Sarah and I = Daydrifter, so check this vid.

this is a demo version that Sarah put on youtube.

enjoy.

Jessica Dobson’s guitar solo, with the Shins, from Fallon’s Pink Floyd week.

This is the Shin’s playing “Breathe” from Dark Side of the Moon.  It’s a great version, I like the subtle changes to the form, texture, and flow of the song, but the stand out moment of the performance is the guitar solo.

watch: (solo is at 2:40 ish)

it will open in a new window…..

okay- why is this so awesome?
Breathe is a stunningly simple song, that’s brilliance lies in the texture of the band, the melody, and the incredible lyrics. They all tie together to make perfection. So the Shins were smart to not really mess with any of these things. Instead they actually accentuate the psychedelia of the texture by making every instrument sound like an organ, layered with reverb and tremolo and delay…..
Also they add several dramatic pauses for good measure.

okay, the guitar solo.
Its incredible how a wee bit of melodic intensity can burn into my brain. For this solo, there is actually only a small line followed by a lot of noise and band overlap (and some serious blue note action which i love, regardless of how intended the note was).
The guitar Tone is an insane organ like sound. Definitely some kind of octave pedal with the gain enabled. The tone fits perfectly in the mix.

music nerd stuff:
“Breathe” for the most part rocks between e and A. There is a lot of 9th suspension going on in the e minor parts of guitar and keyboard, and D suspended over the c# of the A chord.
(for the Pink Floyd version those become pedal steel melody notes).
there is a turn at the end of the big phrases which is C – b – F – G D (d# “half demolished”) back to e….

What she plays: TRI-TONE. love it.
bam.
amazing.

B- Bb rocking back and forth, then repeating the figure with G and f# resolving to E…. its so short but so brilliant, clearly improvised, and maybe accidental. That is why its good.
Tasteful players take chances, and beautiful things happen. I wish I saw more of it on tv.

all of this happens on the B and G strings at the 12th fret, for those playing along at home.

About Jessica Dobson – She has an incredible band of her own, called Deep Sea Diver – They used to be based out of Long Beach (Kevin from Two Guns introduced me to the music).
Deep Sea Diver is now Seattle based, and about to release a new record.
Check out the new track -

better than Lana Del Rey: Grace Woodroofe . . .

What I love: the jazz toned voice, sweet melancholy of the lyrics, and air-tight performance….

BTW, Grace is just as mesmerizing live, with every eerie nuance and pitch perfect word sung as beautiful as the record.

and here is your cool music nerd stuff:

the opening arpeggio shifts between “a” minor (with the suspension on the down beat) and a short Ab major run, (which is mostly suspension and syncopated). The syncopation and difference between the two arpeggios makes the harmony seem more dramatic to the ear.

Like Lana del Rey’s “Video Games”, this song is stunning because the harmony is so simple that when the chorus hits (chorus is a – a/G – F) it feels like fresh air.

The opening arpeggio cranks through the chorus, and all the swirling color of the suspensions mixed with the lyric : I move in slow motion.

it hits hard.

then the drums come in and I freak.

seriously, amazingly, good.

Now you have heard an artist infinitely better then Lana del Rey. more talented. more inherently beautiful.

lets hope the side of the 7-11 is plastered with her image sooner then later.

cool thing improvised: Lana del Rey on Letterman.

Lana Del Rey is  a polarizing figure. That’s fine, and ultimately good for her.

her song “Video Games” intrigues me on a couple levels.

1. I’m manic depressive and bipolar, so the song’s “life is only worth it in matched pairs, which i’m not one of” kills me. The recording really captured the sentiment.

2. The harmony is both simple and interesting. and it’s use of mostly piano and light quartet accompaniment makes the basic progression really effective.

(key: CAPS letter is major, lowercase is a minor chord, the letter after the “/” is the bass note)

verse: f# -A – f# – A     -  c# -D (repeats but resolves to f#)

c# -D repeats going into the chorus

A/E  – E  (for you non-nerds, the A chord is just a massive suspension over the entire E chord)

D – A – G – f#  D  (then the chorus repeats)

but at the very end she throws in a loungy d/F

the “F” natural, really brings out the starkness of the initial f# – A theme, (and reminds me of the Largo from new world symphony, which played at my grandfather’s funeral, and it breaks my little music nerd heart).

3. I love how people hate this young artist, how she’s a crappy singer, and changed her image.

For my ears it’s all about the song.

Yeah, I made fun of her after SNL, but the next day I caught myself singing it. She won.

Here she is on Letterman, and I’d like to point out something cool in the live arrangement:

at the 3:55 or so mark, as the harmony moves f# – D, the pianist throws in some cool passing movement.  the f# chord passes through a F+#9 to f-7 before then hitting the D chord and then pausing on the “loungy” d/F.  That’s when lil’  Lana steps from her “contrite” exterior and bleeds a little sensuality into the room. That moment really made the performance for me.

Todd Rundgren’s “Hello It’s me” in “five”.

Right now we are finishing up Kickstarter covers, form last falls campaign to make “Plans In Progress”. It feels like yesterday.

The first song we did, which we released in the spring, was a cover of Joe Esposito’s “You’re the Best Around” form the movie the KArate Kid.

It’s actually doing really well on Youtube! Love it. Can you tell what band I’m paying homage to?
congratulate our Friend Brandon, for requesting such a good idea to cover.

The nest song we do is Todd Rundgren’s “Hello It’s Me”, and The sketch I created this morning has me really excited. I actually started this in the spring, but did this wacky solo piano arrangment, and then left it alone, becasue the inspiration came and went.

here is that version:

piano, in five.
gotta love it.
or it may make you puke.
the straight ahead version that is coming is sich, and will steam-roll all those OTHER Todd Rundgren covers.