true by Too Human 2001 Boenel Records. **** Every bit as good as Eric Clapton.

Okay, so I am guess that you have not heard of Too Human, the band.  That is, I never heard of them either before I heard them play a gig at the local library in Bourne.  Attendance for the gig was essentially free.  Admission to the gig was to bring a can of food for the local food pantry in Bourne, MA.  To my knowledge, Too Human got paid for their gig, which is important to me.  I don’t like to see musicians getting ripped off, especially the lesser known acts.  And, frankly Too Human will probably never get popular, despite the fact that they are really good.  They may get gigs here and there, but the music industry likes to promote young folk, and well the musicians in Too Human have grey hair!  I find that somewhat sad that the music industry is so seeking of young talent, because this is a very good album, and it has essentially gone through the musical cracks because so many people have not heard of Too Human.  Despite that, from start to finish, “true,” is an awesome album.  It is sophisticated, but the musicians are not showing off.  If you haven’t heard Too Human, and like acts like Eric Clapton, Chicago, or George Benson, then Too Human might be worth it for you to check out.

Review of 2 by Liquid Tension Experiment **** Loses a Star Because It Has Some Filler.

Like Liquid Tension Experiment 1, some of the work on this album amounts to just hitting the record button and jamming without much thought.  As far as what I have heard, at the point at which this album was created, though Dream Theater could be considered masters of metal, they were not masters of jazz.  In fact, when improvising in their live music, it sounds like they still have a lot to learn.  That said, really this album is an impromptu jam, with some more structured songs mixed in.  As is typical of Dream Theater, the more structured songs sound orders of magnitude better than the impromptu jams.  At this time, one of the better jam bands out there, Liquid Tension Experiment was not.  Yet, there are some masterpieces on this album, and it deserves everyone one of its 4 stars for them.

Review of Lapse of Reality by Ring of Fire ***** Among Progressive Metal’s Best.

I will admit that I don’t like every song on this album.  However, Ring of Fire is a band that is made up of lesser known musical super heroes, and they all came together to produce a very fine work that is worthy of my highest praise.  After several years, I have not grown tired of listening to the better songs on Lapse of Reason.  If you like progressive metal, and are perhaps looking for a band that is a little off the beaten path, but every bit as good as the more popular ones, Ring of Fire is one of the best ways to go.  

Review of Question and Answer by Pat Metheny ***** Superior Musicianship.

I could definitely believe that some people who buy this album will fail to understand it.  It is a very complex album.  Even to a trained ear, one song may be difficult to recognize from the rest.  Yet, this is some of the best music of our generation.  The musicians that play on it are all virtuosos.

When I first heard this album, I was not much of a fan of this style of jazz guitar.  It sounded to smooth, and creamy, and it is a sound that is easy to hide behind.  However, I grew to like this cd very much.  While, Pat Metheny’s guitar production is easy to hide behind, meaning that with his sound you can’t hear something such as his finger sliding across the strings to be in position to make a new chord, the musicianship is superior.  In fact, I would imagine that through using this sound he was better able to reach a wider audience.  That is, you can’t have it both ways.  If you are going to be able to hear a guitarists every twitch, then you have to have some bite in your production, but you will lose a lot of potential customers even if your music is superior.

So, what do I think?  Can Metheny play with production that is hard to hide behind, or can’t he?  The answer is that I think he most certainly could if he wanted to but that he is using his softer production as a tool.

Review of Office of Strategic Influence by O.S.I. **** As good as Tool.

Of the Dream Theater side projects, this one is one of the best.  Mike Portnoy is back with Kevin Moore on this one, Dream Theater’s keyboardist for their breakthrough album Images and Words.  It’s a very solid effort, and I think that this band has the potential to be as big as Tool.  I also foresee that now since Mike Portnoy is no longer playing with Dream Theater, that O.S.I. might be one of his bands that he tries to promote to fame.  O.S.I. already has modest fame, and there is no reason why it couldn’t or shouldn’t have more.  Also, by now O.S.I. has a few albums out, such that they have a bunch of good songs to draw upon for live acts.  That is all the better, as many times bands come to success after putting out a few albums, and not on their first try.  In fact, I tend to be suspicious of bands if they don’t have a demo out or something before the record industry promotes them, that they actually are a good live act.  The quality of music on this album is definitely very good, my only criticism is that it can get boring to listen to, more so than say a Dream Theater album.

18th Guitar Snake Exercises: 6s 48 Jigga String Workout

17:1  At the 12th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following.  Open, open, open, open, open, open, 12th fret, 12th fret, 12th fret, 12th fret, 12th fret, 12th fret, 13th fret, 13th fret, 13th fret, 13th fret, 13th fret, 13th fret, 14thfret, 14thfret, 14thfret, 14th fret, 14th fret, 14th fret, 15th fret, 15th fret, 15th fret, 15th fret, 15th fret, 15th fret, 14thfret, 14th fret, 14thfret, 14th fret, 14th fret, 14th fret, 13th fret, 13th fret, 13th fret, 13th fret, 13th fret, 13th fret, 12th fret, 12th fret, 12th fret, 12th fret, 12th fret, 12th fret.  All the exercises in 17th Guitar Snake Exercises may be done without or without palm muting, with all down strokes then/or alternating strokes.  The 12th fret is played by the index finger.  The 13th fret is played by the middle.  The 14th fret is played by the ring.  The 15th is played with the pinky.
17:2  At the 11th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following.  Open, open, open, open, open, open, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 14, 14, 14, 14, 14, 14, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11.  With the pattern of notes, the 11th fret is played by the index finger.  The 12th fret is played by the middle finger.  And, the 13th fret is played by the ring.  The 14th fret is played with the pinky.
17:3  At the 10th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following.  Open, open, open, open, open, 10 6x, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 10 6x.  With the pattern of notes, the 10th fret is played by the index finger.  The 11th fret is played by the middle finger.  And, the 12th fret is played by the ring.  The 13th fret is played with the pinky.
17:4  At the 9th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following.  Open, open, open, open, open, 9 6x, 10 6x, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 10 6x, 9 6x.  With the pattern of notes, the 9th fret is played by the index finger.  The 10th fret is played by the middle finger.  The 11th fret is played by the ring.  The 12th fret is played by the pinky.
17:5  At the 8th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following.  Open, open, open, open, open, open, 8 6x, 9 6x, 10 6x, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 10 6x , 9 6x, 8 6x.  With the pattern of notes, the 8th fret is played by the index finger.  The 9th fret is played by the middle finger.  The 10th fret is played by the ring.  The 11th fret is played with the pinky.
17:6  At the 7th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following.  Open, open, open, open, open, open, 7 6x, 8 6x, 9 6x, 10 6x, 9 6x, 8 6x, 7 6x.  With the pattern of notes, the 7th fret is played by the index finger.  The 8th fret is played by the middle finger.  The 9th fret is played by the ring.  The 10th fret is played by the pinky.
17:7  At the 6th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following.  Open, open, open, open, open, 6 6x, 7 6x, 8 6x, 9 6x, 8 6x, 7 6x, 6 6x.  With the pattern of notes, the 6th fret is played by the index finger.  The 7th fret is played by the middle finger.  The 8th fret is played by the ring.  The 9th fret is played by the pinky.
17:8  At the 5th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following.  Open, open, open, open, open, open, 5 6x, 6 6x, 7 6x, 8 6x, 7 6x, 6 6x, 5 6x.  With the pattern of notes, the 5th fret is played by the index finger.  The 6th fret is played by the middle finger.  The 7th fret is played by the ring.  The 8th fret is played with the pinky.
17:9  At the 6th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following.  Open 6x, 6 6x, 7 6x, 8 6x, 9 6x, 8 6x, 7 6x, 6 6x.  With the pattern of notes, the 6th fret is played by the index finger.  The 7th fret is played by the middle finger.  The 8th fret is played by the ring.  The 9th fret is played by the pinky.
17:10  At the 7th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following.  Open 6x, 7 6x, 8 6x, 9 6x, 10 6x, 9 6x, 8 6x, 7 6x.  With the pattern of notes, the 7th fret is played by the index finger.  The 8th fret is played by the middle finger.  The 9th fret is played by the ring.  The 10th fret is played by the pinky.
17:11  At the 8th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following.  Open 6x, 8 6x, 9 6x, 10 6x, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 10 6x, 9 6x, 8 6x.  With the pattern of notes, the 8th fret is played by the index finger.  The 9th fret is played by the middle finger.  The 10th fret is played by the ring.  The 11th fret is played with the pinky.
17:12  At the 9th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following.  Open 6x, 9 6x, 10 6x, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 10 6x, 9 6x.  With the pattern of notes, the 9th fret is played by the index finger.  The 10th fret is played by the middle finger.  The 11th fret is played by the ring.  The 12th fret is played by the pinky.
17:13  At the 10th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following.  Open 6x, 10 6x, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 10 5x.  With the pattern of notes, the 10th fret is played by the index finger.  The 11th fret is played by the middle finger.  And, the 12th fret is played by the ring.  The 13th fret is played with the pinky.
17:14  At the 11th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following.  Open 5x, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 14, 14, 14, 14, 14, 14, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11.  With the pattern of notes, the 11th fret is played by the index finger.  The 12th fret is played by the middle finger.  And, the 13th fret is played by the ring.  The 14th fret is played with the pinky.
17:15  At the 12th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following.  Open, open, open, open, open, open, 12th fret 6x, 13th fret 6x, 14thfret 6x, 15th 6x, 14th 6x, 13th fret 5x, 12th fret 6x.  All the exercises in 17th Guitar Snake Exercises may be done without or without palm muting.  With the pattern of notes, the 12th fret is played by the index finger.  The 13th fret is play by the middle finger.  The 14th fret is played by the ring.  The 15th fret is played with the pinky.
17:16  Do exercises 17:1-17:15 on the 2nd string.
17:17  Do exercises 17:1-17:15 on the 3rd string.
17:18  Do exercises 17:1-17:15 on the 4th string.
17:19  Do exercises 17:1-17:15 on the 5th string.
17:20  Do exercises 17:1-17:15 on the 6th string.