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Somewhere between the sound of a dreadnought and an OM stands this unique instrument! The Revival Acoustics RG-33 is perhaps a step in a different direction for what they consider a OOO acoustic guitar to be, it has a unique body shape, not being as long (in the upper bout) or as lean as a traditional OOO body style guitar. The RG-33 is built with an all solid Sitka spruce top, but here is where it gets interesting the back and sides are made from solid walnut; which along with the non traditional body shape really give this guitar it's unique sound!
The thickness/depth of the walnut sides on this guitar really help provide more low end response that is well balanced and not muddy by any means! The solid walnut back and sides produce a clarity of tone that (to my ears) has a bell like clarity to it and also has a nice woody flavor to it. Take note that the sides of this guitar do protrude out more like a dreadnought sized acoustic guitar (so that the sound will too), but also keep in mind that this could be a factor if your accustomed to sitting down and cradling a traditionally built OOO style acoustic guitar (with it's thinner sides)!
This is a really versatile guitar, which can be used for a wide variety of styles weather you want to sit or stand, play finger style tunes or flat pick on it; the RG-33 will take whatever you throw at it and reproduce something pleasing to your ears!
A very nice singer-song writer guitar, the RG-33 has a mahogany neck has a nice thin smooth satin finish and a grained ivoroid bound rosewood fingerboard with shell dot position markers and a unique thin block inlay at the 12th fret, the bridge is larger than what Revival uses on their OM models, it's the size used on Revival's dreadnought size guitars, but it's made from ebony not rosewood.
This guitar has a high gloss finish and is fully bound with grained ivoriod binding top, back and sides; which to me always provides a really nice contrast between the darker selected solid woods! The headstock features a nice thick rosewood overlay (not a thin laminate) upon which the Revival name is inscribed in abalone inlay, the guitar also comes with the larger Grover Romatic tuners (which I prefer) where Revival's OM models have the mini Grover Romatic tuners.
This guitar can provide any player with plenty of volume and punch, it has a really nice open sound and a unique clarity of tone all it's own,the Sitka spruce top is adorned with an abalone rosette (as are most of Revivals all solid wood instruments) and along with the walnut back and sides it produces a sound that is difficult to describe, however I would have to place it in between rosewood and mahogany (in the tone department) because it shares similar traits of both these different tone woods. Walnut is some what uncommonly used on guitars and for the back and sides of mandolins, prized for it's clarity of tone, it is a beautiful looking wood that is also appreciated selected for fine furniture making (table tops, desks etc.)
If your looking to break some of the barriers of a traditionally built OOO size guitar, the Revival RG-33 offers you the chance to change your flavor and re-shape your sound and perhaps broaden your musical horizons as well; Once again with this unique model, Revival Acoustics has given us a lot of guitar which produces great sound for the money!
Not sure what's happening with me on this one, but it seems like the more I listen to it, the better Lets Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye gets. Lets Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye stated simply is one of Vince Gill's best CDs to date.
Vince Gill has been a super star in the Contemporary Country genre for quite a while now and Lets Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye is an excellent illustration as to why.
Contemporary Country music fans will recognize some of the well known contributors on the project including Tony Brown and Steve Marcantonio plus a few other notables as well.
I'm of the opinion that Lets Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye is certainly Vince Gill's best work in a few years. A totally enjoyable CD and an outstanding release. What I call must have music. I give it two thumbs up because it's a collection that even the casual Contemporary Country fan can appreciate and enjoy.
While this entire CD is outstanding some of my favorites are track 2 - Feels Like Love, track 3 - Lets Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye, and track 10 - Look What Loves Revealing
My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 5 - When I Look Into Your Heart. This is a great track!
Lets Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye Release Notes:
Vince Gill originally released Lets Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye on April 18, 2000 on the MCA label.
CD Track List Follows:
1. One
2. Feels Like Love
3. Let's Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye
4. For The Last Time
5. When I Look Into Your Heart - (with Amy Grant)
6. Shoot Straight From Your Heart
7. Luckiest Guy In The World, The
8. Little Things
9. Baby Please Don't Go
10. Look What Love's Revealing
11. That Friend Of Mine - (with Jenny Gill)
12. Hey God (A Song For Payne)
Notes Personnel: Vince Gill (vocals, acoustic, electric & gut-string guitars, banjo, mandolin); Amy Grant (vocals); Brent Mason (acoustic & electric guitars); George Marinelli (electric guitar, mandolin); Randy Scruggs (gut-string guitar); Andrea Zorn (fiddle, viola); Mickey Raphael (harmonica); John Horn, Barry Green, Mike Haynes (horns); Steve Nathan, Michael Omartian (piano, keyboards); Willie Weeks (bass); John Hammond (drums); Robert Bailey, Vicki Hampton, Kim Fleming, The Katinas, Jeff White, Jenny Gill, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Billy Thomas, Thom Flora, Bekka Bramlett, Andrea Zonn, Leslie Satcher (background vocals).
For me the baroque period music really has some of my favourite pieces in it, is usually bright and very positive in sound. From the wonderful sound of the oboe, to the really bright tones of the mandolin. There is something in this musical genre to lift anyone's spirits.
I do of course also like some of the sad and dark moments in the baroque music era as well, one that i love is didos lament (when i am laid in earth) from henry purcells opera dido and aeneas. This aria is really beautiful and very sad indeed, it cannot fail to move anyone almost to tears.
One really cannot do justice to the baroque period, which spans from about 1600 to 1750. With the wealth of composers contained within that timeframe, in just the brief context of this article. But we can list a few of the composers and some of my personal favourites.
George Friderich Handel.
1/ Lascia Ch'io Pianga (let me lament my cruel fate) from
rinaldo.
2/ Ombra mai fù from his opera xerxses (known as his largo)
3/ The Sarabande (3 beat dance)
4/ Sound an Alarm from his oratorio Judas Maccabeus.
Johan Sebastian Bach.
1/ Double violin concerto
(The Concerto for 2 Violins, Strings and Continuo in D
Minor, BWV 1043)
2/ The bach Cello Suites.
Antonio Vivaldi.
1/ The Four Seasons (spring,summer,autumn,winter)
2/ The mandolin concertos
Tomaso Albinoni
1/ The Oboe Concerto,s
2/ Adagio for Strings.
Johan Pachelbel
1/ Pachelbel,s Cannon (Canon in D major )
Gregorio Allegri
1/ Miserere mei, Deus" (Latin: "Have mercy on me, O God").
This is a truly beautiful piece of music.
I really hope i have managed to give you an appetite, and you will now explore the diverse amount of music contained within the baroque period.
Steve Thorn.
Vivaldi was a pioneer of the concerto. He is one of the most popular and greatest composers. Early in the 1700's Vivaldi began to write his concertos that were widely spread in manuscript. Vivaldi is known for changing the nature of the concerto. Earlier concertos were relatively different; Vivaldi was able to mark change concertos from what they once were, to what they are now.
He explored new ways of composing solo instrumental passages to be placed in between sections of orchestral music. This created contrasts in the sound and gave the soloist a chance to impress the audience. His most famous concertos aren't especially distinctive. His concertos interested many not just because of the song itself but because of the way the songs were played, how the instruments worked together and how they all became such an amazing and unique work of art. Many of Vivaldi's concertos feature one or more violins.
Many of Vivaldi's works have also included the flute, oboe bassoon and cello. Some include the guitar and mandolin, horns and trumpets and several works included unusual combinations of solo or single instruments. Today, Vivaldi is particularly founded on his 500 concertos. Vivaldi was the first composer to regularly use the ritornello form in fast movements. He is also known to standardize the movement scheme; fast, slow, fast of the classical concerto. Vivaldi probably had no idea that he was making musical history. He wrote music very quickly and efficiently. He has many concertos that are known today however, there are many more to be discovered.
The continuing oppression and suffering of the freed slaves bred a musical genre that today can uplift and encourage all peoples.
Turmoil and Revolution Breed Genius
In the early twentieth century, popular culture in America underwent a massive revolution. Mass industrialization reduced the need for farm labor and increased the need for factory labor in the major cities, leading to mass migration of African Americans from southern homesteads to northern industrial centers such as Detroit, Chicago and New York. Through various advancements such as the assembly line, cataloging, and the department store, the availability and popularity of consumer goods sky-rocketed.
One such development, unique in its nature, was the radio and the gramophone / recording studio. These technologies made music and news accessible to more people than had ever previously been possible, and, just as importantly, gave the layman an outlet to develop and promote music. So, very quickly, studios were popping up all over the place, and soon enough, through all the chaos and inefficiency that plagued the early recording industry, Gospel music emerged as the overwhelmingly popular genre.
But why was this? And why is it important now? The early twentieth century was not a particularly spiritual one in America's history.
Timelessly Uplifting
The popularity of Gospel music is really quite simple. Gospel songs were generally short, energetic, and uplifting. Southern Gospel groups were generally all male tenor quartets, representing a popular format that has stuck with culture even today. In many ways, Gospel music in the early recording industry represented the earliest form of what we today know as pop songs, and created a sphere of influence that eventually spread on a global scale. The music was easy to listen to, accessible, and catchy.
Before the invention of 'mass media' such as radio and records, gospel music was really only experienced in its birthplace - the southern black church. Segregated from white churches, African Americans developed their own unique music genre, one that spoke to their condition of being a depressed (held down), segregated, discriminated people. The black gospel music lyrics that emerged from this condition and their church services speaks to us today, because seeking salvation and support through troubled times is a universal condition.
But once African Americans started moving from southern farms to northern cities, and once the records and radios were in place in the 1920's and 1930's, the rest of America could hear southern gospel music for the first time. And they liked what they heard. What's not to like about short, energetic and uplifting music lyrics that comfort us in times of trouble?
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Bobby Flay is a celebrity chef. Many times when someone reaches a high status within their career they lose some of what made them noticeable. Not so in this case!
My daughter and I were on a whirlwind 2 day trip to the Big Apple. We had wanted to have a special dinner to cap off a wonderfully, exhausting celebration of our two landmark birthdays (she had just turned 25 and I am crossing over to the big 50 at the end of the year). We noticed that Bar Americain was across the street from our hotel. We were fortunate enough to have had brunch in Flay's Mesa Grill in Las Vegas so we hoped this upscale brasserie would measure up to our first experience.
We were not disappointed. The atmosphere is quite elegant and serene. Warm wood walls, marble floors and dim lighting. The soaring ceilings and "loft" gave the room a feel of a 1940's dinner club. Even though we went at six o'clock, which is quite early for a New York dinner, there were quite a few parties seated. Our server was knowledgeable and when he heard about my dairy allergy he had the busboy bring over a basket of just out of the oven "safe" breads and drinks, promising to return momentarily with dinner suggestions.
He kept his word! Within five minutes our tuxedo clad server let me know which dishes could be prepared for my enjoyment. My daughter, who was fortunate enough to be able to chose anything on the menu went with a house favorite: a rack of pork with double apple butter and a balsamic vinegar and fig reduction sauce which included smashed potatoes with goat cheese. The pork had been marinated in a brine for 30 hours and came pink, juicy and according to my daughter was the best pork chop she had ever had and loved ever bite of her side dish as well.
I had my choice of wild salmon (without the port wine reduction) or Floridian inspired red snapper encrusted in plantains and topped with a luscious and refreshing mango, corn and avocado salsa as it rested on a black bean puree. If my husband, who doesn't care for snapper, had been there-this was a dish he would have enjoyed-as did I. The plantain was quite thinly sliced on a mandolin and was just enough to give the moist fish a perfect crunch.
Before our main dishes, we also had to split an appetizer-Flay's signature spicy tuna tartare. We wanted to see if he used the same recipe as his Mesa Grill. It was very similar, but not as spicy. Which fit well with the elegant surroundings. The tuna was melt in your mouth fresh, icy cold with capers and cayenne.
My daughter loves tiramisu and saw someone at a nearby table having a portion and moaning in delight. She announced her intention to have one. However, by the time we split the appetizer and she had enjoyed every bite of her entree, she declared dessert officially out!
We may not have been able to see a Broadway show during our whirlwind weekend, but Bobby Flay's Bar Americain proved to be a delicious bit of memorable culinary theatre.
Tift Merritt, very talented Rock artist has released her latest CD titled Bramble Rose and Wow! It's good.
It's a rare day indeed that I get a CD from an artist that I can truthfully say does not have a bad track in the bunch. I'm more than happy to announce that's exactly what I must say about this one. There simply is NOT a bad one in the bunch. No fillers here at all, with each song standing tall on it's own.
One of the nicer things about a CD like this is when the talent is this rich even if Rock isn't your favorite style you still can't help but appreciate the greatness of the artist.
Listen to and I think you'll agree that the song choices are excellent, the production is outstanding and Tift Merritt is clearly in top form.
While the entire album is really very good some of my favorites are track 2 - Virginia, No On Can Warn You, track 8 - Supposed To Make Your Happy, and track 11 - When I Cross Over
My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 1 - Trouble Over Me. This is a great track!
Bramble Rose Release Notes:
Tift Merritt originally released Bramble Rose on June 4, 2002 on the Lost Highway Records label.
CD Track List Follows:
1. Trouble Over Me
2. Virginia, No One Can Warn You
3. Neighborhood
4. Bird Of Freedom
5. Bramble Rose
6. I Know Him Too
7. Sunday
8. Supposed To Make You Happy
9. Diamond Shoes
10. Are You Still In Love With Me?
11. When I Cross Over
Personnel includes: Tift Merritt (vocals, guitar, piano); Ethan Johns (guitar, mandolin, ukulele, piano, Hammond B-3 organ, omnichord, drums, percussion); Greg Reading (pedal steel guitar, dobro, Wurlitzer piano, background vocals); Benmont Tench (piano, celeste, harmonium, Hammond C-3 organ); Jay Brown (bass, background vocals); Zeke Hutchins (drums). Recorded at the Sunset Sound Factory, Los Angeles, California.
Brooks and Dunn, very talented Contemporary Country group have released their latest CD titled Red Dirt Road and Wow! It's good.
I wish it weren't the case but, it's not everyday that I get a CD for review that I can just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. There is usually a song or two that I just can't force myself to get through. Not at all the case with Red Dirt Road. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish.
These days it's a very rare CD on which every single song is good or better than the one before it. This CD is certainly one of those rare CDs.
If you're even mildly into Contemporary Country music you'll enjoy this album. Overall Red Dirt Road is an outstanding release. I give it my double thumbs up. You will not be disappointed with one single track.
While the entire album is outstanding some of my favorites are track 1 - You Can't Take The Honky Tonk Out Of The Girl, track 4 - That's What She Gets For Loving Me, and track 7 - I Used To Know This Song By Heart
My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 12 - My Baby's Everything I Love. Good stuff!
Red Dirt Road Release Notes:
Brooks and Dunn originally released Red Dirt Road on July 15, 2003 on the Arista Nashville label.
CD Track List Follows:
1. You Can't Take The Honky Tonk Out Of The Girl 2. Caroline 3. When We Were Kings 4. That's What She Gets For Loving Me 5. Red Dirt Road 6. Feels Good Don't It 7. I Used To Know This Song By Heart 8. Believer 9. Memory Town 10. She Was Born To Run 11. Till My Dyin' Day 12. My Baby's Everything I Love 13. Good Day To Be Me 14. Good Cowboy 15. Untitled - (hidden track)
Brooks & Dunn: Ronnie Dunn (vocals, guitar, tambourine); Kix Brooks (vocals, guitar).
Additional personnel includes: Kenny Greenbery (acoustic & electric guitars); Bryan Sutton (acoustic guitar, National slide guitar, banjo, mandolin); Dan Dugmore (acoustic guitar, dobro); Nick Casstevens, B. James Lowry (acoustic guitar); Pat Buchanon, J.T. Corenflas, John Jorgenson, Brent Mason, Lou Toomey (electric guitar); Jerry Douglas (dobro); Bill Kenner (mandola); Aubrey Haynie (fiddle); Jim Hoke (harmonica, accordion); Jeff Coffin, Jim Horn, Samuel Levine, Steve Patrick (horns); Steve Nathan (piano, Wurlitzer piano, keyboards, Hammond B-3 organ, organ, mellotron); Clayton Ivey (piano); Michael Rhodes, Glenn Worf (bass); Shannon Forrest (drums); Mark Wright (tambourine); Erick Darken (percussion); Robert Bailey, Bekka Bramlett, Perry Coleman, Vicki Hampton, Dan Tyminski(background vocals).
Producers: Kix Brooks, Ronnie Dunn, Mark Wright.
All over the Net and in many towns around the world you'll find mandolins for sale. You'll find music stores concentrating on string instruments, you can find mandolin dealers, you can also find vintage and used mandolins. How is one to know where to begin looking?
If you've got a local dealer that have mandolins for sale, that's the number 1 place to start your search. Being able to look at, hold and inspect the instrument before you purchase it's a gigantic deal. You must be sure you are getting what you paid for and being able to see it close up will eliminate any questions about what condition the instrument is in. These sites are crammed with items folk are generally just needing out of their homes. You need to make sure they are commended and do not have a practice of sending buyers damaged items. Also you might want to make sure that there is a picture of the item in question so that you can get an idea of the condition it is in.
If you want to stress less about the condition of the mandolin then look for online dealers that have mandolins for sale. These dealers will at the least have an in depth description of what condition the mandolins they have are in. A large amount of them will also have a photo of the mandolin. These dealers might also have return policies and products guarantees the sellers on the auction sites do not have. It is usually important when you are trying to find mandolins online to test the sellers' policies concerning shipping and returns. You need to have all that info before making the purchase. It will also rely on the name brand of the mandolin, style of mandolin, and naturally the seller.
Take it slow and do a little research on your purchase to make sure that you get the best deal from a credible dealer.
