It's been a while since my last posting. I also wrote on my photoweblog BrownNoisePhotos that it's not a lack of material. I've been listening music, visit a concert every now and then and did some new musical discoveries. So plenty to write about, but the past months I simply couldn't find the time and energy to post about it.
There was (and still is a bit) a lot of stuff going on. but I'm not going to bother my visitors with it. Little by little things are getting in smoother water, which gives me the opportunity to post more often again and on a more regular basis.
This time I would like to kick off with not just one artist or group. I just would like to advertise a very interesting (independent) record label, called CandyRat Records. I found this label by accident when I was watching some YouTube guitar videos and from one video I got to the other, until I got to a video from Andy McKee called "Drifting" (see the first embedded video). I instantly liked it when I was watching and listening.
At the video they were referring to CandyRat Records. I gave their website a check and a whole new huge world of acoustic guitar music was released to my ears. For now I've only been checking their acoustic section, but they also have jazz, blues, fusion etc.. If those sections have the same quality as their acoustic section, then I'm pretty sure that my cd/music-collection will expand in the upcoming year.
The site offers albums as CD for 15 US Dollar or as download for 10 US Dollar. That's just 11 Euro for a CD and 7 Euro 50 for a album download. They offer good quality samples from all the songs on the albums, so you get a good idea about the album and the artist. I felt like a little kid in a candy shop, not knowing what to choose. If you are into virtuoso and melodic acoustic guitar music CandyRat Records certainly is the place.
You won't find one particular style, although listening to most musicians you'll find influences from folk-, jazz-, world- and classical music.
I have embedded some videos from YouTube from some of the artists that appear on CandyRat Records. With some of them you see mixtures of tapping techniques, different fingerpicking styles, percusive styles, unusual tunings and use of harmonics. Players like Andy McKee, Don Ross and Stefano Barone are all tributary to Michael Hedges, a very inventive and talented acoustic guitar player and innovator, who died way too young in a car accident, just 43 years old, almost 12 years ago. Later on I might do a posting entirely on Michael Hedges.
For now I would like to invite you to take a look at the selection of video's below and listen to these very talented skillful musicians. I have also add a video from Michael Manring, a excellent bass player who worked a lot with Michael Hedges and who you also can see playing with Andy McKee and Don Ross in the third video. For those who think that a bass guitar couldn't be a solo and melodic instrument, you should have a look at his video where he plays his solo piece "Selene".
I also embedded a video from Antoine Dufour, a Canadian guitarist and two Italian guitar players, Pino Forastiere and Stefano Barone. The first italian guitarist music is very tranquil, but still virtuoso. The second Italian plays acoustic guitar but with the use of electronics, which gives it a more experimental sound, but without losing the character of the acoustic guitar.
I hope that you will enjoy these videos as much as I did. You can check much more samples, also from other artist, on the website of CandyRat Records and you can check loads and loads of videos from these and other artists from CandyRat records on YouTube.
There was (and still is a bit) a lot of stuff going on. but I'm not going to bother my visitors with it. Little by little things are getting in smoother water, which gives me the opportunity to post more often again and on a more regular basis.
This time I would like to kick off with not just one artist or group. I just would like to advertise a very interesting (independent) record label, called CandyRat Records. I found this label by accident when I was watching some YouTube guitar videos and from one video I got to the other, until I got to a video from Andy McKee called "Drifting" (see the first embedded video). I instantly liked it when I was watching and listening.
At the video they were referring to CandyRat Records. I gave their website a check and a whole new huge world of acoustic guitar music was released to my ears. For now I've only been checking their acoustic section, but they also have jazz, blues, fusion etc.. If those sections have the same quality as their acoustic section, then I'm pretty sure that my cd/music-collection will expand in the upcoming year.
The site offers albums as CD for 15 US Dollar or as download for 10 US Dollar. That's just 11 Euro for a CD and 7 Euro 50 for a album download. They offer good quality samples from all the songs on the albums, so you get a good idea about the album and the artist. I felt like a little kid in a candy shop, not knowing what to choose. If you are into virtuoso and melodic acoustic guitar music CandyRat Records certainly is the place.
You won't find one particular style, although listening to most musicians you'll find influences from folk-, jazz-, world- and classical music.
I have embedded some videos from YouTube from some of the artists that appear on CandyRat Records. With some of them you see mixtures of tapping techniques, different fingerpicking styles, percusive styles, unusual tunings and use of harmonics. Players like Andy McKee, Don Ross and Stefano Barone are all tributary to Michael Hedges, a very inventive and talented acoustic guitar player and innovator, who died way too young in a car accident, just 43 years old, almost 12 years ago. Later on I might do a posting entirely on Michael Hedges.
For now I would like to invite you to take a look at the selection of video's below and listen to these very talented skillful musicians. I have also add a video from Michael Manring, a excellent bass player who worked a lot with Michael Hedges and who you also can see playing with Andy McKee and Don Ross in the third video. For those who think that a bass guitar couldn't be a solo and melodic instrument, you should have a look at his video where he plays his solo piece "Selene".
I also embedded a video from Antoine Dufour, a Canadian guitarist and two Italian guitar players, Pino Forastiere and Stefano Barone. The first italian guitarist music is very tranquil, but still virtuoso. The second Italian plays acoustic guitar but with the use of electronics, which gives it a more experimental sound, but without losing the character of the acoustic guitar.
I hope that you will enjoy these videos as much as I did. You can check much more samples, also from other artist, on the website of CandyRat Records and you can check loads and loads of videos from these and other artists from CandyRat records on YouTube.
