Speaking of Wolfie brings up yet more
questions: Why is it that original bassist
Michael Anthony—whose tasteful, rock-solid playing and distinctive high-pitched
background vocals were a huge part of the
band’s unique sound—was increasingly
sidelined from 1986’s 5150 onward, both
in terms of mix prominence and freedom to
stray from eighth- and quarter-note rhythms
on the root note, and yet Wolfgang seems to
have none of those restrictions? To be sure,
this is how it should be, and Wolfie proves
to be a great bassist who no doubt makes
his dad super proud. But the void in VH’s
barbershop-quartet-style vocals of yore is
ever present and sorely missed.
In the end, A Different Kind of Truth
is a mixed bag: It certainly exceeds early
expectations set by the head-scratching
first single, “Tattoo.” But for music fans
more interested in seeing musical greats
break new ground, it kind of makes you
wish Ed and Alex would take a page from
fellow rock god Robert Plant’s book and
steadfastly oppose calls for reunions that
attempt to put yesteryear’s muse in a state
of suspended animation. Instead, they
should press forward with the sort of fearless open-mindedness that put them on the
map in the first place, even if that means
making some tough decisions about singers
and venue sizes. —Shawn Hammond
Must-hear tracks: “Bullethead,”
“Honeybabiesweetiedoll,” “Blood and Fire”
ALBUM
Will Bernard
Outdoor Living
Dreck to Disk Records
It’s hard to describe guitarist Will Bernard’s
latest album, Outdoor Living, without using
at least a few hyphens. Is it jazz-funk or
funk-jazz? Either way, Bernard has become
a mainstay on the Brooklyn scene since
moving there from the Bay Area a few
years ago. Even though Bernard’s previous albums found him in larger and more
diverse ensembles, the organ trio is where
he really shines. Joining him on this effort
are NOLA-based drummer Simon Lott
and one of Bernard’s old SF collaborators,
organist Wil Blades.
musicians
understand
the history of
groove-based
music, but are
willing to push
it forward. You
can hear traces
of Grant Green and George Benson in
Bernard’s solos, but you also feel this sense
of urgency combined with a dirty twang
that has elements of pure garage rock—
check out the opening to “Implitude” for
proof. The secret weapon, however, is Lott.
His feel for everything from a second-line
shuffle to balls-out rock makes him the
rightful heir to the New Orleans drum
crown that has been passed down from
Johnny Vidacovich to Stanton Moore.
The most experimental track is “6B,”
an electronica-inspired, medium-tempo
tune that allows Bernard to finally use
all those pedals that he probably found
in a closet somewhere. Even with the
varied influences, the trio does bring the
greasy heat that organ trios are known
for. “Nooksack” is a laid-back groove that
gives Bernard some room to show off his
slide chops and “Squeaky Chug Chug”
demonstrates that Blades spent many
hours checking out Larry Young’s Unity
album. Even though the framework sometimes wanders off path, make no mistake:
The groove on Outdoor Living is here to
stay. —Jason Shadrick
Must-hear tracks: “Nooksack,”
“Implitude”
BOOK
guitar Tone: Pursuing the
ultimate guitar sound
Mitch Gallagher
Course Technology
Chasing tone is a major priority amongst
guitar freaks and, for most of us, it’s a
lifelong pursuit. It’s actually more of a journey than a destination, because the more
we learn, the more we strive to continue
advancing toward that ever-elusive golden
tone. Mitch Gallagher has spent over 30
years striving to better understand and
achieve killer tone and has graciously shared
that knowledge in this fantastic book—or
better yet, textbook for tone.
The book is broken down into two parts
(“The Tools of Tone” and “The Icons of
Tone”), and in these 362 pages Gallagher
explores nearly every conceivable component
in the chain of guitar sound. From detailed
treatises on construction, tone woods, hardware, pickups, and electronics to amplifiers,
tubes, cabinets, and speakers, there is very little
he could have missed. He dives into effects,
amp modeling, and even the “little things” like
picks, strings, cables, and wireless systems.
The last three chapters of the first section focus on iconic guitars, amps, and ped-als. All of the usual suspects are here—from
Gibson and Fender to Marshall and MXR.
These chapters cover a ton of ground with
explicit detail and help round out the book
with information that you can come back
to repeatedly for reference.
But a book on guitar sound would not
be complete without the second section,
“The Icons Of Tone.” Here Gallagher breaks
down the rigs of guitar legends like Jeff Beck,
Clapton, Hendrix, The Edge, Eric Johnson,
SRV, and many more. Each guitarist has his
own chapter complete with details on the
amps, guitars, and effects that contributed
to his sound. Juicy bits on how the gear was
used holds interest at every turn of the page.
As a player for over 30 years myself, I
found a lot I could relate to, but I definitely
learned some things. As a fan of British amps,
I discovered details about American amps
that were new to me. And since I am forever
forgetting how to wire speaker cabinets up
for series, series/parallel, etc., pages 145-147
are already earmarked as my go-to reference
for whenever I need to wire or rewire a cab.
Pictures were the only element sorely
missing. Gear porn is a big part of a good
read for many of us, and there were times
I hoped for something other than words to
underscore the point. Sure, we’ve all seen
a Les Paul before, but who doesn’t want to
see one again?
In the end, I can honestly say this book
will stand the test of time and should serve
as required reading for guitarists looking to
further their knowledge and fuel their
tonal journey. This
one is staying in my
library as a first-call
reference book—I’ll
be coming back to it
for a long time.
