Paul Belbusti with Chris Vollo and Veloray at Rudy's

Monday, March 13, 2006

I write about Paul too much. He was good. Chris also played well.
Veloray, I didn't like. They were everything you'd expect from a country-rock band. It's like instead of the alt-country stuff that takes from interesting country and interesting rock, these guys take from radio country and radio rock. One of the guitar players had all the stuff you see advertised in the guitar magazines. All shiny and new.

Pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/oldangelmidnight/sets/72057594080781806/

Bands:
http://www.myspace.com/paulbelbusti
http://www.myspace.com/veloray

Lee-Ann

I thought Paul and Chris were great too. Yes, one of the guitar players from Veloray had the Line 6 set-up (I bought him the distortion modeler for his birthday), but you failed to mention that he's arguably one of the greatest guitar players you've ever seen. He deserves a LOT more respect than what you give him in this blog. Frankly, if you are a true music critic, you wouldn't have to be told that... but thanks for the criticism, seriously. Posted by Lee-Ann on Monday, April 03, 2006 at 8:29 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	King David	I'm glad you took the time to respond to this. Most people aren't even willing to put in that much effort. And I also like the support you show your bandmate. As I remember it, the most remarkable thing about him was his guitar setup. His playing didn't strike me as anything special. Granted, your taste and mine are probably very different. Probably my favorite local guitar player is Joe from Kimono Draggin', just to give you a sense of what I like. Really, though, I don't see a lot of players with that shiny, expensive looking stuff your guy has. For what it's worth, I think I'd like you guys better if you were a bit weirder and a lot angrier. Posted by King David on Thursday, April 06, 2006 at 4:07 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Mary Jane	YOU ARE SUCH A PIN-HEAD I CAN'T GIVE YOU MORE THAN TWO LINES OR TWO MINUTES OF MY TIME. Posted by Mary Jane on Friday, April 07, 2006 at 8:55 AM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Veloray	I bet you would never know what is hexichordally combinatorial to an (041253) hexichord. Our guitarist does. I guess that's what you get when you graduate top of your class from the Eastman School Of Music, you fucking twit. Learn music before you attempt to critique it with your pathetic freshman level high school drivel. PSS: "Angry" is what you are when you don't get laid. PS: Purchase a copy of the Strunk text. It is considered the standard for anyone wishing to write in a manner that is grammatically correct. I would suggest you read Milton Babbitt, Elliott Carter, John Zorn, Arnold Schoenberg and Robert Schuman for examples of what is worthwhile in music criticism. In the meantime enjoy swallowing the sonic ejaculations of your no-talent, hack friends. Posted by Veloray on Friday, April 07, 2006 at 2:03 AM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Paul Belbusti	wow. Posted by Paul Belbusti on Friday, April 07, 2006 at 10:06 AM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	King David	I want your ambient cum in my mouth. Posted by King David on Friday, April 07, 2006 at 10:33 AM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	King David	Just because I thought you were boring doesn't mean you need to cry. The argument "learn it before you critique it" is just nonsense. That being the case, only someone else who had paid way too much to learn how to play guitar could make any kind of comment. I hate to have to remind anyone of this, but I'm not making any objective claims here, I'm giving my impression as a member of the audience. If you take anything from it, it should be that this is what some portion of your audience thinks. I find it funny that you value so highly academic credentials. For my money, that just robs the soul from anything. I have a degree in English and a degree in journalism, so I'm familiar with Elements of Style. But, I choose not to write in an academic style. When writing in a blog, I think a more colloquial style is more appropriate. Similarly, in music, academic performance is fine for classical, but it just makes a bar band boring. Grow some balls; transcend academe! What's more, I find it endlessly funny that anyone would get upset about anything written in an online forum. Maybe all those hexichords made your brains go soft. Posted by King David on Friday, April 07, 2006 at 9:18 AM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Lee-Ann	You know what? You just don't get it, man. I've read every single one of your blogs here, and you offer very little positive feedback on any artist. I know the stuff you are into because I'm into it myself. However, the many covers you play are pretty fucking boring. So lets not talk about boring here. I didn't write back to you to sling mud; I wrote back to you to defend a guitar player whose favorite bands are some of the most obscure and dynamic. The gear gives him these options. He can use that gear when he's playing out at a jazz duo, a classical gig, or the alt-country gig. It's about versatility, not "having the newest and the best stuff." This is a guy who was playing Zappa tunes note-for-note when he was 13. So he didn't PAY to go to a prestigious conservatory, they paid HIM, and that's really none of your business. So how dare you make claims on how much money anyone spent to go to college! Therefore, you are indeed "making objective claims here," and that's just wrong. Soulful music doesn't have to be "weird" and "angry." If I've learned anything from being in this band, it's that LIFE is weird and angry, and only music can provide a hopeful outlook on the shit that makes up our daily lives. OK, this IS a blog, but it's still public forum, and you better be able to back up your objective claims. Your blog appears on a regular google search on the bands you critique. You write well, but wouldn't you agree that in order to improve, you need to read passages from the best and the brightest? You wouldn't have your skills if you didn't go to college. Is it safe to assume you paid a lot of money to go to Southern for your degrees? Art is NOT about what makes you feel good. A great piece of music, a painting or a poem should not be judged on how it makes the observer feel. If you aren't well-educated on the elements of the arts, you can never be qualified to critique it. And you don't need to spend money on college to learn these elements; you just need to have an open mind and do your research. You are caught up in this selfish pop-culture bullshit waaaay more than you'll ever know. You think that if music doesn't connect with your anger, it's shit. So who's the boring one? Posted by Lee-Ann on Friday, April 07, 2006 at 2:00 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	King David	Well, you know, I'm writing here as an audience member, not as a musician. And, as an audience member, I have very little desire to give positive feedback to anyone who doesn't really impress me. If music, for you, is not about making the audience feel something, why perform live? If what you seek is some kind of technical mastery, I'd think the studio would be the logical outlet. I don't think music needs to be weird and angry to be soulful. I do think that academic playing and soulful playing are mutually exclusive. Regarding your guitar player's equipment, his reasons for choosing that stuff are appropriate. But, it's still funny to me. I don't see a lot of guitar players in these dirty little clubs and bars playing with fancy-looking stuff. It just seems out of place. As far as his credentials are concerned, I don't really care. Whether he paid to go to his conservatory or not isn't the issue. The point is that the lack of a music degree doesn't invalidate my opinion or the opinion of anyone else. Whatever skills I have, I didn't earn them in a classroom, I built them through experience. I certainly don't rest on the laurels of a Southern degree. My experience was forged through listening, writing and, yes, reading. But, I don't think I'm in any privileged position. My position is that of any average audience member who cares more about a good performance than music theory. I don't see what kind of research would be more valid than that. At the end of the day, I'm not quite sure why you feel the need to defend yourself to me. Obviously, we value different things in music. I'm holding you to a standard that you don't hold for yourself. So, if I were you, I'd just disregard everything I say. Posted by King David on Friday, April 07, 2006 at 4:34 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Christopher	Hi. Just so you know, I hold secondary and classical degrees in Music from Oberlin Conservatory, Carnegie-Mellon University, and Rutgers University. I have recording credits in the double digits, performing on several recordings in the genres of rock, jazz, and classical music, and I am a published author of articles and books on jazz history. Anyway, I find the songs posted on Veloray's myspace page painfully boring, the songwriting cliched and weak, and the vocal performances are sub-par by everyone. Have a nice day! Christopher Posted by Christopher on Friday, April 07, 2006 at 2:29 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

King David

Hi Christopher, I'd just like to point out to whoever may be reading this that you and I don't know each other. I'd hate to be accused of sucking your cock as well. But, thank you for your comment. I do appreciate your input. Posted by King David on Friday, April 07, 2006 at 4:13 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]