Category: San Diego

Looking for an Adventurous Wedding in 2013, But Maybe Not Quite Like This

on By

I still haven’t had anyone book me to play guitar for their Elusive Daring Crazy Adventurous Wedding I wrote about last year. Maybe 2013 will be the end of my wait.

You know the type of wedding I am talking about? The ones you see at the end of the news every now and then… A couple gets married on a zip line, under water or in a hot air balloon.

I used to work for a hot air balloon company back in my college days. They really aren’t that adventurous. You take off, float over a scenic landscape, watch the sunset, drink champagne, land and head out to your dinner, etc. It really happens that way 99.9% of the time. Actually a cool way to start off a marriage. But, this wedding………….not so much!

Wedding Interrupted by Hot Air Balloon Crash

Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt as this high-flying wedding ceremony was abruptly brought to an end in a San Diego neighborhood.

This story aside, I am not deterred in my quest to play your wedding with a twist. If you have an idea let me know and we can set it up!

Top 10, My Favorite Posts on ’12 Notes & the Truth!’

on By

It’s almost 2013! This compels me to create a few lists from the year in review, my first as a blogger.

My last post was my top 10 posts of the year according to WordPress stats. The 10 listed on this post are MY favorites…according to ME.

There were many, but, these are the ones that stood out in my memory as either being fun, rewarding or challenging to write. Some were very popular, some were not and some were early before I had much following. Hopefully this list will supply my followers with some new insights into this blog 12 Notes & the Truth!

These first two are important to me as both guitarists were HUGE in my inspiration to be not only a guitarist but a musician.

1.  Van Halen Week in San Diego – Concert Review

2. Michael Schenker Said No to the Rolling Stones, Ozzy, Aerosmith…

This post was cool because I found a new guitarist, influence and a historical perspective I never knew. I knew of Jose Feliciano, but,  not much about him. An amazing musician that really took an unfair career hit with his version of the Star Spangled Banner. A great version in my opinion and better than many of the renditions today. Expect more posts on Jose Feliciano in 2013!

3. National Anthem, Jose Feliciano-Play Ball!

These next three are my favorite attempts at ‘writing.’ Some of my posts are just that…posts. These three were more of a personal perspective on guitar, myself and my musical past.

4. Beware of the Pick Gremlins! Important as ALL guitarists know there has to be Pick Gremlins stealing our picks! How else can they disappear so quickly?

5. Function of My Dysfunction An insight into my mind…

6. Band Logos and Dreams What did I study in school? Drawing band logos on my book covers and folders.

Sports has been another major interest throughout my life. So it is nice for me to be able to combine the two. I thought these were pretty clever, tongue in cheek ways of combining music and sports. They are also an exercise in creativity much like composing music.

7. A Musical Tribute to the 2012 Olympic Games in London

8.  2012 NFL Predictions ‘Rock n Roll’ Edition

Playing a fair amount of weddings every year and working with so many great couples I really enjoyed blogging about different musical aspects involved in making the ‘Big Day’ special.

9. Weddings

Yeah, I had to delve into the ugly Presidential campaign of 2012. I feel I gave both a fair ration of disrespect as I feel ALL politicians deserve.  Much like the sports posts above it was a fun creative process putting this post together.

10. Presidential Campaign 2012, Romney v Obama (Scherzino Falsetto)

Top 10 Posts of 2012 on ’12 Notes & the Truth’

on By 1 Comment

Thank you to everyone who visited the site this year. Since starting in March there have been just shy of 10,000 views.

Here are the top 10 blog posts by numbers of viewers in 2012.

1. American Idol Live! Tour, San Diego Concert Review -July 26, 2012

You can’t deny the power of this show. Love it or hate it, it has mass appeal! I was a devout hater for the first few years but have been won over by the talent of some of the kids!

2. Van Halen Week in San Diego – Concert Review

Van Halen, the reason I play guitar = the reason I am here 30 years later playing and writing about music. So glad to see their resurgence in 2012.

3. Scorpions & Tesla in San Diego, Your Concert Review

The Scorps were one of my favorites growing up. To this day one of the best concerts I ever saw in ’84, awesome to see them still at it and popular as ever.

4. A Musical Tribute to the 2012 Olympic Games in London

This post had a lot of global appeal as all countries are included. I thought it was pretty creative.

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

The cyber world is truly made up of puppy, kitty and cute kid videos…and unfortunately people like to see a good train wreck as well…which is what these poor singers gave during a World Series game in San Francisco.

6. Michael Schenker Said No to the Rolling Stones, Ozzy, Aerosmith…

I am truly grateful to see Michael Schenker is so popular over the globe. I have always been a fan(and feeling on an island) and glad to see this post has been so popular over the year.

7. Mick Jagger on SNL Season Finale May 19

The Rolling Stones just don;t go away. Another post that I have been surprised got so many hits throughout the year.

8. Worst AC/DC Album??

One of my favorite bands. The title sounds negative, but, I wrote this as a tribute to how good they are and wondering which early album did not hold up in AC/DC fans minds.

9. Van Halen Week in San Diego – 10 Facts You Might Not Know About Van Halen

Again awesome to see them have such a big year in 2012.

10. What does a Playboy Playmate, Pussycat Doll and Big Screen Actress Have in Common With a San Diego Guitarist? A Wedding Blog

What a great title to get people to your blog, and I guess it worked. I was honored to play guitar for Rachel Sterling’s wedding over the summer.

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

on By 6 Comments

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!!!

RIP Ravi Shankar Renown Virtuoso Sitarist

on By 1 Comment

Not the post I was planning on writing this evening.

2012 has been a brutally tough year with the deaths of many legendary musicians.  Just last week we lost jazz pianist/composer Dave Brubeck and today(Dec. 11) the sad news of Ravi Shankar’s passing.

Ravi Shankar is an amazing musician known for many things, however, there are two highlights on his resume. First, he was a pioneer in introducing Indian sitar music to the Western world. Second, not totally detached from the first was his influence on the Beatles especially guitarist George Harrison. Trained in the Northern Indian tradition of Hindustani music the sitarist was a crossover  in the 1960’s Western pop culture. As mentioned he was an influence on the Beatles and also played the legendary Woodstock Festival. With his amazing talent and global appeal Shankar became an icon of Indian culture. The Indian Prime Minister said of Shankar on his passing, “National treasure and global ambassador of India’s cultural heritage”.

Shankar has two daughters who are also renown musicians. In the tradition of her father, Anoushka, concertizes throughout the world on the sitar and has pushed the sitar further into the Western realm with her collaborations. I was lucky enough to see the two play together at a San Diego concert near the turn of the millennium. Norah Jones, pop vocalist with a smooth voice inherited her fathers musical genes if not his cultural side.

Shankar died right here in San Diego. For those of you curious who are not from here, he actually passed in La Jolla which translates to the jewel. An amazingly beautiful city on the Pacific Ocean fitting of such an ambassadors final breaths.

Victory Sunday in San Diego!

on By

Woooow! This was a long time coming. The Chargers haven’t won a game in about 5 weeks.

Chargers Win!
Chargers Win!

As good as it was to see the boys take it to the Steelers, the ‘best’ thing for this franchise is to lose games. Then we can get rid of Norv, AJ, get a GOOD draft pick and start all over!

Even though the Chargers are better off losing I still can’t root for them to lose for those 3 hours every Sunday.

Victory Sunday Song! Chargers 34, Steelers 24

What is and What Should Never 4th & B

on By 3 Comments

Wow! This was a surprise to me. The San Diego concert venue is closing it’s doors. Appears they had some legal and financial issues leading to their demise.

4th & B has been a cool and quirky place to see some major acts over the last 18 years. The theater was not very big and a great place to see some of the biggest acts in the world, although maybe not what they once were by the time 4th & B was able to book them.

I remember seeing guitarists Joe Satriani and George Thorogood, metal acts Queensryche and Ronnie James Dio and many local bands at the downtown venue. They also hosted all type of events including comedy and hypnotists.

What is next for the building that once housed a bank and became a San Diego music icon? Be great if someone could tale it over and keep the music alive!

Guitar, Wine & Relaxation…a Black Friday Alternative, A San Diego Guitarists Performance Blog

on By

Once again, I had the pleasure of performing at Orfila Vineyards and Winery in Escondido. This time the day after Thanksgiving.  I really didn’t know what kind of crowd to expect. Would everyone stay home? Be burned out? Turkey hangover? Shopping?

Well, the first sign it was going to be a nice crowd was there was no parking except the overflow. Walking up with my gear, it was packed. That always gets the musician juices flowing. But, it was also nice to see folks using their ‘Black Friday’ to relax. Even better they were supporting some locals over the big box chain stores. Including Orfila, myself and local jewelry maker Katy of KD Custom Jewelry, who’s always a pleasure to work with. Darn Good Food Truck was also there, but, I was so busy I never got a chance to go see what they were all about, sure they were ‘darn good’ though.

With the holiday season upon us, I only have one more scheduled public performance and you guessed it…I will be at Orfila on Dec. 2…3:00 to 5:30 PM. If you haven’t been to Orfila yet it is a must. There is truly something in this valley overlooking the vineyards that always  makes for a great relaxing day. If you are planning any events or weddings definitely take a look here!

Some photos of the day!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.