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Virtual Music Instruments Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2016 Deals Roundup

Christopher Laird Simmons

MUSIC GEAR: Most modern musicians know that sometimes waiting for new gear can be tough when the magazines and videos demo a neato new software app, sample library or piece of hardware. This can lead to so-called “gas” (gear acquisition syndrome). Savvy folk know there are certain times of the year when deals are to be had. Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and often around NAMM and other music shows, or right before a new version is released. (UPDATED)

Spitfire Strings

Spitfire Audio Helps You Score with its New Compendium ‘Symphonic Strings’

Christopher Laird Simmons

MUSIC GEAR: Spitfire Audio has announced availability of SPITFIRE SYMPHONIC STRINGS, a massic “encyclopaedic compendium of symphonic strings sampling,” with blockbuster content recorded at Lyndhurst Hall within London’s legendary Air Studios. The Kontakt-powered library comprises the same 60 star string players performing on the same instruments featured on numerous famous film scores.

MUSIC Named World's 8th Largest Pro Audio Company

MUSIC Group Named World’s 8th Largest Pro Audio Co in 2016 Global Music Industry 225 Report

Christopher Laird Simmons

NEWS: MUSIC Group, the parent of world-renowned brands MIDAS, KLARK TEKNIK, LAB GRUPPEN, LAKE, TANNOY, TURBOSOUND, TC ELECTRONIC, TC HELICON, BEHRINGER, BUGERA, DDA and EUROCOM, and one of the world’s leading manufacturers of professional audio products, has recently been ranked as one of the world’s largest and top manufacturers in the 2016 edition of Music Trade’s annual Global Music Industry 225 Report.

Animated Musical ‘Empty Box Of Wine’ Selected For 2016 San Francisco Frozen Film Festival

Christopher Laird Simmons

MUSIC NEWS: Los Angeles-based filmmaker Michael C. Perry has announced that his film “Empty Box of Wine” has been selected for the 2016 San Francisco Frozen Film Festival. Perry is the lead singer in the band, Jour Majesty, who last year rose to #2 on the indie folk charts; his entry into the film festival accompanies the upcoming Jour Majesty album, “Empty Box of Wine.”

Paula Cole Sings for Fans with ‘Ballads’ Album Funded On Kickstarter

Christopher Laird Simmons

Singer/songwriter Paula Cole is funding her new album from the ground up on Kickstarter. Recently Cole launched her campaign to fund an 8th studio album, to be called “Ballads,” which she described on her funding page as so: “‘Ballads’ is a weaving of American roots music; my first album of cover songs. I can honestly say I’ve been wanting to make this album my whole career. There will be jazz ballads next to traditional songs and swing and blues – it’s all roots music.”

Music Industry Guru Loren Weisman announces launch of new ‘Music Business For Dummies’ book with Florida event

Christopher Laird Simmons

Long-time musician (drummer/producer) and music biz “guru” Loren Weisman has announced a June release party event in Florida for his new book, “Music Business For Dummies” (ISBN: 978-1119049654), which is geared to those creative types of any age looking to launch or rekindle a music career. The latest in the world-famous “for dummies” book series, […]

At NAMM 2015, Music Computing updates world’s most powerful keyboard production station, offers touchscreens with MacOS X multi-touch

Christopher Laird Simmons

Music Computing today announced updates for its “world’s most powerful keyboard production station” and now offers touchscreens with MacOS X multi-touch gestures. Expanding on its goal to great super-instruments by incorporating the best products available into its core platform, Music Computing is releasing the following the following new products: STUDIO BLADE: The StudioBLADE 5 is […]

Book Review: We Have ‘No Place to Hide’

John Scott G

REVIEW: Glenn Greenwald’s excellent “No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State” (ISBN: 9781627790734) is not only about Edward Snowden and the NSA; it’s also about power. Who gets to watch you? Who gets to know your life’s decisions? Who gets to monitor your activities? And who is watching the watchers?

Book Review: Good Title, Bad Title for ‘How Beatles Destroyed Rock’

John Scott G

REVIEW: With an eye-catching title, Elijah Wald’s “How the Beatles Destroyed Rock ‘n’ Roll: An Alternative History of American Popular Music” (ISBN: 9780199756971) is an off-kilter look at the progression of music from ragtime to rock to rap, with lots of insights on swing, jazz, folk, and blues. Consistently interesting and fun to read, the book pays special attention to what the media and the American mindset have done to influence the music we hear today.

Book Review: Bad Writing is One Reason ‘Why Government Fails so Often’

John Scott G

REVIEW: Peter Schuck’s “Why Government Fails So Often: And How it Can do Better” (ISBN: 9780691161624) takes 30 pages of brilliant observation and crams it into 412 pages of text. His combination of garrulousness and impenetrable language makes it a very long and extensive and extended and elongated and lengthy and protracted and time-consuming and boring read.

Book Review: Anti-Americans Star in ‘Sons of Wichita’

John Scott G

BOOK REVIEW: Peeling back the thick tapestries of privacy shielding the odious Koch brothers, Daniel Schulman’s “Sons of Wichita: How the Koch Brothers Became America’s Most Powerful and Private Dynasty” (ISBN: 9781455518739) is consistently compelling and a good read. There’s a lot here: the Koch’s anti-American politics, their disgusting waste of personal wealth, their in-fighting and lawsuits, their dysfunctional family life, and their attitude of total warfare against people in the middle class.

Book Review: Blood on the Sand in ‘Lawrence in Arabia’

John Scott G

BOOK REVIEW: Spies! Treachery! Deception! Camels! With an eye for detail and a love of intrigue, Scott Anderson plunks you down in the desert for ‘Lawrence in Arabia’ (ISBN-13: 978-0385532921). The author unleashes a rip-snortin’ tale that ultimately reveals a lot of the backstory on the muddle that is today’s Middle East.

Truckloads of Soul (Aspects of The Blues)

John Scott G

ADSP Chapter 25: God can be found inside many things: The sun, moon, and stars; a child’s simple wisdom; a lover’s kiss. And at one nightclub on one sultry summer evening in Southern California, god was in the fingers of Derek Trucks.

Stone Solid Hooks (Reflections on Da Blooze)

John Scott G

ADSP Chapter 24: The blues will never die. Here’s one reason: Audiences have a visceral response to the music, even if it’s done merely adequately. And when it’s done well, the audience reaction can be amazing. Either way, when somebody is playin’ da blooze it means that guys will be drinking and girls will be dancing. In other words, a good time will be had by all.

A Guy Called Joe (That’s Mr. Satriani to You)

John Scott G

ADSP Chapter 21: Some guitarists play at lightning speed but it’s the tone, the style, and the aura of magic that define the true heroes of the electric guitar. Joe Satriani. You’ve heard his work or you’ve heard his name, and he’s either the greatest thing since sex or he’s simply a technical master who goes through his shtick very well but has no true worth. (I look forward to your letters.)

God of Guitar: A Visceral Reaction to Jeff Beck

John Scott G

ADSP Chapter 2 — God of Guitar: A Visceral Reaction to Jeff Beck — There are 6,189 seats in the Gibson Amphitheater and guitar players are in 5,133 of them. Girlfriends of guitar players are in the rest. The occasion is a rare appearance by Jeff Beck, a somewhat reclusive Englishman whose stunning fret-board work has influenced pop, rock, heavy metal, blues, R&B, and jazz-rock fusion.

SimChris: Music Industry Life 05.21.10

Christopher Laird Simmons

COLUMN: One of the more interesting tidbits I’ve run across this week, was the rumor of a new product from venerable synth builder Tom Oberheim. He apparently told a person that a new “Two-voice” model would be in the works for later this year, possibly Sept. 2010 (as reported on the Moog forum). Basically, this would likely be a rebirth of the classic two module, plus sequencer, plus keyboard SEM-based setup (or the “TVS”).

July 4th Music: Surprising Secrets of Patriotic Songs

John Scott G

Whether played by marching band, orchestra, or rock group, there are patriotic tunes that everyone in America finds familiar, exciting and uplifting. Scott G reveals some of the eyebrow-raising facts about the top 14 crowd-rousing anthems. Your celebration of Independence Day may include watching fireworks, having a barbeque, or tuning in one of the TV […]

Interview: Peter Frampton Talks About ‘Fingerprints’

Christopher Laird Simmons

INTERVIEW: In September 2006, Peter Frampton released his first all-instrumental album, called “Fingerprints.” For the project he was able to bring together not only many of his contemporaries and peers, but also a couple of his long time “heroes” and inspirations, Hank Marvin and Brian Bennett of The Shadows. The album showcases many influences, including […]

Music Review: Peter Frampton ‘Fingerprints’ (2006)

Christopher Laird Simmons

REVIEW: I was pretty excited to hear about the new disc “Fingerprints” (A&M/New Door/UMe) from Peter Frampton, a seminal guitar god from the ’70s who became enormously famous for his “Frampton Comes Alive” album and for his formant-tube guitar “talk box” sound on that record 30 years ago. I hadn’t really thought about him much lately except when my iTunes jukebox cycled around to his tunes. So, getting the new disc was like hearing from an old friend again.

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