Country

[vchizzle]

Anyone that knows me, knows I'm not a country music guy....at all. Mostly I'm not into the vocal stylings. It just doesn't do anything for me. However, I'm not close minded enough to not appreciate some of it musically. I'm not a hater of any type of music in general. I do like some of tones and always appreciate a good player. Which brings me to Brent Mason. I happened to youtube him after reading another thread and clicked on this:

I'll say(besides Brent being a great player), this is a pretty cool instructional vid. While I didn't sit here and try to master the whole thing, it was fun for me learn and play along to what Brent is teaching here. The multiple camera angles are great. Cool stuff.

 

[veinbuster]

Each, very nice,
It is hard not to love Brent.

 

[prsrocker1988]

Brent is great.

I have to say, I love most of the modern country. It sounds closer to classic rock than modern rock could ever be and sure, it's not traditional tear-in-my-beer country, it's a nice treat for me as I'm a rock n' roll fan and I like my country rockin'. Obviously if someone preferred the older stuff, they wouldn't like it. The lyrical content isn't always strong but the guitar is always rockin'.

Brent doesn't get to do much of the chicken pickin' anymore, it's all rock stuff. Great player all around and not just chicken pickin'.

Other Nashville studio faves are: Kenny Greenberg, Chris Leuzinger, Pat Buchanan, Jeff King, Troy Lancaster, JT Corenflos, Danny Rader, Tom Bukovac, Rob McNelley, Jerry McPherson, Adam Shoenfeld, Derek Wells, and Justin Ostrander.

And you have to love the PRS action in live country with Kurt Allison and Tyler Chiarelli and a bunch of other guys. Killer!

 

[Bill SAS 513]

Pick up Brad Paisley's CD "Play"...killer playing!!

 

[vchizzle]

Yeah, I've been meaning to buy "Play" for awhile now. The only country I actually own and like is Cash. But he always just had a different mojo about him.

 

[László]

This is a true story about my last trip to Nashville. I had some sessions down there for a Dodge Truck ad, and they wanted some country style stuff. I was just there to produce it, not to play on it. I'd hired a great bunch of session guys to get the playing done, except on keys where I can more or less hold my own. But just for grins, I brought one of my guitars, and my case had a PRS sticker on it.

On the way to the studio, my host who owned the studio and booked the session for me said, "Let's stop and get a burger for lunch before we get going, we have a couple of hours." So we went into this honky tonk downtown, and sat at a table.

Just as we finished placing our order, a guy came up to me with a big grin on his face. He was a little drunk. "I see you have a PRS," he said. "Play me some Brent Mason." I politely demurred, and said I was a keyboard player, and had only brought the guitar on the trip because I hoped to pick up some licks from one of the real guitar players.

"Open the damn case, and play me some Brent Mason!" he shouted, pulled out a gun and pointed it at me.

Well, what could I do? The man had a gun. So I opened the case, and pulled out the guitar, my Mira. "Play me some Brent Mason," said the man with the gun.

So I picked up the guitar, and played the best country licks I knew, but I could see I wasn't making this guy very happy. "That's the best I can do," I said.

He cocked the trigger. "Son, don't be bringing a guitar into Nashville unless you can play it," he said, coldly. And I thought, "Well, I'm a dead man." Everyone in the restaurant had stepped back out of the way, and for good reason. My host had literally run outside to call the police. I could feel the whole place holding its breath.

There were no police, no sirens, nothing. Just this lunatic and me. So I figured, WTF, and I started playing a slow blues. I can do a credible job on that, I was thinking. For some reason, the crazy man with the gun sat down and watched and listened.

"How did you do that lick?" he asked. It was an easy Clapton lick I'd learned. So I said, "Hand me the gun, and try it on my guitar."

So he handed me his gun and I handed him my guitar. He kept fumbling the lick. And well, I forgot what was happening, I was so engrossed in teaching this guy the lick. So I said, "OK, here's your gun, give me the guitar and I'll show you again." I handed him the gun. He handed me the guitar. We repeated the process a few times.

Finally the police arrived. Unfortunately, at that moment I was holding the gun, and the guy had my guitar. Thinking I was the gunman, the police opened fire, and that's why I've been dead since 2008.

My only advice is never go to Nashville with a guitar unless you are prepared to play as well as Brent Mason.

 

[Kazz]

Nice story Lesteban...I'm afraid I'd be shot immediately for not having listened to anything by Brent Mason...I guess I'll have to watch the video above - it might save my life someday!

Johnny Cash is about the only country I have too...just like the OP it's the vocal style of most country music that I'm not a fan of...well, that and a lot of the lyrics. If I can find some with vocals I like though, I'll be happy to listen to more, so I guess I'll cross my fingers when I check out Brent's stuff.

 

[IKnowALittle]

Country? Yeah, I'm all in.
I love the vocals and harmony. Chills up and down my spine.
I know that a lot of people have excellent voices in all kinds of genres, but Country is so pure and natural.
I'm a pragmatic guy, try to see things as they really are.
If you check out Emmylou, Vince Gill and Patty Loveless, not to mention John Duffy and Bobby Osborne, in their prime, the only comparable in "rock" is the Eagles.
There is only one person that you can put on the same pedestal, at an equal level, as the Beatles, and that is Hank Williams. All the haters will whine and moan, but it's just a fact.
But, that's the great thing about music ... it isn't a zero sum game.

I've played banjo for many, many years. I also play in a band that gets more work than we can handle. If you ever feel that you're getting to much work, play in a bluegrass band, that will cut it down about 95%.
Check out Brad Paisley playing "Next Broken Heart" for some Brent Mason.

I've read that B.B. King is struggling with his health. Sucks. I think we all forget how great he was.
Total unique style and such a powerful voice. He's also the only guitarist that I have never heard play a "Berryism".
Check this out, in his prime. Long live "THE KING".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HC94GVNftw

Enough ramblin', time to hit the sack.

 

[CVS]

Great BB King video - He was really in his prime!

 

[Kazz]

IKnowALittle: I just listened to something (or several things) from everyone you mentioned, and while it was there to varying degrees, and less apparent in most of the older stuff, they all had some of the things I dislike about most country vocals.

It's not their voices that bother me (they do have good voices), it's what they do with them. It seems anything but "natural" to me...most country vocals are among the most affected vocals I hear, along with opera (which I don't love either).

For pure vocals and harmonies, and some similarities in music, I'd point to Simon & Garfunkel. In fact I think there's significant overlap between some of their stuff and some stuff I heard from John Duffy for example, and he's the one I enjoyed most from your list.

Anyway, it's all about personal taste...I just wish they'd roll back those particular vocal stylings so maybe I'd end up liking more country music. I do like a lot of folk music, which I suppose is it's closest relative.

 

[alantig]

Yeah, I've been meaning to buy "Play" for awhile now. The only country I actually own and like is Cash. But he always just had a different mojo about him.

If not for Johnny Cash, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation. He is, was, and will always be the man. I'm just lucky enough that I got to meet him and thank him for inspiring me to pick up the guitar. I turned into a stammering six-year-old when I met him, but...

 

[vchizzle]

If not for Johnny Cash, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation. He is, was, and will always be the man. I'm just lucky enough that I got to meet him and thank him for inspiring me to pick up the guitar. I turned into a stammering six-year-old when I met him, but...

Ha, don't feel bad, I think a muttered a "thank you, that was a great show." when I met Slash. I've met plenty of musicians and the time I meet one that made me wanna play, I clamor up like a school girl

 

[Kazz]

I barely said anything when I met Ian Anderson and Martin Barre years ago...although I guess the fact that I was in a long line of people waiting for autographs is a good enough excuse...at least I got to talk to Bill Callahan a little when I met him, and I've talked significantly more with Nick Burbridge online, so that covers probably my 3 favorite bands.

I would have liked to meet Johnny Cash too...but I'd probably have been struck dumb just like you guys.

 

[Bill SAS 513]

Ha, don't feel bad, I think a muttered a "thank you, that was a great show." when I met Slash. I've met plenty of musicians and the time I meet one that made me wanna play, I clamor up like a school girl

That sounds about right...I had the opportunity to speak to Alex and Geddy from Rush and all I got out was "Congratulations on the new Disc", and my palms started sweating, the room spun in circles, until Mr. Lifeson broke the ice, and talked about gear...great guys, and I think they still genuinely like what they are doing. (Which they do so damned great!!!!)

And now, back to the original channel...
Brad Paisley also has what I'd consider to be a good voice, without the strong (pardon the term) country twang in his voice, plus every album has at least a couple tunes that are so cleverly written, you'll actually find yourself laughing at the lyrics.

 

[alantig]

Yeah, but you guys got out actual words. I didn't. I told my wife before I left that day, "At least I'm older now - if this had happened when I was a kid, I wouldn't have been able to talk to him." And when my time came, he said hello, my mouth opened, my jaw went up and down and dead frigging silence. It felt like it took five minutes for the words to come out. Eventually they did, but man, I was worried for a bit.

Funny part was, when June was signing a book for me, she asked me how I wanted it signed, and I said, "Your name would be good." Seriously. And then I heard this roar from my left, and Johnny couldn't stop laughing. He kept calling guys over to tell them what I said to her. I wasn't even trying to be a smart a$$ - it just came out.

 

[IKnowALittle]

IKnowALittle: I just listened to something (or several things) from everyone you mentioned, and while it was there to varying degrees, and less apparent in most of the older stuff, they all had some of the things I dislike about most country vocals.

It's not their voices that bother me (they do have good voices), it's what they do with them. It seems anything but "natural" to me...most country vocals are among the most affected vocals I hear, along with opera (which I don't love either).

For pure vocals and harmonies, and some similarities in music, I'd point to Simon & Garfunkel. In fact I think there's significant overlap between some of their stuff and some stuff I heard from John Duffy for example, and he's the one I enjoyed most from your list.

Anyway, it's all about personal taste...I just wish they'd roll back those particular vocal stylings so maybe I'd end up liking more country music. I do like a lot of folk music, which I suppose is it's closest relative.

Yeah, but man, you don't like country and clearly don't know anything about it. That's cool, but you need to open your mind and your ears.
You listened to something that you already decided to not like.
Honestly, you really need to listen again ... or not ... whatever, I could care less.

Try this ... learn to play "Walkin' The Strings" and "Bluefinger" without any tab or lessons like I did.
Sorry, getting' carried away ... it's all good.

 

[IKnowALittle]

If not for Johnny Cash, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation. He is, was, and will always be the man. I'm just lucky enough that I got to meet him and thank him for inspiring me to pick up the guitar. I turned into a stammering six-year-old when I met him, but...

Nothing against Johnny Cash and it's good that he inspired you; your statement may be true for people who know nothing about country music, but is complete hogwash and kinda insulting for anyone that does.
Just the way it is, most people don't like country and that's cool, but I do.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Great music is where you find it.
Patsy,Willie, Dolly, Hank,and Johnny... Soulful as Motown and as Punk as Cro-Mags. Real rebel music.

 

[IKnowALittle]

Great music is where you find it.
Patsy,Willie, Dolly, Hank,and Johnny... Soulful as Motown and as Punk as Cro-Mags. Real rebel music.

Hey man, I thought that you would absolutely shred me.
You have a cool way with words and offbeat perspective, really refreshing whether I agree or not.
It's lonely in the county (lol).

 

[vchizzle]

Nothing against Johnny Cash and it's good that he inspired you; your statement may be true for people who know nothing about country music, but is complete hogwash and kinda insulting for anyone that does.
Just the way it is, most people don't like country and that's cool, but I do.

Most people don't like country? Now it sounds like you don't know what yer talkin bout. Maybe your favorite acts aren't as popular as they once were, but country music as a whole is alive and well, even if it's because they've adapted and tapped into the pop market.