Music

Aug
16


This girl has a fantastic voice and knows how to put a tune together!!  Her name is Arlene Zelina and you really should check her out.


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Oct
31


Steve Ouimette EPIC

Steve Ouimette, the six-string samurai behind nearly 100 cover songs from the Guitar Hero franchise, released his debut solo album this week, appropriately entitled EPIC.  Since more than a couple of you have rocked alongside Steve in spirit whilst living out your living room rock star fantasies, why not step inside and take a listen to what this talented musician put together when unbound from the constraints of recreating someone else’s music.

Starting with Guitar Hero III, Steve Ouimette brought to life some classic songs for gamers to click and strum to.  Now that bands realize the value of putting their own material into music games, Ouimette had some time to let his muse speak to him and create his own sounds.  The main set list features 10 original songs, followed by four recordings he did for various iterations of Guitar Hero.  He couldn’t have chosen a better title for this album, because it is an epic listen from start to finish.

The lead off track - “Speaking in Tongues” - was inspired by films like The Exorcist and The Omen (more on how we know this, later).  Ouimette conjures some truly demonic tones from a very low tuned Les Paul baritone guitar for the main riff.

If you are a fan of the guitar in all its many manifestations, the turn in style and genres of this next track will delight you.  “El Toro!” takes the listener into the center of a bull fight, with multiple guitar lines representing both the bull and the matador.

“The Divining Witch” will definitely win you over if names like Steve Morse and Joe Satriani feature on your play lists.  This is a brilliant example of a let-the-guitar-do-the-singing number.

EPIC is not entirely instrumental.  “Lou’s Revenge” is Ouimette’s dark and heavy sequel to his cover of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” and features Chris Powers (also from “Devil”) on vocals.  Among the standout tracks on EPIC is another vocal song called “Mr.  Bones”.  Sounding completely different than anything else on the album, this song hooked me instantly, with its Django Reinhardt-style strum (if you played Bioshock, you heard Django’s guitar throughout it) and vocalist Brody Dolyniuk’s nefarious sideshow barker performance.  I challenge you to not tap your feet and sing along to this one.

The “bonus tracks” if you will, comprise some of Ouimette’s more popular recordings from Guitar Hero, including “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”, the squeal-inducing “Dueling Banjos” (we mean squeal of delight because its awesome! Get your minds out of the woods!) and his electrified renditions of holiday traditionals, “Hark” and “We Three Kings”.

Probably one of the best things about EPIC isn’t even on the album itself.  Along with demonstrations of how he played some of the songs, the bonus DVD that comes with the physical version features interviews with Steve Ouimette, detailing the back story of each song on the album.  The interviews are simple, straightforward conversations from the artist, but open up an entirely new level to the listening experience.

Steve Ouimette

Ouimette talking about the writing and recording process is interesting, but it’s his personable, on-camera presence in these video liner notes, describing the stories about the meanings of or what inspired the songs, that really brings a much fuller experience to enjoying the album.  Upon first listen to EPIC, this reviewer had a good idea about what each song represented in terms of sound, if not their deeper meaning.  But after watching the DVD, it painted an entirely different picture, giving a new depth to each piece and making for an even more enjoyable second, third and tenth listen.  Even the vocal pieces and cover tracks benefit from this enhanced experience.

Whether you are a fan of Guitar Hero or if your heroes play guitar, EPIC is an absolute must-listen.  It is available digitally from record label Sumthing Else Music Works and physically from Amazon.

Be sure to check out our interview with Steve Ouimette.

 A Guitar Hero Goes Solo   Steve Ouimette EPIC Review A Guitar Hero Goes Solo   Steve Ouimette EPIC Review

 A Guitar Hero Goes Solo   Steve Ouimette EPIC Review

 A Guitar Hero Goes Solo   Steve Ouimette EPIC Review

 A Guitar Hero Goes Solo   Steve Ouimette EPIC Review  A Guitar Hero Goes Solo   Steve Ouimette EPIC Review  A Guitar Hero Goes Solo   Steve Ouimette EPIC Review  A Guitar Hero Goes Solo   Steve Ouimette EPIC Review

 A Guitar Hero Goes Solo   Steve Ouimette EPIC Review
G4 TV - TheFeed

Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars

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  • Features -
  • Unleash over-the-top Force powers and devastating attack combos on enemies found only on next-generation platforms
  • Discover the untold story of Darth Vader's Secret Apprentice in the next chapter of the Star Wars Saga set between Episode III and Episode IV of the movie series
  • Enemies are infused with euphoria, a behavioral-technology that allows characters to react in different and unique ways every time you play the game, whether they're jumping to safety or on the receiving end of your Force power and lightsaber attacks.

Now LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars brings you the biggest LEGO adventure yet! Experience the next chapter in the award-winning and critically acclaimed LEGO Star Wars videogame franchise. LucasArts and TT Games are pleased to announce LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars. Available Fall 2010 on the X360, PS3, Wii PSP, NDS and PC. LEGO Star Wars III will combine the best elements of all previous LEGO games while adding brand new gameplay features to make it the most action-packed LEGO videog


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List Price: $ 49.99

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

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  • The wand is the ultimate weapon Hold nothing back! Unleash an arsenal of formidable magic to defeat attackers, protect yourself from harm and evade capture.
  • Deadly enemies lurk around every corner - Fight Voldemort's minions, including Death Eaters, Snatchers and Dementors. Overcome a host of fierce creatures attacking on instinct alone. No other Harry Potter game has had this level of action!
  • Become a master in stealth - Use the Invisibility Cloak, Polyjuice Potion and Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder to avoid detection and sneak past adversaries.
  • New game engine - A new game engine built specifically to leverage the technology of HD consoles ensures high definition graphics and visceral gameplay that will immerse you in the action like never before!
  • Your dangerous journey takes you through a host of new environments, from city streets to remote wilderness areas, to new and iconic wizarding locations; each presents different enemies to fight, challenges to uncover and quests to complete.

The Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 videogame is the most challenging yet, packed from start to finish with action and combat. Playing as Harry, you are on the run from the opening sequence, fighting for survival on a desperate and dangerous quest to locate and destroy Voldemort’s Horcruxes. There are no more lessons, no more training. This time the danger is real. It’s time to fight your life.


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List Price: $ 49.95

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Top Spin 2, Excellent Xbox 360 Video Games
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NBA Inside Drive 2004, Excellent Xbox Video Games
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Sep
2


Outkast - Psychedelic Funk Soul Brothers Unauthorized

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Nov
12


taylorswift cma 208x300 Taylor Swift gives the Country awards a swift kick in the Chaps"Taylor Swift's clean sweep of the Country Music Assn. Awards helped the broadcast reach its biggest audience in four years, according to preliminary figures released on Thursday.

The three-hour show averaged 16.8 million viewers for ABC on Wednesday, up from 15.9 million last year. It marks the highest score since 2005, when 17.7 million people tuned in to the CBS broadcast."

I have to admit, I'm not what you'd call a country music fan but it has changed so much over the years and several artists have been winning me over including Ms. Swift.  I'm not ready to sit through a whole CM awards show yet mind you but find it easy to be happy for Taylor and so many other new country artists. Way to go Taylor!



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Nov
1


Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters and formerly of Nirvana

Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters and formerly of Nirvana

Three new Nirvana tunes, and four new Foo Fighters tracks will be available for players of Rock Band as of next week, which should make fans of Dave Grohl very happy. These new additions will be available for download via the Rock Band Music Store, and the LEGO Rock Band Music Store on Xbox 360, PS3 and the Wii. New tracks from System of a Down and Bullet for My Valentine will also be available next week for Rock Bank Unplugged on the PSP.

The new Nirvana tracks coincide with the 20th anniversary of the release of the band's debut album, Bleach, in 1989. The Nirvana Bleach Pack includes three classic songs from that album, About a Girl, Blew and School. Each track is available individually for Wii.

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Oct
14


 

Jamie Bamber's (Battlestar Galactica) sister, Anastasia Griffith, stars in 'Trauma'

Jamie Bamber's (Battlestar Galactica) sister, Anastasia Griffith, stars in 'Trauma'

Bear McCreary has firmly established himself as one of the best, if not the best, music composer in television. If you're wondering what TV Show's he's working on at the moment, you might like to tune in to NBC's Trauma.

Trauma is a new "action series disguised as a medical drama" that focuses on first responder paramedics in San Francisco.  Personally, I love Bear McCreary's music but I have no love for crime and medical shows, so I haven't seen Trauma and probably never will. I've also heard the show is not doing so well and may not get a second season, so that adds to my "I dont' give a rats about it" (other than the music) factor.

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