When Music & Sports Collide, Trevor Hoffman, HOF

If you ask pro athletes many say they want to be musicians. If you ask musicians many want to be pro athletes. I still have the occasional recurring dream that the Padres manager tells me to grab a bat! Im in the show!

Grass is always greener I guess….I think we gravitate towards the things we should for a reason. I was a good baseball /football player as a kid but guitar won out…then as I got more serious about music, sports become the enemy…one funky catch and mess up a finger… skateboards are the devil…as a classical guitarist even a broken fingernail is no bueno!

There are those rare dual threats like my cousin Chase d’ Arnaud…plays  MLB for the San Francisco Giants (formerly Padres, Red Sox, Braves, Pirates)  and sings and plays guitar professionally on the side.

Every player and team has ‘their’ song these days. But there are a few cool music/sports combos that have true identity and transcend time. The Chicago Bulls-Sirius from the Alan Parsons Project. The NFL’s incessant use of Start Me Up/Crazy Train/Machine Head and a few others over the decades.

If you are from San Diego you know…

Hells Bells-Trevor Hoffman!

Milwaukee got a taste too…if you are a baseball fan that pays attention outside of your own team you know and for a good decade when The Bells rang San Diego sports fans went nuts. The Bells meant victory was coming!

Trevor enters the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame this weekend. One of the few greats in San Diego sports history and only the second true Padre to enter the Hall following Tony Gwynn.

Congrats Trevor! Thanks for staying loyal to San Diego as few athletes have!!

 

 

Last Summer Night

Dear Everyone, (in the Northern Hemisphere anyway)

I am sorry to report that our beloved summer is in its waning hours. Today is the last day.

Fall is great and all with football, baseball playoffs, the holidays and all, but, summer is the best. Swimming, the beaches flip-flops, warm nights.

Who am I kidding its always Sunny & 70 in San Diego.

Still gonna miss you summer, see you next year!

Enjoy, the last night of summer everyone!

Happy 4th of July, 2013

Happy 4th of July everyone! Hope you have a fun and safe holiday while celebrating the  anniversary of our Nation’s Independence!

Just wanted to post two quick versions of the Star Spangled Banner guitar style.

I recently saw Yngwie Malmsteen in San Diego and he performed a tribute to the military with a rendition of the National Anthem( bottom video)

The top video is Yngwie performing the SSB at a Miami Marlins baseball game. I could lament how I think the Anthem should be played traditionally when played for events but c’mon lets face it no one really watches Marlins baseball anyway. Musically he does a remarkable job incorporating all his guitar fireworks into the structure of the song.

Enjoy your freedoms like they mean something to you! Happy 4th!

Testimonials

IT looks like your business is thriving! I sure hope so!  Matt just graduated 
from Auburn University in Alabama, and is back in SD looking for jobs.  (He has 
a degree in economics).

You were such a great influence on his life, and it went beyond the guitar.
Your smile is infectious your patience was never ending, and you were always 
encouraging and made guitar fun  and made it stress free.  So much of school 
these days involves unnecessary stress, (like little league baseball, where 
winning was everything) and you made coming to guitar pleasant because you "got 
it."  

Marlo  (Matt says hello)

----

I want to thank you so much for your lessons, after so many years I have a basic knowledge again and it prompted to me replace my Dad's 50+ year old guitar with a newer one.  Also, I have really appreciated your teaching style, taking things super slow, and with a lot of encouragement.  
 
My one-year gig at the Q is up in two weeks and don't know if I will be back, but I will carry your lessons, book and teaching with me.  Do you do lessons outside of the Q?  If so, I want to put a glowing review on Yelp, I don't see that you're on there yet, so would love to be the first.
 
All the best,
Cat M.

Happy Birthday Tony Gwynn, “Mr. Padre”

Wishing Tony Gwynn a happy birthday today.

You may ask why a baseball player is being featured on a music website…

TonyAlicia
Visit Tony and Wife Alicia’s Foundation!

If you follow this blog you probably know I am a huge sports fan. Growing up watching the San Diego Padres, was/is not much to root, cheer, (insert verb) for!

But in 1982 along came Tony Gwynn. As a kid you watch and cheer for your favorites. But over the years of following the team there was a ‘Tony Gwynn’ work ethic that was always discussed.

Tony was a tireless worker at his craft…hitting a baseball. He spent hours and hours watching film, studying the game and working on his game. That made a huge impression on me growing up.

It made me want to work that hard at guitar and I began to listen to guitarists who had that same work ethic. The guys who put in HOURS & HOURS day in and day out playing guitar.

Not only that he was and is a loyal citizen of America’s Finest City, San Diego! My hometown!

So that said Tony was a huge influence on me personally and professionally and that is why he is being a wished a happy birthday from me.

Thanks Tony and Happy Birthday!

Willie Nelson 80 Years Old Today, Happy Birthday!

Willie NelsonGrowing up a rocker I never had much interest in country music or Willie Nelson. In 2002 a movie called, “The Rookie,” was released. Dennis Quaid starred as an aging high school baseball coach who, egged on by his students, tried out for the big leagues and made it all the to MLBs Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Good family movie and a true story.

The movie is centered in the American Heartland and I remember hearing, “City of New Orleans,” a Willie Nelson song on the soundtrack.

That is when it hit me…the intrigue and value of Willie Nelson…he is a true piece of Americana… The more I listened to his music the more I became a fan. The musicianship is there too. The guy is an American Legend and a great musician! I even went to see Willie live…great show!! He tours constantly and I highly suggest you see him. If you are not a fan of the music go just to see what it is all about, cause there will never be another like him again. Don’t miss your chance to take part in Willie’s legacy while he is still gracing our planet!!!

80 years old! Life is definitely too short.

Happy Birthday Willie….here’s to many more!

Best Album Ever?

VH Fair Warning

Van Halen’s fourth album, “Fair Waring,” released on this date 1981. This is one album that I have never grown tired of…If I had only one CD to take on a deserted island…this would be it!

Eddie’s guitar tone and creativeness were at peak levels! The album was also one of the bands heaviest and wrongfully, IMO, their worst seller.

The guitar work on this album to me as a kid arguably changed my life…switched my dreams from baseball player to guitarist….

The cover art was taken from a William Kurelek painting, “The Maze.”

Top 10 Countries to View ’12 Notes & The Truth!’ in 2012

Becoming a blogger this year has been a lot of fun. There were certainly some surprises for me along the way some include;

-That just under 10,000 viewers would visit, read & reply to this blog.

-How many cool people I have hooked up with to chat about music.

-That no matter what your opinion….someone will STRONGLY disagree. Although I had very few negative comments over the year they are venomous when they disagree…a small taste of what those in the public eye must endure daily…like actors, athletes and musicians. Actually my first negative comment oddly felt kind of good. That what I had to say touched a nerve with someone…like I was doing something right here. Although, personally, I would prefer an adult exchange of ideas. I never did censure any comments even those lame spam ones that get through.

-One of the most mind-blowing aspects is how many views I received outside of the U.S.

Here are the top 10 countries to visit 12 Notes & the Truth! since it was unveiled in March.

1. United States-Obviously

2. United Kingdom-Makes sense as the U.K. is English speaking and very much Western in music and culture

3. Canada-Ditto #2

4.Philippines-From watching my stats throughout the year it seemed to line up with my American Idol posts. I think Jessica Sanchez may have been a part of the attraction, as well. There was also a wedding photographer from the Philippines that traded links with my site.

5. Germany-I did write a couple Scorpions posts and am a huge Michael Schenker fan, both of whom are native sons to Germany. I never saw a direct correlation to my stats however.

6. Australia-Again ditto #2 & #3

7. India-A welcome surprise how high they ranked.

8. Brazil

9. Mexico-Not as much a surprise due to their proximity to San Diego even though they have a very different culture.

10. Netherlands

Ranking just outside of the top 10 were; Spain, France, Russia, Italy, Greece, New Zealand and South Korea.

Some countries that visited which surprised me were; United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, Algeria, Lebanon, Maldives, Kenya. Not surprised that the folks there are interested in music and culture of America and the West. More surprised that their interests brought them to my humble blog.

Some of the global appeal I think relates to previously mentioned posts about Michael Schenker, Scorpions and American Idol. Others include my sports posts on baseball, the NFL and the Olympics and I would like to think just a general appeal to music lovers.

Here is to a great, prosperous and musical 2013!!!

This Performance May be Why the Term ‘God Bless America’ is Used as a Curse Phrase

Congrats to the San Francisco Giants on their 2012 World Championship!

The Giants swept the Detroit Tigers 4-0 in baseball’s Fall Classic. Of course the Giants were my pick to win it all!

On a somewhat different note did you happen to catch the rendition of God Bless America during the 7th inning stretch?

As a performer I absolutely feel for these singers…however, this was really bad!

No more baseball for a few months…of course being a San Diego Padres fan I could say it has been a few years without real baseball!

Previous music/baseball posts

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Celebration

Cap Photo

Playoff Beards

2012 World Series, San Francisco Giants v Detroit Tigers

This is it!

The end of the 2012 Major League Baseball season is upon us as baseball’s Fall Classic, The World Series, starts today.

When the postseason started I made my predictions with Heavy Metal songs. So far I have done pretty good.

I picked the Giants over the Cardinals and the Yankees over the Tigers in the NL & ALCS series.

Proud to say the Giants won and glad to say the Yankees lost! Having the Yankees out is always a good think in my book.

So now we are down to the final two, The Giants and The Tigers.

I will stand by my original pick…the San Francisco Giants will be World Champions!