aaron c beals

i was reading my RSS feeds today, and came across this post about an Albanian developer who created an iPhone application that emulates the ancient Albanian lute (Çifteli):

http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/01/19/if-you-like-the-oud-youll-love-the-tingalin-iphone-app/

i have to be honest, it takes some getting used to, but this is definitely playing a part in my next album. maybe a hidden track?

the Smashing Pumpkins recently started their 20th anniversary tour. has it really been 20 years? yikes… i can remember hearing “Today” for the first time and just about losing my mind with excitement. their more recent albums have not been quite up to snuff, but the Gish / Pisces Iscariot / Siamese Dream trifecta could be one of the best back-to-back-to-back set of releases by any rock band ever. my own musical tastes have been forever flavored by their dense yet nuanced layers of distortion and unmatched ability to alternate quickly mid-song between delicate melodies and crushing rock.

but 20 years? wow, i’m old…

last Saturday night (before the Oscars), we watched the movie “Once” on the recommendation of my buddy Lou. now if you know me well, you know that my feelings toward traditional musicals are not remotely charitable (OK, that’s underselling it. i flat out hate them. who just bursts randomly into song?!?). however, “Once” isn’t a traditional musical — yes, there’s music, but music is the point of the movie, not an alternative dialogue delivery mechanism.

the story is engaging and emotive and if even if you’re not a musician, you’re going to walk away wanting to start writing music immediately. oh, and to top it off: the night after we watched it, the lead actors beat out the atrocity that is Enchanted for the best original song Oscar. rent it now, i implore you.

tonight, i’m going to see these three guys at the Paradise Lounge (YouTube links to follow for those of you reading from Facebook–check out my blog for the videos):

i’ll try to post a review of the show sometime tomorrow, assuming that i’m not too busy setting my guitars on fire in desperation and defeat.

thanks go out to my buddy Brent Watson, who found out about this show last week and scored us tickets.

it’s a little past Christmas, but i came across this fantastic clip of the Pistons’ Rasheed Wallace and some of the other players doing a rendition of Jingle Bells:

‘Sheed Does Christmas

i’ve watched it over and over, and it doesn’t really stop being hilarious.

so mesmerizing…

http://www.bravia-advert.com/balls/braviaextcommhigh.html

Just saw a well-dressed (relatively speaking), well-kept old Deadhead sitting on a bench in Yerba Buena (the park outside where the VMWorld lunches take place). Awesome. My trip to San Fran is almost complete.

i’ve always thought that the link between us nerds and rock & roll was more than just a coincidence. first, there was Greg Graffin, who has his PhD in evolutionary paleontology from Cornell. and now, Brian May from Queen is going back to complete his doctorate.

so the other day, i saw jeff beck playing on … *shudder* … american idol playing with kelly clarkson, and it got me doing some research. it turns out that mr beck used to play for a little band, which put out a seminal album that i need to hunt down and buy. during this same period of time, this band was transitioning guitarists from beck to some dude named jimmy page, who happened to play with beck on his first album, which i also need to buy.

if i had the financial freedom to spend ten to twelve hours a day, seven days a week, practicing and playing my acoustic guitar and banjo, i would… and even then, it would take me about twenty years to sound half as good as Andy McKee. he combines the classic fingerpicking and “harp” styles into something that can only be understood by listening and viewing. in order to show you what i’m talking about, i’ve included two videos of Andy in the studio recording his latest album, Art of Motion.

props to my brother for introducing me to Andy’s music.

“Drifting” by Andy McKee

“Rylynn” by Andy McKee