180 degrees of music

Crying Guitars (and Other Instrumental Musings)

Before you read this month's article, I have a few announcements. First, thanks to everyone for emailing me your responses and suggestions on my articles - keep them coming to steve@getgigs.com. Second, for those of you who want to submit press kits (or bios and demos) notice that there is a new address for submissions - Steve Nathan c/o getgigs, 98-135 Lipoa Place, Aiea, HI 96701. Third, next month's feature will be about an amazing singer/songwriter named Maya Azucena, with whom I had the pleasure of spending some time in-studio while she was laying down vocals for her forthcoming debut cd. Fourth, in April I will have a special feature on getting ahead in the music industry. I interviewed many musicians (major label and indie), as well as record label executives and publicists. The goal is to provide you with some thoughts/advice from other people who are out there working the music scene. Finally, I am going to be in Hawaii for awhile and would like to hear from and receive info. about the music scene and the local musicians here. If you are in Hawaii or know people here for me to talk to about the local music scene contact me here by email or send me demos or contact info as soon as possible. Thanks, Steve.

Article :: Crying Guitars (and Other Instrumental Musings)

When I was in college, I had a roommate who complained about the music that I listened to. At the time, Jeff Beck's "Blow By Blow" was in heavy rotation on my stereo (and if you have never listened to "Blow By Blow", you can ignore anything else I ever say, but you must listen to this album at least once in your life). I thought it was funny at the time when he referred to my music as "crying guitars". Since I have continued to listen to instrumentals -from Stanley Clark, Al Dimeola, Paco DeLucia, John McLaughlin, (the list goes on and on and now includes Liquifyed) - I have come to realize that what my roommate referred to as crying guitars was actually fairly accurate. I also came to realize that "instrumental bands" are as expressive, if not more so, than bands with a vocal lead.

Instrumentals are as old and varied as any music. Spanning the centuries and generations from classical orchestral, jazz, electronica, and film soundtracks, instrumentals have always been an integral part of our culture. Take film soundtracks, for example, when, during the silent film period of the early 1900's, movies were accompanied by music played by live orchestras. When "talkies" came along, instrumentals continued to play an important role in establishing the emotional tenor of the film. This continues to be true to this day, in large part because filmmakers understand that music evokes emotional responses.

Whereas bands of any genre with a vocalist can rely on the lyrics to tell a story and evoke emotions, instrumental musicians vie for their audience's attention with one hand tied behind their back. They cannot rely, in whole or in part, on vocals to reach listeners. Instead, they ask their instruments to serve as their voices and to tell their story. Liquifyed ( www.liquifyed.com ), an instrumental band from New Jersey, that has been playing at clubs around the east coast not only exemplifies the best of what instrumental bands do, but also adds some diverse elements to the mix.

Liquifyed consists of five members playing guitar, bass, sax, drums, congas and percussion. Together they intelligently blend elements of funk, rock, and Latin genres to showcase a varied and very enjoyable array of music. Having seen Liquifyed perform recently and having listened to their self-titled cd, the smooth interplay between the band members is readily apparent and shows the strong dynamic of the band and its music. For example, Chris Faison takes the lead with his plaintive sounding and funk-inspired sax playing. Chris is then joined and surpassed by the rock-influenced guitar sounds of Brian Dickerson, who plays some smooth and inspired guitar. While Chris and Brian are "talking" to each other, the rhythm section, with strong and creative playing by Mike Barsky, who demonstrates his Latin-influenced training on a variety of instruments, including congas and other assorted percussion, Reggie Gamble on drums and Mark Shin on Bass, more than hold their own. This rhythm section provides a great counterpoint to the lead established by Chris and Brian.

Liquifyed understands that without lyrics they must find a way to tell a story and connect with their audience like any vocalist-lead band. Liquifyed not only succeeds in this endeavor, but in the process creates a sound that draws you in and does not let you out. Liquifyed sets a pace with their music that has you understanding exactly what they are about and where they are going and takes you along for the ride.

If you enjoy listening to musicians that are passionate about their craft and eager to share their passion and creativity with you, listen to "Charlie B's" from Liquifyed's cd, which you can download here, and go to their web site to learn more about the band and here some more music.