Battle of the Blues 2012

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Strummer07
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Battle of the Blues 2012

Post by Strummer07 »

Well ....after all the heats and semis ... here;'s the winner of the winners for 2012 !!

Long may it keep going , its a solid Competition , if you are resident in the USA ...and if you're not !!..................Well its a great source of "Not so Bad" Backing tracks !

Congrats to Mister Boscoe France ... he sounds OK to me ... but there;s a few player on here might give him a run for de money !!

...and no ! ......I am not one of them !! ......but who cares ! :icon_whoknows:

8rYCsZY9aKM

Enjoy !
"Death is just a heartbeat away"
lyric from "Out in The Fields"
Gary Moore 1952-2011
MichaelRobinson
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Re: Battle of the Blues 2012

Post by MichaelRobinson »

I'm not impressed of his playing. I'm spoild with listening to pros and that's not to good. I am a spoild oldie.

People in this forum have more feeling. I admit I'm overplaying my self and that's becouse I don't get the right phrsing and the blues sound. My playing don't sound bluesy enough and I'm disiponted in my self.
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Strummer07
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Re: Battle of the Blues 2012

Post by Strummer07 »

Look guys .... I didn't say I was a fan ....I posted this as a piece of... What I rather hoped might be intersting , informatative thought provocking Blues news /data
This is what cuts it in the USA today ! Like it ..or like it not !
Battle of the Blues is the largest Blues Competition in the US (and I guess therefore the world)
Thousands of player have been "At it" all over the USA .. Since 1st April (I think our own Blindboy entered a year or so back )
Its a Competition ............Its not ....Come over and put us all to sleep with "SlowBlues" Ville .. the very nature of such competion calls for flamboyance, showmanship & stagecraft as well as a huge dollop of talent and the ability to perform pretty much anything at the drop of a hat. So of Course he's overplaying !! He's throwing everthing he knows at it .. to be noticed and judged favorably
This bloke has been through Store Heats , regional Heats, Regional Finals and all sorts ....and according to the Judges of the day ......

this bloke has it !!

Its a bit "full on" for me, Yes too many notes and way too flashy ....sort of thing you see in at least One number from most Pro's Gigs these days ! ( But thankfully only 1 number )
I'll be honest and say its not a Gig I'd want to go to .......I didn't care much for last years winner either ....but some of the Runners up did have real merit .
But this is (seemingly) where its at in the USA right now .........
Can we appreciate anything from it ??? Learn anything ? is this the way we want to see Blues moving , as it evolves ?

I didn't really post it as a ............."Lets all take pot shots at this !"
Lets at least give him a wee bit of credit as the winner of the biggest Blues Competition in the World

He Got out there and did his thing .......... We just scratched about on a forum !
"Death is just a heartbeat away"
lyric from "Out in The Fields"
Gary Moore 1952-2011
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VikingBlues
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Re: Battle of the Blues 2012

Post by VikingBlues »

Bit late in arriving at looking at the video - been too busy coughing all day and night with a chest infection the last few days. :alright:

I can understand why this guy won the competition - it's a performance which ticks the boxes for the judges and the audience methinks. The way the competition is geared up - having to showcase all your attibutes in just 3 or 4 minutes brings a huge set of problems for the competitors and means they have to compromise towards the flashy performance. To win a competition that's what you need to do (he expertly said as someone who's never won a competition in his life!). The fact that he's won through heats, regional finals etc means he's impressed enough people in differnt places that he MUST have something good in his playing, even if it doesn't make his playing something I'd listen to from choice.

I'm not saying I'm that happy with the type of blues that is looked for these days. It really applies to so many things in our current age - there has to be quick, immediate impact or the public yawn and switch to another channel - result no light and shade in anything whether it's drama, music, news, etc.

Here's a video of finalists in the Wichita, KS Guitar Center Battle of the Blues 2012 store finals. Personally (and just my opinion) I'd far rather listen to the more expressive playing of the first and third players renditions (Mike Loggins 1st on and Robert Carrasco from 7:10) than that of the final competition winner.

vwmxE7rmWmo
Strummer07 wrote:This is what cuts it in the USA today ! Like it ..or like it not !
It definitely seems that overdone is preferred to underdone now. I thought I recognised that in Joanne Shaw Taylor's second album - the first was very full of feeling, passion, and lots of light and shade in dynamics. The second was much more in 'yer face, high tempo, volume always at a high level - and I felt aimed at consolidating her appeal in the US market. I'm hoping selfishly Guitarist magazine's review of her soon to be released thirs album is right when it mentions "smoulders with low key soulfulness" and "more relaxed and atmoshpheric" and "slows the tempo to up the tension and power" - I say selfishly because it might make it less successful commercially.
Strummer07 wrote:the very nature of such competion calls for flamboyance, showmanship & stagecraft
True - it's not just about the craft of making music. There's been differing opinions for ever I suppose on what makes a goos music show. One instance pops into my head with Pink Floyd. Dave Gilmours view that the audience don't even need to see the members of the group clearly if they can hear a good performance of the music, Roger Waters view was that just hearing the music was really boring. I'll admit my personal view would be in the Dave Gilmour camp - particularly after seeing what they did in the four numbers with no theatrics in the stage show whatsoever at Live-8.
Strummer07 wrote:Its a bit "full on" for me, Yes too many notes and way too flashy
One of the things that helps me come to terms with being useless at playing with much speed is I don't like listening to "full on" and too many notes either.
Strummer07 wrote:Can we appreciate anything from it ??? Learn anything ? is this the way we want to see Blues moving , as it evolves ?
I feel blues is moving more and more towards rock which I'm not so keen on as we already have plenty of that to choose from. However, even if it does keep moving that way we do at least have a nice big catalogue of previous blues recordings to fll back on.
An improv a day keeps the demons at bay!
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Strummer07
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Re: Battle of the Blues 2012

Post by Strummer07 »

Sorry to hear about the dreaded "grots" VB .. hope you're warbling again soon .. :alright:
and Hans .. :handshake: No Problem !!

I think for me there are two main questions raised by the whole "BotB" thing and Competitions and Winners and all that

#1) is .. Are Music competitions any good ? Are they any good for music ( Well the X factor sure isn't !! :motz: and seems to drive a dreadful "wannabe culture" .. I want to be a star ! and earn lots of Money .. but I can't sing ! and have no talent ! .. but that is a diifferent topic methinks !! :D )
The Battle of the Blues has to be a good thing - Certainly for Guitar Centre it is a top notch and cheap promotion . But its also Good for budding musicians to get out and onto a stage and get some feedback ...and its a challenge to do something novel and entertaining in a 3-4 minute slot off a standard BT .. with only a) Guitar b Effects pedal and c) Harmonica to help you.
But it does drive a tendency towards more "frantic" playing ( or overplaying) .. Lots of notes, and flash techniques, Showmanship rather than substance .. So I suspect that Music and Blues music in particular don't benefit so much. Other than in a publicity sense. Most of it seems "instantly forgettable" music for me

#2) is "Where is Blues Music heading ?" ..( and is the Competition a good sounding board for the Blues ??) its a very big and pretty broad question for sure .Blues Rock has been aroudn a good while .. Cream 60's Led Zepplin 70's and all that ......but the Genre does seem to be edging in that direction, at least the Commercial material is. Not a lot of Slow blues seems to be selling these days ... where is Peter Green when you need him ??? ... More Importantly .. Who is the next "Peter Green ??"
If you take a look at the Gibson Top #10 Modern Blues Guitarists list i posted (On a Bonamassa thread) the top 10 "modern" artists all seem to occupy a Blues rock territory

Some have a real pedigree in "Real Blues" such as Bonamassa and Trucks , also Ben Harper .. Bonamassa can Rock with the best of 'em and even has a Rock band he tours with .. But he comes back to old Blues every now and then .. "Stones in My Passway" on his latest album being an example ... and the fact that he gives money to his own Blues Foundation ( Good on you buddy ! :thumbsup: ) http://keepingthebluesalive.org/

Others .Kenny wayne Shephard Dan Auerback , Davy Knowles woudl seem way more Blues Rock...erring towards Rock (rather than Blues)

Mayer ?? whos knows where he's at !! :big_smile: .. I'm not sure even he knows.... although "Born and Raised" is pretty stripped back and basic and has a couple of nice tracks.

It feels to me that some of the older , simpler Rootsy blues ( As showcased in Scorcese's films "The Blues" ) 8 bar 12 bar formats is being left behind a bit and a new aggresive commercial brand or Genre is emerging. But ....it also seems like there are enough old guys .or guys (and gals) with a good Roots unbringing who keep tugging us back to basics and reminding us how the old guys did it and the importance of a great song.

So maybe ........it's What goes around, Comes around !!

We have a couple of mainstream artists in the UK doing very striped back acoustic stuff ...Ed Sheeran and Newton Faulkner ( To name but two) .. its not Blues as such..... .but its Music that tells a story ..... so maybe acoustic stuff and stories are coming back around ??

So what did the Battle of the Blues trigger off for you ??

Where do you see "The Blues" is Headed ??

and

Who is the Next Peter Green ??
"Death is just a heartbeat away"
lyric from "Out in The Fields"
Gary Moore 1952-2011
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HalfBlindLefty
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Re: Battle of the Blues 2012

Post by HalfBlindLefty »

Ok, seems like I jumped in from all the wrong angle, so I removed my own posts.
I'm going to listen again and listen to the runners up, like VB did.

After that I will try and come with well thought through comments.

Maybe I should open up more to the "new" directions within the Blues, I should, since I'm playing a couple of those songs with the band I'm in.... :shy:
The thing that I think is key to playing whatever kind of Blues are playing dynamics, even when using lots of gain and compression. And without putting the winner of this contest down, I feel I'd like hin better when he would've used those dynamics more in this song.

Me not opening up to the new styles is wierd...if you get to think of it. I happen to play all kinds of music in all kind of styles, I jump from a Foxtrot to Pink Floyd and from Country to traditionals like Amazing graze... Darn, I even did Shadows style....

Sometimes even an old Fox acts without thinking.
A long time ago, in the old forum : Registered: Mon, 27 Nov 2006. Wonder were the other old members all went....
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tytlblues
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Re: Battle of the Blues 2012

Post by tytlblues »

I have given up on trying to define what is blues. All the music genres now are so mixed, and convoluted, that they all run together. Unfortunately, to sell music commercially now, if there is an electric guitar involved, it has to be whaling!! Even Joe B's tone has "evolved", if you want to call it that, over the years. He still tries to stay true to his blues roots, but he is no dummy!!!! He has to sell albums....His playing and sound has very much taken on that "cello" tone, so prevalent in the likes of Vai, Satriani, and Johnson. Also, he plays a ALLOT of metal type diminished licks, phrased as blues licks, and again, I applaud him, as he has adapted to stay on top. Now don't get me wrong, I do love Joe B, and his music, but just a comparison to how the genre has changed. Even ole EC is no dummy, he knows he has to play a smattering of his old great songs to fill the stadiums, because a strictly classic blues tour, wouldn't cut it for long. I am grateful to EC for bringing blues acts into the mainstream as he tours. EC may just be the SOLE musician today doing the most to promote modern blues guitarists, both with his tours, and his annual crossroads festivals!
BB King, Buddy Guy, still fill small venues because of the image of the great bluesman of yesterday.........however, seems the public is unwilling to make a new generation of blues greats that will fills tomorrows venues, based on their "Blues greatness of yestar-year"

Well, what can I say, just the way I see it. Love the things that happens on this board.

Let's play some blues/rock/jazzy/folks/country/cross-whatever music :)
Tytlblues

"Notes are expensive... spend them wisely”
BB King
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