GearSpoon - Orange Tiny Terror guitar amp

I'm a huge fan of Rob Chappers, this guy is awesome and he can shred! Anyway, I love my Orange Tiny Terror guitar head; it's a very sweet "micro" amp that really has a great sound with very low-wattage. It has officially replaced my Mesa Boogie F-50 head in my rig.

I really just wanted to post this video of Chappers playing the Tiny Terror because I love this video...maybe I'll do a real review of the Tiny Terror some other day, but not today, I'm just too lazy right now.

TuneSpoon - Dir En Grey

How many bands do you know of that started out with a very pop-rock kind of sound, that successfully pulled off an extremely dark, heavy transition? I can think of one, Dir En Grey.

This band will rip your face off; plain and simple.

Who is Dir En Grey? Dir En Grey hails from Japan and is one of the few bands that have been fortunate enough to break through the language barrier and see success in English-speaking countries.

They have a very heavy, technical-guitar style. The vocals are extremely dynamic as is their music. They create familiar and unique sounds. Their composition is very thoughtful, meaning every moment they are clearly aware of what they are doing and are actively moving their songs a long; avoiding a simple repeativite chord structure as the basis for each section of their tracks.

Whether you understand Japanese or not, you will understand their music. However, it is not for the faint of heart; you'll need to have an appreciation for post-hardcore music to truely enjoy the experience that is Dir En Grey.

Japan has a very cool music scene with a wide range of styles available to those who are willing to seek out some new music.

Check out Dir En Grey on their Purevolume page or their Myspace page! Or just go randomly purchase their music. If you like post-hardcore, you'll dig these guys as much as I do. Now, back to some "clever sleazoid."

Dir En Grey at Purevolume.com

Dir En Grey at Myspace.com

Dir En Grey's Official Website (English)

TuneSpoon - Silverchair: Emotion Sickness

Silverchair happens to be the band that caused me to go out and pick up my first guitar; it's been one hell of a road since that time. The last time I was fortunate enough to see them play, during the Young Modern tour, they played "Emotion Sickness" just like this video and it changed my life, again.

"Emotion Sickness" was the first song I ever learned to play on guitar and there will always be a special place for this song in my heart. To have witnessed this rendition of the song was quite remarkable. This band changed my life, will it change yours? Pay attention to the dynamic, melodic, harmonic content of this song.

Enjoy

TuneSpoon - Django Reinhardt

As a musician and guitarist, it is extremely important to experience and appreciate all styles of music that relate to an instrument. You do not need to love what you are listening to, but you should have an understanding of what is going on in the various styles; if you choose to ignore other styles, you'll only limit your own growth and versatility.

Django Reinhardt. The Gypsy Jazz guitarist that revolutionized and influenced numerous individuals. His harmonic musical understanding and his amazing repertoire of chops, arguably makes him one of the greatest guitarists/musicians of the 20th century. And, after cutting his first recordings in 1928, he managed to do this all with only two fingers on his fretting-hand - can you imagine?

Gypsy Jazz is a complex style of rhythm and lead. Barre chords need not apply! Gypsy Jazz chords typically require two or three fingers to create major and minor 6ths, as opposed to major/minor 5ths. The rhythm used with these chords, follows an up-down, down pattern; similar to some non-jazz styles. The lead parts combine chromatic scales with arpeggios - a style that borders Classical music. Of course, the main ingredient to Gypsy Jazz is swing. The style moves, it swings, it's fast and it'll get you going.

Step up to the plate, check out Django Reinhardt if you've never listened to him before. Or re-listen if it's been a while. You may like it, you may hate it, but at least you know that his music existed. After all, his legacy has mostly likely played a role in shaping/influencing the modern musicians that you love so dearly today.