our own paths and gain great enjoyment out of our input and output. And for the record, I respect what you do, too.

Play on, my friend!

 

[Biggles]

I would be pretty annoyed if I went to see a tribute act and they played the songs differently to the originals.

Imaging seeing a Pink Floyd tribute where the guitarist did not have the sound on sound effect that DG uses so well.

 

[Jeremykeys]

I think that if you are playing in a tribute band you pretty much have to nail the notes and sound. That's pretty much the reason why I can't play in one. Every time. I play a song there are going to be minute changes in it and I would want the rest of my band to do the same. Of course the nuts and bolts of the song need to be there but , well, let's just say that I have a great respect for musicians that can do what you do. I myself can't.

PS. I got fired from a Deep Purple tribute band after the third rehearsal. I tend to play to "live" I was told. For example, my intro to Lazy was different every time. They didn't want that.
Oh well. There has to be room for all kinds of players.

 

[Don't Harsch My Ed]

I'll weigh in on the tribute band discussion. I've seen a lot of tribute bands. My least favorite was Yesterday, a Beatles tribute. Their accuracy and dedication was phenomenal but static as hell. It sounded exactly like the recordings-mono recordings. Not cool.

On the other hand, Dogs of Society, an Elton tribute band, is a force of nature .

Scrub to guitar solo. They play around with arrangements so the band can "open up". But, they don't screw with the hooks. They're amazing.

Though, I can see your point about a Pink Floyd tribute because the Gilmour solos are "the hook" in many songs. God save the drummer from a Rush tribute band that altered a snare hit. Drum nerds would revolt en masse.

My hat is off to any and all of those guys who play in these bands. The discipline and talent to duplicate these iconic songs live is staggering.