R.I.P. Larry Knechtel, Another Legendary Hero Died...

This year seems to be the year of dead musicians...


He is "The Guitar Man" and bass and keyboard player best known for his work as a session musician with Simon & Garfunkel, Duane Eddy, The Beach Boys (Pet Sounds, Smile), The Mamas & the Papas, The Doors, Elvis Presley ('68 NBC-TV Special), The Dixie Chicks (Taking The Long Way), and Neil Diamond. He is most popularly known as a member of the 70's soft rock/folk rock band BREAD.

he is perhaps best known for his guitar solo of "The Guitar Man" by Bread and piano works of Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water".

He died on Thursday, August 20.

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2009/08/you-may-not-know-larry-knechtel-but-you-definitely.html

R.I.P. Les Paul, Vaya Con Dios

I gotta admit I have no idea who Les Paul was prior to my introduction of him through that CD above. I didn't even know what they're music like but i just asked the sales lady if it's ok to play it and see if i'll like it. And because it's a bargain CD (only P200), that was allowed.

So i listened. And I fall in love with it. Since then i wanna grab anything they ever released but only found that CD and the other "pirated" one from DYNA MUSIC PHILIPPINES that's actually being sold in the mall here in the Philippines. and i couldn't found any albums of them in the blogs either. So i instead settled on finding other bands, new bands, that sounds a little closer to Les Paul & Mary Ford. Bands like Hot Club of Cowtown, Patti Page, Pearl Django, etc...

Then i went to a guitar shop to look for an acoustic guitar and then i noticed something on this particular electric guitar. It has a name i'm familiar with on it's top, Les Paul. It was then i realized that Les Paul is more famous as a guitar maker and player than a singer and producer.

Then later found out that rock icons like Jimmy Page, Steve Howe, and Pete Townsend all made Les Paul their six-string trademark...

Les Paul also helped developed the over-dubbing technique during his time with Mary Ford.

And today is a sad day for all of us music lover because the great inventor, innovator, producer, arranger, and guitar player died yesterday, August 13, 2009. "According to Gibson Guitar, Paul died at White Plains Hospital. His family and friends were by his side."

Here's the yahoo article about his death:

http://new.music.yahoo.com/les-paul/news/guitar-legend-inventor-les-paul-dies-at-age-94--61992735

The Record Store Breakdown

Back when i was a kid, i used to jumped with glee and delight every time my mama would take me to the city because it means i can be able to spend time hanging around the record store browsing countless cassette tapes and CDs and blowing all my weekly allowance on some obscure (or i thought it was) cassettes which was, as always is the case, on sale.

And if i don't have money i would just hang around looking at the covers and imagining and wishing i have a collection as large as those.

Well, now i have a little "not that large but large enough" CDs and cassette tapes collection. But going to a record store, especially those in the malls, is not as exciting as it was back then. No longer are they selling different genres and different music. Country was phased out and Jazz is slowly dying. Alternative rock is gone. Metal section? No more. Instead the racks been replaced with the Lady GaGas and the Chris Brownes and countless videoke VCDs and compilation albums not even sang by the original artists (mostly this is done by Philippine based label like Dyna, Galaxy, Synergy, etc). Or they may release an "unoriginal unauthorized album" by the original artists. Dyna and Galaxy did this with Elvis Presley and Les Paul & Mary Ford. They're selling it on all major record stores across every mall here in the Philippines and i wonder if RCA records knows about this. To top it all, it has a really ridiculous uninspired stupid artworks. My personal CD mixes are way better looking than those put out by Galaxy and Dyna.

But the blissful experience of hangin' on a record store and browing at those CD and cassette artworks is not lost at all. It only shifted to a different place.

The cyberspace.

That's right. What was once enjoyable outside can now be experienced in the comfort of my little room. Now you have itunes, amazon, barnes and noble,etc. And if like me you like the physical product than the digital, you can just order from Amazon at the tip of your fingertips or you can order directly from your favorite independent artists (Jason Gray and Robby Hecht are the two people i know who are doing this).

And if your tastes go deeper to the roots of it all, or if you really like those obscure out of print records, the blogosphere is there to the rescue.

Thanks Google for including "The Blogs" on their search options.

And what's nice is they're offering these out of prints vinyl rip for free and the label and the artists even approved it!

I spent my whole evening last night browsing different blogs that offers free downloads of really out of print folk, bluegrass, jazz, soul, and reggae music mostly from the 1920s to the 1970s. These records are no longer available physically except for some idiot on ebay selling his collection for way way beyond the threshold of this economy. And I don't care. I'm not really like those people who made their collections a sort of an idol a.k.a. an object of worship (whether you're aware or not). I don't go that far spending millions just for a single 45 RPM or a scratchy CD or vinyl. I buy music because i love music. I wanna enjoy and savor it. It's one of God's beautiful creation.

... And the experienced i had on that record store when i was a kid was there again...

Oh such a nice feeling...

But then if you ask me which of the two i prefer the most, the cyberspace or the real space? I choose the latter because regardless how cool it is to just order an LP or CD from amazon or download that obscure stuff from a blog, it still nice to get out of you comfy chair and ride a jeepney to a record store that sells the kind of record you want.

But then that record store don't exist no more.

Religion

Religion is an insult to God. It's just politics masked as something else. That's why Jesus don't like religion. But then the religious people ended up using Jesus for their own purposes and giving Jesus a bad name...

- Michael Anthony Curan-

Qoute of the Day

I just finished reading this thriller from W.G. Griffiths called Driven (warner books) about a serial killer who uses cars as his weapon of choice and a detective who'll do anything to take him down.

Publisher's Weekly describes it better;

Highly original touches and an impressive flair for atmosphere make this spooky supernatural thriller one that nudges readers to examine spiritual matters while delivering an outstanding level of suspense. Lobster fisherman Karl Dengler is inhabited by the demon Krogan, and partners with other demon-possessed people to commit horrific acts of violence. When Krogan destroys the New York Aquarium's tanks of whales and dolphins, Det. Gavin Pierce's grandfather is one of the spectators killed. In his quest for vengeance, Gavin joins forces with Amy Kirsch, a sassy, drop-dead gorgeous computer hacker who has a homespun "fortune cookie" saying for almost every occasion. Recovering alcoholic Karianne Stordal suffers from her own demon and is commandeered by Krogan to help him commit vehicular homicide. Under hypnosis, she provides clues that help unlock the murders. As Krogan continues his reign of terror, Gavin and Amy turn to a reluctant exorcist-turned-dairy farmer (Buck) who has been victimized by Krogan in the past. The novel features a skillful mix of passages that entertain and frighten, and the plot is fast-paced and drenched in evil. Although the themes are strongly Christian, this is a solid crossover novel that should appeal to many readers of suspense and paranormal fiction. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

And from that novel, here's a qoute i like. This was spoken by Buck, the reverend-turned-farmer when asked about Krogan:

"A demon's favorite home is furnished with weakness and perversions that match its own individual tastes. Anger, fear, depression, confusion, violence, power, wealth, fame...Our own vanities can make a demon's work very easy. And they don't like it when someone messes up their house. Or worst, evicts them."

Hence, every demon will do anything to bring a prayerful christian down.

"Guaranteed to give you goose bumps. W.G. Griffiths enters the world of King, Rice, and Straub."
- Nelson DeMille-
author of The General's Daughter (which was made into a movie starring John Travolta)

Dusty Road

a poem/song just written now @ 4 a.m. July 29,2009

Dusty Road
(curan)

Avenue
of shattered emotions
spilling
across every corner.

As far
as my eyes can wander,
broken souls
here
and
up yonder.

Wind
of bitterness
carry me up high.
Take me away.
Join me
with the birds
up
in the sky

Can't take
the loneliness
that's
engrossing me.
I'm
drowning
in vain
agony.

I
see
shadows.

But ,
are they my friends?

Are they here to hurt me?
take my soul?

This
empty place
gives me
no peace.

Voices.
Voices.
Please.
Let me rest.

Drive me off this dusty road.
Take the speck
off my heart.

Let me see the beauty
in every misery.
Let me hear the music
in every agony.

But first
take me off this dusty road.
Take me
to the spring of life.
So i'll
be refreshed
and might see
the light
in every....

...dusty road
i may roam.
No more speck
like
when
i
was
in
Rome.

2009 michael anthony curan

Raise From The Dead

Haven't done a lot of blogging lately simply because of time constraint and lack of anything worthy to say or share. But now sweats of ideas are spilling over me once again as i devoured most of my time reading anything from books to magazines to blogs. And so in the following days and weeks, i will try to take a fraction of my time writing something in this blog.